Ski and snowboard contest
THE VERMONT
CYNIC Jan. 29, 2019
Our opinion staff shares their most controversial thoughts on everything from food to hats.
Hundreds of students braved the cold to check out the talent at this year’s Rail Jam.
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Brave the cold, learn to fish Community members and UVM volunteers gather for sixth annual Ice Fishing Festival Cyrus Oswald coswald@uvm.edu
The snow and ice in Vermont can seem to stretch on for miles, but community members and UVM students didn’t let the season stop them from getting outside Jan. 26. The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department’s Free Ice Fishing Day Festival took place from 11 a.m to 3 p.m. on the ice outside of Knight Point State Park in North Hero. More than 500 potential ice fishers, big and small, came out to celebrate the cold. Senior Rose Nixon didn’t catch any fish while she was there, but it didn’t stop her from having a good time, she said. “It’s kind of like on the pain-fun divide … where it’s super cold, but also kind of entertaining and fun,” Nixon said. Nixon said she was impressed by how the festival catered to all different levels of ability and experience. Corey Heart, education specialist for Vermont Fish & Wildlife, was one of the people leading the festival. “We started doing this to promote Free Fishing day. Each year there’s a free fishing day in the summer and a free fishing day in the winter,” Heart said. Fishing in Vermont requires the use of a special license, but twice a year, community members can fish for free, according to the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department. Ice fishing continued on page 5
TAYLOR EHWA/The Vermont Cynic
A young angler, kept warm by her Hello Kitty hat and matching pink snow suit, tries for her first catch Jan. 26 at the Free Ice FIshing Day Festival. Student volunteers from the UVM Wildlife and Fisheries Society were there to help hand out fishing equipment and teach the beginners how to ice fish.
Technical professionals continue hospital negotiations Zoe Stern zstern@uvm.edu
Hospital technical employees’ contracts are currently under negotation. Following strikes from nurses in the summer of 2018, contract negotiations are taking place with the University of Vermont Medical Center. The Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, the nurses’ union, aims to raise the wages of its technical professionals, said Annie Mackin, communications strategist for the Medical Center. This goal would help to to retain employees, Mackin said. Technical professionals, such as operating room technicians, require a certification, said Chris Gonyeau, a respiratory therapist and co-lead negotiator for technical profession-
als at the Medical Center. Technical professionals fill numerous positions in the medical center, Mackin said. “There’s health information management coders, dialysis techs, operating room techs, people who work all over the hospital,” she said. Mackin said that the union represents 340 technical professionals. The proposed contract includes a 9 to 26 percent increase in salary over three years and higher salaries for jobs that are harder to fill, Mackin said. The negotiations are a continuation of the nurses’ fight for a fair contract, which began in late September 2018, the union press release states. “Negotiations have been mostly based around the importance of patients since the increase in patients is causing a
SAWYER LOFTUS/The Vermont Cynic
Vermont Federation of Nurses and Healthcare Professionals President Deb Snell steps away from the podium after a press conference Sept. 2, 2018. Negotiations with UVM Medical Center are still ongoing to improve the technical employees’ contracts. need for more employees,” Goyeau said. Issues such as short staffing and adequate pay have been discussed in nursing classes,
sophmore nursing major Leah Canavari said. There isn’t an easy way to deal with the issue, she said. “Nurse-patient ratios have
been an ongoing issue in the nursing profession. Higher wages are necessary to recruit and retain nurses and support staff,” Canavari said. There have been three negotiating sessions so far, Mackin said. At each negotiation session, there are hopes of reaching a fair agreement, she said. In these negotiations for technical professionals the hospital came with all their proposals, unlike other times where they have held their proposals until the end, Gonyeau said. “The whole point of this is to provide quality affordable care for our patients and the community,” Mackin said. “Reaching a fair agreement will help us succeed in our mission. We can work together when we come to an agreement.”
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The Vermont Cynic
Jan. 29, 2019
Civil rights speaker calls for action Rachel Halpern rmhalper@uvm.edu
Get the full story at vtcynic.com Culture
Abenaki speaker discusses language When a language goes extinct, a rich history follows suit. Language instructor Jesse Bruchac visited UVM to discuss language preservation efforts.
Sports
The future of an NFL champion explored Nick Foles finished the 2018 season on top of the world, leading the Eagles to unexpected triumph. Sports writer Ashley Miller considers where he’ll go from here.
Culture
An American civil rights leader and politician spoke at UVM, encouraging young people to work for positive change. Benjamin Jealous came to UVM Jan. 22 as part of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Education & Learning Series. Jealous is the former president and CEO of the NAACP and a 2018 Maryland gubernatorial candidate. Jealous discussed his own experiences in the justice system and how he found motivation to work for causes he believed in. His speech focused on motivating young people to find what issues they care about and fight for change. Jealous described a time when he was approached in a Mississippi restaurant by a white man. Jealous was initially on edge, but the man praised Jealous. From this Jealous offered a lesson: “Give everyone a chance to be your ally.” Although Jealous never met King, he worked with men who worked closely with King. Jealous quoted King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” several times. “The core of King’s thinking is in ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail,’” Jealous said. Jealous received a standing ovation for his speech and audience members lined up afterwards to ask questions and take pictures with him. Wanda Heading-Grant, vice president for Human Resources, Diversity and Multicultural
Image source: UVM
Former NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Jealous spoke Jan. 22 at UVM as part of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Education & Learning series. In 2008, at 35 years old, Jealous became the NAACP’s youngest ever national leader. Affairs, organized the event for UVM’s annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Education & Learning Series. Heading-Grant and President Tom Sullivan introduced Jealous, explaining that they hope Jealous’ experiences and his speech would motivate the audience to take action against what they feel is not right. SGA Senator Camil Dino Srna, a junior, believes it is important to look at inspirational leaders and their actions and strategies. He said this not only applies to the civil rights movement but to all activists. “It’s important to look in
this modern day and see how we as college students can say, ‘hey, this is what we see as the injustices of the U.S., of the world — how we can make a difference?’” Srna said. One of these young activists Jealous spoke about was Jokata Edday, a former officer in the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. Edday’s efforts to fight the death penalty for children eventually led to the Supreme Court federal ban on the death penalty for minors, Jealous said. SGA President Ethan Foley, a junior, said he found it inspiring to hear what another leader had to say, and it was very excit-
ing to see what Jealous accomplished at such a young age, he said. “I think that kind of reminds myself, and I’m hoping other college students here at UVM, that we do have the power and ability to make an active difference in the world for the better,” he said. Throughout his speech, Jealous kept returning to a Mark Twain quote: “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” Jealous urged the audience, especially the younger members in attendance, to figure out their reason why.
Food insecurity: a local issue with national attention Sophia Venturo sventuro@uvm.edu
Cullen Paradis csparadi@uvm.edu
Review: The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
The Coen brothers’ latest film sometimes places style over substance with its slow storylines, although their characters are thoughtful and their creativity is stunning.
Podcast
Challenging & Dismissive Culture Is the ten year challenge a weird flex? Can we dismiss R. Kelly for what he’s done? Tune into this week’s Prime Time Cats for insight on these topics and more.
A federal report on student hunger showed that UVM is not alone in having a problem with student food insecurity. The federal report found that four in 10 students at fouryear colleges are food insecure. UVM food insecurity studies found that 17 to 25 percent of UVM students are food insecure, according to a November 2018 Cynic article. According to the report by the Government Accountability Office, an increasing number of low-income students attending college correlates with the increase in food-insecure college students. “What the GAO exposed is 2 million students not getting enough food,” said Francesca Lo Basso, social justice nonprofit Challah For Hunger’s development associate. “This is only the first step in Congressional intervention.” Challah for Hunger is an organization with participants on
HENRY ROOD/The Vermont Cynic
Sophomore Anna Porter is UVM’s representative for The Campus Hunger Project, an advocacy campaign of Challah for Hunger. Challah for Hunger and MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger were among organizations that lobbied for a study on student food insecurity by the Government Accountability Office. over 80 colleges, according to their website. The study done by GAO, a nonpartisan agency that audits federal programs, was commissioned by Sen. Elizabeth Warren D-M.A. and other senators. “These issues are extremely prevalent at UVM,” said sophomore Anna Porter, UVM’s representative for The Campus Hunger Project, a campaign of
Challah for Hunger. “If more people knew how to get those benefits, I think that would benefit the fundamental issue of how many people are hungry,” she said. In 2017, two studies conducted by the UVM food insecurity working group found that 17 to 25 percent of undergraduate students at UVM don’t have reliable access to food.
Approximately 39 percent of college students are low-income, and low income is the largest risk factor for food insecurity, according to the studies. “When people think of college students, they don’t necessarily think about people who are struggling,” Porter said. As of September 2018, over 650 colleges reported having a food pantry on campus, the GAO report states. Student Support Services and the Mosaic Center have food pantries but many students don’t take advantage of them, Porter said. SGA and the UVM food insecurity working group are working on a food pantry and meal swipe bank, according to a November 2018 Cynic article. Graduate student Joy Sullivan, a coordinator for the Catamount Recovery Program, worries that a meal swipe bank creates impractical expectations for staff. “Some staff have been asked to give their swipes to students who need them,” Sullivan said. “It puts a lot of pressure on people who work here.”
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EXECUTIVE Editor-in-Chief Greta Bjornson editorinchief@vtcynic.com Managing Editor Ben Elfland newsroom@vtcynic.com
OPERATIONS Operations Manager Sorrel Galantowicz operations@vtcynic.com Marketing Daniel Felde
EDITORIAL Copy Chief Sophia Knappertz copy@vtcynic.com Culture Bridget Higdon cynicculture@gmail.com Features Kian Deshler cynicfeatures@gmail.com News George Seibold news@vtcynic.com Opinion Mills Sparkman opinion@vtcynic.com
Variation is value in CAS Staff Editorial
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ot all degrees are created equal. In October 2018, CAS changed degree requirements for all majors, dropping required credit hours to 30 while increasing the maximum amount of credits students can take from 18 to 19. According to English Department Chair Dan Fogel this change lets students take electives outside of their major and take more classes. This is a good mission, but in this case it has failed. Though it gives students flexibility, it shows harmful tendencies of making all majors the same, but they're not. The College of Arts and Sciences is UVM’s largest school, according to the University’s website. It houses a broad range of disciplines, from biochemistry to linguistics. Subjects this diverse have very little in common. Some focus directly on specific subject matter, whereas others have more wiggle room. A chemistry major preparing for graduate school does not require the same level or type of preparation as a dance major hoping to teach children.
Web Connor Allan web@vtcynic.com Social Media Peter Hibbeler socialcyniceditor@gmail.com Illustrations Holly Coughlan illustrations@vtcynic.com Layout Kyra Chevalier layout@vtcynic.com Photo Alek Fleury photo@vtcynic.com Assistant Editors Henry Mitchell (Opinion), Allie O’Connor (Culture), David Cabrera (Podcasts), Nickie Morris (Sports), Lee Hughes (News), Sam Litra (Photo), Liv Marshall (Copy), Caroline McCune (Layout), Sophie Spencer (Illustrations) Copy Editors Lindsay Freed, Dalton Doyle, Isabel Coppola, Allyson Cook, Hadley Rawlins, Zoe Sheppard Page Designers Lindsay Freed, Meilena Sanchez, Kate Vanni
ADVISING Faculty Adviser Chris Evans crevans@uvm.edu
epowell2@um.edu
I PIL CARRUTHERS/The Vermont Cynic
Old Mill, located on University Place, is home to many of UVM's humanities departments. In an effort to allow students to take more electives outside their major, CAS reduced its required credit hours to 30 in October 2018. Neither are inherently better or worse than the other: they’re just not the same. With so many different courses of study, it doesn't make sense for CAS to require the same amount of credits for all of them. As a public university, UVM should nurture all courses of study in their own right. That means appreciating and not interfering when certain subjects require different skills, and therefore different coursework, than others do.
It's impossible to do this if vastly contrasting majors are cast in the same mold. Not all degrees are created equal. And they shouldn’t be. Staff editorials officially reflect the views of the Vermont Cynic. Signed opinion pieces and columns do not necessarily do so. The Cynic accepts letters in response to anything you see printed as well as any issues of interest in the community. Please limit letters to 350 words. The Cynic reserves the right to edit letters for length and grammar. Please send letters to opinion@ vtcynic.com.
COLE THORNTON Lilly Sharp lsharp1@uvm.edu
Sports Sabrina Hood sports@vtcynic.com
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very time I tell someone I am from Alabama I get the look. You know the one I am talking about, a mixture of shock at my being in Vermont and my pride towards my home state. I'm not here to say Alabama is the greatest. I know my home state has its issues, but I see a real problem with the way Northerners tend to treat Alabama’s existence. Alabama and other southern, “less liberal” states are used as scapegoats by the North to avoid responsibility for the racism that exists here. The racism at UVM, often referred to as a “white liberal bubble,” could never compare to the state of Alabama’s racism, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. The tendency of whites, especially in the North, to look at racism in the stereotypical “Jim Crow” way completely ignores how racism functions in modern society. Jim Crow laws are gone, but racism is still alive and well. In his book “Racism without Racists,” Eduardo Bonilla-Silva explains the different ways to view racism: “For most
Let's fix the trend of genderless kids' names Erin Powell
The state of racism: it's not geographic
Podcasts Chloe Chaobal vtcynicpodcasts@gmail.com
Video Jordan Mitchell video@vtcynic.com
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whites racism is prejudice, for most people of color racism is systemic or institutionalized.” That difference is incredibly important when we look at a state such as Vermont, which according to the U.S. Census has a white population of 94.5 percent while a state such as Georgia has a white population of only 60.8 percent. Georgia made national news this year for its conversations over institutionalized racism within voting, a conversation that was largely possible because of Stacey Abrams, an African-American woman who ran for governor. Vermont, on the other hand, lost Kiah Morris this year, the one African-American woman in the State House because of what she described in a 2018 New York Times article as “a year-long campaign of racially motivated harassment and threats” that was largely
ignored by the Vermont community. If racism is not defined by its institutionalized characteristics, then racism has no chance of being changed. Even in Vermont, a state with a small population of minorities, it’s still a pressing issue. My point is to say that my state, even with its problems, should not be used as a way to say, “we're better so we don’t need to change.” Here in the United States, racism exists in every state. In order to improve our society for the benefit of every human, we need to recognize our faults, and it’s time the North owns up.
Lilly Sharp is a junior film and psychology major and proud Alabaman. She has been writing for the Cynic since spring 2018.
absolutely hate boy names on girls. I'm filled with rage when I hear of girls named James, Elliot or Tyler. I don’t think it’s cute: I think it's misogynistic. I’d have no problem with parents giving their daughters boy names if they also did it the other way around. Girls with masculine names are seen as cute and trendy, but God forbid a boy have a name that's even slightly feminine. According to the Social Security Administration’s name database, five of the top 50 most popular girls’ names in 2017 were male. The name database stated that all five names were in the top 1,000 for men in 1900, now only three are. None were in the top 1,000 for girls before 1973. Once a name becomes popular for girls, parents stop giving it to their sons. Names that were once gender-neutral are becoming more popular for girls than boys. I’ll use Taylor as an example. I’ve met a pretty equal amount of Taylors, male and female. Data from the Social Security Administration says it peaked in the early 90s in the top 100 for both genders. It’s now No. 112 on the list of most popular names for girls and No. 506 for boys. It started off male, and didn’t break the top 1,000 until 1979 for girls. Within 10 years it became more popular as a girls’ name. It’s not just Taylor, almost all names considered “gender-neutral” were originally boys’ names. Think about how people with names of the opposite gender are portrayed. “Cool girls” in movies have masculine names. Men with feminine names are ridiculed. These images are present in everything from kids’ shows, Mr. Moseby’s first name being Marion was a continuous joke on Disney Channel, to classic literature, sorry Jo from “Little Women.” My advice to parents: use a name that has been gender-neutral for a while. Jordan has been consistently popular for both genders for the last few decades. Also, give all your kids gender-neutral names. Or, if you’re having a boy, reclaim a name as male. Erin Powell is a sophomore zoology major and name critic. She has been writing for the Cynic since fall 2017.
The Vermont Cynic
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Cheese is a disgusting comfort food
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Ari Kotler is a junior political science major and cheese connoisseur. He has been writing for the Cynic since fall 2018.
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heese is gross. Hold on — let me finish before you let out a loud scoff and turn the page. I’m not saying cheese always tastes bad. I like a bagel with cream cheese or a slice of pizza as much as the next person. Mixed up with other yummy stuff, cheese isn’t so bad. But to all those folks with cheese obsessions, I’m just saying ... it’s a really gross idea. I mean, do you know how cheese is made? Everyone knows it’s like sort-of-solid-milk-but-not-really, but what is it actually? As someone who is extremely unenthusiastic about cheese and sick of people raving on and on about it, I have looked into this issue with care. Let me summarize the process: Step one. A massive metal tub is filled with milk and is then slowly heated up to some temperature in between “lukewarm” and “hot.” Then it’s cooled back down. Then, some live bacteria is thrown in the tub, which
mass-produced mac and cheese. Or when you scold someone for choosing not to cover their bowls of pasta in large amounts of cheese flakes. Oh, and by the way, according to a 2016 research study published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 10.5 percent of French people hate cheese.
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akotler@uvm.edu
slimy “cheese” chunks. Step four. The chunks are shaped into more appetizing looking blocks of cheese, and then they are plopped in the fridge for two months. That is cheese: stinky, bacteria-filled blocks of hardened, manymonth-old milk chunks that were repeatedly heated and cooled in a big metal vat. Think about that when you put spoonfuls of cottage cheese in your mouth. Or when you heat up a liquidy bowl of cheap,
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is heated and cooled again. Weird, but okay. Step two. Rennet, an enzyme that comes from mammal stomachs, is sprayed into the tub. After 30 minutes, the tub of milk becomes a tub of slimy, chunky pieces of sour, semisolidmilk. Appetizing. Step three. The chunky milk curd is left to sit for a while and is then heated, which makes it oozy, foggy, yellow liquid called whey. The whey is drained from the tub. Then, the remaining chunks of curdy milk globs are squished together and continually flipped until they form a large, rectangular mass of
Pussy hats unite women, but ignore intersectionality Gabby Lescadre glescadr@uvm. edu
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ower to the pussy is a great mantra — just not for the entire feminist movement. For a sex that is predisposed to oppression at birth and whose sexual anatomy is a synonym for weakness, turning the word pussy into a symbol of strength and resistance is a no-brainer for feminists. Especially in the wake of President Donald Trump’s “grab her by the …,” a bold comeback is something people can easily get behind. If you’ve ever attended one of the annual Women’s Marches, you’ll know that a large majority of the protestors top off their look with a bright pink Pussyhat. The crowds turn into a roaring wave of pink for as far as the eye can see. This powerful symbol of reclaiming the once derogatory word has become a sort of unofficial feminist logo, promoting sisterhood and agency for women. However, the symbol is also criticized to be “white-focused and Eurocentric” by the Pen-
SOPHIE SPENCER sacola Women’s March Facebook page. There is not one kind of woman who faces oppression, but a combination of many identities that a woman possesses that makes each woman’s fight unique. With this fact in mind, the Pussyhat and its declaration can be an exclusionary and harmful distraction that causes an unnecessary divide in the feminist movement. Simply, women are not defined by the color or form of their anatomy, and a symbol that is exclusionary is a terrible way to lead a united movement.
Given our history, women should prioritize inclusion and not drown out those communities who are trying to speak for themselves. The Pussyhat makes an assumption that feminists fight for the rights of those with the coordinating anatomy, but neglects the trans and nonbinary communities who can’t afford to be drowned out. Haley Morrissette, lead organizer of the Pensacola Women’s March, told Moneyish in a 2017 interview that although Pussyhats were a great “knee jerk reaction” to Trump, they aren’t a great overall symbol. “Now that we’ve gotten
through a year of having him in office, now we have to move on to other things by raising awareness of ... what intersectionality is, which is the belief that all identities within womanhood should be welcomed and fought for,” Morissette said. The creators of the Pussyhat defend their creative choice in their website’s FAQ:“In this day and age if we have pussies we are assigned the gender of woman … In order to get fair treatment, the answer is not to deny our femaleness and femininity, the answer is to demand fair treatment.” This is why the Pussyhat is distracting from the real movement. Just because a person wears a hat and marches down doesn’t mean they’re demanding fair treatment for everyone. While women knit their bright pink accessories for the march, it’s easy to preach feminism without thinking about what supporting women really means. Support all your sisters, not just your cis-ters. Gabby Lescadre is a sophomore political science major and pussy hat questioner. She has been writing for the Cynic since fall 2018.
Jan. 29, 2019
Why the Birkenstock trend must finally end Gabby Felitto gfelitto@uvm.edu
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hey’re everywhere. I can’t escape them. Every turn I take, I see them. I even see them in my own house. Birkenstocks are driving me crazy. I hate the chunky straps. I know everyone swears they’re comfortable, but those soles look painful. The cork board material isn’t that great either. They’re just so ugly. What grinds my gears most about Birkenstocks is that feet are exposed. I think feet are one of the ugliest parts of our body, especially if they’re not taken care of properly, so I don’t look forward to seeing them everywhere. I understand wearing them when it’s hot and muggy outside, but I absolutely don’t understand the numerous people I have seen around campus wearing Birkenstocks in cold and rainy weather. I’ve seen people pair them with socks to attempt to keep their feet warm and dry, but socks can only do so much; feet will still get wet even if you wear socks with your Birks to keep them dry. Additionally, wet socks are really uncomfortable. Sneakers and boots are better alternatives because they keep your feet dry and warm instead. The prices also range from about $30 to $300, according to the Birkenstock website. They’re pretty expensive for shoes with a “universally ugly” silhouette, according to a July 2013 Vogue article. There are so many other shoes a person can spend their money on, like Doc Martens. Docs will keep people warm throughout the brutal winter months in Vermont and are weatherproof, unlike Birkenstocks, which should only be worn during the few months we have of summer. While breaking in Birkenstocks may be easier than breaking in a pair of Doc Martens, the latter get really comfortable after getting used to them. These boots are cuter since they’re edgy but simple, come in many patterns and don’t expose feet. I wear ugly shoes all the time with my dresses, but I will not succumb to Birkenstocks.
Gabby Felitto is a first-year undeclared major and Birk hater. She has been writing for the Cynic since fall 2018.
The Vermont Cynic
Jan. 29, 2019
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View the slideshow online at vtcynic.com
Ice fishing cont. from page 1 At the festival, several stations were set up, each teaching about a different aspect of ice fishing, from hole drilling and ice safety to fish identification and knot tying. “This event teaches everything you need to know about ice fishing, and we also have a fish frier going for anything you might catch,” Heart said. UVM volunteers were also present, helping with parking attendance, handing out rods and checking people in. The UVM Wildlife and Fisheries Society had about 20 people there helping manage the event. The UVM Wildlife and Fisheries Society is an on-campus club that provides volunteering and networking opportunities to students interested in wildlife and fisheries professions. Senior Kevin Ostrander, a member of the club, spent all day volunteering at the festival. “Getting the chance to volunteer alongside biologists is a reason the club typically gets a good turnout,” he said. “Many of us want to make connections outside of the classroom.” Junior Luther Nelson heard about the ice fishing festival two years ago, he said. “My suitemate was like ‘oh, we should go to this thing.’ We went around to the different stations and ate some fried fish,” Nelson said. The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department handed out samples of freshly fried fish to hungry attendees enticed by the smell. Some tent-style warming huts were also set up to keep guests comfortable. One station had displays showing the varying thickness-
(TOP) Junior Nigel Waring helps out a young ice fisher at the annual Free Ice Fishing Day, hosted by Vermont Fish and Wildlife and the UVM Wildlife and Fisheries Society Jan. 26. (ABOVE) Eager beginner anglers wait to enter the ice with an instructor Jan. 26. (RIGHT) An auger, used to drill holes in the ice with its helical blade for ice-fishing, sits stuck in the ice.
es of ice recommended for different weights, from a person to a truck. Nelson said he enjoyed how educational the festival was. “You can actually see, this is how thick ice needs to be to walk on, and this is how thick ice needs to be to drive a car,” he said. For about a half mile out on the ice, ice fishers old and young dotted the landscape. Kids slid around on the ice and stood around drinking hot chocolate. Heart said the last Saturday in January is typically free fishing day, and as long as it’s cold, ice fishing will be available.
TAYLOR EHWA/The Vermont Cynic (TOP) Freshly-caught yellow perch wait to be chopped up and fried at the pop-up fish fry station. (BOTTOM) Sophomores Elijah Schreiber and Elizabeth Kauffman hand out fishing gear for inexperienced fishermen.
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The Vermont Cynic
Jan. 29, 2019
Rail Jam transforms Davis Center green Jack Eccleston jeccles1@uvm.edu
Hundreds of UVM students braved the Burlington cold to check out the local skiing and snowboarding talent on display at this year’s Winter Rail Jam. The event, organized by UVM Ski and Snowboard Club in conjunction with Jay Peak Parks and UVM Program Board, kicked off 7 p.m. Jan. 25 outside of the Davis Center. A panel of judges watched as UVM’s skiers and snowboarders attempted to pull off their best tricks in order to advance to the finals later in the evening. The Andrew Harris green was transformed into a skier’s paradise, with a course built that included a rail section and, for brave competitors, a large ramp. Unlike at last October’s rail jam, organizers had no problem finding enough snow to put together the evening’s course. First-year competitor Alex Sciaruto said everyone from the skiing and snowboarding community volunteered to help set up. “It only took around two and half hours to put everything together. Everyone helped. I came after math class to shovel,” he said. Not everything could be achieved by shoveling snow, however. “The rails and ramps were provided by Jay Peak,” Sciaruto said. Spectators looking to warm up could grab a free hot choco-
STEPHAN TOLJAN/The Vermont Cynic
A snowboarder competing in this year’s Winter Rail Jam outside the Davis Center performs a stalefish grab, hopping over the barrel Jan. 25. The event attracted hundreds of UVM students and was hosted by the UVM Ski and Snowboard Club in conjunction with Jay Peak Parks and the UVM Program Board. late and grilled cheese, courtesy of UPB and UVM FeelGood. They were also treated to a variety of tricks and falls from snowboarders and skiers alike. For UVM student Coco Kero, the most entertaining moments were the attempts at the main ramp, she said. “I appreciate that the tricks on the rail are probably harder and require more skill. But they aren’t as cool,” she said. “For
me, the highlights are always the jumps off the ramp.” Others, such as first-year Abby Carpenter who was attending her first Rail Jam, were a little more amused. “It’s just the most UVM thing possible. Where else do you have skiing in the middle of the uni?” she said. Following a closely contested final, seniors Brandon Westburg and Cooper Talty took the
top honors in the men’s skiing and snowboarding categories, respectively. Junior Caitlyn Lucadamo and first-year Emma Schact won the corresponding women’s events. First-year Donny Hicks, who took home second place honors in the Men’s Skiing category and the award for best trick in only his second competitive performance, credited the
energy of the crowd and his fellow competitors for his success. “I loved it. It’s so hyped. The crowd made it because it was so huge,” he said. “It’s great to compete with your friends.” First-year and fellow skier Tristan Schumer was also impressed by Hicks’ performance. “If he keeps this up, he might make X Games,” he said while laughing.
Improv performance shows off humor and creativity Marjorie McWilliams mmcwilli@uvm.edu
Standing in front of an audience and confronting the expectation to be funny on the fly are challenges improv actors must confront each performance. Name Pending, UVM’s first and only improv troupe, performed Jan. 22 as part of the University’s Winter Week of Welcome. At a Name Pending improv show, a group of actors perform a series of skits, games or act out scenarios per audience suggestion. Audience members help establish the setting, the relationships between characters or phrases at the cue of the host. This adds to the element of surprise for the actors and ensures the completely unscripted nature of the show. The audience suggested that the two people on stage were enemies in a grocery store, and the scene grew from there with the creativity of the actors on stage. Junior Matthew Noenickx was the host for the night. He
joined Name Pending when he was a first-year but has been doing improv since his senior year of high school. “My favorite part of improv is a good scene with a wacky character or something out of the ordinary,” he said. Noenickx said happens frequently, and the Winter WoW performance was no exception. There were scenes with a mosquito undercover as a Russian spy posing as a student, as well as a character who pawned his six children off on drunk guests at a baby shower. These, in addition to many others, were situations dreamt up on the spot by students. “The most difficult part of improv is pushing yourself to put yourself out there in a new group of people,” Noenickx said. He said improv helps build conversational skills and keeps you on your toes while off the stage as well. First-year Kate Vanni said she was impressed by the performance. “It’s incredible how fluidly everyone works off each other’s humor and the amount of
BEN DRAPE/The Vermont Cynic
Members of UVM’s only improv troupe, Name Pending, prepare to begin their Winter Week of Welcome show Jan. 22. Junior Matthew Noenickx was the host for the night in a show that featured a group of improvisors playing out a series of skits and games. quick thinking that must take,” she said. Name Pending is open to anyone and meets every Tuesday night in Fleming 101 in the Fleming Museum. No audition is required to
practice with the team, only to be in the shows. Consider going to a show for a relaxing evening with friends, something a little different than an average night watching Netflix.
“Why should people come see improv?” sophomore Jacob Whittaker said. “Because it’s hilarious, obviously.”
The Vermont Cynic
Jan. 29, 2019
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SPORTS
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The Vermont Cynic
Jan. 29, 2019
Men’s basketball streak of victory ends with defeat Stephan Toljan stoljan@uvm.edu
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First-year Robin Duncan collides with a UMBC player while going up for a rebound in their 74-61 loss Jan. 25. The game was a rematch from the March 2018 conference title game where UMBC also won 65-62.
In front of an electrified Patrick Gym, the men’s basketball team played for their seventh straight win Wednesday night. The UVM men’s basketball team lost 74-61 against the University of Maryland Baltimore County Jan. 23. This game was a rematch from the March 2018 conference title game where UMBC won 65-62, according to UVM athletics. This was also the first conference loss of the season since it broke UVM’s six game winning streak at home, according to UVM athletics. Many fans left the game early in disappointment with the losing score. However, the game began with an electric start, with three exciting three point shots by junior guard Everett Duncan. “It was a big crowd and you could feel the pressure in the game. To learn from that, we’ll be ready for the next game on and off the court,” Everett Duncan said. Everett Duncan scored 16 points in the game with ten rebounds. His brother, senior guard Ernie Duncan, scored 20 points, which was higher than anyone in the game. Because of this game, Ernie Duncan is third on UVM’s all-time three pointer list, with 272 three pointers, according to UVM athletics. After a 12 point lead in the
first few minutes of the game, UMBC came back to tie 32-32 at the half. The second half began with a 14-0 run by UMBC where Vermont was scoreless for the first 12 minutes. “After the first couple minutes with our lead, from then on the game completely changed,” Ernie Duncan said. “They were playing way harder than us after those first four minutes and it showed.” With eight minutes left in the game, UVM was only eight points behind. They lost this momentum when UMBC gained a 14 point lead during the rest of the game. Head coach John Becker was shouting on the sidelines about many foul calls toward the end of the first half and was overall disappointed with his formerly surging team’s play. “We’ve got to be able to play better than that, no matter who’s out or in,” Becker said. “We’re still a young team and looked like one tonight, we kind of got punched in the mouth.” Junior forward Anthony Lamb was out of the game with a concussion, which caused all three Duncan brothers to start in the game. Lamb’s timetable for return is currently uncertain, Becker said. The Catamounts beat Stony Brook University Jan. 26, 7352, and they return home for a 7 p.m. Feb. 6 game against University of Maine.
Men’s hockey rallies against Merrimack during ninth win of year Stephan Toljan stoljan@uvm.edu
The UVM men’s ice hockey team has broken their five game losing streak. The Catamounts faced off and defeated Merrimack College 5-1 Jan. 25. Vermont had a 8-13-1 record in Hockey East prior to this game, according to UVM athletics. The Catamounts hit the ice with a strong initial start in the first period, but the play became quickly dominated by the Merrimack Warriors’ offense. Junior goalie Stef Lekkas fended off numerous shots, but a strong wrist shot maneuvered through his pads with seven minutes remaining in the period. Head coach Kevin Sneddon said that the team did not perform to the best of their ability in the beginning of the first period. “We played a little bit ten-
tative in the first, turned pucks over,” he said. UVM returned to the ice with an obvious intensity after the Warriors’ goal. In the remaining minutes of the first period, Vermont outshot their opponent 9-1 and drew out two penalties for a five-on-three power play advantage to open the second period. “Once we settled in, it was the best we’ve skated in quite some time,” Sneddon said. The Catamounts utilized their two-man advantage, scoring within the first minute of the second period. Senior forward Matt Alvaro scored the power play goal. Alvaro said that Vermont entered the second period by not being, “discouraged and sticking with it after Merrimack’s first goal.” The Catamounts kept up their energy and impressive play on the ice, leading to sophomore defenseman Christian Evers’ goal halfway through the
RYAN KEIL-ZABEL/The Vermont Cynic
Senior Matt Alvaro and sophomore Alex Esposito stand off against two Merrimack College players as referees try to get in between them Jan. 25. UVM broke their five game losing streak with a 5-1 win against the Warriors. second period. At the end of the period, sophomore forward Ace Cowans was called for a five-minute major penalty. Vermont’s cheering section became noticeably angry with
boos directed at the referees, echoing throughout The Gut. Burlington local and UVM fan Jake Miller was concerned after Cowan received a penalty. “I’m worried,” Miller said. “I hope the boys can blow through
this without giving up the lead that they worked hard for.” UVM’s defense held off Merrimack’s attempts to obtain a goal during their one-man advantage. “Our kill was sensational,” Sneddon said. “The power play came up big to get us the lead.” The third period continued with three goals for UVM. First-year forward Dallas Comeau and first-year defenseman Carter Long scored their first recorded goals for Vermont. The final goal was shot by junior forward Derek Loderemeir. After Friday’s game, Vermont landed ninth in the Hockey East Conference rankings, one spot above Merrimack. The Catamounts will go to Providence, Rhode Island to play Providence College Feb. 1 and Feb. 2.