Response to “Mandated Reporting Issue”
May 11, 2018
Filed under Letter to the Editor, Opinion
As the Intake and Outreach Coordinator for the Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity (which addresses incidents of discrimination and harassment on campus, including sexual misconduct and assault), I am writing in response to the “Mandated Reporting Issue” staff editorial in the April...
LTE: Deans must step up
March 1, 2018
Filed under Letter to the Editor, Opinion
We strongly believe that students of color and faculty want academic freedom. Faculty members can deliver this freedom, which comes with the responsibility to protect students’ freedom in regard to learning. Students are demanding an action plan for mandatory training of all University faculty. They...
LTE: Reflections on Blue Penis Gate and the WE Program at UVM
February 20, 2018
Filed under Letter to the Editor, Opinion
Reflections on Blue Penis Gate and the WE Program at UVM As a faculty member who taught human health and disease at UVM for two decades I was both amused and horrified by the saga of Blue Penis Gate at the new WE residence hall. Since UVM is a center of learning, let's ask the obvious: what is a p...
LTE: Responding to the latest UA articles
February 16, 2018
Filed under Letter to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Cynic editors, Thank you for supporting “faculty efforts to raise salaries” and for the two pieces in this week’s Cynic related to United Academics. Both pieces try to summarize UA’s position by pointing to a few numbers in an ad, without any discussion of the hour and a half long forum ...
Continuing the conversation about UVM’s diversity & inclusivity
December 9, 2017
Filed under Letter to the Editor, Opinion
In the past year, Wes Richter has used “racist and threatening language,” according to an Oct. 5 Seven Days article, and J. T. Reichhelm stole the Black Lives Matter flag, according to a Sept. 29 VTDigger article. These were racist acts. Their implicit message was: UVM is not a school for black p...
Administrative actions support humanities majors
December 3, 2017
Filed under Letter to the Editor, Opinion
In my role as Chief Academic Officer of the University of Vermont, I am writing to share my thoughts, some additional context and to provide a number of important clarifications to the Cynic’s Nov. 7, 2017 editorial entitled “Humanities Majors Deserve More.” I am always pleased when students po...
True wellness must place health before UVM image
December 1, 2017
Filed under Letter to the Editor, Opinion
There have been sweeping changes in higher education as of late. With the introduction of a more diverse and qualified student population, services provided on college campuses must adjust to provide suitable resources for the next generation of the American workforce. The University of Vermont is not im...
Response to “Humanities Majors Deserve More”
November 15, 2017
Filed under Letter to the Editor, Opinion
November 10, 2017 Letter to the Editor, In my role as Chief Academic Officer of the University of Vermont, I am writing to share my thoughts, some additional context, and to provide a number of important clarifications to the Cynic’s November 7, 2017 editorial entitled “Humanities Majors De...
Liberal arts majors supply valuable skills for success
November 10, 2017
Filed under Letter to the Editor, Opinion
To the Editor: In a recent edition of the Cynic, sophomore English major Jacob Potts published an eloquent opinion piece fighting back against the flack humanities majors often take from peers convinced that their degrees are unlikely to lead to well-paying jobs. When people hear Mr. Potts say he is a...
SGA president Chris Petrillo on wellness
November 8, 2017
Filed under Letter to the Editor, Opinion
There have been sweeping changes in higher education as of late. With the introduction of a more diverse and qualified student population, services provided on college campuses must adjust to provide suitable resources for the next generation of the American workforce. The University of Vermont ...
Bailey/Howe adds gender-free bathrooms
November 5, 2017
Filed under Letter to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, I’m writing on behalf of the UVM Libraries to provide some clarity about the current state of access to gender-free restrooms in Bailey/ Howe Library. John Riedel’s Oct. 11 article “Students Call for Gender Inclusive Bathrooms” featured a graphic indicating that t...
My turn
November 3, 2017
Filed under Letter to the Editor, Opinion
By Thomas J. Gustafson In a letter to the editor last week, some students asserted that UVM “waited four days” to identify the student who allegedly engaged in explicitly racist and threatening language directed toward African American members of our community. This assertion is incorr...
