THE VERMONT
CYNIC Oct. 9, 2018
vtcynic.com
Southwick break in
Kavanaugh protest
Thousands of dollars worth of equipment was stolen from the Southwick Music Hall following a second break in this year.
Student activists walked out of class on noon Oct. 4 to protest the appoinment of Brett Kavanaugh.
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Pep band 6 / Drinking culture 7 / Celtic cats 8
Falcone’s teammates, coworkers and friends held a vigil behind Virtue Field Oct. 4. At least 200 members of the UVM community gathered to celebrate her life.
ALEK FLEURY/The Vermont Cynic
Remembering Nikisha Falcone (1997-2018) Sawyer Loftus swloftus@uvm.edu
This fall, UVM’s chapter of the service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega appointed senior Nikisha Falcone to a new position: sunshine chair. In this role, she was tasked with making sure all members felt safe and happy, a responsibility that came naturally to her, APO President senior Ryan Beattie said. “Making other people happy is an integral part of who she was,” he said. “She really focused on making sure that everyone there felt safe and together and happy.” Falcone died unexpectedly the morning of Sept. 30. As the first and only sunshine chair, Falcone will fill the role forever, Beattie said, since APO has decided to retire the position. Since her death, Falcone’s impact on the community has been felt across campus. “She completed over 700 hours of community service on campus and that is just like — what an impact,” Beattie said. “I don’t know if any other person in our club had done so much.” She served various roles outside of her work with APO, including resident adviser, community adviser, orientation leader and member of the University Program Board. To remember her legacy, Falcone’s Track and Field teammates, coworkers and friends held a vigil Oct. 4 where they reflected on her contributions to the UVM community. At least 200 members of the UVM community gathered on
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the track behind Virtue Field to partake in the celebration of her life. Those who knew Falcone were silent when they arrived at the track. People stood, candles in hand. Soft whispers could be heard. When someone had a memory to share they stepped forward. “She was so willing to hear what was going on in other people’s lives and take on their struggles and burdens,” Sophomore Ben Biere said at the vigil. “I want to be like her in that respect, I want to be like her in all respects because of how strong she was and how caring.” As the wind picked up, some flames flickered out. Strangers turned to one another to relight their candles. Her father, Vinnie Falcone, was unable to make it to the vigil, but is forever grateful for the community UVM created for her, he said. “I just feel at times Nikisha gave so much to so many that there was probably little left for herself,” he said. “So, when I read Facebook posts, you know, there was so many people that wrote about how she touched them, and that was overwhelming.” He recalled the last weekend he had spent with his daughter at the end of UVM’s annual Week of Welcome. He got to watch as Nikisha seemed to connect with everyone she encountered, he said. “I told everybody this was probably the best weekend I had with her,” he said. “It seemed like every third person had to stop and say ‘hi’ to her … like she was the celebrity in
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Nikisha Falcone died unexpectedly the morning of Sept. 30. Falcone was active across campus in various organization including the UVM’s service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega, resident adviser, community adviser and orientation leaders. Burlington, you know?” “I was fortunate enough to have two perfect daughters,” Vinnie said. “She was never any trouble. She was the perfect daughter growing up. Like everybody else, I’m going to sorely miss her.” UPB advisor Maggie Colbert ’18 will remember how Falcone always beamed positivity, she said. “She just wasn’t someone who was like, ‘oh, I have extra time, I’m going to lay in my bed,’” Colbert said. “When she
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did have extra time, she’d be like, ‘I have extra time so I’m going to go volunteer.’” One of the most distinct memories Colbert had of Falcone was her favorite color, sunset, she said. Although sunset isn’t a real color, Colbert said, Falcone loved it and no one could tell her differently. At the vigil, Matt Belfield, head coach of the Track and Field team, spoke just before closing the ceremony with a moment of silence.
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“So we will finish with a moment of silence here in a second,” he said. “It sounds like she was a lot of people’s light and what I want everyone to remember from this is sometimes you need to give the light, sometimes you need to take it. “It only takes one light to get 300 lights lit up here, so be the light when you need to, and accept it from others when you need to as well.” Beattie met Falcone at their first-year orientation, he said, but it wasn’t until they sat next to each other at their first Outing Club meeting that they became friends. “We signed up for the same trip together for this to hike up Mount Mansfield on the Sunset Ridge and we hiked up there together,” Beattie said. “And that really started our friendship.” Beattie said what he will miss the most about Falcone is the bright light she always radiated. “The way she makes you feel every time you see her,” he said. “And just the fact that she was able to like always be something positive in my life and really in so many people’s lives, just feels like a void without her here.” A community gathering will be held Oct. 11 in the Grand Maple Ballroom to honor Nikisha Falcone. Please seek support for yourself or for someone who you may be concerned about by contacting UVM’s Counseling and Psychiatry Services at 802656-3340 (for students) or Invest EAP at (802) 864-3270 or toll free at 1-866-660-9533.
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NEWS
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The Vermont Cynic
Oct. 9, 2018
Professor on trial after ICE protest Zoe Schemm Zoe.Schemm@uvm.edu
Get the full story at vtcynic.com News
Slideshow: students protest Kavanaugh Hundreds of UVM students walked out of class at noon Oct. 4 to join faculty and community members in protest of Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination.
Sports
Women’s basketball team gets new coach The Women’s basketball team will be lead this season by interim Head Coach Alisa Kresge, who has brought a new culture to her takeover of the team.
A UVM professor is going to trial after protesting outside a homeland security office in Williston, Vermont over national immigration policy. Music professor David Feurzeig was arrested along with 12 other protesters while blocking the road in front of the Immigration and Custom Enforcement building in Williston July 28. Hundreds of protestors had gathered to decry U.S. immigration policy. Feurzeig and other demonstrators were there to protest the Trump administration’s immigration policies and failure to reunite all separated families by the July 10 deadline for all children under 5-years-old, according to a July 28 WCAX article. Feurzeig and the 12 other protestors were given tickets for disturbing the peace by Williston Police, requiring them to appear in court in September, Feurzeig said. The protestors appeared in court September to plead not guilty and requested a jury trial, fellow protestor Nancy Braus said. The protestors are currently waiting to hear from their lawyer for their official trial date. Feurzeig and fellow protestors felt that the charges against them were not warranted, Feur-
zeig said. “This was not a safety or a disruptive thing,” he said. “The worst people had to do was drive five minutes around the block, so it was not putting anyone at any huge inconvenience.” Sophomores Cassandra Heleba and Camille Gunter both had Feurzeig as a professor. “I love him,” Helebra said. Gunter praised his intelligence and ability to convey information. “For the most part, I think he just teaches theory,” she said, refering to whether he mentions anything political in class. Feurzeig said the UVM student body should get involved in any way they want to or can to advocate for causes they believe in. “I think people should educate themselves,” Feurzeig said. “If young people are getting involved and being active, that’s good. [The Trump] administration is trying to make people feel powerless, but we’re not powerless.” Feurzeig said that he protested ICE to prevent it from carrying out its work in Vermont. Braus agreed, saying that ICE needs to change its policies and practices. “ICE is being trained and paid to be cruel and absolutely unpleasant and they are doing
TAYLOR EWHA/Vermont Cynic
UVM music professor David Feurzeig is going to trial after protesting outside a homeland security office in Williston, Vermont over national immigration policy. everything they can to make life hard for people trying to come into this country,” she said. John Mohane, a spokesperson for ICE, would not com-
ment specifically on the arrests, but did say that it is never acceptable to interfere with the everyday work of ICE employees.
Southwick heist triggers stricter security Podcast
Local mysteries: the Maura Murray case In this episode of local mysteries, the Maura Murray case is discussed. Murray was a nursing student at UMass Amherst who was least seen in 2004.
Video
Inside UVM’s rock climbing team The University of Vermont climbing team is going on its second year. Here’s a look as to what climbing team means to them and an exclusive glance at team practices.
Sawyer Loftus swloftus@uvm.edu
Thousands of dollars worth of musical equipment was stolen from the Southwick Music Hall following a second break in this year. UVM police is investigating a burglary that happened sometime between Sept. 20 and Sept. 23 in the Southwick music building located on Redstone campus. Deputy Chief Tim Bilodeau said that police can’t rule out the possibility that a similar incident that happened in early April 2018 is connected to this one. UVM police services and the music department are still working to make a list of what was stolen, but the value is easily in the tens of thousands of dollars, said Andy Aquino, an administrative assistant in the building. There is no sign of forced entry on the outside of the building, Bilodeau said. Inside, there is some evidence that a crowbar was used to break open music equipment rooms. Once inside the building, the thief or thieves made their way into the main office where they got the set of master keys used to unlock the doors. The entire set of keys, along with several
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION by Sawyer Loftus
sets of cymbals and other percussion instruments, were stolen, Aquino said. UVM police services have very little to go on as there were no witnesses and no security cameras in or around the building, Bilodeau said. The building is regularly open from 7 a.m. to midnight every day. Immediately after the incident was reported to UVM police services the building’s hours were restricted, closing the building completely on the weekends, Besaw said. The measures were meant to ensure student safety but with-
out the extended practice hours and availability on the weekend, students have been feeling the impact, sophomore music student Thaya Zalewski said. In response to the limited hours, Zalewski started a petition meant to express the negative impact these hours had on students, she said. “[The limited schedule] isn’t working,” Zalewski said. “We understand that it’s a security issue, but its hurting us to not be able to use the music building. We’re not doing as well in our classes.” Zalewski said that she re-
cently had a quiz in her piano class that she and many of her classmates couldn’t practice for because of the new hours. Senior music student Eamon Callahan said he had a class canceled because of the incident. “Im pretty pissed,” Callahan said. “This is the second time it’s happened, too.” Aquino said that students should feel upset about the changes to the building hours. “This is students’ only place to keep their instruments safe.” Aquino said. “For sure that will have a negative effect on people in ensembles with class assignments or even just people, you know, we’re using it as a space to get together.” Besaw sent out an email to the UVM music community Oct. 3 announcing that the hours would be changed back. Bill Falls, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said that CAS and the music department are working to install CATcard building access readers and security cameras. “It’s just a really unfortunate incident and really terrible that it impacted students,” Falls said. “I just want to assure students that we do our best to balance safety with access and I regret any hardship that it produced in the last week or two.”
The Vermont Cynic
Oct. 9, 2018
NEWS
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Student walkout protests Kavanaugh Lee Hughes lee.hughes@uvm.edu
Lindsay Freed lafreed@uvm.edu
Hundreds of UVM students walked out of class at noon Oct. 4 to join faculty and community members on the Andrew Harris Green to protest Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination. The rally was hosted primarily by the International Socialist Organization and Planned Parenthood Generation Action’s chapter at UVM under the slogan “cancel class, cancel Kavanaugh.” The rally featured speakers from the UVM Womyn of Color Coalition, United Academics, Burlington Progressive Party, the Peace and Justice Center of Vermont and Feminists Against Bullshit, a local protest group. Representatives from UVM College Democrats and UVM Progressives were there to help people register to vote in the midterm elections. Following the rally, hundreds of students and faculty marched through Central campus chanting, “fuck Kavanaugh.” “This is an important issue and this is an important day for fighting back,” said ISO member Scarlett Moore, a junior, while addressing the crowd. Senior Teremy Garen, president of Planned Parenthood Generation Action, said this was a day for everyone to stand in solidarity with Christine Blasey Ford, one of Kavanaugh’s accusers. Garen called Ford “a true American hero,” and said direct
action is the most meaningful form of change. “Disrupting daily life is how we get people’s attention,” Garen said. She also expressed disapproval of some of Kavanaugh’s legal views, describing him as anti-abortion. “Banning and criminalizing abortion doesn’t stop abortion from happening,” Garen said. “It just ensures that a woman will die when she gets her abortion.” Sophomore ISO member Cobalt Tolbert said Kavanaugh’s nomination is only the latest manifestation of how the legal system treats sexual assault. Read the rest at vtcynic.com/walkout
Above: SAM LITRA Below: SAWYER LOFTUS/The Vermont Cynic
Above: Hundreds of students walked out of class to join faculty and community members for a rally at noon Oct. 4 on the Andrew Harris Green. The rally featured speakers from the UVM Woman of Color Coalition, United Academics and more. Below: Ella Guinan yells “fuck Kavanaugh” while marching through Central campus.
Work-study employment falters on campus Lee Hughes lee.hughes@uvm.edu
All across campus, the lack of work-study employees is being noticed. From 2013 to 2017 the number of students accepting their work-study awards had been decreasing, and only this year it has begun to increase, Student Employment Coordinator Mary McClements said. “I don’t really have the numbers so I’m just going off of scenarios about what people have said over the past couple of years,” McClements said. “It’s pretty typical that certain jobs are not being filled, but I think [academic work-study employment] has gone up the past couple of years.” UVM academic departments add more work-study positions every year to account for funding cuts, McClements said. “Traditional work-study jobs like those at CAT Pause jobs might not be [filled] because students are saying, ‘I can have a research job or a lab technician job that I can use my
LINDSAY FREED/The Vermont Cynic
CAT Pause is one of the many places on campus in need workstudy employees. As of Oct. 4, there are over 60 open work-study positions, according to UVM student employment website. work-study award towards,’” she said. This trend of understaffed work-study positions has been going on for multiple years, she said. McClements attributed this to the recent increase in maximum financial aid, she said. Junior Bernadette Higgs said she spent several weeks
trying to get a package that had been delivered at the Living/ Learning Center mail room, where there was a sign up that warned of understaffing. “I kept going to pick it up and they couldn’t find it for like two weeks after they had told me it was delivered,” she said. “Multiple times then I went to see if they were open at 1:00
p.m. and 4:30 p.m., and they were closed.” Higgs went at those times because there were signs saying the mail room would be open, she said. Although University Heights North’s front desk was able to fill all of its work-study positions, it took them longer than usual, senior Dakota Dione said. When the front desk was understaffed, Dione had to come in early at times and there were many times it was closed due to understaffing, she said. “I came in for a couple shifts earlier than I officially signed up for just to cover the front desk, but the front desk was closed a lot of the time,” she said. Other buildings are still looking for enough people to fully staff their front desks, Dione said. As of the last academic year, the maximum award UVM gives for work-study positions increased from $1,600 to $1,800, said Emily Tupper, federal work-study coordinator at UVM. Overall, she is not sure of
any trends of increased or decreased work-study acceptance amongst students, Tupper said. “Different things are looked at in a financial aid package to see if a student is eligible for work-study,” she said. “There may be changes in the financial aid process and the amount the financial aid office looks at to warrant providing federal work-study.” As of Oct. 1, students who have not already gotten a workstudy job lose their award unless they have contacted student financial services to reserve their spring award, Tupper said. If they have already accepted a job they may get up to two additional jobs, however the majority of work-study hiring occurs before students get to campus, she said. There are no easy fixes for employers who do not fill all of their positions by Oct. 1, as their budgets for the year are already set, McClements said. As of Oct. 4 there are over 60 open work-study positions on campus, according to the UVM student employment website.
OPINION
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EXECUTIVE Editor-in-Chief Greta Bjornson editorinchief@vtcynic.com Managing Editor Ben Elfland newsroom@vtcynic.com Operations Manager Sorrel Galantowicz operations@vtcynic.com
EDITORIAL Copy Chief Sophia Knappertz copy@vtcynic.com Culture Bridget Higdon cynicculture@gmail.com Features Caroline Slack cynicfeatures@gmail.com News George Seibold news@vtcynic.com Opinion Sydney Liss-Abraham opinion@vtcynic.com Podcasts Chloe Chaobal Kim Henry vtcynicpodcasts@gmail.com
Food insecurity needs solution Staff Editorial
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ollege life is often hectic and stressful. Between studying, a social life, work and extracurriculars, students shouldn’t have to worry about their next meal. An April 2018 study from the Wisconsin Hope Lab found that 36 percent of university students in the U.S. were food insecure. Hunger on college campuses is an issue that requires more discussion and awareness than it currently gets. At UVM, the dining options are expensive and often difficult for students to navigate, making food insecurity a real and relevant issue. We have a points system, which allots 1,425 points and 25 meal swipes per semester. Students pay $4,266 per year for this plan, according to the UVM website, and each point is equivalent to one dollar. For a 15-week-long semester, this averages out to around 14 points per day. With options like $9.99 paninis and quinoa burgers at Brennan’s, this isn’t enough for three square meals a day. While there are less expensive options, they’re often not
Web Connor Allan web@vtcynic.com Social Media Peter Hibbeler socialcyniceditor@gmail.com Illustrations Holly Coughlan illustrations@vtcynic.com Layout Kyra Chevalier layout@vtcynic.com Photo Alek Fleury photo@vtcynic.com Assistant Editors Henry Mitchell (Opinion), Addie Beach (Culture), David Cabrera (Podcasts), Nickie Morris (Sports), Sawyer Loftus (News), Lee Hughes (News), Kian Deshler (Features), Caroline McCune (Layout) Copy Editors Alyssandra Calhoun, Fallon Clark, Liv Marshall, Dalton Doyle, Luke Zarzecki, Lindsay Freed,Izzy Abraham Page Designers Kira Bellis, Corttney Feldman, Lindsay Freed, Stephanie Hodel, Meilena Sanchez
ADVISING Faculty Adviser Chris Evans crevans@uvm.edu
as filling or as healthy. The other option, unlimited dining, costs less money at $4,122 for a year, but lacks the portion control that points provide and is not as easy to schedule meals around. While points locations like the Redstone Market are open until 10 p.m., Simpson closes
at 8 p.m., making it difficult for students to find time to eat. When students move off campus, the issue of what to eat becomes more challenging for some. Living off campus makes it more difficult to plan meals, so students are often left with no choice but to buy food on cam-
pus between classes. These students have to rush in to the nearest UVM dining facility and pay the price of a meal out of pocket. And for those without a car or much free time, buying groceries is a difficult, but necessary task. We can start to fix food insecurity on campus by opening up the conversation. We need to erase the stigma; there’s no shame around struggling to find food to eat because it’s such a widespread issue. Supporting students who are food insecure can be something small like giving away an extra swipe in the dining hall, or as large as organizing a food drive. But the issue won’t go away without action. Instead, we need to open a dialogue and initiate change. 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.
Expanding student access to birth control
Sports Sabrina Hood sports@vtcynic.com Video Ruby Bates video@vtcynic.com
HOLLY COUGHLAN
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Oct. 9, 2018
Kate Springer krspring@uvm.edu
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omen’s reproductive health is underrepresented in mainstream health care, forcing women to do more research, spend more money and face more difficulty in accessing birth control than they would in other health care endeavors. Women’s birth control needs are often not fully addressed, marginalizing women’s health and reproductive rights. Senior Teremy Garen is president of Planned Parenthood Generation Action, an organization working toward its goal of changing Student Health Services’ practices to include intrauterine device insertions in their services provided. The inspiration for these efforts is unfortunate: Garen noted that a woman who is assaulted may find her only solace is knowing that she has appropriate access to birth control. Many of our students have taken a clear stance against our current political climate regarding reproductive rights; the Oct. 4 walk-out clearly outlined the crowd’s expectations: a campus climate that supports women’s reproductive rights and reasonable access to this care.
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HOLLY COUGHLAN In light of these conversations, it becomes more pressing that UVM makes structural efforts to support a woman’s right to choose what is best for her body. A great place to start would be to ensure that individual women on campus have their choice of which form of birth control is best for them. Garen is highly educated on this topic, due to both her own research as well as her affiliations with Planned Parenthood. She outlined that Student Health Services can prescribe birth control pills, but is unable to provide IUDs because our medical center is not a preferred provider of a ma-
jority of insurance companies. They can only refer students seeking IUDs. She shared that taking the pill may not be ideal or healthy for all women. For many users, the pill influences hormones that can amplify period symptoms such as weight gain, acne and many other uncomfortable side effects. It can also impede on other hormone-influencing medications such as antidepressants. IUDs have forms that do not affect hormones, reducing the discomfort and other concerns that often accompany periods. There are valid, systemic
reasons why IUDs are not currently offered at UVM. That being said, it’s about time women’s health is taken seriously and that our discomfort is viewed and handled as a legitimate health issue. We have been forced to compromise for too long, and UVM’s acknowledgement of this would show that, as an institution, they take women’s rights and health seriously.
Kate Springer is a first-year secondary education major concentrating in English. She has been writing for the Cynic since fall 2018.
The Vermont Cynic
Oct. 9, 2018
OPINION
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Faculty members defend Ford Letter to the Editor
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e, the undersigned University of Vermont faculty, write in support of Christine Blasey Ford and all survivors of sexual assault. We also write against the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and against the toxic conditions of gender, sexual and racial inequality and violence that have been fomented by the country’s highest office holders. These are the toxic conditions that gave rise to Kavanaugh’s nomination and that his elevation to the Supreme Court would reinforce, including at the University of Vermont and in our wider community. Recently UVM police services released its crime statistics for 2017 including 20 reported cases of rape and “fondling,” 14 reported cases of domestic violence and 25 reported cases of stalking. These are only the cases that were reported, just one indication of how a nationwide culture of sexual predation and violence pervades our own campus, dorms, classrooms, workplaces and neighborhoods. Of grave concern to us is the combined force of racism and misogyny that has been escalated and legitimated by the Trump White House, its appointees and nominees — its effects visible in racist messaging and threats on campus, and cited by Vermont’s only female
Letter to the Editor
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COLE THORNTON legislator of color as necessitating her resignation. With this letter, we call on the U.S. Senate to commit to a thorough and independent investigation of the claims of Ford and of all other women against Kavanaugh. We further call on members of the University of Vermont community to stand with Ford
and with survivors of sexual assault, and we call on UVM administration to increase prevention strategies to combat assault and improve the humane and sensitive treatment of victims who report sexual violence. With and beyond this letter, we commit our voices and our power to oppose the confirma-
tion of Kavanaugh and to the multiple threats he represents, including to the integrity of the judicial process itself.
More than 140 UVM faculty members have signed this letter. The entire list of signers can be found on vtcynic.com.
Increasing wage will help local businesses Letter to the Editor
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ant to hear something obvious? Raising the minimum wage increases the takehome pay for low-income workers without hurting job growth. A study released this month from the Center on Wage and Employment Dynamics at University of California, Berkeley shows that minimum wage increases are working as policy-makers intended: they increase pay for workers at the bottom and do not jeopardize job growth. The study looked at food sector workers in six cities that have raised their minimum wages above $10 an hour in recent years – Chicago, Washington, D.C., Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose and Seattle. This common sense policy to raise the floor on our economy leads to workers with bigger paychecks and allows for continued job growth across the economy. The Berkeley study also backs up what Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility members have been saying for
Sullivan’s duty to the community
years: taking care of your employees is also good business. VBSR business leaders know that when their workers are well paid and supported with strong workplace policies and benefits, they are easier to recruit and are more productive. Vermont legislators did the right thing this year by passing S.40, a bill raising the state’s minimum wage over a series of several years until it hits $15 an hour in the year 2024. This was not the quick route to $15 an hour that many labor advocates wanted, but it was a measured, thoughtful approach that balanced the interests of workers and businesses. Unfortunately, S.40 was vetoed by Gov. Phil Scott. VBSR believes the governor, who has a reputation as a thoughtful moderate, made a big error in stopping that pay raise for Vermont’s most vulnerable workers. Raising the minimum wage is vital to a strong economy and to give Vermonters a leg up to achieve self-sufficiency. The United States is projected to add 8 million new jobs to the economy between now and 2022, but most of that
growth will occur in fields that pay only slightly more than the national minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. Many of these new low-wage jobs are in vital parts of the economy. VBSR has long supported developing what we call “livable jobs” – a vision for economic growth centered on the creation of jobs with good wages and benefits. Income inequality has slowly chipped away at the earnings of lower and middle-income Vermonters. A plan like S.40 would result in pay raises for nearly 90,000 Vermonters – many of them household breadwinners and single parents. Breaking up these raises over a sixyear timeline also gives Vermont businesses time to plan and adjust. In 2019, Vermont needs to lead on this issue and raise the minimum wage, give hard-working Vermonters a raise and move toward a stronger and more sustainable economy that works for everyone. VBSR looks forward to helping make that vision come true.
HOLLY COUGHLAN Daniel Barlow is the public policy manager at Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility, a nonpartisan organization representing more than 650 businesses.
ear President Sullivan,
I hope that you can see fit to address the University as to where we stand as a community concerning the current state of Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court of the United States. There is a palpable sense of hurt and foreboding among our female students and faculty at UVM that our nation is regressing back to the old Victorian standards of patriarchal supremacy over women in all things, that women do not hold the same intellectual capacity and moral fiber and are not equal to the character or standing of men in any way. My wife, Wendy, who is a professional social worker and advocate for the rights of the elderly here in Vermont, is not only unsettled by the proceedings of this nomination process but, to a high degree, feels her very essence and morality under attack. It is very hard for me to see her come home from work in this state — coming home after listening to VPR and BBC coverage of the proceedings. Wendy will be celebrating her 60th birthday Oct. 15. It appears now that our president is saying to the nation that it is okay to mock and degrade others in public — especially women, who apparently to him, hold no value if they do not serve his immediate definition or purpose. I am writing all this to you because I have always believed in what you have said and stood for. I know that you can say something to assuage this prevalent fear on campus. You can tell our young women and men that we stand by human equality in all things. Every individual, male or female, black or white, and regardless of religion or philosophy, has the right to speak up in America. This right of social and gender equality under the law is what we stand for as a nation and should be the most important of our exports to the world. Please accept my words, President Sullivan, as a form of gratitude for your understanding, openness and exemplary visionary leadership for our university. As one of the largest and most visible communities in Vermont, we must stand up and say something. I know that UVM can make global change. I see this happening with our students and alumni every day. Yours truly, with respect and admiration, Jacques-Paul Marton “JP.” Custodian, Dudley H. Davis Center, UVM
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The Vermont Cynic
Oct. 9, 2018
Dancers interpret Victorian era Keely Lyons klyons12@uvm.edu
Under the watchful eye of a sculpture of St. George, a woman clad in white fell gracefully and slowly down the staircase in the Fleming’s marble court. The music she moved to ranged from Chopin to spirituals, and was occasionally overlaid with poetry by Emily Dickinson. Polly Motley performed her piece “Falling Downstairs” Oct. 3 at the Fleming Museum in conjunction with the museum’s new exhibit, The Impossible Ideal: Victorian Fashion and Femininity. Motley performed with three UVM students, senior Ariella Mandel, senior Anna Gibson and sophomore Chloe Schafer. Each performer had their own solo moment. Andrea Rosen, curator of the Fleming Museum said it was important to combine the exhibit with some kind of performance. “It’s always impactful to see an idea translated into a different medium, and it’s exciting to see it reach a different audience because of that,” she said. The Fleming’s exhibit runs from Sept. 21 to Dec. 14, and centers around women’s fashion in the Victorian era and how it relates to a growing sense of women’s autonomy, according to the Fleming’s website. “Polly really took the ideas and ran with them,” Rosen said, “and I was pleasantly surprised when I received her statement on the piece to see how much she had intuited the mes-
SAM LITRA/The Vermont Cynic
Chloe Schafer performs her solo during Polly Motley’s “Falling Downstairs” Oct. 3 at the Fleming Museum in conjunction with the museum’s new exhibit, “The Impossible Ideal: Victorian Fashion and Femininity.” sage I wanted to communicate through the exhibition.” The juxtaposition of Motley moving slowly down the stairs as she grabbed the railing was meant to echo the way Victorian women must have felt in their roles. The performance implied a duality that Victorian women had to constantly experience in their lives. Paul Besaw, chair of the
Music and Dance department, thought the performance was beautiful and nostalgic, he said. “Just Polly coming down those stairs and sort of those contradictions between her being beautiful and trying to maintain this gorgeous descent, and then it all kind of falls apart,” Besaw said. “Falling Downstairs” was inspired by the large outdoor
metal stairway at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, according to Motley’s website. She has performed it in other locations. For this performance, the performers wore Victorian attire to match the exhibit. Motley wore her white dress, with white chalk covering her body. Mandel and Schafer wore
more traditional Victorian dresses, and Gibson wore a light green wrap. Sophomore Mary Guyette thoroughly enjoyed the performance and its music, she said. “I think it was a unique take on dance while incorporating Victorian dance and style,” Guyette said. “It was also very peaceful.”
Band brings energy & enthusiasm
FallFest act announced
Amanda Anderson
Staff Report
aander16@uvm.edu
Although Gutterson Fieldhouse is mostly empty on a Wednesday evening, music, lights and action fill the gym. Instead of cheering fans, empty instrument cases lay scattered over the bleachers. Musicians dance with their instruments, rocking back and forth and up and down. The Catamount Pep Band gathers to rehearse every Wednesday evening from 8p.m. - 9:45 p.m. The Pep Band is the official band of the UVM athletic teams. The ensemble consists of 40 to 50 musicians, according to the UVM athletics webpage. At rehearsal, Junior Emeric Rochford plays his alto saxophone with the rest of the pep band. Rochford has been playing for the pep band for four years, which plays at home games fir hockey, basketball and soccer. Rochford had his eyes set on
the band before he even started school, he said. “I knew I wanted to come here, and I knew I wanted to do pep band,” Rochford said. “It’s just fun to keep playing.” Rochford grew up in Waitsfield, Vermont and attended Harwood High School, he said. He began playing saxophone in the fourth grade, and eventually settled in with the alto sax, he said. Senior and Pep Band trombone musician Mallory Curtis smiled after hearing Rochford’s name. “Sometimes the cameramen for the news crew will film Emeric ... dancing [along with] the dance team rather than the action on the floor,” Mallory said. Occasionally, Rochford and the band get the opportunity to travel, he said. “Everyone in the band is great,” Rochford said. “It’s high energy and it’s a bunch of fun kids.” Rochford said that many of the students in the band simply
DOMINIC PORTELLI/The Vermont Cynic
The saxophone section of the Catamount Pep Band play at the Women’s Ice Hockey game against the University of Connecticut Oct. 6. The Catamount Pep Band, consisting of 40-50 students, wanted an excuse to continue playing their music after high school. Pep Band Co-Director Jack Curtis began playing in the band when he was a senior in high school, and took over the band with Co-Director Neil Wacek during the 2009-2010
season, he said. When asked about Rochford, Jack grinned widely. “Oh yes. He’s a great guy,” he said. Read the rest at vtcynic.com/pep
Dr. Dog and Frankie Cosmos will headline this year’s FallFest, UVM Program Board announced Oct. 5. UVM’s Father Figuer will be the opener. FallFest will take place at 8 p.m. Oct. 19 in Patrick Gym. Dr. Dog is an American indie rock band based in Philadelphia. The band released their tenth album, “Critical Equation,” April 27. Frankie Cosmos is a musician and singer-songwriter. Her third album, “Vessel,” was released March 30, according to her website. She is a New York City native and previously performed at ArtsRiot in Burlington May 3. Father Figuer is an all-female band located in Burlington. The band competed in UPB’s Battle of the Bands last spring. Father Figuer’s music can be found on Soundcloud. Tickets for FallFest are available for purchase online at tickets.uvm.edu. Tickets are $10 for UVM students.
The Vermont Cynic
FEATURE
Oct. 9, 2018
7
blackouts Beth Goodwin bethan.goodwin@ uvm.edu
A
t my home university in Cardiff, Wales, alcohol runs in the veins of the city. It keeps the social, sporting and student scenes alive. After choosing UVM as my destination to study for a semester abroad, I expected many differences between Burlington and my hometown, one of the most prominent of these being the drinking and alcohol culture. In Cardiff, Monday afternoon lectures are often concluded with a questioning ‘Pub?’ between groups of friends. Wednesdays are the hallowed nights in which the Student Union, the equivalent of the Davis Center, is swarmed upon by crowds of students coming to enjoy its builtin nightclub; complete with two bars, a dance floor and of course, fast food stations for after. The alcohol is cheap, and the club sports teams often attend in different fancy dress costumes each week while DJs play music until 3 a.m. Empty bottles are displayed in first-year apartment windows like trophies, beer cans spill out of the second-year house trash bags on bin collection day and fliers are posted through doors everyday advertising the next night out with cheap alcohol. It’s anything but a dry campus. It’s soaking wet. This is all owing to one vital factor: the legal drinking age in Wales is 18.
As a 20-year-old, I found UVM to be something of a culture shock: a “dry campus,” resident advisors monitoring the halls, room inspections and the fact that alcohol is illegal until you’re 21. Yet drinking culture is commonplace between pregaming, fake IDs and parties. The culture is based around binge drinking and partying. Alcohol is used for one reason: to get drunk. The idea of enjoying a drink for the sake of it is an alien concept. Sophomore Max Horovitz lived in Switzerland, where the drinking age is 18. “Coming back to the U.S. was weird,” he said. “When you’re 20 years old, you should be able to drink and learn from those experiences before you turn 21.” Horovitz said most students don’t follow the imposed rules on campus. “I don’t think students give a shit that UVM is a dry campus,” he said. Unless you come to own a particularly good fake, the bars downtown are off-limits to students under 21. Many students in the U.K., however, also have this attitude towards alcohol, despite the bars and clubs being accessible for them. In Burlington, there are often ticketed parties. On Saturday nights, party-goers can be seen brandishing sleek black “business” cards they have been given. These are tickets to get into a security-guarded party,
Exploring drinking culture in Burlington and Cardiff, Wales.
and those without them are left to stand in little clusters outside as they try and figure out their next move. The exclusivity, the privilege of being invited and the thought of doing something not allowed all contribute to the feeling of the party scene. These parties all feature the expected stereotypes for a Brit out of place: red solo cups and loud music. “One of the main differences I’ve noticed is that at home, we drink cheap vodka out of tea mugs, and here they drink jungle juice out of red cups,” said Phoebe Brunt, an exchange student also from U.K. who attended Reading University. The musical difference is
“We have so many options,” said Cardiff University thirdyear student Annie White. “There’s really something for anyone to enjoy,” she said. White said that without akcohol, University would be “like bread without butter: dry and boring. “I couldn’t imagine not being able to drink during my time at university,” White said. That isn’t to say that the city’s drinking culture doesn’t have a seedy underbelly. At Cardiff Varsity 2017, the biggest sporting and drinking event of the year, eight arrests were made with alcohol being cited by the police as a major factor, according to a May 2017 article in student newspaper
Empty bottles are displayed in first-year apartment windows like trophies, beer cans spill out of the second-year house trash bags on bin collection day and fliers are posted through doors everyday advertising the next night out with cheap alcohol. perhaps most significant. House party playlists in the U.K. consist mainly of drum and bass, bassline and house, whereas in the U.S. this falls under the broader umbrella of EDM and a heavy prevalence of rap and hip-hop. House parties in the U.K. will often start with a Facebook event. Friends invite friends of friends and, depending on the turn out, they can either be quiet or fill a house with people. Usually, partygoers are responsible, with the biggest damage being the clean up the next morning. Police never get called and complaints are rarely made, due to a section of the city being dedicated to student housing. Regarding clubs and bars, Cardiff’s nightlife is diverse, with both smaller basement clubs and bigger commercial nightclubs.
The Tab. There have also been higher instances of sexual assault in the city in the past few years, with the Student Union having to take preventative measures such as a taxi service to help students get home safely, The Tab reported. After experiencing life in both cities, it’s clear to me that there are many cultural differences when it comes to partying and consuming alcohol, mainly due to differences in legislature and how that shapes attitudes. After six weeks here, a cold afternoon pint is definitely missing from my schedule. Maybe that’ll do my liver some good. Beth Goodwin is an exchange student from Cardiff University studying English. She has been writing for the Cynic since Fall 2018.
SPORTS
8
The Vermont Cynic
Oct. 9, 2018
Club celebrates Irish traditions Seneca Hart Seneca.Hart@uvm.edu
During the 2018 spring showcase, the Celtic Cats appeared on stage dancing in routines that pulsed with the beat, while stepping and hopping in sync. The Celtic Cats are UVM’s only Irish dance group, and perform at on-campus events and local venues. The team has performed at local bars, nursing homes, elementary schools and a renaissance fair, co-captain Dakota Dione, a senior, said. “They’ll go to a senior residence and do performances, which is a true testament of their desire to make people happy,” Celtic Cats faculty advisor David Warshaw said. The Celtic Cats were one of the reasons co-captain Hayley Malloy, a senior, felt drawn to UVM, she said. “My favorite part of the dance is how it can either be so individualized or it can be such a team dance,” Malloy said. Some members have been dancing their whole lives, while others had never danced before joining the team, Malloy said. “People come from all different backgrounds,” she said. “Everybody’s thrown together in a no-judgement zone, just dancing and having a lot of fun.” Dione has been dancing for many years and often educates the audiences on the cultural legends of Irish dance before performances. “There was a dance master who would travel from town to
Courtesy of Celtic Cats
The Celtic Cats are UVM’s only Irish dance group. Their next performance is Nov. 11 at the UVM women’s basketball game. town and after church on Sunday, and they’d do ceili dances,” she said. Ceili dances are the Irish equivalent of square dancing, as someone will call out the steps, Dione said. Warshaw said the dancers use their experience to teach people outside of the group how to participate in ceili dances. “They have an annual ceili
around Saint Patrick’s day, and it’s an opportunity for the Celtic Cats to spread their love of dance,” he said. Warshaw’s advisory role in the club is more of a public relations position, he said. “I tout their talents to the administration so that they know what they have here is unique,” Warshaw said. Malloy said they perform
with other on-campus dance groups like Catamount Dance Crew and Jazzbaa. “People try to dance as much as they can,” Dione said. After performaning at a men’s basketball game, Dione was approached by people who didn’t realize UVM had an Irish step dancing group, she said. There are other misconceptions when it comes to the team.
“It’s pronounced ‘kel-tik,’ not ‘sel-tik,’” Malloy said. “We are not the Boston Celtics.” The team does bonding activities like movie nights, apple picking, Friendsgiving and Secret Leprechaun, a play on Secret Santa, she said. Their next performance is at the Nov. 11 UVM women’s basketball game, according to their website.
New players bring life to men’s basketball Aryanna Ramsaran Aryanna.Ramsaran@uvm.edu
The UVM men’s basketball team is making a fresh start with five new first-year recruits. “It kind of feels like a new team,” head coach John Becker said. First-year forward Ryan Davis said that he enjoys being a part of UVM’s program. “I really just like the people I’ve met and just how down to earth and real everyone seems, including the coaching staff,” he said. Another new recruit is firstyear guard Robin Duncan. His two older brothers are also on the team, junior guard Everett Duncan and senior guard Ernie Duncan. The three brothers play well together, even though there used to be a sibling rivalry back in high school; now they just want to support each other, Everett Duncan said. “This should be interesting and fun to see how it plays out,” Becker said. “They have some deep built-in chemistry that
you just can’t teach.” The Catamounts finished the 2017-2018 season with a 27-8 record, followed by six seniors graduating. UVM lost against University of Maryland, Baltimore County with a score of 65-62 March 10, according to UVM athletics. “I think everyone’s excited to have another opportunity to hopefully get back to the championship game and have another chance to win,” Becker said. “I think that’s what guys are really looking forward to.” Becker thinks that this year’s recruiting class seems promising for the upcoming season, he said. “This might be the most talented group of guys we’ve brought in, and they’re gonna all be big parts of this program moving forward,” he said. This season, the team only has two juniors and two seniors, Becker said. “It’s different leaders so it’s a different kind of vibe,” he said. “We don’t know what we have until we start playing in games and so, as a coach, that
causes a little bit more anxiety.” Davis said the practices are helping him to adjust to collegiate play. “I’ve been doing a lot of visits with the training staff here, and whenever I have extra time, I make sure I’m getting as best as I can be so I’m ready for the first game,” Davis said. Becker also said how he’s helping the new players to adjust to their system. “I think it’s just teaching these guys about our system and how we play and what we value, and they’ve done a great job,” he said. The team’s first game is Oct. 27 against Concordia where many of the first-years on the team will be suiting up for their first collegiate game. They had their first official practice Oct. 1. “We always practice defense a lot, but actually we’ve probably practiced more offense this year just because we’ve been so good offensively,” Becker said. After the Concordia game, UVM plays another home game 4:30 p.m. Nov. 4 vs. Saint Michael’s College.
RYAN KIEL-ZABEL/The Vermont Cynic
Drew Urquhart ’18 takes a jump ball in last year’s game against University at Albany. The team’s first game is Oct. 27 against Concordia.