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W E D N E S DAY, J A N UA RY 2 7, 2 0 1 6
‘Voices’ make up for low turnout by bryan o’keefe bpokeefe@uvm.edu
Students protested the University’s decision to remove reading days Jan. 25. Senior Alexander Collingsworth, who organized the event, led about 10 students from the Bailey/Howe Library, through the Davis Center and Central Campus, to the executive offices in the Waterman building. Collingsworth said they could’ve used a few more bodies, but their voices made up for it. “This is about the Faculty Senate and the administration respecting what students think, respecting the student voice,” Collingsworth said. “This is an incident of the SGA, which is supposed to be the body that represents us, being completely ignored.” The Faculty Senate voted April 13, 2015 to remove reading days, starting in the 20162017 academic year, according to the meeting minutes. Instead, time will be allotted for a three-day break in October, SGA President Jason
Students protest the removal of reading days outside Bailey/Howe Library Jan. 25. One of the students’ signs read, “Dear Faculty Senate, what are you smoking?” OLIVER POMAZI/The Vermont Cynic Maulucci said. In response to the decision, students created a Facebook protest event page, where 300 people confirmed their attendance, and a petition which generated nearly 2,000 signa-
tures as of Jan. 25, 2015. This decision was made to cut down “undesirable student behavior, including the Naked Bike Ride” before final exams, according to the 2014-2015 Annual Report from the Student
Affairs Committee of the Faculty Senate. “I definitely believe more transparency was and must be necessary and provided, and more involvement of the general student body … was abso-
lutely justified and entirely ignored,” senior Duncan Gamble said. The Naked Bike Ride was a factor in making the decision, but other elements were taken into account, Gary Derr, UVM’s vice president for executive operations said to protesters. Derr also said he would pass the protesters’ message along to administration. The committee pushed the final proposal on reading days through the Faculty Senate without consulting the SGA a second time, Maulucci said. Maulucci said he has appointed a student task force headed by junior and SGA senator Bhumika Patel to develop alternatives to the proposed academic schedule. They will draft this into a formal resolution for the Faculty Senate before spring break, Maulucci said. Faculty Senate members have not yet responded to request for comment. Read the full version of this story at vtcynic.com.
UVM reboots bottle ban with new campaign By Kelsey Neubauer kaneubau@uvm.edu
After receiving national attention for its water bottle ban, UVM is striving to better the policy by taking it back to its origins: student involvement. One of the reasons the ban was unsuccessful was a lack of student involvement said Richard Cate, treasurer and vice president for finance at UVM. The University implemented a campaign centered on educational publicity and student involvement following UVM nutrition professor Rachel Johnson’s May 14 study on the ban’s effectiveness. The campaign has a budget of $11,000, he said. This budget is a “combination of discretionary funds from the office of the president coming from gifts to the University and from the University’s general operating funds,” Cate said. Behavioral studies found that students were more likely to fill their water bottles if there was a water fountain inside the retail dining facilities instead of directly outside them, he said. The second half of the campaign involves educational publicity, or educating students about the importance of water through marketing, Cate said.
The marketing campaign was led by a local design company, Tally Ho, located on Bank Street in Burlington, according to University Communications. Ted Olsen, owner of Tally Ho, said he found students of the millennial generation like simple, relatable things. “If you look closely at the water drop,” Olsen said, “you will see that it says ‘UVM loves water.’” Thus, the posters that plaster the residence halls and the walls of locations such as the Davis Center and the Bailey/ Howe Library contain images of student water bottles and simple messages, he said. The origin of the water bottle ban was born out of student activism as early as 2012, Cate said. After looking at the issue from both an environmental and nutritional perspective, University officials decided to put the ban into place, he said. In January 2013, UVM became the first university in the nation to create a campus wide water bottle ban, as reported by the Cynic Feb. 2, 2013. UVM’s water bottle ban increased the sale of sugary drinks sold in bottles, according to Johnson’s research.
A water bottle refilling station in the Davis Center is pictured. UVM is launching a new marketing campaign to encourage students to drink water. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY PHIL CARRUTHERS Senior Sarah Shaffer, the sustainability intern at UVM dining, is leading an educational tabling campaign alongside EcoReps to promote both nutritional and environmental goals of the ban, she said “Our main objective is rekindling for students why this is important, why people should care,” she said.
Her primary project this semester is a tabling campaign to educate students on why the water discussion is important. “We were a leader for the nation by successfully implementing the water bottle ban, and we the nation saw its flaws when the study came out, it is our responsibility to take action,” she said.
Olsen found that working with the EcoReps allowed them to learn how to bring students back into the discussion. “Working with the students allowed us to see what we needed to do to get across the to the students with our designs,” he said.
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THE VERMONT CYNIC
NEWS
W E D N E S DAY, J AN UARY 27, 20 1 6
Construction to continue beyond 2019 BY PABLO MURPHY-TORRES pmurphyt@uvm.edu
UVM and the UVM Medical Center are preparing for on-campus construction beyond 2019 due to the amount of buildings under construction. Construction is divided into three phases: the STEM laboratory, the classroom and office buildings which are to be completed in 2019 as well as multiple smaller projects in Votey that will be started this summer and last around three years, according to the UVM Facilities Design and Construction website. Votey, which was built in 1962, is in need of modernization, Robert Vaughan, UVM director of capital planning and management said. The first floor teaching labs will be renovated first, he said. “[The labs] will be re-located, some will be upgraded, the machine shop will be expanded and moved into the corner of the same general area,” Vaughan said. “Then some work on the second floor and work on the teaching labs up there, and possibly a research lab.” However, the University has to update the infrastructure of the building as well, he said. “We have to replace the cooling and heating coils that pro-
A construction worker makes progress on the new STEM Lab Building Nov. 23. The construction of the building is scheduled to be completed by May 2019. STU LAPERLE/The Vermont Cynic vide heat and air conditioning, replace the entire fire alarm system and add more sprinklers,” Vaughan said. The whole fire alarm system is out of date, and though they have been “patching it up” as needed, the fire marshal has called for an entirely new system, he said.
One blue light between Kalkin Hall and Converse Hall has been labeled “out of order,” and some students have raised questions about the security of Central Campus due to the construction. Junior Lydia Marchese, who lives in Converse Hall, has some concerns about missing a blue
light. “The broken light by Kalkin is my main concern really, especially if I’m walking alone at night, but besides the broken light I don’t think [construction] is detrimental to student safety,” Marchese said. The University has informed every subcontractor that stu-
dent safety is the first priority and it is part of their weekly safety meetings, Vaughan said. As for the blue lights, he said he is making that a top priority. “I’ll check that out because we actually did some extra work to make sure that they wouldn’t be out of order,” Vaughan said.
UVM Medical Center joins effort to lower opiate abuse By Caroline alkire calkire@uvm.edu
In a new initiative to reduce opiate usage, the Burlington Police Department is working with the UVM Medical Center and Mayor Miro Weinberger. All three parties will be working together to increase
treatment for opiate users and decrease the amount of crime related to opiate use, according to a Jan. 11 press release from the mayor’s office. The opiate reduction initiative was created to counter the effects of high drug use in Burlington through prevention, treatment and research, said
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Stephen Leffler, chief medical officer at the UVM Medical Center. “We’re working to make sure that what we’re prescribing to patients is appropriate for their condition, that we’re not giving people too much medication or not enough,” Leffler said. By increasing the amount
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of treatment available to users, the Medical Center has been able to reduce the number of people on the treatment waitlist by almost a third, he said. Working together with the BPD is vital to solving the opiate problem, he said. “The opiate crisis is more than a medical problem, it’s more than a social problem and it’s more than an issue of crime,” Leffler said. “They are all co-dependent on each other, so we have to come together as a community and each work on our piece of it collaboratively.” Burlington Police Chief Brandon del Pozo agreed with the effectiveness of collaboration. “If we combine our efforts and act in a data-driven way, we’ll be able to maximize our effect,” del Pozo said. Del Pozo also highlighted opiate abuse as not just a health issue. “It has to be this holistic approach, the idea behind it is that we’re all seeing this; it’s a public health crisis with a law enforcement component,” he said. Approximately 9.1 percent of Vermonters age 18 to 25 years old reported abusing prescription pain relievers in 2013, down from 13.3 percent in 2010, according to a July 2015 opioid abuse report by the Vermont Department of Health.
Weinberger joined del Pozo in a presentation to the Burlington community on the opiate reduction initiative Jan. 11, according to the Jan. 11 press release. “Through sustained commitment to on-the-ground community policing and better coordination among all law enforcement and public health agencies engaged in addressing opiate abuse, we will turn back this trend,” Weinberger said. Burlington’s problem with opiates stems from a statewide over-prescription and abuse of opiate pain medication, del Pozo said. Seventy-five percent of heroin addicts in the U.S. used prescription opiates before turning to heroin, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. In Burlington, the transition from prescription pills to injected heroin is increasing as the drug is imported in from larger cities like New York, where it is much cheaper, del Pozo said. Crime in Burlington reflects rising rates of opiate usage, he said. “A lot of the crimes we see, from robberies to retail theft to property crime, are motivated by people either trying to commit crimes to finance their drug habits or disputes between dealers over drugs,” del Pozo said.
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OPINION
3
WEDNESDAY, JAUNARY 27, 2016 THE VERMONT CYNIC
S TA F F E D I T O R I A L
Student activism falls flat N
early 350 people RSVP’d “going” to an event titled “Give Us Back Our Reading Days! Student Protest” on Facebook. Only about 10 actually showed up Jan.25. The event was created following a Faculty Senate vote to remove reading days from the academic calendar. This change will take place starting in the 2016-2017 school year. After meeting at the library, the protesters marched through Central Campus and entered the Davis Center atrium. The protesters’ next stop was the Waterman building where they approached the executive offices but were locked out by an administrator. The initial action by students upset by the decision to eliminate reading days was hopeful and promising. On Dec. 11, SGA President Jason Maulucci and Vice President Tyler Davis sent a letter via email to the Faculty Senate entitled “Reading Days, Mental Health and Academic Success.” The Facebook page was full of comments back and forth by members, and as of Jan. 25, an online petition had over 2,000 signatures. The intentions and actions of the few people who put in an effort to attend the effort and
exercise their First Amendment rights is, no doubt, commendable. However, the same cannot be said for the roughly 350 people whose action ended when they clicked “going” on Facebook. Letters, petitions and protests are all incredibly useful tools students can use to create change and a positive impact at their University. However, clicking “like” isn’t enough to make this change. As students, we need to advocate for ourselves, make sure our voices are heard and directly raise our concerns to the people who are making major decisions. The board of trustees meetings are excellent venues to do this, and the next one will be held Feb. 4 to 6. Never be afraid to use your voice. If you don’t participate, nothing will change.
Ariana arden ARIANA.ARDEN@ UVM.EDU
F
Staff editorials officially reflect the views of the Vermont Cynic. Signed opinion pieces and columns do not necessarily do so. The Cynic accepts letters in response to anything you see printed as well as any issues of interest in the community. Please limit letters to 350 words. The Cynic reserves the right to edit letters for length and grammar. Please send letters to opinion@vtcynic.com.
However, clicking "like" won't typically create the change that we wish to see. As students we need to advocate for ourselves, make sure our voices are heard and directly raise our concerns to the people who are making them.
Illustration by ALYSSA HANDELMAN
Confronting your own bigotry Joey Brown JBROWN33@UVM. EDU
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n 1944, conservative economist Friedrich Hayek authored a devastating critique of collectivist regimes, particularly those of Spain and Nazi Germany. The book, titled “The Road to Serfdom,” championed classical liberalism — what we today call “conservatism” — and, deservedly, is still widely read today by conservatives. What is so odd about Hayek’s polemic is the omission of necessary criticism of the Soviet Union – then under the terror of Joseph Stalin – and its collectivist policies and murder of millions of people. After all, Russia’s enormous death toll wasn’t just the result of gulags and executions. Government mismanagement — the Holodomor of Ukraine, for example — killed far more. But in those days, we were in a marriage of convenience with the Reds, and so Hayek likely pulled his punches ever
so slightly for the good of the brief partnership. We might witness the same sort of behavior from the untalented folk singer Pete Seeger, who is, for whatever reason, still remembered fondly and was no small fan of Nazism until Hitler broke the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact. Seeger loved Soviet communism so much so that he, for a time, loved Nazism if it meant they would ally themselves with the USSR.
But if bigotry is the metric for disqualification from polite society (as it should be), why does the Left typically turn a blind eye toward bigotry informed by Islam? To paraphrase Lincoln Steffens, an original admirer of the USSR, Seeger saw the future and it worked — alongside Hitler. Hayek and Seeger were not
Water, water, everywhere, but not a drop to drink in Flint
the type to dispose of the proverbial baby with the bathwater — though Seeger’s baby and its bathwater were both genocidal — and from them we can illuminate important lessons today. Take, for instance, the UK parliament’s decision to debate the merits of banning Donald Trump from their borders Jan. 18, their reasoning being that Trump is guilty of “hate speech;” speech defined, generally, by the Left as speech they do not like. I’m willing to buy that Trump is a jerk. I won’t be voting for him in either the primary or, God forbid, the general election. He’s neither conservative nor a particularly intelligent man. But if bigotry is the metric for disqualification from polite society (as it should be), why does the Left typically turn a blind eye toward bigotry informed by Islam? Like contemporary “feminists” who decry the so-called “war on women” in the U.S., but shy away from the rampant misogyny and homophobia (multitudes worse than the sort we claim to see here) in extremist Muslim culture, Labour doesn’t
seem to want to take any sort of substantive action with the thousands of radicals they’ve imported from Pakistan and North Africa. According to a 2006 ICM poll, 40 percent of British Muslims want to replace English Common Law with Shariah law (with all of the enlightened attitudes toward women and gays you might expect), 20 percent sympathizes with the motives of the 7/7 bombers and 25 percent believe they have no duty to report terrorists to the authorities. Any debate concerning Trump’s radical nature should also concern the radical nature of one’s own citizens. And hopefully it will. After all, even Seeger had the sense to recant his love for Nazism and the USSR. Let’s hope the Left has the courage to confront the bigotry within its own borders.
Joey Brown is a senior political science major. He has been writing for the Cynic since fall 2012.
or those who don’t know, Flint, Michigan is going through a water crisis. At risk of oversimplifying the story, the former industrial city was in serious economic crisis about two years ago and needed to slash the budget. State officials came in and made a variety of cuts. One of these was to switch the town’s fresh water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River, notorious among residents for its filthiness. Residents were feeling skeptical about the idea, but officials promised it was clean and safe. Come to find out, not only is the water color reminiscent of diluted apple juice, but it has very high levels of lead. Essentially, Flint has been poisoning its citizens for just under two years without saying anything to them. And here’s the kicker: according to CNN, for only $100 a day, they could have added a purifying agent that would have prevented 90 percent of the problems. In perspective, Flint’s population is about 100,000 people. So, for a tenth of a penny per person per day, hundreds of children wouldn’t be suffering the irreversible effects of lead poisoning. As I was becoming aware of this story, I saw something an old high school friend shared on Facebook. It was a meme of Kermit the Frog sipping tea, and it was captioned with “If ISIS had poisoned a city’s water supply, it would be considered an act of terrorism… but that’s none of my business.” This raised an interesting point. State officials were definitely aware in this case that Flint’s water supply was contaminated, but is that the same as actively poisoning them? Are they less guilty than they would be if they dumped a bunch of lead into a clean water source, leaned back and cackled? I feel like the obvious answer is that they are less guilty, and in some ways I agree, but in others I disagree. Sure, actively poisoning someone shows malicious intent, something we all would condemn, but this crisis could have so easily been avoided. It shows astonishing levels of apathy on the part of the state officials. There is just a flagrant disregard for the impact on real people. They saw they might save a few bucks by cutting corners and went for it. In a lot of ways, that’s worse. I am not surprised so many Flint residents have called for Gov. Rick Snyder’s resignation over this.
Ariana Arden is a sophomore English major. She has been writing for the Cynic since fall 2015.
4
LIFE
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27 , 2016 THE VERMONT CYNIC
The Planned Parenthood clinic on St. Paul Street in Burlington is pictured, Jan. 22. The UVM club VOX: Voices for Planned Parenthood plans to sponsor events to raise awareness on campus for reproductive rights. RYAN THORNTON/ The Vermont Cynic
VOX plans to raise public acceptance by EMILEE CONROE ECONROE@uvm.edu
Sexual health and reproductive rights are frequently debated in government, with party lines drawing a massive divide on how and if the government should intervene. Planned Parenthood has provided reliable health care for the past 100 years and is one of America’s most “trusted providers of reproductive health care,” according to the organization’s website. “To me, Planned Parenthood provides resources for certain sexual issues, like having a child at a young age or getting tested [for sexually transmitted diseases] to remain sexually active,” said sophomore Jake Dahreddine. In December 2015, Senate Republicans passed a bill to de-
fund the organization. The bill most likely won’t become law, according to a Dec. 2. Huffington Post article, but the Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2015 still continues to spark widespread controversy across the country. Launched August 2011, VOX: Voices for Planned Parenthood at UVM is a club dedicated to educating the Burlington community, advocating for the protection of reproductive rights and uniting and empowering those that support reproductive justice, according to the club’s Facebook page. “In the past, most of our work has revolved around spreading the word and starting a conversation about feminism and reproductive rights on campus, but recently we have been doing more political work, like phone banking,” VOX Presi-
dents sophomore Tristen Litterio and junior Amelia Jane Hart Royce said. “I loved the open discussions, awesome club members and powerful events,” Litterio said. Litterio and Hart Royce said the club aims to connect students to Planned Parenthood, as well as sponsor events and collaborate with other groups on campus with similar missions. According to the site, Planned Parenthood provides contraception to 2.5 million people, pregnancy tests to more than 1.1 million and administers close to 4 million tests and treatments for sexually transmitted diseases every year. Three-quarters of the organization’s health care clients live on the equivalent of $33,000 per year or less for a family of four, well below the federal pov-
erty level, according to the site. “We are of course very disappointed in the [Senate] decision and feel as though it comes from a place of under-education, political biases and media misrepresentation,” Litterio said. Dahreddine said he feels that reproductive care should not be ignored, nationally or on our campus. “I think it would be a mistake to defund Planned Parenthood…we should be defunding military spending instead,” he said. “Planned Parenthood’s funding should be increased rather than eliminated, and they should even be duplicated in every college town or major city,” Dahreddine said. Hart Royce agrees with Litterio and aims to spread awareness during her time in leadership.
“We will continue to provide information about Planned Parenthood and the services it provides and we hope to up our political action as the legislative season continues,” she said. “We are looking forward to becoming more involved with the Planned Parenthood Vermont Action Team, the political arm of Planned Parenthood of northern New England,” Litterio said. Litterio and Hart Royce said VOX is a safe space to discuss issues around sexual and reproductive health and rights. VOX hopes to continue to welcome more members of the UVM and Burlington community, as well as provide a wider population with information and collaborating further with groups at UVM, Hart Royce said.
THE DAPPER VAGINA
Periods just entered the twenty-first century Sarah heft SHEFT@UVM.EDU
I
n the fifth grade, I was handed a parcel wrapped in purple floral cellophane. Its contents? A mini deodorant, panty-liners, two maxi pads and two tampons. I was officially a woman. With a pad as my shield and a tampon as my sword, I was ready to combat the next 40 years of menstruation. For the next eight years I diligently picked up a new box of tampons each month, unaware there was another option. Enter the menstrual cup. Maybe you have heard the menstrual cup is just for artists wanting to paint with their menstrual blood. Maybe a friend has told you about a menstrual cup horror story involving an uncomfortable trip to the OB/GYN the next morning, as if items could get ‘lost’ in there. Maybe you have heard they are the devil’s shot glass. A menstrual cup is simply a small silicone cup with a stem attached. When one has their period,
they fold the cup and insert it into the vagina. The cup will pop open and create a small suction to keep it in place. The cup collects the blood and can be worn for up to 12 hours. When placed correctly, one cannot feel it and it will not leak.
With a pad as my shield and a tampon as my sword, I was ready to combat the next 40 years of menstruation. When it’s time to empty it, pull the stem and insert a finger to break the suction and remove it. Next, empty the blood into the toilet, rinse and reinsert. Done. So, what are the benefits? Let’s start with cost. One menstrual cup can be purchased for $20 to $40 and can be used for four to six years. One box of tampons per month will quickly add up to at least $240 in four years. That is
a savings of at least $200 back into your pocket. The average woman will throw away 250 to 300 pounds of pads, tampons and applicators in her lifetime, according to Blossomcup, a menstrual cup manufacturer. That means somewhere there is just a mountain of used pads and tampons, which I have dubbed Mount PM Everest. Most importantly, menstrual cups are made from medical- grade silicone and do not contain dioxins, an organic pollutant that is often toxic, and can be found in tampons. By using a menstrual cup, you’ll eliminate the risk of toxic shock syndrome, a potentially
fatal medical condition caused by a bacterial infection seeping into the skin, according to healthline.com.
With menstrual cups there are literally no strings attached. And finally, just plain comfort is a benefit. With menstrual cups there are literally no strings attached. There are no strings you need to hold out of the way when you pee, no feeling like your vagina has turned into the Sahara desert and best of all, no leaks. In a periodphobic society
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MO QUIGG
where blood runs blue and women get oddly athletic in the throes of menstruation, a menstrual cup is sticking it not only to the man, but to the walls of your vagina. Be warned, there’s a learning curve, and cups are not for the squeamish. If you are not a fan of blood or comfortable with inserting something into your vagina, a menstrual cup may not be your best bet. But if you are already comfortable inserting a tampon, it might be time for an upgrade. Sarah Heft is a sophomore gender, sexuality and women’s studies major. She has been writing for the Cynic since spring 2016.
THE VERMONT CYNIC
LIFE
5
W E D N E S DAY, J AN UARY 27, 20 1 6
C.U.N.T.S: Why do we need feminism? by RACHEL PECK RAPECK@uvm.edu
According to UVM’s feminist club, C.U.N.T.S., its name has been a source of controversy. Sophomore Stevie Hunter, co-leader of College Undergraduates Not Tolerating Sexism, shortened to C.U.N.T.S., said a man who approached them at an October tabling event was offended by the name. She said the man was aggressive toward the club members and told them that from the male perspective, the name was bad and they should change it. “He was really trying to shame us,” Hunter said. She said this wasn’t the first time the club had been asked to change its name. “UVM professors are in favor of the club and its name, but other people have voiced different opinions,” Hunter said. She said she thanks these people for their opinions, but the decision to name the club lies with the members and not with other people’s opinions. “I’m not going to change the name because one man wanted us to,” Hunter said. “If the club wanted to change the name, then we would change the name.” Aaron, a senior who wishes for his last name to stay anonymous, said while he does not feel comfortable saying the name of the club out loud, he feels good about the work they do. He said he identifies as a feminist and said the effects of
sexism have only grown increasingly subtle over time. “Someone will go up to a couple and they’ll talk to the boyfriend and not the girlfriend,” he said. “[They’ll] look at the guy in the eye and they won’t acknowledge her.” “It just sounds kind of offensive when you hear it at first,” sophomore Blaine Andreoli said about the club’s name. However, Andreoli said he doesn’t think they should change the club name because C.U.N.T.S. has the right to representation. Maria Teixeira, coordinator for programing and leadership development for UVM’s Women’s Center, said C.U.N.T.S. isn’t trying to tell everyone they have to embrace the word in order to be a feminist.
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I’m not going to change the name because one man wanted us to. STEVIE HUNTER CO-LEADER
It’s just their personal way of embracing feminism and reclaiming a word she feels is more harmful than “bitch,” Teixeira said. “From my perspective, it seems like a very powerful word, so them saying that they’re going to reclaim this word and disem-
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It's a proactive way of taking the power out of that word of that word as a slur and as an insult. ROSA CIRELLI CUNTS CO-LEADER
power this word, disempower the sexists and genderists who’d use this word against women, I think it’s super,” she said. Rosa Cirelli, a senior and C.U.N.T.S. co-leader said reactions to the club’s name are mixed. “I think for people who are in the group and for people who actively seek out the group it’s a very proactive way of taking the power out of that word as a slur and as an insult,” Cirelli said. “It’s a way of saying, ‘We’re C.U.N.T.S. That’s what we do. This is our group,’” she said.
Who Needs Feminism Anymore? More than one controversy happened at the same October event. A woman also questioned C.U.N.T.S. presence on campus. “‘You know, when I was a student in college, we had feminism and I can’t believe that 30 years later you still need feminism,’” Hunter said the woman told them. The co-leaders of C.U.N.T.S. said they strongly disagreed with this opinion. Hunter said that growing up she had “masculine” traits, which were viewed as wrong as she aged. This, along with being tired of being viewed as “hysterical” or “emotional” simply because she was a woman, led to her identifying as a feminist, Hunter said. She said her mother did not take her father’s last name and she was often asked by other kids, “‘Does your mother not love your father?’” As a gender, sexuality and women’s studies major, Hunter said men often tell her that her major and feminist views are no longer needed. She said women her age also treat her differently and often respond to her feminist views by saying: “I’m an anti-feminist,” “evolution gave us biological skill sets” or “I don’t think feminism is really doing anything anymore.” Hunter said she is tired of the way women her age treat each other by adhering to gender roles and “slut shaming” each other. “They want to be able to
Illustration by MARISSA LANOFF
control other women’s sexuality so they can say something about their own sexuality,” Hunter said. Cirelli said that although they’re actually a neurology major, people often assume their major is gender, sexuality and women’s studies. “I’m a very outspoken female-bodied person and therefore people are like ‘you must be a women’s studies major,’” Cirelli said.
being catcalled or feeling unsafe in the streets, Teixeira said. She said she often hears issues surrounding what it actually means to be a feminist, one of them being: “Can I wear makeup and be a feminist?” “It’s so hard because it’s so nuanced, the patriarchy has reached every crevice and every corner of this culture, so it becomes hard to create a cut and dry response,” Teixeira said.
“
...patriarchy has reached every crevice and every corner of this culture, so it becomes hard to create a cut and dry response. MARIA TEIXEIRA UVM WOMEN’S CENTER COORDINATOR
STEM fields are areas the center is constantly hearing and thinking about, Teixeira said. They hear complaints from women in labs who experience overt sexism and overt language centered on why they shouldn’t be in their chosen field, she said. “The females often don’t feel as credible,” Teixeira said. However, UVM keeps up with the national average percentage of women in STEM fields and STEM education, she said. Most of the complaints they receive at the center are about
Feminism is a journey, a process and is also about selflove and self-care, she said. Feminism is about finding your own voice and your own journey, whatever that means to the individual, Teixeira said. “From my experience, the only way we can really define it is: the right to self-determine, for yourself, what your equality looks like, what your freedom looks like, what your pursuit of happiness looks like,” she said.
6
ARTS
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2016 THE VERMONT CYNIC
Funk band boils up Burly William Gotterer WGOTTERE@ UVM.EDU
H
igher Ground pulsated with the enormous sound of a seven-piece band Jan. 20. As the band Lettuce rocked their sizzling grooves, the audience brought the sold out venue to a boil with energetic dancing. Standing in the front row, a cool, comfortable microclimate, I reached out behind me to give a friend a high five. Within moments, a wave of moist heat enveloped my arm. Behind me were sweaty bodies, shirts plastered to their skin, people smiling, some even giggling, at the absurd talent that was emanating from the stage. Lettuce brought the funk, the whole funk and nothing but the funk. Expanding upon James Brown-esque grooves with hiphop and psychedelic sensibilities, Lettuce not only creatively emphasized their downbeats but were able to turn the downbeat into a mere suggestion, toying with rhythm and time during their musical ventures. Lettuce came to Burlington fully equipped with all the essential ingredients for atmosphere. Guitarist Eric Krasno and singer Nigel Hall provided an extra kick of spicy grooves into the mix.
Erick “E.D.” Coomes, lead singer of the funk and jazz group Lettuce, plays Higher Ground Jan. 20. The band is currently on tour to promote their new album, “Crush.” DAYNA WYCKOFF/The Vermont Cynic Due to his other musical projects, Krasno announced last year that he would not be able to make all of Lettuce’s shows. Burlington was one of the lucky venues to see him play. Krasno took the stage next to drummer Adam Deitch and behind the rest of the band. While his physical body faded in and out of sight, almost
sinking into the backdrop behind band members and synthesizers, ethereal solos roared from his guitar into the audience. Absent from last year’s Lettuce show at Higher Ground, soul singer Nigel Hall periodically made appearances. Hall led the band in Charles Wright’s “Express Yourself,”
Lettuce’s “Sounds Like a Party To Me” and the crowd pleaser “Do It Like You Do.” Mainly an instrumental band, with the exception of songs featuring Hall, Lettuce pays exceptional attention to rhythmic details, taking sophisticated musical lines and making them look effortless. Lettuce kept the funk going
until 1:30 a.m. After playing two sets, they ended the party, leaving concertgoers to go home with the funk still resonating in their ears. William Gotterer is a senior English major. He has been writing for the Cynic since fall 2015.
Legend leaves a lasting legacy in final album Jensen Wainright
Blackstar
JMWAINWR@ UVM.EDU
D
avid Bowie’s most recent and final album “Blackstar” was released only days before his death Jan. 10. The album is quite telling of the struggle of his final days. Bowie, as a musician, performer, actor and multimedia artist, paved the way for many musicians and artists today. Kurt Cobain covered his song “The Man Who Sold The World,” and many others have cited Bowie for artistic inspiration. The uniqueness he encompassed created a world for people to accept their own quirks. “I realized I was proud of my spiky strangeness because he had been proud of his,” singer Lorde said after his passing. The quirkiness Bowie expressed in previous albums such as “The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust,” “The Spiders From Mars” or “Station to Station” took on a much more personable element in “Blackstar.” “Blackstar,” when considered separately from Bowie’s death, is another solid, yet unusual Bowie album, one with undeniable dark elements. The strangeness shown in “Blackstar” is what had come to be expected from Bowie.
The characters he created to surround his music, Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane and The Thin White Duke, were all extensions of himself. However, it was the dark themes that stood out in this album. These ideas go back to “Space Oddity,” the story of a lonely astronaut on a hopeless mission. These themes can now be perceived in a new meaningful way after his death. Created in the final moments of Bowie’s life, “Blackstar” is an incredibly introspective and accepting album. Tracks like “Lazarus” explicitly explore themes of death. The opening line, “look up here, I’m in heaven,” and later when Bowie professes he has “nothing left to lose,” clearly reflects
Illustration by RYAN THORNTON
to lack hope, and to say goodbye. In “Girl Loves Me,” Bowie is heard questioning over and over again: “Where the fuck did Monday go?”
"Blackstar" is an incredibly introspective and accepting album. these themes. Even the instrumentals on this track seems melancholic and heavy. This album is emotional. It manages to be this way without Bowie’s passing. It seems
These lyrics of the album show that “Blackstar” was a way for Bowie to accept his death and to communicate that to his fanbase. Musically, the album is
great. The lyrics deliver his message and the music is experimental while even hinting at Bowie’s older work. Though it is shrouded in a negative tone and it is pertinent to listen to this album with his death in mind, the album is good in more ways than the ultra-analytical. To understand “Blackstar” would be to understand Bowie, something many have tried to do, though none have succeeded. “Blackstar” is a mortal album; it is not written by a space
man, or any other one of Bowie’s otherworldly personas. It was written by Bowie. “Blackstar” is a look at Bowie in his final moments; it is beautiful, introspective and tragic. The album shows a vulnerable side of Bowie as he explores the prospect of his own death head-on through the art form he was dedicated to. Jensen Wainright is a first-year English major. She has been writing for the Cynic since fall 2015.
SPORTS
7
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2016 THE VERMONT CYNIC
Best sports moments of
2015
Men’s soccer wins America East - Nov. 15, 2015 “I was there when Wright scored the winner to send thousands of fans into delirium.” Eribert Volaj , Assistant Sports Editor
Senkbeil scores game-winner - Nov. 13, 2015.
UVM takes on Omaha in 2015 home opener - Oct. 16, 2015
“The atmosphere in Gutterson Fieldhouse was incredible and it provided the team with a much-needed win.” Alex Benoit, JUNIOR sports writer
“As a first-year student, it was great to experience a true game day atmosphere in the student section at Gutterson Fieldhouse.” John Suozzo, first-year sports writer
TOP: OLIVER POMAZI/ The Vermont Cynic BOTTOM: PHOTOS COURTESY OF UVM ATHLETICS
Textbook resale violates UVM student athlete policy By john suozzo JSuozzo@uvm.edu
Recently, student-athlete compliance with NCAA scholarship eligibility rules has affected a UVM athlete. On Dec. 16, the men’s basketball team’s junior guard, Dre Wills, was suspended for violating the student-athlete code of conduct, according to a Dec. 23 Burlington Free Press article. On Dec. 23, the University’s athletic department released the reason behind Wills’ suspension. Because of “the resale of academic books that was not permitted as part of his athletic scholarship,” Wills was suspended for eight games, according to the UVM news release. The resale of textbooks is practiced by students, however it is something that student-ath-
letes are not allowed to do, according to the NCAA’s eligibility rules. This act is a direct violation of the NCAA’s eligibility rules because these athletes would gain impermissible cash benefits in addition to their scholarship. This rule is in place to ensure that the student-athletes are not compensated directly or indirectly by a University due to their status on an athletic roster. Student-athletes are permitted to receive textbooks through the bookstore as a part of their athletic scholarship, according to the UVM student-athlete compliance manual. This is allowed with the understanding that “student-athletes must give back books directly to the bookstore employee during the buyback hours,” ac-
cording to the compliance manual. In addition to the University’s code of conduct, which all students are required to sign before attending the University, “all student-athletes sign a student-athlete code of conduct that reinforces the UVM code,” said Joe Gervais, associate athletic director for student-athlete services at UVM. The student-athlete code also covers the additional responsibilities that the members of these athletic programs must follow. Some of these stipulations include an anti-hazing pledge, drug education and random drug testing for athletes, according to the manual. Failing to uphold the University’s student-athlete code of conduct could lead to conse-
quences for the student-athletes involved, ranging from “a letter of warning up to dismissal from a team,” Gervais said. Additionally, student-athletes are subject to a code of rules that are set by the coaches of their respective teams. The UVM athletic department does not set explicit restrictions on student-athletes’ activities, although those activities could be prohibited on a team-by-team basis by the coaches, according to the student-athlete code of conduct. College athletes’ use of social media has been in the news recently. For example, Clemson University’s football coaches banned their players from using social media for the duration of their season, according to a re-
port from Sports Insider. UVM officials said the athletics’s department’s approach to social media is not meant to punish, but to educate. “Our approach to social media is more educational than restrictive,” Gervais said. “We appeal to student-athletes to stay positive and use common sense when posting to social media,” he said Although student-athletes have more obligations due to their roles on a team, the athletic department’s expectations of student-athletes is consistent with the University’s Student Code of Rights and Responsibilities. After returning to the court Jan. 18, Wills was named TD Bank Student-Athlete of the Week Jan. 25, according to UVM Athletics.
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THE VERMONT CYNIC
SPORTS
W E D N E S DAY, J AN UARY 27, 201 6
BUSCH LEAGUE BANTER
NHL All-Star voting backfires Shane Town STOWN@ UVM.EDU
T
he NHL All-Star game will be held Jan. 31. Usually the game isn’t a serious event, but this year one particular player has sparked uproarious debate. His name is John Scott, and as of writing this, he is not even on an NHL roster. Players are voted into the All-Star game by the fans, which is a common system shared by a multitude of sports. It allows the fans to interact and feel influential in the decision-making process and allows for fan favorites to always be present. This year the system backfired as it became a tongue-incheek internet movement to vote in Scott, who is described by many of his peers as a “goon.” Scott stands at 6-foot-8, weighs 270 pounds and has tallied only five goals in 285 NHL games. During this time he has also accumulated 542 penalty minutes. In the weeks following his nomination and subsequent voting barrage, Scott was subjected to every type of scrutiny and brutal criticism imaginable. When interviewed on The Dan Le Batard show on ESPN, Scott sounded truly saddened by the whole situation. “I’ve been doing this my whole life and this is all I can re-
late to and everyone takes that and just throws it in the gutter like I’m this huge joke for the whole country and everyone is just rallying behind it and making a farce out of me,” Scott said. “It was depressing every time I looked at the TV and papers,” he said. The internet voting movement, which was nothing more than a stupid joke that snowballed downhill, was undoubtedly catalyzed by a bunch of former class clowns looking to poke holes in an imperfect system.
ager, Marc Bergevin, denied that the All-Star game played any role in the trade, but also said, “I have some reasons that I can’t even tell you why, but if I could you probably would understand.” What began as an internet joke is ending with a harsh punchline. Scott’s wife is pregnant, and now he is being shipped across the country to finish the season. “It was quite a bit of a shocker,” Scott said. “The emotions, anger and the roller coaster started again.”
This year the system backfired as it became a tounge-in-cheek internet movement to vote in Scott, who would be described by many of his peers as a "goon." The NHL tried to award fans some democratic involvement, and this is how it is repaid. The “fans” have voted in the biggest, worst player they could find and have inserted him into this sinister cheese maze to watch the world’s best embarrass him at every turn. The NHL’s animosity toward the situation reached critical mass and produced a childish retaliation. Scott was traded from the Arizona Coyotes to the Montreal Canadiens, and was immediately demoted to the minors. The Canadiens general man-
After deliberation, it has been determined that Scott will still be playing in the upcoming All-Star game and will even captain the Pacific division team. He is staying positive and focusing on the rarity of the opportunity presented to him. The whole situation is muddled and it’s difficult to feel bad for somebody who is achieving one of his life goals. All that’s left is to tune in and hope that somebody has the gall to drop the mitts with him. Shane Town is a senior English major and public communications minor. He has been writing for the Cynic since fall 2014.
scoreboard
Visit vtcynic.com for more coverage and uvmathletics.com for schedules and tickets
LAST WEEK
L
6-2
L
93-82
Women's Hockey vs Boston University-
Men’s Basketball vs UMass Lowell
HOME Jan. 17
HOME Jan. 18
W 59-51 W 61-52 Women’s Basketball at UMass Lowell
Men’s Basketball at Binghamton
Lowell, Mass Jan. 18
Vestal, NY Jan. 21
THIS WEEK Men’s Basketball at New Hampshire
Women’s Basketball vs New Hampshire
Durham, NH Jan. 27 7 p.m.
HOME Jan. 27 7 p.m.
Women’s Hockey vs UConn
Men's Basketball vs Stony Brook
HOME Jan. 29 7 p.m.
Stony Brook, NY Jan. 30 2 p.m.
HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK: Dre Wills returned to the Cats after an eight game absence and had 22 points and four rebounds. He was named TD Bank Student-Athlete of the Week Jan. 25.
RECORDS Men’s Basketball 4-5 Women’s Hockey 3-15 Women’s Basketball 2-6
Women’s Swim 5-2 Men’s Hockey 4-10-2
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