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(04/22/15 5:01pm)
As of April 17, Vermont is one step closer to implementing a new gun restriction law with bill S.141 passing in both the Vermont Senate and the Vermont House. Bill S.141 was passed in the House with a relatively close vote of 80 yeas and 62 nays. Previously in March, the bill passed in the Senate by a vote of 20-8, with two senators absent.
Bill S. 141 will restrict convicted felons of certain levels of violent crimes and the mentally ill from possessing firearms. Already a crime under federal law, this bill will create much more accountability for the state. For example, in order to classify an individual as mentally ill and a danger to themselves, or others, the state will introduce the National Instant Criminal Background Check System as a mechanism for reporting.
However, certain parts of this bill required extensive revisions. One such section was about the process by which an individual may regain rights to buy guns, once listed on, but later removed from, the federal database. Another contentious point was the length of time before someone who was once listed would have to wait before being able to to purchase a gun. Once the legislature reached a compromise on the language of this section, they took the bill to a vote.
Vermont has previously been characterized as one of the least restrictive gun control states. Vermont does not require a permit to carry an open or concealed weapon, and was for a long time the only state to allow this. In addition, as told by the Washington Post, the state of Vermont also allows minors as young as 16 to buy handguns and conceal carry without a guardian’s permission.
In light of Vermont’s history with relaxed gun control laws, there was contested debate over the proposed bill. The House explained their votes, and their statements were recorded in the House Journal.
Many representatives saw bill S.141 as a challenge to their right to bear arms, a right traditionally respected in Vermont. Rep. Ronald Hubert of Milton explained his vote against the bill as follows: “‘The people have a right to bear arms for the defense of themselves and the State’ are words Vermonters have lived by since July 8, 1777. Now, nearly two and a half centuries later, this founding principle is being challenged by S.141.”
Rep. Lynn Batchelor of Derby also agreed that this bill challenged the rights of Vermonters to bear arms:
“Vermonters, first in our own state constitution, and later in the American Bill of Rights, have always understood and preserved our right to protect ourselves without infringement from Government – be it local, state or federal. I vote “NO” to stand up for nearly 250 years of tradition and to protect the right to bear arms for future generations of Vermonters.”
In contrast to such dissenting opinions, there were many voices in the House who vocalized their support for the bill.
As Rep. Steve Berry of Manchester explained, “This is a bill that focuses on the responsibility of legislators to protect and defend all Vermonters from those who would abuse our 2nd Amendment. I was not voting, nor being asked to vote, on the rights for citizens to bear arms. Mr. Speaker, everyone in this chamber has the responsibility to protect the most vulnerable Vermonters.”
Other representatives felt comfortable voting for the bill because of its limited scope, and claimed that it was not even a gun control bill. As Rep. Joseph Troiano of Stannard explained:
“It strongly represents states rights, it represents the wishes of a majority of Vermonters. This is not a gun control bill. This is not a background check bill. U.S. Attorney’s offices often do not prosecute firearm cases due to lack of resources. This bill makes sense.”
There was also some debate among members as to whether this bill followed a state agenda or a national agenda, and many felt that outside forces were pressuring Vermont to give up its gun rights. Rep. Larry Fiske of Enosburgh claimed that the vote was instigated by outside campaigns, rather than his constituents in Vermont:
“I vote ‘NO’ because this is not legislation advanced by the people of Vermont. It’s legislation pushed by special interest groups seeking to use our state as a pawn to advance their own national agenda. This legislation isn’t about a safer Vermont. It’s about limiting your rights as Vermonters and Americans, and paying political debts for campaign contributions from outside interest groups.”
Now that the bill S.141 has passed both the state House and the state Senate, it will go to Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin. If he signs the bill it will become law, and if he vetoes it then the bill will return to the House and Senate. If they vote again they can override his veto with a majority of 2/3. If Shumlin does not sign the bill and does not veto it within five days after receiving it, it also becomes a law.
At this point, Shumlin has yet to make a firm statement on whether or not he supports the bill.
As told to Burlington Free Press, Shumlin revealed, “I’ll pass judgment on it when it gets to me. All I can say is that the changes that have been made to the bill since it was introduced make it almost unrecognizable from the bill that was introduced,” he said. “And that’s the bill I objected to.”
(04/08/15 11:53pm)
Last Friday, April 3, the Vermont House adopted a House Resolution, H.R.8, that expresses “strong opposition to state religious freedom restoration legislation that authorizes discrimination based on sexual orientation.” This comes as a response to Indiana’s passage of the controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
“I am proud that Vermont has taken a stand. What the resolution does, more than anything, is to confirm our own core values as citizens of this great state,” Representative Steven Berry (D) from Bennington, one of the resolution’s sponsors, said. “In the end we all breathe the same air, drink the same water, share the earth, and have within our hearts a like desire for life, liberty and, however we define it, our own pursuit of happiness....What Indiana is seeking to do is to undo what people have fought long and hard at great personal cost, to overcome. I choose not to go backward. Thus I affixed my name.”
There was bipartisan support for this resolution, which passed in a vote of 119 to 1. 30 representatives were absent on the date of the vote.
“Vermont has plenty of challenges within its borders,” Rep. Warren Van Wyck of Ferrisburgh, the only opposition vote, said in a statement. “I am not interested in passing judgments on the actions of the legislatures of the other 49 states unless they directly affect the substantive well-being of the State of Vermont and its residents.”
For many of the other representatives, this resolution was a way for Vermont to respond to laws such as those passed in Indiana.
“My aunt who lives in Indianapolis had contacted me to let me know how embarrassed she was with Indiana’s newly enacted religious freedom law,” Rep. Susan Hatch Davis, a Democrat and Progressive of Orange Country and one of the resolution’s sponsors, said. “A law which could only be described as a thinly veiled attempt to promote an endorse discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. For me, Vermont has long time been a state who respects and values contributions of everyone, regardless of sexual orientation, who lives, works and visits here. I could not in good conscience support laws such as Indiana’s newly enacted law that made discrimination legal, particularly against LGBT people. Vermont needed to stand against the law. Hence the resolution."
This resolution came in response to the massive controversy over Indiana’s religious freedom law. Many claim that the law could be used to discriminate against LGBT groups. Several organizations and leaders expressed disatisfaction with the law, including Subaru, the NCAA and Tim Cook of Apple. Now the Vermont House has taken a stand against it as well.
“Vermont has a long-standing tradition of inclusion,” noted Representative Herb Russell (D) from Rutland in the House notes. “We are proudly known for our diversity. As a gay man who chose to move here, first returning member of my family since 1816, I considered this place a natural choice. I reaffirm our motto ‘Freedom and Unity’ by joining all LGBT Vermonters in voting yes for this resolution on this Good Friday.”
The Disciples of Christ, a religious organization, also protested against the law and plans to move their Indiana convention in response to it.
On March 31, Governor Shumlin offered up Vermont as a welcoming state to any conventions that wished to move out of Indiana. He wrote a letter to the union American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), inviting them to relocate their 2015 Women’s Conference to Vermont. The union, which is the largest trade union of public employees in the United States, canceled plans for their conference location in Indiana after the religious freedoms law was passed.
“Our state has a long, proud tradition of supporting equal rights,” Shumlin wrote in his letter. “Vermont was the first state to outlaw slavery and the first state to legislate marriage equality simply because it was the right thing to do, not because a court mandated it. In that tradition, we would be proud to work with you to determine if Vermont has facilities that can accommodate your conference, and if so, relocate it to the Green Mountains.”
In addition, Shumlin banned all non-essential state-funded travel to Indiana on March 31. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy also imposed similar bans.
There are supporters of the religious freedom law. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has repeatedly spoken out in favor of it, and called the move “brave.”
Memories Pizza of Walkerton, Indiana, came under fire after its owner announced that she would refuse to cater gay or lesbian weddings because of her religious beliefs.
The restaurant’s Yelp page was overwhelmed with comments (including threats) and in response, a crowdfund page for the pizza shop raised over $840,000 to support them in only three days and is no longer accepting donations.
In response to considerable backlash, Indiana’s Governor Mike Pence signed a bill on April 2 to clarify that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act does not allow businesses to refuse to serve LGBT individuals or other minority groups.
“Over the past week this law has become a subject of great misunderstanding and controversy across our state and nation,” Pence said in a statement. “However we got here, we are where we are, and it is important that our state take action to address the concerns that have been raised and move forward.”
“Now that this is behind us, let’s move forward together with a renewed commitment to the civility and respect that make this state great.”
To restore their image, many businesses in Indiana have participated in a window sticker campaign to tell the public that all customers are welcome. The blue stickers read, “This business serves everyone” to clarify that they do not discriminate.
(03/18/15 5:38pm)
Do people attending Chili Fest really have discerning enough palates to judge chili? To get to the bottom of this, we decided to see what people thought about their own abilities to objectively determine how good the chili really it. To figure this out, we asked:
Do you consider yourself a chili connoisseur?
“I would not consider myself a connoisseur, but I would consider myself an enthusiast. I do not know enough about chili to consider myself a connoisseur, but I really enjoy eating chili. If they had a J Term class about chili, I’d definitely take the J Term class.” - Henry Thomson ’17
“Not really, we make it in our slow cooker sometimes...we usually use ground turkey and different kinds of beans, peppers, we like it spicy.” - April Thompson of Essex
“Yes, I do.” - Kyler Blodgett ’17
“Now I am!” - Kelly Galyean of Burlington
“Yes, I do consider myself a connoisseur because I was on the distance track team that won the Chili Fest last year.” - David Russell ’15
“No, but I’m a connoisseur in the making.” - Jeremy Stratton-Smith ’17
“No” - Max Goodfellow, age 6.5 of New Haven
“No, not at all…not really. I don’t hate it [chili], but I’m not a chili connoisseur.” - Alanna Merchant, University of Vermont ’15, from Acton, MA
“No, but I know that my parent’s chili is really good. It’s the perfect amount of spicy, salty, and sweet.” - Haley Tetreault ’17
“No, I’m just from Texas.” - Lee Garcia Jimenez
(03/18/15 5:28pm)
This past Saturday, March 14, downtown Middlebury was transformed by thousands of people who gathered for the Seventh Annual Vermont Chili Festival. Chili Fest has been ranked one of the Top 10 Winter Events by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce. The event went from 1p.m. to 4p.m. Proceeds from this event support Better Middlebury Partnership and the Vermont Food Bank. The chili was provided by over 50 restaurants and caterers from around Vermont. To enter as a chili booth, teams had to make at least 15 gallons of chili.
Activities included chili tasting, balloon animals, street performers, a beverage tent and live music provided by The Grift.
Participants in the event paid $7 at the door ($5 in advance, children under eight were free) and received a voting token and a spoon. They then were able to walk down Main Street and sample chili from the many different booths there. After deciding which was their favorite, participants were able to vote with their token for the People’s Choice Award Winner.
A panel of six chili judges were also at the event, and they voted on six different categories of chili which included: veggie, beef, chicken, game, kitchen sink and pork. Winners all received cash prizes and then competed for the Best Overall category, which received a cash prize of $1,000.
Judges for the event rated chilis on a score sheet that included criteria such as aroma, taste and texture.
“It’s tough,” said chili festival judge Bill Snell, owner of Tourterelle. “There’s a lot of good ones.”
For Sarah Pollack, a judge from Burlington, last Saturday was her first time judging the Vermont Chili Fest, however she had previously judged an indoor chili fest.
“I do make chili at home,” said Pollak. “My daughter tells me that…my epitaph is going to read, ‘Has never gotten chili right.’ That makes me quite the qualified judge.”
This year the Vermont Chili Festival was extremely popular, and noticeably crowded. “The event was too crowded for our liking this year,” said Peggy Sax, from Cornwall, VT. Sax has attended three chili festivals, and also commented that this year seemed like a younger crowd. Duncan Levear ’15, a three-time chili festival participant, also noticed a crowd increase. “I think there are more people here this year. It’s more popular. I think the lines are longer.”
Although teams needed 15 gallons of chili to enter in the festival, several ran out early on in the event. The Fire and Brimstone booth made close to 15 gallons, and ran out by 2:30 p.m. G.W. Tatro Construction, Relay for Life, Connor Homes, WhistlePig and the Bearded Frog all also made around 15 gallons and ran out before the event was over. Rosie’s made 30 gallons, 15 of both of their flavors, and also ran out.
“I’ve never dished out 15 gallons of chili in an hour and a half,” said Cody March, who was working at the G.W. Tatro Construction booth. “I’ve never dished out 15 gallons of chili period.”
Some booths anticipated large crowds and made much more than 15 gallons. Our House (Twisted Comfort Food), made 120 gallons (20 gallons for each of the six categories).
Todd Raymond, who was working at the Two Brothers booth, said that it took the restaurant three days to make their chili, and that probably about six people were involved in the process.
Some organizations use the popularity of the Vermont Chili Festival for publicity. Casey Harlow, for example, passed out beads for Relay of Life. “I’m here to publicize for our event on April 11 and help pass out the chili,” said Harlow.
Kris Lawson, owner of Curve Appeal in Middlebury, had a sign up advertising free bathroom use during the Chili Festival to help publicize her store.
“I went to Costco and got tons of toilet paper,” said Lawson. “A lot of people will maybe come in and go, ‘Ooh, I didn’t know that this was here.’ Or my other hope is that the conservative people who are a little frightened and don’t know what it is and don’t want to walk down the big scary steps will come and go,‘This is nice.’”
The Vermont Chili Festival had a large showing both from students and local families. Activities such as balloon animals appealed to a younger crowd, while the beer tent was only open for those over the age of 21.
“The beer was good,” said Arnav Adhikari ’16. “They had Drop-In. I love Drop-In.”
Middlebury College students also have a tradition of being involved in the Vermont Chili Festival. Last year the winning team was the men’s cross-country team. The festival also draws on students for volunteers.
Kyler Blodgett ’17 was a volunteer this year. “My job involved being at the check-in table for tickets, marking people off the prepaid list and doing cash for tickets that are being bought right now, giving them their chips and their buttons, telling them how it’s laid out,” said Blodgett. He found out about the volunteer opportunity through a Middlebury Community Engagement email.
The Vermont Chili Festival in Middlebury allows students from different regions than New England to sample Vermont chili.
“Coming from the West Coast, I’ve never really experienced a real chili like they have here at the chili fest,” said Henry Thompson ’17. “I like how it’s such a celebration of a folky, you know, agricultural, community based food.” Thompson has been to the Chili Festival for both of his two years at Middlebury, and says that he plans on making four out of four. “Honestly, chili fest is the highlight of Middlebury spring every year.”
(03/05/15 2:41am)
Governor Peter Shumlin told the Associated Press that Pollina’s proposal was “an idea worth exploring.”
(02/18/15 9:56pm)
This Valentine’s Day the Vermont Teddy Bear Company came out with a limited edition “Fifty Shades of Grey” Bear. The teddy comes with grey fur, “smoldering eyes,” and dressed in a suit with a “satin tie.” It holds a mask in its right hand and mini-handcuffs in its left.
“If you want to dominate this Valentine’s Day, skip the roses and send the limited-edition Fifty Shades of Grey Bear,” reads the online product description. “Inspired by the best-selling book, the adult gift is specifically designed for fans obsessed with Grey, biting their lips with anticipation over the movie.” The bear is “guaranteed for life,” stands at 15 inches and costs $89.99. It is exclusively licensed by the Vermont Teddy Bear Company.
February 14th, Valentine’s Day, was also the day that “Fifty Shades of Grey,” the movie, came out. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the movie had the biggest international opening of all times for an R-rated film. The books in the trilogy have sold over 100 million copies worldwide.
This huge popularity has inspired a lot of spin-off products, and the Vermont Teddy Bear Company is not the only one that is cashing in on the Fifty Shades frenzy. Time Magazine put the teddy bear on a list of “7 Totally Unexpected ‘Fifty Shades of Grey”’Products” that also included a Fifty Shades of Chicken cookbook, laundry detergent and wine. Walmart is currently out of stock with its “Fifty Shades of Grey: Gourmet Gift Basket” that included bubble bath, chocolate, tea, rope, handcuffs and more for $69.99. Squiggly Boo is selling infant clothes with a design that reads, “9 months ago mommy read 50 shades of grey.”
However, despite the popularity of the “Fifty Shades of Grey” books and movie, it has its critics. The “Fifty Shades of Grey” teddy bear has experienced backlash on Twitter.
“50 shades of grey marketing has officially gone too far with Vermont teddy bear’s ’50 shades of grey bear,’ “ tweeted Elise Hu (@elisewho). “The Limited Edition 50 Shades of Grey Teddy Bear cannot be limited enough,” Splendid Hobo (@Hobo_Splendido) wrote. “I just saw that the 50 Shades Of Grey teddy bear I’ve seen in ads is ‘guaranteed for life.’ … Against what? Ew. Okay, gross, bye.” Tweeted Linda Holmes (@nprmonkeysee).
“We’re not looking to make a political statement,” Vermont Teddy Bear Company CEO Bill Shouldice said. He is not upset by criticism over Twitter because the company wants feedback from its customers. “It’s not for everybody,” explained Shouldice. “It’s geared towards an audience of people who find it interesting.”
Shouldice explained that the Vermont Teddy Bear Company annually produces an adult gift bear for Valentine’s Day. Two years ago there was the bacon bear, which is dressed as bacon and holds a sign that says “I <3 you more than bacon.” The bacon bear also received some backlash from people who disapproved of how bacon is made. Last year, the adult gift bear was the “Zombie Love Bear” which has torn clothes, red eyes and is holding a brain and a heart. The company is still selling the zombie bears, which were very popular.
There are many other bears marketed towards adults listed on the Vermont Teddy Bear Company site. There is a teddy for sale ($119.99) that “arrives holding sexy lingerie” – a “hot pink lacey chemise.” Other romantic teddy bears have more of a cutesy theme, such as the Romeo bear and a bear on a crutch (“I’ve fallen for you bear”). These teddy bears are marketed towards adults.
“We are lucky in that we sell a premium product made in Vermont, for ages 1 to 100,” Shouldice said.
The company has made sure to market the “Fifty Shades of Grey” limited edition bear as one for adults, and clearly states that it is an “adult gift” bear in the
product’s description.
“Contains small parts,” asserts the safety warning for the bear. “Not suitable for children.” The “Fifty Shades of Grey” bear is doing amazingly well. It is the most popular bear on record, and 150 bears have already been sold after Valentine’s Day. Although the bear is a limited edition, Shouldice explained that it will probably continue to be sold as long as the movies are coming out.
(02/11/15 2:51pm)
Ronald James Read passed away in June 2014 at the age of 92. Before his death, none of his Brattleboro neighbors knew that he was a millionaire. Read lived a very modest life. However, in his will he left $4.8 million to the Brattleboro Memorial Hospital and $1.2 million to the Brooks Memorial Library.
Read was born in Dummerston, Vt. in 1921 and served in World War II.
His attorney, Laurie Rowell, told the Brattleboro Reformer that Read enjoyed choosing stocks and that over time these investments “grew substantially.” Rowell also said that Read’s two hobbies were cutting wood and investing.
“The generous bequests to the Brooks Library and Brattleboro Memorial Hospital attest to his skills at investing. The well-stocked woodpile in his garage attests to his love of cutting wood,” Rowell said.
Read lived frugally. His stepson Philip Brown told the Brattleboro Reformer that the only hint he had that Read had such large investments was that he regularly read the Wall Street Journal.
“While Mr. Read had no advanced formal education, he educated himself by reading information on his passion, which was investing,” said Jerry Carbone, long-term Library Director of the Brooks Memorial Library. “I think he intrinsically knew the transformative power that a quality library can provide in people’s lives.”
Read’s gift of $1.2 million to the library was unrestricted. The library was notified in June that Read had left a large bequest in his will, but only recently found out how much it would receive.
“A gift of this magnitude will be invested in our endowment fund to insure a steady stream of income to insure the future sustainability and viability of library services to Brattleboro area citizens,” Carbone said.
The library in turn gives back to the Brattleboro community.
“The library plays a central role in the community for children’s literacy, intellectual curiosity, public access computing and life-long learning,” Carbone said.
In a press release published on the library’s Facebook page, Carbone explained that the Read bequest will help the library with unmet needs, and with maintaining the quality of programs and collections.
“The staff, Friends of the Library, volunteers and board are delighted at this great news,” said Jerry Goldberg, President of the Board of Trustees for the Brooks Memorial Library in the same press release.
“Mr. Read’s bequest, by far the largest since that made by George J. Brooks in 1886, is a legacy that is far reaching. It will help to guarantee the future viability and sustainability of Brattleboro’s public library, an institution much respected by Mr. Read. It is, indeed, his gift to the entire Greater Brattleboro community.” Such a large gift will make a large difference to the small Vermont community.
The $4.8 million left to the Brattleboro Memorial Hospital is the largest single gift that the institution has ever received.
“Mr. Read was a regular customer of the hospital coffee shop and although very private he was dedicated to the mission and vision of Brattleboro Memorial Hospital,” said Gina Pattison, the Director of Development and Marketing at the hospital. “His generous gift will allow the hospital to continue our investment in necessary capital and infrastructure improvements.”
Read in the past worked both at a gas station and as a janitor for JC Penney, and was the first in his family to graduate high school.
“It’s really nice to see someone giving back to the town,” said Faraday Borg, a Brattleboro resident who pointed out that the last few years have been difficult for many towns in Vermont.
“For a lot of big hospitals, a couple million dollars wouldn’t mean a whole lot, but for the Brattleboro hospital it will make a huge difference. This guy is a true Vermonter,” Borg said.
(01/21/15 11:46pm)
On Dec. 17th, Governor Peter Shumlin announced that he was terminating his four-year quest to begin single-payer, government-run health care for residents of Vermont. In his press conference, Shumlin emphasized the economic risks that would have accompanied the single-payer plan.
“The cost of that plan turned out to be enormous, requiring an 11.5 percent payroll tax on all Vermont businesses and a public premium assessment of up to 9.5 percent of individual Vermonters’ income,” Shumlin wrote in his blog. “Further, the phase-in for smaller businesses and those that do not currently offer insurance would add an additional $500 million to the system. These are tax rates that I cannot responsibly support or urge the Legislature to pass. In my judgment, the potential economic disruption and risks would be too great to small businesses, working families and the state’s economy.”
Vermont has been involved in a long search for affordable health care. In 2010, the state established a commission to study different forms of health care the state could implement. Single-payer was chosen as the best option. In 2011, the Vermont state government passed H 202, which established Green Mountain Care. Green Mountain Care was a step towards universal health care for Vermonters. The Green Mountain Care Board was created in the same year to oversee Green Mountain Care’s design, and to make sure that it remained a health care system that could serve the needs of every Vermonter.
The state had expected to get $150 million in federal help to put the Green Mountain Care system in place and an additional $150 million in Medicaid assistance.
Single-payer health care involves the government paying as an insurer for all health care costs, rather than private insurers. Unlike single-payer health care systems in countries such as Canada or the UK, private insurers in Vermont could still operate, and even offer general health care.
The decision to try single-payer was a controversial one, and many argued from the beginning that a single-payer system would never work. Four days after Shumlin’s decision to end the program, Forbes published an article titled “Six Reasons Why Vermont’s Single-Payer Health Plan Was Doomed From the Start.” Scott Milne, Shumlin’s close opponent in the gubernatorial election, called for abandoning single-payer early on in the election season.
However, the decision to stop the single-payer program has been highly protested. On Thursday, Dec. 18, approximately 80 protestors gathered on the steps of the Statehouse for a demonstration in favor of single-payer health care. The protestors chanted slogans berating Shumlin, such as “which side are you on, Shumlin?” Several demonstrators burned their medical bills. After the rally, the demonstrators delivered a tray of burnt toast to Shumlin’s office with a note that said, “Dear Shumlin, your career is toast.”
On Jan. 8, more protesters rallied against the demolition of the single-payer system for Vermont, and later sat on the floor of the House and refused to leave. 29 of these protestors were arrested when police tried to close the building at 8 p.m. that night. Nine out of the 29 were charged with resisting arrest.
The Vermont Workers’ Center has played a crucial role in organizing the protests, and started a campaign called “Healthcare is a Human Right” in 2008. According to its website, “Since 2008, the Healthcare Is a Human Right Campaign has been organizing to make universal healthcare a reality in Vermont. In 2011, our people’s movement succeeded in getting a groundbreaking law passed: Act 48, which commits Vermont to creating a healthcare system providing healthcare as a public good and ensuring everyone can get the healthcare they need, when they need it.”
The campaign members argue that if Vermont can successfully implement publicly financed universal healthcare, other states will follow suit.
An open letter titled “Now is the Time for Green Mountain Care,” which urges the government and legislature to stand by Act 48 and the creation of a publicly financed healthcare system under Green Mountain Care, has been signed by over 60 organizations, including Amnesty International.
“I know this is a huge disappointment to many Vermonters,” said Shumlin on his blog. “I know because I am one of those Vermonters who has fought for this to succeed. While the time is not right today, we must not give up on health care reform. We are doing transformational things in Vermont when it comes to the way we deliver health care.”
Some critics claim that Shumlin’s timing in announcing his decision to drop single-payer efforts was politically motivated. However, Shumlin’s staff insists that he did not have the complete financial analysis on single-payer’s tax increases until after the Nov. 4th election. Shumlin failed to win the majority of votes in the general election, and was only voted in as governor by the Vermont Legislature on Jan 8.
Shumlin has not given up hope for healthcare reform in Vermont, but believes that pushing for single-payer system now, when the state is not yet ready, will jeopardize its future.
“Those reforms can and must continue,” he wrote on his blog, “and our success will lay the groundwork for future efforts to implement a publicly-financed health care system. While now is not the right time for Vermont to take such a step, the time will come.”
(12/03/14 11:15pm)
Burlington is looking to undergo an approximately 200 million dollar project on its mall, Burlington Town Center. Mayor Miro Weinberger, Governor Peter Shumlin and the owner of Burlington mall as of December 2013, Don Sinex, revealed construction proposals on Nov 20th. The commencement of a process that will lead to a development plan was introduced at the mall beside the new L.L. Bean store, which opened up this November.
The Burlington Town Center mall is located at 49 Church Street at the center of Burlington. The construction would include three new buildings, around 250 new apartments, a new hotel, office space, and new underground and rooftop parking spaces.
Sinex emphasized the role that community input will play in how the new mall will look.
“What we’re doing today is not announcing a plan to develop this,” Sinex said. “What we’re announcing is a process.”
Governor Shumlin is in favor of the plan.
“This project shows how we can utilize innovative public-private partnerships to continue to strengthen Vermont’s downtowns,” Shumlin said. “Burlington is already a model for how downtown development can spur job growth, economic opportunity, and positive community engagement. Today’s announcement is just one more example of how Mayor Weinberger and his team are getting it right for Burlington and Vermont.”
The released ideas look to expand the mall considerably. While the mall currently has 125,000 square feet of retail space, the current plan will expand retail area to 225,000 square feet. The plan will add almost five times as much office space as is currently offered — 150,000 square feet of additional space onto the existing 35,000. The new parking lots would add around 375 spaces. The hotel would add 250 rooms and be able to accommodate 5,000-person events.
”The redevelopment concept for the Burlington Town Center mall represents a big step in our efforts to create the most walkable small city downtown in America,” said Peter Owens, Director of the Burlington Community and Development Office.
Mayor Weinberger claims that the renovation will be a one that fits in with planBTV, Burlington’s improvement plan.
“Don Sinex has stepped forward with a creative, public-private redevelopment concept that implements the planBTV vision of additional downtown housing and jobs, restored pedestrian and bike connectivity, and greater vibrancy on Bank and Cherry streets,” Weinberger said. “I look forward to working with the public and Mr. Sinex in the months and years ahead to review and refine the concept and together make it a reality.”
Sinex is not only looking to redevelop the Burlington Town Center mall; he also wants to help Burlington move forward as a community. Sinex estimated that a redesigned Burlington Town Center Mall would provide around 300 temporary construction jobs in Burlington, and between 1,000 and 1,600 permanent jobs. It would also help enhance downtown transportation with a connection inside the mall between St. Paul Street and Pine Street. Projected economic benefits for the city and Vermont included six million dollars per year in new real estate tax revenue, and $450 million per year in estimated economic activity through the multiplier effect.
“With each step I take in the process of redeveloping the Burlington Town Center to create a dynamic mixed use, transit-oriented project, I include a focus on the needs and desires of the Burlington community,” Sinex said. “I am counting on the public to offer impactful input and ideas that will help us achieve our goal of turning the mall inside out – of transforming one, often hidden space into a multitude of outward-facing shops, restaurants, entertainment venues, parks, and other open spaces.”
Burlington Town Center mall is now 38 years old, as it was built in 1976. If the City Council considers a resolution in one of its meetings this December authorizing an exchange between the public, Sinex and the Administration, then plans will begin to develop and move forward.
“My vision is to create a mall that offers something for everyone – local community members and out-of-town visitors looking to shop, dine, be entertained – and that brings jobs, revenue, and economic benefit to Burlington and to Vermont,” Sinex said. “Like the Mayor, I believe that we’ll arrive at the best plan for BTC only by engaging in a transparent, public process that considers a wide range of community needs and ideas.”
(11/13/14 3:36am)
This past week Vermont began its first Ebola quarantine when Rutland resident Peter James Italia was placed into a 21-day quarantine. Italia was and still is completely symptom-free, but nonetheless has agreed to remain in quarantine and to cooperate with health officials. Governor Peter Shumlin did not originally release Italia’s name or location, but Italia later self-identified on his Facebook page.
“This individual was in Guinea and Sierra Leone with the stated intention of investigating the Ebola epidemic in those two countries,” Shumlin said at a news conference. However, as far as government officials can tell, the man had no known contact with Ebola patients during his month of traveling. Unfortunately, Italia was not affiliated with any government, health or relief organization that can verify his location.
“Do you believe him?” asked Steph Machado, Local 22 and Local 44 reporter, at the news conference.
“It’s not my job to speculate on what he said, what he did, or where he went,” Shumlin said. “I will not know the answer to that. None of us probably will.”
When Italia flew back into the US last Monday through the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, N.Y., he was screened upon arrival. He did not display symptoms of Ebola and was then released.
A Vermont law enforcement member and a public health worker then met him at the airport and drove him back into the state.
“This individual does not have an elevated temperature, has no signs or symptoms of illness and is not a health risk to anyone at this time,” Shumlin said.
The state is keeping him in a private residence in a rural area, and public health nurses from Vermont visit him twice a day to check his condition. Before visiting, the nurses have Italia check his own temperature to make sure he has not developed a fever.
Italia traveled to West Africa to offer his medical services to combat Ebola. They were declined.
“He’s represented himself in public statements as a physician, but he’s not a licensed doctor or health care professional here in the state of Vermont,” Shumlin said. Italia told the Burlington Free Press that he graduated from a medical school in the Dominican Republic, but is not yet licensed in Vermont.
Italia also told the Burlington Free Press that he has no plans to violate the quarantine, and that he has signed a state document in “agreement to voluntarily comply with quarantine.”
Should Italia develop symptoms, Vermont authorities are prepared. Fletcher Allen (Vermont’s largest hospital) began preparations for Ebola in early October, training 200 members of their staff and making sure they had the right materials in case they did receive an infected patient. Three rooms in Fletcher Allen’s medical intensive care unit have been readied for the care of an Ebola patient, should one come to Vermont.
The Burlington International Airport, Burlington Fire Department and the Williston Fire Department have also taken measures to educate themselves about Ebola.
The Ebola virus, also known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal illness. The incubation period for the disease is usually between two and 21 days. Symptoms include fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, chest pain, rash and impaired kidney and liver function. The average Ebola case fatality rate is around 50 percent, though case fatality rates have varied from 25 percent to 90 percent in past outbreaks. So far there is no proven treatment available for Ebola or any licensed vaccines.
WHO, the World Health Organization, has released a lot of information on Ebola since the recent outbreak this fall. Their fact sheet on the illness explains the seriousness of the situation.
“The current outbreak in west Africa, (first cases notified in March 2014), is the largest and most complex Ebola outbreak since the Ebola virus was first discovered in 1976. There have been more cases and deaths in this outbreak than all others combined. It has also spread between countries starting in Guinea then spreading across land borders to Sierra Leone and Liberia, by air (1 traveller only) to Nigeria, and by land (1 traveller) to Senegal.”
WHO also explains that humans are not infectious until they develop symptoms, which Italia has not.
This fall, a hospital in Dallas mistakenly sent home an Ebola patient who was showing some symptoms on Sept. 26, and the mistake was not corrected until Sept. 28. Now hospitals and health care officials are taking extra care with patients they believe might be at risk for developing the illness.
However, health officials are discouraging Vermonters from panicking. Italia has shown no symptoms, and Ebola is not an airborne disease. It is spread through direct contact with the bodily fluids of a person infected with the disease.
(10/30/14 3:14am)
Vermont is just coming off a strong, potentially record-breaking tourism season this year partly thanks to a new advertising campaign designed by the state. Governor Peter Shumlin discussed the positive impact that tourism has on Vermont in a press conference last Tuesday.
The extensive advertising campaign of $310,000 – an effort by lawmakers to lure visitors from major New England cities such as Boston and New York – includes the website www.VermontVacation.com/fall. The website features a foliage forecaster of the state that estimates peak foliage days for areas in Vermont.
The website explains that, “Leaves change color based on a variety of factors including light level, temperature, soil conditions and more. Here in Vermont, the color starts in northern regions and at higher elevations, progressing southward and downward into the valleys.”
The site also lists available lodging packages, driving suggestions, and events. It even links to a Vermont Tourism Youtube channel. Beer tasting and covered bridges, two of the state’s tourism attractions, were also discussed on the website.
In addition to the advertisement campaign, the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing helps sponsor some small tourist attraction programs, such as the “Apples to iPods” program in which apple pickers who find wooden apples in participating orchards can claim Apple iPods.
“Given the importance of this industry to Vermont’s economy and job creation,” Shumlin said. “I’m thrilled we’ve had such a strong year, and I am committed to doing what it takes to ensure visitors across the globe know how much Vermont has to offer.”
According to Shumlin, more than four million people from all over the world came to visit Vermont this summer. Tax revenues from Meals and Rooms were up 6.9 percent this September from last year. Room sales were up 11.2 percent from April through June.
The heightened tourism this summer bodes well for the autumn, traditionally the most lucrative season for the state.
The tourism industry in Vermont generates the state an average of $460 million every fall.
“Columbus Day holiday weekend is the busiest of the year in Vermont,” Shumlin said. “With visitors heading to hiking trails, inns and lodges, museums, restaurants and other attractions across the entire state.”
Tourism from September through November need not be concentrated in specific tourism destinations when colorful leaves can be seen from every part of Vermont.
“Vermont’s tourism economy continues to gain momentum year after year as development in our sector continues to grow,” said Megan Smith, Commissioner of Tourism and Marketing. “Investments in Vermont’s infrastructure and tourism facilities have helped to support this growth. Vermont’s strong reputation for outdoor recreation, unparalleled beauty and an unspoiled landscape have contributed to our strong tourism economy. It’s important that we keep these attributes in mind as our industry grows.”
To make sure that the strong wave of tourism continues throughout the winter, the Department of Tourism and Marketing is working on a $350,000 Vermont winter advertisement campaign.
(10/30/14 3:11am)
Last year, the Keene Pumpkin Festival set the world record for the most lit jack-o’-lanterns in one place. This year, student riots and police involvement brought Keene under a national spotlight.
The pumpkin festival is a tradition that locals in Keene, N.H. have looked forward to every year for the last 24 years. Thousands of people come to Keene every year to celebrate fall and participate in the world record for the number of lit jack-o’-lanterns.
This year, over 60,000 people came to the pumpkin festival. Many were college students who had heard about the event through social media, and perhaps expected it to be more of a student party scene than it typically is.
Early Saturday afternoon, the police in Keene broke up two separate parties because of injuries caused by cans and bottles that college students were throwing. Once the parties were broken up and party-goers were dispersed onto the streets, tensions escalated. Police responded to rioting and aggression with nonlethal measures that included pepper spray, Tasers, tear gas and sponge rounds. 84 arrests were made and more than 30 people were injured over the 12 hours of rioting. Luckily, there were no major injuries. The student crowd was confined so that the actual Pumpkin Festival in downtown Keene was relatively undisturbed.
“Like most New Hampshire citizens, I am outraged by the irresponsible, terrible actions that marred a New Hampshire tradition,” said Governor Maggie Hassan in a statement about the Keene riots. “I am confident that law enforcement will continue to investigate and prosecute individuals who are responsible, and I am calling on New Hampshire colleges and universities to take swift action to hold students involved accountable.”
“I am very grateful that there weren’t more injuries,” Hassan said. “We must be vigilant as a state to review and learn from the sad destruction that escalated in Keene.”
Since social media caused some of the rioting by attracting larger crowds to this year’s Pumpkin Festival, it is also aiding in assigning responsibility for it. Keene Police released 24 photos of rioters, asking the public to identify them. One arrest has already been made as a result.
“To be clear, Keene State College does not tolerate the outrageous behavior that occurred over the weekend,” said Keene State President Anne Huot in a statement. “Also, understand that it does not represent a great many of the students who attend this college.”
Many of the students causing destruction were only visiting Keene for the Pumpkin Festival and had no association with the college. In fact, many Keene State students turned out on Sunday morning to help clean up the town.
Student Body President Bobby Graham also released a statement, asking Keene students not to point fingers and blame each other: “While very many of us were not the perpetrators of destruction and did not take part [in] abhorrent activities that occurred it is an inevitable fact that we each share the burden of these events equally regardless of if some of us feel it differently than others.”
The media coverage of the Keene riots sparked debate over Twitter. Why were white college students often described in less violent terms when they rioted, seen as drunk college students causing mischief, rather than criminals? Others pointed out that even comparing Keene to Ferguson was insulting, when Keene students were rioting for, at most, their right to party and those at Ferguson were protesting excessive violence against the black community.
“The Pumpkin Festival has always been about the pumpkins themselves,” said Carolynn Johnson ’15, a Middlebury student from Keene, “and more importantly it’s about the community that comes together to create it. Despite what you might gather by reading coverage of the event, walking around downtown Keene this year was no exception. I heard about the disturbances from the news rather than from my own experience, despite living less than a mile away.”
Johnson has been to every pumpkin festival in Keene since she was born – 22 festivals in all.
“I sincerely hope that the town and the college - which is an integral part of the community - will be able to reach an understanding that allows the festival to continue in the future,” said Johnson.
(10/01/14 11:23pm)
This September the MacArthur Foundation granted Vermont cartoonist Alison Bechdel a MacArthur “Genius” Award. Bechdel lives in Bolton, Vermont and is known for her poignant portrayal of family relationships, as well as the lesbian community. She is the second graphic novelist to win the grant.
A MacArthur Fellowship comes with a stipend of $650,000 to the recipient, paid out over five years in quarterly installments with no strings attached. There are no public nominations for MacArthur fellowships. Potential recipients are nominated by an anonymous group and some are chosen by an anonymous selection committee made up of about 12 people. Those who are chosen are then recommended to the president and board of directors, who choose the recipients. Recipients first learn that they haves received the award via a phone call congratulating them.
“What a bizarre day,” Bechdel wrote on her blog on Sept. 17th, after the announcement. “I’m sitting here watching my email fill up with message after message from people from so many different times and places of my life, all congratulating me for the astonishing good fortune of receiving a MacArthur Fellowship. Not to mention a flurry of texts and tweets, and I haven’t had the energy to even look at Facebook.”
Bechdel is known for the comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For, which ran from 1983 to 2008. She also wrote two book-length graphic memoirs: Fun Home: A Family Tradition (2006) and Are You My Mother? A Comic Drama (2012).
“I love that first book,” said Robert Cohen, Professor of English & American Literatures. Cohen has taught Bechdel’s book in classes before.
“It’s rigorous and deep and surprising and like all great memoirs, it transcends the scope of one life,” he said. “Maybe that’s because it’s so scrupulous about looking at her father — the autobiographical stuff comes almost by the way, in service of something larger and more mysterious: the father’s own struggles with identity: sexual and otherwise.”
The MacArthur Foundation praised both Bechdel’s comics and her graphic memoirs. In a statement, it said, “With storytelling that is striking for its conceptual depth and complexity in structure as well as for the deft use of allusion and reference, Bechdel is changing our notions of the contemporary memoir and expanding the expressive potential of the graphic form.”
One of the ways Bechdel expanded the potential of the graphic form was with the invention of the now-famous ‘Bechdel Test’ in 1985. The Bechdel Test was first used on films but now has found a wide audience and is applied to other areas of media as well. In Bechdel’s comic strip, one of her characters explains that she only watched movies that pass a three step test: the movie must 1) have at least two women in it, 2) who talk to each other about 3) something other than a man. Bechdel talked briefly about the test when she came to Middlebury to give a talk titled “Dykes, Dads and Moms to Watch Out For” in November 2012.
“The talk was excellent,” Cohen said. “Polished, funny, terrifically insightful about her pretty painstaking and labor-intensive process of composition. I remember she began by showing images of her rejections from graduate schools in both Writing and Visual Art, and how, feeling she was not good enough in either area, she found a way to combine them in the end. That she seemed as surprised by her success as anyone was just part of what made her presentation so endearing.”
Bechdel told the L.A. Times that with the money, she will be able to pay off some debts and save for retirement, as well as expand her work.
Bechdel said she will be able to “take some risks, do something new — to plunge into my work. It’s an incredible gift.”
(09/25/14 3:47am)
Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin is facing a serious ramification for a GMO labeling bill he recently passed, in the form of a major lawsuit. The bill on genetically modified food products (GMOs), approved this past spring, will require GMOs sold in Vermont to be labeled by July 1, 2016. Vermont will be the first state to implement GMO labeling. Four national organizations filed a lawsuit on June 12th over this GMO labeling law (also known as Act 120), because they claim that GMOs do not need to be declared to consumers, as they do not affect customer safety or health.
“Vermont’s mandatory GMO labeling law — Act 120 — is a costly and misguided measure that will set the nation on a path toward a 50-state patchwork of GMO labeling policies that do nothing to advance the health and safety of consumers,” the Grocery Manufacturers Association said in a statement about the lawsuit.
Governor Shumlin signed Act 120 into law in May, after the Vermont House approved it by a margin of 114-30 in April. The bill specifies that any product “partially produced with genetic engineering,” that “may be produced with genetic engineering” or is “produced with genetic engineering,” will be considered a GMO, and encompasses all food products in Vermont. Sixty countries currently require GMOs to be labeled.
“I am proud of Vermont for being the first state in the nation to ensure that Vermonters will know what is in their food,” Shumlin said in a statement at the time.
Roughly 60 to 70 percent of processed foods in the United States contain genetically modified materials. Yet, only half of citizens understood that GMOs are sold in grocery stores, and under a quarter believed they had ever eaten GMOs.
The World Health Organization (WHO) states that GMOs should be assessed on a “case by case basis,” because “it is not possible to make general statements on the safety of all GMO foods.”
Act 120 was passed with the hope of making food information more transparent to customers. However, many argue that such transparency is unnecessary when GMOs have not been definitely proved as harmful.
“Act 120 imposes burdensome new speech requirements — and restrictions — that will affect, by Vermont’s count, eight out of every ten foods at the grocery store,” the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) said in a statement. “Vermont has effectively conceded this law has no basis in health, safety or science. That is why a number of product categories, including milk, meat, restaurant items and alcohol, are exempt from the law. This means that many foods containing GMO ingredients will not actually disclose that fact.”
The four plaintiff organizations that are arguing that the new law is unconstitutional are the GMA, the Snack Food Association, the International Dairy Foods Association and the National Association of Manufacturers.
Their lawsuit argues that the 2016 deadline for Act 120 is a difficult one for the plaintiffs to meet, and one that might require them to revise labels for every single product – even those not sold in Vermont. In addition, the lawsuit points out that since 1994 the FDA has confirmed the safety of more than 100 genetically engineered crops for human consumption.
The plaintiffs are also arguing that GMO regulation resides within the domain of federal, not state, laws.
“The Act exceeds Vermont’s authority under the United States Constitution. The Act should be invalidated and enjoined in its entirety,” the lawsuit argues.
Even last spring when the GMO bill was passed, lawmakers were aware that it would probably be contested in court. Attorney General William Sorrel said last Thursday that he had told lawmakers that the lawsuit would be “a heck of a fight, but we would zealously defend the law.”
(09/11/14 2:17pm)
Insurance rates will increase in 2015 for Vermonters insured by the state’s health insurance exchange, Vermont Health Connect. On September 2, the Green Mountain Care Board approved new rates for the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont (BCBSVT) and the MVP Health Plan, although both approved rates were lower than those which the insurance companies originally requested.
“As you can imagine this is a complex situation in which we need to balance concerns for affordability on the part of Vermonters with solvency (adequate reserves to be able to pay claims and remain in business) for the two insurers in the Exchange,” said Green Mountain Board member Karen Hein, M.D.
There are factors that drive the health care rate beyond the insurer’s control, such as drug costs and federal and state health care reforms. However, low cost health care is still important. The rates have to be low enough that Vermonters can pay for them, but stable enough that the insurers can stay in business.
As a summary from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield filing explained, though the insurance company understands the importance of keeping Vermont health care accessible, it was not possible to reduce the increase of rates.
“Since the factors driving this rate increase are almost entirely related to federal policy changes and increases in prices paid to medical providers in Vermont,” read the filing, “we believe that there is no way to further reduce these rates without underfunding the health care coverage on which Vermonters rely.”
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont, proposed an average annual increase of 9.8 percent, but the board modified and approved 7.7 percent. BCBSVT is that state’s largest health care insurer, and covers roughly 60,000 people. The MVP Health Plan, which covers approximately 5,000 Vermonters, proposed an annual increase of 15.3 percent, and 10.9 percent was approved.
However, even if 2015 rates will be lower than the two insurance proposals, they will still be higher than this year’s rates.
“I was discouraged to hear that into the new year the rates are going to go up further,” said Dr. Michael Lyons, a family doctor working out of White River. “It’s not allowing the kind of access to care that was in the spirit behind it.”
Dr. Lyons pointed out that the number of monthly payment plans his practice set up has not decreased since the Affordable Care Act was enacted. The practice provides monthly plans for patients who are unable to pay deductibles but are also unqualified for Medicaid. Dr. Lyons had expected the number of plans to decrease after health care became widespread.
“The way the whole thing has unfolded has been kind of disappointing,” said Dr Lyons. “One of the goals of the health care plans is to give everyone access to health care, but the expense has not made it quite come out that way.”
Even the cheapest options among the Vermont health care plans have fairly high deductibles, according to Dr. Lyons. Such steep deductibles are still a high cost to pay out of pocket for Vermonters without an employer who will cover these costs.
Vermont has been at the forefront of health reform since the 1980’s, working for affordable, accessible health care coverage. When the Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010 the state chose to build its own health insurance exchange, Vermont Health Connect. The VHC website claims that the exchange is “for Vermonters, by Vermonters.”
Since Vermont has such a high percentage of health care coverage, the transition from private to public insurance is not likely to be detrimental. However, small businesses will feel the impact of this change, as they must decide whether or not to help their employees pay for health care costs.
Vermont’s unique health care program is commonly regarded as a national model. If Vermont health care either becomes too expensive for patients or too risky for insurance companies, other states may become discouraged from developing similar health care plans.
“I’m still happy about health care reform,” said Dr Lyons. “It is good that we are taking a step to do anything because we have to move forward. But it seems like we have a long way to go.”
(04/24/13 4:47pm)
The tagline for the It Happens Here (IHH) event Monday, April 22, was “Let’s talk about what we don’t talk about.” At 7:30 p.m. the McCullough Social Space was filled to full capacity — with organizers forced to turn people away at the door to watch in Crossroads Café — as audience members waited to listen to readings of student experiences with sexual violence.
“Last night was a wonderful opportunity for the school to learn about a problem that affects all of us,” said Luke Carroll Brown ’13.5, an IHH leader and organizer of the event. “The amount of courage shown by the 23 students who shared their stories is absolutely remarkable. They put themselves out on a very public limb so that the rest of us could learn from their experiences. Their actions were exceptionally brave and exceptionally helpful.”
Of the 23 stories, 18 were read anonymously and five read out loud by their authors. Some of the pieces were monologues while others were poems. The stories were projected behind the student readers.
“I feel like It Happens Here is the most powerful event I have ever been a part of on this campus,” said Rana Abdelhamid ’15, one of the readers for the event. “It is such an honor to have had the opportunity to read the story of a young woman who had the courage to share her experience with the rest of our community.
“At the same time, since my piece actually happened at Middlebury the experience was sobering and a bit overwhelming,” she continued. “It reminded me that yes, it does happen here and that she could be my friend or my classmate. It makes me also reflect on what we can possibly do to make sure this doesn’t happen anymore.”
The stories this year were longer than those from last year, and more students chose to read their own stories. The stories were submitted through an anonymous website (go/ithappenshere) created at the beginning of spring semester. All of the stories submitted were presented. All traffic from the go links is now being directed to IHHMidd.org, which now has the majority of the event’s stories in video or text from.
“It was powerful,” said Dustin Lowman ’15. “There’s not much else to say. The simplicity of the night and the honesty of the readers was soul-shattering.”
Students entering the McCullough Social Space were handed flyers describing the event and giving the College Handbook definitions for consent and coercion. The flyers also had a sticky note attached to the back, so that students could “join the conversation” around sexual assault. Students were encouraged to write on their sticky notes and add them to the large map outside of the Grille.
“Watching the crowds of people cram into McCullough, I was at first worried that this event would have a sensational tone to it,” said Kalya Koltes ’15.5. “But as soon as the first story was read aloud, I was deeply moved by the presentation’s simplicity. I have a lot of respect for the people who shared their experiences.
“Events like these show us how important it is to break the silence and stigma about any form of sexual assault,” she continued. “I hope that the conversations will continue after this event and impact people’s understanding of this complex issue.”
Director of Chellis House Karin Hanta reminded students at the beginning of the event that counseling services was ready to handle any emotions stemming from IHH.
After the event, many students congregated outside of the entrance to continue discussion and tack up their sticky notes.
On Tuesday, April 23, there was a follow-up dinner in Redfield Proctor.
“We thought it would be a good way to decompress from such an emotional event,” said Carroll Brown.
“I hope that the event might lead to a cultural shift in the way we think about sexual violence,” said Emily Pedowitz ’13, an IHH leader and member of the Sexual Assault Oversight Committee (SAOC). “By opening a space to hear our peers’ stories, I hope Middlebury can grow to understand sexual assault as a common and difficult experience, to be better able to support those who have experienced this, and also to foster empathy and knowledge of consent in all students so that rates of sexual violence on Middlebury campus might decrease. I really do believe the first step to all of this is sharing narratives and growing from each others’ experiences.”
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The next related event is Monday April 29, when Grace Brown, creator of Project Unbreakable, will give a talk in Dana Auditorium.
(04/17/13 4:25pm)
At the end of the 2012-2013 academic year, Alan R. Holmes Professor of Monetary Economics Scott Pardee will finish his term as professor and instead take on the role of Education in Action (EIA) Emeritus Faculty Fellow. Pardee is currently the only economics professor who teaches finance courses, and while the economics department intends to continue to integrate finance into its course offerings, the College will not be hiring a replacement for Pardee.
During his time as professor, Pardee has developed four different courses on finance: Monetary Theory, Corporate Finance and Accounting, Investments and Financial Markets and Empirical Finance. Approximately 150 students enrolled in Pardee’s four classes this year.
Next year, when Pardee is working in Adirondack House, finance courses will only be offered to students during winter term. It is also possible that Pardee will lead small workshop courses during the fall and spring semesters on the subject of finance.
“I would hope that we can develop some kind of program that brings it back into the regular terms, because students need it — there is a tremendous demand for these courses, and students have to get jobs,” said Pardee. “Economics is all about jobs, and we have a responsibility in the economics department to prepare students for the real world.”
Unfortunately, finance professors like Pardee are not easy to find.
“It’s worth noting that a month or two ago, we offered a position in macroeconomics to someone whose research combined insights from finance and labor economics, and who had teaching experience in both governance and finance,” explained James B. Jermain Professor of Political Economy Peter Matthews. “However, she turned the position down.”
While several other peer institutions offer finance courses, finding a capable professor can be difficult. For that reason, Pardee has had a unique role at the College.
“Having someone come in to teach finance at a level that I teach is very unusual for a liberal arts college, but there are people who are willing to do this,” said Pardee. “You come out of the real world and into the world of academia, with a PhD in your background, and work with students. I have been very comfortable at Middlebury because I share four passions.”
These passions include liberal arts, civil rights, the environment and ethics.
“I’m excited to go on to work with the EIA because I will continue to work with students, and I’ll have some teaching responsibilities,” said Pardee.
Though Pardee will still be on campus and teaching during winter term, a void will be left unfilled by the disappearance of the four finance classes.
“A lot of the courses offered by the economics department are theoretical, which means many kids leave Middlebury feeling like they know much more about theory than application,” said Ryan Kim ’14, co-leader of the Student Investment Committee (SIC), for which Pardee is the adviser. “Finance courses provide students with practical tools and vocabulary.”
Kim feels that students without access to finance courses would be at a disadvantage in their job searches.
“A lot of feedback from students applying for jobs and alumni trying to hire students from the College is that Middlebury candidates lack a lot of the hard skills of math and financial knowledge, even basic terminology,” he said. “Professor Pardee has offered a really valuable service in helping to bridge that gap, both as the advisor of the SIC and by providing financy-related courses.”
While the College is not hiring a replacement for Pardee within the economics department, monetary and financial economics courses consistent with the College’s mission as a liberal arts institution, such as Monetary Theory and Policy, will continue to be offered.
Pardee will be working in the Adirondack House to help foster student-alumni relations and aid students in finding job opportunities.
(04/10/13 4:54pm)
Middlebury offered 1,750 students admission to the class of 2017 in the most competitive and diverse admission process in the College’s history. Three hundred and fifty of these students were admitted in early February or Early Decision last December, and Regular Admission decisions were available online at 8 a.m. on March 23.
“Interest in Middlebury remains high and we are heartened that so many wonderful students continue to be interested in joining our community,” said Director of Admissions Manuel Carballo.
The record number of 9,112 applications submitted to the College is a three percent increase from 2012. Though the College’s average acceptance rate for the last five years has been 20 percent, this year its admission rate dropped down to 19 percent over all. 35 percent of Early Decision applicants were admitted, whereas the acceptance rate for regular decision applicants was 17 percent.
“It is especially exciting to see that our applicant pool continues to become more diverse,” said Carballo. “The growing competition makes the selection process tougher every year, but in the end we are able to bring a wonderful class to join the Middlebury family.”
Not only was the applicant pool for the Class of 2017 highly competitive – it was also historically diverse.
“We can only comment right now on admitted students, not the actual class,” said Dean of Admissions Greg Buckles, “I can say that our application numbers for students of color, international students and first-generation students were the highest in the College’s history this year – we’re pleased with and proud of those results.”
Middlebury had a record of just over 2,000 applications from students of color, which represents a 15 percent increase from last year and the accepted pool of students includes 11 percent more students of color admissions than last year.
“I believe an increase in diversity for the campus could only mean an increase in the range of experiences and an even more versatile incoming class,” said Tim Garcia ’14, co-president of the Distinguished Men of Color.
The admissions office received roughly 2,000 applications from international students this year, an increase of 8.7 percent from last year, with students applying from 129 different countries. Applications were received from all 50 states in addition to Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The admitted students to the class of 2017 are from 77 countries and all 50 states.
“After going to Toronto and presenting at a number of high schools for Middlebury, I am thrilled to see that the College has been receiving a greater number of international applicants,” said Emma Kitchen ’14.5, who worked with the admissions office. “The admissions office has been working very hard to do as many presentations as possible and it has clearly been effective. […] These students get to come to Midd and bring a whole different set of experiences, that I believe greatly adds to the colleges unique and driven student body.”
12.3 percent of students applying to the College indicated on their application that they are the first member of their family to attend a four-year college, a 12.9 percent increase from last year. Of these first-generation students, 20.4 percent more were admitted than last year.
“The varied life experiences and talent of the Class of 2017 is a promising signal of the College’s belief in the added value of diversity and inclusive excellence,” said Dean of the College and Chief Diversity Officer Shirley M. Collado. “We are energized by the shifting demographics of Middlebury applicants from all around the country and the globe. These students are coming with life stories, broad perspectives and incredible appetite for learning on a College campus that is committed to providing dynamic learning opportunities inside and outside the classroom. I can’t wait to meet these students and welcome them to our campus.”
The College admits an average of 170 recruited athletes each year, and the number for the Class of 2017 is expected to be similar.
Financial aid was a priority for the Admissions Office this year; the College hopes to award approximately 43 percent of the incoming class aid. This will be the highest percentage in several years, though aid is always an important consideration.
“Financial aid has always been a top priority for [Middlebury],” said Associate Vice President for Student Financial Services Kim Downs-Burns. “Middlebury is one of the few colleges in the country that commits to a ‘need-blind’ admission process while meeting the full demonstrated financial need of every student. We expect to spend approximately $9.5 million in institutional funding for the class of 2017, [and] we spent almost $9.4 million last year for the class of 2016.”
Admitted students are invited to campus for preview days on April 17-19, and have until May 1 to accept their position. The College anticipates that roughly 600 students will matriculate in September 2013 and another 100 in February 2014.
“We are looking forward to welcoming many of them during Preview Days, our accepted student’s weekend,” said Carballo. “We hope you will join us in welcoming them so that they will choose Midd!”
(03/06/13 5:41pm)
WRMC, the College’s student-run radio station, is launching its new website today. The website, which provides many new features and is designed to become a concentrated source of information for music culture on campus, is coming out in conjunction with a new look for WRMC. Moss Turpan ’14, the creative director of WRMC, spearheaded the creation of the new website and directed the station’s larger rebranding effort.
Turpan pointed to the changing ways in which students listen to music and learn about new bands as a reason for the site’s redesign.
“The purpose that college radio originally fulfilled was to inform people about up-and-coming music,” said Turpan. “But since the Internet and birth of the music blog, listening to college radio has become less relevant and less necessary to get new music. Part of the aim of the new website is to help WRMC to fulfill the role college radio has always been there to fulfill, [which is] to get out new music. Bolstering our online presence will allow us to combine music blogging with radio programming to bring people new music.”
The decision to redesign the website was driven by a need to improve not only the functionality of the website but also its aesthetic.
“We are using the new website as part of a general rebranding effort for WRMC,” said Turpan. “Not only have we redone the website but we’ve also redone the graphic identity of the station. We’re trying to give WRMC a new face.”
Sam Tolzmann ’14 was commissioned to create hand-drawn elements and graphics to assist in the website’s redesign.
“Drawing elements of the webpage keeps it WRMC-specific, and the drawings make it appealing to users new to our site by softening the edges of the visuals up a bit — they have a hint of a casual or fun feel where standard graphics would likely come off as austere,” said Tolzmann of his artwork.
WRMC’s new webpage has many new features that improve upon the old site, such as a history page, an integrated blog, a concert calendar and a calendar for live broadcasts of College sporting events. The website will also feature an alumni page with updates on alumni news and bands, as a part of WRMC’s effort to better connect with its former student DJs and listeners.
“The concept of the website was to create a framework that would act to reorganize WRMC and reorient us to be an accessible and easy-to-use venue for the student voice on campus,” said WRMC General Manager Dylan Redford ’14.
All radio shows now have a webpage, which will include links to the DJs blogs. The new website also houses recordings, including a new video series of concert recordings.
Turpan worked with administrators within Library and Information Services as well as an external web design company in developing the site.
“The process started with conceiving what we wanted to do with this website. Then over the course of the summer I worked with the web designer and also a team of people involved in WRMC to hash out what the website looked like,” said Turpan.
Turpan worked with an external web design company to finish the site towards the end of the summer, before turning the project over to Ian McBride, the College’s senior software engineer. McBride has worked to create the website since September.
“In terms of time it needed an update – it felt a little outdated,” said Turpan. “We were going for something that looked more new and sleek, something better designed and attentive to aesthetics.”
(02/20/13 6:07pm)
On Tuesday, Feb. 26 the Sustainability Integration Office is launching Be Bright, a pilot program to raise awareness and educate students about energy consumption on campus in a semester-long energy literacy campaign. The Sustainability Integration Office hopes the project will inform students and push them to be more conscientious of their own energy consumption while involving the campus in reaching carbon neutrality. The campaign’s events will include an exhibit in Davis Family Library on March 11, a “pledge ride” event on March 6, a series of community dinners and the launch of a new Tumblr site which can be found at go/BeBright.
“The goal of this whole campaign is to educate students about energy use at Middlebury and why their actions are important and how they effect campus-wide energy usage,” said Sustainability Communication and Outreach Coordinator Avery McNiff ’12. “It’s important to think about the consequences of one’s own energy use in the world outside of Middlebury with the understanding that the use of energy effects the environment, economics and politics at personal, local, global scales.”
The Be Bright campaign distributed surveys to the student body in January in order to collect data on what students already know and would like to know about energy consumption on campus.
“The survey was designed to gauge both students perceptions of energy consumption and current practices of energy conservation,” said Luke Elder ’13, a student involved in the campaign.
The survey generated several inquiries among the student body, such as “Will we reach our goal of carbon neutrality?” and “How much energy do the solar panels near the organic garden generate?” Answers to these questions will be posted on the Be Bright tumblr site throughout the semester.
The Feb. 26 launch dinner, to be held in Atwater Dining Hall, will serve local food and will feature a speech by Schumann Distinguished Scholar Bill McKibben. After dinner, students will have the opportunity to be photographed with their energy pledge, which will then be posted on the Tumblr page.
“We’re hoping that this [will create] a record of the pledges made,” explained McNiff. “They can be creative, even something very simple such as to turn off their lights every time they leave their room. We want people to be able to adapt it to their own lifestyle.”
In the days following the dinner, pledge stations will be set up around campus so students can write their pledge on a whiteboard, take a picture with it and post it on the Tumblr page.
The site already features a photo of McKibben holding his pledge, which reads, “to keep campaigning for a clean future”.
“We’ve found a lot of students want to know about carbon neutrality, and where we are on the path to carbon neutrality and so we’re trying to tie this into the energy literacy campaign,” said McNiff. “They want to know about our energy sources, where they come from, how the biomass [plant] works, what will we do to get to carbon neutrality, what we count in our carbon footprint. We need to make the answers to these questions available to students if we want to foster an energy literate community at Middlebury. We hope that in the effort to educate students we can also increase a sense of awareness and involvement. The idea for carbon neutrality initially came from students and it is crucial for students to continue to play a role in getting there.”
While the student body is often considered to already be environmentally conscious due to the College’s organized attempts to reach carbon neutrality, the energy literacy campaign seeks to educate students about the environmental effects of their behavior on a more individual level.
“I think energy literacy is important because energy consumption is one of the main ways that the average student contributes to the college’s greenhouse gas emissions on a daily basis,” said Elder. “Learning more about how seemingly small, daily decisions can impact the College’s energy use can collectively have a large impact on campus.”
Additionally, the campaign will incorporate different departments and elements of campus life that may not have been previously involved with energy issues on campus. For example, an exhibit of silkscreen pieces created by Ali Andrew ’12.5 titled “Energy Imprints” has been installed in McCullough as a part of the project.
“What I would like to see happen most is for students to discover a greater sense of connection with the college environment,” said Julian Macrone ’14, who is involved in the campaign and interned for Director of Sustainability Integration Jack Byrne this summer.
“As much as the campaign aims to reduce energy usage, I think the long-term goal for the campaign is to really foster a greater understanding regarding how campus functions, and how our own actions shape the workings of that environment. If this can help construct a greater sense of ownership of their environment in students, then hopefully this will set the groundwork for an enduring sense of responsibility and a lifetime of stewardship in whatever environment students may find themselves in.”