Issue 28, Vol. 138 by Vermont Cynic

THEVERMONTCYNIC THE ISSUE 28 - VOLUME 138 | APRIL 26, 2022 | VTCYNIC.COM

UVM to remove isolation housing for 2022-23 school year Lila Cumming Cynic News Reporter

UVM has no plans to provide COVID-19 isolation housing for the 2022-23 school year, according to an April 19 email from Gary Derr, vice president for operations and public safety. Jeanne Mance Residence Hall, which served as isolation housing for the entire pandemic, is slated for conversion back to traditional housing, Derr stated. The decline in COVID-19 cases compared to previous semesters motivated UVM to retire isolated housing and have students quarantine in their own dorm rooms. UVM will decide the fate of Slade Hall and the Cottages, which also previously acted as isolation housing, during the summer, he stated. “At this stage of the pandemic, the focus continues to shift away from the number of cases toward health impacts and outcomes,” Derr stated. “This is particularly the case among highly vaccinated populations with strong protection against the coronavirus, such as our university community.” The University continues to detect promising trends of less severe health impacts from COVID-19 infections, he stated. Students are experiencing less severe symptoms than other populations, largely due to a nearly 100% COVID-19 vaccination rate. The University reported 64 positive test results in the week of April 11-17, with 98.6% of students testing negative, according to the webpage. The University recorded 875 total positive COVID-19 cases since Jan. 4, 2022, averaging about 55 positive cases per week. Based on COVID-19 and its variants, it is likely that a roommate will have already been exposed and infected by the time the other roommate tests positive, Derr stated. UVM will release speciﬁc plans for in-room isolation this summer per recommendations from the Vermont Department of Health. Most of the previous pandemic protective measures will no longer be necessary because nothing indicates the University is in an actively highly-infectious pandemic phase, he stated. The University will continue to require all employees and students to be fully vaccinated, Derr stated. This includes both incoming and current students. Sophomore Shannon Baker will be a Resident Advisor in

ABBIE KOPELOWITZ/The Vermont Cynic Jeanne Mance Hall April 20. The residence hall will no longer serve as COVID-19 quarantine housing as of the 2022-2023 school year. Jeanne Mance next semester, she said. “I feel like there’s still a lot of people getting COVID and being in quarantine,” she said. “Hopefully [the situation is] good enough that we don’t need quarantine housing, but I don’t know what [the University is] planning.” Baker said she’s pleased RAs won’t have to enforce the same kinds of rules surrounding

COVID-19 restrictions as they did earlier in the pandemic. She has friends who are RAs and didn’t like constantly enforcing the mask mandate in the hallway. UVM lifted the mask mandate March 19, according to a March 21 Cynic article. Last year, several RAs complained the administration had a disappointing communication style and

vague expectations concerning COVID-19 regulations, according to an April 6 Cynic article. At the peak of the pandemic, RAs were expected to write up students who broke the Green and Gold Promise which often led to suspension, according to the article. The policy switch came abruptly and created tension between RAs and students in residence halls.

RAs are now no longer in charge of enforcing any COVID-19 restrictions, Derr stated in an April 22 email. The University anticipates such restrictions will not be necessary unless the situation with the pandemic changes. Kevin Hytten, interim director of residential life, declined the Cynic’s request for comment.

NEWS

Over a thousand gather at green on 4/20 Isabelle Tanner Cynic News Reporter

Over a thousand students gathered on the Redstone green at 4:20 p.m. April 20 in celebration of the longstanding tradition of smoking cannabis on 4/20, said UVM Police Chief Tim Bilodeau. The turnout demonstrated a marked increase in attendance as compared to early pandemic 4/20 celebrations in 2020 and 2021. While Bilodeau could not specify the exact headcounts from the previous years, this year’s gathering surpassed the others, he said. Smoking cannabis also proved to be a safety concern, as three people were brought to the emergency room at the medical center for issues related to cannabis intake, Bilodeau said. Fellow students brought the conditions of the hospitalized students to the police, Bilodeau said. Due to HIPAA laws, he could not elaborate on their conditions. When the highly anticipated countdown to 4:20 p.m. concluded, a giant plume of smoke billowed up into the air, just as it had in years prior. Students poured onto the Redstone green bringing activities such as picnics and die tables to play games on but UVM Police Services informed them additional activities were a safety concern since it encouraged a larger crowd,

Students gather on the Redstone green for 4/20 festivities April 20. Bilodeau said. Since previous COVID-19 restrictions such as masking, social distancing and capacity limits were lifted, this was the first normal 4/20 in two years, Bilodeau said. “It’s always nice to be at a public event and see people gather. [...] It’s college kids being rowdy. I’m not going to see this anywhere else,” said senior Sophie Feldman. While she did not partake in smoking, Feldman said it was fun to watch because of the sheer novelty of the gathering

and how embedded 4/20 is in UVM’s culture. First-year Gus Powers said he came to the green because he and his friends simply love cannabis. “I think weed is awesome,” Powers said. “Especially in a state that is promoting weed for other reasons than what we’re doing now, for health benefits and all sorts of stuff. It’s a drug that’s gonna be legalized all through America pretty soon.” Powers and his friend, sophomore Justin Donaldson, rolled a total of 35 pre-rolls and

TYLER NACHILLY/The Vermont Cynic brought them to the green, he said. Donaldson and Powers said it felt great to be out on the green and get the community together. However, they were disappointed in how quickly the event ended, Powers said. Donaldson and Powers hoped the congregation would last for more than the 15 minutes in which it occurred. The short timeframe resulted from UVM Police Services noticing the crowd beginning to thin and

subsequently encouraging students to move on, as the use of cannabis on UVM campus is illegal and is a student conduct violation, Bilodeau said. Still, for large, dense crowds, UVM Police Services streamline efforts towards prioritizing safety and wellness, Bilodeau said. The police did not issue any sanctions at the event. Kevin Hytten, interim director of residential life, declined the Cynic’s requests for comment.

Student receives grant to work on NASA drone project Halsey McLaen News Editor

Sophomore Mason Paterson will work on NASA’s Project Dragonfly, which seeks to land a drone on Titan, one of Saturn’s moons, to search for signs of life in 2026, he said. Paterson, who studies mechanical engineering, received a $7,000 grant from the Vermont Space Grant Consortium to pursue the project April 13, he said. Alongside Douglas Fletcher, professor of mechanical engineering, Paterson will work to test the material the drone’s outer shell will be made of. “I just felt so lucky to just have [this opportunity] right in front of me,” Paterson said. “This is just the best thing you can do for [people in engineering] and I’m just glad I was just given the opportunity.” Titan has a unique atmospheric composition that requires the drone to be equipped with a specialized thermal protection system, particularly a heat shield, Paterson said. NASA will apply a material called phenolic impregnated carbon ablator on the heat shield around the drone that

MAC MANSFIELD PARISI/The Vermont Cynic Sophomore Mason Paterson in Innovation Hall April 20. is chemically compatible with Titan’s atmosphere, he said. Paterson will take a sample of PICA-D and test it under recreated conditions of atmospheric entry. PICA-D is a low density thermal protective material designed specifically to deflect heat, according to the NASA Ames Research Center. Fletcher has a lab in Discovery Hall containing an inductively coupled plasma torch facility that can simulate atmospheric entry with the use of magnetic fields, Paterson

said. The grant will go towards procuring the materials to conduct Paterson’s proposed research. Paterson and Fletcher will test the emissivity rate to see how well the PICA-D heat shield can radiate heat and reactive atmospheric particles to keep them from harming the drone, Paterson said. The emissivity rate refers to the amount of energy a material can deflect, according to the National Physical Laboratory website. “Put simply, we need to make

sure [the drone] enters and doesn’t hurt what’s inside of it [and] doesn’t get incinerated,” Paterson said. Paterson received an email at the start of the semester from the Vermont Space Grant Consortium calling for applicants, he said. Paterson reached out to Fletcher because of his past work and affiliation with NASA, who then agreed to work with him on the project, Paterson said. “I was really excited when he said he would even try this with me,” Paterson said. Paterson will also receive funding for research-related travel, which he plans to use to visit the NASA Ames Research Center, the division that oversees Project Dragonfly in Mountain View, California, he said. The VSGC offers funding for students wishing to do research mentored by a faculty member that aligns with the priorities of NASA, said Chip Cole, director of the VSGC and professor of mathematics and statistics. “It’s really to provide opportunities for students to learn how to do research and get interested in research,” Cole said. “NASA has a priority in

terms of trying to generate the next generation of researchers in aerospace [and] to train people to do this kind of work.” Paterson is one of four other students in the state to receive a grant from this year’s VCSG application round, Cole said. Successful applicants receive a $7,000 grant each, $6,000 of which can be used in whichever way the project needs, Cole said. The other $1,000 can be spent on research-related travel. “In all of these awarded projects, what we saw were students who had a lot of enthusiasm, and were wellconnected with an established faculty member in a research area that had strong NASA alignments,” Cole said. The VSGC hopes these projects lead to students becoming involved with larger research projects that lead to meaningful research productivity, Cole said. “What we really want to have happen is that the student gets exposed to research methods and how to do good research in the aerospace area so that the student gets motivated to go further with it,” Cole said. Fletcher was not able to comment in time for publication of this story.

OPINION RM

Don’t let mold spread on campus

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Emily Johnston

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EXECUTIVE Editor-in-Chief Kate Vanni editorinchief@vtcynic.com Managing Editor Greta Rohrer newsroom@vtcynic.com

OPERATIONS Operations Manager Emma Chute operations@vtcynic.com

EDITORS

Opinion Editor

here is a danger that lurks in dark, wet corners of campus:

mold. UVM relocated two students after maintenance found black mold in Coolidge Hall, according to an April 5 Cynic article. Maintenance staff did visual scans of dorm rooms to conﬁrm mold presence. It is irresponsible of the University to allow for black mold to grow and to assess mold presence based only on observation. UVM needs to deliver a one-time at-home mold test kit to all students living in Coolidge and assess every

building for mold after this discovery. Mold forms in the presence of water and oxygen, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. There is no way to rid all indoor spaces of mold entirely, but there are ways to limit the amount of moisture present to prevent signiﬁcant mold growth. At UVM, when a building has water damage, maintenance has to clean it within 24-48 hours to prevent mold growth, according to the Department of Physical Plant’s water intrusion guidelines. However, even if cleaned within this time frame, mold could have grown. Methods of removal include using a plant-based cleaning substance and fans or dehumidiﬁers, according to the Cynic article and the Physical

Plant guidelines. After UVM cleaned up the mold incident in Coolidge, one student impacted was not conﬁdent the mold was entirely gone, according to the Cynic article. This is irresponsible management of mold, especially considering the adverse health effects that result from exposure to it. All mold is harmful to human health, according to the EPA. Mold exposure can cause stuffy noses, sore throats, coughing and wheezing, burning eyes and even skin rashes, according to the CDC. During a pandemic, students should not have to worry about whether their illness is from COVID-19 or from mold. Additionally, mold spores can spread through the air

Copy Chief Dalton Doyle copy@vtcynic.com Culture & Podcasts Paige Fisher cynicculture@gmail.com vtcynicpodcasts@gmail.com Features Liz Roote cynicfeatures@gmail.com News Ella Ruehsen news@vtcynic.com Sports Matthew Rosenberg sports@vtcynic.com Opinion Emily Johnston opinion@vtcynic.com Layout Ellie Scott layout.cynic@gmail.com Illustrations Izzy Pipa cynicillustrations@gmail.com Photo Eric Scharf photo@vtcynic.com Assistant Editors Grace Visco (Opinion) Ella Farrell (Layout) Halsey McLaen (News) Catie Segaloff (Copy) Tanner Loy (Photo) Pages Designers Abby Carroll, Molly McDermott, Sabrina Orazietti, Maddy Thorner, Nicole Bidol Copy Editors Lauren Bentley, Zoe Bertsch, Jacqueline Kelley, Maya Pound

ADVISING Andy Elrick Andrew.Elrick@uvm.edu

ANGELIKA HILLIOS

through doors, windows, vents, heating and air conditioning units, according to the CDC. This means the mold found in Coolidge has potential to spread to other buildings on campus. Mold also spreads from clothing, bags and shoes, according to the University of Vermont Health Network. I assume the affected students left their dorm rooms prior to relocation, walking in Coolidge’s hallways and to and from classes. If the students moved, the mold could have moved with them. With the COVID-19 public health crisis, the University began supplying at-home COVID-19 tests March 21, according to UVM Forward. The University should do the same for the health crisis brought on by mold in Coolidge, supplying mold testing kits for building residents to utilize. All campus buildings need mold testing immediately. Maintenance staff should additionally conduct sample mold tests on all buildings to ensure black mold did not spread from Coolidge Hall. For the safety of students, staff and faculty, UVM needs to prevent black mold spread on campus through adequate and comprehensive testing.

Emily Johnston is a senior environmental science major. She has been writing for the Cynic since fall 2018.

UVM should improve housing selection Lucas Martineau Opinion Columnist

y experience with sophomore room selection at UVM was mediocre and anxiety-inducing. I was only basing my decision off the Halls page on the UVM ResLife website, which provides no interior photos at all; not even a floor map. Nobody would rent or buy a house without seeing pictures of the inside first, and the same should apply to college dorms. UVM should provide pictures of every room type in every hall to give students an idea of the layout. My roommate and I decided to live together again next year and chose to be suitemates with two of our friends. Upon filling out the room selection form for next year, we decided the L/L suites were the superior option. They were new and situated close to Central campus, right next to the Marché and Skinny

Pancake. Most of the details we received about our future dorm were obtained through conversations with people who previously lived in similar suites. This intel got passed through the grapevine, like a game of telephone. When the day came to pick our suites, the leader of each pair of roommates was assigned a timeslot in which to pick a room. The suitemates we wanted in our dorm had a later sign up time than we did. This meant my roommate and I needed to rush during room selection to ﬁnd a fully vacant suite and hope no one else would pick the same suite for the hour between our timeslot and our desired suitemates’ timeslot. We got lucky and the four of us are going to be suitemates next year. However, this isn’t the case for everyone. Plenty of friend groups were completely broken up because of the room selection system. UVM needs to guarantee friends stay together. Allowing people to group as a suite

ABBY KAISER

instead of just with a roommate would be a great start. The University of Connecticut, is a great example of a college that gives its students adequate information for room selection. The UConn East Campus residential life website has ﬂoor plans, interior photographs and pictures of the laundry room, according to UConn’s Residential Life page. There’s no logical reason why UVM can’t make these offerings as well.

Pictures of rooms and suites are vital for people to plan ahead and know where they will sleep every night for eight months. College is already stressful enough. Being left in the dark about housing adds unnecessary tension.

Lucas Martineau is a ﬁrstyear political science major. He has been writing for the Cynic since spring 2022.

OPINION

Get tested for COVID-19 after SpringFest Sam Nylen Opinion Columnist

fter two years of canceling SpringFest, fthe University announced the show’s return this year, according to the UPB’s Website. UVM dropped its mask mandate March 19 and lowered other COVID-19 restrictions, according to a March 16 email from UVM Forward. The University did not make any plans to require testing for SpringFest. UVM reported 77 total COVID-19 cases the week of April 11-17, according to the UVM Weekly Testing Results Page. This comes as the new BA.2 subvariant of the Omicron variant rampages across the U.S. and around the world, according to a March 30 New York Times Article. Because of this threat, UVM should encourage COVID-19 testing following SpringFest, or at the very least, students should voluntarily test in the weeks following SpringFest and before finals week. The University should prioritize ensuring students are healthy and ready to take their final exams. Though the new subvariant of Omicron is highly

RAFAEL SICILIANO

transmissible, current data indicates vaccines will protect individuals exposed to Omicron and its new subvariant, according to an April 15 UVM Forward email. UPB announced All Night Boogie Band, winner of this year’s Battle of the Bands, would be the student opener for the festival alongside show opener Annie DiRusso, with rapper SAINt JHN to headline, according to the UPB Facebook page. As a junior, I’ve never attended a SpringFest at UVM since I was sent home my first year with the onset of the

COVID-19 pandemic. During my sophomore year, most concerts and events did not take place due to COVID-19 restrictions. Now, with warm weather and no mask mandate, I’m excited to attend concerts again. I am usually not the type to attend every event UPB hosts, but SpringFest marks a return to normalcy for me. While cases at UVM have remained largely under control in recent weeks, I worry about the possible uptick in COVID-19 cases SpringFest could cause. If hundreds of students

are crowded together and people cannot social distance, there is a greater possibility for new infections to appear, according to the CDC Website for COVID-19 gatherings. Studies from outdoor festivals in both Oregon and the Netherlands demonstrate a link between such gatherings and an increase in COVID-19 cases according to an Aug. 6, 2021 Rolling Stone article. The possibility that so many students could contract COVID-19 from SpringFest is concerning because students could miss upcoming final exams.

INGRID SOLSAA

UVM’s final exams are slated for the week of May 9-13, which leaves a two week gap between SpringFest and the exam period, according to the UVM Academic Calendar. Although it is too late to require testing beforehand, UVM should encourage testing in the weeks following SpringFest to keep campus healthy and prepared for the final weeks of the semester.

Sam Nylen is a junior economics and political science major. He began writing for the Cynic in spring 2022.

Students should value friendships found in class Grace Visco Assistant Opinion Editor

hen I came to UVM, I expected the most important people I would meet to be conveniently living down the hall from my dorm room. Though I made incredible friends this way, the friendships I’ve made in my classes have been equally valuable. Friends from classes allow me to better live my life as a multifaceted human. My first year of college was dominated by online classes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which meant interpersonal connection was lacking. Breakout rooms on Microsoft Teams were my only source of community. I was able to make some small online connections, but none of them translated to inperson friendships. During fall 2021, I experienced my first taste of what real, in-person college classes are like. The adjustment to face-toface interaction was awkward. Like many, I felt like I had forgotten how to connect with

people. Slowly, I pushed myself to make small talk with those around me in class. This gradually evolved into waving at folxs around campus, exchanging phone numbers and eventually getting to know friends from classes outside of academic spaces. My class friends allowed me to expand my circle to include people who understand and connect with each facet of who I am as a person. Taking a class with other

people can naturally bring students together. Oftentimes, people bond over a common interest, like the topic of the class. My friend from Spanish class and I share the same desire to learn and practice a language in a communitybased setting. Together, we attend La Tertulia, a weekly gathering where students can speak and connect with others in Spanish through games and discussion about Hispanic pop culture.

My friends from my dance class dance in the rain with me when it’s 11 p.m. on a Thursday. They empower my creative side and share their emotions with me through movement and words in a way my other friends don’t understand. Our shared spontaneity brings on moments of laughter and excitement I wouldn’t otherwise experience. My friends from my secondary education major laugh with me at dinner while EMMA CATHERS

we contemplate whether we are really headed down the right career path. We express the same hopes and fears about entering the underpaid field of education. My class friends have become much more than homework-helpers and study buddies; they are people I love spending time with and getting to know. Class is a lot more fun when you walk in eager to hear about your friend’s wild weekend or to tell them about an exciting event happening in your life. I never could have imagined the amount of love and support I receive from the people I just happened to sit next to in class one day. My class friends support me in all of my endeavors and never fail to encourage me to explore a variety of interests. They are just as valuable and important as any other friends I have made in college. Every day, I feel overwhelmed with the love I feel from my class friends and I cannot wait to make more friends in classes next semester and every semester after that. Grace Visco is a Spanish and secondary education major. She began writing for the Cynic in spring 2021.

CULTURE

SAINt JHN performs; offers edible on stage Bridget Mackie Culture Staff Writer

SpringFest headliner SAINt JHN offered a cannabis edible to whoever could sing his song in its entirety, after arriving 55 minutes late due to technical difficulties, he said. SpringFest returned to UVM April 23 after a two year pandemic absence. Held 12:30-5 p.m. on the Fleming Green, the show also featured UVM Battle of the Bands champion All Night Boogie Band and opener Annie DiRusso. “This is my first ever edible,” SAINt JHN said. “Whoever can sing this next song from top to bottom, we’re gonna pop ‘em together.” He then extended a hand to a student in the audience and helped them onto the stage. He asked the student if they smoked. The student declined SAINt JHN’s offer. “I mean, I’m not about to smoke right now,” the student said. SAINt JHN also welcomed Billion, the 1-year-old child of his public relations manager, on stage during the set. “I did like the child on the stage, I thought that was a cute touch,” first-year Ruthie Petzoldt said. “The baby was out there living.” At one point, the crowd booed during the nearly hourlong delay preceding SAINt

SpringFest headliner SAINt JHN stands on stage April 23. JHN’s set. “In between Annie DiRusso and SAINt JHN there was a lot of time, which I think a lot of people got impatient about,” ﬁrst-year Heather Clarke said. SAINt JHN took the stage at 3:55 p.m. and played popular songs including “Monica Lewinsky” and “Roses,” the latter of which went viral on TikTok. “The songs that he played were very short and in between each song was a weird gap,”

ERIC SCHARF/The Vermont Cynic

Clarke said. Technical difﬁculties caused the gaps and the pre-set delay, SAINt JHN said onstage. All Night Boogie Band was the ﬁrst act to take the stage at 1 p.m. They opened the set with their song “Taste These Blues” and played other original songs including “I Paid My Dues to the Winter Blues” and their new single titled “A Woman Like I.” A 20-minute break between All Night Boogie Band and the

next act, Annie DiRusso, allowed students to get food or participate in the other events of the day. SpringFest attendees could purchase food from vendors including Sisters of Anarchy Ice Cream, Green Mountain Potstickers and Church Street Cheese Steaks. They could also participate in activities like cornhole, henna, tie-dye, an inﬂatable obstacle course or an inﬂatable game of Hungry Hun-

gry Hippos. “I really did love the bouncy castle at the beginning just to get the energy up and have fun with it before moving into the concert,” ﬁrst-year Shelby Raymond said. DiRusso took the stage at 1:50 p.m. Her set featured original songs including “Dead Dogs,” “Don’t Swerve” and her hit track “Coming Soon.” DiRusso interspersed her playing with stories her ﬁrst time getting high at UVM while visiting a friend. The concert committee selects the lineup based on the affordability of an artist and which artists have the broadest appeal, said Joe Scungio, UPB Concert Committee member. The UVM Program Board Concert Committee sent out a poll to the UVM community this fall to ask for artist suggestions. For this year’s concert, the committee prioritized different types of artists, Scungio said. The three performers of the night represented three genres: blues, indie and hip-hop. “The whole diversity of sounds is so good,” said Brendan Casey, All Night Boogie Band guitarist. “I feel like in Burlington you get hammered over the head with the whole jam band thing, but at this SpringFest they really locked down getting acts that have a great diversity in genres of music.”

Students mourn the removal of “Bus Ball” sculpture Paige Fisher Culture and Podcast Editor

At least 150 students gathered for a candle-lit vigil on Central campus at midnight April 24 to mourn the removal of a signature campus art piece: New York City artist Lars Fisk’s “Bus Ball.” Bus Ball is a spherical sculpture depicting a traditional yellow school bus. Fisk installed it May 11, 2017 as a contracted loan to the University for three years, according to a Facebook post by the Fleming Museum of Art. The installation was part of a public sculpture program spearheaded by former UVM President Tom Sullivan, said Fleming Museum Director Janie Cohen. The initiative began in 2013 and arranged for the University to install 12 outdoor sculptures across campus. The ball formerly resided on a hill behind the Hills Agricultural Science Building, according to the Burlington City Arts Center’s Bus Ball webpage. The sculpture has a yellow-painted metal exterior and green imitation leather seating inside. Fisk intended to remove Bus Ball in 2020, but the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic complicated the deinstallation pro-

cess so he was unable to remove it until now, he said. The University notified Fisk of nearby construction this spring, and he decided to permanently remove the statue April 18 to prevent damage, he said. Bus Ball now resides in Fisk’s personal collection in New York City. There was insufficient funding in Sullivan’s public arts program to purchase the piece, Cohen said. “I was hoping [Bus Ball] could stay, but UVM wasn’t in a [financial] position to purchase it,” Cohen said. A group of students created an Instagram account, @busballvigil, with the intent of mourning the loss of the art piece, said sophomore Nick Noe, one of the administrators of the account. They first posted about holding a memorial gathering for the sculpture the day it was removed. “It is with heavy hearts that we announce this memorial for UVM’s beloved Bus Ball,” stated a @busballvigil April 18 Instagram post. “Meet at the site of the former sculpture this Saturday for a service with heartfelt speeches and (possibly) the erection of a tombstone.” The initial post received 830

likes and 94 saves by April 24, Noe said. The account also received at least 30 direct messages by April 20 from students excited about the event, other UVM meme accounts and the artist himself. Fisk sent the account a direct message which stated that Bus Ball missed UVM, alongside a series of pictures. Noe didn’t expect the post to garner attention so quickly, he said. Planning the event was complicated because the account’s admins didn’t know how many people would attend. In preparation for the event, Noe and his friends purchased 200 candles, he said. They also prepared a headmarker which stated “R.I.P. Bus Ball.” At the ceremony, the organizers read out a prepared eulogy about Bus Ball and passed out the candles. After that, students performed the traditional funerary call, “Taps,” on trumpets. Following the performance, students lit their candles and paused for a moment of silence. The crowd then sang “Wheels on the Bus” in unison. The event aimed to be satirical, but it had undertones of somberness, Noe said. Instagram accounts @makeuvgroovyagain and

ERIC SCHARF/The Vermont Cynic 150- 200 students gather on Central campus for the Bus Ball vigil April 23. @uvmjimbostickersofficial started a petition to bring Bus Ball back to UVM. The petition had over 700 signatures by April 24. Fisk’s artistic theme is also somewhat satirical, BCA Center Director Doreen Kraft said. Each of his pieces plays on a trope of everyday American life and its cultural symbols. “The underlying objective is to invite the viewer to recognize an iconic and recognizable subject in a new way,” Fisk said. “The spherical form is a nonsensical form for such a subject to take on.” Two of Fisk’s other spheres,

“Barn Ball” and “Wall Ball,” reside as permanent installations inside the Fleming Museum’s lobby, Cohen said. The spot where Bus Ball once resided will likely be converted back to lawn, Cohen said. Sullivan’s outdoor sculpture initiative ended when he stepped down in 2019, Cohen stated in an April 22 email. There is not currently any similar ongoing initiative from the University that Cohen is aware of to continue integrating public art on campus, she said.

UVM interns support Common Roots

Dominic Minadeo Culture Staff Writer

Internships at Common Roots are unpaid but offer students college credit and valuable experience, said Lauren Jones, Farm to School program overseer. Twenty-two UVM interns volunteer this spring at Common Roots, according to their 2022 Spring Intern Data and Contact Information. Interns receive academic credit and gain ﬁrsthand experiences with agriculture, environmental advocacy, dietetics and education, though they are not paid. “[Interns] are a huge support of our mission,” Internship Coordinator Jennifer Sutton said. “We could not afford to run some of our programs without having interns to assist us.” Common Roots is a nonproﬁt organization in South Burlington that aims to create a sustainable future through the practice of community-oriented education and service programs, according to their website. Five programs and four business enterprises make up Common Roots, according to their website. Common Roots’ programs include Farmstand at the Food Shelf, Farm to School and Farm to Go educational programs for kids, as well Gatherings on the Land, a program which gives

MAC MANSFIELD-PARISI/The Vermont Cynic UVM interns work at Common Roots’ “Flatbread Friday” event in South Burlington April 22. people opportunities to connect with land, according to Common Roots’ 2021 Strategic Plan. Common Roots funds these programs through proﬁts from a farmstand, renting of one of their properties for special events, running a community meal service called Farm to Fork, a weekly pizza event called Flatbread Fridays and special events hosted at the Wheeler Homestead, according to the strategic plan. The funding for Farm to School comes from the Farm to Fork enterprise, according to the Common Roots website.

Farm to Fork creates new dishes every Tuesday at the Wheeler House on Dorset Street, where anyone can purchase their meals for takeout. Meals are $17 per entrée, according to their website. “[Interning] is a really great career building experience,” Jones said. “You can learn a lot of different aspects of an organization and get a taste of a lot of different things.” Throughout her internship experience in the Farm to School program, senior Tabitha Slingluff learned public speaking skills and how to commu-

nicate to children from various age groups, she said. She also learned how to work in a professional environment with teachers, parents and students. Farm to School provides lessons to preschool through ﬁfthgrade students in the South Burlington School District to develop healthy eating habits while learning about local food systems and land stewardship, according to the strategic plan. Land stewardship involves ﬁnding harmony between the shared ecosystems of humans, plants and animals through restorative methods, such as

CULTURE

Common Roots’ regenerative soil practices, according to their website. UVM interns assist with lesson planning and curriculum development and teach a portion of each monthly lesson, Jones said. “It’s a great experience for me,” Slingluff said. “Every class is different, every kid is different. You never know what you’re going to get.” Learning to work in a kitchen was a cool experience, said sophomore Josephine Koeck, an intern working in the Farm to Fork enterprise. “We cook meals using locally sourced ingredients either from the farm that Common Roots is a part of and that they own, or other farms in Vermont,” Koeck said. “Proceeds from that program go toward their other educational programs.” Interns involved in the Farm to Fork enterprise learn basic kitchen skills before advancing to following recipes and preparing Tuesday meals, Head Chef Anthony Jones said. UVM interns learn to cook a variety of dishes since the menu changes weekly, Koeck said. “Whether it be homemade lasagna with homemade pasta noodles one day, and then the next week is enchiladas, and then the week after that is stir fry,” Koeck said. “You’re never really bored of cooking.”

Dance seniors collaborate for capstone performance Paige Fisher Culture and Podcast Editor

All dance majors in the class of 2022 will come together April 29 and 30 to perform the ﬁrst-ever senior capstone dance, a semester-long project. All seven graduating seniors will perform “Illuminate: Senior Dance Capstone Show” at 7 p.m. in Cohen Hall both nights of the performance alongside 20 other student dancers from UVM, said senior Emma Askew, student organizer and choreographer. Six of the seniors organized the show for their capstone project in class DNCE 280, “Advanced Studies in Dance.” Each of the six choreographed their own dance, and all seven members of the graduating class will perform in a ﬁnal dance choreographed by visiting artist Millie Heckler. “Being able to say goodbye to UVM in this way and give what has always been my passion to give is something that I really appreciate,” said senior Katie Corkum, student organizer and choreographer. “It’s going [to] be very bittersweet.” The students had a choice to do a performance or a paper for their project, and they decided that a collaborative perfor-

mance would be a better learning experience, Askew said. One of the seniors decided to do a separate capstone project, but will still appear as a dancer in the final show, said adviser Paul Besaw, interim theater and dance department chair. UVM’s Office of Fellowships, Opportunities & Undergraduate Research awarded the project at least $4,000 in grants, Askew said. “The grant funded paying for the choreographer, videographer, photographer and somebody for costumes,” Besaw said. “If you want to do something as an artist, you have to figure out some means of funding.” Besaw created the dance minor in 2010, he said. He introduced the dance major in 2020 after seeing increased interest. The 20 students dancing in the show are dance majors or minors, said senior Isabel Hansen, one of the student performers. “We’re all pretty close, so it’s really fun to be part of [the student organizer’s] rehearsal process,” Hansen said. “As a dancer, seeing the work that they create rather than just what the faculty in the department creates has also been really fun.” Each of the student choreographers based their dances

on personal experiences, Askew said. Senior and choreographer Jordan Officer’s dance, titled “My Mother’s Advice,” is based on their mother’s supportive phone calls throughout stressful parts of their senior year, they said. Officer edited the music, a song titled “Anomalie bleue” by L’Impératrice, to suit the length of SOPHIA BALUNEK/The Vermont Cynic the dance. Dancers rehearse for “Illuminate,” the senior dance capstone showcase, in Officer also ed- Cohen Hall April 24. ited the music for Askew’s dance, “Catharsis,” who she’s close to in her dance, Coyne said. The final piece in the show, which is an exploration of pro- “Conscious Unchoosing,” she “Welcome to the Afterparty,” cessing grief, trauma and infor- said. Most of the seniors are not will be a group dance with hipmation, she said. The piece will open with white noise before dancing in their own choreo- hop influences that plays on the bittersweet nature of goodbyes, the main song, “New Light” by graphed shows, Officer said. The choreographers held Askew said. Gidge, comes in. The show will end with each “I also don’t end my piece workshops where the dancers with the music, I continue to journaled about similar person- of the seniors waving to the auhave my dancers moving in si- al experiences, said Kat Coyne, dience. “That gives me chills every lence,” Askew said. “I think it is a first-year student performer. Senior choreographer Mary time,” Askew said. “The feeling empowering to hear my dancers just breathing at the end Kate Kennedy made a master that that is a goodbye, literally.” Besaw expects to see future and repeating a movement that Pinterest board with images they do somewhere else in the of writings, costumes and art graduating classes continue to which conveyed the meanings create collaborative capstone piece.” Corkum draws from expe- of her piece, “Nocturne / In- projects. riences of letting go of people trospection,” to her dancers,

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FEATURES

Bill aims to protect parents with disabilities

ELAINA SEPEDE/The Vermont Cynic ELAINA SEPEDE/The Vermont Cynic The Department for Children and Families Family Services DiviGraduate student Justin Salisbury outside of Perkins Hall April 22. Salisbury, who is blind, advocates for sion in Williston. child custody rights for parents with disabilities. Julia Dell’Amore Feature Staff Writer A Jan. 7 bill in the Vermont legislature that aims to protect the rights of parents with disabilities will likely need to be re-introduced in January 2023, said its sponsor, Chittenden District Representative Maida Townsend. The chances of the bill getting through the legislature before the session ends in early May are low due to the timing of the bill’s introduction, Townsend said. Laws regarding parental rights in general take more time to process. The bill has been in the House Committee on Judiciary in the House since January, meaning it is not on the docket to be voted on, according to the Vermont Legislature website. Townsend is pushing to invite parents with disabilities to give testimony before the end of the session to get a head start on preparatory work before reintroducing the bill in the next session, since it will likely not progress to the voting stage, she said. Bill H.506 proposes to prohibit the use of a parent’s disability as justification for the removal of parental rights or custody of a child, unless doing so is necessitated for the child’s wellbeing, Townsend said. Without this protection, children are separated from their families based on a preemptive assumption of the parent’s capabilities.

“People’s children can be taken solely because they have a disability,” Townsend said. “It is presumed in some cases, that because of the disability that it’s not in the child’s best interest to stay with their parents.” Justin Mark Hideaki Salisbury, a UVM doctoral student, is a blind and Indigenous person and serves as the Legislative Director of the National Federation of the Blind of Vermont. The practice of deeming disabled parents unfit solely based on their disability is a continuation of eugenics, he said. Eugenics is a false theory that suggests an optimal human race can be formed through selective breeding, according to the National Human Genome Research Institute. In Vermont, this theory resulted in 253 forced sterilizations from 1931 to 1963 based on criteria outlined in a UVM-run survey, according to a May 10, 2021 Cynic article. Vermont adopted a joint resolution April 1, 2021 to apologize for state-sanctioned eugenics policies targeting those with mental and physical disabilities in the early 1900s, according to the Legislature of the State of Vermont. Part of the process of apologizing for eugenics means Vermont must stop doing it, Salisbury said. Bill H.506 is necessary because the Department for Children and Families frequently perceives disability

as a barrier to adequate parenting, Salisbury said. However, a disability does not render a parent inherently incapable. Low expectations, misperceptions and an absence of protective legislation are what actually lead to capable parents with disabilities losing custody, Salisbury said. “[It’s assumed] there’s just something inherently maladaptive about us that we will pass on to the children whether they have our disability or not,” Salisbury said. Lived experience allows people with disabilities to learn to adapt to obstacles and DCF provides plenty of supportive parenting services to those who need them, he said. However, there is still an underlying sentiment that people with disabilities are unable to fulfill certain parental responsibilities. “There’s this assumption that because we have a disability, and the disability is incurable, then the problem can never be resolved,” Salisbury said. When children are taken from their parents, they become part of the foster care system and facilities contracted by the state temporarily hold them, Salisbury said. Alice Goltz is a disabled parent from Montpelier whose daughter was taken from her immediately after birth, according to an Aug. 23, 2015 VT Digger article. For women like

Goltz, adoption permanently severs any connection the parent has with their child, Salisbury said. However, Susan Yuan, a Vermont-based psychologist with expertise in parents with disabilities, said Goltz would be a capable parent given adequate support, according to the article. “[A] neglected child [is defined as] a child whose physical health, psychological growth and development or welfare is harmed or is at substantial risk of harm by the acts or omissions of his or her parent or other person responsible for the child’s welfare,” according to the DCF. Child safety interventions emphasize the safety of the child in question above all else, according to the DCF’s Policy Manual. Because of this, they recognize that the investigative process is invasive and strive to keep families together when possible. The manual also states some individuals may require accommodations in order to be successful parents. Goltz’s child was adopted and Goltz is prohibited from visiting her daughter, according to the article. Once a case is closed, DCF does not reopen the opportunity for visitation. DCF did not respond to the Cynic’s request for comment in time for publication. “As much as people might worry about the hypothetical problems that might occur for

a child if you leave them in the care of the parent, it’s almost a guaranteed problem that you create for the child if you put them in the care of the state,” Salisbury said. “We’ve got about 20 examples of other states that have passed these laws,” Salisbury said. “And we can basically follow in the footsteps of many of them and use them as a model. That’s what we’ve done with H.506.” Illinois, Nebraska, Oregon and Virginia are enacting legislation mandating conclusive evidence that a parent’s disability makes them unfit to safely raise a child during custody investigations, according to the National Research Center for Parents with Disabilities. In these states, disability can no longer be used as the sole justification for removal of child custody from parents with disabilities, according to the NRCPD. At the institutional level, UVM must emphasize disability justice by educating its students about the persistent prejudice that occurs with this form of continued eugenics, Salisbury said. “I hope we’re teaching the social work, human development and family studies students about this problem,” Salisbury said. “Hopefully teaching them to not contribute to it can break down these barriers.”

SPORTS

Men’s lacrosse to host AE tournament Lucia Gallo Cynic Sports Reporter

UVM men’s lacrosse earned the right to host the America East tournament for the first time in program history with a 17-10 victory over Binghamton University on Senior Day, April 23, according to UVM athletics. The Catamounts clinched at least a tie for the regular season conference title, their first in program history, according to UVM athletics. UVM men’s lacrosse has now won six consecutive games. “From six years ago to now, the guys have really bought in and made a lot of improvements over the years,” head coach Chris Feifs said. “To not only make the tournament, but to host it, means a lot to our team and the coaching staff.” This year’s senior class is particularly special since it led the Catamounts to its first America East tournament title and NCAA tournament appearance in program history in 2021, Feifs said. “They have really helped us build the foundation for what [our program] is now,” Feifs said. “Culturally, they’ve been so invested and done everything that we’ve asked. They’ve been through some really crazy highs and lows over the last four years.” Feifs enjoys working with

the seniors and is focused on extending their season by advancing in the America East tournament, he said. “It’s kind of a sad feeling to think that we’re saying goodbye to them in a few short weeks, so I just want to cherish this moment right now and not think about the future,” Feifs said. “But we definitely reflect on how special this class has been and it’s going to be really sad to see them go.” UVM’s top three scorers are

seniors or graduates, according to UVM athletics. Senior attacker David Closterman leads the team with 49 points. Senior midfielder Thomas McConvey is second with 46 points and graduate attacker Michael McCormack has 37 points. The Catamounts finished non-conference play with a 3-6 record against a schedule that included No. 3 Duke University, according to UVM athletics. UVM played its last non-

conference game March 26. Four of the Catamounts’ six non-conference losses were by two goals or fewer, including one-goal losses to the University of Utah and Brown University, according to UVM athletics. The strength of the nonconference opponents and long road trips presented a challenge, Feifs said. “[We had] the toughest outof-conference schedule we’ve ever had, [with] a lot of those [games] on the road,” Feifs said.

MARY MCLELLAN/The Vermont Cynic Junior defender Charlie Egan, Binghamton defender Teddy McLoughlin wait for the face-off April 23.

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“Just like every team, [we had] injuries early in the season and some inconsistency with quick turnarounds [and] back-toback games.” The difficult start to the season helped UVM identify where it needed to improve, McCormack said. “We’ve been making steady improvements [on] all the things that we needed to work on,” McCormack said. “And I guess we can look back on those moments and it showed [us] what we did need to work on to get to the point that we’re at now. So we can be grateful for those in that way.” The time off between games in the conference schedule and more home games allow for more practice time, Feifs said. “One thing we really pride ourselves on is our preparation,” Feifs said. “Having that chance to take a deep breath and not only have a week [between games] but to play at home, I think reenergized us and allowed us to hone in on our strengths.” Before hosting the conference tournament, UVM will conclude its regular season with an away game against Stony Brook University April 30, according to the America East website. The conference tournament semifinals are scheduled May 5 and the championship game May 7.