The Vermont Cynic
OCTOBER 17, 2017
VOL. 134 – ISSUE 8
FALLFEST 2017
VTCYNIC.COM
Students under investigation Police called to Bailey/Howe library twice in two weeks
The last time the gym was filled with such a loud crowd was during last spring’s March Madness tournament. This Saturday, instead of screaming after three-pointers, the crowd of students in the center roared for the strum of a guitar. FallFest, the annual UVM Program Board’s fall concert, took place at 8 p.m. Oct. 14.
Lauren Schnepf Assistant News Editor The UVM police are investigating two separate incidents that occurred at Bailey/Howe Library in October. On Oct. 10, continuing education student Evan Friedman was placed under investigation following a trespass order, said Tim Bilodeau, deputy chief of UVM police services. On Oct. 1, continuing education student Wesley Richter was reported for disorderly conduct and saying racial threats over the phone in the library. UVM police spoke with the Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George to determine the charge of disorderly conduct. Annie Stevens, vice provost for student affairs, sent an email Oct. 2 which stated that racist and threatening language was overheard on campus. Junior Z McCarron said the administration’s email was too vague and did not sufficiently inform students. Stevens sent a follow-up email Oct. 4 stating that UVM police were investigating the incident and more information would be sent out. McCarron said students reported that Richter was being disorderly in the library.
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PHIL CARRUTHERS/ The Vermont Cynic
Lianne Tuomey, Chief of UVM Police, sent an email Oct. 5 stating that UVM police identified Richter as the student. While they issued a citation for disorderly conduct, they found no immediate threat to anyone’s safety. Richter is being prosecuted under Statute 1026 A1, which states that a person is guilty of disorderly conduct if they intend to cause public inconvenience or create a risk through threatening behavior. Richter’s lawyer Ben Luna is arguing that Richter is not guilty under the statute because the allegations involve the contents of Richter’s speech. It is unconstitutional to punish him under the circumstances, Luna said. The case should not have been brought to court, and the administration could have handled the incident better, Luna said. “It was not long before this alleged incident occurred that a group of protesters marched on the chancellor’s office or something like that,” Luna said. Luna said his client is being used by the University to prove a point. Richter will be arraigned in court Oct. 27.
Diversity courses are reevaluated by Faculty Senate Lilly Young Staff Writer UVM’s D1 and D2 courses, diversity-based classes, are being re-evaluated by the Faculty Senate. Since students delivered a list of demands to President Sullivan calling for racial justice on campus Sept. 25, there has been a push to re-evaluate the D1 and D2 courses at UVM. Sophomore Jamie Benson, SGA chair of academic affairs, said the reevaluation was a result of the SGA talking to the Faculty Senate. There was a meeting Oct. 12 with the SGA president, vice president and chair of academic affairs as well as the Provost Office and the faculty staff to discuss the re-evaluation of D1 and D2 classes. A conversation about the re-evaluation of D1 and D2 courses has been “long overdue,” Benson said. The movement to update diversity courses has been around since last year. Senior Emily Grace Arriviello held a forum last spring about the reformation of D1 classes as a part of the cam-
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D1/D2 classes weren’t living up to the standards of what students wanted.
These classes are inaccessible. - Emily Grace Arriviello, Senior
paign for racial justice at UVM. D1 and D2 courses were instituted in 2006 and have not been reviewed since, Arriviello said. Students want smaller class sizes as well as better-trained professors teaching diversity
courses, Arriviello said. The small class sizes would “help [students] understand [their] racial identity in the United States and on campus,” she said. Smaller classes facilitate more intimate discussions
among students, said Reginah Mako, SGA chair of diversity inclusion and member of the Black Student Union. Professors need to be equipped to teach diversity courses in order to lead these discussions, Mako said.
Benson and Mako have been working with students and the Faculty Senate to change the curriculum regarding diversity. Benson recently had a meeting with SGA President Chris Petrillo and BSU President Harmony Edosomwan to talk in depth about the demands and what needs to be fixed in the curriculum, he said. SGA is working toward the goal of having “better educated, better informed and better global citizens coming out of UVM after taking a diversity course,” Benson said. They are not the first group of students to have this conversation with the Faculty Senate, and students need to be heard by faculty in order to implement change, Arriviello said. Benson is hoping that by the next academic year, D1 and D2 courses will be better. SGA is motivated to improve these requirements, Benson said. It is important for UVM to take a stand by fixing the problems with the diversity courses, Arriviello said.