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(03/24/16 3:01am)
On Friday, March 18, Lynn Boggs resigned from her position as CEO of Porter Hospital in Middlebury. After just eight months on the job, Boggs will be replaced by Fred Kniffin, whom the board of directors has chosen to serve as Acting President and CEO.
“Thank you for the opportunity to serve as President and CEO of this great institution,” Boggs said in a press release at her resignation. “I wish the Porter community well as they contin- ue the important work of providing exceptional patient-centered care in our community.”
Maureen McLaughlin, the chair of the board of directors, thanked Boggs for her leadership in a press release.
“Lynn has led the organization at a time of great change for small community hospitals like Porter,” McLaughlin said. “We appreciate her dedication and commitment to the organization.”
Boggs’ resignation comes during a difficult time for the organization. Porter
Hospital, Porter Health Care and Rehabilitation Center and 12 physicians practices have collectively lost 1.6 million dollars in the previous fiscal year. In all, the organization has lost 12 million dollars since 2012.
Earlier in February, the hospital also laid off eight nurses in an effort to balance its budget, in addition to nine other employees. The nurses respond ed by posting a flyer at a Middlebury town hall meeting accusing the hospital of sacrificing patient care to budgetary concerns.
n an interview with Vermont Public Radio (VPR), the President of the Porter Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, Alice Leo, said that the firings were misguided.
“I think the focus was in the wrong place. Taking away nurses that do the hands-on care probably isn’t the best place to do cutbacks.”
Ron Hallman, the Porter Medical Center Vice President for development and public relations, defended the cuts.
“[Porter staff] is a team that is comprised of nurses and physicians and medical assistants and therapists, and I think we allowed our team to get a little too much of one type of provider. The losses were unsustainable. Our clinical leaders in our practices did assess the team according to various standards, or benchmarks around the country, and have recalibrated each practice according to those benchmarks.”
“The analogy is, it’s like you inherited a baseball team with nine pitchers. And you realize you need four infielders and three outfielders, and you need a catcher. It doesn’t mean you don’t like your pitchers,”
added Hallman.
Leo countered that the cuts would reduce the quality of patient care.
“We belive that our community shouldn’t have to drive to Burlington for their care, and that they should be able to receive high-quality care in Addison County. And having a registered nurse is really necessary for quality care.”
She was also critical of the way in which the management at Porter handled the cuts, which she belived was in an opaque way.
“No one asked us,” Leo said. Dr. Jean Anderson Swayze, a partner at Middlebury Family Health and an affiliated member of the medical staff at Porter Hospital, agreed that communication between the staff and the management at Porter was poor.
“With no sense of partnership or collaboration, there have been a wave of providers who have either left or tendered their resignations in the past six
months,” Swayze said. “I believe there have been seven. And the more concerning thing is that I know of other providers who are thinking about leaving.”
Budget issues are not unique to Porter Hospital, as many rural hospitals in Vermont have been plagued by budget issues in recent years. Roughly a third of all rural hospitals in the nation run at a deficit.
One federal program, known as the 340b Drug Pricing Program, allows small hospitals to purchase prescription drugs at a discounted price. Hallman said that the program, which is part of a broader strategy at cutting costs at Porter, is critical in keeping the organization afloat.
“We have a short-term one-year plan,” Hallmann said, “that involves a number of steps. The first is to integrate all of our overhead departments, which we’ve done ... We’ve improved our supply chain by some group purchasing arrangements ... We’ve also included, on the revenue side, a brand new infusion center, which is providing necessary services here in our community to folks who would otherwise have to drive to Burlington or Rutland for infusion care, as well as some cardiology services.”
However, many health care professionals are unsure whether these structural changes will be enough.
“The root of [the problem],” Swayze explained, “is that primary care is underfunded and under-appreciated, and in this current health care world, the bigger you are the more health care dollars you bring in.” Ultimately, Swayze argued that a radical change in the way health care is provided would allow smaller hospitals like Porter to remain open.
“We need a new system that values primary care, where there is complete transparency and pay parity,” Swayze insisted. “Not one that burns millions of dollars in creating a new health care bureaucracy.”
Without serious reform, Swayze claimed, small hospitals like Porter might continue to hemorrhage money and unfairly lay off health care providers. Yet for the employees at Porter that already lost their jobs, these changes come too little, too late.
(03/17/16 1:30am)
Super Tuesday is called “super” for a reason. Out of all the primaries, March 1 alone awards candidates on the Democratic side a total of 862 delegates, the largest chunk given in one day. Winning a majority on Super Tuesday is therefore a strong indicator of a candidate’s chance of nomination. Bernie Sanders, longtime senator of Vermont, suffered heavy hits on March 1 when he won only four of 11 states. After this loss, it is fair to ask: Are Americans still feeling the Bern?
Let us do some delegate math. The modest lead Hillary Clinton had before Tuesday, a mere 61 delegates, grew to a total of 233 following the big day. In a race where all delegates are given on a proportional basis – the Republican race is the only one with winner-takes-all states – the growing gap might become unsurmountable if the trend continues.
Adding to this worry is the superdelegate format the Democrats have. Superdelegates are differentiated from normal delegates by their ability to freely choose who to vote for prior to the nomination, alongside the added liberty of being able to change their minds.
This serves as a double-edged sword for Sanders, who could recapture some of the 465 superdelegates currently pledged to Clinton, or lose them entirely, which sets the true delegate gap after Super Tuesday at 673. From a mathematical perspective, March 1 was not a good day for Sanders.
However, in the aftermath of Super Tuesday, Sanders’ Campaign Manager Jeff Weaver remained optimistic about the future of the campaign.
“We have a winning hand in this game, and… [are] going to continue to play it for a while,” Weaver said. To him, the fact that Clinton’s lead increased was not as important as Sanders’ victories; Sanders was able to win almost all five of the states he originally set out to win. Sanders only lost Massachusetts, by a very close margin.
In Vermont, where Sanders won all the delegates up for grabs on March 1st, residents are enthusiastic and proud of having their senator compete on the national stage.
Miguel Fernandez, the Chief Diversity Officer at the College and a proud Vermonter, is not surprised that Bernie is shaking up the political campaign. In an interview conducted following Super Tuesday, he explained that Sanders’ appeal stems from his character.
“He’s very genuine, he’s himself, [and] he speaks it how it is. There’s no BS with Bernie,” Fernandez said.
Even in Washington, President Obama commented on the authenticity of Sanders’ message. Obama described Sanders as someone with “the virtue of saying exactly what he believes ... with great passion ... and fearless[ness].”
Will Sanders’ campaign succeed in the near future? It isn’t guaranteed, but it is also not impossible. Currently, the campaign is riding a wave of momentum following a major upset in Michigan six days ago.
As Fernandez noted towards the end of the interview: “Everybody wrote Bernie off before things even started … and then he started to win.”
Ultimately, the 74-year-old senator from Vermont has captured the imagination of thousands, brought out younger voters in drones to election, and still has a chance of possibly pulling off a historical upset in the ongoing nomination.
(03/17/16 1:26am)
Last Wednesday, March 9, Governor Shumlin visited North Bennington to hold a town hall style meeting with residents and discuss the ongoing water contamination crisis. Shumlin announced that water in the Bennington area had been contaminated by a carcinogen known as perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, and assured residents that his administration would make fighting the contamination a top priority.
“We are not going to desert you,” Shumlin told the concerned onlookers. “We’re going to make sure that we not only get through the short-term challenges figuring out how we get clean water to folks on a permanent basis, not just the stuff for trucking in, then figure out how we hold whoever did this accountable.”
The spill can be traced back to a Chemfab factory, which was acquired by Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics in 2000, and shut down just two years later. Saint Gobain is currently embroiled in a similar PFOA contamination crisis in Hoosick Falls, New York, for which it has been fighting a class-action lawsuit since September of 2015. The lawsuit, spearheaded by the law firm Weitz & Luxenberg, will now include evidence from North Bennington.
In the past, PFOA had a variety of commercial uses, but was phased out by the Environmental Protection Agency due to its carcinogenic qualities. At the Chemfab factory in North Bennington, it was used to apply protective coatings onto fabric.
Saint-Gobain released the following statement following the PFOA incident: “We understand that tests commissioned by the Department of Environmental Conservation showed no detection of PFOA in the public water system for Bennington. The tests did reveal elevated levels in three private wells, as well as two commercial sites. Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics has contacted state and local officials, and has offered to fund the provisioning of bottled water and point-of-use filtration systems for these locations, and others that might be affected. We will cooperate with all local, state and federal officials as they investigate and manage this issue.”
A spokeswoman for Saint-Gobain said that the company followed strict environmental protocols during its two years of operation in North Bennington. Officials at both the Department for Environmental Conservation and at the Governor’s Office will focus on testing wells in the surrounding mile and a half diameter.
Chuck Schwer, the Director of the Vermont DEC’s waste management and prevention division, explained that this 1.5 mile diameter was an “educated guess.”
“We aren’t sure exactly of how the chemical was released into the environment,” Schwer explained, “Was it an airbourne-type problem, or was it a release at the factory that just got into groundwater? Looking at the topography, understanding a little bit the properties of the chemical, we developed the mile and a half.”
Getting the results from these tests can take weeks, and it is still unclear as to the full extent of the contamination. Schwer urged residents to reach out to the division if they owned a private well in the area.
“The first step is figuring out exactly how widespread the problem is,” Taylor Dobbs, a reporter for VPR, said in an interview. “Once they know that, then they know ... where to target their efforts and who they really need to help.”
One resident living near the plant, Jim Goodine, argued that the smell radiating from it had been a problem since the mid-1970s. Although he had complained to the company that the smell was so bad at times he could not leave his house, his complaints led nowhere.
“You know, I’m a carpenter,” said Goodine in an interview with VPR. “And these were big guys, industrialists with factories in different places, and they show up in Brooks Brother suits, and you feel intimidated by people like that.”
“In hindsight I’m kicking myself as hard as I can ... I feel partly responsible that I didn’t go to the state and say, ‘You have to do something here. You have to find out what’s going on.’”
In an effort to better educate the public about the developing situation, both the Vermont Department of Health and the Department for Environmental Conservation (DEC) have launched websites on the situation in North Bennington. Bennington College also recieved a grant from the National Science Foundation Rapid Response to conduct original research on PFOA, and will offer a six-week course on water contamination and how to manage it in the spring and fall. The class will examine the PFOA molecule chemically and how this chemical might move through soil and groundwater.
“We’re going to have to learn something about how [PFOA] becomes introduced to the groundwater and how it migrates through the groundwater, and how you ultimately wind up getting it out and restoring the safe water supply,” said Tim Schroeder, a professor of earth science at Bennington College.
Still, for residents in the North Bennington area, the PFOA crisis is an immediate one. Many residents are still in limbo, awaiting the results of a week-long test for the carcinogen in their private wells. In the meantime, Saint-Gobain has offered to pay for their bottled water.
(03/10/16 3:57am)
The Vermont Department of Public Service (VDPS) has come under intense scrutiny this week for omitting criticisms from an internal report assessing its accountability to the public. In a letter to the Department, lawyer James Dumont argued that VDPS independence is compromised by the influence of the governor, who appoints the director of the organization and retains undue influence over decision making at the Department. Although VDPS Public Service Commissioner Chris Recchia told the Senate Finance Committee that an appendix to the report included all commentary, which was also available online, Dumont’s criticism was left out.
“A lawyer must, under our code of ethics, represent the wishes of the client,” Dumont wrote in a retainer. “I believe it is high time for the legislature to re-examine whether ratepayer advocacy should be directed by a person who is appointed by the governor, serves at the pleasure of the governor and ... in some major cases has been ordered or strongly urged to make decisions based on the wishes of the governor without regard to the expertise and opinions of the professional staff and lawyers within the Department.”
The report, eventually issued on Feb. 22, did not include this suggestion, instead stating that “... there is no indication that the current structure of the Department creates any real or inherent conflicts of interest.”
In June of 2015, Governor Shumlin signed an act of the Vermont State Legislature mandating VDPS to “... evaluate the pros and cons of various forms of ratepayer advocate offices,” and to develop “any recommendations on how to improve the structure and effectiveness of the Division for Public Advocacy (DPA) within the Department of Public Service.”
In theory, the DPA is responsible for ensuring that ratepayers in Vermont, no matter what utility they pay for, are protected from exploitative price hikes or unfair rate changes, and is generally intended to advocate on behalf of consumers. Because a limited number of utility companies are able to operate in Vermont, the VDPS is meant to simulate competition and regulate the non-competitive market.
The VDPS is part of the executive branch, and is run by a commissioner appointed by the governor. Critics like Dumont assert that placing ratepayer advocacy under the umbrella of an appointed office rather than one chosen by ratepayers compromises the independence of the office.
Supporters of this structure say it is economical and better meets the needs of the public. In a press statement, Recchia claimed that her staff mistook Dumont’s letter for personal comments that he did not wish to be used in the VDPS audit.
“My staff just misinterpreted Mr. Dumont’s request in his letter about providing formal comments,” said Recchia, “and they thought that he did not wish to include those.”
“Obviously, after [hearing about this] yesterday, he did want them included and we have posted those since then on the website,” she continued. “But that was entirely a staff interpretation decision based on their conversations with him. And I respect the fact that, checking it out today, that’s what they told me.”
However, Dumont is not alone in his opposition to the current VDPS structure. During the audit process, AARP Vermont Advocacy Director
Philene Taormina pointed out that the VDPS structure is unique to Vermont.
“One week the public advocate is fighting with the company to make a large expansion in a pipeline or a big renewable project and ... then the next week they take off that hat and all of sudden they represent ratepayers ...”
On Feb. 24, Dumont also told the Senate Finance Committee that his letter points to a set of larger issues at the Department.
“In my letter, I specifically raised this very issue, which is the Department staff and the public advocate are not being listened to because the decisions are being made from the top down instead of from the bottom up.”
Carl Scott, who retired from Green Mountain Power in 2014 after years of dealing with the state’s regulatory system, also testified Thursday.
“The department is designed by statute to be the competition ... for the regulated monopoly. Good competition yields razor-thin margins while producing a superior quality product,” he said. However, there are doubts by many that the VDPS is doing this job efficiently, in- stead kowtowing to corporate interests at the expense of the taxpayer.
Vermont is among the states with the highest cost of electricity in the country, at 11th most expensive. It is also different from all the others in New England: utilities are not able to sell cash credits for their renewable power into a regional marketplace.
Vermont has, on average, earned $50 million per year from this program, which was used to hold down rates. Normally guarded by a Public Advocate, these could jump as much as six percent in Vermont next year.
The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), one of the loudest voices in the PR battle, released a stinging rebuke of the VDPS following revelations that evidence was discluded from its audit.
“The Public Advocate and its division are comprised of attorneys who, by statute 2 and ethical codes, are required to act on the behalf of their client, the Commissioner of the Department of Public Service, not ratepayers,” reads the executive summary of the critique. “Thus, the office of the Public Advocate is, unfortunately, a misnomer since he or she does not represent ratepayers by statutory definition, but instead, represents the commissioner – who, in turn, reports to the governor.”
(03/03/16 4:32am)
On March 1, voters across the nation participated in the largest single-day delegate bloc of the 2016 presidential primaries, known as Super Tuesday. Although Bernie Sanders won his home state of Vermont in a landslide over challenger Hillary Clinton, he struggled to win delegates nationally. Sanders lost badly in Tennessee, Alabama and Texas but had stronger strong showings in more liberal states like Colorado and Minnesota.
On the Republican ticket, Donald Trump dominanted primaries across the board, losing only Texas and Oklahoma to Ted Cruz and Minnesota to Marco Rubio. In Vermont, Trump split delegates with John Kasich, and won most delegates in Massachusetts.
The 2016 Super Tuesday electorate was the most diverse ever, and could be an accurate barometer for similar demographics nationally. Clinton picked up the vast majority of black and latino votes in the SEC states, as the region is known because of the NCAA conference. Nationally, this demographic trend could spell trouble for the Sanders campaign, who was only able to capture victories in a few northern states Tuesday.
In fact, Sanders’ losses on Tuesday came on the heels of a big Clinton victory in South Carolina, where she won nearly three-quarters of the popular vote. In South Carolina, Clinton was also propelled to victory by the black vote, which she won by a 5-to-1 ratio according to exit polls.
Still, Bernie Sanders has vowed to fight on. In his victory speech in Vermont, Sanders explained that the objective of the campaign was not just to elect him into office, but to start a ‘political revolution.’
“This campaign is not about just electing the president,” Sanders said, “it is about transforming America. It is about making our great nation the country that we know it has to be.”
Sanders mostly kept his speech light, referring to the attendees as ‘friends’ that he was glad to see, singing folk music onstage with other event guests, and voicing his appreciation for the strong show of support in his home state. However, he also took the opportunity to explain that America needed to do some serious self-reflection, an opaque reference to the bigoted rhetoric coming from GOP frontrunner Donald Trump.
“[My campaign] is about dealing with some unpleasant truths in this country,” said Sanders at the rally, “and having the guts to confront those issues.”
Sanders spent the day on Tuesday in Burlington, where he cast a ballot for himself. Sanders’ relationship with the Vermont capital stretches back over three decades. From 1981 to 1989 he served as Burlington’s mayor, and he kicked off his campaign on the Burlington waterfront in May of last year.
Another candidate that has spent a lot of time in Vermont is John Kasich. He came in second in New Hampshire to Donald Trump, albeit by 20 percentage points. Right next door, Vermont may be have been his best chance of winning a state so far.
“I love Vermont,” Kasich said at a rally in Colchester last month. “I get the sense of rugged independence, but not removed from being connected to your neighbor.”
Despite his campaigning here, a Kasich victory barely puts the governor on the political radar. Although politicians like Kasich might not like it, after Super Tuesday the country must begin to grapple with the prospect of a Trump candidacy and what that means for the nation.
Hillary Clinton was particularly incisive in her criticism of Trump following his string of victories Tuesday. In a victory speech in Florida, Clinton said that the Republican campaign was dividing the country instead of bringing Americans together.
“Instead of building walls, we’re going to break down barriers and build ladders of opportunity and empowerment so that every American can live up to his or her potential because then and only then can America live up to its full potential too,” Clinton said during the speech in Florida. “The rhetoric we’re hearing on the other side has never been lower. Trying to divide american between us and them is wrong and we’re not going to let it work.”
(02/25/16 3:19am)
Bernie Sanders enjoys more popular support in Vermont than any other state in the nation. Yet even here, Sanders faces an uphill climb for the Democratic nomination. The reason: superdelegates.
As Ben Kamisar explains in the Hill, superdelegates are “state party insiders given the freedom to support any candidate they choose.”
Nationally, they are choosing Clinton over Sanders in large margins. Currently, Sanders has won the support of only 19 party-loyalists, to Clinton’s 451. Even in Vermont, of the nine superdelegates voting on Super Tuesday (March 1), four have pledged to support Hillary Clinton and three are undecided. Only two have pledged to support Sanders – including himself.
Superdelegates hurt Sanders badly in New Hampshire. Although he trounced Clinton in the state primary, winning 15 delegates to her nine, Clinton had already secured the votes of six party-loyalists, which put her at a virtual tie with Sanders.
On Super Tuesday, the Clinton campaign hopes to use superdelegate support to pull away entirely. The superdelegate system, which The Guardian has described as a ‘ticking time-bomb’ for the Democratic Primary, were first established in 1984 by Democratic party leaders. They were designed in order to to prevent the most ideologically polarizing members of the party, who could not win in a general election, from getting nominated. They were a response to the Presidential Election of 1972, when George McGovern was trounced by Richard Nixon. McGovern was beaten in every state in the nation except for Massachusetts, and won only 37 percent of the popular vote.
In the 2016 race, superdelegates are choosing Clinton over Sanders for the same reason. “I told her if she decided to run I would support her and would be willing to do whatever she likes,” said Senator Leahy (D) of Vermont. “I’ve made no secret of that ever since then.”
Sanders has been fighting to keep the momentum moving forward. In an interview on Face the Nation last week, Sanders explained that he hoped to woo fellow superdelegates in the coming week.
“If we continue to do well around the country and if superdelegates—whose main interest in life is to make sure that we do not have a Republican in the White House—if they understand that I am the candidate...best suited to defeat the Republican nominee, I think they will start coming over to us,” Sanders said on the program.
Indeed, this is the cornerstone of the entire Sanders campaign: win early, and win big. Unlike normal delegates, superdelegates are unbound to the most popular candidates in their state, which could allow Sanders to take a larger piece of the pie even in states he does not win. The 2008 Obama campaign rode similar momentum to victory, and began at a comparable superdelegate deficit to Sanders.
On Reddit and other news forums, a grassroots effort is underway to change the superdelegate system entirely. One petition on MoveOn.org, stating “The race for the Democratic Party nomination should be decided by who gets the most votes, and not who has the most support from party insiders,” has already gathered 175,000 signatures.
(02/24/16 8:57pm)
We are writing directly in response to the op-ed from the last issue, “I’m Only Human.” The op-ed has upset a lot of people and has hurt a lot more. As demonstrated by the polarized comment section online, it unfortunately represents the views of a sizable portion of the student body. And while censoring their views would not be productive, we must explain why they are misguided.
Cultural appropriation and microaggressions may appear trivial compared to the experiences of people like Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and Sandra Bland. At Middlebury, people of color are not getting shot. But racism on this campus is very real.
Middlebury College, despite the wonderful education it provides, can be a painful and isolating place for many black students.
“You’re kinda an Oreo. Black on the outside and white on the inside!”
“I don’t really see you as a black person.”
These comments can shape how students of color perceive themselves at Middlebury. We might feel weak or inferior when people use the n word; as “ghetto” when people appropriate the ghetto; or as unintelligent when people joke about the way we speak.
True, a white student saying the n-word is not an international crisis like Syria or Boko Haram, which the author cited as “more important things to worry about.” But the accumulation of microaggressions is a macroaggression. They shape how minorities are treated in the real world. Seeing black people as “aggressive” can trigger police brutality, and seeing them as “stupid” could inhibit their ability to get hired. This prejudice is just the top layer of a worldview that systematically exploits people of color, and a litany of others, so it is crucial that we challenge it here at Middlebury.
In an effort to ignore this reality, some advocate a form of perverted humanism – the idea that we can all get along with each other on the understanding that we are all human beings, not as “black, white, gay or straight.” Some may think, “We all are human, and ought not worry about differences like gender, sexuality or race. Progress is sloppy, and we shouldn’t be monitoring our own speech or behavior. Make mistakes, think big and don’t take anything personally!”
This is callous. Like it or not, we do not live in a post-racial society. Even children, from a very early age, begin distinguishing between different races. We should acknowledge the reality we live in, instead of inventing another, even if it does make life more complicated.
And one final point: As students, we are not as removed from the real world as we would like to think. When we leave Middlebury we will become law-enforcement, teachers and parents. At that time, the argument over ‘micro’ or ‘macro’ issues parodies itself: Inequality is inequality, and prejudice is prejudice. And respecting the dignity of all people should not be a chore.
Harry Cramer ’16.5 is a Local Editor from Wellesley, MA and Kahari Blue ’19 is from New Haven, CT.
(02/18/16 3:47am)
The unexpected death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has infused the Democratic and Republican primaries with new drama. Last Friday, Feb. 12, Scalia was found dead of natural causes at a luxury resort in West Texas. He
was 79 years old.
Both Vermont Senators Bernie Sanders (I) and Patrick Leahy (D) offered Scalia and his family their condolences on Friday, describing Scalia as a “brilliant” and “colorful” judge.
Sanders issued the following statement: “While I differed with Justice Scalia’s views and jurisprudence, he was a brilliant, colorful and outspoken member of the Supreme Court. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and his colleagues on the court who mourn his passing.”
The presidential hopeful initially kept a low profile during the political malestrom, hoping to insulate the political momentum generated by his victory in New Hampshire.
However, at a Democratic dinner last Saturday, he criticized Republicans for their obstructionism.
“It appears that some of my Republican colleagues in the Senate have a very interesting view of the Constitution of the United States,” Sanders said. “Apparently they believe that the Constitution does not allow a Democratic president to bring forth a nominee to replace Justice Scalia. I strongly disagree with that.”
Following Scalia’s death, Democrats have argued that it is incumbent upon the Legislature to approve a new judge as quickly as possible, and by delaying an appointment they abdicate their duty as elected officials.
Senator Patrick Leahy (D) of Vermont has been at the forefront of this political battle.
“The Supreme Court of the United States is too important to our democracy for it to be understaffed for partisan reasons,” read his statement in response to Scalia’s death. “It is only February. The President and the Senate should get to work without delay to nominate, consider and confirm the next justice to serve on the Supreme Court.”
Republicans on the other hand, have urged President Obama to refrain from appointing a new Justice. They argue that the decision should be left to the next President, who will better represent the desires of the American people.
On Fox News Sunday, Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R) explained that the
Senate is not obligated to approve an Obama appointment. Although he acknowledged that Obama can constitutionally nominate a new justice, he still must seek Senate approval.
“The Senate has no obligation to shift this court for the next 30 years radically to the left in the last year of the Obama presidency,” said Gingrich.
The GOP holds a majority in the Senate and could block an Obama nomination. Historically, the rejection of a Supreme Court nominee is rare – but not unprecedented. The last time a justice was rejected was in 1987, when Senate Democrats rejected Reagan’s nominee Robert H. Bork.
At the moment, it is unclear whether Obama will nominate a more moderate judge likely to survive a partisan showdown, or whether he will opt to select a more liberal justice.
Sri Srinivasan, an Asian-American appointed previously to a post on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, reaches across the aisle, as does his colleague Merrick Garland.
However, should Obama choose to nominate a judge that the Senate then rejects, it is unclear whether Republicans could retain control of the Senate. Although Republicans currently have a slight majority in the Senate, 24 Republican seats are up for reelection in November.
Senator Leahy was skeptical of Republican maneuvering.
“If the Republican leadership refuses to even hold a hearing,” he said in an interview with CNN, “I think that is going to guarantee they’re going to lose control of the Senate.”
Without a ninth justice, the Supreme Court could arrive at 4-4 split decisions on a number of key issues. If this were to happen, the cases would be sent down to appelate courts for a ruling.
(01/28/16 3:49am)
Daily fantasy sports (DFS) players in Vermont may soon earn something they hadn’t bet on: a substantial fine. On Jan. 15, the Vermont Attorney General’s Office said that betting on DFS was illegal in Vermont.
Popularized on websites Draft Kings and FanDuel, players of DFS accumulate points based on the performances of real-life athletes. The games violate a Vermont antigambling statute prohibiting players from winning or losing money or other valuables “by play or hazard at any game.”
Also on Friday, State Senator Kevin Mullin (R) proposed bill S.223, which would provide a pathway to legalization of DFS in Vermont. The bill bars Vermonters under 18 years old from playing, increases fines to $1,000 for each violation. Additionally the bill bars the operators of the gambling sites from competition and requires the sites to undergo an independent audit every year. If the bill is passed, the new regulations will take effect on July 1.
The Vermont Attorney General’s Office opposed the bill.
“Our recommendation is that you not pass this particular piece of legislation,” said John Treadwell, Chief of the Criminal Division at the Attorney General’s office. Treadwell was open to discussing existing gambling restrictions, so long as no exceptions were made for one form of gambling over another.
“Our concern is what [the legislation] does is it takes one variety of illegal, for-profit gambling and makes it legal without any consideration for why this particular one is being chosen and others are not,” he explained at the meeting.
Nationally, DFS sites are ‘legal’ because of the Unlawful Internet Gam- bling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), passed in 2006. In it, the federal government defines DFS games as games of skill. They remain legal in 44 of 50 states.
However, this legislation has repeatedly come under fire at the state level. In Illinois, for example, the state Attorney General concluded that, “entering into daily fantasy sports sites is no different than wagering on the outcome of sporting events.”
Pro-DFS lobbyists and lawyers have waged an intense campaign to protect the federal interpretation, and have attacked such rulings as naiive and misinformed.
“These attorneys general, in our experience, don’t know anything about fantasy sports,” said Jeremy Kudon, a pro-DFS attorney. “They didn’t play fantasy sports. They don’t understand how it operates, and that’s critical.”
Pro-DFS proponents argue that the billion-dollar industry is legal because drafting players and setting lineups requires an intimate understanding of each sport.
“The crux of the game is building the best lineup that you can,” said Chris Grimm, a lobbyist for the Fantasy Sports Trade Association. “And the level of skill that goes into building the lineups is very high. You have to be incredibly knowledgeable about the game, about the matchups.”
In the future, similar lobbying will most likely be focused on states where the threshold for legal DFS is lowest.
“This is a battle that’s going to be won in 50 states,” said Paul Charchian, President of the pro-DFS Fantasy Sports Trade Association during an interview with the Burlington Free Press. “It’s going to be 50 small battles, not one big battle.”
Yet, even current DFS players have begun to question the industry mantra. In an article for the New York Times Magazine,ex-player Jay Kang eviscerated DFS, explaining his sense of disillusionment after discovering the competitive disadvantage that he faced. Most successful players, Kang explained, use optimization software that allows them to edit thousands of lineups simultaneously.
“In the game lobbies of DraftKings and FanDuel,” he explains in the article, “sharks are free to flood the marketplace with thousands of entries every day, luring inexperienced, bad players into games in which they are at a sizable disadvantage.”
“The idea that these sites exist so that regular guys can make a lot of money playing daily fantasy sports is a lie,” said Gabriel Harber, a well known DFS podcaster and player, in the same article. “FanDuel and DraftKings are optimized for power players to rape and pillage regular players over and over again."
At the end of the piece,Kang emphasized that DFS are not inherently crooked.
“All that’s required,” wrote Kang, “is a transparent marketplace in which a player can reasonably expect to enter a head-to-head or 50-50 or even one of the big-money tournaments without going up against hundreds of lineups generated by professional gamblers who have been lying in wait for him.”
In Vermont, the debate between pro and anti-DFS advocates is inconsequential. Betting on either games of skill or chance has long been illegal. “Daily fantasy sports violate Vermont’s gambling laws,” said Treadwell, Chief of the Criminal Division at the Attorney General’s office. “Vermont has very strict long-standing limitations on gambling."
The state has not yet taken legal action against DFS fantasy companies.
(01/21/16 12:00am)
When we stopped Ansel to talk in Sandy’s Bakery in Rochester, a look of recognition came across his face. He knew us – or knew of Humans of Vermont, that is. “Wow, I love you guys,” he gushed. Somewhat taken aback by our first fan, we thanked him as we sat down in the adjacent red arm chairs. “We appreciate the support,” I said. “You know, I do too,” Ansel replied. He expanded on how the HoVT project has been meaningful to him by providing a more open outlook on the place that he lives.
He bubbled over with enthusiasm, gripping his coffee cup and smoothing out his skirt. Ansel is driven by social justice. “Queer and trans activism,” he said, “but I’ll talk to anybody and everybody about whatever their struggle is.” He said that there isn’t as much activism in Vermont as he would like, but that there are pockets of people he has found that feel passionately about various local causes. He speaks to farmworkers, finds peers at church, talks to friends of friends of those who are queer and of various backgrounds. “I know everybody, goddamnit,” he said. “I know everybody.”
As we both lean into the conversation, Ansel unfolds bits and pieces of his identity to us through the story of his coming out. “You have to come out as queer, you can’t just be queer one day. I was like, ‘Parents, I want to tell y’all something.’ And then I came downstairs in a skirt and said, ‘I feel like a girl!’ And they said, “You’re bi….sexual?” And I said ‘No, thank you!’” He laughed confidently, encouraging us to see humor in a difficult situation. Ansel provided various reading material for his parents. He explained that though he doesn’t mind which pronoun people use to describe him, it is necessary to talk these ideas through, given a gap of understanding.
“We were talking for a good year or so about my transition, and then we got down to it, and it was like, I’m queer, in all forms. Masculinity and femininity are interesting, but they are not the anchors that my parents were holding to. My parents and my relationship got strained, and so I moved out. It’s an ongoing thing … it’s awkward. Coming out is interesting.”
The buzz of the coffee maker and tea-table small talk filled a moment of silence. Through the process, Ansel has begun to learn what he needs. “Self-care,” he said. He’s currently at a mental health retreat, finding space, figuring a few things out. “I don’t know,” Ansel paused, “I need pizza. That’s what I need.”
“I think everyone needs pizza!” We laughed, reclining in our chairs. Ansel sipped the last bit of warmth from his cup. We thanked him for his willingness to share, and saw the space fill with openness and compassion. Thinking of how we had both thanked each other for the support, I realized that when you ask and share, you give to both yourself and the person cross-legged next to you; that when you’re willing to listen and learn, no matter the topic, there develops a space of receptivity that is sometimes difficult to find.
(01/20/16 11:57pm)
On January 7, Governor of Vermont Peter Shumlin delivered his sixth and final State of the State address, in which he reflected on his successes in office — and the challenges that lie ahead for Vermont. Shumlin has elected not to run in the upcoming gubernatorial election, ending his five year stretch as governor.
In the hourlong address, Shumlin maintained a proud and defiant tone.
“We started at the trough of the Great Recession, unsure whether we’d be able to build back,” he said. “Soon after, Irene struck. We were down and we got knocked down again. But we stood back up.”
In the beginning of his speech, Shumlin outlined what he saw as the most important goals for the state: a dynamic economy, an improved education system, a renewable energy policy, a reformed criminal justice system, and affordable and effective health care statewide.
Of these issues, Shumlin first addressed the economy. “We added 17,600 new jobs in the last five years,” he began, “and have grown per capita incomes at or above the national rate every year I have been Governor. That has never happened in Vermont’s history.”
Shumlin also described an “agricultural renaissance” that has accounted for 4,400 new jobs in Vermont.
“In the past two years,” he said, “I’ve had the privilege of moving the Best Cheese in America award from one Vermont farm to another Vermont farm. Take that Wisconsin.”
Shumlin warned, however, that without effective education reform, this economic recovery could be hindered.
The biggest problem for most employers, claimed Shumlin, was their inability to find “trained and educated workers to help them grow. They know that our success in moving more low-income Vermont kids beyond high school will determine their success.”
Accordingly, Shumlin’s new budget will include a grant of 250 dollars to every college-bound Vermonter, and 500 dollars for every low-income college-bound student.
The governor also announced a new education program, called Step Up, which will fund a semester of free courses and support services for first generation and low income students.
Shumlin also warned that failing to address climate change could threaten to derail this economic recovery.
“The most tropical Christmas in memory,” he warned, “reminds us that climate change threatens the Vermont we love, from our ski season to our lakes. That’s why we are working so hard to move to green, clean renewable energy that is creating jobs, reducing power rates and putting money in Vermonters pockets while we do it.”
That Vermont has more clean energy jobs per capita than any other state, and solar power has replaced nuclear as the primary energy provider during peak energy hours, are two facts that Shumlin pointed to as indicators of progress.
Yet Shumlin pushed the envelope further, urging legislators to follow California’s lead and send him a divestiture bill.
“[Pollution] sickens our children, creates acid rain, dumps mercury on our forests and in our lakes and increases greenhouse gas emissions,” Shumlin said.
In what he described as “a page right out of big tobacco,” Shumlin slammed ExxonMobil for their complicity in climate change and their efforts to obscure the truth.
“Vermont should not wait to rid ourselves of ExxonMobil stock,” he said. “It has been clearly documented that since the 1980’s, ExxonMobil’s own scientists have long known about the dangers of global warming, and chose to conceal that from the public.”
Shumlin then addressed opiate addiction in Vermont, a topic to which he dedicated his entire 2014 State of the State address. At the time, he said that opiate addiction was a threat to Vermonters’ very way of life.
Shumlin launched a closing salvo at the FDA, which he described as the very root of the problem: “In 2010, we prescribed enough OxyContin to keep every adult in America high for an entire month; by 2012 we issued enough prescriptions to give every American adult their own personal bottle of pills ... The $11 billion-dollar a year opiate industry in America knows no shame.”
In response to this overprescription, Shumlin sought to set a limit at the number of pills patients could bring home after a procedure, to expand ‘take back programs’ to reobtain painkillers, and to prevent addicts from acquiring drugs outside state lines.
Next, Shumlin widened his attack to include not only the FDA and painkillers, but the illegality of marijuana. Citing the state’s relative success in regulating medical marijuana, Shumlin advocated to end the “era of prohibition that is currently failing us so miserably.”
Shumlin explained that he would insist that five things must occur if he were to sign a bill legalizing marijuana. They include finding a way to keep the drugs out of the hands of underage kids, a tax low enough to still wipe out illicit drug networks, using the revenue from legalization to expand treatment programs, increasing law-enforcement capabilities vis-a-vis impaired drivers, and a temporary ban on edibles.
Shumlin used his concluding remarks to address a moral issue facing the state: the acceptance of Syrian refugees.
“I believe Vermont must not abandon its long heritage of being a welcoming state to those who are escaping unimaginable horror to seek a better life,” he said.
“We are blessed to live in a state where so many reject fear and hatred and I pledge to continue to work together with President Obama, our refugee resettlement community, clergy, volunteers, and our mayors to make our state a beacon of hope and hospitality to Muslims, to our Syrian brothers and sisters, and to all who seek to build a better life right here in Vermont.”
He then thanked the Vermont people for the opportunity to serve as governor, and stepped back from the podium.
(12/10/15 12:00am)
With the presidential election less than a year away, and primaries for both parties even closer, the Campus sought on Sunday to take stock of local residents’ opinions. The following interviews are an anecdotal glimpse into an electorate that is decidedly Democratic, but still grapples with the feasibility of their Senator, Bernie Sanders, as a viable candidate.
Of the two dozen respondents, twelve voiced their support for Sanders, six prefer Hillary Clinton and three had yet to make up their mind between Sanders and Clinton. Only three respondents were planning to vote for a Republican candidate, two of whom preferred Chris Christie.
The concern over Sanders’ viability has been confirmed elsewhere: In September, Castleton Polling Institute found that although 48 percent of Vermonters hoped to see Sanders elected president, only 27 percent think he will win. In contrast, 46 percent of respondents think Clinton will win.
Barbara Merz epitomized this precarious position. “Even though we might be told that it’s a waste to vote for [Sanders], I’m going to. It’s just a primary,” she added, “so I’ll vote for whose positions I agree with and in the presidential, I’ll vote for whoever the Democratic winner is.”
Elizabeth Kervick expressed a similar sentiment: “I think probably, as far as issues go, I’m more aligned with Bernie. Also, my goal is to see a Democrat as president.”
Another resident’s somewhat contradictory opinion was particularly humorous: “You could put me down for Sanders,” he said. “But I just don’t think he’d make a very good president.”
Not all residents were as skeptical. Mary-Ann Deverell said she was voting for Bernie Sanders. “I think his grassroots campaign has really spread. ... I think he’s true to who he is, and has always had the same expectations for our country.”
Pierre Vachon felt similarly. “I think it’s time for a change and I think Bernie Sanders is the right guy for it,” he said. “I think his policies are more progressive and have a better chance for helping America than a lot of the other candidates, currently.”
Most residents agreed with this assesment. Courtney Krahn, for example, lauded Sanders’ progressive stance on universal health care and higher education, but was unsure of his position on guns.
“Maybe other candidates are stronger on gun control,” she acknowledged. “But maybe he has a more realistic view of it? I don’t know.”
“Gun control I feel is really on the forefront of my mind,” replied another resident, when asked about the issue that concerns her most.
Arguably, however, Sanders’ most attractive feature is his consistent and unrelenting focus on political corruption and wealth inequality.
“I think Bernie’s strongest issue is the idea that one percent of our country has such a high percentage of our wealth,” said the same resident concerned with gun violence, “and the idea that there is really no middle class. We’re struggling; or not.”
Surprisingly, this strategy has even allowed Sanders, running to the left of Hillary Clinton, to draw support from across the aisle.
“I’m naturally a Republican,” said Jamie Sheldon, “but I’m looking at Bernie Sanders as the best candidate right now. I really like his platform about growing the middle class, because I am middle class. You’re either on state aid or you’re extremely wealthy - the middle class is a lost party. So that’s where he’s kind of hit home with me.”
“I’ve been a Republican my whole life,” said another local resident, “but I’ll tell you, Bernie Sanders, he is what he is.”
Pierre Vachon noted that Sanders’s success may not hinge upon his policies as a candidate, but on the amount of media coverage he receives.
“Part of the issue is he gets kind of pushed aside, but he has a strong grassroots campaign so I think the popular vote could go to him pretty easily,” he said. “If he can get through the primary and actually be the Democratic candidate, I think he has a very strong chance.”
Those who expressed their support for Hillary Clinton tended to emphasize her experience in government and her foreign policy credentials.
“I think [Clinton] has got the most experience and I like her international views on the world,” said one woman. “[Bernie’s] a good guy – educated – but in the world arena, I think he’s lacking in experience, where Hillary has had experience. I like her views on things. Especially as a woman.”
Nonetheless, she noted, “Bernie would be my second choice – I’d love to see them as President-Vice President in a perfect world.”
“The two biggest issues for me as a voter are the economy and foreign policy,” said another Clinton supporter, “and I think that’s where Hillary comes out as a winner.” This voter was optimistic about Clinton’s electoral chances, but noted that “the two most viable candidates to threaten her in terms of actually winning an election are Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio.”
Yet the few surveyed Republicans expressed a preference not for Bush or Rubio, but for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. One appreciated his emphasis on “law and order,” while another, Jim Hunter, cited Christie’s ability to govern a mostly-Democratic state.
“[It] tells me that he can manage to please both sides of the aisle,” Hunter said. “As a President, you need to be able to make the majority of the people somewhat happy.”
While initially cautioning that Donald Trump is “a little too crazy,” Hunter conceded that he admires Trump’s focus on illegal immigration. Many recent immigrants, Hunter said, “have no idea what America’s based on – they just see free stuff.”
Prior waves of immigrants who came through Ellis Island, he asserted, were subjected to more tests, which Hunter feels should be reinstated. “The country was built on immigrants, so I have no problem with that,” he said. “It’s control that I care about.”
However, the majority of residents were harshly critical of Trump’s policies, with many agreeing that a Trump victory would be the worst possible outcome of the 2016 elections.
“A Trump presidency would be the very worst case scenario,” said Barbara Merz, “but I 100 percent don’t believe that that will happen.” Another resident concurred: “I don’t think the presidency should be a reality TV show.”
Indeed, despite some disagreement about the Democratic primary, most residents seemed unified in their animosity towards the entire Republican field.
“[Republicans] just propagate more violence and more hate,” said one resident. “So I’m looking for the opposite of that—the propagation of well-being.”
Ultimately, both statewide polling and anecdotal evidence point to Sanders winning his home state of Vermont in the Democratic primary. The question remains, however, whether sentiment regarding Sanders’ viability as a candidate, expressed even in Vermont, will affect his performance nationally.
(12/03/15 12:07am)
In the aftermath of the devastating terrorist attacks in France and Beirut, the United States refugee resettlement program has come under intense scrutiny. The national dialogue surrounding resettlement has grown increasingly polarized, especially after President Barack Obama’s decision in September to admit an additional 10,000 Syrian refugees. With the 2016 gubernatorial elections in Vermont fast approaching, politicians on both sides of the aisle have weighed in.
Governor Peter Shumlin (D), who has already declared he will not be running for reelection, has expressed his support for accepting Syrian refugees into Vermont.
“You’ve got to stand up for what’s right,” Shumlin said. “I believe the right thing to do is for Vermont to say, to folks fleeing torture and terror, we are a welcoming state.”
Governor Shumlin has been very active on Twitter in his support. In November, he posted videos and pictures of his meetings with refugees from a variety of countries. Vermont has a long histroy of refugee resettlement. Since 1989, Vermont has resettled over 6,000 refugees primarily from Bosnia, Bhutan, Nepal, Burundi, Congo, Rwanda, Somalia and Sudan.
“Two days before Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for refugees who have come to Vermont,” read one tweet.
Ultimately, Shumlin claimed that those who hoped to stop refugee resettlement were espousing values antithetical to what it means to be American.
“When people are dying,” said Shumlin in an interview with NPR, “when people’s lives are being threatened, when they’re getting in little rafts to escape wherever they were ... we don’t become the country that says, ‘We’re closing the borders. We don’t trust you, and we’re not going to let you in.’”
Although Shumlin’s support has drawn the ire of some Vermonters, individual states do not have the legal authority to block refugee resettlement. According to the Refugee Act of 1980, the authority over refugee resettlement rests at the federal level. In 2012, the Supreme Court took up a similar case regarding immigration from Mexico, and ruled that individual states do not have the right to enforce unique immigration laws.
Historically, Vermont has allowed roughly 350 refugees a year to resettle, using a screening process that takes 1,000 days.
Other candidates in the 2016 Vermont Gubernatorial election have been less receptive. Two Republican candidates, Lieutenant Governor Phil Scott and former Wall Street banker Bruce Lisman, have called for resettlement efforts to cease.
“I think it’s incumbent upon us to [cease resettlement efforts],” said Scott, “until such time as the federal government can prove it is meeting its national security obligations; making sure that there is a rigorous process, to make sure that it’s just those peace loving Syrians, and others, that want to come into our states.”
Bruce Lisman, a fellow Republican candidate expressed a similar sentiment.
“It’s very tempting to see these pictures and videos and say we’ve got to do something,” said Lisman. He urged that the state “take a step back” and consider the security ramifications of allowing Syrians to resettle in Vermont.
Sue Minter, one of two Democratic candidates for Governor, supported Shumlin’s call to welcome Syrian refugees.
“Keep Vermont compassionate and open,” read one of Minter’s tweets. “Thank you Governor Shumlin and Representative Peter Welch for votes opposing intolerance and standing up for refugees.”
Matt Dunne, a Democratic gubernatorial candidate, agreed. “I have to say that when I heard Phil Scott’s position on it, I was extremely disappointed.”
“I would have hoped that Phil would be someone who would not just fall in line with the right-wing Republicans in Congress,” Dunne continued.
After facing this intense criticism, Scott toned back his statement – if only slightly.
“When asked what I would do, I probably should have gone a little further to explain that I don’t understand the situation and I certainly don’t feel like we can pause or stop the refugee program in its entirety,” he said. “But I do honestly feel the highest obligation of any government is to ensure the safety and security of every citizen.”
Currently, the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program (VRRP) serves as the only resettlement program in Vermont. No Syrian refugees have yet been resettled, but the VRRP expects to bring Syrian refugees to Vermont within the next year.
In fact, lost amongst the polemics of the debate are the specifics of the resettlement process itself, and the attendant screening procedures. For Syrian refugees, officials say screening procedures are among the most stringent in the world.
First, refugees are screened by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The process includes in-depth refugee interviews, reference checks in their country of origin and biological screenings. Only a small percentage of these refugees are viable to be resettled overseas, including survivors of torture, victims of sexual violence and targets of political persecution.
If a refugee passes this stage and is referred to the United States, they undergo a strict process performed in coordination with the State Department, the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Center, the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security. Fingerprints are collected, backstories checked for accuracy and VISAs scrutinized. Of the applicants, approximately half will pass this two-year test.
Supporters of resettlement in Vermont believe that these layers of security are strong and that terrorists would not bother to infiltrate such a secure system.
“No terrorist will wait four or five years in poor circumstances to come into the United States,” said Achraf Alamatouri, an English teacher who left Syria in 2011 and currently works with the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program.
Amila Merdzanovic, speaking on behalf of the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program with WPTZ News, said that “Americans, Vermonters, need to trust the system because the system works.”
Nationally, these voices are in the minority. Thirty governors, of both parties, have called for the United States to cease the resettlement of refugees until security concerns can be addressed. In the Northeast, this includes governor Charlie Baker (R) of Massachusetts, Paul LePage (R) of Maine and Maggie Hassan (D) of New Hampshire. Notably, Governor Hassan was the first Democratic governor to call for resettlement to cease.
Rhetoric has also varied, with some governors more adamant than others. Idaho Governor Butch Otter said that he would use “any legal means available” to block Syrian refugees from resettling there.
The issue has also been addressed by most presidential candidates. In an interview with Fox News, Ted Cruz (R) declared that “those who are fleeing persecution should be resettled in the Middle East, in majority Muslim countries. Now on the other hand, Christians who are being targeted for persecution, for genocide, who are being beheaded or cruxified, we should be providing safe haven to them.”
Jeb Bush expressed a similar sentiment: “There are a lot of Christians in Syria that have no place now. They’ll be either executed or imprisoned, either by Assad or by ISIS. I think we should focus our efforts, as it relates to the refugees, to the Christians who are being slaughtered.”
Perhaps the most impassioned plea to resettle refugees came from Senator Patrick Leahy (D) of Vermont. In an open letter published last week, he called for his fellow Vermonters to reexamine their “knee-jerk” reactions to the refugee crisis.
“Intolerance has no place in this great and good country,” read the letter. “Accepting refugees is a part of our history, our culture, of who we are, and it can be done safely with the proper screening procedures. This week, we give thanks for our freedom and for the American tradition of serving as a beacon of hope to those who are persecuted and in need of refuge. It would be a cruel irony if a terrorist attack in France caused us to abandon the American values embodied in France’s gift to America, the Statue of Liberty.”
(10/22/15 2:48am)
From 10,000 feet in the air, the Malone Parachute Club is just a small white box, indistinguishable from the neighboring hangars lining the airport. That is the altitude to which first time jumpers ascend for skydiving, and the height that Dave Malone took a local editor last Sunday for a tandem jump.
Dave is the son of Dick Malone, the pilot of the plane and one of the older members of the not-for-profit club. The club itself has been around for over 40 years, when a group of skydivers first purchased the assets from a New York company. Both father and son have been jumping for decades.
Last Sunday, the inside of their hangar was loud with the chatter of their friends, experienced jumpers coming in early to sign up on the daily schedule.
The weather looked foreboding, but most were confident that the sky would clear up for a few “hop and pops” – quick ascents to altitudes below 10,000 feet.
As the flurries of snow died down, they would begin to playfully tease the slower packers. One younger jumper, slower to pack his bag, joked that he’d slap the target with his hand when he landed.
Eventually, the crew left the heated hangar and squeezed into a small red and white airplane. Minutes later, they jumped, plummeted to earth for several seconds, and then glided down gracefully ‘under canopy’ after deploying their parachutes.
For first time jumpers, the club is reassuring, professional and friendly. Dave walks a newbie through the safety procedures slowly and deliberately.
He starts by explaining that the forms you are required to sign, waivers ensuring you understand the risk involved, are there for a reason.
He explained that skydiving involves a certain amount of risk, and that something could go wrong. But he also emphasized that there is risk in lots of sports, and that he is taking the same risk.
“We are in this together,” he said confidently.
Next, Dave went through the equipment piece by piece, explaining what the various harnesses did, how the altimeter works, what hand signals to pay attention to and how the jump would feel. He explained how the jumpsuits worked and how to put on the helmet, which looked like a football helmet out of the early 1950’s.
Tandem jumpers are attached to an instructor at four points, two at the hips, and two at the shoulders. Each joint is designed to hold the weight of the student should the others fail.
There are several backup parachute systems, and one even designed to deploy should both jumpers somehow become unconcious. For first time jumpers, this is reassuring.
Next he reviewed the different positions that the student will assume after exiting the airplane. The student starts in a cannonball pose, acting as the weight of the duo, and later assumes the same spread position as the instructor.
“Think of it like a badminton birdie,” he explained. “I’m the feathers, and you’re the ball.”
After clambering aboard the plane and ascending for several minutes, Dave began to review the procedure for exiting the plane. The door swings open, and the tandem pair climbs out together underneath the inner part of the wing.
For a few brief seconds, the view from 10,000 feet above the ground is spectacular. The club is located just minutes from the Canadian border, overlooking Lake Champlain in Swanton, Vermont.
Then, both jumpers tuck and roll backward, falling back off the wing and flipping as they shoot earthward.
At around 6,000 feet, Malone deployed the parachute and steered the two riders safely to the ground. Upon exiting the plane to touching the ground, the entire jump takes around just sixty seconds.
Although first timers are required to do tandem jumps, the club also offers static line jumps to those who are interested. These are solo jumps, but the parachute will trigger automatically at a certain height.
Most of the jumpers present on Sunday were veterans, and had racked up jump counts into the high thousands. They were thrilled to be sharing the experience with a new jumper, and were contratulatory when the duo arrived back to the runway.
Back at the hangar, the veterans traded jokes about their equipment in a language too difficult for a newcomer to parse. In fact, the most impressionable part of Malone Skydiving Club was was the feeling of fraternity among the skydivers. As the day wore on, they filmed the jumps on GoPro cameras, and took the footage into the back office to watch. They ribbed one jumper about his poor landing, and in another video, about the skydiver’s profanity while gliding down through a small flurry of snow.
Unfortunately for the skydiving community there, the cold weather means an end to the season. Malone Skydiving Club will reopen in April.
In the meantime, the group made contingency plans. Among them: a group jump in Mexico.
(10/14/15 10:28pm)
Surrounded by breathtaking scenery and countless beautiful trees every day, it becomes easy for Middlebury students to take Vermont’s ecological beauty for granted. A new exhibit at the Vermont Folklife Center, “Portrait of a Forest: Men and Machine”, provides Middlebury the opportunity to learn more about Vermont’s forests as well as its wood industry.
The Folklife Center is located at 88 Main Street, just past Twilight Hall. The exhibit, produced by George Bellerose and the Vermont Folklife Center, focuses on the lives and stories of seven loggers.
The profiled loggers range in age, experience and socioeconomic backgrounds; they share what makes a good logger, how they entered the field and their passion for the forests. The profiles of the men are incredibly interesting: some have been logging for 60 years, some are sixth-generation loggers and others are small business owners.
The exhibit also focuses on the sustainable practices of the logging industry and what it means for people who work in it. Many are simply trying to make a living, while others are trying to make a difference, but all of them are proud of what they do.
One logger’s work ethic is quoted in the text beneath his pictures: “Leave the woods better than you found them”.
Many of the loggers’ passion for the forest and keeping it healthy shine through their quotes in the exhibit.
The commissioner of the Vermont Department of Parks, Forest and Recreation is also quoted saying, “I tell them that working forests are our last best hope to keep forests as forests.”
The discussion and different perspectives regarding the importance of logging to the health of the forests and environment is very interesting. The explanation of the exhibit also explains how by the mid-1800s, Vermont had been cleared of 80 percent of its forests.
However, the forestry community helped restore the forests and make Vermont one of the most heavily forested states again.
The exhibit emphasizes the importance of the forests and the logging industry to Vermont, describes it at one point as “the fabric of Vermont”. It also explores the economic aspect of logging (it is a one billion dollar industry in Vermont) as well as how the practice has shaped its workers’ characters and livelihoods.
The profiled loggers also speak of their visions of their own personal futures and the future of the industry. One man’s profile explains how terrified he is of what he will do after he gets too old to continue logging. Another profile goes more in depth about the economic and ecological future of the industry. This represents how many dimensions of the industry the exhibit explores, from backstories of the loggers to the complex societal impacts logging makes.
The exhibit will be housed at the Folklife Center until Jan. 9, 2016. To discover more about how the logging industry has evolved, what impact it has on the environment and economy and to see fascinating photographs documenting the lifestyle of the loggers, stop by the Folklife Center, which is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 A.M. to 5 P.M.
(10/14/15 10:22pm)
This Monday, Oct. 12, The Campus conducted an array of interviews in the town of Middlebury regarding its relationship with the College. These interviews were conducted with business owners, local residents and employees, and are intended to represent a diverse body of opinion. They come on the heels of the inauguration of Middlebury College’s 17th president, Laurie Patton, a pivotal moment in the history of the relationship between the town and the College.
The sentiment expressed in the interviews varied, from overtly hostile to grateful. Most business owners seemed appreciative, whereas employees and residents were more mixed in their opinions.
Jesse Haller, an employee at the Middlebury Mountaineer, explained that the town and college rely on each other greatly.
“The college and the town, in a lot of ways they’re one,” he said, “and in a lot of ways they’re not. We love any integration that the college and the community can continue to have. I don’t think that there is a lack of any, but we’d always love to see that extend further.”
Haller has coordinated student clubs, such as the flyfishing club and outdoor club.
“We try to help them wherever they need help,” he explained.
When asked whether he thought that the new administation would change the relationship with his business, he was unsure.
“Whether we see [change] trickling down from the highest level of management...I’d say anyone who leads a group can have their agenda pushed forward. So if the new president decided, ‘that is going to be a very important agenda for us, that we have a good connection with the town of Middlebury,’ then absolutely.”
Haller maintained that Middlebury is one of the most supportive towns he has lived in all his life. The advent of the internet has threatened many brick and mortar businesses, he explained, and the town and college’s support has been crucial.
“That’s why human interaction is so important,” he said. “The more college students come down and develop relationships here in town, the better.”
Sammy Barnes, the owner of Otter Creek Kitchenware, says that the relationship is mutually beneficial.
“The College means a lot to us, and this town,” he said.
His store moved from its previous location at Marble Works, and Mr. Barnes said that students come to the new location more. Still, he hopes to see further cooperation with the college advertising what local businesses have to offer.
“I have worked with the store manager down at the College bookstore to see what we could do to carry products that students might need that they don’t have,” he said. “So we coordinate as much as we can.”
However, he admitted that coordination with the Collge was limited, and he hoped Patton would place it high on her agenda.
“At this point, the only thing we can do is run advertisements in the Middlebury Magazine,” he admitted.
These advertisements could be mutually beneficial, he explained, as students are often forced to carry up supplies from home that are readily available in town.
“There are a number of parents that have come through and said, ‘Gee, we wish we had known you were here,’” he explained. “We’d love to able to help in any new student orientation program.”
The internet was mentioned as a possible source of competition. Overall, both Mr. Haller and Mr. Barnes said they believed the relationship was a positive one.
“If you walk down main street, you’d be hard pressed to not walk by somebody who works at the College,” explained Barnes. “I think the term symbiotic is a good one...without the College, you’re talking about losing a large base of employment, in a state where it’s hard to find employment.”
Allen Byrnes, an employee at Noonies, agreed.
“For the most part, the relationship has tended to be postitive,” he said. “Without the college, Middlebury wouldn’t be what it is.”
Their positive assessment of the relationship was generally shared by local business owners. Other townsfolk had less optimistic takes.
“There are some very ‘true’ Vermonters,” acknowledged Barnes, “seven generations deep, who want things to stay in a certain fashion. If you look at the spectrum, it’s always going to be like that.”
One Middlebury resident confirmed Barnes’ suspicion.
“In the town, there used to be a question of whether the College owned the town or not,” said the resident, who asked to remain anonymous. “I think it’s been decided that it does. Hopefully its a benign administration.”
When pressed, the resident admitted his frustration was due to the construction of new town offices, a source of contention between the College and many townsfolk. Some residents believed that the construction was unnecessary and costly.
Middlebury College agreed to pay the majority of the cost, a sum of 5.5 million dollars, in order to acquire the land the old offices are currently on. Some residents hve complained that the recent construction projects have disrupted local businesses and have led to an increase in the already high property taxes.
Mr. Haller, who was generally positive during his interview, was bothered by the decision.
“They had a perfectly functional building,” he griped, “and they decided they wanted something new.”
Sandy, an employee of Ben Franklin for the past two decades, was concerned that the construction was disrupting the flow of traffic. She wishes that the College would invest in more practical construction projects, like providing parking for customers.
“The parking is not helping,” she said. “They’re doing all of the construction out here, but nobody seems to be doing anything about the parking. [Customers] try to find a place to park so they can shop here, but they can’t.”
Still, both Sandy and Mr. Haller recognized the advantage of operating a business so close to the college.
“Luckily the kids can just walk to town here if they want something,” Sandy admitted.
“You have to make those kinds of strides,” said Haller. “You accept a quality of life that you don’t get in a lot of places.”
Another resident agreed that the quality of life stimulated by the college was a huge benefit.
“I think [the relationship] is largely good, because there’s always interesting cultural exchange. Music and art, and that stuff,” said local resident Mike Connolly.
Even the resident that leveled the criticism against the college acknowledged that the college has generally been a positive force in the area. In light of rising property costs, he hoped the new administration would pursue policies to keep students on campus, and keep the cost of housing down.
“I think the college has been a good neighbor,” he admitted. “But I would like to see them build a more sustainable, affordable housing. Partly in recognition that, honestly, it’s going to be many of their people that are filling those residencies.”
Other local employees were skeptical that substantive postitive change could come from the top down. They were mostly concerned about the way students treated the community.
“The only way you’re going to get a change is if the students change,” said one Shaw’s employee. “The President is not going to make a sh**load of difference.
“Most of the Middlebury College students I’ve come in contact with,” he added, “have no sense of common sense.”
His coworker agreed.
“I kinda think that most Middlebury College students are kinda stuck up in their nosey-little clanky-ass way,” she said, laughing.
Naphatsnen Sinpaksawat, the owner of Sabai Sabai, was less standoffish. She offered her congratulations to President Laurie L. Patton, and was hopeful that the positive relationship her restaurant has with the College would continue.
“We are happy for the president. We have a good relationship with the College,” she said. “I’d say we’re good friends.”
“Both the professors and the students are very nice,” she continued, “and come enjoy our food. Plus, almost half of my employees are students.”
Katie Rigg, a local resident whose mother worked as the provost for the College, has experienced both a local and institutional perspective of the relationship. She believes that the relationship with the town, no matter how it is assessed, should be intimate.
“I would say in general, that I think Middlebury College is an intricate part of our community,” she said, while tending the flowers outside Middlebury Bank. “I would be encouraged to think the [president] would advocate as much melding as possible.”
Rigg, who has lived in Addison County her entire life, recalled when she was a high school student and referred to the local townsfolk as ‘townies.’
“The townies,” she joked, “have a lot to offer.”
As she finished gardening, she offered President Patton advice: “I would get some good people on my team from both sides,” said Ms. Rigg. “Get some locals involved. How do you find those right people? I’m not sure. But there’s a lot of really good leaders around Addison County that are interested in [integration].”
President Patton needs to avoid being viewed as domineering, warned Rigg, a trait that some accused President Emeritus Liebowitz of personifying.
“Small towns, and small town politics, can be very, very interesting,” said Ms. Rigg, alluding to the fervor with which some residents cling to their opinions. “I’ve been fighting the natural gas pipeline for years ... and as with any of the relationships where big money comes into play, all the humanitarian and environmental aspects get second rate. I would like to see those move up in the agenda.”
The survey of local opinion concluded at Otter Creek Bakery, where Ben Wood was closing up shop for the day. Overall, the relationship was heading in the right direction for Wood.
“I think [the relationship] works out pretty well,” he said. “As a business person, working with the College seems to be going very smoothly ... I like working with the College, personally. We do a lot of small catering jobs for them, and on-the-fly lunches. We’ve supplied food for presidents, past presidents.”
Although he has not yet met Patton, Wood echoed many other townsfolk on an issue that Patton will have to address during her tenure.
“The impact of this building being taken down,” said Mr. Wood while gesturing to the old town offices, “will happen soon. The College will then own [the land], and what the College does with that space might enhance what happens here in the town.”
“We might have a park there. My wife would like to have a bocce court,” he joked. “Something to interact with, so that local people can not feel intimidated by the College. They can just go there and interact.”
(10/08/15 3:09am)
Middlebury-based Otter Creek recently broke ground on new construction,. The company plans to add 8,000 square feet to the facility, which would make the campus the largest brewery in Vermont.
The addition will increase yearly production by approximately 135,000 barrels, from 65,000 to about 200,000 barrels.
“That’s 50 million servings of Vermont beer,” said Governor Peter Shumlin, in a speech outside the brewery, “going out to 50 million mighty lucky people to enjoy.”
According to the brewers association, Vermont beer brings in 271 million dollars every year, and the expansion will only bolster the brewing sector. Shumlin was hopeful that the project would increase jobs and bring in tourism to the state.
“They feel like they have arrived at the promised land,” joked Governor Peter Shumlin about tourists visiting Vermont.
“They literally stand in line, getting Vermont beer, and then they drive it back home, and it lifts up their otherwise miserable lives.”
The project, a multimillion dolar endeavor, utilizes equipment shipped all the way from Germany, and is part of an effort to expand Otter Creek’s global reach.
“We want to move our way into Florida, push west, and be able to have consistent supply,” said Dan Fulham, CEO of Otter Creek.
In order to staff the new facility, Otter Creek will begin hiring soon. The company is well loved by locals.
“Bless oh lord this creature beer. Which thou has deigned to produce from the fat of grain,” said Father William Beaudin,Pastor of St. Mary’s Church in Middlebury, “that it may be a salutary remedy to the human race.”
We’ve been here for 25 years, but really it’s finally blown wide-open,” added Fulham. “There’s a lot of energy in the building, a lot of energy in the industry. We’re excited to be a part of it.”
Otter Creek is anticipating construction to be done by mid-summer 2016.
(10/01/15 3:04am)
On Apr. 7, 2009, legislators at the Vermont Statehouse in Montpelier cast an historic vote legalizing gay marriage in Vermont.
“Those voting yes, 100. Those voting no, 49. One hundredneeded to pass, you have voted to override the veto,” announced Representative Shap Smith (D). The courtroom erupted in applause and cheering.
The story behind this legal battle began decades ago, under the leadership of Vermont lawyers Beth Robinson and Susan Murray, and prominent civil-rights attorney Mary Bonato. In Baker v. Vermont (1999), the trio clinched a unanimous court decision striking down a statute that barred gay couples from marriage. The ruling paved the way for civil unions, and eventually gay marriage in 2009. The State of Marriage, a new documentary that debuted at Burlington’s Main Street Landing explores the momentus accomplishment.
By 1996, activists had successfully mounted a campaign for gay marriage in Hawaii. However, an initial victory in the courts was nullified by a popular referendum in 1998. In light of this, the Vermont lawyers realized they had to win in three different arenas: “The court of public opinion, and also in the courts and also politically as well,” said Director Jeffrey Kaufman in an interview with Vermont Public Radio (VPR).
The group of lawyers had been preparing their legal arguments for decades.
“Susan was involved in her first LGBT family rights lawsuit in the late 1980s,” explained Kaufman. “Mary Bonato was one of the pioneers of the marriage equality movement. So they were laying the groundwork for this years before.”
However, just three years before Baker v. Vermont, the federal government passed the Defense of Marriage Act. Popularly known as DOMA, the federal legislation defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman, allowing states to refuse to recognize homosexual couples married out-of-state.
Some gay rights activists condemned the grassroots effort as reckless and unrealistic. They argued that pushing for civil unions before other legal victories, like workplace security or anti-discrimination legislation, was pointless.
However, the critics were proven wrong. In a unanimous decision, The Supreme Court of Vermont ruled that to exclude the same-sex couple of Stan Baker and Peter Harrigan from the benefits of marriage was in violation of the state constitution.
“This is the first time that any state has not only recognized that same sex families exist, but for the first time has recognized that they have the same needs and deserve the same protections and rights as all other couples,” explained Susan Murray, referring to the legal victory in Baker v. Vermont. “That’s a first. That’s a legal and cultural milestone,” she added.
Ultimately, it is difficult to overemphasize the immensity of the legal victory in 2000. At the time, The New York Times called the civil unions “‘same-sex marriages’ in almost everything but the name.”
Director Kaufman was a radio host at the time of the legal battle. In an interview with VPR, he explained that the plaintiffs’ triumph had a profound effect on the gay rights movement nationally and internationally, precipitating the official legalization of gay marriage in Vermont in 2009.
“Other states, and actually other countries were influenced by what happened in Vermont,” Kaufman said.
In retrospect, it is difficult to imagine that the gay rights movement faced much opposition in Vermont, a state with such a progressive reputation. Yet the conservative backlash to the ruling was intense. After the court victory in 1999, a campaign known as “Take Back Vermont” emerged, with signs popping up in barns, houses and along streets across Vermont. Opposition groups became much more vocal, and rhetoric in opposition more heated.
The battle even had ramifications in the statehouse. Although Democratic candidate Howard Dean won the gubernatorial race, the Republican party rode a wave of popular discontentment over the decision and retook the majority in the House of Representatives.
“A number of politicians, when it came to voting for civil unions, ended up doing the right thing,” explained Kaufman in an interview, “even though they knew it would end up costing them their seats.”
The polemics are on full display in the documentary.
“One of the things we tried to do in the film,” said Kaufman, “is very respectfully capture both sides of the argument. We have a number of the very fierce opponents to marriage equality and civil unions, in the film.”
Many of these critics still rally against gay marriage nationally, which is one reason that co-producer Marcia Ross feels the film is so necessary.
“It’s important to have a sense of that vision to spark further change and inspiration for the future,” she said.
(09/24/15 2:03am)
The Canadian diplomat looked relieved. As he staggered out of the blistering Jordanian heat, my boss greeted him effusively. The two experts were meeting at our office in Amman, the Arab Center for Security Studies (ACSIS), to discuss recent security developments in the region, and they allowed me to partake in the meeting.
(09/17/15 6:31pm)
In early August, Vermont was rocked by a heinous spree of shootings, culminating in a triple homicide in a townhouse in Berlin. The shootings have sparked intense debate on both gun control and the future of foster care programs in Vermont.
Jody Herring, the alleged perpetrator, was angry after losing custody of her 9 year old daughter. Eyewitnesses say Herring drove to the Department for Children and Families (DCF), where she waited in the parking lot for Lara Sobel, a 48-year-old social worker involved in the custody battle. When Sobel left work for the weekend, Herring opened fire twice with a .270 caliber hunting rifle, killing her.
Ken Schatz, the commissioner for DCF, described Sobel as “an experienced social worker” who had been “providing public service for children and families for more than 14 years.”
The subsequent morning, law enforcement responded to a call in the nieghboring town of Berlin. At the farmhouse, officers discovered the bodies of Julie Ann Falzarano and Rhonda and Regina Herring - the aunt and two cousins of Jody Herring.
Earlier in the day, Jody had warned her family to stay out of the custody battle. “You guys need to stop calling DCF, unless you guys are going to have it coming to you,” she told them via the phone. The family had reportedly called DCF on multiple occasions to express concern over the child’s well-being. Tiffany Herring, the daughter of the deceased Julie Ann Falzarano and the first person to discover the bodies, described the traumatic scene to the Burlington Free Press. “Both doors were wide open,” she explained, “and I walked into the living room, and that’s where I saw my mom dead.”
Herring has received international attention in the media for her flippant behavior following her arrest. According to prosecutors, Herring was laughing and joking with law enforcement just hours after the shooting in Barre.
Jody Herring pleaded not guilty in Vermont Superior Court in Barre to charges of aggravated murder.
Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin condemned the attack in a press release and reflected on the rarity of such mass killings in his lifetime.
“I think all Vermonters are as shocked, dismayed, horrified and grief- stricken as all of us are,” Shumlin said. “I cannot remember, in my lifetime, four people being murdered by the same alleged perpetrator.”
Shumlin is not forgetful – as a percentage of the population, Vermont has the lowest rate of gun murder of any state in the nation. In 2010, The U.S. Census Bureau reported that there were .3 gun murders per 100,000 Vermont inhabitants. Compared to other states, Vermont has a middling rate of gun ownership, estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau at about 42 percent in 2010.
Still, the killings occurred in the midst of a polemic national debate on firearm regulation. Nationally, the lethality and frequency of mass shootings has escalated since the turn of the century. However, popular frustration with lawmakers has not produced momentum for either side, with support for stricter gun laws actually dropping significantly in the past two decades to approximately 50 percent.
It remains to be seen whether a nuanced debate on gun control will occur in 2016 and if Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton will use it as a wedge issue against her populist rival Bernie Sanders. In late June, Pro-Martin O’Malley Super PAC Generation Forward launched a caustic attack ad against fellow contender and former representative of Vermont Bernie Sanders. The ad cites his opposition to the Brady bill, and claims that “Bernie Sanders is no progressive when it comes to guns.”
Before the shootings in Berlin and Barre, Sanders defended his position on gun control. “What guns are about in Vermont,” the senator told NPR in an interview, “is not what guns are about in Los Angeles or New York where they used not for hunting, or for target practice, but to kill people.”
Instead, Sanders emphasized the role of mental health in such massacres.
We have a crisis in the capability of addressing mental health illness in this country,” he said. “When people are hurting and are prepared to do something terrible, we need to do something immediately. We don’t have that and we should have that.”
hen it comes to the health of the children involved in custody battles, DCF walks a fine line. If social workers are too aggressive, they risk taking children away from their parents prematurely, but if they are too lenient, they risk leaving children in unsafe households. Jody Herring had lost custody of her previous two children, and was reportedly frustrated with the agency. “My mom, having lost two other kids, was very adamant on keeping her [the nine year-old daughter],” said Desiree Herring, the adult daughter of Jody Herring.
In May of 2014, DCF came under withering criticism for its inability to protect children under its care. The Campus reported on the deaths of two children, two year-old Dezirae Sheldon and a fifteen month year-old boy, who both died while they were meant to be in DCF custody. In response, a special legislative committee was tasked with investigating the child welfare system.
A report by Vermont State Police Detective Lt. James Cruise said that there was a systemic failure of information sharing and accountability” in the case of Dezirae Sheldon.
Now, the death of Sobel has sparked a different form of criticism. Critics of the child welfare system have focused on the grievances of social workers.
The DCF is a busy agency – it received over 17,000 calls in 2013 alone. Yet these workers are woefully undersupported. The agency’s inability to de-escalate Jody Herring’s custody battle may be linked with staffing issues. At a forum last summer, many social workers expressed frustration at the current system and its lack of institutional support.
“I’m triaging my cases,” said Tracey Brown, a social worker in Burlington, in reference to her enormous workload and her inability to deal with all of the cases simultaneously.
Some social workers have said that they feel pressure from judges to reunify families, and from supervisors to close cases. Such pressure undoubtedly contributes to a lack of caution when dealing with such delicate situations, though it is unclear whether it played a role in the custody battle with Jody Herring.