Use your anger to fuel activism
October 25, 2018
Three weeks ago, almost 1,000 students walked out of classes to protest the appointment of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, to support heroes Christine Blasey Ford and Anita Hill and to stand with survivors of sexual assault. We stood to oppose the political threats that Kavanaugh poses – the er...
Sullivan’s duty to the community
October 14, 2018
Dear 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...
Increasing wage will help local businesses
October 13, 2018
Want to hear something obvious? Raising the minimum wage increases the take-home 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 ...
Faculty members defend Ford
October 12, 2018
We, 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 ha...
Response to “Mandated Reporting Issue”
May 11, 2018
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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...
