The Vermont Cynic

03/20/2023

As midterms hit and workloads ramped up the week before spring break, UVM students found themselves deprived of their favorite stimulant.

UVM was informed that Guayakí, one of the main retailers of yerba mate, sold their distribution rights to another company and would stop delivering the drink Feb. 24, according to a flier posted on an empty Guayakí fridge in the Davis Center’s Marketplace.

As midterms hit and workloads ramped up the week before spring break, UVM students found themselves deprived of their favorite stimulant. UVM was informed that Guayakí, one of the main retailers of yerba mate, sold their distribution rights to another company and would stop delivering the drink

03/10/2023

At the end of the fall semester, we said goodbye to some of our editors. Some went abroad, and some graduated. We are pleased to welcome five new, and very talented, individuals to our editorial board.

🗞️ Andrew Gould, News Editor
🗞️ Kira Schaefer, Podcasts Editor
🗞️ Molly Parker, Illustrations Editor
🗞️ Maxine Thornton, Features Editor
🗞️ Mary Kueser, Opinion Editor

Interested in learning more about our staff? Check out our staff page to read their bios or get in contact with them.

https://vtcynic.com/staff-page/

03/09/2023

I have always struggled with my sexuality, even when I was too young to truly understand it.

I have distinct memories from sixth grade of various people telling me I must be gay, or at least bisexual, just because of the way I acted or the clothes I wore.

https://vtcynic.com/opinion/sexuality-is-a-wide-spectrum-dont-feel-pressured-to-label-yourself/

03/09/2023

The legacy of BIPOC student unions on campus signifies the strength and presence of the BIPOC community at UVM.

For decades, unions such as the Black Student Union, Asian Student Union and Alianza de Latines have been able to establish a widespread presence on campus while simultaneously working to create a space of comfort for BIPOC students at UVM to feel seen and heard.

https://vtcynic.com/features/hed-bipoc-student-orgs-provide-community-for-students-on-campus/

03/08/2023

One of the cultural shifts first-year Cy Stavros had to adjust to when coming to UVM was the culture of door-holding that is central to life on campus.

“I never held the door in high school,” Stavros said. “People would mostly just mind their own business. But since coming to UVM, I have made an effort to keep the door open for anyone I can.”

https://vtcynic.com/topstories/exploring-door-holding-at-uvm/

03/08/2023

UVM’s Learning Communities provide a false idea of dormitory living and do not meet the expectations they claim to fulfill.

All the information I received about the Learning Communities as an incoming first-year was a few short paragraphs from Residential Life.

https://vtcynic.com/opinion/uvm-doesnt-need-learning-communities/

03/07/2023

It is undeniable that our campus has bizarre architecture and planning, from the peculiar conjoined nature of the Terrill building and the Davis Center to the out-of-the-way placement of Trinity campus.

While these decisions might be strange or inconvenient, they give our campus a unique look.

https://vtcynic.com/opinion/uvms-campus-is-weird-but-lovable/

03/06/2023

Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger opposes the measure to create a Community Control Board for police oversight that will appear on Town Meeting Day ballots, according to a Feb. 27 public safety newsletter from the mayor.

“I vetoed a proposal very similar to the current Control Board in late 2020,” Weinberger stated in the newsletter. “I still don’t think this is the right way to achieve police accountability.”

https://vtcynic.com/news/community-police-control-board-on-the-ballot-for-town-meeting-day/

03/06/2023

Patrick Leahy, former U.S. Senator from Vermont, was appointed as the president’s distinguished fellow at UVM, according to a March 2 press release.

In the new position, Leahy will participate in projects related to his work in the Senate and work as a guest lecturer and an adviser to students and faculty, according to the press release.

https://vtcynic.com/news/leahy-to-take-post-at-uvm/

03/04/2023

A new semester is full of new things: classes, seasons, and of course, Cynic editors. While we miss those of us who graduated or moved abroad, the new crew is just as stylish. Here’s what the new—and one of the old—Cynic editors are wearing.

https://vtcynic.com/topstories/cynic-fit-check-what-the-new-editors-are-wearing/

03/04/2023

After a long Saturday of running multiple dress rehearsals, flying designers to Burlington, styling models and preparing the Grand Maple Ballroom, the night begins. Crowds from across UVM’s campus, the Burlington area and the entire state begin to pour into the Davis Center for the culmination of the Black Student Union’s Black History Month festivities: the BSU Fashion Show.

Since its inception in the late-2000s, BSU has hosted its Fashion Show at the end of every February and eventually established the Davis Center’s Grand Maple Ballroom as its regular location. This year’s show, held Feb. 25, featured seven scenes, five designers, two musical performances and two dance performances.

https://vtcynic.com/topstories/living-in-color-uvms-black-student-union-takes-to-the-runway/

03/04/2023

In the past few decades, the movement for q***r rights has made undeniable progress, according to a Jan. 11, 2021 American Bar Association article. Societal acceptance and institutional protections have made it possible for many q***r people to be themselves and live without fear.

Still, there is work to be done. Transphobic rhetoric is altogether too common and is not just contained to conspiracy theories by fringe right-wing personalities, according to an April 21, 2022 Vox article, but is also used by well-known celebrities such as J.K. Rowling, as detailed in a Feb, 16 article by The Cut.

https://vtcynic.com/opinion/the-harmful-myths-around-transitioning/

03/04/2023

If you ever find yourself in a music rut, know that you can find some excellent suggestions in the digital pages of the Cynic. Here are the culture staff’s recommendations for tunes to turn up to.

https://vtcynic.com/culture/culture-staff-recommends-favorite-albums/

03/03/2023

Two candidates debated Feb. 23 at the Davis Center in the race to represent student-populated Ward 8 in Burlington’s City Council.

Democrat Hannah King ‘22 and Progressive Rhone Allison, a junior, participated in Thursday’s debate ahead of the annual city election March 7. Topics of debate included housing and labor.

https://vtcynic.com/news/allison-king-debate-for-ward-8-council-seat/

03/03/2023

The Burlington City Council tabled UVM’s zoning proposal for more developments on Trinity campus, according to a Feb. 21 VTDigger article.

The zoning plan would allow the University to build denser on-campus housing up to 80 feet tall, according to the plan. The council is concerned that more student housing would lead to more student enrollment and exacerbate Burlington’s housing crisis, according to the article.

https://vtcynic.com/news/city-council-cites-enrollment-housing-concerns-in-tabling-trinity-rezoning/

03/03/2023

Students walk the runway at the Black Student Union’s fashion show “Living in Color” in the Grand Maple Ballroom Feb. 25. The name is reflective of Black artists in the fashion industry as well as the active experience of being a person of color.

This week's photo of the week is by Emily Kobus!

https://vtcynic.com/weeklyfeaturedmedia/photo-of-the-week/photo-of-the-week-50/

03/02/2023

Only about a quarter of UVM students are actually from Vermont, according to UVM’s Student Enrollment Dashboard.

Vermont produces the largest chunk of the undergraduate class. Outside of Vermont, almost 45% of students are from one of four states: Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut or New Jersey.

https://vtcynic.com/opinion/carpooling-for-the-planet-and-the-people/

03/02/2023

A bill in the Vermont House of Representatives would force UVM to cap student enrollment at current levels until Burlington’s rental vacancy reaches 5%, said Troy Headrick, state representative for the Chittenden-15 District, in a Feb. 14 SGA meeting.

The bill, titled H.311, would address the housing crisis while ensuring UVM isn’t able to use the opportunity to increase enrollment, Headrick said.

https://vtcynic.com/news/house-bill-intended-to-ease-housing-crisis-would-limit-university-enrollment/