Issue 18 - Volume 136

THEVERMONTCYNIC THE Issue 18 - Volume 136 | February 4, 2020 | vtcynic.com

“Which side are you on, board?”

One trustee says he’s ready to divest

MADDY DEGELSMITH/The Vermont Cynic

Members of the Sunrise Movement hold up signs directed at specific board members during the board of trustees meeting, Jan. 31. The members also sang, “Which side are you on, board? Which side are you on? Does it weigh on you at all, board? Does it weigh on you at all?”

Cynic News Staff news@vtcynic.com

After two demonstrations by student activists over the span of three months, at least one UVM trustee has said he’s ready to divest.

Students from organizations including SGA, the Sunrise Movement and Organize, a group advocating against UVM’s $27 million investment in fossil fuel companies, filled the Silver Maple Ballroom on the fourth floor of the Davis Center to request the board divest from fossil fuels.

In an email from Vermont Rep. Curt McCormack, a trustee on the board, that was sent to the entire board just before 5:30 p.m. Jan. 31, he stated he was ready to divest.

“I think the time has come to put this behind us and do the divestment because we are being asked to,” the Jan. 31 email stated.

McCormack wrote in the message that he hopes young climate activists will continue to change the planet, the email states.

Prior to the email, McCormack and the rest of the board faced a crowd of at least a hundred people in the Silver Maple

Ballroom.

By the time the public comment period started at 2:30 p.m. at the Jan. 31 meeting, the ballroom had run out of seats, forcing students to stand or sit on the floor.

UVM Police Services officers stood at either side of the board, which sat behind a green fabric rope, separating it from the crowd of its constituents.

Junior Ben Wagner on behalf of Organize addressed the board first.

“Our University’s vision statement is ‘to be among the nation’s premier small research universities preeminent in our comprehensive commitment to liberal education, environment, health and public service,” Wagner said. “How can we make this statement while still directly investing $27 million into fossil fuel companies?”

Following Wagner’s speech, professor of geology Paul Bierman was called up to speak.

“I’m here today to say it’s time to look again at the evidence to trust the scientists, policymakers and economists on this campus,” Bierman said.

“To listen to the voices of our students who are sitting behind me here and our responsibility to the environmental university

that we claim that we are.”

Bierman said after the event that if UVM were to divest, they wouldn’t really take a huge economic hit.

“The losses UVM could sustain, if any, are really trivial, and they may in fact do better,” he said. “As one of the premier environmental universities in this country, we got to walk the talk. We don’t just teach the environment to thousands of students in a year, we do something about it.”

Junior Sophie Smith, chair of SGA’s Committee on the Environment, introduced a resolution urging the board to divest from fossil fuels at a Jan. 21 SGA meeting. Smith spoke to the board about divesting and her disappointment with the lack of action.

“In October, we were applauded for our professionalism,” Smith said. “Yet we were not met with the open dialogue that was promised to us to maintain the formal relationship we have established and the respectable image of the board.”

Following Smith’s speech, which called on the board to divest, the protesters erupted into song.

“Which side are you on

STEPHAN TOLJAN/The Vermont Cynic

Junior Lowell Deschenes brandishes a sign reading “Divestment is the best-ment.” Deschenes was one of about 150 people who attended the meeting in protest of UVM’s fossil fuel investments. board? Which side are you on?

Does it weigh on you at all,

board? Does it weigh on you at all?” the protesters sang.

NEWS

2

MAC MACSFIELD-PARISI/The Vermont Cynic

SGA President Jillian Scannell, a senior, delivers the SGA president’s report to the board of trustees, Jan. 30. Scannell gave updates on an on-campus food pantry, an urge to divest, campus safety and the next student trustee.

Tensions grow over gender equity Emma Barnham eburnha1@uvm.edu Sawyer Loftus news@vtcynic.com

Despite a push from the Vermont Legislature to make half of the UVM board of trustees members female or nonbinary, the board has signaled its resistance.

The potential new law, which is currently being weighed in both the Vermont Statehouse and Senate, have left some on the board to call the mandate a “legislative overreach.”

Currently, of the 25 board members, six are female and 19 are male. UVM’s student population is 59.9% female, according to UVM’s 2019 enrollment report. Additionally, 55.9% of faculty and staff are female identifying.

Some faculty, students and staff have also signed a petition that calls on the board to diversify, adding internal University pressure.

The proposed state law would require that 12 or 13 members of the board be women or nonbinary by 2025.

The board announced they had passed changes to “reinforce the importance of seeking diversity,” when looking for new members, according to a Jan. 31 press release.

In the course of conversation about the legislation during the Vermont Agricultural College Board’s meeting Jan. 31, trustees said they can’t meet the potential 2025 deadline.

“Instant fixes are not possible, so the 2025 deadline is so arbitrary,” trustee John Bartholomew said. “It’s utterly impossible.”

However, Sen. Chris Pearson, the primary sponsor of the Senate bill, said that 2025 is not an arbitrary date.

He and those he worked with to craft the legislation strategically picked that date because most of the trustees’ terms will be over by then, Pearson said.

“Any time you’re proposing

something that is controversial, you try to basically remove as many hurdles as you can,” he said. “[It’s] an attempt to work with the board to phase out the imbalance.”

Rep. Johanna Donnovan, who is also a trustee and was at the meeting Jan. 31, said that she feels this legislation isn’t needed and that the legislature doesn’t have the power to make this change.

“It is certainly my feeling that it is a legislative overreach,” Donnovan said.

Specifically, the group of legislative-appointee trustees, those who are selected by the Vermont Legislature, have been discussing ways to increase diversity and encourage more diverse candidates to come forth, Donnovan said.

“I think we’ll get there, and as I said privately to my friend that launched the legislation in the house, we will get there,” she said. “We will get there, on our own.”

Donnovan said she couldn’t speak for other members on the board, but she hopes that the Legislature will leave it up to the University to make these decisions.

Pearson said the Vermont Legislature has every right to make changes to the structure of the board as UVM is a public institution and the Legislature wrote the structure of the board into law.

“We’re not suddenly talking about the board for the first time in law,” he said. “We’re not commandeering that. I’m sure the board doesn’t like that.

Clearly this is not something we have done much with.”

Two other representatives who are also trustees, Reps.

Curt McCormack and Kevin Christie, both signed on as cosponsors to the House version of the bill.

Pearson said although some changes have been made to the language of board policies as of Jan. 31 to reflect the need for greater diversity, they aren’t enough.

STEPHAN TOLJAN/The Vermont Cynic

Trustee Jodi Goldstein sits with closed eyes during the board of trustees meeting, Jan. 31. Goldstein is one of six women who sit on the board.

“Instant fixes are not possible, so the 2025 deadline is so arbitrary,” trustee John Bartholomew said.

“It’s utterly impossible.”

“I think it’s good they are acknowledging the dynamic, but I know those are sort of aspirational directives,” he said.

“They’re not forcing their hand, our proposal is, ‘no, you will do this.’ This is not something we hope you get to.”

At the Jan. 31 board meeting, Donnovan said she hopes the issue gets pushed further, to which UVM President Suresh Garimella replied with what Donnovan described as a joke.

“You could fire me and hire a woman,” Garimella said.

Donnovan said that her take on that comment was that Garimella was attempting to bring a moment of lightness to a difficult conversation.

“I’m surprised that there is anything being read into that, because in this context, the president himself is a picture of diversity,” she said.

In a Feb. 1 email to the Cynic, UVM Spokesperson Enrique Corredera stated that he had looked into the matter and it was “a light-hearted comment.”

In a Feb. 1 statement to the Cynic, Garimella stated he is supportive of current board efforts to diversify.

“I believe deeply in diversity in all forms in our faculty, staff and student bodies,” Garimella stated. “I also recognize the value of diversity on the board, although the University president has no role in the selection of any trustees, and rightly so.”

In the Senate, the bill is currently in the Education Committee which is chaired by Sen. Philip Baruth, who is also an English professor at UVM. Baruth said that the committee is taking testimony on the bill and is the process of

reaching out to UVM and the board, but from his perspective, something is clearly not right with the make-up of the board.

Board members need to assist UVM in bringing in donors and support, but there’s no reason women can’t do that too, he said.

“One of the things they try to do is select trustees that can try to help them with their capital campaigns,” he said. “But, I would think in this day and age, there are plenty of qualified female candidates that have access to donors and help not just bring in money, but steer the board.”

For now, Baruth sees the role of the Legislature as overlooker of the board, and his committee will work to find a solution, he said.

NEWS

Three takeaways from BOT meeting

3

Irene Choi ichoi@uvm.edu

Here are three takeaways from the board of trustees’ Budget, Finance and Investment Committee meeting Jan. 31.

1

A motion to freeze next academic year’s tuition rate at was passed unanimously by the committee, confirming UVM President Suresh Garimella’s announcement last November.

Both tuition and the comprehensive fees will not increase next year, but the cost of room and board will increase due to “contractual obligations,’’ said Richard Cate, vice president for finance and University treasurer.

New revenue will be found by identifying and expanding programs that can increase opportunities for students and expanding online classes, Cate said.

The only other fee that will increase is the one associated with the construction of the new Multipurpose Center on UVM’s Athletic campus, he said.

Freezing tuition next year will lead to more opportunities for students, Garimella said.

“Engagement and learning and discovery are not independent things,” he said.

“If we’re doing great research, it’s helping us help the state and our communities. It’s a virtuous cycle.”

2

Funding for the con-

MAC MACSFIELD-PARISI/The Vermont Cynic

Richard Cate, vice president for finance and University treasurer, walks to his seat during the board of trustees meeting, Jan. 31. Cate became vice president for finance and treasurer in 2013. struction of the Firestone Medical Research Building was approved. The committee allocated $49 million for the new building.

The Firestone Medical Research Building will be named after Steve Firestone, an anesthesiologist who donated to the Larner College of Medicine.

Firestone’s gift is the fourth biggest donation in the history of the college, according to the UVM Foundation.

Despite the cost, the construction of the new building will not leave the University in any debt, Cate said.

“$6.2 million will come from philanthropy,” he said. “The rest will come from the dean’s reserves, University general fund reserves and reserves of the University Medical Associates.”

The new building will be connected to the Given and Stafford buildings, along with the Health Science Research facility, according to the capital project summary narrative.

Construction will start spring 2020 and be completed summer 2022, and renovations of Given will be completed summer 2025, according to the

Larner College of Medicine.

3

A measure was also approved to renovate the UVM Recital Hall. The project will cost $4.3 million.

The Recital Hall will receive renovations including acoustic upgrades, stage and house lighting, a new green room and storage room and reupholstered seats, according to the department of music.

The budget of the project was originally $3.3 million but was increased to $4.3 million by the committee.

$247,000 will come from “additional gift funds,” and the remaining $757,000 will come from available University reserves, according to a resolution brought to the committee.

These projects will greatly enhance the University campus for everyone, Cate said.

“The new medical building will bring medical scientists into the 21st century,” he said.

“As for the Recital Hall, it will become more accessible and it’ll be a much warmer and more comfortable space.”

New student-composting proposal faulters Ella Ruehsen iruehsen@uvm.edu

A proposal that would have helped offset the costs of composting services for offcampus students was dismissed

by UVM administrators.

SGA senators juniors Jake Gess and Hannah King applied for funding through UVM’s Clean Energy Fund that would have paid for composting services for some off-campus students. But the board that controls the fund denied their proposal.

Their proposal would have cost $63,756. $1.6 million of the Clean Energy Fund is sitting unused, according to a November 2019 Cynic article.

In 2012 the Vermont Legislature passed an act that bans major waste materials from landfills in phases. The third and final phase, effective in July 2020, will ban food scraps.

Corey Berman, program manager for UVM Recycling and Zero Waste for the Custodial Services Department said he doesn’t think it would have been good use of the fund.

“Any ability to divert food

scraps from the landfill for better reuse, I’m in support of certainly,” Berman said. “Now to the more particular issue of does it make sense to use Clean Energy Fund money to support off-campus initiatives? That’s a little bit of a trickier issue.”

Compost collection service provider No Waste Compost Food Scrap Pickup would have been compensated with CEF funding to service off-campus students’ residences had the proposal gone through, Gess said.

It is unfair for the University to enforce sustainable infrastructures and mindsets for students during their first two years of college only to pull all of those resources and support away when they move off campus, Gess said.

Especially when both on-campus and off-campus students pay into the CEF equally, and especially in light of the compulsory composting legislation that is soon to go into effect, he said.

“I was kind of annoyed with Corey Berman,” Gess said.

“Because during our proposal, he basically was like, ‘Why is it UVM’s job to be in charge of the

MAC MACSFIELD-PARISI/ The Vermont Cynic

A student scrapes leftover food into a compost receptacle in Central Campus Dining Hall, Jan. 30.

The proposal to help offset costs of composting for off-campus students would have cost $63,756. waste of off-campus students?’”

The challenge is that you only want to see programs funded that will have a good return, Berman said.

“CEF is supported by a student charge,” Berman said.

“Should that support students living off campus? Maybe, but do I want to go on the record saying one way or the other? It’s not that I’m against it.”

Gess plans on re-presenting his proposal again in February

with some alterations, he said.

For now, students living offcampus will still have to comply with state law mandating composting.

OPINION

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Why student media is crucial

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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

Staff Editorial

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n Jan. 29, the Vermont Cynic celebrated Student Press Freedom Day, a national day that honors student journalists and brings awareness to the rights of student media.

At the Cynic, we believe our newspaper to be the foremost record of life at UVM. When the Cynic was founded in 1883, its mission statement read: “We shall honestly speak the convictions of our mind; it means our objects are utilitarian.”

When our staff is deciding what questions to ask and what information to print, we are thinking of what our readers need to know.

The Cynic is an independent publication, not tied to UVM administration, to SGA or to any other group on campus.

The Cynic receives about half of its funding from the University, but that funding comes whether UVM affiliates agree with what we print or not.

In 2017, Vermont Governor Phil Scott protected freedom of speech for student journalists.

The Vermont New Voices Act guarantees freedom of speech and of the press for all school-sponsored media at both public high schools and public colleges, according to the Student Press Law Center.

We are grateful that

ejohnst2@uvm.edu

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), Cole Fekert (Illustrations) Copy Editors Will Keeton, Caroline Jagger, Kyra Chevalier, Lee Hughes, Zoey Webb Page Designers Stephanie Hodel, George Weed, Mac Mansfield-Parisi

ADVISING Faculty Adviser Chris Evans crevans@uvm.edu

Vermont is one of only 14 states that currently protects student press freedom.

We must come up with the rest of our funding on our own, by selling advertisements and seeking donations through fundraising initiatives.

Like all good journalists, we believe in telling our stories in a fact-based, objective way.

We sift through data and public records to make sure we provide accurate information.

We abide by a Cynic code

of conduct and international standards of journalistic ethics and values. We have a dedicated team of fact-checkers and copy editors.

And we’ve done all of this work with very little formal journalism training. There is no journalism major at UVM. In the last several years, we’ve seen our country become perhaps more distrustful of the press than ever before. That distrust comes from the leaders of our country and trickles

Staff editorials officially reflect the views of the editorial board, which includes the Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor and Opinion Editor. 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.

When party loyalty is unconstituted Emily Johnston

Layout / Illustrations Kate Vanni layout@vtcynic.com illustrations@vtcynic.com

KATE VANNI

down. There are even inklings of that distrust here at UVM. The Cynic is not perfect.

We make mistakes. We run corrections. But we do not believe ourselves to be the enemy of the people, the UVM administration, SGA or other student groups here on campus. Instead, we see ourselves as one of UVM’s most valuable tools.

Independent investigative reporting, questioning of leadership and unbiased coverage are essential to a functioning community and democracy.

It’s the job of the press to ask hard questions and to represent all sides. And that means you are bound to disagree with some of what we print. But even if you disagree, we do ask for your respect and your trust.

Journalism is enhanced by conversation. We strive to give the UVM community the news it needs to hear, but we can’t do it without your help.

W

ith President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial under way, it is clear that some in Congress are willing to stay loyal to their political party, even if doing so is against the Constitution.

Take a look at the impeachment trial in the U.S. House of Representatives: no Republicans voted to impeach Trump, according to a Jan. 6 NPR article.

The evidence was laid out in a house debate over the articles of impeachment: Trump abused his power and obstructed Congress.

Despite documentation from Democratic representatives indicating a quid pro quo, a favor granted in return for something, the Republican Party stood firm in their stance that Trump did nothing wrong.

It is irrelevant to the impeachment of Trump to simply deny his wrongdoing, rather than investigating the articles of impeachment.

Republican leaders are using this talking point non-stop.

It seems as though whatever

Trump says is fact to their party. Trump runs a tight ship; any sign of disloyalty could end in being called out by the President on Twitter.

Back in November, Trump’s approval rating among Republicans was 74%, yet on Twitter and in person he declared a 95% approval, according to a November 2019 Washington Post article.

He shares a higher number to make people think he has a higher amount of supporters, which in return will make fewer Republicans support impeachment.

Yet all of this begs to ask if it is right to support one’s party if it means breaking the duties of Congress.

All members of the Senate are sworn to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic,” according to the U.S. Senate.

Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told policymakers he does not want witnesses in the trial. The senate then voted not to have witnesses in the trial, according to a Jan. 31 New York Times article.

A trial without witnesses is inherently unfair, and is not giving Democrats or Republi-

COLE FEKERT

cans the ability to defend the Constitution. It is not giving anyone the right to defend anything; a trial without witnesses is only for show.

Members of the Senate are effectively breaking the oath they swore to by choosing party loyalty over defending the Constitution.

I believe the Republican Party will never impeach Trump; he will be acquitted of his crimes. Yet, it is unprecedented that the Senate is not holding a fair trial.

The Republican Party should not overturn wrongdo-

ing just because they are the majority, especially when considering that the leader of that party most likely broke a law.

The American public deserves a Congress that will ensure fair trials for high level officials. No one should be above the law.

Those in power should follow the law no matter what side breaks it.

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

5

OPINION

Just say no to overconsumption E

Lucy Gilbert

COL

lagilber@uvm.edu

soehler@uvm.edu

W

hen I was eight, my family went on vacation to Loon Mountain in New Hampshire.

It was great, until I got steamrolled by a snowboarder.

The pileup that followed marked the end of my eventful, although short, alpine career.

Since then, I have committed to Nordic skiing.

Being a Nordic skier at UVM is like being that weird cousin at Thanksgiving. Sure, you’re part of the family, but no one really knows what you do with your time, or why.

But I like Nordic far better than Alpine. It is a rewarding challenge, pursued by only the bravest skiers.

I know it’s a weird sport.

Skiers strap on skis barely wide enough to support the average human and trek through the woods for hours, until they reach the end of their strung out and frankly ridiculous adventure.

Meg Trogolo mtrogolo@uvm.edu

U

becomes extreme and unreasonable.

Some Italian workers who make pieces for brands such as Fendi and Louis Vuitton are paid close to sweatshop wages.

These are said to be significantly less than 5 to 7 euros an hour, without contracts or insurance, according to a September 2018 New York Times article.

It is shameful that luxury brands such as these who should easily be able to pay their employees living wages choose not to.

Most sustainable brands are not accessible to less wealthy people because they are often a

lot more expensive.

However, wealthy people like Jenner have every option to buy ethically and, unfortunately, choose not to.

It is important to note that it is not just Jenner who should make improvements but everyone, including myself.

There used to be two fashion seasons per year, one in spring/summer and one in fall/ winter.

Now, there are 52 “micro seasons” a year, according to a March 2019 Business Insider article.

A lot of people have become obsessed with wearing new trends with little care for where

they came from.

Just like public views have shifted on plastic straws over the last two years, sparking change in the food industry, the opinions of the general public on the fast-fashion and overconsumption can change.

Consumers and the public have the power to make a change in the industry, and it starts by no longer glorifying unsustainable lifestyles.

Lucy Gilbert is a first-year public communication major. She has been writing for the Cynic since fall 2019.

Why skiing uphill isn’t for the faint of heart Sophie Oehler

students’ demands

RT FEKE

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t’s normal to see someone with a closet the size of your apartment and want that lifestyle.

However, we need to remember that overconsumption causes harm to the fashion industry, the workers behind it and the environment.

As consumers, we have the power to change the role of overconsumption in the fashion industry, but it is difficult to be completely unaffected by trends.

Especially in today’s social media-driven world, the power to keep up with constantly changing trends can be overwhelming and nearly impossible to ignore.

With social media apps such as Instagram and YouTube, we see clothing trends pop up all the time.

Many people will resort to fast-fashion brands like H&M and Zara to stay on-trend.

There is an issue with overconsuming not only fast-fashion brands but high-end brands as well.

Reality TV star Kylie Jenner is an example of someone who overconsumes luxury goods; you may have seen her enormous closet that is just for her purses.

There is nothing wrong with buying a few nice bags if that is what you like, but when you have hundreds of bags, it

Board must listen to

Nordic is not explosive or flashy like Alpine.

We can’t do cool tricks on our skis. We don’t throw ourselves down mountains at breakneck speed, defying common sense and gravity.

Nordic is sensible, even boring, to someone who’s unfamiliar with it. It’s a metaphor for life, almost. You go until you can’t any more, then summon your last ounce of strength and go a little farther.

In high school, my high school Nordic coach was an Olympic alternate.

She was one of my favorite coaches, but her practices were long, hard and defined by how many bruises any one of us got.

She’d take us to our local mountain, point to the topmost lift and say, “I’ll meet you up there.” And then she’d zip off into the crowd.

By the time we had finished getting our boots on, she’d be halfway up the mountain.

We got a lot of strange looks and snarky comments from the Alpine team, most of whom thought we were out of our minds to voluntarily slog up an icy mountain.

Image Courtesy of SOPHIE OEHLER

Two skiers ride through the trees on Nordic skis. “I won’t pretend I like skiing uphill, because I don’t. But that’s not what Nordic is about. Nordic is about the work.”

Especially when there was a perfectly good chair lift not ten feet above us.

I won’t pretend I like skiing uphill, because I don’t. But that’s not what Nordic is about.

Nordic is about the work.

You earn the downhill. You bust your body to get up every hill, knowing that what goes up must come down.

You have to climb the mountains to get to the end, you have to work to get to the finish line.

Nordic teaches you the

mentality of persistence. You can’t take shortcuts or back down from the climb, because you’ll never make it out of the woods.

That’s the difference between downhill and Nordic. An alpine skier can “ski the East.”

A Nordic skier will conquer it.

Sophie Oehler is a sophomore political science and French major. She has been writing for the Cynic since fall 2019.

VM’s board of trustees has a listening problem.

UVM students have been organizing in favor of divestment from fossil fuel companies for years, with the environmental club Organize leading the movement in recent months.

However, the board voted against divestment during their October 2019 meeting and did not even address the subject during their recent January meeting.

SGA passed a resolution Jan. 21 asking the board of trustees to create an action plan for divestment, according to a Jan. 29 Cynic article.

The divestment movement isn’t limited to students. The UVM Faculty Senate passed a resolution Jan. 27 urging the University to no longer invest in fossil fuel companies, according to the UVM Faculty Senate meeting minutes.

Despite the UVM community’s repeated calls for action, the board of trustees still refuses to address their contributions to climate change.

The board must know that the fossil fuel industry is one of the main reasons that Earth is warming at a dangerous rate.

The board must know that today’s young people will bear most of the weight of climate change, as so much of the predicted damage to our planet will occur later in our lifetimes.

The board almost certainly knows that UVM students notice the difference between UVM’s environmentally friendly image and its dangerous reality.

Only 20 fossil fuel companies have been responsible for one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions since 1965, according to an October 2019 Guardian article.

After the public comment session of the board’s meeting on Jan. 31, senior Sophie Brenits said, “A huge part of why people come here is for [environmental] values, and it’s really disappointing to see that the University doesn’t uphold that.”

Other student attendees felt similarly disappointed.

“I feel lied to and cheated,” first-year Raven Murray said.

The campus divestment movement did not form out of boredom. Students, staff and faculty are demonstrating, signing petitions and writing letters to board members because we know that they hold our future in their hands.

The board is wasting our time by tuning our voices out.

They must divest from fossil fuel companies for good.

Meg Trogolo is a junior data science major. She has been writing for the Cynic since fall 2017.

CULTURE

6

First-year pasta chef kneads and feeds

MARY MCLELLAN/The Vermont Cynic

Top: First-year Jack Page passes pasta dough through his hand crank pasta maker, Feb. 1. Page makes his pasta on Saturdays in McAuley Hall, on Trinity campus.

Left: Page lifts a rolled stretch of dough off of the countertop.

Right: Ingredients for the dough sit on the countertop with measuring tools and paper towel. Bread flour is used instead of all-purpose because of its higher protein content.

Jenny Koppang jkoppang@uvm.edu

On weekends in McAuley Hall on Trinity campus, the kitchen is bustling with the anticipation of a home-cooked meal.

First-year Jack Page uses his passion for cooking to bring the McAuley community together over authentic Italian cuisine.

Page gently fed his kneaded dough into the pasta machine and caught the finished noodles as they fell, Feb 1. Pasta boiled and sauce simmered in borrowed pots and pans.

What started as an intimate gathering of friends has grown into a significant tradition centered around the celebration of Page’s creations.

“I’m just the Italian Pasta Guy,” Page said. “That’s just

me.”

Page said his appetite for creating meals developed at a young age.

“I wanted to get better at cooking, so I would watch food videos and look up recipes,” Page said. “I got interested in Italian food junior year of high school, so I tried [to make] fresh pasta.”

Page’s passion for the culinary arts culminated in an influential trip to the birthplace of his signature spaghetti dish.

“I went to Italy after I graduated [high school] and did a cooking class in a castle in Tuscany,” Page said. “I don’t like to brag, but I’m pretty good at cooking now.”

Page’s passion lies not just in the act of cooking, but in the delight it incites in his peers, he said.

“Making other people happy makes me happy,” Page said.

“I get fulfillment from that, so giving people good food that they enjoy brings me joy.”

To prepare for the weekend, Page said he goes out to purchase the necessary ingredients for his dish.

“I work at the front desk, [in McAuley],” Page said. “I get paid, and I go to the store and buy ingredients to cook.”

First-year Julia Cohen helps to make the meal complete by baking a dessert.

First-year Duckie Pelenur said Cohen and Page’s teamwork provides a perfectly complementary meal.

“Usually Julia will also be making some kind of confection,” Pelenur said.

“Today it’s chocolate chip cookies. The Julia-Jack power

dynamic is impeccable.”

Pelenur said he appreciates the tradition for its ability to knit their community together.

“It’s really nice to have a home-cooked meal every week,” Pelenur said. “It’s a routine and a lot of us do it. I feel like it brings us together as the McAuley family.”

Page’s enthusiasm for the creation and distribution of his concoctions inspired the gathering that is now called Pasta Night.

“We’re part of a bigger community of Arts and Creativity,” Pelenur said.

“People will wander in here who aren’t ‘Pasta Night Regulars’ and then they come more often and we meet people and bond with people who live near us.”

Pelenur said that all are welcome to celebrate this

cherished custom, and the founding members have strengthened old friendships and established new ones.

First-year Annaliese Holden recalled the origins of this wellattended weekly gathering.

“I think it started one night when Jack sent a message to the group and said ‘I’m going to make pasta tonight if anyone wants some,’” Holden said. “Now we do this every Saturday, and it’s the best part of the week.”

At the center of Pasta Night’s allure remains the man whose passion made it all possible.

“Jack’s Instagram bio is, ‘I cook for the pleasure of serving others,’ and I think that sums him up as a person,” Holden said.

CULTURE

7

Fostering gives adoptable pets a home Kate Germain krgermai@uvm.edu

Andrew roamed and sniffed around the living room, switching from couch to couch, hoping for a hug or maybe even a belly rub.

One-year-old Andrew is a yellow pit bull staying with junior Taylor Peltier while she fosters him.

Peltier fosters her dog from Winnie’s Legacy Canine Rescue, a non-profit adoption and fostering service that saves dogs from kill shelters in South Carolina.

The non-profit is run by Valerie Mullin, who’s been rescuing for 15 years.

The most fulfilling aspect of saving dogs is helping them find loving homes, Mullin said.

“To know that dog is alive because you did something and to know that you made a difference in this world is just so rewarding,” Mullin said. “It’s literally life or death for that dog.”

Mullin said the shelters in South Carolina are overpopulated.

“Often times, [the dogs] are brought right to the back of the shelter and put down,” she said.

Mullin organizes transport for the dogs to travel to Vermont, where she hosts them until they find a home.

Peltier began fostering in November 2019 and has since fostered two dogs, Andrew being the latest. Her last dog, Ronny, a border collie and black lab mix, was adopted after a month of fostering.

Peltier recommends fostering to other college

KYLE ELMS/The Vermont Cynic

One-year-old Andrew looks up at his caretaker, junior Taylor Peltier, Jan. 25. Winnie’s Legacy Canine Rescue advertises available dogs on their Facebook page. students but only if they can handle the responsibility of caring for a pet.

“If you have roommates and you’re all responsible enough to handle a dog and giving the dog the care and attention they need, then yes,” Peltier said.

Mullin described fostering as similar to babysitting.

“I provide the food, and they provide the house,” she said.

Few costs are involved when fostering from Winnie’s Legacy Canine Rescue.

“The dogs come fully vetted, spayed and neutered,” Mullin said. “I have never heard of anybody fostering and regretting it.”

Some students are making their own arrangements to foster pets while attending UVM.

Sophomore Ciara Tomlinson decided to help her friend out by watching her cat for the year.

Tomlinson has experience with fostering as she worked at Baypath Humane Society in Massachusetts and has fostered a dog from a shelter before.

“I fostered one of the dogs there for the summer,” Tomlinson said. “He wasn’t doing well in the shelter. It

provided him with better care and the socialization he needed.”

“If people want to do something that can save lives and be the most rewarding thing they’ve ever done, have them contact me,” she said.

Email winnieslegacy@ gmavt.net or visit bmullin48. wixsite.com/winnieslegacy for more information.

Evan Peck empeck@uvm.edu

E

ven with all of the Oscar acclaim for Martin Scorsese’s historicallybased three-and-a-halfhour drama, “The Irishman,” disappoints despite its all-star cast and iconic director.

Released on Netflix and in select theaters, the film depicts the life of Frank Sheeran, played by Robert DeNiro, and his friendship with Russell Buffalino, played by Joe Pesci and Jimmy Hoffa, played by Al Pacino.

Ray Romano, Sebastian Maniscalco, Harvey Keitel and Anna Paquin are amongst the big-name cast members.

The period piece follows Sheeran’s involvement and loyalty as he navigates being the middleman between the Pennsylvania crime scene and Hoffa’s labor union.

Scorsese has always been one of my favorite directors.

Many of his films share

common characterisitics: reminiscent narrations, themes of loyalty, crime and the rise and fall of power.

However, “The Irishman” is a Scorsese movie in a new era of filmmaking and that is evident through much of the film.

The narrative flows similarly to certain defining Scorsese films such as “Goodfellas” and “Casino.”

The actor’s chops from these well-made movies, along with the story elements, age nicely 30 years later.

At close to four hours, there should be more of a justification for the film’s intimidating runtime.

I do not believe the story required the film to go on so extensively.

It seemed as if Scorsese felt entitled by his influence to capture the viewer’s attention.

Sheeran mentions in the film that today’s youth has no idea the impact Hoffa had.

Although this might be true, it makes the film’s historical topic feel targeted toward older generations only.

MCKENNA BLACK

Scorcese’s most recent film doesn’t live up to the hype

Because the timeline of the film spans several decades, DeNiro, Pesci and Pacino had to look and act much younger than they actually are, as they were in their late 70s during filming.

With a $140 million budget, the post-production crew was able to edit the actors to look like a particular age in each scene.

At times, this was distracting.

For example, DeNiro’s eyes were bright blue through the entire movie for no apparent reason, and his character looks unrealistic due to the stature of the current 76 year old.

This makes it challenging for the viewer to believe he is in his 30s.

That being said, Pesci, DeNiro and Pacino deliver performances that suit their acting roles in other films of similar tones.

“The Irishman” felt like a film made by, and for, a bunch of old men looking back on how great they were in the good old days.

Given this, there were elements of the film that Scorsese handled well.

His classic camera movements and long takes that fit with the emotional tension of Sheeran were enjoyable to watch, as well as the playful

character narration and intense testing of his undying loyalty toward his closest friends.

Scorsese is a filmmaker who I still respect deeply.

Some of what makes Scorsese’s work so fun to watch is the work of his longtime editor, Thelma Schoonmaker, who has edited all of his films since “Raging Bull,” according to her IMDb page.

Her post-production editing is just as powerful in “The Irishman” as in all of Scorcese’s works. Schoonmaker was nominated for an Oscar for this film.

I do not agree with the 10 Academy Award nominations given to this film instead of the many other great pictures released in 2019.

However, I look at it as an honor to the genius of Scorsese’s great work and influence over his long and impactful career.

Evan Peck is a junior film and television studies major. He has been writing for the Cynic since fall 2019.

8

CULTURE

Comedians talk death and perform live Sophia Venturo sventuro@uvm.edu

Low-top vintage booths and beat-up red velvet loveseats were occupied by patrons leaning forward, ready to ponder mortality together.

“Death Talks” is a monthly variety show centered on death, its witnesses and fallouts.

Local comedians, musicians and death industry workers contemplated the end of life Jan. 28 at Lamp Club Light Shop Alexandria Kerrigan organizes the event every month. She finished UVM’s End-of-Life Doula course last summer, a program that issues certificates for pre-death caretakers.

After that, she had the idea to curate, and find a space for, a creative dialogue about death and dying.

Before introducing the first performer, she offered the audience an assurance of community.

“Trust that tonight you are in the company of those that are just as dark and twisted as you,” she said.

Sophomore Megan Richardson attended the variety show and said that her perception of how to process death expanded after watching the performances.

“I found myself laughing at things and then absorbing the jokes and realizing that death can be processed through humor,” she said. “In a weird

LUKAS DRAUGELIS/The Vermont Cynic

Gordon Clark tells jokes during his set at “Death Talks,” Jan. 28. Clark was one of a number of performers at the event, which took place at Light Club Lamp Shop. way, I feel more prepared for how it might be for me to lose a grandparent or a parent someday.”

Comedian Carrie Rae Shamel, a hospice nurse, performed first. She has been performing stand-up comedy in Burlington for the last six years.

“I worked in geriatric social work for many years and then in hospice, so I’m pretty aware of the social dialogue about death and dying,” she said. “In my

field, laughing about death is something that makes it easier.

If you can’t laugh, you can’t get through.”

In addition to using a creative outlet to ease the emotional strains of her day job, Shamel wants to help change the perception about people who are at the end of their lives.

“There is so much ageism in our society, so I am even more passionate about supporting older people who are often

isolated or not in touch with their families,” Shamel said.

Comic Gladys D followed Shamel, prefacing her set by sharing about her experiences at mortuary school in north Mississippi and career in the embalming industry.

Gladys D said she got into the death industry to protest the societal pressure to get a “normal job.”

“My hat’s really off to people that deal with, you know, not

deceased people because that seems so hard,” Gladys D said.

“They’re so angry or sad or sometimes joyful but you know, not silent.”

Kerrigan and Shamel will continue to facilitate monthly “Death Talks” variety shows and hope to see continued success, Kerrigan said.

“We had a great turnout,” Kerrigan said. “I think people are just happy to have the space to talk about death and dying.”

Three new Fleming exhibits unveiled for Spring 2020 Anna Kolosky akolsoky@uvm.edu

Fleming Museum’s spring 2020 catalogue is covered in brightly colored, dancing people. It features a painting by Wood Gaylor, the inspiration for one of the museum’s exhibitions.

According to Fleming’s website, the “Wood Gaylor Exhibition” and “Warp: War Rugs of Afghanistan” will run from Feb. 7 through March 8.

“Animal Transformations” will run from Jan. 21 through May 8.

“Contemporary Voices of Vermont” which began Sept. 10 will be on display until May 8.

Alice Boone, curator of education and public programs, worked to plan the spring programming at Fleming. “[The Gaylor] painting screams to be danced to,” Boone said. “We’re going to have a costume ball. It’s free if you dress up in a costume, especially one inspired by those images.”

As one of eight staff members in the whole museum, Boone works to create different ways for people to engage with art. She also imagines events

that will attract different people to the museum.

“I like to think of it as playing a type of lawn game,” Boone said. “I find creative, stimulating ways for people to respond to the programs, while thinking about who is not coming and how I can interest them.”

Fleming will host a studentcurated exhibit called “Animal Transformations.”

The exhibit was curated by an anthropology class led by associate professor Jennifer Dickinson and Margaret Tamulonis, manager of Collections and Exhibitions.

“Students pitched ideas and came up with this theme of how human beings transform animal materials or how ideas of animals become transformed into man-made objects,” Dickinson said.

Senior Zoe Albion said the animals in the objects are not obvious, and she hopes viewers stop and engage with the art.

“It’s important to experience natural history in an interdisciplinary way,” Albion said. “There’s all this scientific value to animal specimens and an amazing cultural value too, and I think people should

BAILEY SAMBER/The Vermont Cynic

Artist Misoo Filan’s “The Giant Asian Girl-Misoo 4” hangs on the wall in Fleming Museum’s “Contemporary Voices of Vermont” exhibit, Jan. 29. Misoo is scheduled to speak at Fleming, March 25. interact with them in different ways.”

Dickinson said she hopes that the exhibit will capture the viewer’s attention and encourage them to engage with the material.

“We are always hoping that there are one or two labels that will catch someone’s eye and get them to think differently about animals and the hidden ways animal materials show up

all around us,” Dickinson said.

The exhibit “Warp: War Rugs of Afghanistan” will be a different experience compared to the costume ball.

“The Afghan War Rug show is going to be a painful subject, so that human experience cannot be generalized,” Boone said. “It requires being thoughtful and respectful about the ongoing war in Afghanistan and the people affected by it.”

Safiya Wazir, a member of the New Hampshire State House of Representatives, will come to speak about her experiences as an Afghanistan refugee Feb. 28, Boone said.

“The thing I love to do is to think in public with people,” Boone said. “I want people to think in public and change their mind. Seeing others respond to art makes you change your own mode of response too.”

SPORTS

9

Athletics data reveals major trends Twenty-nine athletes are listed as undeclared.

On the men’s hockey team, 79% of the men are in one of two majors: business administration or community entrepreneurship.

On the women’s hockey team, only 24% of the team studies business administration.

Overall among the women’s teams, there is a greater distribution of different majors.

On the women’s soccer team, 17 different majors are represented across the players.

But on the men’s side, athletes are in clusters.

On the men’s lacrosse team, 56% of the players are

Aryanna Ramsaran aramsara@uvm.edu Hayley Rosen hrosen@uvm.edu

UVM Athletics data on the 420 UVM athletes reveals men’s teams consistently have more pockets of the same major compared to female athletes.

Of the 420 athletes, the most popular majors across genders are business administration with 76 athletes and community entrepreneurship with 21 athletes.

Other

Other

Other Health Science

Community Entrepreneurship

Business Administration

public communication

Neuroscience

Undeclared

Exercise Science

either business administration majors or community entrepreneurship.

There are three business administration majors on the men’s basketball team.

There are four women who are health sciences majors on the women’s basketball team, making it the most popular on the team.

For the men’s soccer team, two of the most popular majors are business administration and public communication.

Other

Other Exercise Science

Business administration

Business administration

Undeclared Business administration

Computer Science

Other Undeclared

Exercise Science

Business administration

Business administration

Community Entrepreneurship

Illustrations by KATE VANNI AND MEILENA SANCHEZ

10

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A look into the past: Billings

Stephan Toljan photo@vtcynic.com

The Billings Library students are familiar with is not the only one that exists. In fact, there are two “Billings” Libraries.

One sits on UVM’s main campus and a second stands in Billings, Montana.

Both are named after the same family, but different members.

The UVM building is named after Frederick Billings, an alumnus from UVM’s class of 1844, according to research conducted by David Provost in 1999.

The construction of Billings Library was completed in 1885 and was designed by the 19th century architect H.H. Richardson.

Billings contributed $75,000 to the construction of the library, which he commissioned to

house Vermont conservationist George Perkins Marsh’s library, according to Provost’s research.

The $75,000 that Billings contributed would be equivalent to about $2.1 million today, according to Consumer Price Index statistics from the U.S. Government Publishing Office.

The building features an almost entirely wooden interior, although the outside, including the slate roof, is made of stone.

Richard Watts, director of the Center for Research on Vermont, which moved into Billings from Lafayette Hall in September 2018, said that his favorite part of having his office in Billings is the wood detailing.

“Lafayette [Hall] was more institutional feeling,” he said. “I think I might have had linoleum floors, linoleum walls, bright fluorescents. The difference is night and day.”

Sophomore Alexa Mihale

said she goes to Billings for the low noise level and that during the week, there are not many people in there.

Billings stood as UVM’s main library for 75 years until Howe Library became the central library in 1961, according to the Bulletin of the Carolyn and Leonard Miller Center for Holocaust Studies.

Howe Library was built in order to take pressure off of Billings, which had reached capacity due to a growing student population and book collection, according to the Bulletin.

Billings was converted into the student center in 1963, a role which it served until 2007 upon the completion of the Davis Center, according to a June 2019 Cynic article.

As of October 2018, following $11 million in renovations, part of Billings

11

STEPHAN TOLJAN/ The Vermont Cynic

Top (Photo Illustration by STEPHAN TOLJAN): Built in 1885, Billings Library is one of the oldest buildings on campus, according to the UVM timeline of campus architecture. The library is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Bottom (Photo Illustration by STEPHAN TOLJAN): A historic blackand-white photo from UVM Special collections shows students smoking and studying in the apse in Billings Library. Today, the apse is a space dedicated to telling the history of the building.

Bottom-Left: A postcard from the collection of Erica Spiegel, assistant to the director and administrative planner in the Physical Plant Department, shows the Billings library on a sunny day. The building is now kept ivory free, in contrast to what is seen in the postcard.

Library was rededicated as the Miller Center for Holocaust Studies, according to the Bulletin.

The exterior of Billings is currently undergoing extensive restorations to address wear to the brownstone, according to Scott Goodwin, deferred maintenance project coordinator for UVM’s Physical Plant.

Today, the building serves as

an academic center on campus, hosting quiet study hours and acting as the permanent home for the Center for Research on Vermont, UVM’s Special Collections and the Miller Center for Holocaust Studies.

Though it has a long history of renovations and remodeling, Billings Library has stood between Ira-Allen Chapel and Williams Hall for 135 years.

Illustration by KATE VANNI

George Weed gweed@uvm.edu

Kru Coffee hopes to prove that supporting farmers pays off all the way to the coffee cup.

The coffee company, based out of Saratoga Springs, New York, is setting up a second location at 2 Church St. Co-owner Kyle Brock plans to have the doors open by Feb. 18.

Kru roasts specialty blends for over 50 individual businesses, including Healthy Living Market and Cafe in Burlington, Brock said.

“We have a lot of roots and family connections in Burlington,” Brock said. “We’ve always had an interest in [a Burlington location] without somebody to run it. When Lisa Weber, my sister-in-law, said she wanted her and her husband to manage the new spot, everything kind of fell into place.”

Brock, alongside his wife Kristi Brock and her brother Ryan Miller, opened Kru Coffee in Saratoga Springs in August 2016.

Now, Weber will manage the Burlington cafe with help from her husband Tommy, Brock said.

“It’s a total family operation,” Weber said. “I’ve been in the service industry for 15 years, but this is my first time managing. I am excited to try my hand at it.”

Weber hopes to make most of the pastries in house, including homemade doughnuts, though Brock thinks it will be midMarch before the kitchen is fully operational.

In designing the space, the vibe Weber is going for is eclectic but cozy, she said. In addition to couches and other traditional cafe seating, there will be a long community table.

In anticipation of the opening, founding member Luke Rock, a certified Quality

FE

Arabica Grader, or Q Grader, has doubled Kru’s reserve of coffee beans at their main supplier, Royal Coffee New York.

As a Q Grader, Rock is responsible for both purchasing and roasting all of the coffee that comes through Kru, Brock said.

His certification also means that he can inspect the unroasted coffee and understand which roasting techniques will highlight specific flavors.

“Luke is critical to the business,” Brock said. “He’ll continue roasting in Saratoga and bringing the coffee up here… at least until things get big enough to warrant putting in a roaster somewhere close by.”

Ninety five percent of the green coffee beans that Kru buys are certified organic, Rock said.

In addition to increasing their bulk supply, he said Kru hopes to strengthen the relationship they have with smaller farms.

“I think it’s important for people to know that that is a central focus of ours,” Brock said. “We want to empower the coffee farmer.”

While certifications like fair trade encourage equitable pricing between buyers in developed countries and producers in developing countries, the certification is unreliable in regards to helping individual farmers, according to a 2011 article by the Stanford Social Innovation Review.

“In Fair Trade, the money ends up with the processor,” Brock said. “We made the decision really early on. If we’re going to do this, we are going to try to be sustainable with it, all the way to the farmer.”

Brock and his family also own a small coffee farm on the island of Hawaii, and his firsthand experience with

growing coffee without the use of pesticides makes him appreciate the farmers that have allowed his business to grow.

“It’s hard work, so I have a real appreciation for it,” Brock said. “I’ve been there and felt the frustration of having just picked all of this coffee, and less than half of it is never going to end up going anywhere.”

Sophomore Lily Gold thinks that this consideration of ethical resourcing matters.

“As a consumer, I am not always careful enough about where I source the goods I purchase,” Gold said. “When a business does that, I feel better about supporting them.”

Gold also highlighted the importance of atmosphere at a coffee shop. She does not consider herself a heavy coffee drinker, but she chooses to do much of her work at cafes because the ambiance helps her to focus.

“It’s not like a library, where you’re just there to do work and there’s an obligation to be quiet,” Gold said. “It’s like you’re in somebody’s living room. You can chat, or you can read, or you can be working.”

ATUR

E

12

STEPHAN TOLJAN/The Vermont Cynic

Top (BAILEY SAMBER): Signs with the Kru Coffee logo hang on a Church St. building, Jan. 29. “Kru” is short for “Krucible,” the full name of the brand.

Middle (BAILEY SAMBER): Kru Coffee co-owners Lisa Weber (Left) and Kyle Brock stand in the unfinished cafe space, Jan. 29.

The building, located at 2 Church St., is Kru’s second location.

Bottom (STEPHAN TOLJAN): Carafes in Healthy Living Market and Cafe hold Kru coffee for shoppers to buy, Feb. 2. Kru also sells roasted coffee in addition to an already brewed product.

In downtown Burlington, coffee shops are not hard to come by, but Brock does not think that the market is oversaturated.

“We’re not here to replace anyone,” Brock said. “It really

is about quality for us. We have vertically integrated, from growing and roasting, to distribution and retail sales, and people will come to recognize that we’re more than just a coffee shop.”

Illustration by STEPHANIE HODEL