The Vermont Cynic MARCH 27, 2018
VOL. 134 – ISSUE 25
VTCYNIC.COM
NONAMES DEMANDS NEW NAMES Ba y W.
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876iley (1
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a year long push for renaming Sept. 18, 2017 Student activists call for renaming of campus buildings including Bailey/Howe Library and Perkins Hall Feb. 26, 2018 Students lead campus-wide protests, including 10-hour occupation of Waterman building Feb. 28, 2018 Protest leaders meet with University leaders to discuss renaming buildings March 8, 2018 Board of trustees forms Building Renaming Advisory Committee, will decide if the buildings are eligible for renaming
GENEVIEVE WINN Brandon Arcari Assistant Breaking News Editor Joey Waldinger Assistant News Editor Following protests, a board-of-trustees-appointed committee is considering renaming campus buildings, but student activists are frustrated after being left out of the decision-making process. The Building Renaming Advisory Committee, which will meet April 2, is accepting renaming proposals from University students and faculty. The committee will then determine if these changes will be successful, according to a March 8 email from David Daigle, chair of the board of trustees.
The board of trustees formed this committee without input from NoNames for Justice, a student activist group. Protests from the group sparked debate over the names of several buildings on campus, according to the NoNames March 22 statement. “While we recognize the efforts made toward progress, it is vital that students and all parties most affected by these decisions are able to be a part of creating the new system addressing this issue,” the group stated. NoNames does not consider the committee alone to be an adequate response to their demands, according to the statement.
The committee will use the Yale criteria to evaluate the proposals, a method that NoNames decried in its statement. The Yale criteria consider whether a building’s namesake was at odds with the University mission at the time it was named, and whether the chosen name resulted in a legacy opposed to University values, according to Yale’s website. By neglecting to consider UVM history, the Yale criteria would “lead to reproducing the very structures of marginalization and oppression that we are dedicated to dismantling,” the group stated. A University workgroup — which included English professor Major Jackson, SGA
President Chris Petrillo and Wanda Heading-Grant, vice president for human resources — unanimously decided to use the Yale criteria to rename buildings, Daigle stated. After meeting, the committee will present its findings to the board of trustees, who will have the final say, said Pablo Bose, committee member and associate geography professor. “These buildings will not, for a fact, have a different name,” Bose said. The formation of the committee was not a direct outcome of NoNames protests, which raised the issue of renaming buildings, Bose said. The committee was one of several proposals to address student concerns discussed in
Headliner: Carti. Opener? Hardly. Eleanor Webster Arts Staff Writer Rapper Playboi Carti will headline SpringFest, according to a UVM Program Board announcement March 24 at Battle of the Bands. UPB ran out of time and did not choose a winner, who will open for Carti. “We were told we had to clear out of Nectar’s, and didn’t have time to make a clear decision,” said sophomore Taylor Magda, UPB concert committee chair. Student bands Princess Nostalgia, Adventure Dog, Guest Policy and Recess Radio competed to open for Playboi Carti, a rapper on the rise. SGA is reconsidering $50,000 in annual UPB funding this year, President Chris Petrillo said. Senior Jack Hockman, a UPB concert committee member, said funding issues have negatively impacted the quality of SpringFest artists.
Three of the Battle of the Bands finalists were determined by a UPB committee. The fourth, Recess Radio, was chosen by the crowd March 6 and 7 at Brennan’s, Magda said. At Nectar’s, people mingled as they waited for Princess Nostalgia, the stage name of sophomore Lili Traviato, to begin her set. She has been a musician since third grade, she said. Traviato described her music as R&B/electronic with “a little bit of funk.” “It was great witnessing the community supporting student musicians,” Traviato said. Next, New Jersey-based hip-hop group Recess Radio played smooth, softcore tunes. “Nectar’s was an awesome environment and UVM as a whole was so supportive,” Recess Radio member Blake Foster said. A glitter-covered, female-driven group opened up the third set with funky alternative vibes. Guest Policy
fall 2017, said Tom Gustafson, vice president for university relations and administration. Bose was recruited to UVM through a program which sought faculty of color. He was appointed because of his campus involvement, he said. He almost declined the renaming committee position, he said. “I find myself very frustrated by the way things have gone,” he said. Much of the anger toward and demands of the administration have been misguided, Bose said. While their efforts have not always been effective, the University administration has worked in various ways to better the experience of students of color, he said.
SGA to elect new leaders Staff Report
Patrick Langlois/The Vermont Cynic Student band Adventure Dog performs at the UVM Program Board Battle of the Bands March 24 at Nectar’s. mixed soulful vocals with a thumping stand-up bass. Adventure Dog ended the night. Lead vocalist and guitarist Andrew Tonra, a senior, called the band “rock ’n’ roll with a funky soul.” “It was a lot of fun to see so much excitement for live music in so many forms,” Tonra said. The band’s performance united the crowd.
“Adventure Dog was ridiculous,” first-year Miles Rapaport said. Magda said the concert committee would meet March 26 to decided the winner, and planned to announce later in the week. SpringFest is one of UPB’s biggest events, and will take place at 1:30 p.m. April 28 in Jeffords parking lot.
Elections for SGA president and vice president for next year are March 27 and 28. The SGA president oversees the senate with the vice president and treasurer and reports to the board of trustees. The president also works with UVM administrators and reports University action to students as necessary, according to the SGA website. The vice president is responsible for mediating conflicts within SGA and between student organizations. The vice president works with the president to create and find new leadership opportunities for students, according to the website. Senior Chris Petrillo is the SGA president, alongside Vice President Nicole Woodcock, a senior. SGA cont. on page 5
NEWS
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Digital Exclusive Content March for our Lives rally takes place in Montpelier People gathered March 24 at the state capital to fight for comprehensive gun control.
The Newsroom podcast: episode one Multimedia reporter David Cabrera interviews Khalid AlMubarak on his opinion story about languages.
Using Tinder to make friends on campus Some students are turnign to the dating app not for romantic relationships, but platonic ones.
Outdoor track and field preview
After a successful and record-breaking indoor season, the track team looks forward to outdoor competitions.
Taking a look at the gender divide in classrooms The Cynic video team examines the gender ratio of male-to-female educators in classrooms.
The Outdoor Narrative Podcast
A rock climbing coordinator from the Outing Club speaks about the club’s opportunities.
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The Vermont Cynic
March 27, 2018
Entrepreneurship blooms at UVM Ben Elfland Senior Staff Writer Entrepreneurs are popping up all over campus. In dorms and downtown, Burlington businesspeople want to do it themselves. A survey on the UVM website found that about 10 percent of respondents, or 156 undergraduates, said they operate their own small businesses. This information is consistent with findings from a Kauffman Foundation study, said Dan Harvey, assistant dean of the graduate college. The Kauffman Foundation is a nonprofit dedicated to helping entrepreneurs start their companies. The study found that Vermont leads in creating startup companies, but lags in its ability to grow and sustain the companies. In Burlington, this may be the result of the fluctuating population, Harvey said. BTV Ignite is a nonprofit that aims to jumpstart Burlington’s tech industry by bringing educators, entrepreneurs, government and other institutions together, according to a company press release. It collaborates with a nationwide network of efforts called U.S. Ignite. The nonprofit’s new growth acceleration program is an effort to aid the growth and longevity of Vermont businesses, according to the press release. The program is a new take
Photo courtesy of UVM
BTV Ignite, a nonprofit that aims to jumpstart UVM’s tech industry, has implemented a new growth acceleration program to aid the growth and longevity of Vermont businesses. on what entrepreneurs call an accelerator: a tool that provides advising, training and workspaces for new businesses. BTV Ignite will provide these services for free. In exchange, companies will be asked to commit to building their businesses in Vermont, according to the press release. Gov. Phil Scott has long shown concern with the state’s ability to retain residents, build industry and expand Vermont’s workforce, he said. In addition to the entrepreneurship clubs at UVM, students have the Catamount In-
novation Fund, an accelerator for student startups that provides them with expertise and potential funding. Senior Frankie Lyon is the co-founder of Design for America, a UVM club that takes an entrepreneurial approach to redesigning everyday objects. He is currently working on acquiring two patents for potential businesses, Lyon said. Vermont’s most valuable resource is the information, funding and expertise available in the community, he said. The results of the survey are promising for UVM and Burlington, said senior Evan Gre-
enwald, president of the UVM entrepreneurship club, one of the eight startup related clubs on campus. “[The buzz around entrepreneurship] is really something that’s going to be beneficial for students, as well as the local community,” Greenwald said. “There’s really value for the University in promoting student business.” Accelerators and other similar programs are an invaluable resource for young entrepreneurs who may be untrained with more technical skills, like hiring a staff, Greenwald said.
Dean of CEMS steps down after five years Emma Jarnagin Staff Writer The dean of the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences calls his timing for stepping down “unfortunate” amid racial tensions at the University. Luis Garcia will step down in June following the end of his five-year term. He announced the decision in a Feb. 28 email to CEMS students. Garcia held a forum for CEMS students to voice their complaints about the lack of diversity following protests hosted by NoNames for Justice, an anonymous social justice activist group on campus. “We only have one D1 class in this college,” he said. “We’re going to decrease the size of that class next year to make it more interactive, and hopefully it will be a better experience.” In addition to the University-wide leadership and diversity training, CEMS faculty will have bias training, Garcia said. In his time as dean, Garcia upgraded the outdated CEMS building and worked to make CEMS a more diverse college, he said. Since Garcia started, there are now 67 percent more fe-
Photo courtesy of UVM
Luis Garcia, dean of the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, will step down at the end of his term in June. male students, 35 percent more students of color and 35 percent more international students, he said. Last fall, Garcia informed University President Tom Sullivan and Provost David Rosowsky of his intent to step down as dean effective June 30, according to the email. All UVM college deans are appointed to five-year terms. Despite Garcia’s planned departure, “the college is doing great,” he said. In addition to diversifying CEMS, the University has a capital campaign to raise $500
million and CEMS has already obtained over $8 million, Garcia said. The campaign will help recruit and retain top scholars to teach and research at UVM, as well as provide new scholarships and graduate fellowships, according to UVM. The engineering departments were in one unit before Garcia was made dean. He was charged with separating them into three departments, Garcia said. Six new majors have been created during Garcia’s term, he said.
This semester, the board of trustees approved three new graduate degrees: a Ph.D. in information and data science, a master’s in biomedical engineering and a master’s in engineer management, Garcia said. The other new majors are data science bachelor’s, biomedical engineering bachelor’s and a complex systems and data science master’s, he said. “The man is a tireless worker,” said Douglas Dickey, assistant dean of CEMS. “Just puts his full energy into helping the college.” Search committees have narrowed down the applicants to about 12 candidates for interviews, Dickey said. The goal is to select the new dean by the end of the semester with an effective start date July 1, Rosowsky said. “I believe the department runs well,” junior Matthew Chipman said. “The CEMS department runs in Votey and it’s a tight-knit community.” Chipman would like to see better physics professors, a CEMS-run internship program and more computer science tutors, he said. “The academics are both interesting and challenging,” junior Sam Zeltner said.
The Vermont Cynic The Vermont
CYNIC EXECUTIVE Editor-in-Chief Erika B. Lewy editorinchief@vtcynic.com Managing Editor Greta Bjornson newsroom@vtcynic.com OPERATIONS Advertising Manager Kaysie Smith ads@vtcynic.com Distribution Manager Brittnay Heffermehl distribution@vtcynic.com PR Manager Sara Klimek cynicpr@gmail.com Social Media Sorrel Galantowicz socialmedia@vtcynic.com EDITORIAL Arts Bridget Higdon arts@vtcynic.com Copy Chief George Seibold copy@vtcynic.com Features Maggie Richardson bside@vtcynic.com Life Izzy Siedman life@vtcynic.com News Lauren Schnepf news@vtcynic.com
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We can rename buildings Staff Editorial
UVM, bring Arabic back
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wo weeks ago, the board of trustees created a committee to discuss renaming buildings on campus. For over a year, students have called for the renaming of Perkins Hall and Bailey/Howe library. The committee will use a list of criteria developed by Yale University to decide whether or not to rename the buildings. If it chooses to keep Guy W. Bailey’s name on the library, the committee chooses to continue honoring a white supremacist and eugenicist. While we await the decision, we offer an alternative solution. Let’s rename the buildings ourselves. It’s been done before. When’s the last time someone has called the Harris-Millis Dining Hall by its official name? It’s the Grundle. Christie-Wright-Patterson is CWP; the Living/Learning Center is L and L; Wing/Davis/ Wilks is WDW. For a day, NoNames for Justice activists protested in the Waterman building and renamed it Oakland after the California city where the Black Panther party was formed. Why not call it the Howe li-
Khalid AlMubarak Opinion Writer
U GENEVIEVE WINN brary? Student and community activists can form their own renaming committee and appoint — or even elect — a group of representatives who share the progressive values of activists in a renaming decision. Perhaps rename the library after Andrew Harris ’38, the first African-American graduate of UVM. We recommend that students use a different process and criteria that are more progressive than the Yale Criteria. The Yale criteria include that the case against renaming “is at its strongest when a building has been named for someone who made major
contributions to the university.” We disagree. The case for renaming is strongest when it suggests we endorse a legacy founded in oppression. While we wait for a committee decision, students can begin to push the name out of our own common campus speech and create a University that matches our true values.
Staff editorials officially reflect the views of the Vermont Cynic. Signed opinion pieces and columns do not necessarily do so. The Cynic accepts letters in response to anything you see printed as well as any issues of interest in the community. Please limit letters to 350 words. The Cynic reserves the right to edit letters for length and grammar. Please send letters to opinion@vtcynic.com.
Shots fired at absurd proposal
Opinion Sydney Liss-Abraham opinion@vtcynic.com
ADVISING Faculty Adviser Chris Evans crevans@uvm.edu
OPINION
March 27, 2018
Henry Mitchell Opinion Writer
I
t’s 2019, President Trump has successfully supplied firearms to the 20 percent of “highly trained” school teachers to protect students against crazy, armed lunatics. One in every five K-12 teachers have been thoroughly trained to use a wide variety of firearms to deal with multiple types of assailants and mass-shooters. Nursery caretakers have been given handguns to protect the infants in their care should someone try to attack. Sports coaches across the nation motivate their players from the sidelines with a shotgun in hand. Our children still receive a mediocre education at best, but peace has finally been restored to our beautiful country. President Donald Trump kicked his legs up onto his desk in the Oval Office. He sighed contentedly. “I truly am the greatest president of all time,” the greatest president of all time said to himself. Suddenly, his son Eric barged into the room. He looked panicked. “Mr. President,” he said. “DeVos is on the line.” “Put her on,” replied the President with complete con-
fidence. After the intercom finally switched on, an equally-panicked secretary of education delivered her biggest concern: no one had armed the school bus drivers. “Thank you, Betsy,” he said. Turning back to his son, it appeared an idea had already sparked in his mind. “We will escort every school bus with an armed militia,” President Trump said. “But how will we get enough to escort every single school bus?” his naive son inquired. “It’s all very simple: give the teachers more guns and make them the escorts,” he suggested without missing a beat. As he finished his sentence, DeVos, followed by the entire White House staff, entered the Oval Office to give him a stand-
ERIN BUNDOCK ing ovation for his impeccable decision-making. Within days the new policy was implemented and met with overwhelming success. There were zero school shootings by people who weren’t supposed to have guns in over three months. The number of school shootings by people who were supposed to have guns grew significantly, but that was probably taken out of context and should be ignored. In other news, the Department of Homeland Security proposed equipping firefighters with “bigger, cooler fires” to fight wildfires. Henry Mitchell is a first-year political science major. He has been writing for the Cynic since 2017.
VM hardly has a diverse student demographic by any measure, and that is why teaching non-European languages is critical to widen students’ perspective. There is a great deficiency of languages being taught at the University and possibly a misunderstanding over the purpose of teaching foreign languages. Let’s take my first language, Arabic, for instance. Arabic is the native tongue of over 200 million people living across 22 countries around the world, according to the BBC “Guide to Arabic” webpage. By not teaching Arabic, UVM misses providing great opportunities to learn about other cultures that are widely celebrated in novels, poetry, philosophy, art, music and films that transcend political science and economics. It is not entirely clear why the administration’s efforts to increase diversity fail, but there is certainly a questionable approach that they have taken with non-European languages. According to a September 2017 Cynic news article, Lilly Young reported that by the beginning of fall 2017, the Arabic program was completely shut down after professor Darius Jonathan was fired. Jonathan rejected the parttime position stated in the new teaching contract as unfair, and said he did not feel respected as a faculty member. That went despite a petition that was created by students to retain the program and the professor, according to the “Keep Arabic Alive at the University of Vermont” page at change.org. By shutting down the program, the University has failed students who wish to learn the language as part of their degree and education. There is no tenure-track position for teaching Arabic as a second language, which speaks for the University’s efforts to promote academic diversity in the languages department. It is important to note that an apparent lack of student interest in a subject or a language is not enough of a reason to stop teaching it. UVM must find a way to start a department for Arabic language and literature if it wants to join the ranks of world-class universities that truly understand the value of multiculturalism. Khalid AlMubarak is a continuing education student studying philosophy. He has been writing for the Cynic since 2018.
ARTS
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The Vermont Cynic
March 27, 2018
Experimental band hits up Winooski Sarah Robinson Staff Writer A man wandered alone in an abandoned building, looking at himself in a room of mirrors. As the camera unfocused, he blurred out of view. This is a scene from the music video for “Curtains” by In Tall Buildings, a group coming to Winooski this weekend two weeks after the release of the group’s most recent album “Akinetic.” In Tall Buildings is coming to The Monkey House in Winooski March 31 as part of a two-week tour. The band is the brainchild of musician Erik Hall. Previously, Hall played in an Afrobeat jazz fusion group and the psychedelic pop band Wild Belle. Hall said he took piano lessons as a child before moving on to other instruments. He was influenced by ragtime composer Scott Joplin and classical composer George Gershwin, and then later by Neil Young and Gillian Welch, he said. “I listen to music that doesn’t sound anything like the music I make,” Hall said. Hall said his style of music is hard to pin down, but it lies somewhere in the realm of experimental rock that adheres to pop rhythms and instru-
Photo courtesy of Aleks Eva
ments. With his multifaceted sound and time spent in the music industry, each album becomes clearer and more concise, he said. Junior music major Cameron Gilmour looks for solid production and originality when he listens to an album, he said. “For example, the reverse guitar in [“Beginning to Fade”] adds a cool texture and drives
the song forward,” Gilmour said. “There is a genuine touch both in the guitar and vocals that only comes from hours of practice.” Brian Nagle, the talent buyer at The Monkey House, has worked with In Tall Buildings since they came to the venuein 2011. “[Hall] has been on my radar since then,” Nagle said. Though Hall wrote all the
music for In Tall Buildings himself, he is performing with a full band for the purposes of the tour. The transition from working solo to touring with other musicians involves decision-making and problem-solving, he said. “At its core, it’s about the decision of how faithful are you trying to be to the recording
versus how much are you trying to create a new vibe that is born from this group of unique musicians,” Hall said. In Tall Buildings will be spinning records before the show from 3-5 p.m. March 31 at Autumn Records. Tickets for the concert at The Monkey House are $5 for 21 and over and $10 for 18 and over.
Fund brings painter to talk abstraction Addie Beach Assistant Arts Editor On the blackboard was an image of a wooden arrow suspended from a wall — a mixture of oranges, greens, yellows and blues painted in the sections. Each piece of wood contained tick marks and the name of someone who was hanged, written in small print. Painter Mike Cloud presented on his work as part of the Mollie Ruprecht Fund for Visual Arts March 21. The fund brings artists and critics to the University to showcase their work, according to the UVM art department website. Currently an assistant professor at Brooklyn College, Cloud is an internationally recognized artist who has lectured at colleges including Yale University, Rutgers University in New Jersey and Bard College in New York, said associate art professor Steve Budington, in an introduction to the talk. Cloud’s paintings are also featured in several prominent collections, including a book he often uses with his students, Budington said. The talk focused on the role of abstraction in art. One of the misconceptions
ANNIE HUTCHINGS/The Vermont Cynic
Artist Mike Cloud presents his work as part of the Mollie Ruprecht Fund for Visual Arts March 21.
many people have about abstract art, Cloud said, is the assumption that it can’t be interpreted. Even many of his graduate students believe this. “I feel like a paleontology professor, and my students are asking me why we have to dig up bones,” he said. He finds that despite its difficult nature, abstract art shares many of the same features as non-abstract art. “Paintings are aesthetic works,” Cloud said. “Paintings are works of feeling.”
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The Vermont Cynic
NEWS
March 27, 2018
5
Students run for executive seats SGA elections kick off for 2018-19 school year
&
Presidential Candidate
ETHAN FOLEY
Sophomore Ethan Foley has served as an SGA senator for two years. Foley was on the Committee on the Environment his first year and on the Committee on Legislative and Community Affairs his second year. Foley’s primary goals are to foster an inclusive community through restorative practices, address the Burlington affordable housing crisis, continue to improve accessibility to Student Health Services and CAPS, set up a climate action plan and enhance and sustain UVM’s curriculum, Foley said. “One big passion of mine, the biggest passion of mine, really, and the drive behind my motivation for my future career, is my desire to help others and to use the privilege that I have innately to help those who don’t,” Foley said.
Vice Presidential Candidate
GILLIAN NATANAGARA
Junior Gillian Natanagara was appointed to SGA in January 2017. Natanagara has served on the Committee on the Environment since she joined, she said. Natanagara is passionate about the environment and credits UVM with teaching her about the intersection of the environment with equity and social justice, she said. Natanagara wrote the SGA Carbon Neutrality Mission Statement, and is currently working on an initiative to get cigarette butt receptacles around campus, she said. Natanagara and Foley are both heavily involved on campus outside of SGA, she said. Natanagara is an editor on Headwaters magazine. “I think that Ethan and I have a really good ability to push for what we believe in, and not back down,” Natanagara said.
&
Presidential Candidate
JAMIE BENSON
Sophomore Jamie Benson has served two years as an SGA senator, and is currently serving as chair of the Committee for Academic Affairs. Benson aims to make UVM the best it can be for students, he said. Benson and his running mate, sophomore Reginah Mako, hope to promote mental health, address equity issues on campus and improve communication between campus groups, he said. Benson and Mako are also passionate about reducing the rate of sexual assault on campus, and hope to do so by offering bystander intervention training to all clubs. “I’m really excited to be running,” he said. “I wouldn’t have pictured that I’d be doing this when I first started, but working with Reginah the last two years just made me really passionate about making sure that SGA goes in a really positive direction and that we’re able to well represent all students.”
Vice Presidential Candidate
REGINAH MAKO
Sophomore Reginah Mako has served on SGA as a senator for two years and is currently serving as chair on the Committee for Diversity, Inclusion and Equity, a committee that she helped implement in her position as a senator, she said. She continues to focus on supporting racial justice and diversity groups on campus, , Mako said. Mako works in the office of international education and as a resident adviser. She and Benson are looking at the work being done by NoNames for Justice, and need to look at preserving that work, which they will work hard to do, Mako said. “My greatest motivation is seeing how I can improve the overall student experience, whether it’s academics or just physical and mental health, experiences with clubs and organizations,” she said.
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LIFE
The Vermont Cynic
March 27, 2018
Alum beats death after donor match Jonathan Greenberg Cynic Correspondent Most college students don’t think about the possibility of having a life-threatening disease while attending classes, going to debate team or hanging with friends. Graduate student Sarah Anders was diagnosed with aplastic anemia in September 2015. “Getting diagnosed was difficult and terrifying for me. No one expects it to happen to you when you are still young,” Anders said. This rare condition can develop at any age and leaves patients feeling fatigued. They have increased chance of infection and uncontrolled bleeding, according to Mayo Clinic. “Aplastic anemia is a rare bone marrow failure disease in which your body stops making things like red and white blood cells and platelets, which are the things that make blood clots,” Anders said. But in spring 2016 after a year of failed immunotherapy in Maryland, Anders got a blood match with 25-year-old Brett Augenstein. “I was lucky that Brett was a perfect match, but many other people with this disease can’t find one,” Anders said. Though the waitlist for blood transplants is not long,
OLIVER POMAZI/The Vermont Cynic
Sarah Anders ’11, who was diagnosed with aplastic anemia in September 2015, found a match for a blood transplant through the nonprofit organization Gift of Life. Anders said, the donor registry is small. Finding a match is difficult. Gift of Life, the nonprofit organization that connected Anders to Augenstein, “is trying to change that by expanding the registry,” she said. Augenstein for example, was swabbed on a trip to Israel. “Once I got the call that I was a match for someone, I didn’t really think about it. I knew I had to help,” he said. Donors can register by re-
questing a swab kit from Gift of Life and filling out health history questions, according to the Gift of Life website. For Anders, the symptoms of the disease and two years of treatment meant she had to step away from the things she loved, she said. One thing she really loved was the UVM Lawrence Debate Union, where she met and befriended current graduate Rachel Fabian. “I knew something serious
College finances reveal student divide
was up when Sarah was incredibly insistent on meeting with me,” Fabian said. Fabian is currently working on her Ph.D. at University of California Santa Barbara. “I was terrified. It’s terrible knowing you could lose someone who you call a friend so suddenly,” she said. Throughout Anders’s treatment, Fabian did her best to keep the enjoyable moments present in her life. “I made every bad joke that
Teaching empowers
sT
Lily Merriam Staff Writer When picking a college, finances were a large factor in senior Sophia Danison’s decision. “I think I’ve been focused on not being a financial burden on my family,” Danison said. “I chose a school that offered a good financial package and I’ve constantly held a job.” Danison is an out-of-state student who pays for UVM with her family’s college fund, scholarships, an off-campus job at Speeder and Earl’s and work-study in the Fleming Museum, she said. For 2017, the total cost of attending UVM for in-state students was $32,874, according to the student financial services website. Out-of-state students pay $56,920, the website states. “I’ve been doing workstudy all four years and I took an off-campus job, so this money supports my living expense,” Danison said. Danison said her experience working for her education has taught her a lot. “My jobs keep me responsible and on top of my life. I can’t show up to work and do a good job if I’ve been out partying the night before,” she said. Her job has also shown her the socio-economic divide on campus, Danison said.
Autumn Lee Life Columnist
C LILY MERRIAM UVM is appealing for its “Vermont” activities, like skiing and adventure sports she said. It attracts students from high income families who have the means to choose a school based on these interests. First-year Hamzah Elwazir said his college career is completely paid for by his parents. “It was important to my parents to send my brother and me to college debt-free,” he said. “It felt secure. “I can imagine the process of applying would have been more stressful [had this not been the case].” The average class of 2016 graduate in the U.S. has $37,172 in student loan debt, according to an August 2017 CNBC article. “I don’t want to know what my debt is until I actually have to start paying for it,” junior Kiley Moody said. “Keeps me stress-free, you know?” But loan debt isn’t a con-
cern for all students. The University of Vermont Green & Gold Scholarship is awarded to the “academically strongest rising high school senior from Vermont,” according to student financial services. The scholarship covers tuition for an undergraduate career, the website states. Junior McKenna Black was valedictorian at People’s Academy in Morrisville, Vermont and received the Green & Gold scholarship, she said. “The scholarship is the primary way I am paying for school,” Black said. Black had not specifically aimed for the scholarship while in high school, “but the further along I find myself in college, the more I appreciate it,” she said. $104 million in financial aid was awarded in 2015-16, which assisted 81 percent of UVM students, according to the UVM Financial Services website.
came into my head to try and lighten the mood,” she said. Jess Bullock ’12 said that although she saw her friend deal with something so difficult, she always knew Anders was a fighter. “If it had been me in her position, I probably would have been horrible to deal with, but Sarah never seemed to change even when she was sick,” Fabian said. After the successful transplant, Anders was able to return to her studies and the things she loved. “When she finally came back to UVM to pursue her graduate degree she came in with a bang,” Bullock said. “She wanted to get right back into the swing of things.” Following her passion for debate, Anders joined Speak Vermont, a group that teaches prisoners debate and speech skills, that was founded by Bullock. Despite her struggle with aplastic anemia, Anders still relates to the everyday stress of being a college student, she said. “Life is inevitably challenging,” she said. “So resilience is to look at the bigger picture and know that you can meet those challenges.”
onversations around education often focus on the gender imbalance among students. What I don’t hear discussed is gender representation among teachers. More than three quarters of K-12 teachers are women, according to a September 2014 New York Times article. Sitting in my education courses, I find this number doesn’t surprise me. Around me are mostly female students and professors. According to the 2011 UVM Campus Climate Survey, 64 percent of faculty and staff at UVM were women. In elementary and middle school, most of my teachers were women. Though the gender diversity increased in high school, I noticed differences between our educators. Male teachers were known for providing less work. My female teachers were seen as bitchy. It’s my boyfriend’s first year as a music teacher and his students love him. They always greet him with fist bumps and snowboarding stories. I can’t help feeling apprehension about my own suc-
cess. I’m worried I won’t be able to calm down a classroom of rowdy children like he does or if I do, I will be seen as a hardass. In my high school classes, boys flirted and harassed female teachers. How will I handle situations like that and still maintain my professionalism? “Education empowers women to overcome discrimination. [They] have greater awareness of their rights, and greater confidence and freedom to make decisions,” an October 2013 U.N. Education First Initiative fact sheet states. We need to pay attention not only to the girls we are teaching, but also to the people who are providing education. It’s impossible not to apply the gender norms I experienced in my childhood to my future career. But aside from the problems I see, I also remember the female teachers who helped me grow as a woman. As gender norms change in our society, they should also change in our classrooms. If we want tomorrow to be different, we need to give our children the tools for change.
Autumn Lee is a sophomore art education major and has been writing for the Cynic since fall 2017.
The Vermont Cynic
March 27, 2018
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SPORTS
WINNINGEST class of seniors
IN HISTORY With the the end of this year’s season, a special group of seniors bids farewell to UVM men’s basketball. They end their careers as the winningest senior class in program history, along with two America East regular season titles and one tournament championship.
SAM LITRA, CHRISTA GUZMAN AND OLIVER POMAZI/The Vermont Cynic
Trae Bell-Haynes
David Urso
Cam Ward
Guard Bell-Haynes scored 1,629 points (seventh in program history) and registered 519 assists (fifth in program history). He was named the America East Player of the Year in 2017 and 2018, and started every game.
Guard Urso was used sparingly by the Catamounts on the court, with 108 minutes played in his four years. This Pittsburgh native pushed his teammates in practice and he became a fan favorite.
Guard Ward made 141 appearances for UVM, a program record, and was named the America East Sixth Man of the Year in 2015 and 2018. In 2016, he scored 24 points against the University of Maine.
Drew Urquhart
Payton Henson
Nate Rohrer
Forward Urquhart replaced the injured Anthony Lamb in the starting lineup this year, embracing the challenge and elevating his game. He was voted in the America East All-Conference Second Team.
Forward Henson averaged 11.9 points and 5.4 rebounds in his two seasons at UVM, with his ability to hit 3-pointers standing out. He was named on two America East All-Conference Third Teams.
Forward Rohrer, a native of Underhill, Vermont, brought local flavor to UVM men’s basketball. In a frontcourt depleted by injuries in 201718, Rohrer brought quality minutes off the bench with his defense. Photo courtesy of UVM athletics
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SPORTS
The Vermont Cynic
March 27, 2018
Lacrosse returns to winning ways after loss Locria Courtright Staff Writer One of the many marks of a great team is how they deal with adversity, and UVM men’s lacrosse showed that they can deal with it well. Coming off of a 21-5 loss to No. 1 University at Albany March 17, the No. 16 Catamounts rebounded with a 10-6 home win over the Binghamton Bearcats at Virtue Field March 24 after a hat trick by sophomore midfielder Rob Hudson. Vermont controlled play in the early going, pouring on pressure, but it was the Bearcats who struck first, with Sean Makar beating sophomore goalkeeper Nick Washuta. UVM fired back, scoring three goals in the final five minutes of the first quarter to take a 3-1 lead. Binghamton refused to go away, scoring 13 seconds into the second half before Hudson and senior attacker Ian MacKay extended Vermont’s lead to 5-2. But the Bearcats took momentum into the dressing room, scoring the last two goals of the first half, including Liam Reaume’s goal with four seconds remaining to cut the lead to 5-4. The defense shone in the third quarter. Each team scored only once. Hudson added his second goal to extend the lead to 6-4, but Will Talbott-Shere
RYAN KIEL-ZABEL/The Vermont Cynic
Sophomore Ben French attempts to rush by a defender in the UVM lacrosse game against State University of New York at Binghamton March 24. UVM won the game 10-6.
reduced the margin to one goal 90 seconds later. The Catamounts finally put the persistent Bearcats away in a penalty-filled fourth quarter. Hudson scored the opener to complete his hat trick 19 seconds into the half, but UVM ran into penalty trouble. Two players went to the penalty box. Those penalties led to Thomas McAndrew scoring a goal on the man-up advan-
tage to cut the lead back to one again. Hudson added his fourth halfway through the period, and the Cats scored two more goals to pull away, both from junior attacker Dawes Milchling. “We didn’t score much in the third, so it was good getting that momentum swing going into the fourth and finishing them off,” Hudson said. Washuta was busy between the sticks, making 18 saves for
UVM. Kevin Carbone made 6 saves for Binghamton. Head coach Chris Feifs praised Binghamton’s defense while also crediting his team’s late run. “They made us work for every shot that we had, and their goalie made some nice saves,” Feifs said. “When you run a good offense and you’re not seeing that goal production, sometimes it’s a little frustrating.
“But I’m glad the guys stayed the course and finished the game with our highest scoring quarter in the fourth.” The Catamounts improved to 8-1, while the Bearcats fell to 1-8. UVM travels to Hartford, Connecticut, to face the Hartford Hawks March 31. They return to Virtue Field April 7 to face the University of Massachusetts Lowell River Hawks.