Vermont Cynic Issue 15

SEARCHING FOR MR./MS. RIGHT Presidential selection nears

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FROZEN FENWAY

Trouble with the Green Monster highlights season’s woes for men’s hockey

JERSEY’S REAL ESTATE

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C YNIC THE VERMONT

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The University of Vermont’s independent voice since 1883

w w w . v e r m o n t c y n i c . c o m | T h u r s d a y , J a n u a r y 1 9 , 2 0 1 1 – Vo l u m e 1 2 8 I s s u e 1 5 | B u r l i n g t o n , Ve r m o n t

State plans $15 mil for new energy lab Sen. Sanders heading efforts

By Devin Karambelas Staff Writer If Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has his way, Burlington could become the nation’s capital for energy research.

Sandia National Laboratories is partnering with the Vermont state government, Green Mountain Power and Vermont businesses to establish a $15 million Center for Energy Transformation and Innovation to be housed on the UVM campus.

“Historically, when you have a lab in a community, it provides an intellectual infrastructure that provides for economic growth, new start-ups and job opportunities,” Sanders said.

“The goal is to see Vermont become cutting-edge in terms of research and development.”

The center will focus on energy efficiency, exploring renewable energy sources, economic development and the implementation of smart grid technology, a University Communications press release stated.

But what, exactly, is smart grid technology, and why does Vermont need it?

ALEXA ALGIOS The Vermont Cynic

Resident, Nick Jacobs, smokes a cigarette on Church Street, dowtown Burlington, Jan. 14. Some residents are not aware of this smoking ban and have not been informed of when it will start.

Smoking ban still hazy Councilor tries to overturn Mayor’s veto

By Samantha Sawyer Staff Writer After weeks of discussion, the decision to ban smoking in downtown Burlington fell into the hands of Mayor Bob Kiss, who chose to veto the bill City Council approved on Jan. 9.

The fight, however, is not over.

City Councilor Joan Shannon said she would try and persuade the council to override the mayor’s decision, according to the Burlington Free Press.

“Eighty-six percent of our population doesn’t smoke, so why should 100 percent of our air space be given over to smokers?”

Shannon said to Fox News.

Kiss wrote in his veto message that the current ban is bad for

everyone.

“The smoking ordinance opens the door to difficult, inconsistent and selective enforcement by law enforcement officers,” Kiss stated.

“The problem isn’t with the smokers as people, but with smoking and how it affects other who choose not to smoke.”

Joan Shannon City Councilor Smoking was banned within the area between Winooski Avenue and Pearl Street, as well as

by King and Pine streets between the hours of 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Outdoor restaurants and cafes, as well as private alleyways, are exempt from the ban.

Because of this, Kiss stated that the ordinance “riddles” the restrictions with too many exceptions and “assumes too large an area for non-smoking.”

NEWS 1-5 SigEp saga fades

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LIFE 6-7 Alumna goes global

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ARTS 8-10 Band revamps bluegrass

Want to work for The Cynic? We will train you. Contact cynic@uvm.edu

Shannon is a chief supporter of the ban and intends to get the 10 votes needed in order to override the veto from a few city council members who may be persuaded to change their minds.

The Health Department may be trying to get people to quit smoking, but that is not the angle the ban is implying, Shannon said.

“The problem isn’t with the smokers as people, but with smoking and how it affects others who choose not to smoke,” she said.

The goal of the smoking ban is to make smoking avoidable for those who do not smoke and do not want smoking imposed on their health, Shannon said.

Sweetwaters owner David Melincoff, a libertarian, said he thinks there is too much government interference in general involving the restrictions.

“On the other hand, for nonsmokers, I get how people don’t want to be around it,” Melincoff said. “There are 50 sides to an issue.”

First-year student McKayla Mulhern said she feels as though the ban would infringe upon her civil liberties.

“I think it’s ridiculous to try to ban smoking,” she said. “People should be free to do what they want with their own body.”

Huck Gutman, a former UVM English professor and the current chief of staff for Sanders, said it is a computer-based class of technology that ensures automation, communication and efficiency between appliances.

“The goal is to see Vermont become cutting-edge in terms of research and development.”

Bernie Sanders Vermont Senator

The result, he said, is that it can be helpful for giving consumers both greater control over their household energy needs and even the possibility of See SANDIA on page 2

COURTESY PHOTO

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DISTRACTIONS College Life

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OPINION 12-13 GOP debates leading no where

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SPORTS 14-16 Vermont’s hidden wonder

WE’RE ONLINE TOO! www.vermontcynic.com

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NEWS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2012

UNVERSITY OF VERMONT PRESIDENTIAL SEARCH 2012

Searching for Mr./Ms. Right

The Five finalists Sabah Randhawa, Ph.D.

And then there were five.

The Board of Trustees sent an email to the UVM community Jan. 13 announcing the five finalists vying to be the University’s 26th president.

While the presidential search has been an ongoing process, Vice President of Student and Campus Life Tom Gustafson said that the final candidates are only being revealed now because of the job security issues that can accompany this type of hiring.

“We keep it secret out of respect and privacy for the candidates,” he said. “Some candidates might be thinking, ‘I have a 20 percent chance of getting the job, should I go public with this?’”

Gustafson said that candidates could face negative consequences from the institutions that they are currently employed at by publically applying for another job.

Now, the final five are going to participate in individualized open forums held in the Davis Center that the entire community can attend.

After that, the Board of Trustees will decide who will be president.

“The board will meet on the fourth and fifth of February and negotiate on who they want,” Gustafson said. “Expect an answer by the end of February.”

So, who are the candidates?

Dr. Sabah Randhawa will be the first to visit campus, and his open forum will be from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Jan. 19. Randhawa is the current provost and executive vice president at Oregon State University (OSU).

Essentially the president’s righthand man, Randhawa oversees OSU’s budget planning and the University’s strategic plan. An OSU graduate, Randhawa has a B.S. in chemical engineering and an M.S. and Ph.D. in industrial engineering.

Next, Dr. Meredith Hay’s open forum will be held on Jan. 23 from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Hay is currently serving as the executive vice president and provost for the University of Arizona, a position she has held since 2008.

Before that, she was the vice president for research at the Uni-

SANDIA

versity of Iowa. Hay hails from Texas and attended the University of Colorado at Denver where she earned a B.A. in psychology.

She went on to attain her M.S. in neurobiology from the University of Texas at San Antonio, and her Ph.D. in cardiovascular pharmacology from the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in San Antonio. Hay has led an extensive career in the fields of physiology and neurobiology.

Then, Dr. E. Thomas Sullivan, the current provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at the University of Minnesota, will meet the UVM community on Jan. 25. Sullivan is also a professor of law, and served as dean of UMN’s Law School from 1995 to 2002. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from law school at Indiana University, where he was also the editor of the Indiana Law Review.

Dr. Robert Palazzo’s open forum will be held the very next day. Born in Abruzzo, Italy, Palazzo received his B.S. and Ph.D. from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. Palazzo has worked at the Marine Biological Laboratory, has served as a research scientist for the Wadsworth Center with the New York Department of Health, and is also a current member of the Scientific Advisory Board for Scientific American Magazine.

Finally, the interview process concludes with Dr. Thomas Apple, who will be leading his open forum on Jan. 30. Dr. Apple earned his B.S. in biology from Pennsylvania State University and his Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the University of Delaware. He is currently a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Delaware, where he has also served as the dean of Arts and Sciences as well as provost.

In short, the candidates are going public and the presidential hunt is approaching its end. Students and faculty are encouraged to attend the open forum sessions and decide for themselves who the better candidate is.

More information on all candidates can be found on the UVM website. And stay tuned for the Cynic’s featured report on each of the five finalists in upcoming issues.

President, Oregon State University (2005 – present); professor of Industrial Engineering, Oregon State University (1995 – present)

Experience: Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and

Presidental selection nears

By Devin Karambelas, Assistant News Editor, Elliot Sangara, Staff Writer

Current Employment: Provost and Executive Vice

International Programs, Oregon State University (Sept.

2003 – June 2004), Head of the Department of Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering, Oregon State University (Jan. 1993 – July 1999)

Education: Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and

International Programs, Oregon State University (Sept. 2003 – June 2004)

Meredith Hay, Ph.D.

Current Employment: Special Advisor to Chair of the

Arizona Board of Regents for Strategic Initiatives (Aug. 2011 – present), professor of Physiology, University of Arizona (2008 – Present)

Experience: Executive Vice President and Provost,

University of Arizona (2008 – 2011), Vice President and Provost, University of Iowa (2005- 2008), Director and Chair National Center for Gender Physiology, University of MissouriColumbia

Education: Ph.D. in Cardiovascular Pharmacology from

University of Texas HSC, (1990), M.S. in Neurobiology, University of Texas at San Antonio (1987), B.A. in Psychology from University of Colorado (1983)

E. Thomas Sullivan, J.D.

Current Employment: Senior Vice President and

Provost, University of Minnesota (2004 – 2012); Julius E. Davis Chair in Law, University of Minnesota (2005 – present)

Experience: Board of Directors, American Bar Foundation (2007 – present); Professor of Law, University of Arizona (1989 – 1989); Senior Associate at Donovan, Leisure & Newton Irvine Law Firm (1977 – 1979)

Education: J.D. Indiana University School of Law (1973), B.A. in Political Science from Drake University (1970)

Thomas Apple, Ph.D.

Current Employment: Provost, University of Delaware

(2009 – present); professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Delaware (2005 – present)

Experience: Dean of College of Arts and Sciences,

University of Delaware (2005 – 2009), Vice Provost, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (2002 – 2005), Chair of the Department of Chemistry, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1997 – 2001)

Education: Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from University

of Delaware (1982), B.S. in Biology from Pennsylvania State University (1976)

Robert Palazzo, Ph.D.

Current Employment: Provost, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (2007 – 2011), Professor of Biology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (2002 – present)

Experience: Board of Advisors for Scientific American

Magazine (2009 – present); Director of the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (2004 – 2006); Chair of the Department of Biology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (2002 – 2005)

Education: Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Wayne State

University (1984), B.S. in Biology from Wayne State University (1979)

New energy research center will help promote education in smart grid technology at the University.

...continued from page 1 generating their own electricity.

In effect, Vermont will become the first state in New England to house an energy research lab, a vtdigger.org article stated.

“It was surprising to the Senator and I that New England, which is known as a place of intellectual and scientific inquiry, did not have an energy center of its own when there are approximately 21 scattered around the nation,” Gutman said.

Both Gutman and Sanders believe that the center offers the

possibility of creating new jobs for Vermonters, and that it will provide a number of educational benefits to UVM students.

“As a nation, it is no great secret that we are lagging behind many countries in areas like math, science and engineering,” Sanders said. “I hope the presence of this lab will create a wave of excitement on campus and get students more interested in these fields because they will see the practical applications of what Sandia is doing.”

Although plans for the center were put on hold for two years, it became a reality in 2011 when

Vermont received a grant from the Department of Energy for $69.8 million to promote state wide conversion to smart grid technology, Gutman said.

Stephanie Holinka, who works for Sandia, said that UVM collaborated with Sandia in the past when nine students and eight faculty members participated in an Electric Power Fellowship Program.

“Already, researchers from Sandia have given short courses and seminars at UVM on issues related to energy and grid modernization,” she said. “This past summer,

students and faculty from UVM came to Sandia’s facility in New Mexico to participate in original research.”

Both Sandia and Sander’s administration believe that the center will not only expose UVM students to leaders in the industry, but that it will also give them the opportunity to do “cutting-edge” research in a field that is still largely unexplored.

The center will also research the possible cyber security issues that can accompany smart grid technology, Gutman said. These issues range from personal information leaks to even

tampering with state or national security.

“The big problem is how to make it secure,” said Gutman. “So why not do research on it and try to show the country how to move forward with this.”

If the center proves to be a successful venture, UVM could become a major institution for understanding both how sustainable energy technologies are used and their relationship to the average consumer.

N EWS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2012

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Criminal activity rises

Burlington Police concerned with crime rates and lagging enforcement policies

By Keegan Fairfield Staff Writer While criminal activity in the city of Burlington has increased, enforcement has lagged in response, according to Burlington Police Department statistics.

Police Chief Michael Schirling appealed to the Vermont State Legislature in December 2011, explaining that criminals have been “riding roughshod over our communities.”

Crime rates increased across the board in 2011 compared to previous years. During the first nine months of 2011, 38 percent more homes were burglarized than during the same time period two years ago, Schirling’s report stated.

Even more alarming is the higher number of aggravated assaults in the Queen City, which experienced an increase of 138 percent in 2011, compared to two years prior, according to an article in Seven Days.

Schirling described the judicial system as a “revolving door,” which he said has contributed to Vermont’s high rate of recidivism.

Approximately two-thirds of the criminal population in Vermont returned to jail within three years of their original incarceration, according to a study released last year by the Council of State Governments’ Justice Center.

Schirling said a perpetual drug presence and a more accessible market have bolstered the crime rate.

The crime rate has steadily increased in recent years, due in part to an ineffectual judicial system that fails to hold accountable those who commit crimes, according to Schirling, which he said fails to provide a “credible threat of punishment.”

“We can’t convincingly say to someone that you’ll end up in jail if you continue acting this way,” Schirling said. “They know it’s not going to happen.”

Chittenden County State Attorney T.J. Donovan agreed that the core objectives of the

criminal justice system—“to provide a window of opportunity for people to get sober, to get healthy, to get a job and education, to become taxpaying members of the community”— have not been fully met.

“We’ve become the safety net and are being asked to deal with drug abuse, poverty, homelessness, lack of education and mental illness,” he said.

“We’ve become the safety net and are being asked to deal with drug abuse, poverty, homelessness, lack of education and mental illness.”

T.J. Donovan State Attorney Another contributing factor to the system’s ineffectiveness is the state of Vermont’s correctional facilities, which are at full capacity. One-quarter of the State’s 2,100 incarcerated residents are housed in facilities in Massachusetts and Kentucky.

Accordingly, resources in this sector are stretched thin and can’t adequately provide necessary restorative justice.

“We know that putting people in jail makes them worse when they come out,” Margaret Jansch, director of the Chittenden County Public Defender Office, said in an article that appeared in Seven Days.

The higher crime rates seem to be due in large part to systemic problems.

“It isn’t anyone’s fault,” Schirling said.

Mitigating the impact of crime on the quality of life for Burlington residents isn’t easy.

At UVM, the Office of Student and Community Relations seeks to educate students about the realities of living off-campus,

including how students can protect themselves and their property from crime.

Director of Student and Community Relations Gail Shampnois said that taking precautions could drastically decrease the potential of becoming a victim of crime, particularly in the case of theft.

She suggested that students should be diligent in locking their vehicles and homes and that they should also register the serial numbers of their belongings with either UVM Police Services or the Burlington Police Department.

That way, students know where stolen goods can be returned if recovered.

Shampnois also stressed the importance of reporting any crimes that are committed, which allows authorities to evaluate any patterns that arise and tailor their prevention strategies accordingly.

Junior Carrie Wilkinson knows all-too-well the unfortunate reality of increasing crime in Burlington. Both she and her roommate had their computers stolen out of their third-floor apartment in August.

She said the perpetrator climbed through their kitchen window, the only unlocked point of entry in their apartment.

“We make sure that we keep the windows and doors locked all the time, no matter what,” Wilkinson said.

She said she now takes precautions to minimize the potential of falling victim to a similar crime, but that she doesn’t feel any less safe.

Despite the increased rate of crime in Burlington, Schirling contends that the general public is at no greater risk of falling victim to violent crimes, which he claims tend to befall a certain subset of residents.

“Walking down the street, are you more likely to be a crime victim? No, you’re not,” Schirling said.

Shampnois echoed Schirling’s statement, adding that locking doors and windows is the best deterrence mechanism for theft.

Coach’s home caught in blaze Construction worker warns family to ‘save the day’

By Ted Levin Staff Writer Men’s basketball head coach John Becker and his family narrowly escaped their burning house at 110 Caroline St. on the morning of Dec. 27.

The fire, caused by improperly disposed wood ash from the home’s fireplace, ravaged the back porch and interior kitchen walls of Becker’s house, according to a press release from the Burlington Fire Department.

A passing construction worker, Kenny Roberts, was working on a house across the street from the Becker’s home when at 6:30 a.m. he spotted smoke and banged on the door to alert the family members.

Coach Becker, his wife and one daughter were all asleep in the house because their smoke detectors did not go off.

“It was very scary and chaotic and I’m just thankful that my family got out safely,” Becker said.

“It was very scary and chaotic and I’m just thankful that my family got out safely.”

John Becker UVM Basketball Coach Becker attributed the construction worker, Kenny Roberts, with saving the day.

On the evening before the fire, ash stored in a paper bag was deposited on the steps of the back porch.

Assistant Fire Marshal Barry Simays said that over the course of the night, smoldering embers initiated the fire because they were in such close contact with another combustible material.

“Wood ash can hold ember up to three days,” he said.

For Simays, the fire brought back memories of an incident in 1998 where two students were killed and another injured when an overturned beanbag chair fell on top of a heating grate and caught fire in their off-campus apartment.

Proper disposal of ashes includes putting them in a metal container with a tight-fitting lid, placed away from anything that could be set aflame, he said.

Since the incident, the coach’s family has been staying at a friend’s house while repairs are being made, Becker said.

NATALIE WILLIAMS The Vermont Cynic

Students and residents protest against rape culture in front of Bailey/Howe Library in response to the SigEp incident, Dec. 15

SigEp saga fades

UVM continues investigation

By Mat Degan Staff Writer With the on-going investigation into the details of what took place at the now-defunct UVM chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon (SigEp), the welcomed winter break offered little reprieve for former members of the fraternity.

University officials remain close-mouthed about the details of their continued investigation into SigEp more than a month after a survey circulated among some fraternity members asking if they could rape someone, who would it be.

Fed Up Vermont, a group that promotes women’s social and economic equality and created an online petition to disband SigEp last December, is furthering their stand against rape culture.

The group will conduct a protest, speak-out and teach-in against sexism and rape culture on Jan. 21 on the steps of BaileyHowe Library, according to Fed Up Vermont’s Facebook page.

“Now is the time to tear down rape culture at UVM,” the Facebook page stated.

As for the former members of Sigma Phi Epsilon, no formal disciplinary action has been brought against the students by the University, nor have formal charges been brought by the Burlington Police Department (BPD), police officials said.

The BPD said that they would only be involved if UVM’s investigation determines that a crime was committed.

Once the University completes its internal investigation, expected to conclude in the coming weeks, officials will weigh the severity of

the facts and impose sanctions as appropriate, said Annie Stevens, vice president for student and campus life.

Should the University find “policy violations,” individual or group disciplinary action may be forthcoming, Stevens said.

Mandated group sanctions by the University could be made public, but the University is held to strict confidentiality laws aimed at protecting individual students’ records, she said.

Immediately affecting the former members, however, is housing for the spring semester.

The University will work with the members who resided in the now-vacant fraternity house on Main Street and assist them in securing both on- and offcampus housing, Stevens said.

The national SigEp organization, which closed the UVM chapter on Dec. 16, has continued to work with the University, emphasizing issues of respect for self and others, SigEp officials said.

The organization plans to retain ownership of the fraternity house in Burlington, hoping to reinstate the fraternity no sooner than four years from now, said Brian Warren, executive director of the national fraternity.

“The University investigation is ongoing,” he said. “We did our best to be as open and communicative as we could.”

Asked if the University would be receptive to re-recognizing the fraternity charter, Stevens was hesitant to say definitively.

“We haven’t made any determinations about the future of the chapter at this point,” Stevens said. “It’s still too early to begin that conversation.”

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NEWS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2012

Creeper caught

Man watches student shower

By Katy Cardin Staff Writer With CatCards, RA’s and room keys, unauthorized access to UVM dorms may be mission impossible.

However, one man still found a way.

On Dec. 12 at around 12:05 p.m., a man who is not a student and unaffiliated with the University entered the Tupper residence hall, went to the first floor girls’ bathroom and looked in on a female student showering.

UVM police identified the suspect as 29-year-old Travis Blair and said that he may have been attempting to videotape or photograph the girl on his cellphone, according to the Burlington Free Press.

First-year Molly Kalaher said she witnessed a “creepy-looking man” in her building a few nights before the incident, as well as the night of.

“I noticed that he looked out of place, but I obviously had no idea what his intentions were so I didn’t do anything about it,” Kalaher said.

“The next day my RA told me about the incident,” she said.

“I gave her a description of him and it matched perfectly with the description that the girl he peeked in on gave.”

Kalaher said that she is thankful they caught him.

Resident Director for the Marsh/Austin/Tupper complex Jessica Boor said these instances, though infrequent, are still possible.

Although no new precautions are being enforced throughout the dorm, safety advice given to students at the beginning of the year is being reiterated, Boor said.

“Students should help maintain the standards of safety and security that they deserve by not letting unknown people into the building,” she said.

Boor also said that students should keep keys and CatCards on them, always lock their doors and report any suspicious actions or people to their RA. Blair is due to appear in court on Jan. 23 on suspicion of voyeurism and was also issued a campus wide trespass notice, according to the Burlington Free Press.

University Foundation opens doors to donors Fundraising group to begin operations

By Becky Hayes News Editor The New Year brought new fundraising to UVM with the formal start of the University of Vermont and State Agricultural Foundation, Inc. The foundation was incorporated in March 2011 with the intent of securing and managing private support for UVM, according to a university press release.

“This alliance has broad implications for the financial health of the University, and its impact will be felt throughout the institution,” Interim President John Bramley said.

The foundation is an independent organization used

as the primary and preferred recipient for charitable gifts that benefit the University, the press release stated.

“We couldn’t be more pleased with the way the UVM Foundation has come together in the last year,” said UVM Foundation President and CEO Richard Bundy.

“With an outstanding Board of Directors and Foundation Leadership Council in place, capable and experienced fundraising staff and a strong and expanding base of engaged donors, we’re eager to take the University to a new level of philanthropic support,” he said.

NATALIE WILLIAMS The Vermont Cynic

Hans Tah (center) with other South African exchange and UVM students in the Fireplace Lounge in the Living/Learning Center, Jan. 17. Ten students are enrolled in the Leadership for Change Program at the University of the Free State in South Africa and are studying in Vt. for two weeks.

South African students visit UVM for leadership education Program hosts 10 for foreign exchange opportunity

By Lauren Drasler Assistant News Editor For 10 South African students, a dream to study abroad is coming true.

As participants in the Leadership for Change Program at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, South Africa, the students are visiting UVM for two weeks this month.

“They will be on campus from Jan. 14 through Jan 28. and will be housed in Living/Learning,” anthropology Professor Robert Gordon said. “Obviously, they would be looking for UVM students to shadow, but somehow we haven’t quite worked out the logistics of the situation.”

Gordon believes that having the students visit the University is a win-win situation for everyone.

The Leadership for Change Program began in 2010 in order to give students intense exposure to the academic, social, cultural and residential lives of students in another country, according to a document released by the University of the Free State.

Marisa Swart, a sophomore at the University of the Free State, said that 150 students out of a pool of 600 applicants were selected to attend universities all over the world.

Swart, one of the South African students studying at UVM, said that she is most looking forward to meeting new people.

“It is also a learning experience to learn about myself better and to get to know people from other countries,” she said. “I chose Vermont because I heard it’s one of the most beautiful places in America.”

Hans Tah is another student from South Africa that arrived this week at UVM, and said that there were numerous reasons why he was looking forward to his visit to Vermont.

“The famous first reason that pivots all the excitement regarding my visit to Vermont is the fact that the University hosts students of many races, cultural backgrounds and nationalities,” Tah said. “This is going to give me a great opportunity to live and

NATALIE WILLIAMS The Vermont Cynic

Hans Tah, one of the South African exchange students, sits in the Fireplace Lounge in the Living/Learning Center, Jan. 17. interact daily in a community of great diversity.”

He also said that Vermont has turned out to be a good place for him to visit because of his intended major in geology.

“The famous first reason that pivots all the excitement regarding my visit to Vermont is the fact that the University hosts students of many races, cultural backgrounds, and nationalities.”

Hans Tah University of the Free State Student “It’s a big opportunity for me to visit some of the interesting places and add more knowledge to my domain of studies,” he said.

“I can’t wait to visit the lake next to the school campus.”

It is apparent that many of the visiting South African students are enthusiastic about their trip overseas, and some UVM students said they are also eager to have these students in the Green Mountain state.

“I don’t think UVM is as diverse as I would like to see,” junior Claire Hammond said.

“Having these students visit would allow others to talk to and get to know these students, where they come from and how it differs from the environment at UVM.” Other students said they agree with Hammond.

“I think cultural exchanges are really great,” sophomore Paulina Mei said. “UVM isn’t very culturally diverse, but I do think it tries to accommodate people from all different types of backgrounds.”

Mei also said that she thinks students who attend UVM offer a unique perspective to visiting students.

“I think that the students who go to UVM offer the most to international students,” she said.

“The people that attend UVM are from all over the country and have different insights about American culture.”

N EWS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2012

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Twitter study reveals unhappiness in users University scientists analyze words in tweets

By Kevin Santamaria Assistant news Editor A team of UVM scientists, led by applied mathematician Peter Dodds, analyzed over 46 billion words from 63 million individual users on the website Twitter over a 33-month period to conclude that happiness is not a trending topic.

Through Amazon Mechanical Turk, an online workforce that provides human intelligence, people rated the “happiness” of the 10,000 most popular words on a scale from one to nine: one being sad, five being neutral and nine being happy.

Words such as “laughter” rated an 8.5 and “food” rated a 7.44, while “funeral” rated a 2.1 and “terrorist” rated 1.3.

These results indicate that happiness is on the decline in the world of Twitter, according to a study published on PLoS ONE, a website dedicated to peerreviewed science publications.

“Words are the atoms of our language, the building blocks of our sentences,” Dodds said. “We kind of forget about language, since we use it so much. Now we have social networks that provide a wealth of knowledge that we can look at and collect data [from].”

The study revealed a response between bad news and unhappiness in tweets.

Events such as the bailout of the U.S. financial system, the swine flu pandemic, natural disasters in Chile and Japan all produced relatively low happiness. The largest single-day drop occurred with the death of Michael Jackson.

Cultural and sporting events such as the season finale of “Lost” and the results of the 2010 World Cup when Germany defeated England also demonstrated recognizable drops in happiness.

Dodds said that because Twitter contains such an enormous amount of data, it pushes the limits on what scientists can do.

“Twitter is a great tool to see the reflection of movements,” he said. “We can see how movies, books and even diseases take off and slowly build over time by

word of mouth.”

The research team is not the only group interested in studying social mood patterns on Twitter.

“The CIA has been following Twitter for signs of social discontent,” Dodds said. “There is a worry that big governments are following people, but as democratic nations-we can only hope it is for good of the people.”

“Now we have social networks that provide a wealth of knowledge that we can look at and collect data.”

Peter Dodds Applied Mathematician

Chris Danforth, an assistant professor in the department of mathematics and statistics, said that social media has introduced a whole new method of research for scientists.

“Before, researchers could only collect data from a few hundred people. But now, we can do it on a global scale, since Twitter is nearly universal,” he

said.

The research group said they benefited greatly from the Vermont Advance Computing Core.

“We were receiving roughly 30 million messages a day, taking up 50 gigabytes of memory,” Danforth said. “Messages that come from Twitter were pulled out [by the ‘Super-Computer’] with their relevant information such as location and time. We wouldn’t be able to parse that data without it.”

The team of researchers is currently working on a website where users would be able to play around with the information gathered from Twitter.

“For example, people could search tweets about ‘pancakes’ and find out how happy those tweets are or the demographics of the tweets,” Danforth said.

But not all news is negative.

The study also showed that people were happier during the weekends and holidays, with Christmas Day reported as the highest level of happiness, followed by Christmas Eve. Yet Dodds also said that too much happiness may not be the best goal for society.

“We wouldn’t want to live in a place like Brave New World— where everyone is high on soma, wandering around because everything is beautiful,” he said.

Shops, restaurants help rank

By Lauren Drasler Assistant news Editor In a recent survey conducted by the website Unigo, UVM was ranked among “The Ten Best Places to Go to College.”

With shops, numerous restaurants and access to Lake Champlain, UVM’s location in Burlington appeals to many students applying to college.

“Burlington is awesome, and a perfect college town.”

Chelsea Howland

Thirty thousand college students were asked for their input on a variety of topics regarding their chosen colleges, according to University Communications.

Unigo’s “10 Best” list focuses on attractiveness and opportunities available in a school’s surroundings.

The list posted on Unigo stated that Burlington is an east

NATALIE WILLIAMS The Vermont Cynic

Professor Christopher Danforth (left), Professor Peter Dodds (center) and Graduate Student Kameron Harris (right), Jan. 17.

At $8.46, the state boasts the third highest pay rate in the country, just behind Oregon and Washington As of Jan. 1, the minimum wage in the state of Vermont has been raised by 31 cents, from $8.15 to $8.46, according to the Associated Press.

This increase makes the minimum wage in Vermont the third highest in the country, just behind Oregon, with a minimum wage of $8.80, and Washington state, which boasts the highest minimum wage in the country of $9.04, the Department of Labor stated on its website.

Some students said they are

UVM places high in online survey

First Year

Vermont minimum wage rises

By Taylor Jones Staff Writer

JONATHAN POLSON The Vermont Cynic

First-year Chelsea Howland in the atrium of the Davis Center, Jan.17. Howland is one student who appreciates UVM’s location which factored into the Unigo.com survey and ranking.

hoping the increase will help ease the burden of high housing costs downtown, especially over the summer when financial aid may not help to pay for living expenses.

Sophomore Giles Crelly-Byers breathed a sigh of relief when he heard of the new changes.

“Housing is pretty pricey here and it’s about time that the minimum wage was raised,” Crelly-Byers said. “Plus, it’s always nice to see a few more dollars in your paycheck.”

“Housing is pretty pricey here and it’s about time that the minimum wage was raised.”

Giles Crelly-Byers Sophomore

Crime log

By Lauren Drasler Assistant News Editor

coast version of the University of Colorado at Boulder because both are ideal college towns with an exciting music scene and a vibrant restaurant and nightlife culture.

Some students said that they agree with Unigo’s rankings.

“Burlington is awesome, and a perfect college town,” firstyear Chelsea Howland said.

“I chose UVM because I loved walking onto the campus and knowing that I was actually on campus, compared to some of the bigger cities where I couldn’t tell a business building from an academic building belonging to the school.”

Howland also said that UVM’s location within the city of Burlington is ideal.

“The UVM campus is great because it’s at the top of the hill,” she said. “I think it has the best of both worlds because campus life keeps students busy, but if you’re ever looking for more, Church Street can console any urge with shopping, fine cuisine and entertainment.”

Tulane University, New York University and University of California at Berkeley were among the other schools identified in the survey. For the complete list, visit Unigo.com.

Theft There was a late report of money stolen from the Athletic Complex. The theft occurred in late December, but was not reported until Jan. 2.

A laptop was reported stolen from the Waterman Building on January 3. The laptop was later found by the owner.

Alarm/Blue Light

An intrusion alarm at the University Health Alcohol was taken from Center Methadone Clinic underage students on South sounded on Jan. 7. The area Prospect Street on Jan. 1. was searched and secured Noise and loud music without locating the source were reported coming from of the alarm.

A blue light was activated an apartment on South Prospect Street on Jan. 4. on Jan. 1 near the Women’s Drug related objects and Center. No emergency was found upon response. alcohol were taken.

Drugs/alcohol

L IFE Alumna goes global, gains perspective 6

THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2012

Engineering student studies abroad despite lack of guidance in major

By Rose Long Contributor Only when I arrived at the train station in Lyon, France did I realize how underprepared I was.

I knew the tram number to take to my school, INSA-Lyon, but I could not find it in the sprawling transportation center.

If I did eventually find it, I did not know where to get off.

Once I got off the tram, I didn’t know where to go. I was burdened with my bicycle in a cardboard box and an enormous rolling suitcase. I couldn’t read the signs or understand anyone.

As an engineering student, studying abroad is not encouraged and is not easy, perhaps due to the curricular constraint indigenous to this and other intensive majors.

However, to bring an expansive perspective to the global economy, studying abroad is vital, and arguably essential, in today’s competitive job market.

I am currently gainfully employed by the government at Los Alamos National Lab in New Mexico, and there is no doubt my international résumé played a key role in my selection.

My Estonian friend, who currently works in Paris and knows three languages, admonished me that engineering is an international profession.

This opinion is shared with much of the professional community, evidenced by the fact that INSA Lyon is 25 percent international. In many job descriptions concerning work abroad, at least one semester of foreign study is required. Fluency in another language is encouraged and almost always required.

Going to France enabled me to improve my French, learn

SARAH ALEXANDER

Recapping 2011 in food While I am not one for establishing resolutions simply because we are able to plaster a new calendar on the fridge, I am a proponent of reflecting on the year past.

2011 has been crowded with both exciting and discouraging news, as well as various revelations and issues concerning farming and our food system.

Food Day, a national event modeled after Earth Day, made a reappearance after a 34-year hiatus. This day’s purpose includes uniting people from all backgrounds to promote the consumption of healthy, affordable food produced in a sustainable, humane fashion.

Despite the USDA’s contrast with federal subsidies, it replaced the ancient food pyramid with the new MyPlate — a color-

new programs, apply theoretical knowledge in a different manner and meet people of many cultures.

I learned the CATIA engineering program, the proprietary French version of Solidworks and used both the ANSYS engineering simulation software and VSA, a gear power transfer calculation software.

I was able to tour and learn about the modeling of an endoprosthetic, a stent used to rectify aortic abdominal aneurysm happening at ANSYS- France.

An integral part of being an exchange student is the natural friendships found among the other exchange students. I ate lunch and traveled with Belgians, Koreans, Italians, Polish, Germans and Estonians. Generous Polish hosts in Gdynia forced me to eat until I could eat no more and gregarious Spaniards in Valencia invited me in for fresh-squeezed orange juice.

The stunning vistas of the Swiss Alps and the roaming vineyards of Lausanne blended with ski trips to the French Alps and a visit to the Bavarian peaks of Germany.

Traveling to the oldest church in the world in Istanbul, Turkey or experiencing the thematic music of an anonymous organ in Germany was the most amazing part of my experience.

I voyaged across France to the small town of Pontchateau, near one of the landing points for American troops during World War II. The stationmaster expressed his favorable opinion of Americans and drove me to my hotel, a good 20 minutes away, at 10 p.m.

I eventually did get to my dorm room and had a memorable

study abroad experience, with a little help.

The most help came from the Gilman International Scholarship Program, open to U.S. citizens who receive Pell grants from the government and whose mission is to promote mutual understanding between Americans and other people of the world.

My transformative experience would not have been possible

without the staff at the office on international education and Marnie Owen from student services at the College of Engineering.

Scheduling a semester abroad involves meeting with your academic adviser or your school’s student services to determine requirements. The next step to studying abroad is going to the financial aid office and dissecting your aid package in terms of

ful dinner plate redundantly instructing us to eat our fruits and veggies. The government wants us to eat these healthy, vibrant foods but continues to protect industry by subsidizing commodity crops like corn and soybeans rather than local beets. I’m sorry . . . am I missing something?

Tom Vilsack, agriculture secretary and Monsanto buddy, gave the OK on genetically modified alfalfa, the fourth largest crop by acreage, putting organic farmers at risk of cross pollination and furthering our distance from the true origin of what we eat.

Vermont and its Agriculture Agency sued McDonalds for not having any actual maple product in their “Fruit and Maple Oatmeal.” This violated Vermont’s maple law that protects maple producers.

Furthering Vermont’s badass-ness was ice cream guru Ben and Jerry’s, seen scooping anti-corporate cones at New York City’s Occupy movement.

More recently, Gov. Shumlin launched a fundraising campaign to support backyard T-shirt artist Bo Muller-Moore, who faced trademark infringement charges from the fast food business, Chick-fil-A. C’mon, seriously? Stick it to the man and Eat More Kale. No, but really.

Things weren’t entirely easy

street for our beloved state. The spring of 2011 brought record flooding and August’s Irene was truly the icing on the cake.

Farmers rushed to their fields in an effort to prevent damages, but the crop losses were more devasting than we could have imagined.

With overwhelming support from the community, the resiliency of Vermont’s local food system prevailed.

Irene also took the legendary Alchemist Brew and Pub from Waterbury, but the town came back strong with The Alchemist Cannery, and so came the beautiful Heady Topper.

In addition, the Brewers Association put Vermont at the top of the list for U.S. states and their breweries per capita. Yay microbrews!

Grow Team ONE, a community organization developing leadership through gardening in Burlington’s Old North End, hosted a harvest potluck dinner at the Chittenden Food Shelf.

Slow Food USA launched their first ever $5 Challenge, proving to people that eating well doesn’t require wealth.

The percent of the American population enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps, hit an all-time high with 45.8 million receiving benefits in August, the USDA

reported.

Likewise, the New York City Council accounted for an overall 23 percent increase in the use of food stamps at farmers’ markets throughout New York City.

The Environmental Working Group released “The Meat Eaters’ Guide to Climate Change and Health,” which supplemented the common knowledge that a diet with minimal or no animal products is the most ecofriendly.

The group also provided the statistic that organic milk has a similar carbon footprint to beans, legumes and other vegetables.

The Triple Double Oreo debuted on grocery shelves, which was as necessary as, well. . . nothing.

Other non-necessities included the need for Congress to dub a cafeteria classic, a quarter of a cup of pizza paste on a slice of dough, as a serving of vegetables. Once again, we saw Congress more interested in protecting industry than the health of its children.

Speaking of wellness and youngsters, first lady Michelle Obama did more than ever to promote a lifestyle of regular exercise and balanced diet for Americans in 2011.

Foodies rallied together, believing we have a right to

COURTESY OF ROSE LONG

transferable and non-transferable sources.

Go to www.iee.org/gilman to determine eligibility and apply.

Finally, go to the office of international education to investigate specific programs in the countries you are interested in. The time to start is now.

know what is in our food, and launched the Just Label It campaign urging the Food and Drug Administration to make GMO labeling mandatory. It’s funny how the organic industry seems to have no problem with labeling its products.

UVM Dining Services committed to the use of Eco-Ware, reusable take-out and to-go dining containers. This gained an incredible amount of popularity last year, helping UVM reduce the environmental impact of their dining units.

Re-vamped Redstone Market and Redstone Unlimited opened in the spring. These units provided a place where all students, but especially raging ‘Redstoners,’ could gorge themselves on kung pao chicken.

Also introduced was Vermont Kosher, meals for dedicated Jewish students observing their religious beliefs.

Perhaps the change prompting the most applause was the transition to dining locations being open late, some until two in the morning.

Ali Nord, the previous Student Sustainability Intern for UVM Dining Services, calculated that Brennan’s was averaging 53 percent real food, with 50 percent of that being entirely local for the fall of 2011.

Congrats UVM, we’re really onto something.

LI F E

THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2012

7

Become the change, UVM Take a minute, take Students make resolutions for twenty-twelve

By Ann Cromley Assistant Life Editor Happy New Year, UVM. The holidays have passed and classes are starting up again. This means that many of us have dug deep inside ourselves to find flaws we want to revise in 2012.

As New Year’s resolutions often pertain to hitting the gym, saving money, or eating a more balanced diet, we have uncovered the more unique resolutions on campus.

on buying coffee out and make it in my room instead.”

-Em Bates First-year

“To be more outgoing in social situations, especially when traveling, because you never know whom you will meet.”

-Alexa Mazur “To take the time to Senior enjoy good food and company.”

“I don’t have any set -Maria Carabello resolutions, but creating Junior a vision board allows me to make them as the “To do a better job year goes on.” staying in touch with - Valerie Moyer friends and family.”

Sophomore -Lucy Basa First-year “Cut back on the amount of money spent “To be more mentally HEALTH AND WELLNESS CORNER

JUDE PAUL DIZON

The other day I read a Facebook status update asking a snarky, but honest, question: How many people have given up their New Year’s resolutions after the first week?

Here is some information to help you stick to those resolutions and personal goals.

How many people have given up their New Year’s resolutions after the first week?

First, how can you set yourself up for success? Sometimes a goal can be difficult to achieve because a person might not know what he or she is working toward and may not be able to identify the desired goal.

An effective goal-setting method is the SMART goal.

This process allows a person to create specific, measureable, attainable, realistic and timebound goals. Rather than committing to “getting healthier,” which is vague, a SMART goal

would be “I will walk or jog for 30 minutes, five days a week.”

SMART goals specify the action, measure the amount of time a person will commit to that behavior and address relevant aspects of this person’s wellness.

SMART goals are attainable with dedication, and provide a unit of time by which to complete the goal.

By keeping record for just one week, a person can determine how close he or she came to meeting his or her goal.

In a TED Talk, musician Derek Sivers advises to not tell other people about your goals because you may be less likely to achieve them.

Second, what should your goals be about? I advocate creating one or two commitments toward improving health and wellness.

Getting more sleep, eating breakfast regularly, practicing mindfulness meditation and balancing study and social time all address different parts of you in a SMART way that can help you be a successful student.

You can get more information at the Center for Health & Wellbeing Table in the Davis Center Atrium every Wednesday from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. You can also go online and check out: www.uvm.edu/health.

Jude Paul Dizon works in Health Education & Outreach through the Center for Health and Wellbeing.

strong, positive and confident in competition.”

-Charlotte Mintzer Sophomore “To get back into a strict running routine.”

-Ryan Shields First-year “To take advantage of what UVM and Burlington have to offer.”

-Chris Damiani First-year “To be more spontaneous.”

-Marisa Guerette Senior “To exercise my brain more to improve memory.”

-Sara Roderick First-year Good luck, students.

a breather, meditate

Buddhist instructor teaches peace

By Hillary Gilson Senior Writer At the Laughing River Yoga studio, overlooking the Winooski River, an intimate crowd gathers every week to meditate.

Sarah Snow, a student of Tibetan Buddhism since 1995, leads the small class every Sunday from 1-3 p.m. The class is different each week, but usually consists of guided meditation and other practices like breathing exercises.

The classes are designed

by Venerable Younge Khachab Rinpoche VII, a Tibetan Buddhist meditation master and the spiritual director of Rime Shedrub Ling Buddhist Centers, Snow said.

Meditation is used regularly by many as a way to cultivate inner peace and settle the mind during times when it becomes agitated by thoughts of desire, anger and exhaustion, according to Laughing River.

Snow said she and Rinpoche work together to set up the lessons so that they are not pushing Buddhism and are allowing everyone, regardless of their religion, to practice.

“We wanted people to have a place to meditate; that’s why we made it open,” Snow said.

“It doesn’t push Buddhism, but [Rinpoche] is a Tibetan Buddhist so it does come through at times.”

Most of the attendees are

regulars, including Burlington resident Abby Brown. Brown was introduced to the class by her sister and appreciates the way it has changed her outlook on life.

“It makes your day feel longer because you are taking such a pause,” Brown said.

Although meditation may come easily for some, others struggle to establish their inner peace.

Sarah Levine, an associate of the department of Sanskrit and Indian studies at Harvard, and a past speaker at UVM as part of the Claire M. Lintilhac Seminar on Asian studies, has experienced this first hand.

While on a meditation retreat in India, Levine confided in her meditation leader, Dhammawati Guruma, that she felt she could not finish the retreat.

Guruma told Levine that meditation is easy for Nepalese people — their forefathers had been practicing meditation in one form or another since the Lord Buddha’s time. They just slip into it, but Westerners are different.

Meditation students have found that with time, the necessary focus becomes easier to find and they can easily slip into a meditative state with enough practice, Brown said.

“At first it was difficult, but by the second or third time it became easier to sit down and meditate for two hours,” Brown said.

8

ARTS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2012

Musicians’ Summit mixes local talent Concert unites all aspects of Vermont’s eclectic music community

By Sarah Stickle Senior Staff Writer The first annual Vermont Musicians’ Summit took place at Higher Ground on Saturday, Jan. 14. The summit consisted of a discussion about the local music community followed by an all-star concert.

Joe Adler, Jim Lockridge of Big Heavy World and Justin Hoy of Halogen Media Works were the key organizers of the event.

Adler is the talent buyer for the popular downtown venue the Radio Bean. Beyond that, he is a singer/songwriter, bandleader, musical collaborator and host of the Burgundy Thursdays series.

Adler participated in all aspects of the summit. In addition to organizing the event, he moderated “The Past, Present and Future of Vermont Music” panel and played with bands The Wee Folkestra, The Wind Woods and The Human Canvas (THC). “[I hope I can] bring a representation of what each of [the musicians] brings to the scene by showcasing a lot of great writers and musicians,” Adler said before the show. “[The mission of the summit] is to bring together the Vermont music community, strengthen relationships, have face to face introductions with industry and artists and to have a good time.”

The panel at the summit

“The summit means that all these really interesting people are really working together to devote themselves to their highest expressions.”

In a small community, people like Adler, the musicians who performed and all of the people who came to hear them, can be acknowledged and respected in their own way.

SARAH STICKLE The Vermont Cynic Nine-piece Burlington band the Wee Folkestra playing at Salaam in downtown Burlington, Jan. 6. The Wee Folkestra participated in the first annual Vermont Musicians Summit at Higher Ground on Jan. 14.

included talent buyers, musicians and music fans from across the state gathering prior to the concert to engage in a discussion about booking shows, the local music scene and to ask general questions of experts provided by Adler.

“It was very helpful for me as an underage performer,” said C.A.D.O.U.X., a 20-yearold Burlington hip-hop artist.

The band Kat Wright and the Indomitable Soul headlined the show. “[We’re] eccentric and passionate,” said Wright of her band. “We’re paying tribute to all this music as we’re playing it.”

The band’s choice to play the songs of other artists, “soul standards,” if you will, is consistently a good one.

“Movement” is what

Wright said she hoped to bring to the summit, and based on the audience’s dancing, she certainly brought it.

The impact of the Vermont Musicians’ Summit on the community of musicians and the community as a whole was equally significant.

Wright had only positive things to say about the community.

“[The mission of the summit] is to bring together the Vermont music community, strengthen relationships, have face to face introductions with artists and have a good time” Joe Adler Summit Organizer “Getting everybody in the same room will give people a place to come celebrate Vermont music, talk about it and talk about where we’re going to take it,” said Adler.

As Wright put it, “Vermont is kind of magical.”

Jenke Recordings promotes local muscians Burlington-based record label releases album featuring its nineteen artists

By Sarah Stickle Senior Staff Writer Jenke Recordings is a Burlington-based record label that promotes 19 local artists.

The label, which is handled by Tommy Alexander, is releasing a compilation album this month that will feature all of its artists.

A compilation album is generally an excellent one: it showcases every artist’s best work. Every track should be a single. This is not the case with Jenke’s album, which sounds like 19 tracks thrown together with little thought or care put into many of them.

While there are some clear standout songs on the album, such as Andy Lugo’s “Home,” Rajnii’s “Decisions” and Scott Mangan’s “The Weakness,” many of the songs fell flat.

Brennan Smith’s “Talkin’ Earth Blues” was one of these: lacking a driving melody or lyrics that really fit together, the song failed to convey its message of sustainability and community in an appealing way.

Some of the songs on the album, such as Erin Kvam’s “Her Eyes Dart Around,” were beautifully written and performed, but were far too long.

Alanna Grace Flynn’s “Lost in Time” is also well written but is so poorly mixed that it comes across as weak and fails

to convey the warmth it has the potential to bring to the listener.

On the contrary, the standout tracks on the album make it worth listening to. The album is well designed in that it brings back the listener’s attention whenever it wavers.

Andy Lugo’s “Home” is a gorgeous arrangement with a warm guitar progression that draws the listener in right off the bat.

Greg Alexander’s “Tall Grass Grows” is another standout – what the arrangement of the song lacks in conciseness, Alexander makes up for in his drive, poetic lyrics, exceptional guitar line and vocal ability.

Alexander is easily one of the most talented vocalists in the state. He has the ability to keep it simple, but it never sounds as if he is holding back.

Joe Redding’s “Give Love to Get Love” is another worthwhile track. Redding owns his unique voice. If he was a less confident performer, Redding could sound cathartic or even whiney, but the way he uses his voice is far from that.

Redding blossoms into high notes and eases into the low ones in a style all his own.

His lyrics are thoughtful and put together, while his guitar line, like Alexander’s, is just simple enough to be in the background and interesting

enough to be noticed.

Rajnii’s “Decisions” is the quintessential jam song; laidback, profound and beautifully simple.

Samara Lark is another gifted artist. While the lyrics to “More Than Gold” can be redundant and sometimes clichéd, Lark’s ability to grace each syllable with her jazzy trills and vibrato, as well as her belief in what she sings, make the lyrics overwhelmingly powerful.

Scott Mangan’s “The Weakness” is debatably the best track on the album. In a completely original style, Mangan creates a mix of electronica and rock with the lyrics of a singer/songwriter.

Mangan’s metaphorical, beautiful lyrics combined with his driving arrangement is a perfect match.

While overall Jenke Recordings did not produce a great album, the stand-out tracks make it noteworthy.

The medley of styles is admirable; this label clearly takes risks with artists, as all the best labels do. These artists are the ones to watch and should be appreciated for their talents.

Jenke Recordings will celebrate the release of its album at Radio Bean on Saturday, Jan. 28.

SARAH STICKLE The Vermont Cynic Jenke Recording artist Greg Alexander performing with Burlington band the Wee Folkestra at Salaam in downtown Burlington, Jan. 6.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2012

ARTS

Movie review

EMILY BARTRAN

A Very Dark ‘Game of Shadows’ Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law are back again as the infamous duo Sherlock Holmes and John Watson.

Taking on a new case, Holmes and Watson are after Moriarty, a professor who wants to take over the greater part of the Western Hemisphere.

The cunning, intellectually untouchable Holmes just might meet his match in this sequel, as his ability to predict each move of a fight before it happens is matched. Every time he thinks he is one step ahead of Moriarty, he is really one step behind.

A minor downfall of the sequel is its serious tone. Although Watson and Holmes’ relationship is still entertaining, much of the witty banter and suggestive undertones are

lost. The film as a whole is dark and ominous rather than exciting and thrilling.

Rachel McAdams’ character, Irene Adler, only makes an appearance in the first half hour or so of the film. The lack of her feisty, flirty antics adds to the overall solemnity. The new head female is Madam Sim, a gypsy played

by Noomi Rapace, who is travelling with Holmes and Watson in search of her brother.

What the film lacks in vivacity, it makes up for in visuals.

What the film lacks in vivacity it makes up for in visuals. With slow motion fisticuffs, explosions and simple scenery, the entire film is aesthetically astounding.

Overall, “A Game of Shadows” did not have quite the same edge as the first film, but was a good movie in its own right.

Keeping the original cast was a smart move, and although the change of tone was surprising, it definitely added to the drama of the game.

9

Band revamps bluegrass

Greensky brings unique sound to Burlington

By Natalie Slack Arts Editor Five-piece bluegrass act Greensky Bluegrass was formed in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 2000.

Twelve years later, the band is still on the road. Their tour to kick off the new year will bring them to Burlington’s Higher Ground on Saturday, Jan. 21.

Greensky Bluegrass features Dave Bruzza on guitar and vocals, Paul Hoffman on mandolin and vocals, Michael Bont on banjo and vocals, Mike Devol on acoustic bass and vocals and Anders Beck on dobra and lap steel.

“Since we have a lot of different influences and didn’t grow up learning bluegrass, it gives it a different approach” Paul Hoffman Greensky Bluegrass Bassist The band started their career by performing local gigs on the weekends while they were learning to play their instruments.

By 2004, Greensky Bluegrass was on tour and starting

PHOTO COURTESY OF JAMIE VAN BUHLER

to pick up steam. According to Hoffman, they were playing over 100 shows a year by 2006. “The last five years have been pretty intense,” Hoffman said.

Greensky Bluegrass has its own fresh take on bluegrass music.

“Since we have a lot of different influences and didn’t grow up learning bluegrass, it gives us a different approach,” Hoffman said of the band’s distinct sound.

According to a review from The Examiner, “Greensky Bluegrass is one of the most progressive contemporary bluegrass bands touring today. Rather than simply replicating the traditional style, Greensky combines folk harmonies, contemporary lyrics and an up tempo beat to cre-

ate their unique take on the genre.”

The band rarely has two weekends in a row without shows.

“It’s really exciting to go to new places,” Hoffman said.

“We’re starting to grow into bigger venues and develop more fans.”

Having toured in the Burlington area before, Hoffman said that they are very fond of the city and their local fan base.

Greensky Bluegrass’ most recent album, Handguns, was released this past October.

It will be a main feature of their performance at Higher Ground.

Tickets for their upcoming show are available on Higher Ground’s website for $10 in advance and $12 on the day of.

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ARTS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2012

Real Estate the band is keepin’ it real

New Jersey group brings breezy pop melodies to Higher Ground

By Dillon Baker Cynic Correspondent “Our careless lifestyle/it was not so unwise, no,” sings Martin Courtney on Real Estate’s song “Green Aisles.”

The “not so unwise” lifestyle captured on Real Estate’s breezy, immaculately crafted pop rock songs have been turning heads and setting feet a’tapping throughout the indie music scene.

Hailing from New Jersey, Real Estate recently released their sophomore LP Days to rapturous approval, making many critics’ Top 50 Albums of the year, including landing the No. 9 spot on Pitchfork. com’s highly regarded list.

Before rocking Burlington for the first time in their careers this past Tuesday at the Higher Ground Showcase Ballroom, The Cynic caught up with bassist Alex Bleeker to talk about Jersey Shore, dealing with expectation and what is behind their hilarious new music video.

The Vermont Cynic (VC): So first off, could you describe your sound for anyone that’s never listened to Real Estate?

Alex Bleeker (AB): It’s a return to the form of pop song.

Just good pop songs that are really melodic and satisfying on that level. It’s guitary, a lot of melodic guitar leads; it’s on the more mellow side of things but not super mellow and it’s just a classic pop song structure kind of thing.

VC: The name Real Estate goes well with the suburban theme of your music, but is there any story behind it?

AB: We’d all moved back to our parents’ houses after graduating from college in 2008, we didn’t really know what to do with our lives, the recession had just hit and apart from that we were kind of slackertype people, anyway, and we didn’t really want to get day jobs and were just at this weird loss. Martin, the lead singer of the band, was going to school to get his real estate license to become a realtor to solve that, and his parents actually own a real estate company that they were going let him work at.

[His parents] were like “Why don’t you all come work for us!” So we were joking around saying what if we did that and we were in the band at the same time, so that’s why we call the band Real Estate.

NATALIE WILLIAMS The Vermont Cynic Guitarist Matt Mondanile (left) of Brooklyn-based band, Real Estate playing at Higher Ground in South Burlington, Dec. 17.

VC: One of my favorite parts about Real Estate is that you guys maintain this unique sound while still drawing from a lot of great bands. Who would you say are your biggest influences musically?

AB: I’d say there’s a number of different things for all us, but collectively we really like bands like Yo La Tengo, Pavement, The Feelies; there’s a band called Felt we’re really into right now. Those are some of the really big ones. Oh, and Galaxy 500.

VC: A lot of kids my age think of the show Jersey Shore when they think New Jersey.

You guys seem proud of your home state, but what’s your take on the show?

AB: I haven’t seen it that much really – I mean, obviously I know all about it. I think it’s pretty funny. I’m not like offended by it or anything like that. But, it’s funny, because we fly all over the world and people talk to us about Jersey Shore and people, especially in Europe, are like ‘it’s not real, there’s no people like that’ but it’s real, there are real people like that, there definitely are people like that in Jersey. That’s just a part of Jersey…I think it’s great actually. It’s funny that there’s a show for that because if you love Jersey you got to like it for everything that it is, and that’s definitely a part of it – I’m not going to go denying that.

VC: All right let’s get into the music. Your first LP was very well received. What was it like making a second album knowing critics and fans had high expectations?

AB: I think it was a little nerve-wracking at first before

we started actually making the album, you know, when you have time to sit around and think about that kind of thing.

But then, when we were actually making it…you just sort of let that go. You just try to make a really good album, but not cater to that kind of thing, because if you do you’re going to make a bad album. If you try to give critics exactly what they want then you’re not doing what you were interested in the first place, which is just being yourself and making good music you know? So I think once you start making the record and get more involved in what it’s actually like to be making a record you let all those other outside factors just fall away. I think that’s why, I mean we’re proud of [the album], and I think it turned it pretty good.

VC: Obviously it turned out really well. One of the biggest differences for me between your self-titled album and Days is just how focused and cohesive it is. Was this a conscious effort on the bands part?

AB: Yeah, definitely. I think it just happened naturally; it is more focused and cohesive because we’re more focused and cohesive now. We did it in studio with an actual producer and stuff and we did it in a more dense period of time. The first record we kind of did it here and there but this record it was like “this period of couple of months is for making the album” so I think that definitely adds to why it feels more cohesive.

VC: You guys actually just today released a funny video directed by Tom Scharpling

NATALIE WILLIAMS The Vermont Cynic Singer Martin Courtney of Real Estate playing at Higher Ground, Jan. 17. Real Estate Plans to release a new EP later in the year.

for the great song “Easy,” which features some rabid Real Estate fans who almost end up executing an uncooperative DJ. I know it was pretty light-hearted, but was the video in any way a response to all the buzz and promotion surrounding you guys lately?

AB: It’s a little bit tongue in cheek, it’s not really political in that way, it’s not making a statement. But it definitely appeals to us in that we are self-aware that there are some people who are fans of the earlier records who have sort of been haters. The video, it’s just funny, we like videos that have a story along with them and I think this is a pretty good one.

VC: You guys also released a video for It’s Real recently which featured a lot of dogs; was this is thematic choice on the bands part?

AB: It kind of happened accidently. We originally thought the video was going to be kind of the same thing: the begin-

ning would be really wholesome with the dogs like the current video and then it was going to turn into this crazy murder mystery like one of us was going to die. We were running that by Ben Shechter who eventually directed the video and he was like “you know that’s really cool, but what about just dogs” (laughs).

VC: Days was in a lot of 2011 best of the year lists, and rightly so. Were there any albums from last year that you really enjoyed?

AB: I think my favorite album last year was the Pure X album Pleasure. I’ll represent it because I don’t think it got as much love as it should have.

I really liked that record.

VC: So I know you guys are fresh off Days, but do you have any plans for the next album or anything else?

AB: We actually recorded a new song yesterday. That’s going to be a record. We have an EP in mind for 2012 for sure.

Book review

ALEXA REILLY

‘Mighty Be Our Powers’

by Leymah Gbowee

“Mighty Be Our Powers” was written by Leymah Gbowee, one of the 2011 recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize.

She is the winner of the Gruber Prize for Women’s Rights and the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award and is co-creator of the Women’s Peace and Security Network.

Gbowee is also an internationally recognized “peacebuilder,” social worker and mother of six.

“Mighty Be Our Powers” is an autobiography detailing Gbowee’s struggle and even-

tual success throughout the Liberian Civil Wars. Gbowee’s struggle began at the age of 17 when her family was driven from their home, her future as an aspiring doctor was destroyed and her country torn apart.

Years later, after overcoming the horror of war and the personal trauma of abuse, Gbowee became an influential member of a movement that would change her nation—one that empowered women and demanded peace.

What I loved most about this book was not its literary prowess, but its moral meat.

It is part story, part history lesson and part bearing of the soul. Despite Gbowee’s suffering, “Mighty Be Our Powers” conveys a message of independence, self-confidence and determination.

It is also the story of a population that, as Gbowee points out in the first pages, the media largely ignores when covering a war story: the women.

Gbowee tells the story of women who are sexually assaulted, women whose children are slaughtered in front of them, women whose homes and communities are

destroyed, even women who are forced to fight.

Gbowee provides a story that not only acknowledges the suffering of these courageous women, but celebrates their strength in fighting back and ultimately winning peace.

‘Mighty Be Our Powers’ takes place a decade or more in the past, but it carries lessons and values that are imperative for our present and future.

I highly encourage you to read it.

DIST RACT IONS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2012

College Life by Rodney Rhea

Cat Tales by Emma Cipriani

Camp Morning Wood by Scott Womer

Wade The Monster Hunter by Rodney Rhea

Wonderland by Alice Tonry

11

12

Opinion

THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2012

STAFF EDITORIAL

Who shall lead us to greatness?

THE VERMONT

C YNIC

EDITORIAL BOARD

Editor-in-Chief Brent Summers cynic@uvm.edu

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News

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Sports

Mike Eaton

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It is time to change the leadership of our country and University.

While the national election coverage may be grabbing headlines, we at the Cynic believe that students should be focusing their attention on the presidential search happening on our campus.

Yes, the next president of the U.S. will certainly have an impact on our future, but the next UVM president will most certainly have a more direct impact on our immediate lives as students.

The role of president of the University is one that cannot be underestimated – the selected candidate will be responsible for shaping the path and vision for our school. If he or she decides our mission is to be the most expensive public University in the country, there is a likelihood that could happen.

According to the bylaws of UVM, “The president shall be the administrative head of the University and its constituent parts and he or she shall have the power to veto any act or resolution of any committee or other collective body within the University.” The power of the president is in no way to be considered trivial.

So who will get to hold the reigns of our precious school?

There are five candidates, all whom are scheduled to visit UVM for extensive interviews and open forums. The Presidential Search Committee will evaluate candidates and then it is ultimately up to the Board of Trustees to decide.

UVM students need to have a role in this decision. If we remain silent on the selection, the trustees remain in control, and only two student trustees represent the entire student body.

But it doesn’t have to happen that way.

Throughout the coming weeks, the Cynic will be providing information on and interviews with each of the candidates to empower students to make an informed decision.

We will gauge student opinion and then ultimately endorse a candidate.

It is our hope that with the power of the student body we can rock the vote, sans P Diddy.

COLUMNISTS

GOP debates leading nowhere

BIANCA MOHN

Welcome to the madness that is the Republican primary debates. Queue the studio lights, the snappy one-liners and the brash accusations. The New Hampshire debates have provided TV viewers with juicy entertainment. Content? Not so much.

With the lackluster economy, ongoing wars and failing government policies, one would think that the debates would be full of solutions and ideas.

Instead, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich bickered over who-said-what on a TV ad. Rick Perry rambled about Obama’s so-called “socialist agenda” and threw in the Founding Fathers for gravitas.

Criticizing the candidates is all good fun, but the most disappointing aspect of the New Hampshire debates were the questions posed by the moderators.

The first 13 minutes of debate

DISTURBING QUOTE OF THE WEEK

on Jan. 8 were spent entirely on questions such as “Is Gov. Romney electable?” and “Who is the true conservative in the race?”

Only Ron Paul had the sense to say, “You know, I think this whole discussion so far has been very superficial… you’re talking about character, which is very important, but I feel we should deal with the issues as well.”

As the debate continued, the simpering moderator David Gregory asked questions such as “Gov. Perry, what would you say or do to make Republicans uncomfortable?” and to Sen. Santorum, “What if you had a son who came to you and said he was gay?”

Even on the Jan. 4 debate, greasy-haired moderator George Stephanopoulos asked other ludicrous questions such as, “Gov. Romney, do you believe that states have the right to ban contraception?”

This is pure absurdity! Have the moderators lost their minds?

As a voter, I want to walk away from the debates knowing exactly how each candidate plans to fix the economy, balance the federal budget and improve our public schools. Stop wasting time defending voting records and decisions that have been made years ago.

Ideology has its time and place, but let’s be realistic.

Americans don’t want to hear about the history of their work

ethic. They want to know how they will get a job now.

In both New Hampshire debates, topics such as gay rights, civil unions and what defines a marriage took up enormous chunks of time.

Same-sex marriage is just as legitimate as traditional marriage and should have the exact same benefits. Let’s put the issue to rest by making same-sex marriage legal in every state.

Only then will it stop wasting precious debate time.

It is not up to the government, nor is it the president’s job to decide such personal choices, so why does it play a huge role in the primaries?

Stephanopoulos’ final debate question won the prize for most pointless question when he asked, “So if you weren’t here running for president, what would you be doing on a Saturday night?”

I don’t care if Rick Perry would be at the shooting range or that Jon Huntsman would be talking to his sons. I want to know how the candidates plan to deal with Iran’s nuclear weapons.

We certainly live in strange, nonsensical times. If during a debate you feel like smashing your TV with a hammer, please know that you are not alone.

Bianca Mohn is a first-year business administration major.

She has been writing for The Cynic since fall 2011.

“EVEN IF AN ALCOHOLIC IS POWERLESS OVER ALCOHOL ONCE IT ENTERS HIS BODY, HE STILL MAKES A CHOICE TO DRINK. AND, EVEN IF SOMEONE IS ATTRACTED TO A PERSON OF THE SAME SEX, HE OR SHE STILL MAKES A CHOICE TO ENGAGE IN SEXUAL ACTIVITY WITH SOMEONE OF THE SAME GENDER.” –Rick Perry, writing in his 2008 book, “On My Honor”

Unsigned editorials officially reflect the views of The Cynic and its staff. All signed opinion pieces and columns do not necessarily do so. The Cynic accepts letters in response to anything you see printed as well as any issues of interest in the community. Please limit letters to 350 words. Send letters to vcoped@uvm.edu

THE VERMONT CYNIC 116 Dudley H. Davis Center, www.vermontcynic.com 590 Main Street, Burlington phone 802.656.0337 VT 05401 ADVERTISING cynicalads@gmail.com — 802.656.4412

OPINION

THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2012

COLUMNISTS

From foolishness, a hope for change

ZACH DESPART

Five weeks ago, the revelation that a member, or members, of the Sigma Phi Epsilon created and allegedly circulated a survey asking about sexual violence, which subsequently resulted in closure of the fraternity, generated one of the most divisive controversies at UVM in recent memory.

I cannot and will not indict the entire Greek system at UVM. But, by the same token, I cannot fathom how anyone can blanketly support it. Like any part of the University, the Greek system has flaws that can and need to be addressed.

There is a distinction between supporting a group or organization while acknowledging that it has erred, and refusing to accept that anyone has done anything wrong.

What happened at Sig Ep was not only incredibly demeaning toward women, but a national embarrassment for the University — gracing the front page of CNN’s website for several days.

I cannot support Sig Ep when its former president called the closing of the chapter a “social injustice.” There are very few times a white man can toss around the phrase “social injustice.” This ain’t one of them.

In a Dec. 20 interview with Vermont Public Radio, former Sig Ep president Alex Haller refused to name anyone involved

with the survey. While others may be enamored by his solidarity, I am not.

If it was only one or a few members involved, why not force them to take responsibility, instead of allowing judgment to be cast on the fraternity as a whole?

Perhaps scholars Patricia Martin and Rubert Hummer have the answer — in an essay entitled “Fraternities and Rape on Campus,” they assert, “Protection of the fraternity often takes precedence over what is procedurally, ethically or legally correct.”

Rape is not something funny to joke about.

When reports of the survey surfaced, Sig Ep was not forthcoming with details. According to the Burlington Free Press, members of the fraternity declined to answer questions and refused to answer the door for a reporter; at no point has any member of Sig Ep taken responsibility or apologized for the survey.

For the second time, Sig Ep’s charter was revoked for violations of policy. In 1993, the national chapter revoked Sig Ep’s charter for four years after incidents of hazing were captured on video.

Interestingly, the same day the Sig Ep story broke, The New York Times published a story discussing a new report that found that 1 in 5 women in the U.S. reported that they have been sexually assaulted — a number far higher than previously thought.

Rape is not something funny to joke about. I originally started

that sentence with the words “needless to say,” but it is apparent that, in no uncertain terms, someone needs to say it.

The survey question that generated the controversy — “If you could rape someone, who would it be?” could have been posed less offensively as “If you could have sex with someone, who would it be?”

A conscious decision was made to use the word “rape” — changing the connotation of the question from being a presumably consensual act to one that willfully ignores someone else’s wishes.

There is no doubt in my mind that there are good men and women in Greek life at UVM. But I also have no doubt that Greeks and UVM students as a whole could greatly benefit from a better understanding of rape culture.

In his interview with VPR, Haller makes a good point — that the members involved in the incident need sensitivity training. I think we could all benefit from that.

Hopefully, the University and the Greek institutions on campus will take this offensive, embarrassing incident as a spark to reform how we think about sexual violence and redouble our efforts to combat rape culture.

It would be a shame if the only consequences of this incident were negative. The closure of a fraternity, though justified, does not bring about change — only a commitment to a continuing dialogue and plan for action does.

Zach Despart is a senior political science major. He has been writing for The Cynic since fall 2009.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

UVM’s violence culture exposed Dear Editor,

“If you could rape someone, who would it be?” That was the question which appeared on a survey circulated by members of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity at the University of Vermont recently, which went viral on the Internet.

UVM has once again lived up to its reputation as a place where wealthy kids from the northeast, who can’t get into Ivy League schools, can come play in the snow for four years.

But why was this a surprise to anyone familiar with UVM’s culture of violence, which dates back at least 20 years?

Who could ever forget the 1999 “elephant walk” in which freshman members of the ice hockey team were forced to wear women’s underwear, drink warm beer and liquor until they vomited and parade around like circus elephants holding each other’s genitals?

Back in the early ‘90s, alcohol was a contributing factor in the deaths of four UVM students in five years. For all too many UVM students their motto is: “You can’t believe how drunk I got last night.”

More recently, four officers of another UVM fraternity were charged with violating the state’s

new hazing law enacted after the 1999 UVM ice hockey scandal.

UVM’s affinity for violence was reaffirmed by the announcement that it had entered into a partnership with the U.S. government-owned Sandia National Laboratories, known best for the fact that it designs, builds and tests nuclear weapons.

Although Sandia’s research at UVM will not involve weapons of mass destruction, no one seems to care whether UVM is being used by Sandia to help legitimize its real business, instruments of death. UVM will receive $9 million from Sandia. Money still speaks.

Like most universities in the U.S., UVM has an active ROTC program whose aim is to train professional killers to support the American empire’s policy of full spectrum dominance. Many ROTC students have four-year scholarships.

Upon graduation, they agree to go anywhere in the world to which they are assigned by Uncle Sam to kill the name of the State. Ironically, UVM also has a premier medical school committed to saving lives rather then destroying them.

And then there is the case of Maj. Gen. Michael Dubie, head of the Vermont National Guard.

For his role in sending young Vermonters to faraway places such as Afghanistan and Iraq to kill or be killed on behalf of the empire, Gen. Dubie was awarded an honorary UVM doctorate degree by the Board of Trustees.

The most exasperating aspect of UVM’s culture of violence is the indifference expressed toward it by the UVM Board of Trustees, administration, faculty and students.

Neither Dubie’s honorary degree nor the Sandia Corporation were ever discussed by the UVM Faculty Senate.

At most reputable universities, honorary degress have to be approved by the faculty’s governing body. Not so at UVM. The real issue facing UVM is not the Sigma Phi Epsilon rape survey question, but rather, how many unreported rapes have there been at UVM over the past 20 years as a result of the University’s benign neglect of its culture of violence?

Sincerely, Thomas H. Naylor Dec. 26, 2011

13

SAT culprit speaks

PEYTON ROSENTHAL

Today, America’s list of scandals is nothing compared to what it once was. We now deal with things like celebrity breast implants — who needs to fix their botched boob job — and the royal Will and Kate’s wedding — I am ashamed to admit I actually know someone who missed school last year to see the latter’s TV special.

Our respectable news broadcasting is having its bar lowered.

The American population seems to have a hard time concentrating on the important information out there; no one is talking about the end of the Iraq War or the social unrest in Greece.

Unimportant social media is what we crave, and is now what we get. Most recently, an embarrassing scandal in the town I come from qualified as national news.

Take Sam Eshagoff, a sophomore at Emory University from my hometown of Great Neck, New York. The 19-year-old student is currently facing arraignment on scheming to defraud, criminal impersonation and other charges that could result in up to four years in jail, all for illegally taking the SATs for at least six people.

I had a similar opinion to this national news when I read about Heidi Montag’s 10-procedure plastic surgery on a reputable news site. I was absolutely disgusted.

But the juicy details get even juicier: Eshagoff earned up to $2,500 per test if he secured his client a good score. Yes, he calls the kids he took the tests for his clients — how professional!

He even referred to his service as life-saving in his 15-minute claim-to-fame on a “60 Minutes” interview. His “business” seems eerily similar to that of a prostitute, or whatever type of selling-yourself-job you want to call it.

Even before this scandal, Great Neck schools were being denounced for inflating grades and for our students for buying their credibility and talents — because apparently that’s buyable now.

Now John L. Miller Great Neck North High School can proudly cherish their wonder-

ful alumnus like Sam Eshagoff and an abundance of other over privileged and entitled students, like Eshagoff’s girlfriend, who proudly displayed the “60 Minutes” interview on Facebook.

The worst is the amount of pride these “clients” displayed after the scandal. I remember walking around my high school hearing kids brag about their purchased SAT score.

The truth leaked after bouts of bragging and the emergence of a mass of college acceptances that didn’t quite fit the bill.

But even more horrible is this strong desire for fame. All the parents, students and friends acquainted with the “cheating SAT kids” want to be nationally noticed: they take pride in their children’s mistaken and undeserved acceptances to topranked universities.

Eshagoff’s “business” seems eerily similar to that of a prostitute or whatever type of selling-yourself-job you want to call it.

News trucks and cameramen came to North High School to interview students and catch the latest details on the scandal. Kids crowded the news anchors, hoping for an interview, their own 15 minutes of fame.

Wendy David-Gaines, a Long Island College prep examiner, noted, “colleges are not informed when test results occur from SAT scams.” So who’s getting punished now?

This is typical of a wealthy, privileged society. What I have learned is that money and reputation can solve all problems for everyone from Eshagoff to O.J. Simpson, although, Mr. Eshagoff is not equivalent in any way whatsoever to the famous O.J. in reputation or respect.

As Newsday reported, Eshagoff’s “actions made a mockery of concepts like merit and effort.” It’s a shame that these kinds of stories provide our broadcast networks and newspapers with groundbreaking “news”. If anything, this is just mere entertainment to see if the criminal gets what he deserves.

Peyton Rosenthal is a first-year Anthropology major. She has been writing for The Cynic since fall 2011.

Quick Opinions

Zach Despart

“Accidentally taking the elevator to the first floor of Old Mill is the creepiest thing ever.”

Peyton Rosenthal

“My fear of negative temperatures is slowly driving me crazy – my hands might legitimately fall off no matter how many pairs of gloves I use.”

14

Sports

THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2012

The league of champions

By Julia Dwyer Assistant Sports Editor

The Union of European Football Associations Champions League — known as the Champions League — is the most watched annual sporting event worldwide. If you aren’t one of the estimated 145 million viewers watching the final, you’re missing out on some of the most prestigious and lively competition in European football.

Before massive changes occurred in 1992, membership into the tournament was granted only to the champion club of each country and was a straight knockout-style competition.

In the current format, there are multiple ways for a team to be granted membership into the league tournament — as league champions, by finishing within the top four in the national championship, as the defending cup holder, or as the winners of the previous qualifying rounds.

The qualifying rounds begin in July and consist of three knockout rounds and a playoff round. The ten teams that survive the qualifying rounds join 22 teams in the start of the

competition.

The ball starts rolling with a group stage round-robin of 32 teams. They are divided into eight seeded groups of four teams. At this stage, teams from the same country are not seeded into groups together. In traditional round-robin style, each team meets their match both away and at home. The top two teams from each seeded group then gain entry into the next round of play.

Round two of the tournament occurs between February and March, involving 16 teams – either winners or runner-ups from the group stage. In the 2011/12 season of the Champions League, the noteworthy fixtures are the Anglo-Italian match-ups. These games have caused a stir and intrigue in the tournament.

The two English teams left in contention are Chelsea and Arsenal.

Chelsea has seen mighty success in the Champions League, but has been slipping in their show of talent in regular season fixtures. Napoli, a tenacious and precise team, will prove a tough test when Chelsea meets Napoli in Italy on Feb. 21

at 2:45 p.m.

Arsenal was handed a similarly tough draw with AC Milan and AC Milan wishes to exact revenge. In the 2007/08 season of the Champions League, Arsenal eliminated AC Milan from further play. This round of play will also go first to Italy, occurring on Feb. 15 at 2:45 p.m.

After the second round occurs, the final stage ensues from March to May. The final stage involves the eight winners from the second round of play.

From the quarterfinals on, draws are entirely random and, therefore, teams may draw other teams from their own country. This stage consists of quarterfinals, semi-finals and the much-anticipated final, typically held in the last two weeks of May. The current champion of the cup is Barcelona. Barcelona is still in the running for the 2011/12 title as of round two and will be playing German team Bayer Leverkusen on Feb. 12 at 2:45 p.m. Real Madrid, the most successful club with nine titles to their name, is also in play and will be facing CSKA Moscow on Feb. 21 at 12 p.m.

Vermont’s hidden wonder

By Mike Eaton Sports Editor

The new year opens up a renewed chance for everything, including our UVM sports teams. Yet when thinking about the new sports seasons ahead of us, it is only natural to be reminded of the disappointment and controversy surrounding UVM’s decision to drop its Division I baseball team three years ago.

At first thought, it is easy to understand why baseball was the program that was cut. The Catamounts haven’t spent much time in Omaha, nor have they sent too many student athletes to the majors.

So when an argument is made for how much baseball means to the Burlington community, it is often dismissed with ease.

What few people know, however, is that there was a time — way back in the day — when UVM baseball was one of the most prestigious programs in the nation.

Between 1890 and 1893, the little Burlington team of wayward players practiced an intercollegiate superiority that entitled them to the nickname “The Wonder Team.”

It all started in 1889, when Essex Junction native and eventual major league pitcher, Bert Abbey, was named coach and captain of UVM’s first varsity baseball team in his junior year. He gave the UVM team, mostly composed of medical school students, their first real training and convinced local businessmen to donate monetary incentives for his team to continue playing through the summers.

In 1891, Abbey led UVM to their best record up until that point, 19-6, as UVM’s growing prestige landed them matchups against powerhouse schools

such as Yale and Harvard.

It was in 1892, however, in Abbey’s fifth collegiate year, that the wonder began to grow.

This was the year that they began calling themselves the “wonder team,” winning all five collegiate-level games on their first ever southern road trip.

Yet it was after two big losses that the UVM “wonder team” became the target of admiring gazes from across the nation. Getting the rare chance to play against two professional teams — the National League’s Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Senators — the UVMers took a beating, giving up 31 runs and squealing out three for themselves. Despite a less-than-desirable score differential, the Senators’ second baseman Tommy Dowd praised UVM as being the “best college team playing baseball.”

It was after this season, and after Abbey departed to play pro ball with Washington, that UVM nearly became the winner of a college baseball tournament known to be the precursor to today’s College World Series as well as the first major intercollegiate athletic tournament in any sport.

The 1893 baseball tournament, hosted at the Chicago World’s Fair, saw eight of the greatest college baseball teams in the country.

It was a double-elimination tournament, with Amherst, Yale and Vermont remaining the last three teams without two losses.

Amherst was to advance to the final, while Vermont and Yale, with one loss each, played their second matchup of the tournament — the first of which Vermont inched out a win 1412, making them the only team in the tournament to beat Yale.

On July 10, UVM and Yale played what an 1893 issue of the Cynic called “a game in a thousand.” With the score tied at one, a Yale law student, Harmon

Sheldon Graves — a student who once played football at UVM, but transferred when they cut their football program, advancing to play baseball for Yale while attending law school — hit a walk-off triple, putting them in the final contest against Amherst in which they celebrated victory in shutout fashion.

Yet Vermont made history during that Chicago trip, establishing a nationally recognized name for themselves and making the small, green state that they represented proud. The Cynic reported that, “the Vermonters in Chicago attended the games in large numbers and inspired the team by hearty cheering.” Even distinguished UVM alum., the man who our museum is named after, Robert H. Fleming, met with the players, “taking them on his private launch to see the display of fireworks on the Exposition grounds.”

In short, baseball carries a very unique history for Vermonters and especially for UVM. The little Vermont team from the little Vermont school was once one of the greatest college baseball teams to play the game. It truly was a “wonder team.”

It may have taken the cancelling of our baseball program to realize it, yet Vermont is rich in baseball history and Vermont fans are more passionate about baseball than many may know.

The 1893 Cynic reporter closed his review of the Chicago tournament with this: “surely there never was a more closely contested and exciting series of base ball games played in any part of the country by any teams, than that of this tournament.”

And UVM was a huge part of it.

Maybe, one day, we will get that chance again.

NFL notes: Playoff Edition

By Jake Bielecki Staff Writer

The outcome of the Saints and 49ers game absolutely shocked me. I was pretty confident the Saints would handle the 49ers both offensively and defensively.

I expected their spread offense to force San Francisco out of their base defense and make them less effective, as one of their biggest strengths is in their linebacking crew. The 49ers were able to pressure Brees and force turnovers, which is all you can ask out of your defense when playing New Orleans.

I was very impressed by Alex Smith, who I was still skeptical of coming into the game, but he made a handful of difficult throws and my hat is off to him. Credit to the 49ers for the win, but this was the Saints’ game to lose, and they lost it.

Five turnovers, including Pierre Thomas’ fumble on the one-yard line, killed the Saints, yet they were still in position to win if they could have stopped the 49ers on their final drive.

I gave the Giants a better chance than the 49ers to win this week, but was still surprised to see them advance.

Credit New York for bringing their A-game, but similar to the Saints game, I can’t help but feel that the Packers would beat the Giants eight times out of ten. Eight drops, four turnovers, a successful hail mary to end the first half and a secondary that simply couldn’t tackle cost the Packers.

Jermichael Finley is one of the biggest wastes of talent in the league; it doesn’t matter how great an athlete you are if you consistently drop the ball.

I picked the Patriots to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl, but nearly picked both the Steelers and Ravens over them when making my playoff bracket.

While I don’t put much stock into the Patriots beating a team without a winning record for the 14th time this season, I came away very unimpressed with the Ravens as they squirmed past the Texans on Sunday. A team with six three-and-outs in the first three quarters shouldn’t be in the conference championship game, a testament to the quality of the AFC this season.

Joe Flacco throws a nice deep ball but misfires on too many of his easier throws and seems to have difficulty going through his progressions. The Patriots should continue to throw heavy doses of soft zone defenses at Flacco, which will force him to make reads and consistently complete the underneath timing routes.

The NFC Championship game should be very exciting and I can’t decide who I think will win. I’d say the Giants are a little better than the 49ers, but I think the 49ers have the perfect formula for beating the Giants. The Giants defense is completely reliant on rushing the passer, but the 49ers don’t rely on the pass.

I’m curious to see if Tom Coughlin is stubborn enough to try and emphasize the run against the 49ers, which would be a terrible mistake. The Saints were one of the most effective teams running the ball this season and they ran on 14 of their 77 plays.

Comparing the two, the Giants O-line isn’t nearly as good as the Saints, Bradshaw isn’t as good as Sproles and Brandon Jacobs is one of the worst running backs in the league. He’s 264 pounds but his conversion rate when it comes to getting one yard on third or fourth down is below league average.

If I was the Giants coach, I’d put the game in Eli Mannings hands and hope for the best.

S P O RT S

THURSDAY, JANUARY 19 2012

Making a case against Tebow

By Will Andreycak Senior Staff Writer

The most dominant story of the NFL this season has been the meteoric rise of Tim Tebow. The media coverage of Tebow was incessant and the outpouring of support from the nation overwhelming. In my 20 years, I have never witnessed a sports story like Tebow’s.

In a year where the NL MVP of the MLB tested positive for steroids, where one of the most storied college football programs and coaches crashed and burned in an inferno of child sexual abuse charges, where the NCAA uncovered numerous instances of corruption where two of the four major professional sports had work stoppages, Tim Tebow reminded us why we adore athletics and athletes.

But we have gone too far.

The Tim Tebow mania is not only unjustified, it is downright aggravating. Despite what Skip Bayless might say, Tim Tebow is a bad quarterback. He is a great competitor, a tough athlete and he seems to be a righteous and exemplary individual. But he is an awful quarterback and unworthy of the massive Sports Center coverage that is dedicated to him.

The following will examine every game Tebow played this year — both individually and as a composite — and will reveal why Tebow Mania is overblown.

Tebow went 7-4 in the regular season and 1-1 in the playoffs. His seven regular season wins came against teams with a combined record of 4864.

Not one of these wins came against a team that made the playoffs or were over the .500 mark. He lost his last three games during the regular season — games that if won would have sealed the division — and the final two losses were at the hands of the 7-9 Chiefs and the 6-10 Bills.

Those who disagree will disregard the aggregate record of Denver’s opponents and point to the fact that Tebow often single-handedly completed miraculous comebacks late in the fourth quarter. They will argue that being a clutch performer transcends statistics.

But I point to the last two losses of the regular season. In the two most important games of the season against mediocre NFL teams, Tebow was detrimental to his team.

Denver’s offense scored a combined 17 points in these two games and Tebow’s combined throwing numbers were dreadful; 19 completions in 51 attempts — 37 percent — 245 yards, one touchdown, four interceptions. Hardly clutch performances when his team needed them most.

In all of his starts, he only twice threw for a completion percentage greater than 50 percent. He ranked 27th in QBR amongst all NFL Quarterbacks and ranked last in completion percentage.

The Broncos backed into the playoffs due to the ineptitude of the AFC West, the leagues best rushing attack, a good defense and a cupcake schedule

— not because of outstanding quarterback play by Tim Tebow.

Their playoff victory over the Steelers is the one game Tebow fans can use as evidence of Tebow’s competency.

There is no doubt that their victory over the Steelers was a legitimate one over a traditional NFL power. But let’s be realistic here: the Steelers that lost to the Broncos were not your Steelers of the last eight years. Injuries ravaged their defense and Ben Roethlisberger was playing on one leg. To put things into perspective, in a game they needed to win to take the AFC North divisional title in week 17, the Steelers struggled to a 13-9 victory over the 4-12 Cleveland Browns. This was a week before their overtime loss to Denver.

As the Broncos prepared to take on New England in the divisional round, I thought to myself, “If Tebow can go into Foxboro and pull out a victory over Brady and the Pats, I will be a believer.” As a New Yorker — and a fan of the New York Jets, God help me — I was actually rooting for the Tebows. But a miniscule part of me was hoping for New England to crush all the hopes and dreams of Tebow Nation.

A small part of me wished, for once, the victim of Tom Brady’s all-time arm would not be a team I supported, but a team I despised.

Not only did Brady do his part in this fantasy, but Tebow was inept against the last ranked defense in the NFL. He threw for only 126 yards, took five sacks and completed 34 percent of his 22 pass attempts.

If any other quarterback in the NFL completed 34 percent of their passes in a playoff game, the legitimacy of the player would be strongly questioned.

Accordingly, we must do the same with Tebow. He was not an NFL quarterback against the Patriots and he is not an NFL quarterback moving forward.

My point is that America needs to relax their praise of Tebow and the sports media needs to diversify their coverage. Tim Tebow is a great story, but he isn’t the story.

He may be a great person off the field, but many other NFL players have proven to be the same.

Not only is the incessant coverage of Tebow unfair for those of us who refuse to buy into the ignorant worship of the guy, but it is unfair to Tebow himself. Tebow Nation expects far too much from a player who will never be able to deliver a championship.

It is a shame actually; I would root for the guy if the byproducts of his success weren’t so harmful to my enjoyment of sports. Now that the Broncos are out of the playoffs, I assume I can turn on the television expecting balanced coverage, sans the seven Tebow related stories.

But then CBS Sports tried to hire Tebow as a guest analyst for the remainder of the playoffs.

Good to know that Tebow has work when his football days come to an end. And based on his performance this season, that day may be coming very, very soon.

15

Men’s basketball breaks even

By Jeremy Karpf Staff Writer

Thus far under Coach John Becker, the Catamounts have looked strong, but inconsistent.

The team is 4-2 in America East after struggling in their nonconference schedule.

Overall, the team is 10-10, reaching .500 on Jan. 16.

First-year Four McGlynn has propelled the Cats earning America East Rookie of the Week honors on two occasions, the week of Dec. 19 and the week of Jan. 9. McGylnn has averaged 11.3 points per game to lead all Catamount scorers as sixth man.

Early season struggles including a five-game losing streak have tested the Cats’ abilities as a team, but in league play the team has taken care of business. Vermont took advantage of matchups with Towson and Farleigh Dickenson, winning both matchups handily on the road before dropping their final game of 2011 at home to Northeastern 53-51.

Vermont opened the new year and conference play on Jan. 2 at Stony Brook where they lost 65-59. Sophomore Luke Apfeld led Catamount scorers with 18.

“We did a great job battling back and getting into the game and got up by two, but it was a combination of missing some shots and Stony Brook playing well and executing down the stretch,” said Coach Becker. “We just couldn’t find the basket and get enough stops…we need to do a better job as a team of staying with things, executing and not turning the ball over.”

JONATHAN POLSON The Vermont Cynic

Brian Voelkel dishes off a pass in a Dec. 1 loss to Harvard The Cats bounced back three days later downing Boston University 83-69 at home in Patrick Gym. McGylnn put in 20 points and senior Matt Glass added 19 as Vermont cruised to a win in their conference home opener. “We beat a good Boston University team at home tonight and I want to thank the crowd,” Coach Becker said. “I thought they were great, really into the game and that gave us a boost.

We will take this and we have to build off of it.”

Vermont followed that up with consecutive wins during the next week topping Hartford 72-59 in Hartford and beating Binghamton 7353 in Burlington. Against Binghamton, sophomore Clancy Rugg scored a career–high 18 in only 19 minutes of play. The Cats shot 52.8 from the field and led start to finish leaving Coach Becker spouting praise for his squad. “I am really happy with that win, another

great team effort. It was fun out there watching the Clancy Rugg show, which was great to see and I am very happy for Clancy. I thought we were good defensively in the first half and got out and ran a little bit and got some easy buckets” Coming off of their threegame winning streak, Vermont struggled against New Hampshire in Durham. New Hampshire hit 10 3-pointers in the win while Vermont shot only 28.6 percent in the second half.

On a Martin Luther King Day matchup, the Cats rebounded with a 79-65 win over Maine.

The win evened up their record, while improving their dominant in-league play.

“Great win tonight for us against a very talented Maine team,” Coach Becker said. “I am proud of the guys, we got contributions from everyone.”

16 THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2011

S P O RT S

JONATHAN POLSON The Vermont Cynic

Goaltender Rob Madore fends off a UMass puck during an overtime thriller at Fenway Park. The Catamounts lost 3-2, sinking them to last place in Hockey East.

Trouble with the Green Monster Frozen Fenway highlights season woes for men’s hockey

By Diana Giunta Senior Staff Writer

THIS WEEK

The difficulties of the season did not cease for the men’s hockey team over the winter academic break. The team was able to come up with two wins in eight games over the break and their record ended at 5-16-1 overall.

Games played over the break consisted of St. Lawrence, an exhibition game against the Russian Red Stars, the Catamount Cup tournament, Maine, UMass Amherst at Fenway Park, UMassLowell, and Providence.

The team’s first break victory came against Ferris State during the annual Catamount Cup, a holiday tournament the Catamounts host at Gutterson.

Though Vermont didn’t win the tournament, the team did snap a previous five-game losing streak with the win.

“I think that was our first real 60-minute effort of solid competition and I’m very happy for the guys that they got rewarded for it,” Vermont head coach Kevin Sneddon said.

Any momentum gained from the Catamount Cup win was short-lived though, as the Catamounts lost to Maine 3-1 in their next contest.

Though Vermont lost the game, Sneddon was pleased with the team’s performance, especially considering the injuries the team is facing.

The injury list includes

JONATHAN POLSON The Vermont Cynic

Starting senior goalie Rob Madore looks up to a crowd of over 38,000 after the UVM loss with 22.3 seconds left in overtime on Saturday Dec. 7 at Fenway Park. sophomore Connor Brickley, who was injured playing for the US in the World Junior Championships and will be out indefinitely.

“I couldn’t be any more proud of our team right now;w I thought it was like a playoff game with kids blocking shots left and right for both teams, finishing checks, doing all the little things,” Sneddon said. “We’re a team that’s pretty depleted right now in terms of six or seven different players being out of the line up and we had guys step up and play some key minutes for us.”

It was then that the team

Thursday 1/19 Women’s basketball @ Albany Albany, NY @ 7 p.m.

travelled to Boston to participate in Frozen Fenway against UMassAmherst.

“I’m proud of the way our guys represented our instituion here in Boston this weekend” Kevin Sneddon Vermont head coach The

injury-plagued

Catamounts held their own, scoring first and then tying the game after Umass went ahead with a 2-1 lead.

When the game went into overtime the stalemate continued until there were just 22 seconds left in the game. It was then that UMass’s Michael Marcou netted a power-play goal to lift the Minutemen over the Catamounts for a final score of 3-2.

“I give our guys a lot of credit, everything we addressed in between periods they adapted to and executed in the game really well,” Sneddon said.“We

Friday Men’s basketball vs.

Albany Patrick Gym @ 7 p.m.

1/20 Track and Field vs.

Middlebury Burlington, VT 4 p.m.

had some great looks to win it, both in regulation on that five minute power play, and certainly in overtime. I told the guys, it’s a game of inches and it was a hard-fought game both ways.

I’m proud of the way our guys represented our institution here in Boston this weekend.”

Following the heart-breaking loss, the Catamounts skated to their second victory of the break six days later, this time against UMass-Lowell.

The Catamounts defeated Lowell 3-2 at Gutterson, after they trailed the River Hawks 2-0 going into the third period.

First-year Colin Markison and junior Sebastian Stalberg scored within seconds of each other in the third period against Lowell to tie the game before graduate student Brett Bruneteau notched the game-winner in overtime.

“That third period might have been the best period I’ve seen our guys play all year,” Sneddon said.

“We were first to pucks and we finished every check. I’m hoping this is a learning game for us that if we play that way all the time we’ll be a pretty good hockey team.”

Vermont fell to Providence 5-2 in the following game on Jan 15, wrapping up the academic break.

Next up is a rematch against Frozen Fenway opponent UMass-Amherst, this time at UMass on Jan. 20.

Saturday 1/21 Men’s ice hockey @ UMass Amherst Amherst, MA @ 7 p.m.

Women’s ice hockey @ Boston University Boston, MA @ 3 p.m.