Issue 19 - Volume 136

THEVERMONTCYNIC THE Issue 19 - Volume 136 | February 11, 2020 | vtcynic.com

SAWYER LOFTUS/The Vermont Cynic

Dr. Stacy Sigmon holds a “medi wheel” device in her clinic in the Vermont Center for Behavior and Health, Feb. 3. The new UVM Center on Rural Addiction is dedicated to addressing the opioid issue within rural communities through developed research.

UVM researcher leads fight against rural opioid crisis Sawyer Loftus news@vtcynic.com

At Christmas this past December, Dr. Stacey Sigmon and her brother sat down together in their hometown of Faith, North Carolina, and made a list.

Together, the two came up with at least 30 people they knew personally who died from either a heroin or prescription opioid overdose.

Sigmon is a clinical researcher at UVM. Her field of study is behavioral pharmacology, a discipline of psychology that studies the intersection of drugs and medications with human behavior.

“We’re all sensitive to reinforcement, whether it’s cocaine or opiates or food,” she said.

“For me, it’s potato chips.”

As Sigmon was starting her research career at UVM and finishing postdoctoral work at Johns Hopkins University in the 2000s, she witnessed opioid and heroin use explode from the urban centers of the U.S. into rural areas in both Vermont and her hometown of Faith.

“Some amazing efforts have been made in Vermont on all fronts and by all players in expanding treatment capacity,” she said. “But in rural counties, they still tend to lag behind in treatment availability. And yet I

think they tend to surpass urban areas in opiate related overdoses per capita.”

Now, Sigmon is the director of the $6.6 million UVM Center on Rural Addiction, which will provide healthcare providers in rural Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont with the best practices that are being used to stem the impact of the nationwide opioid epidemic.

“The best catch phrase is probably ‘helping patients, by helping providers,’” Sigmon said. “The center will work on making providers more comfortable to treat patients, more comfortable treating a number of patients [suffering from opioid use disorder] and see better patient outcomes too.”

In Vermont, Sigmon’s recent research has shown that technology and medications like Bupenorphine save lives while people wait to get into treatment, said Kelly Peck, a research professor at UVM who trained under Sigmon.

Buprenorphine is used in medication-assisted treatment of opioid use disorder.

“Dr. Sigmon had this really novel idea, that I think made it a lot easier for people to get effective treatment for opioid use disorder in Vermont,” Peck said.

“This idea of using technology as a tool to make it easier to de-

liver these treatments and using these harm reduction approaches...has been really helpful.”

Sigmon’s idea came to her four to five years ago, when she realized there were 800-900 Vermonters waiting to seek treatment for their opioid addiction, she said. At times, that translated to a two-year waiting list.

Sigmon and her research team began using a device called a “medi wheel,” which is programmed at her research clinic to automatically distribute a single day’s dosage of Buprenorphine, a drug that is used to treat opioid dependent adults.

“We’d program the time of day that each day’s dose would be released, and an alarm is emitted, and [the patient] can press a button and get that day’s dose,” Sigmon said. “Really, it’s a way to try and allow them to dose at home, but not be at risk of selling, sharing, losing or taking too much at once.”

Peck said he and Sigmon have worked together closely during his time at UVM. Peck runs the day-to-day operations for Sigmon’s interim Buprenorphine study, and Sigmon has helped him find his own research niche, he said.

“She’s been really helpful for me in just gaining some experience in behavioral pharmacol-

SAWYER LOFTUS/The Vermont Cynic

Stacy Sigmon holds a “medi wheel” device in her clinic in the Vermont Center for Behavior and Health, Feb. 3. The new UVM Center on Rural Addiction is dedicated to addressing the opioid issue within rural communities through developed research. ogy but also in these harm reduction techniques,” Peck said.

“Any time you get to work with someone who has these really

novel and innovative ideas, you learn a lot.”

Sigmon continued on page 3 Illustration by MEILENA SANCHEZ

NEWS

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Five first-years charged with arson Sawyer Loftus news@vtcynic.com

Five UVM first-years have been charged with arson after lighting several doors inside a UVM residence hall on fire early Feb. 9, according to UVM Police Services.

First-years Abigail Coughlin, Anna Siegel, Olivia Cull, Mackenzie Callanan and Jonathan Kraus have been charged with second degree arson, Tim Bilodeau, chief of UVM Police stated in a Feb. 9 email.

Second degree arson carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and a $1,000 dollar fine, according to Vermont law.

In a Feb. 9 email to the UVM community, UVM Police stated that paper decorations on several doors in Harris Hall were lit on fire.

The first fire alarm was activated at 1:37 a.m., and by the time Burlington firefighters arrived, the fires were already out.

“This incident was serious and concerning due to the potential danger that starting several fires on residence hall doors poses to the safety and well-being of residents,” the email stated.

First-year Ruby Bryan, who lives on the second floor of Harris, said the group of students lit a piece of paper on her door on fire.

Bryan said she had just laid down to go to bed when the

BAILEY SAMBER/The Vermont Cynic

Burn marks from fire stain the dorm door of room 215 on the second floor of Harris Hall, Feb. 9. The fire was out by the time emergency responders and UVM Police arrived. fire alarm went off and initially didn’t think much of it.

“I was like ‘oh, it’s just Harris being terrible on a Saturday,’” Bryan said. “I didn’t think it was an actual fire.”

But as she stepped outside her dorm, her nose was filled with the smell of something burning, Bryan said.

“It smelled so toxic burnt, like burnt chemicals, not toast

or anything,” she said.

After the building was deemed safe by first responders, Bryan said she noticed the damage to her door.

Byran and her roommate had decorated the door with stickers of Peppa Pig, a children’s cartoon show character.

Now in some places, Peppa’s face has been smoldered away,

she said.

“It’s not very family friendly anymore,” Bryan said.

At first, Bryan thought the incident was just annoying, but once police started asking questions, her thinking shifted, she said.

“What if the door actually caught on fire?” Bryan said.

“This is Harris. We’d have to jump down two floors. There’s

no way out if there’s actually a fire. That’s so fucked up.

Something could have actually happened.”

The fires do not appear to be targeted, Bilodeau stated in a Feb. 9 email.

The five students have a Feb. 11 court date to answer to the second degree arson charges, but the investigation continues, according to UVM Police.

UVM opens then closes as storm dumps on Burlington Sawyer Loftus news@vtcynic.com

A UVM student is calling on the administration to give faculty and staff who took a personal or sick day due to a snowstorm that day back.

On Feb. 7 the Cynic broke the news that UVM would remain open despite “difficult driving conditions,” according to a Feb. 6 email sent to UVM deans, directors and staff, from Gary Derr, vice president of operations and public safety.

Derr stated in his email all employees who call out will have to use available leave time, if their supervisor approves it.

“Employees are expected to work as scheduled and directed, unless their absence is authorized,” Derr’s email stated. “Supervisors and managers have the ability to deny any request that would interfere with the University’s business operations (e.g. snow removal, de-icing).”

After junior Allyson Werner read the Cynic’s article, Derr’s statements didn’t sit well with her, she said.

“I was like ‘yeah no that’s not okay,’” Werner said. “The weather was crazy and I knew some of my professors commute two hours just to get here.”

In response, Werner started a petition that morning on change.org and by the morning of Feb. 9 it had over 100 signatures, she said.

On Feb. 7, Burlington saw slick and slushy roads, heavy snowfall and gusty winds at times, according to the National Weather Service.

At 12:45 p.m. President Suresh Garimella declared a “state of campus of emergency,” and all buildings, except dining halls, closed by 1:30 p.m. according to a UVM CATAlert.

All schools in Chittenden County, including Burlington School District and Champlain College, were closed Feb. 7.

Although UVM did close, Werner said the decision to open at all was dangerous. She has not heard anything regarding if employees that took time off will be given that day back.

“You shouldn’t be required to take one of your days off that you worked your ass off, just so you don’t die,” she said. “It was crazy.”

UVM Spokesperson Enrique Corredera stated in a Feb. 7 email that the University had been monitoring the storm closely but news that state offices were closing was helpful to guide the decision to close.

“Toward late morning

STEPHAN TOLJAN/ The Vermont Cynic

A UVM Physical Plant employee plows snow with a pickup truck as students navigate around him, Feb. 8. The last time UVM closed campus due to poor weather was Mar. 14, 2017, during spring break. today the forecast for this afternoon and evening changed dramatically, calling for the storm to intensify starting at 2 p.m. until about 10 p.m,” Corredera stated. “The forecast called for upward of 2 inches of snow per hour during that period, which makes it

impossible for grounds crews to keep roadways, walkways and parking lots clear for safe transit.”

UVM did not close earlier because the University was using the most up to date information about the conditions that was available, Corredera

stated.

“By the time it became known that the storm would be intensifying, starting at 2 p.m., employees who work during the morning and afternoon were already on campus,” the email stated.

NEWS

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UVM seeks new research vice president Emma Burnham eburnha1@uvm.edu

UVM has been searching for a new vice president of research since November 2019, but only notified the UVM community about the change in leadership Feb. 5.

Dr. Richard Galbraith, current vice president of research at UVM, will step down once the University finds a replacement, he said. Additionally, Galibraith said he has taken on the position of interim co-director of the UVM Cancer Center.

Galbraith has been at UVM for 25 years and has served as vice president of research for the last five years. In this position Galbraith has been responsible for overseeing all research at the University.

Research grants from all seven colleges at UVM go through Galbraith’s office. He is responsible for receiving the grant money, setting up an account and tracking the spending.

Last year alone Galbraith’s department supervised $114 million in outside funding.

“After student tuition, it’s the biggest single number in our budget,” Galbraith said.

Faculty and students working on projects that require less money or equipment should not feel like their work is any less important, he said.

Sigmon continued from page 1

Additionally, Sigmon’s work with the Chittenden Clinic, an opioid clinic and part of Vermont’s first in the nation Hub and Spoke Program for treating opioid addiction, has helped shrink the waitlist.

In Vermont, it’s estimated that between 15,000 to 20,000 people have Opioid Use Disorder, according to a January 2020 report from the Vermont Department of Health.

As of November 2019, zero Vermonters were on the waitlist for services offered through the state’s Hub and Spoke Model, according to state data.

In that same timeframe, state data says more than 3,000 Vermonters are currently being treated for Opioid Use Disorder.

This is an increase of more than 1,000 Vermonters.

Now, Sigmon’s task of running UVM’s Center on Rural Addiction will not be focused on research, but on spreading the best practices her years of

STEPHAN TOLJAN/The Vermont Cynic

Richard Galbraith, UVM vice president of research, stands before a board of trustees meeting, Jan. 31. Galbraith will continue his work at the UVM Cancer Center.

“I’m for all faculty and different faculty need different things. I mean, a cancer center lab maybe needs $2 million to run,” Galbraith said. “A historian needs $20,000 to work quietly in the library and write.

Those are both equally valuable things.”

Linda Schadler, dean of the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, is the chair of the search committee for Galibrath’s replacement.

She said the committee is

research have developed and giving those tools to doctors in rural Northern New England.

“Think boots on the ground,” she said. “We’re taking these evidence based practices to the rural providers and clinics.”

The center’s home will be at the UVM Medical Center building on South Prospect Street, just on the other side of Waterman Green.

It’s first job is to address opioid addiction, but also all other forms of addiction, like cocaine and meth, which are on the rise, Sigmon said.

Although there will be a physical space, Sigmon said the center’s model will be a hybrid of physical training and a robust phone line system and online database of resources for rural medical providers.

“We’re able to have armies of actual center staff that can truly travel out to the practices in rural counties, armed with 100 medi wheels, 50 Narcan doses and provide hands on training,” Sigmon said. “After that, we can still provide all kinds of support by web or phone or telemedicine platforms.”

Although the first goal is to simply get up and running, Sigmon said she aspires to quickly get the center to a place where it can provide resources at a nationwide level.

The center is set to open March 1.

looking for someone who has a lot of experience with both conducting research and managing the financial aspect of research.

The search committee for Galbraith’s successor has been chaired by the dean of the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, Linda Schadler, who says that they are looking for a candidate who has significant experience administering research.

Additionally, Schadler said that the committee is looking

for someone who will be able to bring people together to develop new, creative ideas that can be marketed for external funding.

UVM is looking to invest more into research in order to improve the University’s ranking on the Carnegie Classification of research institutions, Schadler said.

UVM is currently rated as a High Research Activity university which is below the Very High Research Activity univer-

sity ranking.

“The vice president of research position is important for where we’re trying to go as a university,” she said as to the importance of finding the right candidate for this position.

On Feb. 5, Schadler sent an email to the UVM community announcing that five candidates have been selected and a final round of interviews were to be done, before President Suresh Garimella makes a final decision.

NEWS

4

UVM unveils new breastfeeding spaces Ella Ruehsen iruehsen@uvm.edu

A year after nursing mothers told UVM Staff Council they were having difficulties finding clean places to pump breast milk, the University has added two new lactation stations.

UVM unveiled two new Mamava lactation pods, Feb. 4 in Discovery Hall and Patrick Gym. Mamava is a company with UVM roots, as its CEO and co-founder Sascha Meyer ‘93 is a UVM alumna.

Mamava is a Vermont-based company that designs lactation suites for breastfeeding moms.

At the unveiling, Wanda Heading-Grant, UVM vice president for Human Resources, Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, recalled her early time at UVM when she was still nursing her own children.

“Even as I worried, I still felt fortunate because I had a door and I had an office,” HeadingGrant said. “Everyone does not have a door, and everyone does not have an office.”

After attention to this issue was raised, Stephanie Loscalzo, a UVM Staff Council member, said she worked with Gary Derr, vice president for operations and public safety, and staff at the UVM Affirmative Action Office to form a special committee to study the issue.

The committee, called the Parent Advocacy Group, took note of where spaces were absent or where additional spaces

BAILEY SAMBER/The Vermont Cynic

Mamava employee Erica Hutchins holds her 1-year-old son at the lactation station reveal, Feb. 4. Mamava is a women-owned company with all products made within the U.S. would be useful, she said.

Meyer, said her time at UVM helped to prepare her for her role in the company.

“When I graduated from UVM, I knew my parents were probably thinking, ‘What is she going to do with a sociology major and a women’s studies minor?’” Meyer said. “But clearly given what I do now, my time at UVM prepared me very well.”

The suites serve as a sym-

bol to the broader community at UVM, reminding everyone of the normality of this basic human function, she said.

Erica Hutchins was in the crowd at the event to celebrate the new pods with her 1-yearold son, Emmet.

Hutchins has been working for Mamava for three weeks, and previously worked for UVM for over three years as a marketing and promotions coordinator in the athletic department.

Hutchins said she has had at times difficulty finding clean, private areas to pump milk for her babies, in particular when traveling for work, she said.

“You don’t want to make milk where someone else is going to the bathroom,” she said. “So going to airports that have had pods has truly made a difference, having that kind of amenity.”

As an entrepreneur, female CEO, and a person working

to better many communities through her work, Meyer said she feels lucky.

“To be able to be focused on something really really positive that is around taking care of the next generation is a wonderful place to be,” she said.

“It allows me to get up every day and be energized, versus feeling demoralized by broader cultural forces.”

Coronavirus halts student’s China study abroad trip Maryann Makosiej mmakosie@uvm.edu

Despite a flight booked and bags packed, sophomore Shannon Murphy’s study abroad trip to China was canceled due to deepening concerns about the new, 2019 coronavirus.

Murphy was one of two UVM students slated to go to China.

Hesitation over the decision to cancel the trips was met with anger as students scrambled to find open classes and housing for the semester.

“I still feel super scattered,” Murphy said. “I haven’t settled anywhere. None of my stuff is unpacked. Teachers have been very understanding, but three weeks is one-fifth of the semester that I missed.”

Murphy began planning to go abroad her first year at UVM and started learning Chinese in high school. She found out her program was canceled over email.

“I wasn’t surprised, but I was pretty bummed,” she said. “It was mostly the stress of having to figure out what I was going to do instead really quickly.”

Her spring 2020 program, “China: Health, Environment and Traditional Chinese Medicine,” was hosted by

the School of International Training, a private institution based in Brattleboro, Vermont.

UVM does not directly run any programs in China during the spring semester or summer break but approves outside programs, according to a Feb. 3 email from Kim Howard, director of the Office of International Education.

The decision to cancel the trip was made after a U.S. State Department Level 3 Travel Advisory was issued, according to a statement from the school.

A Level 3 advisory states: “Reconsider Travel: Avoid travel due to serious risks to safety and security,” according to the U.S. Department of State website.

The State Department has since raised the advisory to Level 4: “Do Not Travel.”

“I think it’s very fair that they canceled it, but it’s very difficult,” Murphy said. “I just felt like I didn’t have a lot of options, which is nobody’s fault.”

Chris Murphy, Shannon’s brother, was living in Shanghai for work before fleeing the virus Jan. 27.

“I was on one of the last flights to America at all,” he said. “There are increasing flight restrictions, and I would’ve

ALEK FLEURY/ The Vermont Cynic

Sophomore Shannon Murphy works on her Chinese homework in a coffee shop, Feb. 9. Murphy was one of two students intending to study abroad in China spring 2020. been stuck in China for months if I hadn’t left.”

Uncertainty remains as to the exact number of people who are affected by the virus.

“I don’t believe in the numbers the Chinese government has given,” Chris Murphy said. “It’s in their best interest to underreport them but I also believe the U.S. media has overestimated the severity.”

At the time of publication, there have been 37,198 confirmed cases of the new 2019 strain of coronavirus with 724 deaths worldwide, according to a Feb. 8 statement by China’s National Health Commission.

Eighty-nine deaths and 2,656 new cases were recorded in the preceding 24 hours.

The 2019 coronavirus began in Wuhan, China, and has

since spread worldwide. It is a respiratory virus and symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath, according to the CDC. The first coronavirus case in the U.S. has been confirmed in Boston with two suspected cases in New York City, according to a Feb. 2 CBSNews article.

OPINION

Women, run for local election

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Emily Johnston

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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 Distribution Assistants Cyrus Oswald, Irene Choi, Elena Sepede

EDITORS Copy Chief Liv Marshall copy@vtcynic.com Culture Sarah Robinson cynicculture@gmail.com

ejohnst2@uvm.edu

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merica’s governance needs more women in politics and more people representing younger generations.

In 2018, Vermont had the second highest number of female legislators in the country with 39.4%, according to a 2019 Center for American Women in Politics study. In Burlington, five out of 12 city council members are female.

However, the U.S. as a whole ranks 75th in women’s representation in government, according to an April 2019 CNBC article.

This is a bleak statistic considering the fact our country has local, state and national government agencies.

Congress’s average age is 57.8, according to the Congressional Research Service.

Elderly people being involved in politics are not an issue. The problem occurs when representation is only coming from older generations,

Opinion Mills Sparkman opinion@vtcynic.com Podcasts David Cabrera vtcynicpodcasts@gmail.com Layout / Illustrations Kate Vanni layout@vtcynic.com Photo Stephan Toljan photo@vtcynic.com Assistant Editors Henry Mitchell (Opinion), Meilena Sanchez (Layout), Dalton Doyle (Copy), Allie O’Connor (Culture), Zoe Stern, Maryann Makosiej (News), Bailey Samber (Photo), Cole Fekert (Illustrations) Copy Editors Will Keeton, Zoey Webb, Caroline Jagger Page Designers Stephanie Hodel, George Weed, Mac Mansfield-Parisi

ADVISING Faculty Adviser Chris Evans crevans@uvm.edu

and not the younger.

Sharon Bushor, the incumbent for Ward 1 said to the Cynic Jan. 22, “I think we are shortsighted if we think my generation is the only generation with ideas,” she said.

Bushor has served in this position for over 30 years. Despite wanting to continue, perhaps it is time she hands this ward to the next generation.

UVM senior Jillian Scan-

nell and Burlington residents Zoraya Hightower and Jane Stromberg are running for city council to represent Ward 1 and Ward 8, respectively.

Scannell is UVM’s SGA president. Hightower and Stromberg are the Progressive Party’s nominations.

Each candidate has their own platform but all share something in common: they are young women in politics.

It’s time we stopped watching award shows

Features Greta Rohrer cynicfeatures@gmail.com News / Sports Sawyer Loftus news@vtcynic.com sports@vtcynic.com

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The 2018 midterm elections brought a new record to Congress: 102 women were elected, and of the entire freshman class, more than a fifth were millennials, according to the Pew Research Center.

The youngest millennial is 23 and the oldest is 38. It is about time millennials have a voice in Congress. When I was a little girl all I saw in positions of power were old white men. I want that to change.

Millennials and Generation Z deserve to have candidates that stand for what they want.

After all, these towns and cities will be passed on to them.

So thank you, Scannell and Hightower, for being the change I wish to see. It is inspiring to see fresh faces in politics.

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

Sophie Oehler soehler@uvm.edu

C

ongratulations, everyone. We’ve officially made it to the end of “awards season,” a long and drawn out “season” of award shows and red carpets to celebrate the shining stars of Hollywood and their accomplishments.

I don’t pay much attention to awards season. I would not have been able to tell you any of the Oscar nominees before looking them up to write this article.

I did not follow the drama of the Grammys, save for watching my favorite YouTuber’s fashion review of the red carpet.

In all honesty, I don’t think the award shows are worthy of the hype and debate they receive.

They’re tired, overdone and white-washed, and no matter how much we protest them, it doesn’t seem they will be changing anytime soon.

At the Oscars, Cynthia Erivo is the only person of color nominated for an individual award. At the Grammys last week, Billie Eilish, a white teenager from LA, took home five awards in the six main categories.

Tyler the Creator gave a well-put acceptance speech questioning why the only category he was nominated for was a rap category, even though

in all other aspects of life his music identifies as pop.

And it’s true. African American artists shouldn’t be reserved just for the urban music categories, and they should certainly get more than one leading actress nomination.

I liken the award show season to a very pretentious hipster who has just been asked for music recommendations.

Unless the content in question is philosophical, thought provoking, and produced by a white man, it won’t get the recognition it deserves.

Because if you look at Oscar nominees and winners over the years, you’ll notice some common trends.

Films about people of color are almost always nominated if they depict the suffering of the minority community.

Whether it’s the heart wrenching tragedy of “Twelve Years a Slave,” or the disturbing mind twist of “Get Out,” it seems that the only place we’ll see success for black cinematographers is in a tragedy.

And yet, no matter how many spaghetti westerns Quentin Tarantino makes with Leonardo DiCaprio, somehow we’ll usually see his name up in lights at the Academy Awards.

It’s the same reason why Beyoncé did not receive Album of the Year for “Lemonade” and why Tyler the Creator has been branded with the title of Best Rap Album.

We have a preconceived notion of what black creators can win at. If you don’t walk

out of a film that was directed by a person of color with a tear-streaked face and have a debate about racism on the car ride home, it won’t be noticed at the Oscars.

Unless Lizzo stops making body positive bangers about her pride in black heritage, she’ll never see the kind of success Eilish saw at this year’s Grammys.

It’s time we stopped giving award season the attention it so seldom deserves. Because in the long run, it doesn’t really matter. The music that sustains is forever.

No one will ever be happy with the Grammy nominees or

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winners. There will always be the argument of “Lana Del Rey walked so Billie could run” and “How can so-and-so win, when so-and-so did this?”

So I’ll give you some advice that my mother once told me when my younger brother began his favorite activity of annoying me until I screamed.

“Just ignore him. He’ll get tired eventually.”

If we focus our attention elsewhere, the award shows and their stuffy boards of washed up white men and their judgemental opinions will slowly fade from pop culture.

Stream your favorite artists, whoever they might be. You’re still supporting them both metaphorically and economically, and they will be able to see their stream counts climb and know their work is being well received.

Let the popularity contests become obsolete, and appreciate music and movies for what they really are: art.

I won’t be watching the Oscars anymore. Instead, I’ll be curled up on the couch watching “Hidden Figures” with my dog, and waiting for YouTubers Cody Ko and Kelsey Kreppel to roast Timothée Chalamet’s taste in tuxedos.

I suggest you do the same.

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

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OPINION

Board, give due respect to all protestors KATE VANNI

Meg Trogolo mtrogolo@uvm.edu

U

VM is one step closer to divesting from the fossil fuel industry, but the board of trustees needs to show more respect to everyone involved in the divestment movement.

On Jan. 31, hours after a board meeting where students demonstrated in support of divestment, Vermont Rep. Curt McCormack, a trustee, emailed the entire board saying he was ready to divest.

The reason McCormack gave for his statement was that “the time has come to put this behind us and do the divestment because [the board is] being asked to,” according to a Feb. 3 Cynic article.

During the Jan. 31 board meeting, student groups Organize and the Sunrise Movement protested against the board’s investment in fossil fuel companies.

Students from Organize packed the room where the meeting was held and spoke out during the public comment section.

Meanwhile, members of Sunrise held signs calling out board members by name and sang protest songs at the end of public comment.

McCormack mentioned both groups in his Jan. 31 email, praising Organize while referring to Sunrise in a more negative light.

“I hope that with divestment those serious activists, those who spoke to us, not those who sang to us, will continue to work against climate change,” McCormack’s Jan. 31 email stated, according to the Feb. 3 Cynic article.

That’s an ironic statement from someone who didn’t speak out in October, when the only activists he had to address were those who spoke to him, not those who sang to him.

At the public comment session during last year’s Oct. 25 board meeting, students from Organize filled the room.

They protested by giving short speeches and holding

pro-divestment signs, according to an Oct. 28, 2019 Cynic article.

McCormack implied those are the activists he respects and listens to and that they were the reason he announced his readiness to divest.

However, in October, when he first had the chance to listen to and learn from Organize, he stayed silent, and the board voted to remain invested in fossil fuels.

It took both Organize’s speeches and Sunrise’s signs and songs to get any kind of response from the board.

McCormack’s designation of Organize as “serious activ-

ists” and dismissal of Sunrise is disrespectful to both groups, as well as to every other UVM community member who supports divestment.

Organize, Sunrise and the hundreds of UVM students, staff and faculty who signed pro-divestment petitions all have the same goal.

It’s because of all of these groups together that even one board member spoke out in favor of divesting.

None of these contributions is any less valuable than any other.

McCormack and the board need to give credit where it’s due and respect everyone

involved in the divestment movement, both by acknowledging them and by actually divesting.

In the meantime, let’s keep the pressure on, through speech, petitions, signs and songs.

Through our action, we’ve already convinced one trustee to say he’s ready to divest. With the momentum we have, we can finally make divestment happen.

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

Structural change must come from political revolution Mills Sparkman opinion@vtcynic. com

W

hen Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren announced her candidacy for president last year, I was thrilled to support her. Now I’m not so sure.

Warren was a fresh face to many, myself included.

She is a public school teacher turned Harvard law professor turned senator, and a Republican turned Democrat.

Rather than turning me off, Warren’s changes in viewpoint and career made me more confident in her ability to lead the country.

She saw how the U.S. adapted and adapted herself.

She understood how the Great Recession happened, and she would keep it from happening again as president.

Besides, I wasn’t convinced of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ capability to unite the party, much less the nation.

After he lost the Democratic primary in 2016, albeit among some controversy over the

process, I thought he was just too radical to gain the support needed to win the presidency.

But, after Sanders’ recent success in the Iowa caucuses and Warren’s subsequent drop in the polls, I’m not sure I have that same faith in Warren’s honesty or ability to win anymore.

Unlike Warren, Sanders did undeniably well in the Iowa caucuses, winning 26.1% of the vote to Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s 26.9% according to a Feb. 6 New York Times poll.

Unlike Warren, Sanders has a young and diverse base of supporters.

Thirty-nine percent of Latinos in California said they prefer Sanders, compared to 5% for Warren, according to a September 2019 Public Policy Institute of California study.

Support for Sanders is split evenly between men and women, and most heavily driven by voters aged 18-44, according to a January 2019 Morning Consult and Politico poll.

And Sanders is second only to former Vice President Joe Biden in support from black voters nationwide, according to

a Jan. 12 NPR article.

Unlike Warren, Sanders has stood for the same causes since he was mayor of our college town: a living wage, affordable housing and health care for all, according to his campaign website.

One could even say Sanders was ahead of his time with his work for these causes when his colleagues did not support them.

It was arguably because of his advocacy as mayor and later as a U.S. senator that these causes, and others like them, went from being unrealistic to being essential to a progressive campaign.

Because of Sanders’ work, Warren was able to advocate for the same or very similar policies in the Senate and in her presidential campaign.

However, Warren’s proposals were received very differently, even accepted by more moderate Democrats in a way that Sanders never was.

All this is not to say that I don’t like Warren, because I do.

I feel confused, even somewhat guilty, for changing my mind and not fully supporting a qual-

NI

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ified and accomplished female candidate.

However, I would feel much worse going against my gut in one of the most important elections I will ever vote in.

In 2020, we need a presidential candidate who can rally younger voters and cross both race and gender barriers.

We need a presidential candidate who can understand that President Donald Trump’s election was not a political anomaly but an exposure of injustices that have existed since

the U.S. was first founded.

To solve the great challenges that we face as a country, we need a presidential candidate who has seen them and fought against them all along.

And I don’t think that Warren is that candidate.

Mills Sparkman is a junior political science major. She has been the Opinion Editor since fall 2018.

CULTURE

7

Tri Delta throws annual Delta Desserts Marjorie McWilliams mmcwilli@uvm.edu

Pink streamers, cut out hearts and plates full of decadent desserts filled every room in UVM’s Tri Delta house.

Every spring, UVM’s Tri Delta chapter hosts Delta Desserts, an all-you-can-eat dessert event that raises money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Delta Desserts 2020 was held Feb. 8. This year, the sorority raised $1,200 as of Feb. 9. The sorority is still waiting to calculate more donations from their online fundraising link.

St. Jude has been Tri Delta’s nationwide fundraising partner since 1999.

Donors at the event were granted access to unlimited desserts, photo booths, Valentine’s Day festivities and more.

Delta Desserts is one of three large fundraisers the women in Tri Delta host for St. Jude every year, and it is the only one for which they open their house to the public.

Tri Delta’s vice president of public relations Hailey Weinstein, a junior, was hopeful about increased awarness of the sorority’s goals.

“I think people are noticing our fundraising increasing and that’s causing them to pay attention to us,” Weinstein said.

Tri Delta fundraises mostly by using social media, especially Instagram which they believe helps them reach their fundraising goals, or even

MARY MCLELLAN/The Vermont Cynic

A plate of cookies sits on the table at the Delta Desserts fundraising event hosted by sorority Tri Delta, Feb. 8. Tri Delta has been partnered with St. Jude Children’s Hospital since 1999. exceeding them like this year.

Tri Delta has already raised approximately $18,600 of their original $18,000 goal for this academic year.

“Every woman initiated in Tri Delta makes a dessert and brings it to the house,” Weinstein said. “It’s Valentine’s Day themed and it’s fun to bake and dress for the theme.”

Weinstein and Philanthropy Chair Lindsey Brownfield, a senior, believe the success of the event is partly due to the

passion people have for the cause.

“Many of us are nursing or education majors so we care about the work that St. Jude does for kids and cancer research,” Brownfield said.

Weinstein added that for some people the cause may be particularly important.

“Even if there isn’t a personal connection to the hospital, many have had family members that passed from cancer,” Weinstein said.

Weinstein said Delta Desserts also serves as a great way for bonding within the chapter.

Most Delta Desserts attendees are friends or family of Tri Delta members, but the event is also an opportunity for prospective members to see the work the sorority does.

“It’s a chance to get to know Fraternity and Sorority Life and see the kind of events we do, even if they don’t necessarily join Tri Delta,” Brownfield

said. “Delta Desserts is special because it really encapsulates our love for the sisterhood and for St. Jude.”

Tri Delta member and senior Aysha Clark said it’s special to be able to have an event in their house for the wider community.

“It doesn’t just feel like a Tri Delta event, it feels like a community event that just happens to be in our house, that’s what makes it special,” Clark said.

Burlington native Ace$world writes his own raps Natalie Charron ncharron@uvm.edu

Rapper Ace$world was “born light, light as a feather.”

Senior Andrew “Ace” Trainor-Clark, who records his rap music under the name Ace$world, puts his finished work on Apple Music and Spotify.

Trainor-Clark was born in Sri Lanka and raised in Burlington. He has been recording rap music for the past two years.

He currently has five singles and one EP uploaded on his Spotify page.

Over the span of two years, Trainor-Clark has grown as an artist and learned from other musicians.

Trainor-Clark’s music is inspired by both classic and modern rap and hip-hop artists.

He draws inspiration from artists such as N.W.A, the Notorious B.I.G., Young Thug and Travis Scott.

“I try to understand [these artists’] vibes and what they’re trying to convey, and kind of get inspired by that,” Trainor-Clark said.

Although Trainor-Clark writes his own music, he

collaborates with Burlingtonbased producer Rajit Sachdeva ‘19 to record his songs and create a finished product.

“It takes about three hours to record one song,” TrainorClark said.

Sachdeva and TrainorClark have been collaborating in Southwick Hall and in Sachdeva’s home studio for one year.

“We’ll start recording vocals, he’ll have what he wants to write already,” Sachdeva said.

“He’ll start rapping, and if I see anything that I can try and help improve on, I’ll let him know.”

Sachdeva said TrainorClark is different from other artist’s he’s worked with and acknowledges his growth as an artist.

“I think he brings a lot of energy to the table that a lot of people may not,” Sachdeva said.

Trainor-Clark records songs that convey personal messages, such as “Trust Issues” and “In My Head.”

“I do draw from my own personal life a good amount, but I also try to look at what my friends are feeling around me,” Trainor-Clark said. “When everybody’s in a good mood the song is in a good mood.”

ZOE COLGAN-SELLERS/The Vermont Cynic

Senior Andrew “Ace” Trainor-Clark stands against a tree outside the Davis center, Feb. 6. TrainorCark’s music is produced by Burlington-based producer Rajit Sachdeva ‘19.

Trainor-Clark aspires to educate his listeners as well.

He has taken French classes for eight years and took Italian at UVM – two languages he incorporates into his music in order to give it a different tone and educate his listeners.

“I want my music to also educate people,” Trainor-Clark said.

Trainor-Clark puts a significant amount of time,

money and energy into his art.

“Blood, sweat and tears,” Trainor-Clark said. “I’m not just doing this for people to listen to me and get attention. I’m doing this because this is what I want to do.”

This effort is recognized by his producer as well.

“I think his music only gets better from song to song, just because he puts everything into it,” Sachdeva said.

Trainor-Clark has been recording new music recently which he hopes will include a surprise feature from a wellknown artist.

Trainor-Clark’s music can be found on Spotify and Apple Music under “Ace$world.”

He can be found on Instagram @acesworld and on Facebook as Ace Trainor-Clark.

8

COMICS

Introducing Cynic ComicS

STICK IN THE MUD - “TEXTING IN REAL LIFE”

HEY MAN, HOW‛S IT GOING? it‛s going great, you?

BY ADAM HINCKLEY

SO... Are we gonna finish this conversation, or what?

BYE.

END

CULTURE

9

100 word rants Emma Adams Anna Kolosky

eadams5@uvm.edu

akolosky@uvm.edu

University Heights has a bunch of fancy stuff: pool tables, RAs who really care, private bathrooms and elevators. But, alas, the average UHeights plebeian cannot get an elevator pass. I have to take off my parka and scarf to walk up 88 flights of steps, as I live on the fourth and final floor. Kids fake broken femurs to be granted elevator access, and that is ridiculous. I shouldn’t have to risk dropping my oat milk jugs down the stairs and I shouldn’t have to construct a disability, either. #PassesForAll. *On a positive note, the UHeights stairs are my main form of cardio and I occasionally wake up with sore glutes.*

ELENI PAPPAS

Why are Ugg boots still a thing?

I thought Ugg boots stopped being KELLY TURNER a socially acceptable piece of footwear in 2009. Why are they still here in this new decade?

I can understand wearing Ugg boots or slippers around your house or if you’re injured, but why do people still wear them in the snow?

They’re not winter boots at all. They get filthy and destroyed after a few wears and they’re not supportive.

They also have no traction, so you’ll slip on ice if you wear them during the Vermont winter. Ugg boots? More like Ugh boots.

It seems so unfair that the students who live on other campuses are taken directly to their dorms via late-night CatBus while the residents of Redstone are forced to walk from Patrick Gym. After a night out with my friends on the other side of campus, the last thing I want to do is endure a walk from the gym to my dorm. The sub-zero temperatures at 2 a.m. are enough to make me never want to go out again. Redstone campus is a highly populated area and several students always accompany me on my walk to Coolidge hall, and none of us are ever happy about it.

Natalie Charron

ADAM HINKLEY

ncharron@uvm.edu

Hey Mike Bloomberg, jmacbrid@uvm.edu why did you start your Burlington rally at 12:15 p.m.? Do you only want seniors to come?

By the way, my mom only came to get merch for Aunt Alice. She keeps calling you Blumberg, but you should still get her to run your campaign out of her senior living complex.

She wants to assemble an army of 80-yearolds to chase your opponent out of the White House for you.

All you have to do is take a left turn off the Jersey turnpike and lead a 9:00 a.m. chair yoga session in the rec room, and she will do the rest.

Jean MacBride

MCKEN

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Alicia Wolfram

I cannot be the only one who mid-homework gets rudely interrupted at 9 p.m. by a grumbling stomach. The dining halls close at 8 p.m., the time of day most college students come out of hibernation. The time between a normal dinner time and bedtime for a college student is longer than the time between any of our other meals, so it’s no wonder we are starving by the time we retire for the night. While many students take advantage of “Late Night” at the Grundle, for students on any campus besides Athletic, walking 15 minutes at 10 p.m. in Vermont temperatures isn’t exactly inviting. Staying open even one hour later would be enormously appreciated.

awolfram@uvm.edu

SA VA N

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Evan Peck empeck@uvm.edu

Between the last time I went skiing and the next time I go, there will be a generation of ski babies born that will whiz past me. Born to wealthy parents, these young park rats begin shredding as soon as they can stand. In no time, they are tormenting below average skiers with their amazing speed, skill and complete disregard for others. Please, lil’ X Games prodigies, when you are old enough to understand the self-esteem problems you cause my brother and myself as your two-foot-tall body hops off a jump, have mercy. But for now, stay gnarly, little snowballs.

PHOTO FEATURE

10

Just as tough

Roller derby team shows support for equal pay

STEPHAN TOLJAN/The Vermont Cynic

Alek Fleury newsroom@vtcynic.com

When first-year Isabella Ross first found out about roller derby, she was on a really bad date.

“I went to the bathroom and it had a sign, ‘Roller Derby.’ And I was like, ‘I’m sorry I have to go,’” she said.

Ross then found her-

self training for the Green Mountain Roller Derby team and volunteering for events.

At the team’s #EQUALPAY match Feb. 1 at the Champlain Valley Expo, she was running the merch table.

“It’s a six-week long course,” Ross said. “It’s super intensive. You come

in every Tuesday between 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. and you come to the same track, the same flat ground.

“They give you gear, and that’s how I began. You know I can stand now. So I guess it’s going great.”

Team captain Trasher, who is also rookie coach and Green Mountain Roller Derby president, started

playing roller derby when she moved to Vermont in 2015.

At the Feb. 1 match, the teams wore custom #EQUALPAY jerseys, inspired by Burlington High School girls soccer team and Change the Story VT, an initiative to advance women’s economic well-being in Vermont.

“We don’t have to be polite little girls all the time,” Trasher said. “We can be bad asses and we’re just as tough as the guys are and we deserve just as much as they do.”

HOUSE AD

11

Through the Lens

Interested in photography?

Join the Cynic’s photo staff at General Meetings 7:00 p.m. Wednesdays in the Fishbowl

SPORTS

12

MICHAELA REARDON/The Vermont Cynic

Men’s basketball forward Ryan Davis, a sophomore, falls to the ground in a struggle for the ball during a home game, Feb. 5. The next home game will be against University of New Hampshire Feb. 12.

Men’s b-ball wins nine straight games Hayley Rosen hrosen@uvm.edu

UVM men’s basketball is on a nine game winning streak after defeating University of Hartford, Feb. 8.

The newfound win streak is the longest the team has had since the middle of the 2017-18 season.

In the 2018-19 season, the Cats’ longest winning streak was six games.

The team’s success can be largely attributed to different

contributors with various statistics.

Senior forward Anthony Lamb leads the team in scoring, and is currently averaging 17.2 points per game. Lamb also leads the team in made and attempted field goals, free throw percentage, rebounds and blocks.

Junior guard Stef Smith leads the team in 3-point shots made per game, assists and steals.

He also averages 14.3 points per game, making him the

second leading scorer on the roster.

In a post-game interview posted on the official UVM men’s basketball Twitter page, head coach John Becker also commented on the importance of various players stepping up and contributing.

“Smith did a great job keeping us in it when [Lamb] was in foul trouble,” Becker said. “In the second half, Everett Duncan shot the ball really well and [Shungu] found Davis at the end and we were

able to walk out of there with a win.”

Sophomore forward Ryan Davis scored the winning basket in Feb. 8’s contest against the Hawks with four seconds remaining on the clock. He totaled 16 points in the game.

Senior guard Everett Duncan led the team in scoring against the Hawks, and totaled 18 points in that contest.

After the victory over Hartford, the Cats are now 19-6 overall with a 9-1 record in conference play.

Additionally, Vermont is currently the top ranked team in the America East.

They have two more conference wins than the No. 2 team, Stony Brook University.

Vermont looks to further extend their winning streak in their next contest at 7 p.m. Feb. 12 against University of New Hampshire at home in Patrick Gym.

Men’s hockey coach to retire at the end of the season Aryanna Ramsaran aramsara@uvm.edu Hayley Rosen hrosen@uvm.edu

UVM athletics announced that men’s hockey head coach Kevin Sneddon is retiring after this season.

Sneddon announced he will not be returning for the 202021 season Feb. 4 at a media press conference.

“The decision to retire from college hockey coaching and announce this now has been a difficult one, but I truly believe it is in the best interest of the program,” Sneddon said.

In his 17 years at UVM, Sneddon’s teams have had six seasons with a winning record in conference play. He coached the team to the Frozen Four in the 2008-09 season.

Additionally, his team had

three NCAA appearances, according to UVM athletics.

“I know you join me in wishing [Sneddon] well both personally and professionally as he moves on from UVM,” said athletic director Jeff Schulman in a letter to the UVM hockey community.

UVM men’s hockey assistant coach Jeff Hill took to Twitter to say his goodbyes and express his gratitude to Sneddon. As a graduate from 2008, Hill played for Sneddon, according to UVM athletics.

“Can’t thank Kevin Sneddon enough for all he’s done for this program & for opportunities he’s given me as a player & coach. One of the best people I know who deserves nothing but the best for his future,” Hill’s tweet stated.

Hall also tweeted about Sneddon’s retirement. “Can’t

thank Kevin Sneddon enough for everything over the last 10 years working with @ UVMmhockey. From an intern in 2009 who asked way too many questions on the bus to today it’s been an honor [to] help tell the stories of his student-athletes,” the tweet stated.

Sneddon said, “I will continue to love, care and teach our student-athletes daily and compete with everything I have for the remainder of this season,” according to Hall.

The men’s hockey team has nine regular season games remaining, with their next game scheduled for Feb. 7 at the University of New Hampshire, according to UVM athletics.

Image Source: UVM Athletics

After 17 years at UVM, men’s hockey coach Kevin Sneddon announced he would be retiring after this season. “The decision to retire from college hockey coaching and announce this now has been a difficult one but I truly believe it is in the best interest of the program,” Sneddon said.