In a historic vote, UVM Board of Trustees unanimously decides to divest from fossil fuels
Irene Choi and Kate Vanni
July 14, 2020
The UVM Board of Trustees voted unanimously to divest from fossil fuels during a July 14 meeting and announced the decision on the same day. UVM will immediately end new direct investment in fossil fuels, according to a July 14 email sent by UVM president Suresh Garimella. UVM promises that by ...
UVM will not require standardized test scores for those who apply 2020/2021
Irene Choi, Cynic News Reporter
July 14, 2020
UVM will not be requiring standardized test scores from incoming undergraduate students who apply to UVM in 2020 and 2021. The University made this change because testing opportunities may have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a page on the UVM website. UVM announced the change on Ju...
Update: Vermont joins the lawsuit against the Trump Administration over ICE’s new rule
Kate Vanni, Summer Editor-in-Chief
July 13, 2020
Vermont will be joining the lawsuit to stop the new federal immigration rule, announced today by Vermont’s Attorney General T.J. Donovan. This new rule calls for the deportation of international students if their school is forced to function online-only. Eighteen other attorney generals have formed ...
UVM Senior Lecturer Thomas Chittenden runs for Vermont State Senate
Lilly Page, Cynic News Reporter
July 13, 2020
Four years after initially thinking of running for the Vermont State Senate, South Burlington City Councilor Thomas Chittenden feels ready to make a bid for the Chittenden County Senate Seat. In the race for state senate, Chittenden and 13 other Democratic candidates will be on the ballot for the democ...
Over 600 UVM students could face deportation after new Trump administration rule
Kate Vanni, Summer Editor-in-Chief
July 11, 2020
Roughly 671 UVM students may be subject to deportation if UVM is forced to switch to an entirely online semester for Fall 2020 due to a new policy from the Trump administration. The most recent immigration policy announced by the U.S. Student and Exchange Visitor Program on July 6 states that any co...
All students returning to campus fall 2020 must sign UVM’s Green and Gold Promise, released today
Kate Vanni, Summer Editor-in-Chief
July 8, 2020
UVM students must sign the Green and Gold Promise if they decide to participate in on-campus learning for fall 2020 according to the July 2 email from UVM's Provost. The promise is a form students will fill out to prove their intentions of following COVID-19 guidelines and restrictions. It was i...
Students protest deadline for selecting at-home learning, four days later UVM extends it
Kate Vanni and Irene Choi
July 8, 2020
Four days after UVM students protested the deadline for selecting at-home learning, UVM’s Provost sent an email stating the deadline will be extended another two days. In a July 2 email, students received a detailed plan for the re-opening of campus Fall 2020, which included an option for stude...
Former City Council member Adam Roof runs for State Senate
Lilly Page, Cynic News Reporter
July 6, 2020
Three months after losing his Ward 8 City Council seat to newcomer Jane Stromberg, Adam Roof is ready for his next step in politics, campaigning to be Chittenden Country’s State Senator. Roof was the incumbent for the City Council race, which took place in March, and he acknowledges he has le...
UVM announces detailed fall 2020 plan where students can choose between online learning and in person learning
Kate Vanni, Summer Editor-in-Chief
July 3, 2020
UVM is allowing students to choose between returning to on-campus learning and strictly at home online learning for fall 2020 by July 15. In an email sent out July 2 Patricia Prelock, UVM’s Provost, explained in detail what the return to campus will look like in fall 2020. The email describes how ...
UPDATE: After 36 days of emails gone unheard, Physical Plant and ResLife provide air conditioning
Kate Vanni, Summer Editor-in-Chief
July 2, 2020
After one UVM student spent 36 days emailing Physical Plant and ResLife, UVM will be providing air conditioning for students in emergency housing. A Physical Plant employee arrived at Shuvan Shrestha's room at 8:17 p.m. to install an air conditioning unit. "For now, I'm a bit worried if the AC ...
Letter from the Editor-in-Chief: Need a fan? We’ll get you one.
Sawyer Loftus, Editor-in-Chief
July 1, 2020
On July 1, the Vermont Cynic published an article detailing the conditions students who remain in emergency housing are living through. These students are not on campus by choice. They had no alternatives. Regardless of price, or any obstacle, the University of Vermont must care for these s...
Students sleeping outside, custodial staff throwing up: the story of UVM emergency housing without air conditioning
Kate Vanni, Summer Editor-in-Chief
July 1, 2020
After three months of living in emergency housing, the 30 students who remain on campus have begun sleeping outside to escape what one UVM employee described as “life-threatening” heat. “The Physical Plant employee who I spoke with on the phone said my condition was life-threatening because...
