Issue 17 - Volume 136 by Vermont Cynic

THE THEVERMONTCYNIC UVM GOES FULL SEND Issue 17 - Volume 136 | January 28, 2020 | vtcynic.com

FULL PHOTO FEATURE ON PAGE 11

KATE VANNI /The Vermont Cynic

Student uses sticky notes to beat nicotine addiction Maryann Makosiej mmakosie@uvm.edu

With the help of blue sticky notes on the window of his suite, a sophomore managed to quit his nicotine addiction. The window of sophomore Josh De Velis’ Living/Learning Center suite displayed a tally of how many days he had gone without nicotine. His actions were intended to keep himself accountable in his seventh attempt to quit. De Velis began using a Juul in high school and attributes his decision to start to peer pressure and the desire to be seen as “cool.” In college, he began smoking cigarettes while a ﬁrstyear in McAuley Hall on Trinity campus. The younger a person is, the more likely they are to become addicted to nicotine. Ninety nine percent of tobacco users start smoking before the age of 26, according to the U.S. Surgeon General. “I went home one weekend and saw a friend who’d quit,” De Velis said. “I went a weekend without it, and I made the decision to go one more day. After three days, I thought I could go longer. I hadn’t gone three days in almost two years.” It can take a nicotine-dependent adult an average of 12 attempts to successfully quit elec-

tronic or traditional cigarettes, according to the U.S. Surgeon General. “I think there’s a huge social component to smoking cigs,” De Velis said. “Cigs put me in fun social situations that I wish could exist without it.” De Velis began trying to quit using nicotine in 2019 but was unsuccessful each time. After receiving a conduct violation while in McAuley, he became more determined to quit, he said. “I got caught on my birthday by the police with 23 people in my room after a ﬁre alarm went off and no one in my room heard it,” he said. “I had to attend BASICS.” BASICS is a program hosted by UVM’s Center for Health and Wellbeing. The program is designed to help students reﬂect on their alcohol and drug use in a supportive and non-shaming environment, according to the UVM website. Dr. Prospero Gogo is an interventional cardiologist at UVM Medical Center. The patients he sees are generally 65 years or older, and many have been life-long smokers. “The majority of them started smoking before 18 or 21,” Gogo said. “If you ask them why they did it, it’s because there was no perception of harm. Peer pressure and tobacco com-

ZOE COLGAN SELLERS/The Vermont Cynic

Sophomore Josh De Velis sits in front of his window of sticky notes that reads, “Nic Free Oﬃcial,” Jan. 23. panies locked them in.” A recent survey demonstrated that almost one in three Vermont high school students have tried a vaping product, according to a December 2019 article Gogo wrote for VTDigger. De Velis said that he has switched between nicotine products in his time at UVM. “You decide one is healthier than the other when you’ve

been doing one for a while,” he said. “Ultimately though, I think smoking cigarettes is safer than Juuling.” He attributes the high potency of Juul pods to be a factor in their danger, as well as the growing number of e-cigarette or vaping lung-related injuries. Sophomore Marshall Resnick lives with De Velis. “I see [the window] when I

come back from the gym,” Resnick said. “I know other people who feel inspired to change their habits as a result.” Since declaring himself “nic free,” De Velis has plans for the future. “I might join a team now that I can run again,” he said. “I’m a singer, and my voice got a lot better after quitting as well.”

NEWS

Students learn to be leaders in ROTC Ella Ruehsen iruehsen@uvm.edu

On any given Wednesday, as students shuffle from class to class, a group of students stand out. Clad in camouflage fatigues, these students make up UVM’s Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. While balancing the classes and extra-circulars every other UVM student does, these students are also training to be members of the U.S. Armed Forces. For students in ROTC, they take 18 credits over the course of four years along with their regular course work. Successfully completing the program earns students spots as officers in the U.S. Army. UVM’s ROTC program hosts students from UVM, Champlain College, Saint Michael’s College and other area colleges and universities, said Lieutenant Colonel Jeremy Pitaniello, professor of military science. Every Wednesday the program holds classes and a lab where they learn basic conduct, leadership skills and required skills for junior officers in the military, Pitaniello said. At 6 a.m. three mornings a week, everyone attends physical training at Gutterson Field House. Despite these differences, almost every member of ROTC will tell you the same thing: they’re just students too, Pitaniello said. Here are the stories behind some of those students: Sophomore Taylor Caitlin: Taylor Caitlin comes from a small town. When she first got to UVM, the only other person she knew was from her town, she said. Caitlin joined UVM’s ROTC program as a first-year and said it helped her build her community.

BAILEY SAMBER/The Vermont Cynic

Sophomore Joey Henrikson stands in the parking lot of the Army ROTC building, Jan. 16. Army ROTC has scholarships available for both college-bound highschool students and currently enrolled college students. “When I came to college I was really on my own, and ROTC gave me this kind of built-in family that I got the opportunity to kind of just walk into,” Caitlin said. Both of Caitlin’s parents were in the Navy, and they helped her decide to serve her country while earning a college degree, she said. “I already wanted that,” Catlin said. “I wanted to serve my country because I grew up hearing the stories from my parents about the military lifestyle.” Although she walks around with extra responsibilities, Caitlin said the program has been a positive experience. First-year Olivia Micalizzi: Olivia Micalizzi is new to UVM’s ROTC program. She joined last semester.

Micalizzi said she’s been welcomed to the ROTC family and that the structured lifestyle helped her. “It keeps me very structured because I have PT training in the morning, so I’m already up early and have my day going,” she said. “And then we have a class [for ROTC] once a week, which is in the afternoon.” Micalizzi found out about ROTC her junior year of high school through her dad, who has colleagues whose kids were in the program, Micalizzi said. When she toured UVM, Micalizzi and her dad visited the ROTC building, and it seemed like a great atmosphere, she said. Her grandfather was in the Army, which influenced her decision to join ROTC and helped her understand a little bit about

the program. “He would talk about his experience in the Army and how much he loved it and how much he learned from it,” she said. “Just seeing the type of person he is and knowing that the Army helped shaped part of who he is made me want to do it.” Senior Brian Schwarzkopf: Brian Schwarzkopf stumbled into the ROTC program his first year at UVM, he said. “I was walking around the activities fair and walked up to an ROTC table just to find out some more information,” Schwarzkopf said. “They basically explained to me that I could try it if I want to, and I can quit anytime if I want to. So I decided to try it out, no obligation. I actually loved it.” Schwarzkopf has remained

in the ROTC program for the opportunities, especially the financial ones, he said. Schwarzkopf said that the scholarship he was given also encourages him to stay in the program. “Being in a financially difficult situation, they definitely helped me out with that,” Schwarzkopf said. By the time you get to your senior year, seniors are put into leadership positions, Schwarzkopf said. They’re essentially in charge of the program, with some adult supervision just to make sure everyone is on track, he said. “We’re making all the labs that we’re doing, all the classes for teaching, that’s all on us, and we’re basically responsible for the success of developing people below us,” he said.

Hightower faces student and incumbent for Ward 1 Correction A Jan. 22 Cynic article claimed Ward 1 candidate Zoraya Hightower did not respond for comment. However, there was not a sufficient effort made to reach out to Hightower’s campaign. The Cynic apologizes to the Hightower campaign for this mistake.

Staff Report news@vtcynic.com

After 30 years of endorsement from Burlington Progressive Party, Burlington’s Ward 1 city councilor has lost the party’s backing to a newcomer. Zoraya Hightower earned the Progressive Party’s nomination in December 2019, taking it from incumbent Sharon Bushor. Hightower is also competing against SGA President Jillian Scannell, a senior.

Hightower said she doesn’t have a strong interest in politics; she’s interested in policies and cities. “I always had a particular interest in cities and their ability to really move how we use energy, how we interact with each other, how we use water, how we consume food, where it’s coming from,” Hightower said. When Hightower moved to Burlington to take a job as an international development professional, she said she wanted to be involved in local change. She now sits on the developmental review board for the city. “I just decided to make sure that I’m involved in local government,” she said. “That has mostly been at volunteer levels and things like the development review board, or just staying active in my neighborhood planning assembly.”

Hightower said she is passionate about housing issues, particularly housing affordability and location, she said. Ward 1 encompases UVM’s Central and Trinity campuses which feature 11 residence halls. “I think housing resonates with everyone,” Hightower said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a homeowner or if you’re a renter. Housing affordability in Burlington is huge.” Hightower is the only candidate in the Ward 1 race without a direct connection to UVM, as she got her undergraduate degree from the University of Tulsa and then attended Yale University for graduate school. When asked about her interactions with UVM students, Hightower said she has a good understanding of UVM issues. “I’ve obviously have had roommates and friends and

Courtesy of ZORAYA HIGHTOWER

Zoraya Hightower won the Progressive Party endorsement for Ward 1 for the upcoming Burlington City Council election, which will happen March 3. Hightower said her number one issue is housing. ex-boyfriends, who were students at UVM,” she said. Elections for Burlington City

Council are March 3.

NEWS

UVM chief public health officer resigns Sawyer Loftus news@vtcynic.com

The executive director of UVM’s Center for Health and Wellbeing and the University’s chief public health officer has stepped down from his role. Harry Chen, former commissioner of health for the state of Vermont, is “transitioning” from his role as executive director of the Center for Health and Wellbeing, according to an automated email, sent in response to an unrelated Vermont Cynic inquiry, Jan. 20. Chen had been in the position for just over a year. He was hired in October 2018. Annie Stevens, vice provost for Student Affairs, said Chen told her just before Thanksgiving that he would be stepping down for “personal reasons.” In his role, Chen oversaw the Center for Health and Wellbeing, Counseling and Psychiatry Services and Living Well. Additionally, Chen was in charge of all public health messaging and regulations on campus, including tobacco and alcohol policies. Chen also searched for and eventually hired a new director of CAPS. He also was the driving force behind putting together a strategic plan around student mental health services, Stevens said. “We’re still thinking through, myself and the assistant directors, how best to

ALEK FLEURY/The Vermont Cynic

Harry Chen answers questions during an interview for the Vermont Cynic, January 2019. The Center for Health and Wellbeing at UVM offers a variety of services to students including counseling, psychiatry and wellness programs. launch that strategic plan,” she said. “He really helped us kick that off.” Stevens said she and others are particularly concerned over current wait times for CAPS appointments. Wait times currently move between two to three weeks and sometimes longer, she said. Part of the strategic plan is developing a way to make mental health services more “efficient and effective” for

students, as well as promoting other beneficial resources, Stevens said. “There’s only so many limits as to adding and adding and adding counselors, and that continues to be costs to students, so how can we do it differently?” she said. So far, the review of mental health services has found that strategically placing counselors in identity centers has worked well, but more will need to be

done across the board. During the transition between Chen and his replacement, the Center for Health and Wellbeing’s assistant directors will report to Stevens, according to a Jan. 21 email from UVM Spokesperson Enrique Corredera. Stevens will work with Provost Patricia Prelock, Chen and other members of the Center for Health and Wellbeing to sustain all ongoing

initiatives. “We will sincerely miss collaborating with him, a dedicated physician, knowledgeable leader and steadfast advocate for college student health,” Stevens stated in an email to staff in the Student Affairs Division. “He did so much for us while he was here,” Stevens said. There is currently no time frame to search for and identify a replacement, Stevens said.

SGA again passes resolution requesting UVM divest PPENIN HA est. 2019 G

WHAT ’S

SGA

V IS W E E K

Lilly Page lpage@uvm.edu

To thundering applause and a standing ovation, SGA emphasized the importance of UVM’s divestment at their Jan. 21 meeting. During their weekly meeting, junior Sophie Smith, chair of the Committee on the Environment, introduced a resolution urging the board of trustees to divest from fossil fuels. “The Student Government Association recognizes that socially and environmentally responsible investments are imperative for the sustainability of the University and its commitment to environmental values,” the resolution stated. During the meeting, Smith said that investing in fossil fuel corporations supports practices that contribute to climate

change. Additionally, by supporting these fossil fuel companies, UVM is going against its own values of being a leader in practices like helping the environment, Smith said. “By choosing to invest in fossil fuels, the University is financially encouraging degradation to the environment, public health and being a leader in innovation,” she said. With the passing of the resolution Jan. 21, SGA requests the budget and finance committee of the board of trustees to conduct a divestment assessment and create an action plan for removing UVM’s holdings from fossil fuel companies. “The resolution requests the executive committee of the UVM board of trustees craft a unique response that outlines their specific reasoning for inaction to students’ October 2019 proposal,” Smith said. Smith detailed the long history of student action concerning the University’s divestment of fossil fuels, which started in 2008. Additionally, SGA requested for the board of trustees to

STEPHAN TOLJAN/ The Vermont Cynic

Junior Sophie Smith, chair of the Committee on the Environment, reads aloud a resolution urging the board of trustees to divest from fossil fuels at an SGA meeting, Jan. 21. Organize President Kieran Edraney, a senior, was also at the meeting. divest in 2013 and 2017. Smith said the student group Organize, which submitted a formal proposal for UVM to divest from fossil fuels in 2019, was met with the same resistance from the board that past activists have encountered. “They were met with the

same response students received in 2016, without proper guidance or specific reasons for the response based on the proposal submitted,” she said. Smith said the University’s investment in fossil fuel companies is also a violation of UVM’s Common Ground policies.

“The board’s inaction on fossil fuel divestment and unwillingness to respond to students, violates Common Ground values of respect, integrity, innovation, openness, injustice and responsibility,” she said.

NEWS

UVM student runs alumna’s campaign Lilly Page lpage@uvm.edu

Junior Skyler Nash is not just balancing a busy school schedule; he’s also managing a campaign for a UVM alumna’s run for a seat on the Vermont State Senate. For Nash, a typical day means plenty of meetings, radio interviews and traveling around the state with Kesha Ram ‘08. Together, they make up part of the team that is trying to get Ram into the Vermont State Senate. Nash, a former UVM basketball player, is the campaign manager for Ram, which means his day-to-day life is a constant race against the clock, but it’s worth it, he said. “You may not be able to have as much of a social life as you would expect for a college student, but it became very clear to me once I got to UVM the things that I wanted to work on and the things I wanted to use my platform for while I have these four years here,” he said. Everyday is a little different, Nash said, but generally, he’s racing from class to perform his duties as Ram’s campaign manager. On Jan. 20, for example, his day started off with an early morning radio interview. He then spent the day traveling around the state to meet with supporters and potential supporters, he said. “Just meetings on meetings,” he said. “It gets to the point where [Ram] and I are kind of inseparable almost in terms of the time that we’re spending together.” Ram said that she knew she wanted Nash on her team when she saw him serving on the

Courtesy of KESHA RAM

Junior Skyler Nash (Left) is the campaign manager for Kesha Ram’s ‘08 (Right) run for a seat on the Vermont State Senate. Ram represented the Chittenden 6-4 district from 2009-16 in the Vermont House of Representatives. More information on Ram can be found on her website, http://www.kesharam.com/. Burlington Special Commitee on Policing. “I got the impression that he was someone who could listen to all sides, take in a lot of complex information, and turn it into solutions and have a meaningful engagement of all the people around the table,” Ram said. Nash grew up in Chicago and started to get interested in politics later than some others his age because of his attention to basketball. After he was diagnosed with cancer at 16, Nash said he started to look at the world around him more. “[Getting diagnosed] was

kind of when I really had the chance to step away from that and start to really look at politics and from there just became more immersed with it,” he said. Ram first became interested in politics in fifth grade when she ran against three boys to be student council president. “I’ve thought really hard about all the people who have fought and suffered and in some cases died so that I have the right to participate in government,” she said. “I’ve always taken that seriously since then.” Ram was a representative for the Chittenden district from

2009-16 but, she said running for a Senate seat instead of a House seat holds many differences. “A Senate race allows you to know each town pretty well,” she said. “You’re getting to know these communities, neighborhoods and constituencies in a way that feels a little more overwhelming than a house race, but a little easier to manage than a statewide race.” Nash started his UVM career by committing to play basketball in 2017. Due to a repeating injury, he decided to formally retire from basketball in 2019. It was on the team that

he found his foundation, his closest friends. When he retired in 2019, he said he couldn’t really leave the team behind him. “Those guys really keep me grounded,” he said. “Even though I knew I couldn’t physically handle the rigors of being a D1 athlete anymore, there was no way that I could ever give up being a part of what we continue to build year in, year out with the basketball program.” Although his new role is one that never really has time off, Nash said he’s learned a lot from working on Ram’s campaign.

Student food pantry finds home on Central campus Zoe Stern zstern@uvm.edu

A project that was started last year to address food insecurity on campus has found a place to open. Rally Cat’s Cupboard, a food pantry created by SGA, is designed to help food insecure undergraduate, graduate and medical students. It will be will open Feb. 24 and is located in Hills Agricultural Science building, which is connected to the Marsh Life Sciences building. The idea was formed last year by senior Ethan Foley, former SGA president. “Rally Cat’s Cupboard and Closet is the on-campus food pantry and thrift store that I created last year as president,” Foley said. “It is going to be a place for students who might be challenged by food insecurity on a regular basis or at all can go to receive a little bit of extra help.”

Work will continue on the thirft store protion of the project, which has not yet been approved. Foley advocated for the idea of a food pantry because of the responsibility SGA has to UVM students to respond to needs UVM students are currently facing. “That’s what the role of SGA is and that is what the role of SGA should be,” Foley said. “It’s looking at issues on campus and saying how can we make a real difference in the lives of students, faculty and community members alike.” A survey run by assistant professor of food systems Meredith Niles found that 26% of UVM undergraduate students have experienced food insecurity. Someone who is food insecure lacks access to healthy food for a healthy lifestyle, according to the U. S. Department of Agriculture website. Current SGA President

Jillian Scannell, a senior, has been working on finding the food pantry a permanent location. “I worked with [Vice Provost] Annie Stevens and other people to try and find a space on campus,” Scannell said. “We finally identified one this past October, which is in Hills.” It will consist of non-perishable goods, with the hope to eventually add perishable items, Scannell said. All students need to access the food pantry is their CATcard, Scannell said. The thrift store aspect of Rally Cat’s Cupboard was put on hold, Scannell said. The food pantry has been given funding from SGA, Sodexo, the Division of Student Affairs and an anonymous donor. “SGA last year set aside $5,000 to cover start up costs, so that went towards cleaning, painting and reserving the

CLARA MARTORANO/ The Vermont Cynic

Snow melts in front of the Hills Agricultural Science building, Jan. 25. The building is set to become the home of Rally Cat’s Cupboard and Closet, an on-campus food pantry. room,” Scannell said. “Sodexo received a $1,000 grant that

they gave [SGA].”

OPINION

UVM, strive for transparency

VERMO

a st

bli

sh ed

1883

Issu e 17 - Vol. 6

Y NIC

EXECUTIVE Editor-in-Chief Bridget Higdon editorinchief@vtcynic.com Managing Editor Alek Fleury newsroom@vtcynic.com

OPERATIONS Operations Manager Tim Mealey operations@vtcynic.com Distribution Manager Dariel Echanis

EDITORS Copy Chief Liv Marshall copy@vtcynic.com Culture Sarah Robinson cynicculture@gmail.com Features Greta Rohrer cynicfeatures@gmail.com News / Sports Sawyer Loftus news@vtcynic.com sports@vtcynic.com Opinion Mills Sparkman opinion@vtcynic.com Podcasts David Cabrera vtcynicpodcasts@gmail.com

Letter to the Editor Chris Gish and Seth Wade, UVM ‘20

n October 2019, posters went up across campus warning of exclusion on the Incentive Based Budgeting steering committee, pending academic cuts, pay inequality and a worrying New England Commision of Higher Education report. They were born from an oped that the Cynic declined to publish earlier that semester. We’re the ones who made those posters. A December 2019 issue of the Cynic ran a ¨fact check¨ of our posters, choosing to parrot administrators’ talking points rather than critically unpack the issues or do enough investigative work to come to ﬁrm conclusions. A close read of the factcheck article reveals that our fundamental concerns were valid. Nonetheless, a staff editorial insisted that “these posters are fear mongering and … many pieces are factually incorrect.” We’ve done detailed research and strive to work at the highest level of factual accuracy. “Facts,” however, are never neutral in how they are available, communicated and interpreted. Like the Cynic Editorial Board, and many others in the campus community,

Photo Stephan Toljan photo@vtcynic.com Assistant Editors Henry Mitchell (Opinion), Meilena Sanchez (Layout), Dalton Doyle (Copy), Allie O’Connor (Culture), Zoe Stern (News), Bailey Samber (Photo) Copy Editors Will Keeton, Caroline Jagger, Kyra Chevalier, Enola Mercer Page Designers Stephanie Hodel, George Weed, Mac Mansﬁeld-Parisi

ADVISING Faculty Adviser Chris Evans crevans@uvm.edu

ADAM HINCKLEY

privately threatened both professors and journalists for being critical. President Suresh Garimella has opened the possibility for change with his announcement of a tuition freeze at UVM. The question remains however: on whose backs does this tuition freeze come? If the precedent set at Purdue University, where a tuition freeze was put into place during Garimella’s tenure, is any measure, UVM has reason for concern. The freeze came on the backs of faculty and core academics, according to a February 2016 article by the Purdue student newspaper, The Exponent. Faculty were left with higher healthcare

costs, and departments often had to forgo teaching assistants and small seminar classes to cut costs. This is particularly relevant in the coming months when the faculty union’s contract is up for renegotiation. The cost of education at UVM is astronomical. Cost savings, however, must come from amenities, marketing and non-academic expenses – not at the expense of the breadth, depth and rigor of academics. Students, media, faculty and staff have a role to play in ﬁghting for quality and equality in higher education. Get the facts, but be wary when the facts are only available to some people, or deployed by those in power to tell a simple story.

TikTok brings young creators to the center Emily Johnston

Illustrations Noah Zhou illustrations@vtcynic.com Layout Kate Vanni layout@vtcynic.com

we are frustrated with how little information is available regarding decision making and finances at our own University. In a December 2019 meeting with the Coalition for Student and Faculty Rights, Richard Cate, UVM’s treasurer and vice president for finance, confirmed how little information is publicly available. “The base pay list and the sourcebook are what there is,” Cate said. The public cannot access financial data from more than 10 years ago, information on overtime and benefits or payroll data sorted into important categories like gender and full-time status. The saying “information is power” certainly holds true here, and when administration and board members have exclusive hold on the facts of UVM’s situation and are featured prominently in campus media, it is hard for anyone else to propose a coherent alternative. At UVM over the last decade, the salaries of the top 10 earners increased 43% after inflation, while the average salary for all employees stagnated, according to the Catamount Data Fund’s website. We’re also concerned over administrators’ efforts to silence critique into the narratives they peddle. Over the last year, administrators have punished activists and

ejohnst2@uvm.edu

ikTok, a video-sharing app that is growing in popularity, is exactly what youth culture needs. TikTok is a social network owned by ByteDance and was launched in 2017. Since its initial release, the app has garnered 1 billion active users, according to a June 2019 CNN article. “At ﬁrst I downloaded it just because I wanted to see what the hype was about, and I got sucked in instantly,” sophomore Isabel Wilder said. What makes TikTok unique from other short video apps that came before it, such as Vine, is how it uses music and dance to communicate both serious and silly messages. Although the Chinese government has been known to take down videos that are too politically sensitive, TikToks can avoid censorship because of their surface level appearance, spreading important messages along the way. TikTok is a global network. Forty-one percent of TikTok

users are from outside of China, where the app was created, and between the ages of 16-24, according to an August 2019 GlobalWebIndex article. With the app being used by a younger audience there is, of course, going to be backlash from adults about the app. While it is easy to brush it off as an app full of immature jokes for an immature audience, TikTok actually proves that it is not immature. Rather, it represents the younger generation communicating mass trends through social media, much like older generations spreading dance trends like the Jitterbug. “I tried making a TikTok in the dining hall once, and I deﬁnitely got some looks,” Wilder said. On the For You page, the page on the app where popular videos show up in feeds, it is not all jokes. Topics such as politics and history are popular. In fact, one popular account is the Washington Post. Dave Jorgenson, the Washington Post’s 28-year-old video editor, uses the TikTok account to engage with Gen Z. Older generations are realizing the possibility of sharing

information on TikTok. The creativity in making content also allows artists to thrive on the app. Dance routines, painting tutorials, singing videos and fashion clips are among some of the most popular content. Hypothetically, TikTok can help anyone go viral. The app’s algorithm enables people from different walks of life to become famous based on chance. Users can create their own sounds, which allows for independent recording artists to get their music out there. Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” would have never gone multi-platinum if not for the

NOAH ZHOU

dance routines it inspired on TikTok, according to a May 2019 Forbes article. TikTok inspires Gen Z, so I am happy it is a part of today’s youth culture.

Emily Johnston is a sophomore environmental science major. She has been writing for the Cynic since fall 2018.

CULTURE

Student artist explores a new medium

“Mad River Glen Fall Scene”

“1 as 2 Color Theory Gradient”

Cyrus Oswald coswald@uvm.edu

Pink chalk drawings completely cover the brick sections of walls inside Charlie Piper’s dorm room in the Living/Learning Center. Also hung up are his proudest pieces of artwork. Sophomore Charlie Piper drew a lot as a kid, and as he grew up, he never stopped. “I remember my grandmother always making sketches of castles and knights and horses,” Piper said. “I was always intrigued by that. You can tell a really good story through drawings.” Piper is a studio art major from Seattle. Additionally, Piper spent a lot of his childhood outside camping, hiking and skiing. Now, his artwork tends to focus on the mountains, trees and landscapes his childhood taught him to love. “I’m really into skiing and being in the outdoors,” Piper said. “You can get a lot of inspiration from just being outside, seeing how things are interacting.” Although Piper tends to have ongoing themes throughout his artwork, he also recognizes that his style is constantly changing. “I’m somewhat detail oriented,” Piper said. “I wouldn’t say it’s very realistic in all senses, but I do have that side to my art techniques.” He said the classes he has taken at UVM have had a huge

influence on his style. In a September 2019 interview with the Cynic, he identified his favorite medium as pen on paper. His favorite projects at the time were commissions for other people. Piper expressed his excitement for a painting class he took this fall semester. In September, he said it was his first formal painting class. He admits his style has certainly changed since then, mostly due to UVM courses and faculty. “I’ve kinda shifted a little,” he said. “I still have a lot to learn in my ink and pencil drawing in general, and I’m really glad I took the painting class. It was kinda stepping into a new pool for me.” He specifically identified Pamela Fraser, associate professor of painting, as a huge help in developing his painting skills. This January, when asked what his medium of choice was, Piper identified it as painting. Piper said that the class “Painting: observation and image,” taught by Fraser, hugely impacted his artwork. It made him consider a new lens to make art through, he said. “We definitely dealt with still lifes, and we didn’t do a lot of the landscape painting that I’m really interested in, but it was cool to see the other side of it,” Piper said. “I definitely need to broaden my scope to see what

“Williams Hall”

“Sliced Orange” All photos courtesy of Charlie Piper.

I really want to do.” Piper’s style now mixes his past precise approach with the inspiration he’s drawn from his painting instruction. He finds his new style harder to describe. “I like to combine that more graphic element with showing the brush strokes with thicker paint with a more flat, smooth, watery paint style.” Piper said. Professors have complimented Piper on his use of both heavy painterly brush strokes and smooth areas in a lot of his

pieces, he said. “I like to combine that more graphic element with showing the brush strokes with thicker paint with a more flat, smooth, watery paint style,” Piper said. Piper said his painting style should continue to develop over time as he picks up new influences. “I think I’m definitely still exploring to see how my style changes over time,” Piper said. “You don’t really see that it’s happening until you’re done

painting, and you compare a series. It’s just developing over time. It’ll never be the same.” In the future, he sees himself using his art as more than a tool for personal expression. “I want to dive into more environmental aspects and conservation efforts because art can be a really good way to promote different groups that are helping their communities and environments,” Piper said. Piper’s art Instagram is @ chars_groovy_art.

CULTURE

Winter course treks White Mountains Alicia Wolfram awolfram@uvm.edu

Fourteen boots trudged through an untouched blanket of snow, breaking the otherwise total peace and stillness. This past winter break, six UVM students ventured into Franconia Notch in the White Mountains of New Hampshire to complete a five-day winter mountaineering skills course from Jan. 6-10. The course was led by Jamie Struck, outdoor programs staff member and Outing Club faculty adviser. Senior Luke Huntington’s passion for the outdoors and experience on the trip last year drove him to participate a second time. “I was acting a lot more as a second pair of eyes, making sure everyone was staying warm, fed and hydrated,” Huntington said. Run by the UVM Outdoor Program’s department of student life, the course is open to all students. Struck said the course covered various aspects of operating in the mountains in the winter. The group covered topics such as self-arresting and climbing with an ice axe. Self-arresting is a technique used in climbing to stop oneself from sliding down ice or snow without the help of ropes. Because the group slept in tents and sleeping bags, each night everyone was given two hot water bottles to stay warm, Struck said. Making sure everybody had two hot water bottles to sleep

Photo Courtesy of Jamie Struck

Students ice climb as a part of winter mountaineering skills course that ran Jan. 6-10, sponsered by the UVM Outdoor Program. with and had a hot drink before they went to bed, were crucial to the safety of the group, Huntington said. Sophomore Emily Wasem said being one of only two girls in a group of seven was hard at the beginning, especially because a lot of the boys had more experience and professional gear. “But once I found a point of

connection it felt really, really nice,” Wasem said. Struck’s favorite part of the program was the bonds formed. “On the last night, we had some great conversations about the outdoor industry, the White Mountains and just what everyone was doing in their lives,” Struck said. Wasem agreed that the connections made on the trip

were really special. “Being cold together can make for really warm bonding experiences,” she said. For Wasem, the group’s small size was one of the most appealing aspects of the course. “I felt like I could ask a lot of questions,” Wasem said. “I would ask one question, and it would turn into this whole lesson.”

Huntington said he recommends the course for anyone eager to learn basic winter mountaineering skills. “The program is not terribly intense,” Struck said. “It can feel really intense because you’re working pretty hard and living a little hard, but it is really really cool and a lot of fun.”

The new punk: How Rina Sawayama is changing pop Connor Adams cadams21@uvm.edu

Within pop music there is a strict status quo, but artists like Rina Sawayama are turning those conventions on their head. Sawayama’s music isn’t about the parties or boy problems of contemporary pop. Rather, her music speaks to the changing landscape of our society through lyrical concepts of how technology is affecting our social lives. Other peers of Sawayama like Dorian Electra, 100 gecs, SOPHIE and Charli XCX share similar ideas conceptually. Compared to Sawayama, Electra focuses less on our society’s connection with technology and more on the gender roles that have been instilled within it. On the other hand, 100 gecs and SOPHIE are defined by glitchy production and experimentation with new sounds within the pop

landscape. Although every artist is unique in their own right, they all share one common theme: to change our view on our society in general, not just to change our view of pop music. Sawayama’s new single “STFU” is possibly the greatest example of this new-wave intention. “STFU” is metal pop executed right. The song starts with heavy metal guitars that lay out a sinister yet intoxicating sequence. Sawayama displays her obvious personality and attitude with her opening vocals. Although metal guitars aren’t usually found within Sawayama or any of her peers’ music, it perfectly defines what the new wave is all about. The message within the chorus of “STFU” is a common theme throughout her discography, which is all about promoting female empowerment. Electra shares very similar ideas with songs like, “Man to Man” which questions men’s

role in society and what it truly means to be a “man.” Singles like these only further instill Sawayama’s status as a pop artist who isn’t afraid to take risks and challenge expectations set by the walls of the genre. Even though pop metal or the abrasiveness of 100 gecs’ production may not seem like the immediate future of pop, I would beg to disagree. Pop music is on the brink of major change. It has the ability to be an extremely expansive genre. Even mainstream media has acknowledged the power of the new wave of pop Sawayama has seen critical acclaim from publications like the New York Times and The Guardian. Other artists like 100 gecs have been featured in Rolling Stone, while Electra is part of a collaboration with Gay Times and Apple Music. The significance of artists like Electra and SOPHIE can not be over-emphasized within the world of pop. Electra and SOPHIE, who are gender fluid and

ADICS

JULI B

transgender respectively, are bringing diversity and awareness into the genre that is desperately needed within music and societies’ consciousness. Pop’s new wave is arguably the new punk, and with artists like Sawayama, Electra and

100 gecs, pop’s future never looked so bright.

Connor Adams is a firstyear English major. He has been writing for the Cynic since fall 2019.

CULTURE

Senior releases new album “Sunburst” Natalie Charron ncharron@uvm.edu

It’s early in the morning, and the day is ushered in by the hypnotic lull of a tenor saxophone and trumpet, accompanied by the steady beat of percussion cymbals. This imagery is realized through “Sunrise,” the ﬁrst track of senior Cam Gilmour’s second album “Sunburst.” “Sunburst” was released at midnight Jan. 17. Gilmour grew up in Middletown Springs, Vermont. Music has been part of his life since he was a kid, he said. “I grew up around music,” Gilmour said. “My dad’s a musician and recording engineer, and we had a studio in the house growing up.” Gilmour picked up the saxophone in seventh grade and started playing bass and guitar in college. Although Gilmour’s music stems from his jazz background, he doesn’t describe his style as straightforward jazz. As for “Sunburst,” Gilmour says its genre is indie jazz. Gilmour also emphasises how personal his music feels to him. “[‘Sunburst’] was [written] at a time in my life where I started going through some pretty intense emotions of love, and it was an attempt to express that craziness,” Gilmour said.

BAILEY SAMBER/The Vermont Cynic

Senior Cam Gilmour, Avery Cooper and senior Sam Atallah perform at Radio Bean, Jan. 25. A six-piece band performed for the release of Gilmour’s album, “Sunburst.” “Sunburst” is a gapless album, meaning that the end of each track ﬂows seamlessly into the next one. It also follows a celestial theme, with song titles such as “Horizon Line,” “Lunar Balance” and “Moon.”Gilmour said the album’s theme was inspired by nature itself. “I think a lot of what art is

doing is trying to emulate the beauty of nature,” Gilmour said. In addition to nature, the music itself was inspired by various artists. The idea for a continuous album came primarily from the Beatles’ album “Abbey Road” and Jack Johnson’s album “Sleeping Through the Static,” Gilmour said.

Although much of the album is accredited to Gilmour, who provided vocals, tenor sax, guitar and bass, it was a collaborative process. “I could not have done it alone,” Gilmour said. “There’s just no way. I’m really grateful to everyone who helped me, including friends and family who supported me.”

The album features Eamon Callahan on drums, Jack Hanson on keyboard, Avery Cooper on alto sax and ﬂute, and UVM students junior Greg Freeman on guitar and slide and senior Sam Atallah on trumpet. Gilmour’s album “Sunburst” is available on iTunes, Spotify and CD.

HOUSE AD

SPORTS

UVM athlete succeeds on U.S. ski team Aryanna Ramsaran aramsara@uvm.edu

Not many UVM students can say that they’ve competed in the World Cup, but Paula Moltzan can. “When I was two, I started skiing,” Moltzan said. “Not until I was six or seven did I know what I wanted to do with it.” Moltzan is currently taking a break from UVM. She joined the U.S. Ski and Snowboard team in 2012, and this is her sixth year on the team, according to the U.S. Ski and Snowboard website. “Before I went to UVM, I took four years off in between high school and college, and I skied for the U.S. then, and I’ve skied for the UVM team for the last three years,” Moltzan said. The World Cup is an international circuit of ski racing competitions. Skiers race for the best time in four disciplines: downhill, super-G, slalom and giant slalom. On the World Cup circuit, Moltzan skis slalom, an event that involves skiing between closely spaced gates. “The U.S. team is not competing for your team as a whole, you’re competing just as individuals, so it can get a little complicated,” Moltzan said. When Moltzan ﬁrst started skiing at UVM, Bill Reichelt, director of skiing and head alpine coach, was beginning

his 17th year with the UVM ski program, according to UVM Athletics. “She was kind of making the adjustment to college skiing,” Reichelt said. “Realizing that she didn’t have to win the race by two seconds, like winning by a tenth was enough to score the same amount of points.” During this adjustment, Moltzan became the fifth UVM female to win the NCAA slalom title. She was the first firstyear to win the title since 1986, according to the U.S. Ski and Snowboard website. “Between Moltzan and Laurence St. Germain, those two were kind of coming and going, they were doing the school thing plus the World Cup,” Reichelt said. Laurence St. Germain ‘19 began skiing for UVM in 2015, according to UVM athletics. St. Germain currently skis for the Canadian ski team, and competed at the World Cup race Nov. 29 in Killington, Vermont, according to the Alpine Canada website. “With those two not around, it added a little pressure to the women that were still here,” Reichelt said. “When they were here, I think it helped the other women be a little more relaxed and it helped their results as well.” Moltzan has achieved multiple career honors including NCAA First Team All-American

Courtesy of UVM ATHLETICS

Former student Paula Moltzan skis for UVM during her 2019 season. Moltzan has been on the U.S. Ski team since 2012. and NCAA Individual National Champion, both for slalom, according to UVM athletics. Moltzan’s favorite World Cup race is held every year in Flachau, Austria. “It happens in the middle of January,” she said. “It’s a night race, so kind of comparable to a night football game, with a bunch of stadium lights going up a ski hill.” In the 2015 World Cup, Moltzan scored her ﬁrst points in Flachau, and then went on to become the ﬁrst American woman to win a slalom gold medal, according to the U.S. Ski and Snowboard website.

This World Cup season, Moltzan ﬁnished 23rd in the slalom race Jan. 14 at Flachau, according to the FIS Ski website. “Competing in the World Cup is always a lot of pressure and a lot of work, but I have a lot of fun doing it,” Moltzan said. When Moltzan races in the World Cup, she represents the University by wearing a black helmet with a UVM decal on it, according to an article by Thomas Weaver, a UVM spokesperson. “She was not on the [U.S.] team yet so she didn’t have a team jacket, so she was wearing

our team jacket,” Reichelt said. “That was pretty cool to see our team coat on international television.” Moltzan has the support of several local sponsors including Skida, UnTapped Slopeside Syrup and Aqua ViTea Kombucha. Moltzan returned to Vermont to ski in the 2020 UVM Ski Carnival Jan. 24-25 in Stowe, Vermont, according to UVM athletics. Moltzan placed ﬁrst in her race, according to the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association website.

SPORTS

SAWYER LOFTUS/The Vermont Cynic

Sawyer Loftus sports@vtcynic.com

UVM’s Andrew Harris Common was transformed into a high flying, skiing and snow-

boarding arena Jan. 24 for the Ski and Snowboard Club’s annual winter sports competition. Members of the club donned their boards and skis to send it down the homemade ramps

and test their skills on the rails. At the bottom of the course sat a mound of snow that ensured some serious air for those that got enough momentum.

UVMSSC President Maria Kissel, a senior, said the event is the best way to get the 2,500 member club altogether. “This is one of the great ways to get everyone who loves skiing

and riding to come together to watch their friends shred, or maybe even get on the snow themselves,” Kissel said.

Illustration by KATE VANNI

UVM’s librarians: Who are they?

Sabrina Fiore sfiore@uvm.edu

Structurally, UVM’s libraries are buildings with countless bookshelves. Less visibly, the people inside keep the libraries’ hearts beating. Librarians are behind the bookshelves and desks of UVM’s campus libraries, and they contribute to the UVM community in diverse ways beyond finding and shelving books. Dean of Libraries Bryn Geffert, who grew up in southern Minnesota, remembers his early love for books and the institutions that celebrate them. “I remember very clearly my house was six miles away from the public library as a child, so I’d hop on my bike and go to the library,” Geffert said. “I remember spending hours in the library, picking out just exactly what I wanted and then filling up my backpack and biking home.” Circulation Supervisor Angus Robertson was also raised with an appreciation for libraries; both his mother and grandmother worked as librarians. “I spent a lot of my life being a library geek,” Robertson said. Library Instruction Coordinator Daisy Benson volunteered in a library throughout high school before working in a library during graduate school. “I realized I really like the different ways I can work with people in a library,” Benson said. “Sometimes when people think about a library, they think about books and they make jokes, ‘I bet you get to read all day long at work.’ But teaching, and working with students, is the best part of my job.” As dean of libraries, Geffert oversees the vision and mission for UVM libraries, he said. “I get to see just about every part of campus, and I get to work with fascinating people,” Geffert said. “They’re all brilliant, fun, creative, good-natured people.” Geffert also recognizes the diverse specializations of the librarians at UVM. “I think there is probably not a good sense of how varied the work of librarians is, how different are the jobs that different kinds of librarians do,” Geffert said. According to the UVM libraries department directory, there are several departments in which UVM librarians work. They include access and technology services, information and instruction services and special collections and archives. Benson works both in the library and in the classroom. While she works at the reference desks to answer researchrelated questions, she also works directly with classes to develop curricula and to teach

research methods. “In essence, I might call myself a teaching librarian,” Benson said. Benson and other information and instruction librarians often work with first-year TAP classes, classes with a writing focus designed specifically for first-year students. They also work with higher-level classes, such as history method classes, for advanced research. Robertson oversees hiring and student employment at the libraries, as well as maintenance of the physical collections. Robertson believes the circulation desk and department help to maintain a cooperative, communal element to the library. “We’re not just here to help you find books,” Robertson said. “The library brings services available on campus, such as tutoring, into one place. We want students to feel they can come here and get a variety of different types of help.” The array of UVM library positions are held by librarians with various backgrounds. Benson has an undergraduate degree in American studies, while Geffert has degrees in history and Russian language. Robertson does not have a library science degree, but he first worked for International Business Machines Corporation in education services and is now a library professional for UVM. Though the higher positions are occupied by librarians with various degrees, UVM students also have an important role in the UVM library community. Senior Lillian Sharp has worked at the library for seven semesters. “At the circulation desk, we often refer students to librarians at the reference desk to answer any questions they have about research or the online databases,” Sharp said. While working at the circulation desk, Sharp also collaborates with librarians in other departments. “The reference librarians know everything you could possibly need to know about finding information on their subject,” Sharp said. “The reference librarians are the heart of the library.” The librarians are part of a larger commitment to knowledge and education that extends beyond the UVM campus. Geffert believes the librarians’ dedication to their work has an underlying effect on students’ success. “We succeed if students leave this place knowing how to do good research,” Geffert said. “We fail if they don’t.”

STEPHAN TOLJAN/The Vermont Cynic

Top: Library Instruction Coordinator Daisy Benson poses in the stacks on the second floor of Howe Library. The photo was taken in the history section, Benson’s favorite. Bottom: Circulation Supervisor Angus Roberston with student-employee Liz McDonell, a junior, Jan. 24. “My favorite part of the library is being able to work with kids like Liz here,” Robertson said.

Illustration by MEILENA SANCHEZ AND KATE VANNI