2016 Vol 133 Issue 10

Page 1

BURLINGTON, VT

VTCYNIC.COM

South End

Men’s Hockey

A guide of all the hot spots in Burlington’s “arts district”

Catamounts defeat Michigan to continue winning streak

ARTS PG. 9

SPORTS PG. 14

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W E D N E S DAY, N O V E M B E R 2 , 2 0 1 6

Survivors Speak Out Community unites for domestic violence awareness

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Student reports bias incident abroad staff report An American student said he was spat on, called the n-word, and called a “fucking monkey,” by a UVM student while studying abroad in Ghana. Dwight Haggard, a senior at the University of Kentucky and a member of the UK Board of Appeals, addressed the incident in an Oct. 24 Facebook post which has been shared nearly 200 times. In the post, Haggard described the night he says “forced him to realize the cruelty of the world.” He said that UVM senior Elizabeth Cheli called both him and another black student the n-word numerous times. Students from both UVM and the University of Ghana showed their support for Haggard, generating a response from UVM administrators. The University is currently investigating the incident and working with the host program to determine what happened that night, an Oct. 26th joint statement from Annie Stevens,

vice provost for Student Affairs, and Wanda Heading-Grant, vice president for Human Resources, Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, stated. From his room abroad at the University of Ghana, Haggard described the night the incident occurred in an interview with the Cynic. “On Sunday, Oct. 23 around 9:30 p.m. I attempted to help resolve an altercation between my friend Karmen and Cheli,” he said. “[Cheli] had called Karmen the n-word while using the washroom.” Cheli continued to call Karmen the slur when leaving the restroom, at which point Haggard stepped in, Haggard said. Cheli’s boyfriend attempted to intervene and explain that Cheli was intoxicated. A crowd began to form around them, and Cheli and her boyfriend went back into their room, Haggard said. Haggard then emptied a trash can in front of her door. “She then opened up her window and spit in my face

twice,” Haggard said. “I felt embarrassed, disgusted, and absolutely angry about the entire situation.” Cheli is an anthropology major who attends UVM on a presidential scholarship, according to a post by her alma mater, Academy of the Sacred Heart in St. Charles, Missouri. She was named to the College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s List in Fall 2015.

“I felt embarrassed, disgusted, and absolutely angry about the entire situation.” DWIGHT HAGGARD SENIOR, UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY

Cheli did not respond to requests for comment from the Cynic.

Haggard said that after browsing the reviews on UVM’s Facebook page, he saw a clear need for the Black Lives Matter movement at the institution. He said he commends UVM for standing with Black Lives Matter. “Unfortunately, for those who blindly choose to ignore the racial discrepancies clouding this world, this post will most likely go unread and another black voice will go unheard,” he said. The response from UVM students has indicated they are taking this matter seriously, Haggard said. “As for students like Liz Cheli, who decide that spitting on a person of color after calling them the n-word numerous times,” he said, “the University of Vermont as well as the University of Ghana should seek to expel Liz Cheli for her inconsiderate, racist and disgusting actions.” On Facebook students from both UVM and the University of Ghana gave their support to Haggard.

First-year Harmony Edosomwan is one of these students. Edosomwan said racism at UVM is mostly experienced through micro-aggressions. “My friends and I had a very tough time the first two months of school because of the stares, sly comments and just the feeling of being ostracized,” she said. The faculty at UVM work hard to help students of color feel welcome, Edosomwan said. “The only way to end racism on campus is to expose it and counter it with love,” she said. Senior James Ile, who came to UVM from Nigeria, said he has experienced racism at UVM as well. “I mean it’s not been obvious,” Ile said. “You see it and it’s just there.” He has experienced instances where white students chose not to engage with black students in social situations. “It’s not really a major problem but it’s definitely a concern,” Ile said.

UVM Police investigate reports of break-ins at University Heights staff report Multiple residents of University Heights South experienced break-ins over a two night period. UVM Police received reports of the break-ins during the nights of Oct. 24 and Oct. 25, according to an Oct. 26 CatAlert. While students were asleep, an individual went into unlocked rooms, looked through

their belongings and in one incident stole several items, the CatAlert stated. “Each incident occurred between 2:30 a.m. and 6:00 a.m.,” it stated. “The suspect in these cases has been described as a man with an average build and long hair, last seen wearing a yellow baseball hat and tan pants.” First-year Rachel Cohen said she lives across the hall from

students whose room was broken into. Posters and wine were stolen from the room, but the T.V. and electronics were left, Cohen said. “I mean it’s not good [that these burglaries happened],” she said. Students living in University Heights have raised concerns about security on campus. First-year Taran Rattu, a

resident of University Heights South, said he was surprised by the burglaries. “It’s bad,” he said. “It shouldn’t happen.” However, some students said they are not as concerned about the break-ins. First-year Kayla Morrison said her concerns were shortlived. “At first I was kind of nervous about it,” Morrison said. “I

really just got more aware of the fact that not everyone is completely great.” UVM Police encourage students to keep their doors locked at all times to prevent burglaries, the CatAlert stated. A burglar only needs a few minutes in an unlocked room to perform a theft, UVM Police’s website sates.


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