THEVERMONTCYNIC THE Issue 22 - Volume 136 | March 3, 2020 | vtcynic.com
Student models show that solidarity is always in style More on page 8
Natalie Charron ncharron@uvm.edu
Backstage, models dressed in colorful outfits and prepared to walk the runway. As the music started to play, they walked out to a cheering crowd. The dimming of the house lights marked the beginning of the Black Student Union Fashion Show, titled “Black in Style.” The show took place at 7 p.m. Feb. 29 in the Davis Center’s Livak Ballroom. As the events coordinator for Black Student Union, sophomore Hannah Nyoike directed the planning of the show. “The BSU fashion show is always on the last Saturday of Black History Month to end off Black History Month with a bang of culture and experience,” Nyoike said. The annual fashion show is put on by BSU every year, and this year they collaborated with the African Student Union. The show featured the designs of artists from surrounding cities, including New York City and Philadelphia, and from around the world. The artists design the clothes themselves and lent them to the show. Designers featured included Yaya Taleh, Obioma Fashion from Nigeria and Mimi Designs. Mimi of Mimi Designs hails from Conakry, Guinea. The show featured entertainment from the UVM Afrofusion Dance Team and a rapper from State University of New York at Plattsburgh who goes
by the stage name Rahhyoung. It was MC’d by Jayson Okanlawon, who goes by the stage name Jay the Entertainer. Okanlawon’s commentary highlighted the cultural theme of the show. He discussed his Nigerian heritage and asked members of the audience where they were from to highlight the diversity of the crowd. Every BSU fashion show is based on a theme. “This year’s theme was ‘Black in Style,’” Nyoike said. “We wanted to showcase some of the fashion in black culture and how popular it has become.” All of the models were UVM students, including junior Izzy Suarez. “It was really really fun,” Suarez said. “It was kind of scary, but everyone was just so amazing, and the crowd had such good energy.” The models who walked in the show practiced their strut for the past two months, Suarez said.
“The prep was really intense,” Suarez said. “We practiced every Saturday and Sunday for the entirety of February and most of January, for like several hours.” As the models emerged from behind the curtain and strutted to the end of the catwalk, they struck poses that played to each side of the audience. The crowd cheered as they struck poses that highlighted the clothes, and the audience roared with applause as models posed dynamically together. BSU President and sophomore Zyakkiriah Rhoden said the models worked hard to prepare. “They really put the work in and it’s finally paying off,” Rhoden said. The designs featured streetwear, formal wear and traditional African prints. Suarez said she loved the clothes that were chosen for her, and that if she could have taken them home with her she would.
BAILEY SAMBER/The Vermont Cynic
TOP: Model and UVM alumna Pam Winee stands with arms stretched wide during the BSU Fashion Show, Feb. 29. LEFT: UVM dance group Afrofusion performs during the BSU Fashion Show, Feb. 29. RIGHT: Junior Izzy Suarez (front) leads three models across the stage, Feb. 29. “I loved them,” Suarez said. “I was so lucky to have mine fit really well.” Each model, designer and
entertainer was met with booming applause, and the crowd was still talking about the show as they exited the ballroom.
NEWS
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A low-barrier, on-campus food pantry for UVM students has opened its doors after nearly two years in the making. Rally Cat’s Cupboard, an on-campus food pantry, opened Feb. 24 in the Hills Agricultural building. The project was started by former SGA President Ethan Foley, a senior, after a study was released identifying that one-fifth of UVM students are food insecure. SGA President Jillian Scannell, a senior, has continued the project, and has been looking forward to the food pantry’s opening for months. “I can’t even put this into words,” Scannell said. To access the food pantry, students just need to present a valid CATcard. The pantry has only been open officially for two days but has already seen students come through, Scannell said. “I was excited that right up front, we’ve already served seven folks,” Scannell said. “Right at 4 p.m., people were hanging around, and were like ‘is this open? Can we come in?’” When the pantry was open Feb. 28, 20 UVM students used the pantry, Scannell said. UVM President Suresh Garimella said he was thrilled by the initiative students took to create the pantry. “It’s really impressive that there was a group in SGA that got this going and were very focused and didn’t let anything stop them,” Garimella said. The pantry will be open on the third Monday of every month, but Garimella is hoping that the pantry will open more
iruehsen@uvm.edu
A program aimed to decrease the use of cars has drawn over 30 UVM faculty and staff to turn in their parking passes this year. During the 6-month program, that starts in September and goes through May, participants take the bus, carpool, bike or walk instead of driving. “The University realized they didn’t have enough parking to keep up with growth and demand,” said Jack Hanson, a Burlington city councilor and the supervisor for the internship program that has spearheaded this initiative. Program participants are offered a $75 gift card to a local store, in addition to the guarantee that they won’t have to pay for a parking pass. Interns met with everyone who registered and helped them understand the bus schedule in relation to where they live before they began the program. Participants are also provided with 12 single-day use park-
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Zoe Stern zstern@uvm.edu
SGA DOLES OUT THOUSANDS
MICHAELA REARDON/The Vermont Cynic
(Left to Right) Dietician Nicole Reilly, President Suresh Garimella and SGA President Jillian Scannell, a senior, prepare to cut the ceremonial ribbon of Rally Cat’s Cupboard, Feb. 24. often and that people will use the pantry. “It will be a little unrealistic to expect that somehow all food insecurity will go away,” Garimella said. “But at least there is a beacon of hope for those that are feeling pretty defeated. Hopefully, they’ll come here. Hopefully, the word gets around.” There are many people in the community who want to support things like the food pantry, Garimella said. “I hope people will come out and provide some support and fun, giving to these kinds of efforts,” Garimella said. Although Garimella said he hopes the pantry will have more hours, what is more important is having consistent hours, he said. “I think regularity and de-
pendability are probably more important to me than say, being over [certain] hours,” Garimella said. Dietician Nicole Reilly, cochair for the Food Insecurity Working Group, has been working with SGA to help open the pantry. “We’ve been really excited to start with a pantry,” Reilly said. “But it was a lot of work to get it up and running, and SGA last year really took this under their wing, and we’re so excited.” The process to set up the pantry has been in the works for a month, and Scannell said she is excited to see how the pantry is going to operate. “We just got a $1,000 Sodexo grant, which we took to Costco to fill the shelves,” Scannell said. “We’re hoping to partner with local farms and get
green produce here.” The pantry also recieved a $200 gift card from Trader Joe’s to stock up before Feb. 28. The pantry will join the Vermont Food Bank Network, making it the first college food pantry in Vermont to do so, Scannell said. “It’ll provide us a lot of opportunities to get wholesale food,” Scannell said. “But then [we] can get some frozen food too.” Students have already given Scannell suggestions on other foods to stock, like allergen-friendly foods “I don’t really hope the food starts flying off the shelves, but I want people to use it,” Scannell said. “I want people to know that we’re here. We want people to come in and feel comfortable.”
Program encourages staff to ditch their cars Ella Ruehsen
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On campus food pantry opens
ing passes for emergencies. “It’s good security,” Hanson said. “People are scared, but then when they do it, they’re like, ‘Oh, actually, we don’t really need these.’” UVM partnered with the Chittenden Area Transportation Management Association or CATMA, a non-profit transportation agency, which also helped to make more rersouces available. With the resources from CATMA, UVM has already decreased the percentage of employees who drive alone to work every day from 75% to 55%. With a grant from the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission for participant incentives, the interns got to work recruiting. They sent out email bursts to all the faculty and staff who live within a certain mile radius of a bus stop, and called everyone who clicked a link expressing interest. The idea is to continue renewing funding for this programming in future years and to keep expanding the project
SGA approved over $36,000 in funds for four clubs at their weekly meeting Feb. 25 and passed a measure supporting the Prism Center. Funds were allocated to the UVM snowboard team, nordic ski, triathlon and freestyle ski clubs. The snowboard team will receive $17,000, nordic ski will receive $4,500, the triathlon club will receive $6,500 and the freestyle ski club will receive $8,700. The clubs all qualified for nationals. The snowboard team has around 40 members who ride PARKS at Sugarbush Resort, senior Nick Meerburg said. The club also has a coach who they hired through SGA. The group will be going to the U.S. Amateur Snowboard Association Nationals and will send around 16 snowboarders. The freestyle ski team has around 80 members, according to their UVM club page. Their nationals will be in Lake Placid, New York. The nordic ski team is sending eight members to nationals, said senior Ayden Henson, president of the team. “We’re one of the few club teams that get to send skiers to compete at nationals,” Henson said. Both the freestyle ski team and the nordic ski club will be attending U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association Nationals. The triathlon team will be attending nationals in Arizona, club Treasurer Tim Hoopes, a sophomore, said.
SGA GIVES THEIR SUPPORT TO PRISM
BAILEY SAMBER/The Vermont Cynic
Senior Carolynn Van Arsdale, chair on the Committee on Diversity, Inclusion and Equity, proposed a resolution supporting a permanent space for the Prism Center. The Prism Center is currently in the Allen House, but does not have total control of the space, Van Arsdale said. The resolution passed.
transportation habits.” A lot of people found public transportation more convenient than driving, she said. The interns are looking to open up the program to students in the future, but are currently working on expanding the program downtown. On Feb. 28, the group asked for more funds to expand their program to downtown.
Senior Nick Bouffard, a senator on the Academic Affairs Committee, introduced a bill to create changes to the operation documents. The bill was passed. Students studying abroad in the spring cannot run for president or vice president, Bouffard said. “When you’re abroad, you can’t be physically present for the debate and the petition signatures, which you have to collect 250,” Bouffard said.
A UVM employee parking pass hangs from the rearview mirror of a car in Jeffords parking lot. Parking permits are assigned according to the workplace of the employee. over time. “Our goal this year was 30 participants and we hit 30 a couple of weeks ago, so that aspect has been going really well,” said intern Abbie Dillon, a senior. “We’ve interviewed the participants, and they’ve given a lot of really positive feedback,” Dillon said. “People are really pleased with their change in
NEW ELECTIONS RULES APPROVED
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UVM upgrades campus clock irene Choi
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Since April 2019, all four faces of the Ira Allen Clock Tower displayed incorrect times. After a renovation of the clock mechanics, almost a year later, the clock now displays the correct time on every side. Though the project to renovate the Ira Allen Clock Tower began in October, the internal mechanics of the clock were replaced with a new electronic device three weeks ago, said Sal Chiarelli, director of UVM Physical Plant. Originally, the clock relied on a mechanism driven by a swinging pendulum within the tower. The old mechanics were replaced with the electronic device to make the clock more accurate and more cost efficient, Chiarelli said. This device allows the clock mechanics to be controlled by a computerized system that will set the time on each of the clock faces to the minute and will automatically adjust for daylight saving time, much like a digital watch or smartphone, he said. Though the project cost around $60,000 in total,
STEPHAN TOLJAN/ The Vermont Cynic Master electrician Richard Trieb stands in front of one of the new control boxes in the Ira Allen Clocktower, Feb. 28. Trieb installed and wired all of the new electronics parts of the clock.
the investment on the clock is worth it, Chiarelli said. UVM won’t have to worry about readjusting the clock faces every couple of months, and clock maintenance will be cheaper in the long run, he said. The Physical Plant Department also worked with the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation to update the clock’s mechanics without jeopardizing the historical integrity of the clock tower, Chiarelli said. Construction on Ira Allen Chapel first started in 1925. VDHP works to help modernize
historic buildings all over Vermont, including UVM, said Laura Trieschmann, state historic preservation officer. VDHP meets with UVM Physical Plant every month to discuss projects and ideas for UVM campus, she said. “Sometimes when you’re dealing with a historic resource, you’re trying to do a cheap fix that a historic building doesn’t necessarily marry well with,” she said. “We come in and give some free professional advice about historic buildings. We have some good teamwork.” In the case of the tower, VDHP made sure the installation of new mechanisms didn’t damage the inside of the tower so the structure would remain intact, she said.
“When you start altering something, a lot of times you have to take a little bit of a building’s history,” she said. “And then you have to take a little bit more and a little bit more and eventually, you’re left with nothing.” The most challenging part was replacing the original wooden hands of the clock with a lighter and more durable metal material while keeping the original design of the clock hands, but working with the physical plant made the work relatively easy, she said. “They really did their homework and knew exactly what we were looking for,” she said. Students don’t look at the clock tower to tell time, first-year Tony Mitchell said. “I knew the clock wasn’t right, but I didn’t know they fixed it,” he said. “I haven’t looked at the clock in months.” Fixing the clock is still important to UVM, Chiarelli said. “It’s mostly a decoration now because most people just use their phones or watches,” he said. “But the clock tower is beautiful, and we want to make sure that it’s telling at least close to the right time.” Overall, the Physical Plant Department is happy to be servicing UVM’s campus, Chiarelli said. “We’re always trying to improve campus so it’s safer or more efficient,” he said.
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VT considers new tobacco restrictions Maryann Makosiej mmakosie@uvm.edu
A controversial push to ban all flavored tobacco products in Vermont has been met with mixed reactions from students, health professionals and tobacco shops alike. The bill, introduced Jan. 14, proposes to ban the sale or possession of flavored cigarettes, flavored electronic cigarettes and flavored substances that contain nicotine. It would also allow for the seizure and destruction of these tobacco products, according to the Vermont General Assembly. Colby Curtis is an employee at Garcia’s, a local tobacco shop on Church Street. “We definitely oppose the law,” Curtis said. “We sell tons of e-liquids, disposable devices, chewing tobacco and cigs. It would seriously impact our business.” Sophomore Andrew Greenberg is a student who uses tobacco products. “If you were addicted before, nothing’s going to change,” Greenberg said. “If you want to get it, you can still get it.” Sophomore Haley Hess uses tobacco and is an advocate for the ban. “I think it’s a good thing,” Hess said. “It’ll completely cut out younger users, like kids in middle school and high school.” Dr. Prospero Gogo is an interventional cardiologist at the
Photo Illustration by STEPHAN TOLJAN/The Vermont Cynic
The ban on flavored tobacco products will go to vote in either late April or mid-May. UVM offers resources to students trying to quit nicotine products, with information available at Living Well. UVM Medical Center and an advocate for the ban. “One in two Vermont high school students have used a vaping product in the last year, and one in three are using it regularly,” Dr. Gogo said. “We have a population wide experiment going on right now with these untested products.” Gogo said a ban on flavored tobacco would apply mainly to retailers, not individuals. “If you have a pod that’s banned in Vermont and you get
What’s that water tower? Emma Burnham eburnha1@uvm.edu
Looking across UVM’s Redstone campus, the horizon is obstructed by an elevated water tower with metal rods that extend above the top of the tower. What are they for? The water tower is accompanied by a cylindrical, brick building and an assortment of cables that extend from the top of the tower to the ground. As it turns out, this elevated tower doubles as a cell phone tower for AT&T. Both water towers on campus sit on plots of land within the campus that belong to the city of Burlington. The city has leased the Redstone elevated tower to AT&T as a source of “non-water sales revenue,” according to Steve Roy, an engineer for the city of Burlington’s Water Resources Center. The city declined to comment on the price AT&T pays for the lease. The elevated tower was built in 1934 as a replacement for the previous water tank, which is the small, brick building that still stands next to the elevated tank today. The previous tank now serves as storage for the radio equipment and cellular antennas that are on the elevated tank, Roy said.
KAYLA GRAY/The Vermont Cynic
The water tower on Redstone campus is owned by the city.
Roy said the exterior of the elevated tower will need to be recoated this year as a part of a 10-year contract that the city made with a tank repair company called Suez. “This year that tank needs to be taken offline in order to be completely sandblasted to bare metal and repair and recoated,” Roy said. “It’s due.” Suez will be paid by the city of Burlington for these services, Roy said.
caught with it by a law authority, they won’t write you a ticket for $250,” he said. “The penalty is mostly to the sales of flavored tobacco products by retailers.” The proposed ban follows the passage of the Tobacco 21 law in September 2019 that raised the legal age to purchase tobacco to 21. Both Tobacco 21 and the proposed ban are initiatives to reduce the incidence of nicotine addiction among young people. Michael Hill Jr. is a sub-
stance misuse prevention specialist at Living Well. “If you cannot make the choice to turn down that substance when you want to, that is when you should reflect on why you can’t,” Hill said. Kick the Habit is a new program at Living Well to help students cut back or quit nicotine or tobacco use. “We are willing and open to talk with anyone who might be engaging with dip, betel nuts, tobacco, a mixture of marijua-
na, cannabis and tobacco,” Hill said. “It’s a non-shaming environment.” The program is hosted every Wednesday from 2-4 p.m. and is meant to help students begin or continue their journey to quitting nicotine, often by connecting students to resources on campus or in the community, Hill said. The fate of the bill will be decided in the Vermont Legislature in mid-April or early May.
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motivating, according to an October 2019 BBC article. We may sulk in our perceived powerlessness, but we are not powerless. One solution to help get through this negative state of thought is to form support groups and organizations to talk about the issue. Carbon Conversations is an organization that bills itself as a place for group discussion and planning action to reduce climate impacts. A study in the same BBC article shows most participants had less climate anxiety as a result of the program. Climate support groups are an effective tool in getting us
to accept that both individually and collaboratively, we can play a role in mitigating environmental catastrophe. In addition to these, a subsequent action to take one’s mind of the perceived hopelessness of the situation is to face the problem head on and play a role in the fight against global warming. Taking action against climate change can reduce anxiety levels by restoring a sense of agency in the community, according to a November 2019 Time magazine article. Attending a climate protest, changing your lifestyle to be more sustainable or running ?
for office to have a say in government are just a few things you can do to play a part. As environmentally conscious students, I believe that climate-related depression and anxiety should be addressed one way or another. If our University wants its students to feel confident moving forward, maybe it should make an effort to help get us through this crisis.
Jordan Spindel is a sophomore environmental science major. He has been writing for the Cynic since ? spring 2020.
Despite faults in election system, go vote ?
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removal. KATE VANNI ? ? ? States like Wisconsin, TenHenry Mitchell nessee, Mississippi and more hdmitche@uvm.edu require state IDs from their ? ? ? residents to be eligible to vote, ? ? according to the National Con???? ference of State Legislatures’ ?? webpage on voter identifica-? ? oday, March 3, is “Super ? ? ? ? ? ? tion. Tuesday” when 14 states ? Government-issued IDs can will hold their primary ? ? ? ? ? be costly or time-consuming to elections. ? acquire, and often not an opMany people are rightfully tion for low income or disabled worried about their preferred ? ? ? ? voters.? candidate not getting nominat? Furthermore, we should be ed as the official Democratic ???? concerned that partisan news Party nominee. ?? ? ? networks benefit?the We need to keep fighting ? loudest ? ?? ? and wealthiest candidates, and remember our votes do ? ? ? without giving fair representa- ? matter. Despite the flaws in our ? ? ? tion towards those who don’t election system, we’ve made ? meet their standards. more progress than we realize. Despite these setbacks, I We saw mishaps at the Iowa ? ? still caucuses, where the Democrat? ? believe we’re progressing. ? ? ? For starters, voter turnout ic National Committee chose a ???? has only increased since Presfaulty app to count the votes, ???? ident Donald Trump’s election which resulted in mass confu? ? ?? ? a lot of improvement to be Former Georgia State Rep. in 2016. While total voter turnsion, according to a Feb. 6 Vox ? ? made, but that’s no reason to Stacey Abrams just barely lost out ?was higher in 2016 than in article. stop now. the 2018 Georgia gubernato2018, this is to be expected for Another concern is the rise ? ? ? Make sure you, your friends rial election, and former Rep. a midterm election. of voter suppression, especially and your family are registered Beto O’Rourke’s lost by 2.5% What is even more impresfrom Republican governments. ? to vote and make your voice to incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz? sive is that over 30 million According to the Brennan ? ? heard at the ballot box. for the Texas U.S. Senate seat, more voters turned out for Center, between 2014-16, 16 according to a May 2019 New 2018 than 2014. In fact, it was million voters were purged ???? York Times article. the largest turnout in over 100 from polls. Such practices are ? ? Henry Mitchell is a junior With all the negative news years, according to the U.S. designed to keep voter rolls uppolitical science and ecocirculating on cable news and Elections Project’s data. dated, but a large part is due to ? nomics major. He has been Twitter, it seems easy to lose Democrats have started to state negligence or intention to the assistant opinion editor track of the real progress we’re realize they can mount success remove certain demographics since fall 2017. making. There’s obviously still in “solidly red” states. by not notifying them of their
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ne of the biggest global issues of our time is climate change. We are just starting to see its effects: droughts, floods and fires. These effects will only get more severe in the future, according to a November 2018 United Nations report. But there is one effect that goes underreported: anxiety and depression among generations growing up in this warming world. In recent years, talk of climate change has popped up more in the news cycle, and although reporting on it spreads awareness of the issue, very little of that news is positive. The prospect of growing up in a world ravaged by the environmental and societal effects of global warming scares many, including myself. What makes this even more hardhitting is that we contribute to this change individually. I have been an environmental science major for almost two years and have been feeling this overwhelming sense of dread since my first day. Many others feel the same as I do, weighed down by the same guilt. This feeling of guilt is very unhelpful because it isn’t
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OPINION
We need shorter political campaign periods Sophie Oehler soehler@uvm.edu
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t’s the 59th Quadrennial Presidential Marathon, and we’re approaching the mile 20 water station. Bernie is handing out Gatorade, Warren is chasing you with her cowbell and Trump is blasting “Eye of the Tiger.” This campaign cycle will be the longest recorded in both U.S. and world history, according to an April 2015 New York Times article. But that’s not a record to be proud of. America has always been known to draw out the election process as far as physically possible, so candidates have enough time to make a solid case for why they should be the next leader of our country. The American public set off on their never-ending trek to the end of campaign season 1,117 days ago, when President Donald Trump announced his campaign for re-election in February 2017. In Britain, the long election cycle lasts 139 days, according to an April 2015 New York Times article. The normal race begins five weeks before election day, when the Queen dissolves Parliament. In France, the candidates are only supposed to campaign for two weeks, although they are allowed to debate and make public appearances up to six months before election day, according to the Library of Congress website.
Now, we don’t have to be that extreme, but America should consider making their campaign season much shorter. It would conserve the enthusiasm of the candidates and the public, and make the race to election day more about policy, and not popularity. The first problem we face with such a long election cycle is excessive fundraising by candidates. The longer the race lasts, the more ads need to be paid for, the more rallies need to be funded and the more staff needs to be compensated. As a grassroots candidate, Sen. Elizabeth Warren has been known to use her debate time to accuse more fundraiserdependent candidates, such as former candidate Pete Buttegieg, of sucking up to big money corporations to earn their “dark money.” Long campaign seasons not only have an effect on wallets, but on attitudes. The Democratic debates have become more about attacking colleagues and fighting over the same three issues than actually discussing plans for the country. We’re all essentially living in the reality show “the Bachelor.” We began with a pool of over 20 hopefuls, whose names I can now barely remember. In a Gallup poll from 2019, researchers discovered as the campaign continued, voter interest rate decreased by 15% over the course of three months. It’s acceptable for a
CYNICAL OPINIONS SUBTITLES ARE ACTUALLY SUPER HELPFUL Gabby Felitto gfelitto@uvm.edu
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he first thing I do when putting a movie on is click the little subtitle box on the corner of my screen. Watching Netflix while having subtitles on is better than without. As someone with hearing aids, they’re super helpful. I can pay much more attention to what I’m watching when they’re on. They make everything more engaging and
MCKENNA BLACK
program such as “the Bachelor” to lose views due to boredom. But when it comes to the election of our country’s leader, we shouldn’t be losing attention because people are too exhausted to keep up. The presidential election is possibly the most important public event that happens
in the U.S., so it is dire that American citizens stay engaged. By adopting a shorter election cycle, politics could avoid the campaign quicksand. The finish line is just around the corner. Pete is clapping you in and Biden is waiting to give you your “I survived the campaign season
of 2020” T-shirt. So soldier on, brave political athletes. Your race is almost up.
Sophie Oehler is a sophomore French and political science major. She has been writing for the Cynic since fall 2019.
noah centineo isn't as cute as you think Sophie Oehler soehler@uvm.edu
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n a world where twenty-something male celebrities with a pretty face and curly hair are king, Netflix’s rom-com sweetheart Noah Centineo should be top of the royal court, right? Wrong. Unless you like fake-deep, pretentious hipsters with a surprising backlog of frighteningly cringey
clear. Subtitles take away the annoying, “what did they say?” when characters whisper or mumble, which I struggle with. They also give us the opportunity to watch foreign media. Stop worrying about how they’ll look on your screen and give subtitles a try. JULI BALDICS
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private Snapchat videos, who can’t seem to land a role for a character their own age, Centineo is not for you. The only drama I enjoyed him in was his attempt to describe the fleetingness of youth in 180 characters or less, and the only romance he performed well in was his Snapchat from a grocery store cash register line. SAVANAH TEBEAU-SHERRY
ORDERING FROM AMAZON is not prime Emily Johnston ejohnst2@uvm.edu
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mazon is a quasi-monopoly that keeps entering my life no matter how hard I try to get rid of it. Every holiday, I inevitably get a gift card for the website. It’s money to buy things from a sea of
endless products. While I know it is irrational to feel guilty over online shopping with money that is not my own, I know every dollar spent at Amazon is harmful. A group of Amazon workers stood outside Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos’s $80 million apartment to protest working conditions in the warehouse, according to a Dec. 2 Business Insider article. I do not want to support a company that puts their workers at risk, yet I do when I use their gift cards. As long as I am not directly contributing to Bezos’s wallet, it should be okay.
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OPINION
Food pantry doesn’t solve bigger problem Letter to the Editor Sara Klimek, UVM ‘20
Last week, UVM saw an unprecedented event: the opening of an on-campus food pantry for students and UVM community members. It was heralded by SGA President Jillian Scannell, a senior, several food activism clubs on campus and the UVM administration as a landmark movement to fight “food insecurity” on UVM’s campus, to which it is estimated nearly one-fifth of students have experienced. Although it might provide temporary hunger relief, such as relieving the physical sensations of not having enough to eat, opening a food pantry on campus doesn’t actually solve any of the food insecurity problems on our campus, nor does it create socially desirable environments for students to seek help. The food pantry is merely a Band-Aid on a bullet hole, and one that is festering out of control. In order to address food insecurity, we must look to its roots. It is defined as having safe, secure, consistent access to culturally-appropriate food for a healthy lifestyle for all household members. Many scholars and affiliates
do not include emergency food supplies, i.e. food pantries, as ways to address food insecurity because they don’t provide socially-optimal food access pathways, nor do they imply that the household will have consistent access to food outside of the supplies in the pantry. Food insecurity, rather, is caused by much deeper forms of poverty and institutionalized socioeconomic issues. Maybe someone can’t afford to purchase food because the majority of their income goes to paying for rent, heat, tuition or housing. We need to stop pretending that a can of beans is going to magically alleviate these wicked social problems. Although I agree that opening a campus food pantry might be a small step in a marathon, I think we’re really kidding ourselves if we think that it will create a sociallyacceptable means of “solving food insecurity.” On a campus with such a massive wealth disparity between affluent students wearing $1,000 coats and those who can barely afford to purchase a meal at the Davis Center, it can be suggested that having to utilize charity as a means of sustenance is far from desirable. On the other end of the
spectrum, people who contribute to the food pantry might feel good because they’re “helping” the hungry, while in fact, they are contributing to feelings of guilt that community members already have because they need to rely on charity to support a basic need. Instead, we must look deeper and offer institutional solutions that relieve the burden of food insecurity from all members of the UVM community and beyond. What might this look like? For starters: livable wages at local businesses, protections from price gouging by Burlington’s landlords,
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affordable education and nonmonopolized food distribution channels on campus. Although I understand that there are problems that society has been trying to “solve” for a very long time, it is vital
unforeseen consequences
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to address the institutional causes of food insecurity rather than just trying to alleviate its symptoms. Only then will we have a more equitable, just and socially-desirable fullness.
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“Black in Style:” BSU Fashion Show 2020
CULTURE
BAILEY SAMBER/THE VERMONT CYNIC
Two models strutted out to the center of the stage and struck a pose for the crowd. One wore a black T-shirt, grey joggers and combat boots, the other, a black sweatshirt, black joggers and white sneakers. The crowd of supporting friends, family and community members erupted into applause. The Black Student Union put on their annual fashion show Feb. 29 in the Grand Maple Ballroom. This year’s theme: “Black in Style.” In addition to showing off the clothes of various designers from the U.S. and around the world, the models were joined by dance group Afrofusion. Dressed in black outfits and colorful skirts, the group blended traditional African dance with hip-hop. The crowd got involved and showed support for the dancers by dancing themselves and waving the flashlights of their phones. The models rehearsed Saturday and Sunday for all of January and February to put the show together.
CULTURE
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Culture writer takes self-defense course Anna Kolosky akolosky@uvm.edu
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he room echoed with shouts of “Noâ€? as women stood in a circle practicing strikes, kicks and blocks. Their stances were strong, their power ďŹ lled the room, and it felt amazing to be a part of it. R.A.D., or Replicating Adverse Dynamics, is a selfdefense course for femaleidentifying people offered by UVM Police. The ďŹ rst day I attended was a PowerPoint presentation led by Liz Learned, an investigator with the Chittenden Unit for Special Investigations. Learned became a certiďŹ ed R.A.D. instructor in 2016 and has been teaching the course since. “I’ve always been drawn to women’s self-defense,â€? Learned said. “I love this course because it helps women gain conďŹ dence and feel empowered.â€? R.A.D. tries to offer their courses each semester for a total of 12 hours, Learned said. This session was only nine hours long as the last portion needed a larger staff to run defense scenarios. “We haven’t always been able to, but I try to make sure that we’re able to staff it, because our community beneďŹ ts from it,â€? Learned said. R.A.D. is free, and students can enroll by emailing RAD@
MARY MCLELLAN/The Vermont Cynic
Liz Learned, an investigator for Chittenden Unit for Special Investigations, demonstrates self-defense techniques, Feb. 25. Learned has been teaching R.A.D. since 2016. list.uvm.edu when a session is offered. Clubs can work with R.A.D. to do events together, Learned said. “We did an event with the swim team a while back,� Learned said. “We’re open to anyone who wants to collaborate, you just have to send us an email.� On the second day, we practiced defensive positions, strikes and kicks. Yelling a stern “No� with each movement, I felt powerful.
UVM police ofďŹ cer Chris Coyner became a certiďŹ ed R.A.D. instructor in 2009 and believes that the class encourages women to stand up for themselves. “The most important thing I’ve found from this class is how empowered women feel,â€? Coyner said. “This class has been especially amazing. Your voices and power are just so incredible.â€? On the ďŹ rst day, my voice was quiet, but by the last day, I
was yelling as loud as I could. “My best and favorite advice from this class is to use your voice,� Learned said. “It keeps you breathing and helps you realize that you are in control and have power.� Sophomore Sam Lacey found R.A.D. to be extremely insightful, she said. “I’ve really enjoyed learning some basic self-protection moves,� Lacey said. “It’s a really helpful, not super tough course that shows you how
strong of a person you are.� At the end of the nine hours, R.A.D. felt like a community made up of hardworking women. Although we didn’t get to do the scenarios this time, I’m looking forward to going back to R.A.D. to complete the program later this spring. Anna Kolosky is a junior English major. She has been writing for the Cynic since fall 2018.
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CULTURE
Rep. Wazir educates on Afghanistan war Emma Adams eadams5@uvm.edu
At first glance, the rugs displayed on Fleming Museum’s walls appear to be abstract mosaics composed of deep brown and burgundy thread. Upon closer examination, they depict jarring images of war. Rep. Safiya Wazir spoke at noon Feb. 28 at Fleming about one of the museums new exhibits, “WARP: War Rugs of Afghanistan.” The incorporation of politicized images such as AK47s, fighter jets, tanks and architectural landmarks in artwork began in 1979, after the Soviet Union invasion of Afghanistan, according to Fleming’s website. As Wazir flipped through a PowerPoint, she told anecdotes about her life as a refugee and her journey to the U.S. At age six, she fled the war in Afghanistan with her mother and father. Wazir became a U.S. citizen in 2013. Now at 29-years-old, she is the first refugee to be elected to the House of Representatives in New Hampshire. She was elected in 2018 and said she plans to run again. Wazir said rugs are traditionally made by women who want to make a political statement, yet have not been formally educated. “[War] destroyed their imagination,” Wazir said. “Women who have zero written language create these rugs from the bottom of their heart.” Wazir said seeing how
ELAINA SEPEDE/The Vermont Cynic
Safiya Wazir, a Democratic member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, gives a presentation in Fleming Museum, Feb. 28. Wazir was the first refugee elected to the New Hampshire House. vulnerable her six-year-old daughter is reminds her of how terrified she was when, at the same age, her community was taken over by the Taliban. “I would hear the rockets [as] the fighting continued overnight, so I curled under pillows, anything that covered me,” Wazir said. “All the glass in our house shattered.” Her family fled to Uzbekistan, where they stayed in temporary housing for 11 years before they were able to come to the U.S. On the plane ride over New York City’s skyline, Wazir said, “I thought, ‘we are home.’” She said, because of her
experiences, she is now an activist for childcare and education. She is also a mother of three. “I am grateful for family and friends and constituents who voted for me, to allow a person who suffered, and who was wartorn, to be their representative,” Wazir said. “They listen to me, I listen to them.” Williston residents Deni Berngne and Nina Tomes attended Wazir’s talk and came to admire the artistic details of the WARP exhibit. “The 9/11 rugs are very powerful, with the dove and two flags,” Berngne said. “The skill that went into making them is
incredible.” Tomes said examining the subtle details of the rugs made her reflect on the people of Afghanistan who experience war and trauma every day. “That beautiful robins egg blue [in that rug] is so soft to be in something so brutal,” Tomes said. Rebecca Fields is a photographer who has worked with Wazir for eight years. She documents the lives of refugees in New Hampshire, including Wazir’s family, and has photographed people from over 55 countries of origin. “It’s activism through photography,” Fields said.
“It’s called social documentary photography. It brings up social issues and raises those concerns.” Wazir said it is important for refugee families to see their lives in photographs. She said she is glad her children are able to see images of their family and that it is a sign of acceptance. Wazir said building community is important to her as a political leader. “No matter who you are, building leadership among people you are surrounded with is fascinating,” Wazir said. WARP will be open to the public until May 8.
“The Witcher” proves adaptations aren’t always bad Allie O’Connor aoconno8@uvm.edu
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espite the amount of streaming services we have at our disposal, it can be hard to avoid one controversial topic: book to screen adaptations. Every adaptation of a classic is held to an incredibly high standard, and no matter its success, inevitably you hear the same old turn of phrase from an annoyed fan: “the books are always better than the movies.” And that may be the case, but I’m still Team Adaptation. From a production standpoint, adaptations are really smart. Making movies about a popular book guarantees a preexisting audience, which is assuring to producers about to drop millions of dollars on a film. But take it from me, someone who’s seen my favorite franchises crash and burn on Rotten Tomatoes, there is an inherent worth to screen adaptations. For me, Netflix’s “The
Witcher” proves this point. Released in December 2019, “The Witcher” follows the stories of Geralt, a for-hire monster hunter, Yennefer, a powerful sorceress and Ciri, a young princess forced out of her home following a brutal attack on her kingdom. The show is an adaptation of the fantasy novels by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, a series that reached a new level of global popularity thanks to a series of video games. Already, there was a risk in making a show based on both a book and a video game series. The only adaptations held to a more critical standard than ones of books are those of video games. Mostly because every video game movie in recent memory has been god awful. After “The Witcher’s” release, reviews were a little mixed — the show’s attempt to blend three different timelines was lost on many viewers. However, some fans seemed pleased with the action-packed, eight-episode fantasy romp. I loved it for quite a few reasons. The acting was amazing,
as Henry Cavill fits right in as the rough around the edges protagonist, and Johdi May’s performance of Queen Calanthe was equal parts badass and emotionally engaging. The overall arc and pacing of the story was interesting and kept me engaged. I still have the soundtrack on loop. The show works under the assumption that you are familiar with the original story. I did find myself googling “explain Witcher episode _____” a few times. What interested me most about “The Witcher” wasn’t the show itself, but the events following its release. Nearly five years after the original release of “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt” in May 2015, the game has reached a new active player record of over 100,000 people playing concurrently on Steam, according to a Dec. 29 article from Kotaku. The player count after the game’s release maxed out at 92,000 players, according to a Dec 29. PC Gamer article. This phenomenon fascinates me for a couple reasons
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because it demonstrates the worth that modern adaptations can have. For one, adaptations can remind us why we love our old favorite books or games. All of the nostalgia and love we have for a series come rushing back — the fact that so many people went back to “The Witcher” games is proof of that. Secondly, it draws in a new crowd of fans who have the chance to live the excitement we lived when we first picked up the book or game. It’s not always easy to see the stories we grew up with fleshed out for the big screen. The actors may not look like
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how you envisioned the characters, they may glaze over scenes you loved, or just change the plot around like crazy. Believe me, I was a Percy Jackson fan. In the case in defense of book to screen adaptations, I think “The Witcher” is proof that it is possible for adaptations to accomplish two things: satisfy current fans with new retellings of their favorite stories, and draw in new fans, introducing them to potentially their next favorite series. Allie O’Connor is a junior public communications major. She has been the assistant culture editor since Fall 2018.
SPORTS
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Senior reflects on her time on the ice Aryanna Ramsaran aramsara@uvm.edu
Senior forward Abby Cleary said she began playing hockey around the age of four or five. Now, with the little time she and the other seniors on UVM’s women’s hockey team have left, Cleary is bringing that passion to the kids of UVM’s Campus Children’s School. “We’ve been showing them around the locker room, and we get to go to their classroom and hang out with them,” Cleary said. “They’re so little, and they just love being on the rink and seeing all the gear because it’s so much bigger than them.” Cleary brings that leadership onto the rink as well, especially with the younger players, she said. The team is made up of seven first-years, eight sophomores, six juniors and four seniors, according to UVM athletics. “Once you get on the ice everyone is kind of together,” Cleary said. “Just being so much older than the first-years and sophomores, it’s kind of like our chance to lead them.” As the women’s (10-18-8) season draws to an end, the team has tied their last home game against University of Maine, Feb. 22. Cleary and the three other seniors on the team were all honored for their senior night at the game. “[Senior night] was exciting, but also sad at the same time,” Cleary said. “It was nice because
MADDY DEGELSMITH/Vermont Cynic
Senior forward Abby Cleary sits during an interview, Feb. 26. The team finished their season with a 3-1 loss against Hockey East No. 1 Northeastern University Feb. 28. we all came together. We had a nice banquet with everyone, so it was a good way to kind of wrap things up.” Senior forward Ali O’Leary was honored as well and has played with Cleary throughout her two years at UVM. “She’s very fun to be around,” O’Leary said. “She doesn’t take anything too seriously, but when it comes to playing she always has her game ready mindset on.” O’Leary said Cleary is also a
kind person. “I don’t think you really know how thoughtful and caring she is until you really get to know her,” O’Leary said. After Quinnipiac University asked her to leave, Cleary transferred to UVM just before her junior year, according to a January 2018 Q30 article. She played in 49 games at Quinnipiac, according to UVM athletics. Cleary starts her week with an 8 a.m. class Monday morn-
ings and is so exhausted by the end of the day that she’s usually asleep by 10 p.m., she said. When she’s not in class Cleary is usually at the rink. Almost every weekday she’ll be at the rink practicing from 2-6:30 p.m. As a public communications major, Cleary said she might go into public relations after college, but is unsure at the moment. The team played Maine twice Dec. 6 and 7 2019, and
won both games 3-2. Cleary said the second game was her favorite game she’s played in. “That was a really big weekend for us,” Cleary said. “We all rallied together, and we got the sweep, which was great.” Cleary ended her season with four points from her four assists throughout the season. In her junior year, she had seven points after scoring two goals and making five assists, according to UVM athletics.
Men’s hockey breaks losing streak Speidel to play in first game Hayley Rosen
Sawyer Loftus
hrosen@uvm.edu
news@vtcynic.com
UVM was able to snatch two wins in a row against Northeastern University in their last home games of the 2019-20 season. UVM men’s hockey hadn’t won a game since the end of December 2019. Vermont (5-22-6) took home victories at Gutterson Fieldhouse Feb. 28 and 29. The Feb. 28 game had a final score of 4-2, and the Cat’s final home game ended Feb. 29 with a victory of 3-1. Northeastern had an early goal in the Feb. 28 game, however, UVM retaliated with their first goal 58 seconds later. There was a ceremony for seniors before the Feb. 29 game, and their families were invited out to the ice to celebrate. Senior night was also head coach Kevin Sneddon’s last game coaching in the Gut. Sneddon, along with the six seniors, received standing ovations and loud cheering from Catamount Country during the pre-game festivities. Four different players scored for UVM during the weekend games.
LUKAS DRAUGELIS/Vermont Cynic
A mix of UVM and University of Massachusetts Amherst players crowd the goal as the puck flies towards the UMass goalie, Jan. 17. Junior forwards Alex Esposito and Bryce Misley and senior forward Derek Lodermeier all scored two goals over the weekend. Junior forward Ace Cowans also had a goal for the Cats. Senior forward Matt Alvaro had two assists, and senior defender Corey Moriarty had one assist in the Feb. 29 game. Senior goalie Stefanos Lekkas had 22 saves in the senior night game, according to UVM athletics. Sneddon has coached at UVM for the past 17 seasons. Prior to his time at UVM he
coached for Union College in Schenectady, New York. With the two wins this past weekend, Sneddon has won 251 games while at UVM, with one last game to go. Sneddon was beyond thrilled with the results of the games this past weekend, and he was grateful to the fans for providing a great weekend for the team, said Chris Gallogly, assistant director of athletic communications. The teams will finish their season March 5 against University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Five years after a car accident left senior Josh Speidel with a traumatic brain injury, he’s slated to take the court during UVM men’s basketball ‘s senior night. In 2015, before coming to UVM, Speidel was in a serious car accident in his hometown of Columbus, Indiana, which left him in a coma for weeks. Now, he’s on the starting line up for the men’s basketball game against University at Albany, March 3. “The fact that I get to say I played and scored in a college basketball game, it’s been my dream ever since I was a little kid and a goal of mine since I came to UVM,” Speidel stated in a Feb. 28 UVM athletics press release. Despite suffering a serious brain injury, Speidel is on time to graduate this May and has maintained a 3.40 grade point average during his time at UVM, according to UVM athletics. The March 3 game will be Speidel’s first since his accident. Before coming to UVM, Speidel was one of the top high school basketball players
in Indiana, according to UVM athletics. Speidel has continued to support his fellow Cats while they pressed their way to two NCAA tournament appearances all while continuing to do physical therapy and rehab, according to UVM athletics. President Suresh Garimella stated in the release that Speidel exemplifies the best characteristics of teamwork and an academic all-star. “As a former Hoosier, I’ve been following Josh’s progress for some time now. His strength, tenacity and persistence have been an inspiration to all of us, including his teammates,” the release stated. “This is a great moment for Josh, his family, his teammates, their supporters and the UVM community as a whole. We’re all tremendously proud of what he has achieved.” Senior night will start at 7:00 p.m. March 3 in Patrick Gym. The game will be the last of the regular season. The Cat’s will then face University of Maine March 7 in the first round of the America East playoffs.
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FEATURE
FEATURE FEATURE
LUKAS DRAUGELIS/ The Vermont Cynic TOP: The Cheese Louise menu hangs from the ceiling in the Cheese Louise kitchen, Feb. 29. The new location is on Colchester Ave.
Cheese Louise leaves University Place Elizabeth Roote eroote@uvm.edu
Since October 2019, food truck Cheese Louise, characterized by its handpainted menus and easygoing employees, has been an on-campus hit – and it’s not supposed to be here. Cheese Louise first opened in Conway, New Hampshire in 2018, and co-founder James Gaudreault, a senior at UVM, decided to expand this past summer, starting a second location in Burlington while he finished up his studies. With a $25,000 loan from family members, Gaudreault opened the business with his high school friends Bryce Harrison and Ian Lubkin, according to the Cheese Louise website. “I wanted to show what it could be [in Burlington], show it off a little bit,” Gaudreault said. “I just thought it would be a really fun thing to have here.” And at first, it was. Friends and professors alike would come by the truck’s spot in front of Royall Tyler Theater to show their support, Gaudreault said. But in February, Cheese Louise received a different kind of visitor. “The reason we haven’t been operating the past few days is because the last day we were open, we actually got a visit from Burlington Police Department,” Gaudreault said. They received a warning regarding their illegal parking on University Place, according to Gaudreault, The truck operates with the city of Burlington General Peddler’s License. On University Place, there are seven Peddler spots with year-long waiting lists; the public parking spot
in front of Royall Tyler Theater that Cheese Louise has been using for the past few months is not one of them. Gaudreault discovered what they considered to be a loophole in the code. There are public, nonvendor parking spots along University Place. As long as less than seven food trucks are on the street, they figured they could legally operate in one of those spots. “We were talking to a city councilman who doesn’t want us to say that they’re the one that’s been helping us,” Gaudreault said. “They’re kind of speaking off the record. So we explained to them, couldn’t we be in these parking spots? And they were like, ‘Honestly, I think the laws are loose enough that you did find a loophole, and I think you should go for it.’” Amy Bovee, assistant city clerk of the city of Burlington, does not agree. University Place spaces are “highly coveted,” she stated in a Feb. 21 email. “Many prospective peddlers wait several years before gaining access to a space,” Bovee stated in the email. “For that reason, our office did not think it was fair for [Gaudreault] to advance to the front of the line in front of others who have been waiting for a chance to vend there for a very long time.” “It’s political, it’s contracts, it’s money,” Gaudreault said. “And we’re just some kids trying to do a thing.” Small businesses can struggle to stay in a competitive market. Just down the street from where Cheese Louise had been parked is Lucky Chinese Food Cart, which celebrates its 28th year of operation in October. Even in the heart of winter,
Lap Ninh, owner of Lucky Chinese Food Cart, can be found in his cart most days. From working the counter to preparing food, Ninh runs his food cart completely on his own. “It’s just me,” Ninh said. “It’s a lot of hard work. A lot of hard work.” When asked about the Cheese Louise food truck, Ninh laughed, looking off for a moment to the spot where they used to operate. “I think that it’s, I don’t know,” Ninh said. “I don’t know about it.” Though warned to leave the Royall Tyler Theater parking spot, Cheese Louise had no difficulty finding a backup location. Gaudreault and his roomate/employee senior Jake Landry have been throwing socalled “speakcheesies” at their house. Their goal is to “keep the brand alive, even in the dark months,” Gaudreault said. The future for the business is unclear, but for now,
LUKAS DRAUGELIS/ The Vermont Cynic MIDDLE: Senior Jake Landry makes a grilled cheese in the new Cheese Louise location, Feb. 29. BOTTOM: Seniors Jake Landry and James Gaudreault stand in the Cheese Louise kitchen, Feb. 29. Gaudreault was a member of the original trio that started Cheese Louise. Gaudreault and his roommates enjoy their artisan grilled
cheeses comfortably in their Burlington home. Illustration by MAC MANSFIELD-PARISI