Issue 1 - Volume 134

The Vermont Cynic VOL. 134—ISSUE 1 AUGUST 29, 2017 VTCYNIC.COM

Construction continues around Torrey Hall after the building caught fire Aug. 3. The fire began while workers were soldering copper roofing tiles around the attic of the building PHIL CARRUTHERS/The Vermont Cynic

Historic artifacts escape Torrey Hall flames Lindsay Freed Staff Writer Greta Bjornson News Editor

A fire broke out in Torrey Hall the morning of Aug. 3 while construction workers were renovating the building.

The fire was started by workers who were soldering copper roofing tiles around the attic, said Steven Locke, chief engineer at the Burlington Fire Department. “[The workers] immediately saw it, called us and tripped the fire alarm,” Locke said.

There were no reports of injuries from civilians or firefighters, he said.

Though the third floor of the building sustained the most damage, the majority was on the exterior of the building, according to Locke.

The third floor of Torrey is home to the Pringle Herbar-

ium, which has over 300,000 plant specimens, according to an Aug. 3 email sent to the UVM community by Gary Derr, vice president for executive operations.

Most of the herbarium collection was saved from the fire because it was housed in metal cabinets, said Dorothy Allard, assistant curator and digital herbarium coordinator.

The cabinets were bought with the money from a National Science Foundation grant, according to Allard.

“They were fireproof and waterproof for the most part, and before that we had some steel cabinets, but many of them were made out of wood; they were probably 100 years old,” she said. “I’m sure that if they had been there during the fire we would have lost a lot more specimens.”

Dave Barrington, the

herbarium curator, said most specimens lost to the fire were not the most valuable of the collection.

“Some materials are undergoing a special freeze-drying treatment to restore their utility for study,” he said.

The surrounding on-campus buildings, including Kalkin Hall and Lafayette Hall, were evacuated as a safety precaution, and Colchester Avenue was temporarily closed, according to an Aug. 3 Burlington Free Press article.

Junior Bridget McNamara, who lives on Colchester Avenue, recalled the day the fire occurred close to her home.

“It was really alarming to leave the house and not be able to go downtown,” she said. “The entire fire department from all the surrounding towns were blocking Colchester Avenue to fight the fire.”

Following the fire, the plant specimens were moved to Jeffords Hall, according to Michael Sundue, assistant curator and research librarian at the herbarium.

Barrington emphasized the role of the Pringle collection in educating the community, and not just those in the sciences.

Plant biology, biology, environmental studies, art and history all use the collection, he said.

Following the fire, “there was a phenomenal response from the Burlington community, the international community of natural history collections and from alumni with ties to the Pringle Herbarium,” Barrington said.

The herbarium has been housed in Torrey since 1975, according to UVM’s website.

Sundue explained the im-

portance of the collection.

“Everything we keep has a purpose—it helps to describe the natural world and document patterns of diversity, “ he said. “We are not hoarders who keep 350,000 plant specimens just to have them.”

Although both Sundue and Barrington confirmed that the collection would eventually move back to Torrey, Barrington suggested a bigger project in the future.

“There is real talk of rebuilding the building, of the Pringle Herbarium and the other natural history collections being reinstalled there and of Torrey Hall being rebuilt to enhance its role as the home of the University of Vermont Natural History Museum,” he said.

Students celebrate new beginnings at Convocation Brandon Arcari Breaking News Assitant Editor UVM’s class of 2021 comes to the University at a point of transition and with many new changes—new academic buildings and housing programming among them.

At Sunday night’s convocation ceremony, speakers welcomed new students and structural changes.

The class of 2021, comprised of 2,640 students, is the most diverse in UVM’s history, with 17 percent students of color, according to the University’s website.

This class is also the first to experience UVM’s Catamount Commitment program, which supports Pell Grant eligible Vermonters by paying for a UVM education in its entirety, according to the University website.

Dean of Students Annie Stevens addressed the group,

saying to students, “best of luck in your four years at UVM—make it worthwhile.”

Representing 47 states and 25 countries, the class of 2021 is composed of 14 percent first-generation college students and is one of the most selective classes in UVM’s history, according to UVM’s website.

“As the most qualified class we’ve ever had, we have high expectations for the class of 2021 and we’d like to welcome them to the community,” said senior and SGA President Chris Petrillo.

Students walked in a procession down Main Street and lit candles on the Waterman Green in the convocation ceremony and the twilight induction ceremony.

First-year Earl Humes called convocation “fabulous and sensational.”

“If tonight is any kind of indication, they’re going to

have a great four years,” crime prevention Officer Sue Roberts said. “I hope they use this positive energy this year.”

The class will be the first to live in the new Central Campus residence hall, and is the first class to be entirely grouped into Learning Communities at UVM. These include the Wellness Environment, Sustainability, the Honors College and the Arts Initiative.

Discovery Hall, UVM’s newest academic building, is also new to the University. The building, which will replace the Cook Physical Sciences building, will house laboratory sciences, according to UVM’s campus construction website.

Meanwhile, renovations are underway at Billings Library to house the special collections from Bailey/Howe Library and ground has been broken on the next portion of the STEM complex, Innova-

The class of 2021 marches down Main Street to the annual twilight induction ceremony at Waterman Green Aug. 28.

BRANDON ACARI/The Vermont Cynic tion Hall.

The class will also see construction on Ifshin Hall, as part of a plan to grow the Grossman Business school.

“I think this is a really vibrant group of people and I’m really excited to see where they go,” said sophomore Scarlett Moore, a resident adviser.

NEWS

2

The Vermont Cynic

August 29, 2017

Dairy bar returns to fill Ben & Jerry’s place Brandon Arcari Breaking News Assistant Editor In a new partnership with local producers, the UVM Dairy Bar has replaced Ben & Jerry’s in the Davis Center Marketplace.

Although Ben & Jerry’s will no longer have a scoop shop on campus, the company’s pints will still be available in the Marche, Redstone Express and CatPause.

“Ben & Jerry’s has been a great partner to UVM, operating its scoop shop on campus for a decade,” said Melissa Zelazny, director of UVM Dining, in an April 3 press release announcing the ice cream place’s closing.

Ryan Midden, a quality manager for Ben & Jerry’s, emphasized the company’s continued commitment to UVM. “We plan to maintain a strong presence on campus through our support of many of UVM’s student events and our own on-campus events and activations,” he said, according to the press release.

UVM’s Dairy Bar has a history with the University that starts well before Ben & Jerry’s.

The original Dairy Bar was fundraised for by alumni of the class of ‘75 who still meet one another at UVM gatherings, according to UVM’s Center for Rural Studies.

When the Dairy Bar closed in 1995, Ben & Jerry’s moved in.

Sophomore Gordon Coates said he will miss Ben & Jerry’s for its variety of flavors and products. Ben and Jerry’s has several non-dairy ice cream flavors, and also serves sorbet.

“I mean, ice cream is dairy, so why not Ben & Jerry’s?”

The UVM Dairy Bar opens for business Aug. 28. The scoop shop returns to campus after originally closing in 1995.

PHIL CARRUTHERS/The Vermont Cynic Coates said. “A dairy bar would marginalize the dairy-free community.”

Upon hearing about the Bar’s reappearance, alumni on the UVM Facebook page posted their memories of the dairy bar, focusing on the milk-

shakes and hot fudge sundaes, in one of the most commented on posts on UVM’s page.

The new Dairy Bar will serve smoothies made with organic fruit and juices, and ice cream produced with UVM milk from the CREAM pro-

gram, according to Sodexo’s website.

While the ice cream will not be made on site, it will be processed by Wilcox Ice Cream—owned by a UVM alum—and use some equipment that dates back to the

original Dairy Bar, according vto New England dairy advocacy group MustBeTheMilk.

University fosters student-community relations JP Riedel Senior Staff Writer As thousands of Catamounts flood the streets of Burlington back from summer vacation, UVM is working with students and local residents to start the year smoothly.

For the past eight years, the University has sent letters to locals with information about move-in weekend. These are intended to prepare the community for the number of students coming to campus, said Pat Brown, director of Student Life.

“When [students] come back it brings a level of energy that is exciting,” Brown said.

“Transitioning takes a lot of time and energy, and there’s a lot of work behind the scenes.”

The convocation ceremony requires cooperation from many community members.

Hundreds of volunteers help organize the event, which briefly closes down Main Street, he said.

“You’ve got theoretically 25 percent moving off-campus, and we try to get them ready for moving in as well,” Brown

said.

The Office of Student and Community Relations provides students and residents with resources to help integrate students into the community, said assistant director John Mejia.

OSCR works with neighborhood groups and includes students on staff to help facilitate communication, Mejia said.

“Our job is helping people become friends,” he said. “We just try to raise people’s consciousness.”

They work to help students find housing off-campus, get along with neighbors and get involved in the neighborhood through different programs, he said.

The effort to strengthen student-community relations continues throughout the rest of the year, Mejia said, as the Offices of Student Life and Student and Community Relations work to help students maintain good relations with each other and their neighbors.

For first-year students

The Office of Student and Community Relations assistant director John Mejia explians the process of incorporating UVM studnets into the larger Burlington community.

PHIL CARRUTHERS/The Vermont Cynic moving into on-campus residential halls, the University organized a series of welcome events over the weekend.

This year, students gathered for a class of 2021 picnic at the Davis Center Green to eat lunch and learn about

student organizations.

“The weather this year was really nice. A lot of people came out,” said junior Stover Mardis, representing Catamount Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Junior Megan Shields, a member of the same organi-

zation, said the activity and energy of the first years made it one of the most successful years her club has had.

The Vermont Cynic

August 29, 2017

NEWS

3

UVM secures lowest tuition increase in twenty years Lindsa Freed Senior Staff Writer The lowest tuition percentage increase since 1977 was passed by the UVM board of trustees May 20.

In-state tuition for the 20172018 academic year increased 2.7 percent, from $15,096 to $15,504, said trustee Soraiya Thura, who sits on the budget, finance and investment committee.

Out-of-state tuition rose 2.5 percent, from $38,180 to $39,120, Thura said.

“President Sullivan has made it a priority for UVM to be both accessible and affordable for all students,” she said.

“These extremely low increases are some of the commitments the University has made toward making that a reality.”

The University still needs to raise money to maintain its high-quality education programs, said Richard Cate, vice president of finance.

“It’s always a balance,” Cate said. “It may not be this low every time.”

The tuition increase is lower this year because more students have been enrolling at UVM. The University has also been putting an effort into minimizing costs, Cate said.

“We’re just willing to make the real effort to keep tuition down, rather than trying to fit tuition to whatever the expenses are,” Cate said. “It really is about trying to constrain costs.”

SGA President Chris Petrillo said he is pleased with the administration’s work to help alleviate many of the increased costs associated with University operations each year.

“Evaluating appropriate and responsible spending for all offices at the University, including my own, is a crucial

skill to have since students entrust the staff here with their tuition,” Petrillo said.

Sophomore Alex Tamburrino, an out-of-state student from Connecticut, said she hasn’t heard of Sullivan’s efforts to keep tuition increases to a minimum.

“He should probably make it a little more public if that’s what he actually plans to do,” Tamburrino said.

Vermont was ranked second for most expensive instate tuition and first for outof-state tuition, according to a 2016 Urban Institute study.

“UVM is certainly on the higher end of public institutions,” Cate said. “That has to do with how we get one of the smallest amount of state appropriations in the country.”

The national average annual tuition increase for public universities for the past decade is 5.2 percent. UVM’s annual averages for the same timespan are 4.3 percent for in-state tuition and 4.4 percent for out-of-state, according to the UVM Office of Institutional Research.

“We’re always conscious of trying to stay in that range and not migrate higher than our peers,” Cate said.

UVM also provides more aid to students than other comparable institutions, spending around $125 million on grants and scholarships, he said.

“Even though the ‘sticker price’ is high, students are paying dramatically less than that because, on average, they’re getting quite a bit of financial aid,” Cate said.

Last year, the average amount of financial aid UVM awarded to students was $11,324, which is higher than the average of $8,384 for similar institutions, according to a May 20 press release.

President Tom Sullivan worked with the UVM board of trustees to ensure the lowest tuition possible for UVM students.

OLIVER POMAZI/The Vermont Cynic As the cost to students increases, so does the amount of financial aid awarded by the University, Cate said.

“It’s almost done in spite of whatever the tuition increase is, but generally it’s a two-toone ratio,” he said. “So, if we have a 2.5 percent increase in tuition, we’re likely to be in-

creasing financial aid by 5 percent.”

Ninety percent of in-state students receive some type of financial aid, and 42 percent of in-state students attend UVM tuition-free because of scholarships, Thura said.

“The financial aid department has put effort into mak-

ing the University affordable for me,” said first-year Leah Sargent, an in-state student.

“Tuition is insane for both instate and out-of-state students, though.”

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OPINION

4 The Vermont

CYNIC

EXECUTIVE Editor-in-Chief Erika B. Lewy editorinchief@vtcynic.com Managing Editor Olivia G. Bowman newsroom@vtcynic.com OPERATIONS Operations Manager Ryan Thornton operations@vtcynic.com Advertising Manager Cole Wangsness ads@vtcynic.com EDITORIAL Arts Benjamin Elfland arts@vtcynic.com B-Side Margaret Richardson bside@vtcynic.com Copy Chief Mariel Wamsley copy@vtcynic.com Layout Lily Keats layout@vtcynic.com Life Izzy Siedman life@vtcynic.com Multimedia William Dean Wertz media@vtcynic.com News Greta Bjornson news@vtcynic.com Opinion Sydney Liss-Abraham opinion@vtcynic.com Photo Phillip Carruthers Max McCurdy photo@vtcynic.com Social Media Liv Jensen socialmedia@vtcynic.com Sports Eribert Volaj sports@vtcynic.com Web Connor Allan web@vtcynic.com Assistant Editors Ariana Arden (Opinion), Bridget Higdon (Arts), Locria Courtright (Sports), George Seibold (Copy) Page Designers Kira Bellis, Tiana Crispino, Ed Taylor Copy Editors Brandon Arcari, Michelle Derse Lowry, Lindsay Freed, Rae Gould, Adrianna Grinder, Sabrina Hood, Linnea Johnson, Karolyn Moore, Kira Nemeth, Meline Thebarge ADVISING Faculty Adviser Chris Evans crevans@uvm.edu

The Vermont Cynic

August 29, 2017

University needs a heroin antidote Staff Editorial While heroin use isn’t immediately visible on UVM’s campus, it’s here. In 2009, UVM was forced to confront the opioid crisis when senior Will Gates died of a heroin overdose.

Last spring, the UVM Humanities Center invited reporter Sam Quinones to speak about the opioid crisis.

The most insidious part of the epidemic is Americans’ shame-driven unwillingness to talk about drug abuse.

Meanwhile, the crisis worsense. In 2016, Vermont’s opioid death toll increased by 38 percent, Burlington mayor Miro Weinberger said.

According to the Vermont Department of Health, the state’s number of heroin-related deaths rose from zero in 2010 to 34 in 2015.

“We now know that [opiate overdose] is the leading cause of accidental death in the United States. That’s certainly true here in Vermont,” Weinberger said.

But, if we are willing to shirk silence for action, there is a glimmer of hope: Narcan– a drug that can bring people back, because we’ve lost too many already.

Last May, UVM’s Center for Health and Wellbeing announced that students could anonymously obtain Narcan, an anti-opioid overdose drug that restores normal breathing to the victim, free of charge from the University Health Center on Pearl Street.

The University informed students of Narcan’s availability in a campus-wide email April 27 after a new synthetic opioid, carfentanil, was found in the blood of three overdose victims in New Hampshire, said Dr. Jon Porter, director of the Center for Health and Wellbeing.

Carfentanil is ten times stronger than heroin, and it is everywhere. While UVM medical center hasn’t confirmed any cases of carfentanil overdose, it’s likely that it’s circulating in Burlington, Porter said.

When Vermont law enforcement warned the University that the drug was likely already in Burlington, the Center for Health and Wellbeing decided to put their plan of putting Narcan kits on campus into action, Porter said.

“We just want to make it as available as we can,” Porter said. “We’re trying to minimize and reduce any barriers that exist. Offering Narcan on campus is a good way to do that.”

The decision to fund a program of free, easily accessible anti-overdose drugs is one that counteracts the secrecy surrounding drug abuse.

The Center for Health and Wellbeing and the University as a whole are bringing the challenges of addiction and recovery to light, a step in the right direction to counteract the opioid epidemic.

Regarding an issue that qualifies as an epidemic, there is no time to be cynical. The distribution of Narcan on

LILY KEATS campus has potential to benefit everyone, not only students, but the well-being of Burlington as a whole. Advertising the drug promotes rehabilitation alternatives.

As a community morally centered around living well,

UVM ought to welcome this initiative with open arms.

How to achieve the full college experience Ariana Arden

D

earest Student Body, Welcome back!

Another summer has come and gone, and here we all are again, ready (or maybe not so ready) to dive back into school.

Whether this is your first year at Groovy UV or your last, I want to recommend you try something: do something extracurricular at UVM. Classes are important– they’re what you’re paying for, after all– but they are not the entire college experience.

UVM is the total package; in order to fully experience the University, you have to get involved.

My experience here at UVM has been an extremely formative one, and it is mostly because of the clubs and organizations which I joined.

I had a miserable time my first semester, but during my second semester I joined a few groups that changed my life for the better.

As cheesy as it may sound, joining UVM’s Salsa and Swing Society made a huge positive impact on my first year.

Joining this club helped me make new friends, gain leadership skills, find confidence in myself and learn how to trust others better.

DEAN WERTZ

It also got me involved in a larger network of dancing communities in the Burlington area that I now cannot imagine my life without.

I have traveled to a few different states and to Montreal for big dance events where I have learned so much about fostering a community. And all

this just from dancing.

I don’t want to preach too much, but think about it. You don’t want to leave college having only gained a bachelor’s degree. Get involved. Join something, anything. Even if you turn out to hate it, even if it’s just for a semester or a week.

Try something new. You might end up growing more than you imagined you could.

Ariana Arden is a senior English major. She has been writing for the Cynic since 2015.

The Vermont Cynic

OPINION

August 29, 2017

5

Water bottle ban dampens environmental objective James Simpson

I

n 2013, UVM took a leap in its pro-environment crusade by ending the sale of bottled water on campus.

While the intentions of SGA were noble, it is time to rescind the measure and finally recognize it as the failure it is.

As reported by NPR, the number of single-use plastic bottles sold on campus has risen since the ban took effect.

And without the option of water, students have ended up consuming more unhealthy drinks than when they could have purchased water.

But that shouldn’t come as any surprise when you remove the choice for the healthiest beverage.

I find it strange that the many vending machines around campus, including the one in the Davis Center near Brennan’s, have “Healthy Beverages on the Go!” written on them and yet are filled with a plethora of energy drinks, sodas and other high-calorie, high-sugar choices.

If UVM truly wants students to drink healthier beverages, the University must give them the option to purchase water on campus.

While most students, including myself, carry around a reusable bottle for refilling,

A vending machine in the Davis Center is pictured. After the sale ofplastic waterbottle was banned in Jan. 2013, studies have shown that UVM students have consumed more sodas and caffeinated drinks than before the ban.

PHIL CARRUTHERS/The Vermont Cynic there are times one either ly increasing the number of However, that would only spade and put an end to this forgets it or just does not have plastic bottles sold on campus exacerbate the inconvenience unsuccessful policy. it on them. and students drinking more caused by banning only water As has happened to me beunhealthy beverages, I call bottles. fore, if I don’t have my bottle on SGA to recognize that this There are many ways we on me and want a drink on the well-intentioned idea has can reduce our environmengo, my choices are flavored been a total flop. tal impact, but this is not a water, soda, energy drinks To get the results that were James Simpson is a sophosuccessful example of one of and other undesirable options sought by the ban, the sale of more political science major. them. when all I want is plain water. all single-use plastic bottles He has been writing for the It is time to call a spade a In light of the ban actualwould need to be banned.

Cynic since 2017.

Adventure-seekers on a budget joining a tourism wave in Iceland Gabriella Marchesi

N

o one had to look further than their Facebook timeline this summer to see the wondrous and dramatic landscapes of Iceland.

It seemed like everyone was jetting off to explore this once-remote country to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience– including me.

I booked a relatively cheap flight and spent five days traveling the south and west regions– hiking, snorkeling and bathing in hot springs.

It was a life-changing experience; the mountains humbled me, and the waterfalls amazed me.

Almost every site we visited, though beautiful and majestic, was overrun with hordes of other tourists also looking to be humbled and amazed.

Between 2012 and 2016 tourism’s share of foreign exchange earnings has grown by 15.5%, according to the Icelandic Tourism Board.

Between 2014 and 2015, revenue from foreign tourists increased by $65.9 billion– a 33.4% increase in just one year.

It’s no coincidence that everyone is heading off to vacation in Iceland right now.

Is it the call of the wild that is luring large amounts of tourists to the mountains and

Stykkisholmur, a town on the western coast of Iceland provides tourists with scenic hiking opportunities.

ERIKA B LEWY/The Vermont Cynic hot springs of Iceland?

Could very well be. I know I don’t only speak for myself when I say that a five-day vacation hiking, snorkeling and camping is more appealing than one spent lounging on the beach.

According to Travel Weekly, a recent study shows that

adventure travel has been growing 65 percent every year since 2009. It is now a $263 billion industry.

Unsurprisingly, the study also found that the age of these adventure travelers also tend to skew younger– the average traveler is 36 years old.

This huge boom in tourism can also be attributed to relatively low airfares, especially on WOW Airline; you can book a ticket for as low at $99.99 depending on departure date and city.

People are tapping into the wanderlust of the young

adventurers of the world.

In 2012, Skuli Mogense founded WOW Air, an airline that boasts cheap fares.

For example, if you were to book a ticket to Iceland leaving on Friday September 8, 2017 from Boston Logan Airport, returning the following Saturday, the ticket would cost you $280 on WOW Air, compared to $813 on Icelandair and $1,224 on JetBlue. The success of this airline gave the Icelandic tourism industry an even greater boost.

However, not all of Iceland is overrun with other thrifty, young adventure seekers.

I travelled to the Westfjords region of Iceland on my last day; according to a study done by the Icelandic Tourism Board, as of June 2017 only 20 percent of tourists to Iceland visited this region compared to 96 percent in the capital city of Reykjavik.

I drove on long, gravel roads that spiraled up and down the mountainous terrain.

Despite the vast numbers of people flocking to Iceland, one can still find their own, untrampled piece of heaven– I sure did.

Gabriella Marchesi is a sophomore economics major. She has been writing for the Cynic since 2016.

FEATURE

6

UVM from A-Z

Advisor Bar Those people that are assigned to you to help you plan your academic future, and partly, your future existence. Just those people. That’s all.

Always set the bar high, whether you’re just arriving after your friends, or you’ve discovered that those Chemistry tests lack the helpful curve.

E xpensive

College does indeed cost money.

H ike

Ira Allen was a certain fellow of the late 18th century who was one of the founders of the state of Vermont. The Ira Allen Chapel, which was made during the late 1920’s, upholds his legacy.

Mansfield M is Mansfield, the highest mountain in Vermont. It’s no surprise that everyone wants to climb it, but as Miley Cyrus can helpfully remind us, it’s always going to be an uphill battle. It’s the climb.

Q uestions

We all have them.

Amongst the range of UVM folk that populate Burlington, some have many, some have few, and some have none.

But, they also all need answers. Like, now.

valley

Besides being commonly identified as a low area with hills and maybe a river, Valley is also the second phrase in the name of the popular snack brand, Nature Bars.

In one of the greenest states in New England, you will find many of these. Walk in them. Hike in them with the Outing Club. Behold the greenery!

Jeffords k

The humble home of the Plant Biology and the Plant & Soil Science departments, as well as a witness to Two Door Cinema Club’s performance at Springfest.

Nature It’s everywhere, dude. Nature, spelt with a capital N, is that stuff you see when you walk outside and decide to go swimming or on like a hike, or something.

R egistrar

The guide to everything you need. Degree Audit? Schedule?

The portal of all portals to your every wish and need.

It’s something every UVM student ( or just college student, generally speaking) needs, ultimately trying to avoid the 3:00am scenario of staring at a locked door.

eys

wellness

The Environment where people get to pet therapy dogs and run 5ks. They also got the new dorm? We are jealous, but they do go to the gym more than us.

Rock on WE. We can identify you by your apple watches.

grunge-ish

If you want to look for it, you can find that one Nirvana groupie that just can’t seem to let go of ripped black stockings. Also look out for beanies, denim jackets, and black chokers. It’s a thing.

L ucky Chinese food

T orrey

P rinter

The University of Vermont is one of the oldest universities in the country, founded by Ira Allen in 1791. UVM also totes the label of “Public Ivy” along with other schools such as the University of Virginia and the University of Texas at Austin.

The tragic former home of plant samples dated back to the early 19th century. In addition, it was one of UVM’s oldest buildings, being used by the University as a library, a classroom, and a museum.

The humble home of the Plant Biology and the Plant & Soil Science departments, as well as a witness to Two Door Cinema Club’s performance at Springfest.

P is for Printer, which is a noun.

Anyways, printers on campus are your mecca for the dispensing of rushed lab reports and Gender studies readings. Just make sure you have the money, honey.

u niversity

s cott

An irritatingly common first and last name, S is for Scott, which also happens to be the last name of Philip B. Scott, the current governor of Vermont. Scott has already developed a reputation for being highly progressive on issues like marijuana legalization and gun control according to numerous news outlets.

DAVis

It’s both the name of the building that provides services to selfish student demands, and the last name of the banker & generous UVM donor, first name Dudley, who financially backed Ben & Jerry’s.

Old

Whether it’s to the bathroom, the dining hall, the classroom, or the canoe trip, UVM students are always trekking.

I RA

Cat Forests

Meow, and Roar, and Scratch. Welcome to CATTY country. Don’t miss the statue, or the hockey games, or the hike, or you’ll be left on the tail end. The tail always smells.

Defined by dictionaries as an institution containing many branches of advanced learning. Another for fact for you learners: UVM is the only land-grant university located in the state of Vermont.

Xenon

One of the four noble gases, and a planet that some visit during second-removed cousin conversations and 8:15 lectures.

Also, there’s no Redstone Market on Xenon.

zoo

Young

One of the four noble gases, and a planet that some visit during removed-Aunt conversations and 8:15 lectures.

Also, there’s no Redstone Market on Xenon.

The word “Zoo” suggests many things : A party, a party with animals, an expansive gated area that contains many animals in hopefully sanitary conditions. All of this can be found, right here at UVM.

Healy Fallon is a sophomore English major who has been writing for the Cynic since fall of 2017.

The Vermont Cynic

August 29, 2017

7

ARTS

Award-winning poet explores individuality at UVM Bridget Higdon Assistant Arts Editor In the age of social media, Americans are exposed to millions of different voices every day.

The UVM Program Board is hosting a reading by Danez Smith, a new voice in poetry, as part of the “Week of Welcome” festivities this year.

Smith, originally from St. Paul, Minnesota, is a black, queer and HIV-positive writer and performer. Smith’s fourth book, called “Don’t Call Us Dead” will be released next month.

Smith’s second book, “[insert] boy” won the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry in 2014, according to the poet’s website. Smith received the Ruth Lilly & Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Fellowship from the Poetry Foundation in 2014, and has performed at the Brave New Voices slam poetry showcase.

“I don’t seek to write political poems,” Smith said in a March 2017 interview with Publishers Weekly. “The idea of politics can’t be bigger than the poem,” Smith said. “I write poems that try to tell and trouble the truth, that scream and shout and pray and sing, that move and demand movement.”

Smith is also a founding member of the Dark Noise Collective, which is a multiracial, multi-genre ensemble of poets who seek to use spoken word to critically engage listeners, according the group’s website.

Smith said that “poetry is not an indoor cat.” It can be found “in basement bars and

St. Paul poet Danez Smith will preform their slam poetry in the Grand Maple Ballroom Aug. 29. The black, queer, poz, writer will be visiting campus as a part of the UVM Week of Welcome.

Photo courtesy of Danez Smith middle school classrooms, on barbecue restaurant billboards and on Netflix,” they said on the Poetry Foundation’s podcast, “VS.”

Smith’s voice has been gaining attention. Patricia Smith, a National Book Award Finalist, calls Smith “the crown prince of innovation and ferocity, a

stunningly original voice . . . a reason to romp and stomp in your church shoes.”

Danez Smith will be performing August 29 in the Davis

Center Grand Maple Ballroom.

Admission is free.

8

ARTS

The Vermont Cynic

August 29, 2017

Rapper comes into his own on debut album Kelsey Neubauer

T

wenty-four year old Vic Mensa’s first studio album, “The Autobiography”, formally introduces the world to the talents of a rapper who has double-vision– personally, politically and musically.

Mensa’s deeply personal account of his life as a biracial, middle-class native Chicago South Sider and punk rock-inspired rapper tells the story of a life made political by a racist nation, all while pushing the boundaries of hip-hop music.

Mensa began his career at 18 as a founding member of the rap collective Savemoney, where he frequently collaborated with fellow member Chance the Rapper.

Mensa’s album begins with a portrait of his current success; “Didn’t I (Say I Didn’t)” is a musical look back at where he came from and how he has made it to where he is now. It is driven by a sample of soul artist Darondo and is reminiscent of the production on Jay-Z’s early albums.

He then takes us back to his childhood with “Memories on 47th Street,” named for the street on which he grew up.

The child of a black man and a white woman, Mensa grew up in a middle-class household on the South Side of Chicago next to a poor neighborhood. He existed at the crossroads of many worlds.

The album proceeds with Mensa exploring what makes him unique along with the personal and emotional experi-

IZZY SIEDMAN

Chicago rapper VIc Mensa released his first studio album, “The Autobriography”, on July 28. The ablum recounts his life in southern Chicao and his rise to fame.

Photo courtesy of Flickr ences that result from it. Much of the album is interlaced with specific instances of racism that impacted his life.

Mensa is far from the first rapper to discuss the personal psychological impacts of race and other intersecting identities.

Kendrick Lamar’s “These Walls” off his 2015 album “To Pimp a Butterfly” examines the psychological impact of America’s racist prison system through a complex story of sex,

love and urban violence.

But while Lamar has never indicated whether “Butterfly” is about his own life or is a metaphorical vehicle, Mensa is explicit: this is his story. He said this album is his capsule of who he is in 2017, according to a June 8 Rolling Stones article.

He is also a step away from much of the hip-hop music to come out of the city in the past 10 years.

Mensa’s exploration of how it feels to live on the fringe of

many identities is echoed in his music which itself is difficult to categorize, delving into what some critics have called the beginning of a “punk moment” for rap.

In “Rollin’ Like a Stoner,” Mensa uses a hard rock-inspired drum beat, and features punk rock band Weezer in “Homewrecker.”

His flawless integration of the two genres is similar to the way he integrates a national conversation into his own life

story.

Mensa’s expression of his life and relationships serves as a stepping stone for larger conversations happening around the country and within the genre. His vulnerability is a window to a larger picture.

Kelsey Neubauer is a senior English major. She has been writing for the cynic since Spring of 2015

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The Vermont Cynic

August 29, 2017

LIFE

9

Move-in madness

T

Kailey Bates

ransitioning from the dog days of summer to the hustle and bustle of campus life can be a challenge, especially when it comes to moving in.

UVM students shared what helped make packing (and unpacking) smoother, so they have more time to enjoy the events the first week of school has to offer.

Sophomore Nick Ludman shared a crafty tip to avoid spending hours at the closet hanging up clothes.

“I take a box, fit the top with PVC piping, and hang my clothes from the pipe,” he said.

“That makes it super simple to lift off the clothing hangers all at once and squeeze them in beside your roommate’s clothes.”

Ludman spent last year in a forced-triple dorm room.

“I was overwhelmed at first, but we put our heads together and found the best way to move furniture around to maximize space,” he said. “We even snuck in a couch from the hall’s common room and put it underneath a bunk bed so we could all sit and play video games.”

Students shouldn’t worry about buying school supplies before classes start, Ludman said.

“It’s all at the UVM bookstore, so that makes it really convenient,” he said.

Junior Jordan Kleiman moved out of the dorms to a spacious apartment in down-

town Burlington this past May. “On the drive from UVM to my new apartment, I kept passing furniture on the street.

Some of it was really nice. I piled it into my car and I ended up finding almost all of my furniture that way,” she said.

“Burlington neighbors rock.”

Sophomore Alice Osiecki, a new transfer student at UVM, shared her tip of using resources available on the school’s website to save money.

“The most important thing is checking the list UVM provides of what you can and can’t bring to the dorms,” she said.

“There’s multiple times where I bought something that wasn’t allowed and had to return it.”

Osiecki, practiced in the art of unloading cars, perfected her unpacking technique.

“I like to grab cardboard boxes and put as many small things in as I can. It’s better to move in with bigger items than take continuous trips with smaller items,” she said. “Also, use the move-in crew because they’re here to help.”

Whether you’re moving into a triple on the 6th floor, a suite in programmed housing or an apartment downtown, students have countless tips to avoid breaking a sweat as new residents settle in.

Kailey Bates is s sophomore who has been writing for the Cynic since Spring of 2017

First-year students move into the Harris-Millis Residence Hall on Aug. 25.

DEAN WERTZ & LILY KEATS/The Vermont Cynic

The Vermont Cynic

August 29, 2017

LIFE

9

IZZY SIEDMAN

Trains build community in fly-over cities

Kim Henry Staff Writer

Rising early Aug. 2, two interns geared up for a day of press events. They were rewarded for their troubles with miniature bottles of Vermont maple syrup and crisp Burlington summer air.

Cait Boyle and Victoria Principato arrived Aug. 1 on the first stop of their monthlong cross-country railroad trip. Both New Jersey natives and students at the Catholic University of America, Boyle and Principato are the National Association of Railways Passengers’ Summer by Rail interns.

In 27 days, they will visit 22 cities across the U.S. and Canada in a promised “ultimate summer internship,” according to the NARP’s website.

They will make stops in Chicago, Montreal, Los Angeles and more, while documenting their travels on Twitter, Insta-

gram, and their own “Summer

by Rail” blog.

NARP’s advertisement for a cross-country train trip is enough to make any millennial swoon; the “Summer by Rail” blog is an Instagram daydream of high-definition Americana.

However, the internship’s purpose goes beyond simple sightseeing and social media posting.

“We’re really looking to go into small towns and talk to people, and see how else they would get places if they didn’t have train travel,” Boyle said.

Graduating in 2018 with an Engineering degree she is “hoping to see a lot of infrastructure problems and benefits, and mainly different bridges,” Boyle said joking that she was “nerding out.”

No simple tourist herself, Principato, a finance major, is on the lookout for how public transportation enables the creation of community.

“Communities are really built on these stops where the

stations are,” she said. “When I applied for the internship, that’s what I wrote about: wanting to visit the parts of the country that are known as ‘flyover country.’”

In their application essays, Boyle and Principato demonstrated reasons for why this trip is important, but they aren’t the only ones who see value in the once-in-a-lifetime internship.

NARP’s newsletter embodies their motivation behind the railway internship.

July’s NARP newsletter features Boyle and Principato outside the U.S. Capitol building, ready to embark on their journey.

However, this story is sandwiched between headlines like “White House Budget Targets Amtrak, Transit, and Small Town America,” and “Narp Launches ‘Rally For Trains’ Campaign.”

In particular, the newsletter’s “Railway Passenger Stories” segment highlights the

need NARP is addressing with the Summer by Rail internship.

NARP members contributed two anecdotes to the section. The first written by “a retired senior living in Tampa Bay, Florida” expressing how the rail allows him to be independent in spite of his limited mobility.

The second story is written

by Justin Kratz, who begins his letter, “As a 23 year old looking to start a new life, and as a millennial...”

While Kratz and NARP recognize the railway’s service to both the millennial and aging demographics, one wonders how many millennials know about the value of the railway services in America’s communities and economy.

This is where Boyle and Principato come in.

The Summer by Rail internship joins two opposing but necessary elements to the preservation of this segment of American infrastructure: two women who understand the

economic and human impact of the railway, and their millennial romanticism of road trips and Instagram filters.

As the first stop on the Summer by Rail tour, Burlington provides a prime example of this trip’s importance.

After departing the city, Boyle and Principato posted a blog summary of their stay.

Nestled among scenic pictures and descriptions of local drafts, Boyle and Principato highlight the Vermont Rail Action Network’s campaign to re-open the Rutland Rail with a stop in Burlington.

Boyle and Principato’s stop brings necessary press coverage to the endeavor to re-open train travel through the city.

“Long-distance train travel is kind of under the radar,” Boyle said. “We’re going to try to show that it is really important and it brings so much to a lot of different cities.”

London program materializes classic literature Katie Brobst On June 3, students in the Literary London program gathered in their dorms in an unfamiliar city as the London Bridge attack unfolded on the news.

Veering off the side of the road on the London Bridge, a van careened into pedestrians before releasing three Islamic terrorists into the streets, where they stabbed civilians, killing eight and injuring 48, according to BBC News.

None of the Literary London group was present at the attack and their housing was located about a mile away from the bridge, a distance that felt quite far in the international city.

“Being in a city with a terrorist attack was absolutely bizarre,” junior Blair Bean said. “It was surreal to be sitting with your friends, in a city 3000 miles away from home, while the sound of sirens are all around you.”

We spent the night refreshing news reports. My inbox quickly filled with emails from friends, family, my professors, UVM and the American Embassy. Our professors called a meeting in the morning to offer guidance and emotional support.

“It was easy to be afraid.

There was much more bravery in not letting fear stop us from seeing all that London had to offer,” sophomore Kay Ireland said.

Though our proximity to the London Bridge attack was

a 21st century traveler’s fear made real, the trip was not all negative.

At first glance, the Literary London summer program is an average British literature class.

However, for each setting our class read about and each play we analyzed, we visited the stories’ settings and saw them performed live.

Reading Shakespeare is something you can do anywhere. But reading “Twelfth Night” and then seeing it performed at Shakespeare’s Globe Theater literally brings the play to life.

Many UVM students have read Dickens, but how many have visited his house in London?

“We weren’t stuck in a London classroom all day. No, we were going out and doing everything we could. All of the plays and museums we saw as a group were incredible,” Ireland said. “There’s so much culture to be absorbed.”

As traveling so often begins with strangers and ends with new friends, bonding was inevitable as we navigated the city together.

During our free time, we could go anywhere in central London on the Underground or the city buses – red double-decker ones, of course.

While class activities such as tours and plays were done as a group, our free time was ours and spent well.

Some students spent a weekend in Paris, and attractions such as Big Ben and the Shard were not forgotten.

IZZY SIEDMAN

We found a canal filled with barges near King’s Cross Station; one particular barge, named “Words on the Water,” had live music on the roof and a used bookstore below deck.

“The course gives you time to get all of your coursework done, build amazing relationships and explore a lot of the

city,” Bean said.

It was a challenge to get ourselves to museums and theaters within London, and to get ourselves to England in the first place.

“It pushed me to my limits in the best way,” Ireland said.

“I gained so much more confidence in the two weeks we

were there, just by proving to myself that I could do things I hadn’t dreamed of.”

Katie Brobst is a sophomore who has been writing for the Cynic since Fall 2016.

The Vermont Cynic

SPORTS

August 29, 2017

11

A look forward at UVM’s basketball season Eribert Volaj Sports Editor The America East Conference announced the 2017-18 schedule for men’s basketball Aug. 22.

The Catamounts will start their title defense Jan. 4, traveling to the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

Afterward, the defending champions will play three home games at Patrick Gym. They host the University of Maryland Baltimore County Jan. 6, Stony Brook University Jan. 13 and the University of Maine Jan. 15.

Other games to watch out for include a rematch of last year’s title game against the University at Albany Jan. 24 and a game against Binghamton University Feb. 21.

Last season was a historic one for Vermont, who held the

nation’s longest winning streak with 21 wins while setting a program record with 29 total wins.

Three of those wins occurred during the America East Tournament, as the Catamounts went on to win the conference title. This year’s tournament will take place in early March, with the quarter finals starting March 3.

The season will kick off with two exhibitions against Concordia University, Oct. 29 and St. Michael’s College Nov. 4.

These two games should provide an opportunity for the recently-announced signees, whom Becker announced in July.

First-year forwards Ra Kpedi and Bailey Patella and guards Skyler Nash and Stef Smith were announced as the new signings, and they will join 12 returning

members from last season’s record-breaking squad.

Smith comes from the same high school – Bill Crothers Secondary in Markham, Ontario – as last year’s America East Player of the Year senior Trae Bell-Haynes, and is the school’s all-time top scorer, according to UVM athletics.

“I think all of these kids are really good, and they’re going to push our returners,” coach John Becker said, according to a July 19 UVM athletics article.

“We are going to need them to have significant roles on this year’s team.”

The regular season will open with a Nov. 12 trip to the University of Kentucky. The Wildcats are one of the most successful teams in NCAA history, having won the Championship eight times.

Shortly afterward, Vermont

will participate in the Islands of Bahamas Showcase, which will take place from Nov. 17 to Nov. 19. The tournament will feature eight schools, including Iona College, James Madison University and Weber State University, according to UVM athletics.

Other noticeable games include visits to Ivy League contenders Harvard University Jan. 2 and Dartmouth College Jan. 10.

The tickets for the games will go on sale, Oct. 2, and the home games will be televised on ESPN3 and the watchESPN app.

Fall Sports Calendar Catamounts home games for the month of September Sunday

Monday 27

Tuesday 28

Wednesday 29

30

Thursday

Friday

31

Saturday

Men’s soccer Vs. 1 Florida Gulf Coast 7 p.m.

Virtue Field

Cross country 12 p.m.

St. Albans, VT

2

Women’s soccer vs.

Brown 12 p.m.

Virtue Field Men’s soccer vs.

Niagara 2 p.m.

Virtue Field

3

4

5

6

7

8

Men’s soccer vs.

Yale 7 p.m.

Virtue Field

9

Women’s field hockey vs. Cornell 7 p.m.

Moulton Winder Field

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

20

21

22

23

27

28

29

30

Women’s ice hockey vs. McGill 6 p.m.

Gutterson

Women’s swimming and diving vs.

St. Michael’s 12 p.m.

Forbush Natatorium

Women’s soccer vs.

Marist 6 p.m.

Virtue Field

17

18

19

Women’s field hockey vs. Dartmouth 4 p.m.

Mouton Winder Field

Women’s field hockey vs. Holy Cross 4 p.m.

Moulton Winder Field

24 Women’s ice hockey vs. Montreal 2 p.m.

Gutterson

25

26

Women’s soccer vs. New Hampshire 7 p.m.

Virtue Field

12

SPORTS

The Vermont Cynic

August 29, 2017

Cinderella cup runs excite American fans Eribert Volaj

E

very year, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup produces Cinderella runs, or games resulting in low ranking teams making it farther than expected. In the 2017 edition, two teams stood out with their surprise runs and are still being talked about.

Christos FC was the first team to win fans’ hearts across the country. The team plays in the Maryland Major Soccer League.

After defeating the Aegean Hawks and West Chester United in regional qualifiers, Christos went on the road for the first round of the tournament, defeating fellow amateur side Fredericksburg 3-0. Christos followed up with a stunning upset of full-time professional side Richmond Kickers, defeating the 1995 champs 1-0 in the Virginia capitol.

But all was not particularly well for Christos, even as the team had a seemingly easy matchup in the third round against another amateur side, Chicago FC United.

As a very small amateur side where every player had a separate job, Christos needed to raise funds via GoFundMe for its travel to Chicago as well as an amateur tournament it would attend in Cleveland a few days later.

Christos hit their goal of $7,500 in just three days and advanced to the fourth round after a 1-0 win over FC United,

earning a matchup with MLS side DC United. A team owned by a discount liquor store would be facing one of the biggest clubs in America.

For a moment, it looked like the “magic of the cup” was going to pull Christos through.

They led the game and kept a draw until the last 10 minutes; but ultimately, the fulltime professionals’ superior conditioning showed itself, as DC scored three goals against a tired Christos side after the 80th minute, prevailing 4-1.

In Ohio, another wonderful Open Cup story was being written, with FC Cincinnati winning the hearts of the country as well.

FCC, who play in the second division of U.S. soccer, the United Soccer League, made the deepest run by a non-MLS side since the 2011 Richmond Kickers, earning a semifinal spot.

FCC saw outstanding attendance in their run, with three crowds of over 30,000, all of which set records for the largest attendance in the tournament outside of the final.

Cincinnati entered the tournament in the second round and worked their way past amateur side AFC Cleveland, fellow USL side Louisville City and MLS side Columbus Crew all by 1-0 scorelines, setting up a showdown with MLS side Chicago Fire.

Chicago were riding a 10-match unbeaten run across all competitions. The game saw a national television au-

Genevieve Win dience on ESPN, a channel that normally only showed the Open Cup Final.

The game went scoreless, and eventually to penalties, though not for lack of chances; the two goalkeepers, Matt Lampson of Chicago and Mitch Hildebrandt of FCC, came up with a number of big saves.

But it was Hildebrandt who had the last laugh, saving three of the four penalties he faced as Cincinnati won, and he be-

came a U.S. soccer celebrity almost overnight.

FCC would defeat fellow second tier side Miami 1-0 in the quarter finals, and opened up a 2-0 lead against MLS’s New York Red Bulls in the semi with 20 minutes remaining; for a moment, it looked like Cinderella would bite again.

But the visiting Red Bulls rallied and won 3-2 in extra time, stunning the 33,250 at Nippert Stadium.

While either the Red Bulls or Sporting Kansas City will win the Open Cup, Christos FC and FC Cincinnati won the hearts of a nation.

Eribert Volaj is a senior business administration major.He has been writing for the Cynic since Spring 2015.

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