VOL. 134
The Vermont Cynic ISSUE 28
Porn in the workplace A former UVM employee admitted to watching porn at work. The incident will be used in a discrimination suit against UVM. PAGE 4
Women and weed A female drug dealer talks about selling drugs on campus and how her gender has impacted her experiences. PAGE 6
UVM overcharged 3 / 420 Food 7 / Local eats 12
APRIL 17, 2018
Former employee sues UVM Sawyer Loftus
swloftus@uvm.edu
SCAMMED One student picked up a call she thought was from UVM police. She nearly gave away her entire savings. Sawyer Loftus swloftus@uvm.edu
Junior Allison Schwartz was doing homework when she received a call from an 802 number she didn’t recognize. She answered it anyway. “I went, ‘um who is this?’ And they were like, ‘What do you mean, ‘who is it?’ It’s the UVM police, did you not see the number come up on your phone?”’ Schwartz said. Schwartz listened as the man on the other end told her to drive to the closest Western Union and wire him all the money in her account. When that wasn’t an option, he told her to set up a PayPal account and contact her parents to ask for money. UVM police had received “multiple reports that people have been targeted by a telephone scam in which the scammers are spoofing the phone number of the UVM police,” according to a March 21 CAT Alert that Schwartz read before wiring the caller money. Caller ID “spoofing” is the altering of a caller ID so it seems like the caller is from a different number, according to the Federal Communication Commission’s website. In Schwartz’s case, an unknown man spoofed his caller ID so it appeared as 802-6563473, the UVM police phone
“
number. The man on the other end of the call identified himself as Christopher Reed, a former lieutenant with the UVM police. He claimed that if she did not pay a $10,000 fine, Schwartz would be tried for selling heroin, cocaine and marijuana, she said. Schwartz messaged her mom on Facebook. The man told her what to say: that she needed to get as much money as she could if she didn’t want to go to jail. “He kept telling me to say,
“As soon as we started getting phone calls here, we decided to put something out about that to make sure people were aware that it was a scam,” he said. To his knowledge, no one at the University gave the scammers money, King said. Because these kinds of cases often involve multiple parties and come from overseas, they can be difficult to resolve, he said. King warned that if UVM police ever were to contact a student, they wouldn’t call from 802-656-3473. “Any time UVM police calls a student, it’s not going to come through as 802656-3473, which is our line for if you want to call us,” King said. Junior Jared Blodgett had a similar experience with a scam. In summer 2017, Blodgett received a voicemail from someone posing as an FBI agent. The man said that there was a warrant out for Blodgett’s arrest and left a number for him to call back. “I looked it up and it was totally fake, and I also looked up if the FBI would call someone and they never do,” Blodgett said. Blodgett said that this experience startled him and he didn’t understand why his number was being targeted.
Schwartz listened as the man on the other end told her to drive to the closest Western Union and wire him all the money in her account. ‘I have a few things I need to take care of … I will explain everything later, I just have some things I need to pay for now … Don’t worry mom, you can trust me,’” Schwartz said. The man told Schwartz he’d call her back from his cell phone. While she waited to hear back, Schwartz opened the CAT Alert sent out by the UVM police. Schwartz knew she had been scammed, she said. UVM police was quick to respond, Detective Sergeant Brandon King said.
”
A former UVM employee’s gender discrimination case went to trial Monday four years after she filed the lawsuit. Former University employee Cynthia Ruescher is suing UVM for gender discrimination, a hostile work environment and being fired after she first filed the lawsuit in 2014. Ruescher, who worked in Enterprise Technology Services, claimed she was denied equal pay, equal job titles, special project work, supervisory training and bonuses, among other things. Ruescher claimed that her supervisor Keith Kennedy questioned her ability to complete a job because of her gender. Kennedy admitted to watching porn while in the office, which Ruescher’s legal team claimed created a hostile work environment. Ruescher also claimed she was defamed by her superiors, who said she was not performing adequately and deflecting work. They accused her of sabotaging the department’s computer program code. Gender Discrimination Ruescher was hired in 2001 as a senior project analyst with a starting salary of $47,000. Her co-worker Martin McLaughlin was hired in 1999 as a second level senior project analyst. He had a starting salary of $51,000 a year, according to initial hiring documents. UVM’s defense states McLaughlin was hired into this position because he had more technical experience and education than Ruescher. In Ruescher’s initial 2014 complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, she argued that there was no difference between her job and McLaughlin’s. She said she should have been paid the same wage for her work. In early 2015 the EEOC sent an investigator to the University to look into Ruescher’s claims. Lucy Singer, the UVM General Counsel lawyer, said in a letter responding to the EEOC investigation that McLaughlin and Ruescher performed the same work. “The specific job title has changed at various times, but general body of work performed by these two employees is, and cont. on page 3
NEWS
2
The Vermont Cynic
April 17, 2018
Ex-staffer says he viewed porn on job Sawyer Loftus swloftus@uvm.edu
A former UVM employee has admitted to watching pornography at work. Keith Kennedy, a former supervisor and hiring manager, will be used as evidence in a lawsuit against the University this week, which claims the University created a hostile workplace. In a May 2015 deposition, Kennedy admitted to viewing pornography on his work computer, according to court documents. Kennedy has not responded to multiple requests for comment. Cynthia Ruescher is suing UVM for gender discrimination and her dismissal after submitting a complaint to the University, according to a press release from Ruescher’s lawyer Siobhan McCloskey. A hostile work environment is one of nine complaints that McCloskey has filed against UVM, according to court documents. McCloskey used Kennedy watching porn as evidence in her case against UVM, McCloskey said. UVM’s legal defense team filed a motion to waive this piece of evidence from being used in court, the documents
Photoillustration by Alek Fleury
stated. “While viewing pornography at work may be unprofessional and could be harassment under certain circumstances, in this case it was a victimless crime,” the motion stated. Roger Mello, the Superior Court judge presiding over the case, denied the motion, allowing the evidence to appear in trial, the documents stated. Changes may be made
during the proceedings, the documents stated. “These are provisional rulings, and the court may modify them during trial depending on the evidence presented,” the documents stated. It is expected that Ruescher’s former co-worker, Monica Devino, will testify at the trial, according to the court documents. Devino will testify about
Environmental club fosters inclusivity
several male employees, including a supervisor, using their UVM emails to register for an adult dating website called Ashley Madison. According to the documents, none of the unnamed male employees were punished by superiors or the University. Director of Communications Enrique Corredera said that this information did not come to the University’s atten-
tion until the May 2015 deposition. “The University of Vermont does not condone employees accessing inappropriate content while in the office,” Corredera said. Kennedy had given his formal notice of retirement eight weeks before the deposition and went into retirement soon after the deposition, Corredera said.
Video of the Week
Joey Waldinger jwalding@uvm.edu
One group on campus is aiming to make environmental studies more inclusive. The People of Color Environmental Collective is a community offering support to students and faculty of color across campus, said senior Kunal Palawat, one of the collective’s founders. “The role right now is to help people of color survive in the environmental field,” Palawat said. When Nancy Mathews, dean of the Rubenstein School, attended a meeting during the NoNames for Justice protests, she was struck by the collective’s positivity, she said. “The day I visited, we talked about what season of the year made us happiest,” Mathews said. “That was a big signal to me, that the students there are trying hard to find a space where they can just be themselves.” Mathews and other entities on campus are willing to financially support them, she said. However, it is important that the group remains led by students, Mathews said. “Once it becomes conflated with power … that will squash some of their creativity. And I want students to feel empowered,” Mathews said. Now, to ensure the continuation of their collective, Palawat
The Cynic visits Alice & the Magician vtcynic.com/alice
Photo courtesy of UVM
The People of Color Environmental Collective offers support to students and faculty of color in the environmental field. The club began in January as a group of environmental students of color. and other founders are looking to make the group an official organization in the environmental program, he said. “What the club has to figure out in the next few weeks is how to make this club sustainable and how to make it resilient to students leaving every three, four, five years,” Palawat said. Becoming an official organization will give the collective a greater reach, as well as steady access to funding, Palawat said. Though the club would have a place on campus in any political climate, it is especially needed in light of the racism and white supremacy prevalent at UVM, including in environmental studies and sciences, Palawat said.
Senior Jennifer Gil, a founder, was invigorated by the time spent with peers who shared her same interest in the intersection of racism and the environment, she said. “I’ve definitely seen a change in just my overall energy this semester. It’s very recharging to be around,” Gil said. Seeing the value of the collective to students of color, Gil intends to push the collective further, she said. “I want it to do bigger things … like field trips and hosting events and really supporting students and bringing students and faculty together,” Gil said.
During a trip to this imaginative cocktail bar downtown, our video team talks to a bartender at Alice & the Magician about creating scent elixirs to change the flavor of cocktails.
Podcast of the Week Defining SGA vtcynic.com/sgapodcast Podcaster Khalid AlMubarak investigates what students know about SGA, and what SGA wants students to know about them.
The Vermont Cynic
April 17, 2018
NEWS
3
University overcharged by city for water bill Brandon Arcari barcari@uvm.edu
The city of Burlington overcharged UVM $2 million for water expenses for more than 10 years. The Public Works Department estimated that UVM paid the city an extra $15,000 in monthly water expenses for University Heights North and South since 2006, according to a report from Chapin Spencer, director of Public Works, and Meghan Moir, assistant director for water resources. “I think it has to be a shock for anyone to come across — $2 million is not a small number and it makes you wonder if there is anything else that is being overlooked,” sophomore Will Kelleher said. Public Works became aware of the issue when UVM asked them to review a compound water meter — which measures the water for a large business or a residence hall — in University Heights South. UVM asked for the review after the Physical Plant noticed that the complex charges had altered from their normal amount. “I feel bad for everyone who had to overpay for housing at UHeights since its creation,” sophomore Liz Chambers said. The department found that the city water billing system had been tracking the incorrect measurement readings from the water meter. This has led to
ALEK FLEURY / THE VERMONT CYNIC
The Burlington water billing system incorrectly measured readings from the University Heights South water meter over the past 10 years, costing UVM over 2 million dollars. the amount of water used being measured incorrectly, according to Public Works Director Chapin Spencer in a presentation to the City Council. Joe Speidel, the director of local government and community relations at UVM, said in a December 2017 WCAX article that his department had pre-
viously assumed the University’s water bills had increased in 2006 simply because the University Heights residence halls both opened that year. “We didn’t really notice such a small increase since we were expecting some kind of increase when we had that new facility up and running,” Spe-
idel said in the WCAX article. The city of Burlington hired auditing firm Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler to examine other water meters regarding the same issue for a cost of $63,250, to check for other billing issues, according to a Jan. 18 press release. The firm found 17 other issues where
SGA senatorial election requires write-in Brandon Arcari barcari@uvm.edu
The SGA elections are over and all 37 seats have been filled, despite that only 36 students officially ran for a seat. Due to the fact that there were only 36 official candidates, sophomore Tucker Stevens, a write-in candidate, won the last seat. “I’m glad we filled all of the seats,” SGA president-elect Ethan Foley, a sophomore, said. Students not returning to SGA next year include junior Brandon Tracy, speaker of the senate, and current sophomore senator Ethan Foley and junior Gillian Natanagara, who are the newly elected president and vice president. “Interest with student government changes year-to-year, because students change their interests based off the campus climate, SGA President Chris Petrillo, a senior, said. “I would like to see more students engaged, but this year we had a lot of students engaged with grassroots organizing instead, which is really cool.” Student Trustee Caitlin McHugh, a senior, will also remain on SGA senate, along with senior Maeve McDermott. The election, held April 11-
SAM LITRA/The Vermont Cynic
The SGA senate elections, held April 11-12, included former SGA presidential candidates sophomores Jamie Benson and Reginah Mako. There were more seats than candidates in this year’s SGA senate election. 12, included current sophomore senators Jamie Benson and Reginah Mako, who had previously run for SGA president and vice president, and lost to Foley and Natanagara, also senators.
“I’m excited to have been elected to senate for a third term, and cannot wait to continue working to make SGA’s vision for UVM a reality, sophomore Jamie Benson said. “As transition draws clos-
er, I’m sad to see so many of my friends who welcomed me to senate as a first-year now graduating but am so proud of the work we were able to accomplish.”
customers had been incorrectly charged, according to Spencer. This incident comes only a few years after UVM was overcharged more than $350,000 in 2014 by Burlington Electric due to a faulty calculation in the shared space with the ECHO Center and the Rubenstein Ecosystem Science lab. Lawsuit cont. from page 1 has been, generally the same,” Singer said. Ruescher cited a number of pay discrepancies in the department for the 200001 fiscal year. Judith Schwartz held the same position as McLaughlin but with a salary of $45,497. McLaughlin had a salary of $53,295. UVM’s defense team argued that more goes into a salary than just the employee’s current job title. Ruescher’s other supervisor, David Todd, said in a court statement that while McLaughlin and Ruescher’s work overlapped in their responsibilities, McLaughlin took more initiative than she did. Ruescher also claimed that she and other female employees were not offered higher level positions based on their gender, court documents stated. Specifically, Ruescher said that she was denied work on the Catalyst project while McLaughlin was assigned to the project. The Catalyst project was the development and implementation of the PeopleSoft human resources software at the University. Ruescher claimed that her supervisors Todd and Kennedy denied her access to higher level trainings, while McLaughlin received numerous new trainings, according to her complaint to the EEOC.
OPINION
4 The Vermont
CYNIC
Call out gender bias issue
T EXECUTIVE Editor-in-Chief Erika B. Lewy editorinchief@vtcynic.com Managing Editor Greta Bjornson newsroom@vtcynic.com Operations Manager Sorrel Galantowicz operations@vtcynic.com OPERATIONS Advertising Manager Kaysie Smith ads@vtcynic.com Distribution Manager Brittnay Heffermehl distribution@vtcynic.com PR Manager Sara Klimek cynicpr@gmail.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
Staff Editorial
his week, a discrimination lawsuit four years in the making is finally going to trial. Cindy Ruescher, former UVM Enterprise Technology Services employee, accused the University of gender discrimination, creating a hostile workplace and firing her for complaining of discrimination issues. The court will decide whether or not Ruescher’s accusations are valid. But whether or not the jury sides with her case, we know that gender discrimination and equal pay in Vermont are real issues. The National Partnership for Women and Families released a state-by-state wage gap analysis April 10, Equal Pay Day. In Vermont, which ranks fifth in fair pay, women receive $6,718 less each year than men in the workforce. That’s a big chunk of change. The annual difference could pay for half a year of groceries for a family of four, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Ruescher’s trial brings up more than just equal pay concerns. She claims UVM was a hostile workplace. One of her co-workers admits to watch-
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 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 Izzy Abraham, Brandon Arcari, Sabrina Hood, Greta Puc ADVISING Faculty Adviser Chris Evans crevans@uvm.edu
James Simpson jsimpso2@uvm.edu
G
oing back on a campaign promise made to his supporters, Gov. Phil Scott has signed an egregious piece of gun control legislation, S.55, into law. Contained in this law are mandatory background checks for private gun sales and a ban on the sale of magazines that hold more than 10 rounds for rifles and 15 rounds for handguns. The legislation also limits rifle and shotgun sales to people 21 and older, and bans bump stocks, which are devices that increase the rate of fire of semi-automatic rifles. These provisions are unnecessary, unenforceable and unconstitutional. This legislation is unwarranted due to Vermont’s extremely low crime rate. According to the FBI, there were six murders in Vermont committed with firearms in 2016. On the national level, the gun homicide rate has fallen to just 3.6 murders per 100,000 Americans, nearly half of what it was in 1993, according to an October 2015 Pew Research Center study. Gun control is clearly unnecessary. This legislation is
April 17, 2018
SGA needs to represent all students Khalid AlMubarak kalmubar@uvm.edu
T HOLLY COUGHLAN ing porn. In emails, her co-workers refer to her as “mother of two.” For whatever reason, she is passed over for promotions and training opportunities. The evidence shows Ruescher was working in an office that would be uncomfortable for many women. Gender discrimination is insidious precisely because it is so hard to identify. In Ruescher’s case, her superiors say she was passed over because she lacked experience in mobile design. If so, what factors prevented her from getting experience in the first place? In issues of discrimination and identity, there are 1,000 excuses for why the per-
son with a marginalized identity was passed over for the promotion. A valid one to consider is their identity. This trial gives us the opportunity to examine our own workplaces and classrooms. The question is not “Is there discrimination here?” The question is “How does discrimination affect my place in the world?” 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.
New S.55 bill infringes on rights
Podcasts Chloe Chaobal vtcynicpodcasts@gmail.com Sports Eribert Volaj sports@vtcynic.com
The Vermont Cynic
nothing but a feel-good measure to give people the impression that something is being done. Now I will address the two most burdensome provisions: the private sale background checks and the magazine capacity limit. First, private sale background checks are ineffective in reducing mass shootings. According to a Feb. 16 New York Times article, the vast majority of recent mass shooters passed a mandated federal background check to legally purchase their weapons. None of them acquired their weapons through legal private sales. Forcing people to appear at a gun shop and pay a fee to sell guns is an unfair burden on Vermonters, especially those who live in rural areas far from gun stores and those who cannot afford the fee, which can add as much as $35 or more to the price of a gun. Second, limiting magazine
capacity is useless, as any experienced shooter can change a magazine in mere seconds. Limiting how many rounds law-abiding citizens are allowed to have to defend themselves is a draconian measure that infringes on the right to self-defense, which is core to the Second Amendment and Article 16 of the Vermont Constitution. Also, this provision is unenforceable, as there is no way for police to know whether a magazine was acquired before or after the law was enacted. S.55 is an affront to Vermont’s gun-friendly traditions and to the rights of Vermonters. It seems that Phil Scott and the legislators who voted for it have forgotten what the phrase “shall not be infringed” means. Now it’s up to the courts to remind them by striking down this unconstitutional law. James Simpson is a pro-gun, junior political science major. He has been writing for the Cynic since 2016.
VALENTINA CZOCHANSKI
o build a truly representative students’ union, we can use the government body we already have. I began looking into this with a great degree of skepticism toward SGA. The students’ unions that I witnessed abroad were far more activist-oriented and more representative of their constituents. To solve this discrepancy between my observations, students’ opinions and what SGA stands for, I asked SGA President senio Christopher Petrillo to define SGA. “The Student Government Association is a representative body for the students of the University of Vermont. We’re a democratically elected students’ union in a sense,” Petrillo said. It should be noted, however, that about 20 percent of the entire student population on campus voted in this presidential election, and that percentage is the highest it’s been in years. “We make decisions that vary from budgetary discretionary decisions on club allocations,” Petrillo said. “We make decisions based on resolutions. We lobby the administration to change policies to better students’ lives on campus.” As a students’ union, SGA is too soft in exercising its powers, but only by going deeper into the issue with Petrillo have I come to see why that may be the case. One presidential candidate handed me his campaign card, but when I asked him a question about his platform he told me, “it’s all online,” and did not engage me in his own campaign. I wonder if this is what turns students away from voting. The quality of SGA primarily depends on student participation and making our voices heard. “Students should always have more say on issues on campus, but the extent at which it happens is entirely up to them,” Petrillo said. It’s up to us to improve the level of representation to be able to safely assert our powers as students on our campus. Aggressive participation in SGA, not only in elections but in all issues, is critical and may be the best form of action to take in order to turn SGA into a fully representative students’ union. Khalid AlMubarak is a continuing education student studying philosophy. He has been writing for the Cynic since 2018.
The Vermont Cynic
April 17, 2018
SPORTS
5
Midfielder flourishes in debut season
Maddie Allen
madeleine.s.allen@uvm.edu
Junior midfielder Elise Koehl came to UVM after her lacrosse coach at the University of Louisville was fired following accusations of mentally and verbally abusing players, Koehl said. In her first season at Vermont, Koehl broke the University record for most goals scored in one game, scoring eight against Siena College Feb. 28. “My [former] head coach had been under a lot of heat for mental and verbal abuse,” Koehl said. “A total of 19 people quit from the team.” Koehl’s former head coach was Kellie Young. Young faced accused of mistreatment and abuse by former players, according to a November 2017 Courier Journal article. Young was fired last November after being accused of negligence in a lawsuit by a former player. The lawsuit stated that the player was not provided adequate medical care after being overworked in a conditioning drill, according to the Courier Journal article. After decision to leave, Koehl had to act quickly to find her new home for the spring semester, she said. “It was a really, really tough decision, having to basically up-
Courtesy of UVM athletics
Junior lacrosse player Elise Koehl has made an immediate impact, scoring 33 goals and five assists this season. Koehl transferred to UVM after her coach at University of Louisville was fired after being accused of verbal and mental abuse. root my entire life and find another program where I would not have the same experience,” Koehl said. She visited many colleges, all while continuing her classes at Louisville, she said. “That month was crazy, going on official visits and talking to a bunch of coaches all while being in the middle of my hardest semester as a political science major,” Koehl said. Head coach Sarah Dalton said she was excited when Koe-
hl reached out to her about the possibility of transferring to Vermont. “Just knowing the type of player that she was and knowing that she would have an immediate impact on our offense specifically, she has certainly done that since day one,” Dalton said. Since her arrival, Koehl has made an immediate impact with 33 goals and five assists so far this season. “I think that she does a real-
ly nice job of being selfish and knowing when to go to goal but also being unselfish and knowing when to move the ball,” Dalton said. Koehl said her new team has welcomed her with open arms. “They’ve been super nice to me since the first day I got to campus and I couldn’t ask for better teammates,” Koehl said. The Virginia native has been playing lacrosse since the third grade, and knew she wanted a challenge following her high
school career. “I wanted to take my lacrosse career to the next level,” Koehl said. “I knew I wanted to be at a more competitive school and compete with some of the best athletes in the nation.” As the Cats head into the season’s final weeks, Koehl wants the team to win the games they know they can win. “I think we all believe that we can win,” Koehl said. “It’s just a matter of showing up and playing for 60 minutes.”
Champions League: underdogs and giants seek glory Sports Editor sports@vtcynic.com
A
fter one of the most entertaining quarter-final rounds in Champions League history, the four semi-finalists were confirmed. Four different countries will be represented in the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time since 2010. Reigning European champions Real Madrid will join German champions Bayern Munich, English club Liverpool and Italy’s Roma in a semi-final round that promises lots of excitement. Real Madrid, who have won three of the last four Champions League titles, relied on five-time Player of the Year winner Cristiano Ronaldo to get past Italian champions Juventus. Ronaldo scored twice in a 3-0 away win, including an outrageous bicycle-kick goal, and then scored the decisive penalty in the 97th minute of the return game. Juventus led 3-0 in Madrid, and with the game seconds away from heading to extra time, Spanish winger Lucas Vazquez was fouled in the box. Referee Michael Oliver awarded a penalty without hesitation. Juventus’ legendary goal-
keeper Gianluigi Buffon was then sent off with a red card in what could very well be his last ever European game. The 40-year-old goalkeeper has continuously hinted at his retirement, but has yet to confirm it. Ronaldo then stepped up under pressure and scored the penalty, sending Real Madrid to their eighth consecutive Champions League semi-final. Real Madrid will face Bayern Munich in the semi-finals. Bayern, who secured their sixth consecutive German league title last weekend, were part of a relatively uneventful quarter-final matchup. They defeated Spanish side Sevilla 2-1 in Spain and then played out a 0-0 draw in Germany. This will be Bayern’s sixth semi-final appearance in the last seven seasons. While the Germans may not have an individual of Ronaldo’s quality, they are one of the most consistent teams in Europe. They have barely put a foot wrong under veteran head coach Jupp Heynckes. Bayern is also the only team in Europe still with a chance of winning the treble — domestic league, domestic cup and the Champions League. The other semi-final will be between Roma and Liverpool,
two teams that were underdogs in their quarter-final games. Roma defeated Barcelona in one of the biggest upsets and comebacks in Champions League history. After winning 4-1 in the first leg, it seemed that the second game would only be a formality for Barcelona. The Italians, led by captain Daniele De Rossi, had other ideas. They won 3-0 in Italy, knocking out one of the main contenders for the Champions League title. This will be Roma’s first ever semi-final appearance in the Champions League. They will face Liverpool, who return to the semi-finals for the first time in a decade. Liverpool defeated Manchester City, the only other English team in the quarter-finals. Liverpool were led by Egyptian winger Mohamed Salah, who is challenging Ronaldo and Argentina star Lionel Messi for the Player of the Year award, after one of the best individual seasons in Premier League history. Salah has scored 40 goals in all competitions this year. Only Ronaldo has scored more so far. Liverpool won both quarter-final games, defeating City 3-0 at home and 2-1 away.
GENEVIEVE WINN Salah was on the scoresheet in both games. Liverpool and Roma kickoff the semi-final round April 24, and Bayern host Real Madrid one day later. The return games will be played May 1 and 2.
Eribert Volaj is the sports editor. He is a supporter of Bayern Munich.
CULTURE
6
The Vermont Cynic
April 17, 2018
Women dealers change weed culture Autumn Lee autumn.lee@uvm.edu
One UVM first-year is out to change the stoner stereotype from bong-ripping bros to be more friendly towards women. Olive, a pseudonym, first sold psychedelics when she came to UVM, then began selling weed when she realized she could smoke for free, she said. She has since stopped smoking because it made her anxious and introspective in social situations. She found she liked the clarity and appreciation that came with being sober, she said. “It took me out of the present moment, but I still love weed. The smell, the look of it and everything except getting high,” Olive said. In many ways Olive isn’t a typical drug dealer. She puts stickers on every bag of drugs she sells and asks customers about their day, she said. “It catches people off guard,” she said.Her gender also throws people off. Olive said that people are sometimes surprised to find out she was a woman. Some look over her shoulder when she is weighing, something that she says probably wouldn’t happen if she was a man. Sophomore Luke Belleville, who buys weed from Olive, said he sees no difference between his female and male dealers. “My perception of weed dealers was that they’d be like the ones you saw on TV,” Belleville said. “Tough, kind of twitchy, overall just sketchy people and definitely male. “I can’t off the top of my head even now think of a female
AUTUMN LEE / Vermont Cynic
A sophomore lights up after buying weed from her dealer, first-year Olive. Olive, a pseudonym, feels she’s breaking the “bro” stereotype around cannabis culture at UVM as a female dealer. drug dealer on TV.” But those perceptions were challenged when he came to UVM, he said. “I’ve recently met a couple of female drug dealers, which I guess didn’t faze me too much,” he said. “[They] have all been the nicest people and care whether you had a good time with their product.” Olive likes to talk to people about using the drug, especially psychedelics, before selling it to them, she said. “I honestly care about the people I sell to,” she said.
Once a boy called her on the phone to tell her he was in the hall having a breakdown after he left her room, she said. Olive sat on the floor and talked with him while he worked through the bad trip, she said. “I think weed is on its way to being accepted on the same level as alcohol,” Belleville said. “I can only hope that men and women will have equal places in the industry.” According to the Cannabis Consumers Coalition, 53 percent of cannabis users in 2017
were women and 42 percent were men. With more states legalizing weed, it seems to be more normalized in the U.S. According to a Jan. 5 Pew Research poll, 61 percent of Americans favor legalizing marijuana. Weed tampons and weedthemed weddings are a part of the growing cannabis culture. According to a Jan. 31 CNN article, the marijuana industry is worth $11 billion. Nine states in the U.S. allow recreational use, including Vermont. The law which legalizes use
for Vermonters ages 21 and up, will take effect July 1. Groups like Women Grow encourage the participation of women in the industry. The for-profit organization works to demonstrate how women in the weed industry are finding empowerment as business leaders, their website states. On the other hand, as students who are often under 21 at a college with a no-drug policy, buying and smoking weed can be scary business, Belleville said.
Herbarium finds new home in Jeffords Hall after fire Jonathan Greenberg jgreenb9@uvm.edu
The largest natural history collection in Vermont was located in Torrey Hall, but a near-disaster in August 2017 brought the collection to a new home. A fire was started by workers who were soldering copper roofing tiles around the attic August 2017, said Steven Locke, chief engineer at the Burlington Fire Department. While some minor specimens were lost in the accident, most of the plants and other materials were saved and moved to Jeffords hall, where they continue to act as learning resources for plant life in Vermont and around the globe. “We have 300,000 specimens currently, and we have around 2,000 new ones added every year,” said David Barrington, director of the Pringle Herbarium and chair of the plant biology department. Barrington, a tall, lanky professor with round wire glasses, had a sharp gleam in his eyes
when he spoke about the collection. “UVM has the third-best herbarium in New England, number one being Harvard and two Yale,” he said. “Some of our oldest specimens date back to 1810.” The Herbarium collection
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“I have been using it since 1984,” said Elizabeth Thompson, a current lecturer in plant biology. “It is an incredibly important tool for research and conservation efforts.” One can’t truly realize the immense size of the collection until they turn the corner to
of a data center. Boxes, filing cabinets and a large freezer stand in neat rows. “We have a bug problem,” Barrington said. “They try to eat the plants. To kill them off before they destroy our specimens, we cycle the plants through the freezer.”
One wonderful thing that has come out of the fire is that there is a better connection between the Herbarium people and the plant biology department. It really is an understatement to say this is a good resource. Susan Fawcett UVM graduate student
was started by Vermont native and former UVM student Cyrus Guernsey Pringle when he began collecting plants in the 1870s. Not only does the herbarium serve as a representation of plant life in Vermont, but it’s also a tool for teaching at the University.
see the rows upon rows of metal storage containers carrying plant specimens. Though the collection is spread throughout the hallways of the third floor and basement, there is one room in the basement that holds a majority of the specimens. It looks like the server room
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There are plants from all over the world in the collection: 22 percent of the specimens are from Vermont, Barrington said. Susan Fawcett, a UVM graduate who is pursuing a doctorate, used to have an office in Torrey until the fire. “I actually had to change my dissertation since I lost some of
my specimens and other materials in the fire,” Fawcett said. But, she has found a silver lining in the incident, she said. “One wonderful thing that has come out of the fire is that since the Herbarium was moved to Jeffords, there is a better connection between the Herbarium people and the plant biology department,” Fawcett said. “It really is an understatement to say this is a good resource.” When the Herbarium eventually moves back to Torrey Hall, there is even more good news, Barrington said. “We have taken substantial steps toward fire prevention within the building once it is finally fixed up,” he said. “Though that’s still two to three years away.” The Herbarium is open to the public and welcomes visitors from 8:30 to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursday or by appointment.
The Vermont Cynic
CULTURE
April 17, 2018
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4/20 food: Easy snacks to make when you’re totally baked From the Culture Editor life@vtcynic.com
A
pril 20 is just around the corner and like any great holiday, this one deserves a
feast. On this day, stoners can’t just settle for opening a bag of chips. A day for being baked deserves some creative baking. The culture team experimented with recipes to present this stoner cookbook. First, we put a twist on a classic munchy snack: I call them Nacho Nachos. Ingredients: Doritos, sharp cheddar Instructions: The trick to good nachos is layering. Use whole, unbroken chips for the base. Crumble on cheese. Layer more chips. Add more cheese. For your final layer give it all you got. Microwave for 1- 1 ½ minutes and enjoy while hot. Rating: 4/5 stars After hitting that savory spot and taking a few more hits, it’s time for something sweet. You’ve heard of the Chunky Monkey, but are you familiar with the Monkey Meltdown? Ingredients: three Grundle bananas, peanut butter, semi sweet chocolate chips Instructions: Peel the bananas and cut them into 1-2 inch pieces, eating the ends as you go. Spread a small amount of peanut butter on the top of each banana chunk (warning: cut bananas are slippery). Then sprinkle on chocolate chips. Microwave for 30 seconds, or until you realize all the peanut butter is sliding off. Rating: 4.5/5 stars At this point in the night everything was funny, the contents of the fridge were dwin-
dling and the mood called for something healthy to balance the feast out. Enter the Ripped Wrap. Ingredients: Head of lettuce, Caesar Harvest Snaps, cheddar cheese Instructions: Separate full leaves of lettuce from the head and lay them on a slightly greasy nacho plate. Arrange Harvest Snaps peas lengthwise down each leaf. Crumble with cheddar cheese and fold the sides of the leaves into the center. Eat like a hard taco with great care and be prepared for some floor casualties. Rating: 3/5 stars At 11:11 we wished to the stoner gods to make the ultimate high snack. We frantically searched for remaining materials and were blessed with some key ingredients. We proudly present the Glory Hole. Ingredients: Glazed Koffee Kup donut, leftover Domino’s cinna-stix icing, mini red velvet cupcake, nacho chip crumbles, chocolate chips, determination Instructions: Gently widen the center of the donut and place the cupcake in the hole. Microwave the Dominos icing for 20 seconds. Don’t worry, we know the cup says “do not microwave.” Drizzle the melted icing around the already glazed donut generously. Before it hardens once again, sprinkle on nacho chip crumbles and chocolate chips for a crunchy, sweet and salty delight. Rating: 5/5 stars.
The “Monkey Meltdown”
The “Glory Hole”
Izzy Siedman is a culture editor. She may not be a trained chef but loves having a happy tummy.
The “Ripped Wrap”
The “Nacho Nachos”
LILLY SHARP/The Vermont Cynic
CULTURE
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The Vermont Cynic
April 17, 2018
Summer is only a few weeks away and beach reads will soon be a necessity, so the Culture staff has five book recommendations for you. Check the Culture section weekly for our staff’s picks.
“Bluets”
“The Idiot”
“Norwegian Wood”
“11/22/63”
“The Name of the Wind” by Patrick Rothfuss Fantasy, $9.94 Izzy Siedman’s pick With over 600 pages of intimate story on how Kvothe became a notorious wizard, this book is full of magic and written like a poem. With a skilled balance between plot points and riveting details, its humor, complex characters and stunning language are surprisingly fresh. The book examines social patterns, how we perceive time and the power of words. I thought I left my fantasy days behind, but this one slipped past my filter. “You have to be a bit of a liar to tell a story the right way,” Kvothe says.
by Maggie Nelson Autobiography, $12.63 Hunter McKenzie’s pick
by Elif Batuman Fiction, $11.00 Bridget Higdon’s pick
by Haruki Murakami Fiction, $10.20 Jean McBride’s pick
by Stephen King Science Fiction, $19.90 Allie O’Connor’s pick
This gorgeous, experimental autobiography is not only an exploration of the color blue, but also a deep dive into themes of love, loss, friendship and philosophy. Written in loose lyrical prose and list form, “Bluets” is just one example of author Maggie Nelson’s power and unconventional style in the field of nonfiction and poetry. “I would rather have had you by my side than any one of these words; I would rather have had you by my side than all the blue in the world,” Nelson writes.
Written in the style of Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky’s great Russian novels, “The Idiot” follows protagonist Selin as she stumbles through her first year at Harvard University in 1995. Emails are new and mixtapes are traded as social currency when Selin falls for Ivan. Every sentence will have you nodding in empathy as Selin asks the important questions: “How do you make friends?” “How do you fall in love?” “The Idiot” is an all-consuming journey that carries you gracefully through time and space.
Translated from Japanese, this coming-of-age novel delves deep into the issues of depression and youthful rebellion. Focusing on the sexual and emotional life of the introspective Toru as he chooses between two lovers, the book forces us to confront the inevitable harms that come with growing up and moving on. While many characters commit suicide, their deaths are handled with profound dignity. If you can handle tragedy, you should read this book.
In this thrilling, quasi-historical science-fiction epic, high school teacher Jake Epping is sent back in time to stop the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. King writes with such passion and well-timed urgency, touching on sweeping questions like whether or not one man can make an impact. For me, the shining moments in this book are the simplest, smallest, seemingly inconsequential events during Jake’s time in the past that make the characters feel truly human and real.
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April 17, 2018
The Vermont Cynic
CULTURE
April 17, 2018
Event examines rape culture Lily Merriam lily.merriam@uvm.edu
Rape culture isn’t typically compared to a pebble in a shoe, but dismantling it is all about addressing the uncomfortable. The 13th annual Dismantling Rape Culture Conference, hosted by the UVM Women’s Center, was held April 12 in the Davis Center. If you have a pebble in your shoe, you wouldn’t leave it there because it’s uncomfortable. You would sit down and work to take it out, said Lourdes Ashley Hunter, keynote speaker of the day. Hunter is the executive director of the Trans Women of Color Collective. TWOCC is a national organization that uplifts the narratives, leadership and experiences of trans and gender nonconforming people of color, according to its website. Throughout the day, three workshop sessions were held that covered sexual and domestic violence, virginity, sex work, race, disabilities and LGBTQA issues in relation to rape culture. After lunch was served, Hunter took the stage. “I was raped. No one believed me,” Hunter said in her speech. Hunter showed a video that memorialized trans people who
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died from domestic and sexual violence. She lives with the fear that any day she could be murdered, she said. “It’s just a matter of time before my mom gets a call to identify my body,” Hunter said. “But I do not let that fear consume me because I’m a bad bitch.” On average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner, according to the National Coali-
Even though the main topic is sexual assault and it seems pretty scary, it’s such a beautiful, positive experience. Jillian Kelly Conference attendee
tion Against Domestic Violence. “I come every year. Even though the main topic is sexual assault and it seems pretty scary, it’s such a beautiful, positive experience,” said Jillian Kelly, an employee at the Central Vermont Medical Center. This is Kelly’s third year attending the conference. Senior Annie Glessner-Fischer attended the conference for the first time this
year. She said the conference emphasized that sexual assault is not the victim’s fault. “I think people don’t like to talk about sexual assault. I think a lot of people also don’t really recognize it, so it’s a great way to get people aware,” she said. Sexual violence wasn’t the only topic of conversation at the conference. Hunter also spoke about how she often feels singled out because of her race. “It’s hard for me to look into a room and see so many white faces,” Hunter said. Throughout Hunter’s academic life, she was the only trans black woman in her classes. Only 11.1 percent of UVM undergraduates are people of color, according to the UVM website. “As white people in this space, especially at UVM, we need to be open to the discomfort and sitting in it. Be okay admitting that you are uncomfortable,” said Jenna Emerson, a health educator in Living Well. “It’s also okay to be vulnerable and admit that you can be racist,” she said. But this is also a place for improvement, Hunter said. Everyone should work to be comfortable and accepting.
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The Vermont Cynic
April 17, 2018
The Cynic Cineaste
Film falls flat on plot, brings feminism Hunter McKenzie hmmckenz@uvm.edu
I SAM LITRA / The Vermont Cynic
Mirabelles is a bakery and restaurant. Baker Pat Kheller said it’s the sense of community in the kitchen that makes things fun.
Burly chefs pledge to serving local Addie Beach cbeach2@uvm.edu
Rich chocolate, creamy soups, French pastries — all of it local. It doesn’t take much of a walk down Church Street to get a sense of what the Burlington food scene and its chefs have to offer. One of these restaurants is Revolution Kitchen, which specializes in vegan and vegetarian food. Owner and chef Debra Maisel said that part of what inspired her to start cooking was a desire to see her children eat local, unprocessed food. “I had two kids,” Maisel said. “I wanted to make sure they ate well.” This desire to share clean food with others was what prompted Maisel and her husband Peter to open up their first restaurant in Portland, Oregon. In the beginning, Maisel tried to spread a message with her work, she said. Not so much anymore. “Now, I think, what my husband and I really want is for people to just embrace what they feel good about,” Maisel said. Maisel explained she likes to design a diverse menu by creating flavorful dishes that even meat-eaters will love. Josh Kimball, chef at Gaku Ramen, echoed this love of creativity. He said he enjoys adapting his craft to his mood and seasonally available ingredients. “The moment you lose your inspiration is the moment you fail as a chef,” Kimball said. Kimball originally began cooking in the army. He returned to the culinary arts after he became disillusioned with corporate culture, he said. Kimball now experiments with deconstructed sushi rolls. “To sit there and reverse-engineer them and put them on a plate, it kind of takes people’s
breath away a bit,” Kimball said. Interacting with customers is part of what keeps him on his toes, he said. “The people that come in are amazing,” Kimball said, “and my co-workers are why I’m there.” Pat Kelleher, a baker at Mirabelles, agreed that the sense of community in the kitchen is what keeps things fun. “It’s a collaborative effort,” he said. “You get to spend your eight-hour workday around people who are like-minded and enjoy that craft.” Kelleher started baking during a summer job at a commercial bakery while he attended UVM. There, he came to love both the science and joy involved in the art, he said. “The satisfaction I get from people eating stuff that I made — it’s very intoxicating,” Kelleher said. He soon found a culture that fostered innovation, both in and out of the restaurant. “The community really supports these businesses,” Kelleher said. Both Kelleher and Kimball noted that this kind of local support and creativity have only increased. In the past few years, the Burlington food scene has exploded with new cultures and classic twists, Kimball said. Farm-to-table has been key to this, he said. “Without those local farms, I think we’d be on the same page that we were five years ago,” he said. Kelleher agreed, noting that there was very little local produce in the supermarkets when he was growing up in Vermont. It has become more popular in the last 10 to 15 years, he said. The chefs like to incorporate this variety and community focus into their specialty foods. “I’m always a sucker for a homemade mac and cheese,
SAM LITRA / The Vermont Cynic
Gaku Ramen (top) specializes in Japanese noodle soups. Revolution Kitchen (bottom) specializes in vegan and vegetarian food. myself,” Kimball said, noting the quality of local artisan cheeses. Kelleher’s food of choice is yeast-risen bread, which combines the hands-on process of making the dough with the science that attracted him to the field in the first place. “It’s fascinating; it’s alive,” he said, in reference to the dough-making process. Maisel likes to mix things up when collaborating with local farms. “Our vision has always been to support like-minded businesses,” Maisel said. If anything, Kelleher thinks there is potential to build
on this diversity, saying he wouldn’t mind seeing restaurants explore more of the city . “There are some great neighborhoods in Burlington,” he said. Senior Michelle Beaupre agreed that there is room for growth. “I wish there was more variety,” Beaupre said. Kelleher provided a suggestion for those looking for somewhere to eat in Burlington. “Ask a few locals what they think, and then go somewhere else,” Kelleher said. “There’s always going to be another place to pick.”
f you enjoy feminist perspectives and John Cena butt chugging beer, “Blockers” might be the film for you. “Blockers” stars Leslie Mann, John Cena and Ike Barinholtz, and follows three parents as they try to prevent their daughters from losing their virginities on prom night. Although it might appear to be just another raunchy teen sex comedy at first glance, “Blockers” subverts expectations. It is a thoughtful and absurdly vulgar film about female sexuality and the importance of choices when coming of age. Inside of the film’s unjudgemental attention to adolescent female experience, there is also a slightly two-dimensional dash of LGBT representation. “Blockers” is relevant, but bogged down by jarring shifts in the script and an over-lit, glossy look. The filmmaking by Kay Cannon (one of a few of female directors given an R-rated mainstream comedy) is tunedin to our current generation. But “Blockers’” plotline really doesn’t manage to be smart in any areas beside that. One of the crucial mistakes of the film — which prevents it from becoming a truly memorable teen comedy — is its attention toward the parents, who act as the protagonists. The film clearly panders to an older audience, which is strange, as its millennial sensibility stands in contrast. The film belongs to the kids, who carve out the most they can with the material, delivering three-dimensional characters. The time we spend with the trio of parents (unexciting aside from brief, brilliant moments from Leslie Mann) is time taken away from the teens, whose struggles and desires are the funniest and truest parts of the film and demand to be fleshed out further. We are instead stuck running around with the parents, waiting for them to catch up to their children’s progressive ideals. When they finally do come around at the end, the moment has lost any sense of insight. Both the teens and the audience have already arrived there long ago. “Blockers” leaves an impression — not of a new comedic classic in the making, but instead a subtle sign of where comedy filmmaking could be headed.