Issue 2 - Volume 137 by Vermont Cynic

THEVERMONTCYNIC Issue 2 - Volume 137 | September 8, 2020 | vtcynic.com

Two Weeks. Three Officers. Zero action.

Story on pages 4 and 5.

KYLE ELMS/The Vermont Cynic

NEWS

Students stage die-in on Green

Meet the new SGA President

Anna Morrill

Maryann Makosiej

Cynic News Reporter

As students shuffled around UVM’s Central Campus Aug. 3, a line of students dressed in black, carrying tombstones and a coffin began their somber march to the site of their “death.” Late Thursday, the students along with other members of the UVM community including professors and lecturers, converged on the Waterman green to stage a die-in, to symbolize the slow death of academic programs, the death of Black Americans across the country and the potential harm of UVM’s reopening plan. Protest leaders spoke of the intersectional issues of racial injustice, UVM budget cuts, COVID testing, student accessibility and UVM police officers. Following the die-In, students made their way to Battery Park to join other community members in a multi-day protest calling for the firing of three Bulrington police officers. Chris Harrell, the leader of the UVM Union of Students which helped organize the protest, explained that this diein was calling on people to stop being bystanders, lamenting the UVM administration for sitting back as the BIPOC community pleads for justice. “We can no longer wait for Black death before we

After a rollercoaster of an SGA presidential election this past March, Iraqi-American and first generation college student Lana Al-Namee has started her tenure as president of the organization. As Al-Namee has taken her seat at the head of SGA, she entered into a school year marked by a global pandemic and historic racial justice protests on and off campus. But to Al-Namee, a Junior, her new position is not political. “I don’t see this as a political position,” Al-Namee said of her role as SGA President. “I see it as an environment for student change.” One of five girls, Al-Namee was born in Baghdad, Iraq. Her family came to the United States in 2008, where she enrolled in the 3rd grade. It is an identity that has not been without conflict, she said. “I’m seen as and treated most of the time as a white person but as soon as people know where I’m from, the conversation changes instantly,” Al-Namee said. Her experience as an Iraqi-American has pushed her to prioritize representation at UVM. “We need to put an end to having the same identities in the Senate,” she said. “If we are going to claim we represent the student body, we may as well have representation in the Senate.” Although, Al-Namee was not originally named the winner of the election in March, when Senior Ben Bieri won but stepped down, she was quickly sworn in. A goal for the pescetarian and avid runner is to balance introducing institutional change while meeting the day-to-day needs of students, especially students typically marginalized, she said. “How do you support students of color at a predominantly-white university in the long-run?” Al-Namee said. In addition to fostering inclusion on campus, Al-Namee wants to strengthen support for sexual assault victims. She said this decision comes on the heels of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’s Aug. 15th decision to allow those accused of harassment or assault to cross-examine their accusers. “Those victims need to be listened to and supported,” she said. Outside of the classroom, the Business Administration major is an avid cook and yogi. “I’ve been known to make anything into a meal,” she said. “I’ll combine anything and I use what I’ve got to make it delicious.” While the office in the Davis Center that usually houses SGA meetings is closed for renovations for the time being, there will be the first in-person SGA meeting Sept. 8.

MAC MANSFIELD-PARISI/The Vermont Cynic

UVM students march past the catamount statue holding signs for the die-in protest event, Sept. 3. The event was sponsored by the UVM Union of Students and UVM Black Lives Matter. care about black issues,” he said to a crowd of protesters dressed in all black outside the Davis Center, before the group marched to Waterman Green. However, some students at the content-packed event admitted feeling confusion about what the protest was really about. “I saw it getting advertised on Instagram as advocating for better COVID regulations or something, and then my friends were telling me that they saw it had changed to more of a racial justice kind of issue,” Junior

Julia Philon said. Philon said that she was glad to be advocating for the Black Lives Matter movement. “Some of the people I talked to when I first got here weren’t sure whether to call this ‘the die-In’ or a BLM protest,” she said. While Harrell focused on the racial justice movement, UVM Professor Helen Scott called for increased funding to protect students, programs, faculty and staff. “They keep telling us they have no alternative, because

there is no money and that it is a budget crisis,” Scott said. “We are saying this is not a budget crisis, it is a crisis of priority.” Organizations represented at the die-in included BLM of UVM, United Academics, UVM United Against Cuts, The Black Perspective, UVM Union of Students, Organize UVM, Decolonize Burlington, the Asian Student Union, the Sunrise Movement Burlington and the Queer Student Union.

Testing raises more questions than results Irene Choi Assistant News Editor

The University of Vermont will not release comprehensive data each day about the deadly virus’ spread throughout the UVM community, despite claims that they are committed to a 24-hour test result turn around. And contrary to reassurance that the University is delivering on this front, neither the City of Burlington nor the Vermont Department of Health will share those numbers either. One week into the first semester, three off-campus students and seven on-campus students have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the University’s weekly test report. During this weekly testing cycle, 11,466 students were tested. According to the report, zero faculty or staff have tested positive. Although test results are only being released on the Return to Campus website once a week, UVM President Suresh Garimella committed to daily test results in his Aug. 10 letter to Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger, raising questions as to why the results can’t be released daily. “President Garimella

had committed to that 24hour turnaround, and that turnaround seems to be holding up,” said Brain Lowe, Burlington’s Chief Innovation Officer at a press briefing Sept. 2. “To date, the integrity of the program seems strong.” After the press briefing Sept. 2, the Cynic reached out to the City asking for the daily number that the city touted was coming in from UVM. But Lowe said the city government only receives weekly test results from UVM. “We don’t get daily numbers either,” he stated in a Sept 3 email. “The weekly update they provide should have total tests, and since Champlain and [the Dept. of Health] do provide daily updates, a good approximation of UVM’s daily numbers can be found if needed.” Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger said UVM’s testing information is shared with the Department of Health daily and will be included in the Department’s total daily reporting. However, when the Cynic reached out to the Department of Health, they claimed they also could not provide daily numbers. “UVM would have the details on testing numbers,”

KATE VANNI

stated Ben Truman, Public Health Communication Officer at the Department of Health in an Aug. 29 email. “Results are reported to (the Department of) Health, but we report aggregate and wouldn’t have it by the school. Whether to do so is a point under current discussion.” But UVM has not provided details on testing numbers, despite numerous requests from the Cynic, saying instead that the tests go directly from the lab to the Department of Health. “These are weekly reports.” UVM Spokesperson Enrique Corredera stated in an Aug. 28 email. “There will be another report next Thursday.”

When pressed further as to why UVM does not have the daily numbers, Corredera stated in a Sept. 4 email that the University itself does not send testing information to the Dept. of Health. “The University does not send test results,” he stated in the email. “The Vermont Department of Health receives test results directly from the lab (as any other lab that processes samples taken in Vermont is obligated to do) as soon as they become available and incorporates the data into its daily dashboard.” Corredera did not respond to requests for further clarification.

OPINION

137

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Testing questions go unanswered

MONT CY

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18 8 3 | I S S U

EXECUTIVE Editor-in-Chief Sawyer Loftus editorinchief@vtcynic.com Managing Editor Alek Fleury newsroom@vtcynic.com

OPERATIONS Operations Manager Katherine Izadi operations@vtcynic.com Distribution Manager Inquries email cynic@uvm.edu

EDITORS Copy Chief Will Keeton copy@vtcynic.com Culture Sarah Robinson cynicculture@gmail.com Features Greta Rohrer cynicfeatures@gmail.com News / Sports Emma Pinezich news@vtcynic.com sports@vtcynic.com Opinion Gabby Felitto opinion@vtcynic.com Podcasts David Cabrera vtcynicpodcasts@gmail.com Layout / Illustrations Kate Vanni layout@vtcynic.com

Staff Editorial Thursday night, after a whole day of waiting for UVM to post the new testing numbers to their coronavirus dashboard, our News Editor texted our Managing Editor when the numbers finally went up. They were both confused. The night before, in a Zoom press conference, Burlington’s Chief Innovation Officer Brian Lowe announced that 9,855 tests were conducted prior to arriving on campus. Now, UVM’s website says 9,701. A discrepancy of 154. In an email from UVM spokesperson Enrique Corredera, he said that the number announced at the press conference was the number of prearrival tests taken at that time. The number on the website is the number of tests received. The discrepancy is because there is some lag between when a test is taken and when the result is received. But still, more questions remain. Because neither numbers are even close to the 11,000 students who are here—in Burlington—at UVM—walking around campus which was also announced at the Mayor’s press conference. We are a week into school. Are 154 students taking their prearrival tests post arrival? UVM doesn’t even know how many students are back. “We will not have final enrollment numbers until a few weeks into the semester,”

Social Media Mills Sparksman cynic@uvm.edu Page Designers Will Guisbond

ADVISING Interim Adviser Jerome G. Budomo jbudomo@uvm.edu

COLE

T FEKER

cies and how do we point out these problems when the only responses we receive in our inboxes are redirections and “answers” that answer nothing? As UVM students, we have a right to the truth always. However, if there ever was a time for UVM to be as truthful as possible it’s now when peoples’ lives are on the line. Regardless of what the answers to these questions are, it shouldn’t be this hard. If the student organization, whose job it is to interpret information for the student population is confused, we can only imagine how the student body feels. We need to demand that UVM produce updated num-

bers daily instead of weekly. We need to demand the same amount of truth from UVM that it would demand of us. Staff editorials officially reflect the views of the editorial board, which includes the Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor and Opinion Editor. 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.

Don’t just settle for Biden, vote for Biden Sophie Oehler

Photo Bailey Samber photo@vtcynic.com Assistant Editors Mac Mansfield-Parisi (Layout), Cole Fekert (Illustrations), Irene Choi (News), Hayley Rosen (Sports), Emily Johnston (Opinion), Sophia Venturo (Culture)

Corredera stated in an Aug. 31 email. Over 3 weeks ago on Aug. 13, the table showed that five off-campus students had tested positive as well as one staff member. But, if you look at the “cumulative” numbers now, which says it’s taking into account totals since Aug. 7, it says that four off-campus students have tested positive, which is less than five, and zero staff members, which is less than one. The sad and frustrating thing is that we wish we could give you answers to these questions but the University has made it obvious to us that it is not willing to be transparent. At the Cynic, it’s our mission to seek truth and we take that job very seriously. But, right now we have more questions than answers. We reached out to Vice President for Operations and Public Safety Gary Derr and did not receive a response. We reached out to Associate Communications Director Jeff Wakefield and were redirected to Corredera. We sent an email to COVIDTest@uvm.edu and were redirected to Corredera. We sent an email to the UVMStrong Fall 2020 Advisory Committee which was formed in response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and received no response. We are thrown into the unfortunate situation: How do we report on numbers that have obvious discrepan-

Opinion Columnist

he night before the announcement of the presidential nominee is similar to the eve of a birthday. You’ve spent all year making a list of demands and hope your family bought you the right thing. Well, many Democrats are acting like they woke up to a box of socks when they’d asked for a new phone. Joe Biden is our nominee and if I had a dollar for every “settle for Biden” tweet posted, I could buy his campaign. I understand that he wasn’t the favorite candidate, but posting “settle for Biden” isn’t “fighting the system.” It’s undermining the Democratic campaign while opening the door to the Oval Office and inviting Trump to stay. Let’s return to 2016: Hillary vs Trump. 46.9% of Americans didn’t vote in 2016, because they couldn’t support either candidate, according to a 2016 Washington Post article.

The result: the Great Pumpkin owns our nuclear codes. You’d think people wouldn’t want a repeat of that. But once again, I’m pleading with people to do the sensible thing and vote blue. This year, the argument is more frustrating. Trump crippled America. Our environment is near disaster. Immigration centers and penitentiaries look alike. Our international policy is the laughing stock of the world. But people still sit behind their TV screens, watching the world collapse and claim both men are similar evils. That frustrates me. While Biden and Trump have similar histories with controversy, the comparison stops there. Trump is an evil robber baron who grew up twisting arms and dealing money under the table. He’s not a politician, or a leader. He’s an expired Chihuahua with the keys to the world who snarls at anyone foolish enough to take them. Joe Biden has been in politics since the age of 29. He

has real plans for real issues happening in this country and he knows how to act like an adult. But you’re not just electing him. You’re electing Dr. Jill Biden, Kamala Harris and an administration of competent people. You’re deciding the future of our country and our planet. Remember, voting isn’t marriage but reviewing a job application. You’re hiring Joe Biden. And if he does a bad job, you can vote him out in 2024. If you elect someone else, you need to fight for it. Because maybe if you had volunteered, or donated or had meaningful conversations about one of the

other candidates, we would have them instead. It’s not enough to just vote. So don’t “Settle for Biden.” Vote for Biden like your life depends on it. Because for some people, it does. And then volunteer, donate, learn his policies and discuss them. We have the chance to right four years worth of wrongs that if repeated will send us to an irreversible doom. Don’t throw it away because you don’t like your birthday present. At least you have socks. Sophie Oehler is a junior political science and French major. She has been writing for the Cynic since fall 2019.

NEWS

Students join protests against police brutality

KATE VANNI/The Vermont Cynic

Emma Pinezich News and Sports Editor

For 13 consecutive days, UVM students have blocked roads, marched down streets and disrupted downtown Burlington as part of a multi-day non-stop protest calling for the firing of three Burlington Police officers. As the protests continue and stretch into the third week, UVM students have routinely joined Burlington community members, some as leaders and organizers, to express their frustrations with local officials, while city decision-makers have refused to budge. “We are approaching two weeks of this bullshit. Two weeks,” said one protest leader Sept. 5 as he urged people dining on Church Street to join the crowd. “No demands have been met yet, but we’re getting some. We’re getting to the mayor, we’re getting to the BPD, but that should not stop you all from coming out here.” Despite the non-stop action, Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger has yet to name responses to protesters’ demands to fire Burlington Police Officers Jason Bellavance, Cory Campbell and Joseph Corrow. All three are named in federal lawsuits alleging brutality. In fact, Weinberger sent a letter to organizers of the protests Sept. 4 affirming demonstrator’s first amendment rights, but then threatening to issue noise violation tickets due to multiple noise complaints

stemming from an encampment of protestors at Battery Park. Protestors have continued to sleep in tents at Battery Park at night, occupying the space in front of the police department. And Friday night, hundreds laid down outside Weinberger’s house in a die-in calling on the Mayor to meet protesters’ demands for reform. Harmony Edosomwan, UVM student and protest organizer, called on the mayor to take action, lambasting his recent statement which condoned the work of Burlington Police officers and urged the demonstrators to avoid safety violations. “If you want the lovely people on Church Street to have their Church Street back, if you want Battery Park to be without tents, if you want the noise to stop, if you’re tired of seeing hundreds of people walk the same route every fucking day, you need to call Miro and let him know what he needs to do,” Edosomwan said. Edosomwan and other organizers have acknowledged the overwhelming presence of UVM students involved in the multi-day protest, urging them to make the city a safe place for Black and brown students at UVM. “Your responsibility is to bring more people here. Go into your dorm, let people know that this is happening every day until these cops are fired.” Edosomwan said from the steps of City Hall Sept. 1, overlooking hundreds of protesters. Weinberger said in his Sept.

4 letter that he remains committed to dismantling systemic racism in Burlington, but that he was concerned for protestors’ safety. “This concern is high on my mind in part because in recent weeks, other cities have seen clashes between protestors and counter-protestors that result in violence, and because, as we discussed, our community has a history of tragedies taking place within encampments that we must avoid repeating,” he wrote. “Further, protests taking over streets without any coordination with the City creates a significant risk of traffic injury. I remain concerned that something will soon go wrong and there will be avoidable injuries if City rules are not followed.” But for the UVM students protesting downtown, the inherent risk of civil disobedience comes with their mission. “This is my third day here and I have been trying to be as involved as possible because I know there’s an incredibly long history of racism in Vermont,” said Junior Zoe Kennedy, as she lined up to march Sept 1. “And it’s not the job of people of color to fix that, it’s people with privilege like I have.” On Aug. 31, Burlington Police arrested a man who approached protestors and was armed with an assault-style rifle and pistol, according to a Burlington Police press release. The man, Jordan Atwood, was not allowed to possess firearms, according to the release. However, that same night, BPD also attempted to respond

to reports of a fight with a gun but were blocked by protestors, according to the report. When officers attempted to get to the scene on foot one was allegedly hit by a rock. Despite the tensions, protestors have continued to show up and don their orange safety vests to help direct disrupted traffic as angry passersby scream expletives and threats. Although much of the physical demonstrations have remained rooted downtown, students at the protest acknowledged that UVM has its own fair share of racial disparities. “Another thing that’s happening on UVM’s campus is that UVM’s Black Lives Matter is calling on UVM to break all ties with Burlington Police Department,” Endosowman said during one night of protests. “Understand that UVM’s culture allows for black and brown people to be marginalized on campus but y’all need to change that.” UVM recently restarted “quality of life patrols” conducted by the Burlington Police Department in UVM student neighborhoods to address off-campus partying and enforce COVID-19 safety rules. UVM had funded these patrols for this past summer but reversed its decision in June following student outcry. Kennedy, a student at the protests multiple nights, said she also thinks UVM should be listening to different coalitions on the campus of people of color, like student groups’ demand to raise the Black Lives Matter

KATE VANNI/The Vermont Cynic

flag permanently on campus. “Even just small symbolism things like that are important to show inclusivity, especially on a campus that’s so white,” she said. UVM raised the Black Lives Matter flag in mid-August but took it down several days later citing UVM’s Flag Policy and replacing it with the Davis Center flag. UVM’s Staff Council sent a letter to Garry Derr Aug. 25 requesting the Black Lives Matter flag be flown permanently after campus groups asked. “We are in support of advocating for the Black Lives Matter flag to be exempt from the Sponsored Special Events Flag operating procedures. Until we find a permanent place to raise the flag, we support displaying the flag at the Davis Center this week as students are

welcomed back to campus,” the letter stated. UVM President Suresh Garimella announced in an email to students Aug. 28 that the Black Lives Matter flag will be “permanently and prominently displayed” in the University’s Mosaic Center for students of color following an Oct. 4 commemoration. The email did not indicate how the flag would be displayed in the Mosaic Center and did not respond to the Staff Council’s request that it be flown at the Davis Center during the first week of classes. However, as classes continue on UVM’s campus, the unrest in downtown Burlington has promised to continue until change is made. Maryann Makosiej contributed to reporting.

KATE VANNI/The Vermont Cynic

(FRONT PAGE) Protestors lie down on Summit Street near Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger’s house Sept. 4. (TOP) Several protesters blocked traffic on Battery Street to let protesters cross the road. One car pulled into the wrong lane of traffic to sit in front of them Sept. 1. “This is my third day here and I have been trying to be as involved as possible because I know there’s an incredibly long history of racism in Vermont,” said Junior Zoe Kennedy. “And it’s not the job of people of color to fix that, it’s people with privilege like I have.” (CENTERLEFT) A protestor paints yellow flames around their sign reading “FIRE Campbell, Bellavance and Corrow.” (CENTER MIDDLE) A woman eating with her family at a table on lower Church Street raises her fist in support as protestors march past Sept. 1. If you want the lovely people on Church Street to have their Church Street back, if you want Battery Park to be without tents, if you want the noise to stop, if you’re tired of seeing hundreds of people walk the same route every fucking day, you need to call Miro and let him know what he needs to do,” said UVM student and protest organizer Harmony Edosomwan. (CENTER RIGHT) The protestors split themselves and handed signs bearing the names of three Burlington Police Officers to all white protestors while the BIPOC protestors were given signs bearing the names of victims of police brutality Sept. 1. (BOTTOM MIDDLE) Protestors raise their fists in solidarity Sept. 4. KYLE ELMS/The Vermont Cynic

OPINION

Should students vote with mail in ballots We should vote by mail in Voter fraud happens, but it’s easy to detect on a large scale, according to Richard L. Hanson, an election expert at the University of California, Irvine. So if Trump is right and Democrats do try and cheat the system, it will be easily spotted and quickly dealt with. The other concern is Trump’s attempts to undermine the postal service by cutting costs and locking up mailboxes. That behavior itself is a red flag, but it’s also concerning since the post office has already suffered great cost cuts due to the recession caused by the pandemic. Since most businesses are now conducting their work online, the amount of marketing mail and first class mail has plummeted over the past few months. Less mail flow means less monetary flow, so the USPS was already crippled even before Trump kneecapped it. So in a way, absentee voting will help the USPS more than hurt it, since the more mail we get circulating, the better off the postal service will be. The problem these cost cuts create is mail delay. While an increase in mail will help the post office in the long run, it won’t be enough to get ballots in on time. Many states are allowing any ballot sent before election day to still count

Sophie Oehler

Cynic Columnist

spent this summer as an intern for OrganizeNH, helping ﬁeld organizers “elect NH Democrats up and down the ballot.” Every night of the week, we made phone calls to voters across the state and convinced them to vote both Democrat and absentee during the fall elections. Many people were concerned about the validity of absentee ballots and the security of the counting system. After President Trump’s notso-veiled threats against the post oﬃce, these worries are valid. However, it’s no excuse to dismiss absentee ballots as an unsafe voting method. Trump has spent much of the summer lambasting mail in voting, which is rich coming from a man who will submit an absentee ballot himself from the safety of his corona-free, thinking-free bunker. And, with his comments of “It’s much easier for [Democrats] to cheat with universal mail-in ballots,” he has successfully deterred the majority of Republicans from absentee voting, according to a 2020 article by the Washington Post.

even if it was received after the date. Unfortunately, Vermont is not one of them. So, Vermonters need to be extra careful this election. Most ballots are rejected not because of voter fraud, but because of signature problems and expired deadlines. In short, user error. Read the ﬁne print, and follow any and all directions to a tee. Treat absentee voting like you’re home alone and worried about a home invasion. The juvenile response is to pull the covers over your head, screw your eyes shut and think happy thoughts until you eventually fall asleep. The adult response is to get up, double check that you locked all the doors and armed the security system. For many of us UVM students absentee voting is the only way we can vote. Don’t hide under the bed and hope that the trouble will clear up in the morning. Get up, educate yourself and take the necessary precautions to make sure your vote is safe. You owe it to yourself and to your country. As the unpredictable pandemic continues to wreak havoc across the United States, for many, mail in voting remains the safest way to practice your civic duty and right to vote.

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

We shouldn’t vote by mail in Jordan Spindel

Cynic Columnist

or generations, the right for reliable access to voting has been a critical part of political agendas across the United States. This umbrella includes mail-in voting, a voting method critical to millions of Americans, including much of UVM’s student body. However, multiple issues have arisen regarding the reliability of mail-in voting. Some are concerned if the risk of having one’s vote going uncounted is worse than risking illness at the polls. One of these issues is signature rejection. Mail-in ballots are counted based on signature matches. These are usually based on signatures made in government forms. Over time, handwriting can change to the point where some can’t replicate that exact signature, which may cause their ballot to be voided. Some primaries, such as this year’s Nevada state Democratic primary, have had thousands of ballots rejected due to this fact alone. Another issue is the US Postal Service’s higher usage and underfunding. This causes mail

delivery times to slow signiﬁcantly, making it possible that many ballots may arrive after Election Day. Some states that usually have lots of mail-in votes compensate for the potential for delays. But many states, including Vermont, do not have provisions for this. These issues came to a head in this year’s Democratic primary in New York’s 12th congressional district, my home district. According to the New York Times, thousands of absentee votes weren’t counted due to both mail-in ballots arriving too late and signature issues. If more ballots are rejected this year due to an increase in mail-in voting, there could be serious repercussions in other competitive races across America. In-person voting is a big wildcard across the states due to the risk of contracting COVID-19. Exposure from large numbers of voters is a serious concern. However, voting in-person is more reliable than mail-in ballots due to the fact that there is no danger of signature rejection or late ballot arrival times. Taking this into account, one should analyze the risk factor of voting in-person locally

and decide if it’s safe. Vermont itself has few COVID-19 cases, and in addition to sanitizing voting centers, the state is planning new, safer ways to vote in-person, such as outdoor or drive-thru polling places. It should be noted that most UVM students are from out-of-state, many of whom are registered voters only in their hometown. Students should examine the risk factor on top of competitiveness of local races to determine where to vote. Putting competitiveness aside, if your local polling place follows some of the examples set by the state, it likely is a better idea to cast a ballot in-person to guarantee that it’s counted. If you feel it’s best to vote by mail and you are voting locally, request a ballot as soon as possible and drop it oﬀ at your local elections oﬃce so that it will not arrive late, or mail it as soon as possible for the best chance of being counted. The ability to vote safely and guarantee one’s ballot is counted has been taken for granted for years. But now, we must do whatever we can to make sure we have our say in the political process.

Jordan Spindel is a junior enviornmental science major. He has been writing for the Cynic since spring 2020.

CULTURE

Recent grad lands BTV artist residency Sophia Venturo Assistant Culture Editor

Although a pandemic forced Burlington Artist Erin Bundock, ‘20 to uproot her studio, mid-project, the artist is now hitting her stride in the Burlington arts scene. Bundock’s studio is laced with second-hand bed sheets, sewn as textiles and saturated with vibrant colors stretched out over studio walls to show an artist’s journey through spring. Bundock’s works can be found around Vermont businesses like ArtsRiot and Lawson’s Finest Liquids and recently landed a new gig as an artist in residence in Burlington’s South End Arts District. Her series of works about reproductive health and sexuality are being created through an artist-in-residency program which will be open for viewing at Burlington Arthop this Labor Day weekend. Last March, Bundock was in the middle of her senior studio art thesis when a pandemic forced her out of the University’s art department and into her old roommate’s vacant bedroom to complete her mixed media series “A Stitch Between.” “A Stitch Between” is a three-piece body of large textile pieces, sewn like a quilt and embellished with marker, paint, prints, and embroidery, giving shape and texture to a story exploring intersectional feminist themes, she said. “I use ﬁber as a lens, speaking to the way it’s used by feminism and other intersectional topics to critique what we consider art and show the value of what’s considered women’s work,” Bundock said. “It’s something that’s also used to talk about immigration, race and sexuality.” One piece from the set, “Letter to my Mother,” a commentary on the barriers that prevent mothers and daughters from sharing their experiences about love and life, was printed and distributed by UVM to the graduating class of 2020. With Bundock’s spring exhibition at Colbern Gallery canceled, members of Burlington’s art community came together to support a young artist. “Basically in a pinch, I was allowed to put up my exhibition at ArtsRiot so I could take pictures of them for my online exhibition,” Bundock said. “That was deﬁnitely a silver lining to the whole thing. Just like feeling supported by a place and community.” Since then Bundock secured the Vaults Studio Residency program, funded and overseen by the South End Arts & Business Association in partnership with Unsworth Properties. The residency will give Bundock studio space to work on her projects free of charge, she said. Christy Mitchell is the Executive Director at SEABA and facilitated the application process for artists in search of

residency. Bundock’s thesis project, a clear vision of the next steps for her projects and a source of outside funding for her materials made Bundock’s application stand out, Mitchell said. “The large textiles were really interesting and took up space in a dynamic way. Her application showed us that she needed a larger studio to work in,” Mitchell said. “We also wanted an artist interested in making a conceptual storyline that we could all follow throughout the year.” Bundock’s Arthop exhibition will be a continuation of “A Stitch Between,” centering around reproductive health, rights and sexuality with tieins to relationships and how we relate to our bodies when we relate to others, Bundock said. However, Bundock said she hopes to bring some fun to the project’s weight by bringing eye-catching vibrancy to depictions of uteruses, ovaries and early stages of fertilization. “It’s fun because they’re cool to look at but they represent reproductive processes and menstruation and stuﬀ,”

Bundock said. “It’s kind of fun to have people just enjoy them and it’s normal, it doesn’t have to be gross.” Eliza Fehrs, 22’ is a lifelong Arthop-goer, and is excited to see the community come together through art this fall. “Arthop is where artists get to show oﬀ their work and we get to see all the amazing things being created in our city,” Fehrs said. “I am grateful to still have that service in place during the pandemic, and for that to create opportunities for artists like Erin.” Bundock gradutated from the University of Vermont in Msy 2020. Aside from her featured art, Bundock also does freelance art projects from time to time. Bundock’s work will be available for distance viewing at her studio starting Fri. Sept. 11. Space and capacity are limited and reservations can be made through Seven Days Tickets. Bundock’s exhibition will also be available for online viewing and purchase at SEABA.com/shop.

KYLE ELMS/The Vermont Cynic

Erin Bundock, a 20 year old artist at UVM, sits in front of her work in her studio on Howard Street, Sept. 4. The photos show the studio as how it was when she was last working in it.

SPORTS

Uncertainty marks first-years’ season

Hayley Rosen Assistant Sports Editor

Under normal circumstances, first-year soccer player Jake Vitale and his team would have been practicing and conditioning for weeks, and already played at least a few games. But, Vitale said he hasn’t even met all his teammates yet and workouts, for a season already supposed to be in full swing, have yet to start. “I haven’t met everyone on the team yet. I have only met the freshmen because they are living in my dorm,” Vitale said. Vitale, along with other student-athletes from the class of 2024 have had a very different experience than the average incoming athletes due to COVID-19 related restrictions put in place by both the University and the NCAA. Specifically, the AmericaEast Conference, which UVM plays in, announced in July that all fall sports would be postponed. Then in August, the NCAA announced all DI fall sports would have championships in the Spring of 2021. Vitale also said it has been hard to meet people on campus in general since people cannot gather in big groups to hang out in dining halls and students cannot even go in each others’ dorm rooms. On the Women’s Basketball team, first-year

LUKAS DRAUGELISThe Vermont Cynic

Fans fill the bleachers of Patrick Gym to watch the ceremony and men’s basketball exhibition game against Brown University. UVM won the game 70-59. Leiya Stuart said her move to UVM has been different from what she expected, but that her experience has been worthwhile. “[The transition to UVM] has definitely been different because of all of the COVID restrictions,” Stuart said. “However, I do not feel that my experience has been minimized by these changes.” Due to NCAA guidance, both the men’s and women’s basketball teams have been permitted to practice, which has allowed Stuart to get to

know her team a little more than Vitale, she explained. “I’ve met all of them and they’re amazing,” she said. “We’ve already all built great chemistry off the court so I’m excited to see how that translates on the court.” Workouts for soccer are scheduled to begin around September 14th according to Vitale. When the team does get to practice, however, it won’t be like it was in past years. “For the first two weeks the team will be split up into four

groups,” Vitale said. “So it will be eight-player pods and it will be non-contact for at least these first two weeks.” Matt Beck, a senior on the men’s hockey team reflected on how his first-year experience was different from what the class of 2024 will have. “I think it’s very difficult as a freshman coming in because you can’t just go around and meet people as much,” he said. For Beck’s workouts, he said this upcoming season will be more distant. “This year is a lot different,

we’re in small groups for workouts and skates and we have a lot of strict protocols as to what we can do outside of the rink,” Beck said. UVM’s Athletic Department said in a statement to the Cynic that the department is using a pod system to keep players safe. “In Phase 1, coaches will divide teams into small groups or pods of less than 10,” the statement reads. “All studentathletes, coaches and staff must wear masks when not engaged in strenuous activity.”