THE LAST WEEK IN REVIEW
facing facts
AUG. 27-SEPT. 03, 2014 COMPILED BY MATTHEW ROY & ANDREA SUOZZO
MAKING A SPLASH
DROP-ADD AT
BURLINGTON COLLEGE W
ell, she meant it. Last Friday, Burlington College students marched to the school’s board of trustees meeting downtown and demanded the resignation of Christine Plunkett. The Burlington College president had been under fire for mismanaging financial problems that have been plaguing the small college, which appeals to nontraditional students. When Plunkett tried to leave the meeting afterward, a group of them surrounded her car. In an effort to extricate herself, she exclaimed, “OK, I resign! Happy?” The students appeared to be happy indeed as Plunkett drove off. Still, her comment left staff, students and reporters wondering whether Plunkett was serious. Board chair Yves Bradley later told Alicia Freese of Seven Days that she still had the board’s full support. On Monday evening, the school announced that Plunkett had in fact resigned, and a transitional leadership team was taking over: Michael Smith, former state human services secretary and Vermont president of FairPoint Communications; well-known busi-
nessman David Coates; and Burlington City Councilor Jane Knodell, who is an economics professor and former provost at UVM. Can this dream team save the school? A regional accrediting agency placed Burlington College on probation in June because of its shaky finances. More recently, Plunkett acknowledged it was an “inadvertent oversight” when the college failed to make employee retirement account contributions over the summer. The college, which moved from modest headquarters in 2011 to the distinctive lakeside Catholic diocese property, has also been struggling to grow enrollment. At a Tuesday press conference, Burlington College leaders expressed the desire and intent to save the college, but did not understate its precarious position. Bradley acknowledged the school’s reputation has been damaged. Go to the Off Message blog on sevendaysvt.com to follow Freese’s ongoing coverage.
Bethany Bosch of Wallingford completed a 17-hour swim across the 21-mile English Channel, becoming one of more than 1,400 people who’ve gone the distance. Formidable.
THEY’RE HEEEERE
WHEN PLUNKETT SAID, “OK, I RESIGN. HAPPY?”
SHE MEANT IT.
NATALIE WILLIAMS
A visit from U.S. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack, promising more federal cleanup dollars for Lake Champlain, coincided with the official arrival of the spiny water flea — lake invader number 50.
HOME TOGETHER
A group of people protesting Vermont Gas and its potential use of eminent domain for a proposed pipeline briefly “seized” the CEO’s home in Hinesburg after dark on Friday night. Scary.
9%
That’s how many of Vermont’s registered voters cast a ballot in last Tuesday’s primary election. Only 39,424 people voted.
TOPFIVE
MOST POPULAR ITEMS ON SEVENDAYSVT.COM
1. “Peking Duck House to Close” by Alice Levitt. The beloved eatery in Winooski closed its doors on Sunday after 27 years in business. 2. “Winooski Bistro’s Bacon Sign Ignites Internet Storm” by Mark Davis. A resident’s request that Sneakers Bistro take down its bacon sign set off an internet firestorm last week. 3. “A Cabot Family Makes the Case for ‘Unschooling’” by Kathryn Flagg. No standardized tests are in sight for these children. Instead, they’re designing their own education through exploration. 4. “Bacon Wars: Why Did the Sneakers Bistro Incident Go Viral?” by Mark Davis. We took a closer look at why #bacongate attracted national attention. 5. “Burlington College Confirms President’s Impromptu Resignation” by Alicia Freese. Burlington College confirmed Monday that its president was stepping down.
@wingandaprayerf
SCHOOL DAZE
Burlington College campus on North Avenue T3294_R&D Ad_SevenDays_Final.pdf
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7/16/14
2:07 PM
A Lowell man got charged with DUI — while driving a stolen school bus. He’ll definitely get detention.
Followed a solar-powered car home from my horse-vet’s house where I picked up pony’s meds this Labor Day. Swapped honey & eggs. #vermont FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @SEVEN_DAYS OUR TWEEPLE: SEVENDAYSVT.COM/TWITTER
09.03.14-09.10.14
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WEEK IN REVIEW 5
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tweet of the week:
7/21/14 3:45 PM