Issue 27 - Volume 134

The Vermont Cynic APRIL 10, 2018

VOL. 134 - ISSUE 27

VTCYNIC.COM

The team behind the meme

Basketball Facebook group creates sense of community online coach faces scrutiny Lindsay Freed Senior Staff Writer

Many UVM students with a Facebook account recognize the iconic photo of a frog framed by the words “Farm Fresh, Locally Grown Memes.”

This is the cover photo for Make UV Groovy Again, a Facebook group dedicated to memes. The group has more than 3,400 members.

The group was created in April 2017 by sophomores Camil Srna and Will Wuttke to create a space for comedy, Srna said. “[People post in class groups] just when people have lost something, or for subletters,” Srna said. “You can’t have a real discussion or get to know other people.”

The two sophomores created Make UV Groovy Again after a student posted a meme in the Class of 2020 Facebook group and another student commented saying there should be a meme group, Wuttke said.

Many memes shared on the page are about UVM, such as dining halls and the Wellness Environment, first-year Make UV Groovy Again moderator Lexi Kravitz said.

The Wellness Environment became a popular target on the meme page after the Blue Penis Gate scandal — when a group of students in WE got

Joey Waldinger Assistant News Editor

Photoillustration: GENEVIEVE WINN AND SAM LITRA From left to right: first-year Ben Soggs, sophomore Will Wuttke, sophomore Camil Srna and firstyear Lexi Kravitz are all moderators for the Facebook group Make UV Groovy Again. in trouble for making a penis out of blue sticky notes in their window, Wuttke said.

“I think that really led to a lot of people analyzing their issues with WE,” Wuttke said.

“It’s not all negative, but I do think the best way to see valid criticisms of things like WE is to go to [Make UV Groovy Again],” he said. “I actually think people put a lot of good arguments in meme form.”

WE supports students who want to be healthy and avoid the pressures of substance use,

stated Jeff Rettew, assistant director of WE, in an April 2 email.

“When it comes to UVM-specific things, no one else is going to understand,” Kravitz said. “But now we have this community that understands these jokes.”

Mental health is another popular issue in the meme page, Wuttke said.

Wuttke said the group gets a lot of depression memes.

Student use memes to create dialogue around their ex-

periences with mental illness, Kravitz said.

Using memes to talk about anxiety and depression reduces stigma, said Todd Weinman, director of UVM Counseling and Psychiatry Services.

The exclusivity of meme culture is what allows it to become a tool for community building, said sociology professor Tom Streeter, whose research focuses on media.

“It lends itself to making fun of people who are outside the group: ‘normies,’” he said.

The UVM women’s basketball coach is being investigated for how he communicates with players, according to an April 1 WCAX report.

The University of Vermont is investigating the women’s basketball program, with a focus on the conduct of head coach Chris Day, the article stated.

Day did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Neither players nor staff are commenting on the investigations, stated Alistair Ingram, director of media and sports relations, in an April 3 email.

Once their review of the women’s basketball program is complete, UVM athletics can provide more information, Ingram stated.

Day is in his second year of coaching at UVM.

GENEVIEVE WINN

SGA supports demand for Mosaic Center counselor Joey Waldinger Assistant News Editor Cullen Paradis Staff Writer SGA is calling on the University to hire a counselor for students of color.

First-year Carter Yee sponsored the resolution, which calls for Counseling and Psychiatry Services to hire a counselor to work in the Mosaic Center for Students of Color, Yee said. SGA voted unanimously for the resolution March 20.

Through reflecting on his own past experiences with counseling, Yee realized that cultural competency is key to a counselor’s effectiveness, he said.

Cultural competency is the ability to understand how patients’ culture affects their treatment.

“To have that personal experience is what really takes it to that extra step: to be like ‘oh yes, I do know the struggle of being a person of color on a primarily white campus,’” Yee said.

This resolution goes along with a broader effort to expand Student Health Services to communities on campus that are typically underserved, SGA President senior Chris Petrillo said.

It is still up to CAPS to decide whether or not to fund the new counselor, but Petrillo is confident it will follow the resolution’s direction, he said.

ALEK FLEURY/The Vermont Cynic The UVM Student Government Association passed a resolution sponsored by first-year Carter Yee to hire a mental health specialist to work with students of color.

“If the University of Vermont can be on the front end of a lot of the efforts to help students, I don’t see why it would ever be a problem,”

Petrillo said.

CAPS has been trying to devote more resources to LGBTQ students and students of color, in addition to embedding

counselors and psychologists in student communities, CAPS Directior Todd Weinman said in a January interview.

The Mosaic Center and CAPS have worked together for many years, Mosaic Center Director Beverly Colston said.

“We believe that one of the things you should do here is get to know yourself … and we think that CAPS and counseling is a fine way to do that,” Colston said.

While the Mosaic Center has not pushed for its own in-house CAPS counselor before, the concept had been discussed positively in the past, Colston said.

“I like to talk about students in general thriving,” Colston said. “That makes me excited.”

NEWS

2

Chatting with John Becker about men’s basketball Men’s basketball Head Coach Jim Becker sits down with the Cynic to discuss his career.

In the Raw podcast: Jake Potts chats about poetry Sophomore Jake Potts talks about poetry and how a writer can use it to grapple with loss, reflect on life and honor loved ones.

Women’s lacrosse faces off against Albany Vermont lost to Albany during an April 4 game, failing to secure a conference win.

What’s up inside of Williams Hall

We take a look inside of the art and anthropology building at UVM and explore its quirks and eccentricities.

Talking to the students behind UVM’s meme page In this video, the Cynic sits down with the Make UV Groovy Again moderators to define what a meme really is.

Prime Time Cats: Gun Control

The podcasting team talks about when the classroom and gun control collide.

Get the full story at vtcynic.com

April 10, 2018

Admin honored for diversity work Missy Manzella Staff Writer Lily Young Staff Writer

Three handmade posters lean against the wall of Wanda Heading-Grant’s office, covered in pictures of her with her UVM colleagues. Heading-Grant made the posters when she returned to UVM after beating breast cancer, she said.

Heading-Grant, vice president for human resources, diversity and multicultural affairs, was awarded the Inclusive Excellence Award in the Individual Leadership category from the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education.

Her journey to UVM started in Trenton, New Jersey, where she grew up. Heading-Grant wanted to be different than her peers, she said. She then began working toward her undergraduate degree in social work at UVM in 1987.

Heading-Grant met her future husband during her first year at UVM. He was a large factor in her decision to stay in Vermont, she said.

After graduating from an accelerated master’s program at Adelphi University in 1988, Heading-Grant returned to UVM, she said.

Sherwood Smith, senior executive director in the department of diversity, engangement, and professional development, has worked with Heading-Grant for 12 to 14 years, he said. He felt welcomed by her.

Courtesy of University of Vermont

Wanda Heading-Grant, vice president for human resources, diversity and multicultural affairs, recieved the Inclusive Excellence Award from the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education.

Smith was happy for Heading-Grant when she received the award because she has been committed to UVM for so long, he said.

“It’s about time,” he said.

“

Heading-Grant said that these accomplishments, among others, helped her win the award.

“I was doing the cabbage patch [dance],” Heading-Grant

She is a woman of color, and seeing her at such a high position and getting recognition is heartwarming.

Sophomore Reginah Mako

Heading-Grant is responsible for Blackboard Jungle Symposium, an event that sheds light on the discussion of diversity and inclusion within the classroom, she said.

She is also credited with the relocation of the Mosaic Center to a more centralized spot in the Living/Learning Center, Heading-Grant said.

“

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The Vermont Cynic

said of her reaction when she heard that she won the award.

Heading-Grant owes much of her success to students, colleagues and her church, she said.

“She is a woman of color, and seeing her at such a high position and getting recognition is heartwarming,” said

sophomore Reginah Mako, chair of the SGA Committee on Diversity, Inclusion and Equity.

The award reaffirms what she is doing, Mako said.

Heading-Grant said that doing HR and diversity work is hard because they are two complex areas filled with vulnerability and emotion.

Regardless, she enjoys doing this work and helping her community, she said.

The visibility from the award provides a voice and an opportunity for her to help on a local, regional or national level, Heading-Grant said.

Heading-Grant said she hopes to take her big ideas and use this opportunity from the award. She would like to take advantage by putting some of her ideas out there to change systems, she said.

More gender-inclusive restrooms created Carly Frederickson Staff Writer

All single-occupancy public restrooms on Central Campus are now gender inclusive, according to an update on gender inclusive restrooms issued

by LGBTQA Center Director Kate Jerman.

Genderinclusive restrooms were first implemented on campus in 2016 after students organized a sit-in in the office of the dean of libraries during finals week of the spring semester, said senior Z McCarron, a member of the Gender Inclusive Restroom Task Force.

“Because of the work of the task force, and the conversations that began around the new residence hall, all other new construction will start to have similar design choices,” Jerman said.

GIRT was formed at the request of President Tom Sullivan and Wanda Heading Grant, vice president for human resources, diversity and multicultural affairs in May 2016.

In January 2017, GIRT began to receive funding from the University.

“We have some authority and power now to actual-

ly change bathrooms on campus,” McCarron said.

As existing multi-stall restrooms are converted to gender inclusive restrooms, they’ll get privacy upgrades including closing gaps between stall walls and doors, Jerman said. “[The renovations] depend on the status of the bathrooms.

In newer bathrooms, the stalls already have those privacy upgrades,” she said.

“We’ve tried to establish a standard, so that we can hand [it] to any architect that’s working for us on any project from this point forward,” said Robert Vaughan, director of capital planning and management.

A map of buildings on campus that have gender-inclusive restrooms is currently available on the LGBTQA Center’s website, and a new version of it is in production, Jerman said.

McCarron said that more students need to be involved in GIRT, “especially queer and trans students and students with disabilities — they would be amazing to have on the task force.”

Those interested in being involved should reach out to McCarron at Z.McCarron@ uvm.edu, they said.

ALEK FLEURY/The Vermont Cynic

All single-occupancy restrooms on Central Campus are now gender inclusive, according to an update issued by LGTBQA Center Director Kate Jerman.

The Vermont Cynic

OPINION

April 10, 2018

The Vermont

CYNIC

3

SGA demands counselors Staff Editorial

L 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 Copy Chief George Seibold copy@vtcynic.com Culture Bridget Higdon arts@vtcynic.com Izzy Siedman life@vtcynic.com Features Maggie Richardson bside@vtcynic.com News Lauren Schnepf news@vtcynic.com Opinion Sydney Liss-Abraham opinion@vtcynic.com Podcasts Chloe Chaobal vtcynicpodcasts@gmail.com Sports Eribert Volaj sports@vtcynic.com Video Kailey Bates video@vtcynic.com Web Connor Allan web@vtcynic.com Illustrations Genevieve Winn illustrations@vtcynic.com Layout Eileen O’Connor layout@vtcynic.com

ast week, SGA highlighted a desperate need for a counselor dedicated to the serving students of color at UVM. First-year SGA senator Carter Yee brought up a resolution calling on Counseling and Psychiatry Services to hire a mental health specialist to work specifically with students of color.

We agree with Yee when he said that cultural competency is key to success in mental health counseling. Racism is a public health issue.

The Center for Health and Wellbeing stated last year that the University community needs to “do better in dismantling the racism and white supremacy that is embedded in our culture.”

They proposed that the University could aid in the struggle by acknowledging and breaking down prejudice in health care.

Yee’s call for a counselor for the Mosaic Center for Students of Color is a great way for the University to prove its commitment to justice for all UVM community members.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, cultural

Lilly Sharp Opinion Writer

A

few weeks back, Toys R Us announced that it was closing all of its

competency is the ability to interact effectively with people of different cultures.

In a health care setting, cultural competency is important because it affects how well the mental health provider can meet patient needs.

In order for a patient to get the highest quality care, their counselor needs to be able to understand their experiences, beliefs and values, and how those are culturally rooted.

Some members of SGA, in discussions around the resolution, were worried that this was too specific of an ask for the University.

The Cynic has written be-

HOLLY COUGHLAN fore about the University-wide need for more mental health counselors, citing long wait times for counseling.

But we fully support this specific hire because students of color have a more immediate need.

They face a public health issue that white people at UVM are not.

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.

YouTube gun policy is harmful Cole Wangsness Opinion Writer

Y

ouTube enacted a new policy on content featuring firearms April 1. How much this policy will affect the firearms community is still to be seen.

The policy included banning content related to direct sales and links to third party sellers, certain accessories related to fire rate and high-capacity magazines.

It also banned posting instructions on manufacturing firearms, ammunition and other accessories.

Marriage is not the only option

Almost all of the activities outlined in the policy are legal, with some requiring additional licensing from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

YouTube firearm enthusiasts, who usually don’t sell products, worry that this policy will justify banning their channels even if they are not in direct violation.

YouTube’s policy on extremist content started in 2016 with the intention of targeting ISIS recruitment videos. It also began censoring conservative political channels.

In the past, YouTube has restricted and demonetized firearms videos.

Photo Alek Fleury photo@vtcynic.com Assistant Editors Henry Mitchell (Opinion), Locria Courtright (Sports), Tiana Crispino (Layout), Kyra Chevalier (Layout), Katie Brobst (Life), Joey Waldinger (News), Addie Beach (Arts), Caroline Slack (Features), Sophia Knappertz (Copy), Oliver Pomazi (Photo) Page Designers Meg Stevens, Lindsay Freed, Brandon Acari Copy Editors Clare Abbatiello, Izzy Abraham, Brandon Arcari, Lindsay Freed, Sabrina Hood, Sophia Knappertz, Claire MacQueen, Greta Puc ADVISING Faculty Adviser Chris Evans crevans@uvm.edu

EMMA PINEZICH

As a gun owner, I have used YouTube to educate myself on firearm maintenance, history and safety. Disassembly and cleaning videos may fall under the ban, restricting educational resources for gun owners.

The legal question in this debate is whether social media platforms should be treated as digital public places.

The Supreme Court’s in Marsh v. State of Alabama decision ruled that Jehovah’s Witnesses had the right to distribute religious pamphlets on a privately owned sidewalk as it was dedicated for public use.

The internet is a space for free speech and net neutrality and should have digital public squares.

Though Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are private entities, they occupy an important part of how we gather information online and interact with others.

Freedom of speech and expression are paramount in the digital age.

People are shutting themselves off from opposing viewpoints and exclusively listening to like-minded individuals.

One of our nation’s greatest strengths is the ability to debate important issues. Without discourse on social media, we risk further partisanship in an already divided country.

Cole Wangsness is a senior business major. He has been writing for the Cynic since 2015.

stores.

Rather than blame internet retailers for stealing business in their 2017 annual report, Toys R Us blamed millennials for not having enough kids.

While I don’t think the dropping birth rates are the sole reason for Toys R Us closing, it was enough to raise the question of the future for marriage and children in the United States.

In 1970, the U.S. Department of Commerce reported that eight out of 10 people would be married by age 30.

Marriage rates haven’t actually declined in the past decade. Rather, people are just waiting longer to get married.

Today it’s not until age 45 that eight out of 10 people are married.

Part of this delay in marriage may be due to the increase in divorce among millennials’ parents.

Gallup Analysis, one of the largest U.S. research-based consulting companies, reported that 17 percent of millenials’ parents are either divorced or separated.

Americans’ interest in having children has remained stable, Gallup found.

While the birth rate has gone down 11 percent, most of this may be due to people wanting fewer children.

Toys R Us’ claim that millennials are not having as many children is not exactly wrong, but it does not mean millennials have stopped wanting to get married or have kids.

I asked people at UVM about their views on the subject. Most expected to get married but not until much later in their life.

The idea of becoming a fulfilled and financially independent person before marriage or children was more appealing for almost everyone I interviewed.

Another notable pattern I found was the idea that legal marriage is antiquated. Many felt that their committed relationships don’t need validation with some bureaucratic document.

This begs the question of whether we will continue to define marriage by its legality or simply by the commitment to another person.

Lilly Sharp is a sophomore psychology and film and television double major. She has been writing for the Cynic since 2018.

CULTURE

4

The Vermont Cynic

April 10, 2018

Montreal: culture, cheese curds, clubs Katie Simeon said.

Isabella Alessandrini Culture Columnist

Nightlife:

M

ontreal, Canada’s second oldest city, is just a short 1 1/2-hour drive from UVM. Montreal is a unique French-Canadian city that can be overwhelming for firsttime visitors. We’ve compiled a quick guide for travelers to use on day trips and weekend jaunts.

Culture: Art lovers can lose themselves in the sprawling collections at the Museum of Fine Arts. Admission is free for people ages 13-30.

Sophomore Maria Pitari said the Museum of Fine Arts is a must-see for art lovers.

Duck into RESO, the Underground City, for some subterranean shopping in local boutiques, or just to escape the cold Canadian weather.

As the world’s largest underground complex, RESO boasts 12 public transportation stops, 2,000 stores, more than 200 restaurants and 40 movie theaters.

Montreal is also home to a lively Chinatown filled with restaurants, bakeries and markets.

KIRA NEMETH

Food: Don’t miss poutine, a Quebecois specialty and legendary drunk food. The iconic dish consits of French fries drenched in gravy and cheese curds.

Hippi Poutine is a casu-

al eatery whose creative menu includes poutines inspired by Greek, Mexican, Indian and other cuisines, junior Kate Bellino said.

The city has a wealth of cuisines from all over the world and a strong pride in using local ingredients.

The enormous Jean Talon Market is a foodie paradise filled with fresh produce, rustic breads and aromatic cheeses.

Bistro K2 offers an all-youcan-eat sushi menu for $30 and an awesome zero-waste policy that guarantees you’ll clean your plate, sophomore

Once darkness falls and the La Grande Roue Ferris wheel lights up the skyline, no sub-zero temperatures can keep the fashionable Montrealais from filling up the city’s buzzing club and bar scene.

The bars draw flocks of students both for their 18+ drinking age and their reputation for being diverse and trendy.

Head to Rue Saint Laurent to find bars and restaurants clustered on one single street, Pitari said.

Posh lounges like Bar Tokyo mingle with hole-in-the-wall spots like the TRH Bar, which features an indoor skate park.

Canadians pride themselves on their beer but any drink is fair game. Just remember to tip your bartender.

“I went for my birthday weekend,” sophomore Katie Simeon said. “Some nights were pretty fuzzy, but we had a really great time.”

Isabella Alessandrini is a sophomore dietics major. She visited Montreal for the annual Vegan Festival and fell in love with the cobblestone streets.

More than brick: Williams Hall

Refugees grow new roots

Keely Lyons Staff Writer

Enola Mercer Staff Writer

The Gothic, red-brick architecture of Williams Hall hangs over University Green, establishing the scene of the traditional New England college.

While Williams Hall is a familiar sight by many UVM students and faculty, its interior is less known.

“When I saw Williams, I was like, ‘I’ve arrived. I work in the college building that I dreamed of working in,’” said Emily Manetta, chair of the anthropology department.

Despite being built in 1896 to provide space for science education, the art and anthropology communities now call Williams a home of their own, according to the University website.

“Williams is my favorite place on campus, hands down,” said sophomore Aleda Kirstein, a studio art major.

“So many of the studio classrooms are art themselves. The floors are splattered and then varnished over, so everything has this thick layer of paint that adds a vibrancy.”

Kirstein spends lots of time in Williams, and has had the opportunity to explore and appreciate the building.

“It’s like a canvas. There’s paint everywhere. There’s writing everywhere,” Kirstein said.

“It’s not cut and dry like the

Refugees strutted through the Livak Ballroom in a fierce display of their native cultures and their new sense of belonging.

The Womyn of Color Coalition hosted the Real People Real News event from 6-8 p.m.

March 30 in the Davis Center.

It featured a fashion show of youth in the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program.

VRRP welcomes refugees and helps them transition to life in Vermont, their website states.

The fashion show was part of WoCC’s Culture Week, which also featured programs like the Natural Hair Exposition and Comida Para La Gente, events that celebrate minority cultures.

“A theme that’s been emerging in all of the student of color organizations is representation and feeling empowered,” senior Brianna Ball said.

Ball is the logistics cochair and treasurer for WoCC and was excited that the event could focus on Vermont refugees, she said.

“It’s a community that often gets excluded and misinterpreted,” Ball said. “We’re trying to bring the light back to a community that’s very important in Vermont.”

Every piece of clothing pre-

ALEK FLEURY/The Vermont Cynic

A sculpture sits atop a group of art departement lockers in the basement of Williams Hall. The building has become home to university’s art and anthropology departments. new Discovery Hall. It’s not sterile. It’s history; it’s living with all of this art.”

Manetta said every day in Williams is unique.

“Coming up the stairs every day it’s like, ‘I’m in a different gallery.’ I never know what I’m going to see on the wall, what’s gonna change,” she said.

A student walking out of a class in Williams is likely to see an array of masks hanging on a wall by a staircase, an installation of sculptures and photographs by student artists and a string of fairy lights taped to the arch over Williams’ lecture hall.

Another aspect of the art community in Williams is the

Francis Colburn Gallery.

“It’s a free, open, public gallery on campus that occasionally exhibits student art,” said senior Thomas Mackell, an intern who is interning at the gallery.

A poetry reading was hosted there March 26.

“I was really blown away by a lot of the work that was read.

Some really powerful stuff, but also just some really funny stuff,” Mackell said.

Though Williams may have been built for science, artists and anthropologists have latched onto one of UVM’s most historic and adored buildings, making it their own.

sented in the show was designed by a member of the refugee community.

Traditional Somali and Bhutanese dress, to name a few, displayed the diverse backgrounds of some Vermonters.

In addition to fashion designed by members of the refugee community, the event also featured spoken word.

Members of both WoCC and VRRP participated by sharing their poetry and prose.

“Anytime we can combine community members with UVM is a great opportunity.

It really showcases the best of our state,” said Erin Baker, orientation program coordinator for WoCC. All proceeds from the night went to the VRRP for new arrival support programs. Last year, VRRP relocated 386 refugees to Vermont, according to its website.

A performance by A2VT, a musical group which combines African hip-hop and dance with American culture, closed out the night.

The members, now living in Winooski, are all African refugees from diverse backgrounds.

“This event gives them a platform to be beautiful, powerful and express themselves,” Burlington resident Kat Vitali said. “To me, it’s important to witness that.”

The Vermont Cynic

April 10, 2018

5

CULTURE

Players debut spring musical Eleanor Webster Staff Writer College students will throw it back to their middle-school days when they don thickframed glasses, parachute pants and sweater vests for a musical coming to town this week.

The audience will travel back to middle school at “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” the University Players’ second student-run show this year.

The UPlayers are the student-run theater club at UVM. They host two main-stage productions each year and host staged readings and one-act plays.

They also host “Name Pending,” an improv troupe.

Directed by senior Ian Kimmel, this improv-based show, “Spelling Bee,” will return viewers to their teenage years.

With a cast of nine, the musical follows the interconnected lives of six quirky adolescents and their roles in a middle school spelling bee.

“I see ‘Spelling Bee’ as a show about adolescence,” said junior Jimmy Hayden, the assistant stage manager. “It’s the story of six kids competing in the spelling bee. They’re all so unique, and they’re dealing with their own shit.”

First-year actor Jack Mercik said some of the characters come from broken families, have absent parents, don’t have friends, or are overworked.

“It’s just a very real portrayal of what kids in this situation are going through,” he said.

The audience will be interested to know who wins, Hayden said. Audience volunteers will also be able to participate in the bee.

Rehearsals began in January, so the cast and crew have been working for months to bring this musical to life.

“It’s been a satisfyingly difficult musical,” sophomore actor Daisy Navin said, referring to the complicated musical numbers. “But we all vibe really well together, and you can definitely see that in the show.

“It makes all the relationships seem much more real.”

Mercik said audiences can expect to laugh a lot.

“They’ll be right up onstage with the actors. They’ll get their own laughs; they’ll get to dance,” Navin said.

There will be two matinees of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” at 2 p.m.

April 14 and 15, and one evening show at 7 p.m. April 14.

The shows will take place at Main Street Landing.

Tickets $10 for UVM stu-

Recommended by WRUV Looking to update your Spotify playlist? WRUV has got you covered. Check the culture section weekly for our picks.

Yo La Tengo

Frankie Cosmos

Courtesy of Jimmy Hayden

The cast of the UPlayers production of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” strike a pose in rehearsal at the end of the opening number. There will be matinees of the show at 2 p.m.

April 14 and 15 and another performance at 7 p.m. April 14. dents and $15 for the public.

Tickets are available online, at the box office in the Royall Ty-

ler Theater or at the door before the performances.

Lorde hypnotizes Boston with new album Hunter McKenzie Culture Columnist

W

henever I attend a concert, the aftermath is the only thing I remember clearly: running up cement staircases into cement garages, holding onto a new T-shirt and sweating.

My mind was unable to catch up, spinning from the lights, sounds and stage.

These were the events that unfolded after Lorde’s concert April 3 in Boston.

I remember trying to find my car, floating through buzzing crowds of people as we left TD Garden.

I see myself twisting through roads, soaked to the bone, driving away from the city, the dark and stolen residue of the “Melodrama” World Tour in my head and on my car’s speakers.

But the next morning when I scrolled through the photos on my phone, hoping to relive it all, I only found four blurry pictures of the night. I went to the Notes app, and the first thing I come across, written at 12:06 a.m., said: “Think I passed away during Supercut — pronounced dead during Green Light.”

Lorde is on a 70-city tour across Europe and North America in support of “Melo-

HUNTER MCKENZIE/The Vermont Cynic

Lorde performs “Buzzcut Season” at her Melodrama World Tour show, April 3 at TD Garden. Khalid and and Run The Jewels have opened on her 70-city tour across Europe and North America. drama,” her sophomore album released last June. Along the way, she’s brought Khalid, Tove Styrke, Mitski and Run The Jewels for her opening acts.

It was not my first Lorde show, though this one was very different from my first.

She played in Boston four years ago at the Orpheum, a tiny concert hall, in support of her first album. Lorde and I were only 17 years old. I remember my last-row seating, her gothic, witchy black costuming and the sparse beats of her debut album.

Now, we’re both 21 and she’s upgraded to stadium shows.

This time around, her music is more complex, vibrant and joyful. Her presence is more colorful and sincere, her hair is shorter, straighter.

She played old favorites but

highlighted the new album, a total soundtrack of summer, so good that it stayed in my car speakers into fall and winter.

In the Garden, while we stood in up-close floor seats, the room felt as if it were about to be on fire. All the potential power of a sold-out venue swirled in the air: of 19,000 bodies, of their nerves, of impending drama.

Throughout the night, groups of jumping young women held onto one another and middle-aged dudes with guttural Southie accents tried to resist the urge to dance. Above me, cell phone lights and bobbing heads flooded the arena.

What stayed with me the most was the overwhelming experience of the show, how there was so much to see: hazy visuals, fluorescent lights, the

minimal design of the stage.

There was a crew of dancers clad in white, who engaged in an emotional kind of modern dancing, physical and interactive, in a large, glass box suspended in the air above us.

All of it was anchored by Lorde’s consuming performance, committed to throwing herself into every moment, thrashing and dancing around the empty stage.

Her ability to hypnotize the room was intense. In one moment, she had the room silent and crushed, crooning out the fragile “Liability,” only to pivot the mood with the surging “Green Light.”

At the end of the show, cannons shot confetti into the air, which, read in handwritten scribbles and grade-school romantic doodles: “Just another graceless night” and “Melodrama forever.”

It’s the little moments like this that attach a sense of sincerity and intimacy to the show, elevating it above the typical pop-star extravaganza.

Lorde’s tour continues until April 15. She will finish the North American leg in Nashville. “Melodrama” is available on most streaming services.

Hunter McKenzie is a junior English major and a devoted Lorde fan. It’s hard for him to pick a favorite song, but he’ll say “Ribs.”

Bahamas

Young Fathers

Caroline Rose

Dent May - Nap Eyes The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Loma Always

6

SPORTS

The Vermont Cynic

April 10, 2018

Basketball coach reflects on team’s success Curt Berry Staff Writer Hanging on the wall of John Becker’s office are pictures of his most memorable moments as head coach at UVM. There are dozens of them.

Becker took over as men’s basketball head coach in 2011.

He won two America East championships and almost 70 percent of the games he has coached.

He is also a three-time coach of the year.

“He does not run the practice himself completely — he lets the coaches coach,” senior forward Drew Urquhart said.

Whenever the players are not as motivated, Becker takes it upon himself to get his players going, he said.

“On days when the speed and the motivation is not there, I insert drills that get our players moving,” Becker said. “I’ll also pull our captains to the side and tell them that we need more energy.

“They do a great job of conveying that message to the rest of the team.”

Sophomore forward Anthony Lamb said that Becker expects the best from his players.

“He understands that I can play well and that I can be a leader on the team,” Lamb said. “He accepts my mistakes, but also pushes me to do better each day.”

This season, Vermont went

Photo courtesy of the University of Vermont

Basketball head coach John Becker cuts the net in 2017 after beating University at Albany, securing the team’s spot in the March Madness tournament. on a 15-game winning streak, an America East record. Becker’s focus was not on the streak, but on the next game, he said.

“We didn’t really talk about it,” Becker said. “Our expectation was to win the next game and plan the same way each game. We just had to block out the noise.”

As a head coach, Becker looks up to others in his position.

“I like guys like Brad Ste-

vens, Jay Wright and Tony Bennett from Virginia,” Becker said. “They have really connected teams, and have a poise and presence to their coaching style that makes it about the players.

“I hope I emulate them in some way.”

Becker has been coaching basketball since 1994. He coached three different teams before becoming an assistant coach at UVM in 2008, and

then landing the head coaching position in 2011.

Becker said that despite working with other coaches, he hasn’t had a mentor.

“I haven’t been handed anything, to a certain degree, and for most of my career I’ve worked for not a lot of money,” he said. “So, I’d say I made it here through my own hard work, instincts and common sense, rather than somebody else’s mentorship day-to-day.”

Becker is a scout. It is a challenge for him and any coach to look for players who can work hard and can fit in the system.

His experience has helped, he said.

“Right now, I’m in my coaching prime,” Becker said.

“I have a better sense of how kids can fit in our system here.”

Urquhart played under Becker’s leadership for four years.

“Coach Becker is a great recruiter,” Urquhart said. “One of the reasons that got me here was his laid-back personality type and how welcoming he is.”

Beyond being a head coach and a recruiter, Becker is also a husband and a father of two daughters. He credits his coaching success to fatherhood.

“I have a daughter who is a sophomore here, and it’s helped me really learn the perspective of these players who are all around the same age as her,” he said. “It has allowed me to bond with them closer than in the past.”

Watch the video: vtcynic.com/ beckervideo

Men’s lacrosse team uses strong defense to snag win Locria Courtright Assistant Sports Editor The Catamounts improved to 10-1 on the season, their first double-digit win season since 1997, according to UVM athletics.

The No. 14 Catamounts defeated the University of Massachusetts Lowell River Hawks 14-7 April 7.

Prior to the game, UVM athletics held a ceremony honoring the alumni and students who participated in the 2018 Winter Olympics.

First-year skier Connor Wilson and gold-winning women’s hockey player Amanda Pelkey ’15 held a meet-and-greet.

The Catamounts kept the entertainment going on the field, scoring the first five goals of the game.

First-year attacker Liam Limoges scored two goals, while junior midfielder Braiden Davis, junior attacker Dawes Milchling and sophomore attacker Ben French added one each.

The visitors managed to score before the end of the first quarter, but sophomore midfielder Liam Rischmann answered, giving Vermont a 6-1 lead after one quarter.

The River Hawks scored early in the quarter.

Vermont responded with

RYAN KEIL-ZABEL/The Vermont Cynic

Sophomore Ben French and first-year Liam Limoges cover an opposing player in the UVM lacrosse 14-7 win against University of Massachusetts Lowell. French and Limoges scored scored four and five goals each, respectively. four straight goals — two each from Limoges and French — to extend the lead to 10-2.

UMass Lowell went on its best run, scoring two goals before halftime and scoring the first goal of the third quarter to cut it to 10-5.

UVM responded with two more goals, one each from Limoges and French, with the latter coming on a man-up situation, and went into the fourth with a 12-5 lead.

The River Hawks cut it to five once again with a pair of

man-up goals from Jon Phillips, but UVM responded with the final two goals of the game from junior attacker Jack Knight and sophomore midfielder Robb Hudson.

Head coach Chris Feifs was impressed with his team’s ability to dominate even when not playing at its best, as the Cats turned the ball over 17 times.

“We left a lot out there on the field, a lot of self-inflicted wounds,” Feifs said. “We gotta keep our discipline for 60 minutes.”

Sophomore goalkeeper Nick Washuta finished the game with eight saves, while UMass Lowell’s tandem of Hunter Braun and Grant Lardieri finished with a combined 11.

“Our defense is really good, and our offense has been clicking too,” Limoges said. “I’m proud of our guys, we’re playing really well.”

UPCOMING GAMES at Stony Brook University Saturday, April 14 vs University of Virginia Saturday, April 21 vs UMBC Friday, April 27

The Vermont Cynic

SPORTS

April 10, 2018

7

Club baseball keeps ‘Bring It Back’ movement alive Nickie Morris Staff Writer Burlington’s Centennial Field is the oldest minor league baseball stadium in the country, housing the Vermont Lake Monsters in the summer. In the spring and fall, it sits empty.

UVM has no Division I varsity baseball team.

Jim Carter has coached club baseball since 2009. Before, he coached the varsity team, which was eliminated in 2009 due to budget cuts.

Carter is a member of the Friends of UVM Baseball Activities, a group that has met 70 times since 2009 in an effort to reinstate varsity baseball and softball, he said.

“The former athletic director told us we need a $15 million endowment to bring baseball back, then lowered it to $10 million and then left,” Carter said. “Now, the new director says we need $1 million, but no other current sport has any endowment.”

The Friends run frequent fundraisers for club baseball and a varsity baseball endowment.

They make around $10,000 each time, but this is still not enough, Carter said.

Athletics Director Jeff Schulman disagreed with the specifics of Friends budget claims.

Schulman said that he has a lot of respect for the work the Friends are doing, but that

DAVID MATTHEWS/The Vermont Cynic

UVM club baseball team head coach Jim Carter addresses his players sophomore Caleb Levan, senior Lucas Russell, senior Pascal Bechade and senior Ryan Connor before a practice. Carter is the former coach of the varsity team. their conversations have been more general in nature.

“To even consider bringing a sport back we have to make sure it’s financially stable without taking away from other programs,” Schulman said.

“We haven’t talked that specifically with exact dollar amounts about baseball.”

The club team has 12 games in the fall, and six are played at home.

They have been division champions four years in a row, said senior Ryan Connor, club baseball captain and president.

Connor came to UVM club baseball despite Coach Carter’s insistence that he could have pitched at a low-to-mid level Division I school.

“I chose club baseball here because I wanted to have extracurriculars outside of just my sport, which everyone can do with club, as we practice a few days a week instead of all the time,” Connor said.

He also said that there are academic benefits to the greater flexibility a club sport brings.

Both Connor and Carter said UVM has the talent and resources to create a competi-

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tive varsity team.

“I’ve coached baseball for over 40 years, many at the Division I level before it was taken away, and I’d say that in the club years we’ve had at least 12 guys who could play Division I,” Carter said.

The athletic department’s recent proposal for an $80 million renovation to Patrick Gym reveals information about UVM athletics funding, with no money going toward the proposed varsity baseball team.

“While the current priority is the 18 current varsity sports, the landscape for college ath-

letics is evolving,” Schulman said. “While I don’t see baseball coming back soon, it’s certainly possible that we could reconsider baseball or other dropped sports in the future.”

The Friends of UVM Baseball will be holding their next fundraiser April 14 at Finnigan’s Pub on College Street.

FEATURE

8

The Vermont Cynic

April 10, 2018

Recovering students break stereotype Kian Deshler Feature Writer Language is a powerful form of representation, and one that is largely absent on this campus for students in addiction recovery.

Professors banter about the consumption of alcoholic beverages in class, students openly recount drunken evenings on the bus and people jokingly self-identify as “alcoholics.”

Comments from professors — including one who said all heroin users are lost causes and should be locked up — are swept under the rug.

Students and professors often don’t realize there are many students in recovery from substance-use disorders. Those students are regularly marginalized on campus, according to Amy Boyd Austin, director and founder of the Catamount Recovery Program.

UVM supports these students through the CRP, founded in 2009, which provides support for students recovering from addiction.

Boyd Austin worked to create the program after a faculty member informed her of students struggling with substance use on campus.

“We realized that our [program] was about building community and connection — a safe haven for students that celebrates recovery and hon-

GENEVIEVE WINN

ors recovery as a model of wellness,” Boyd Austin said.

The program follows five pillars: recovery, community, academics, service and advocacy.

CRP consists of more than 30 students, but Boyd Austin said she is in contact with 50 or more additional students interested in the program.

Senior Zachary Wyatt, a psychology major in CRP, discussed his recovery as an identity.

“I think deep down, people want to share, but don’t because of the stigma. It’s an identity I hold. It’s part of who I am,” Wyatt said. “It’s by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and

why wouldn’t I be immensely of proud of that?”

Anonymity and recovery have been coupled for decades since the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous in the 1930s.

CRP strives to empower those in recovery rather than promote anonymity, Boyd Austin said.

Members of CRP are looking at the similarities with acceptance, learning from the ways in which the gay rights movement gained traction and removed the stigma around queerness, said senior Joy Solomon, a special education student in CRP. “I honestly feel more connection to some of the oth-

er identity centers than I do to policies like dry campus or Wellness Environment,” Boyd Austin said while speaking about University programs in relation to CRP. “I feel like those centers are working hard to support identities that are marginalized and that generally aren’t seen or understood and are expected to be able to just deal with the norms of college life.”

CRP is challenging this stigma by offering classes in community engagement and encouraging students in recovery to find confidence and strength through their personal stories of adversity.

Wyatt, along with other CRP

members, finds advocacy to be an important aspect of recovery.

“It’s taught me that speaking up about things takes the power away from them and that confidence and empowerment always follow,” Wyatt said.

Universities, in addition to selling an education, are selling a college experience. Solomon vocalized this idea.

“I think in a systemic way, this institution from orientation day has this college experience,” Solomon said. “UVM is a brand and the brand is for a very specific college student.”

Read the rest of this story at vtcynic.com