Support your fellow UVM student leaders

Support+your+fellow+UVM+student+leaders

Staff Editorial

The past two weeks on campus have been filled with protests, marches, rallies and emails about diversity and inclusion at UVM.

Student leaders of various diversity organizations on campus delivered a list of demands to president Tom Sullivan asking for the University to take specific action to improve our community in Sept. 25. These students demanded that UVM do better.

After they marched, President Sullivan met with the leaders to hear their demands. After the meeting, he sent an email to campus expressing support for the student leaders he met with.

But, instead of outlining actions the University would take to promote diversity and inclusion, he listed actions he said the University is already doing that promote these things. Clearly if people are protesting, if they feel unwelcome and unsafe on campus the University is not doing enough.

Although a plaque was taken off of Bailey Howe since the protests, we know the University can do more. Students want an outline of very specific measures that will be taken to meet the demands of our student body–– and so do we. We the Cynic staff, stand with these protestors.

UVM needs diversity, especially in our teaching staff. As a newspaper we encourage all students to show support for the list of demands and the students who wrote them by joining in the conversation.

To the right, you will see the contact information for our University President Tom Sullivan and Gary Derr the Vice President for Executive Operations.

Just as you would contact a national representative to request change, call and email our University leaders to sup- port the list of demands and change on campus. The leaders of this University need to hear your concerns and beliefs.

The most valuable thing a student possesses is their voice and now more than ever is the time to use it. Call your leaders, join new clubs, write to the Cynic.

So, if you are interested, contact us. We are an organization designed to showcase your voice, your opinions and your beliefs. Voice your opinions, your campus needs to hear them.

Remember that change does not happen unless you speak out.