1/31/08
By Catherine Story
Critic Staff
Recently the Vermont State College Chancellor, Robert Clarke, declared that he would be retiring at the end of the 2008-09 school year.
During his tenure Clarke has been liked and disliked by faculty members.
“We always got along,” said James Bozeman mathematics chairperson, “although I did not always agree on contractual issues.”
Bozeman said that in previous years Clarke had supported a contract change for faculty of Vermont State colleges removing their early retirement option.
“It took a few years of fighting to get the early retirement back,” Bozeman said.
Bozeman still disagrees with the outcome of the fight but is happy that the faculty who were tenured at the time are still able to choose an early retirement.
“He has done some good,” said Bozeman, “ In recent years he has become more student and faculty oriented.”
Recently a group of faculty went before the Vermont legislature in an attempt to get an 8% increase in funding. Clarke supported these faculty members.
The Governor is only offering a 2.5% increase in funding which may not be enough to keep up with inflation.
Richard Moye, professor of English, had a different opinion of Robert Clarke.
“Retiring now is one of the slimier moves of Robert Clarke,” Moye said.
Robert Clarke will be taking advantage of the early retirement option that he attempted to remove from faculty contracts.
“Professors in Vermont state colleges don’t get paid very well,” Moye said.
When LSC was looking for a full time Philosophy professor they had an applicant who had a PhD in his field, was fluent in six languages and conversant in twelve. The school could only offer him a $27,000 salary.
“We used the early retirement option to help rope people in,” Moye said, “It’s not easy to get people to move here.”
After a professor earns their PhD they’re usually getting a little older. It’s rare for them to retire at fifty-five.
Many of the faculty that were hired with this early retirement option in their contracts do not have it. Only faculty who were tenured at the time will receive the early retirement option.
“Untenured faculty ought to be upset,” said Moye, “They were hired with that bait.”
“I don’t think Clarke has done anything to improve Vermont,” Moye said.
Moye said that Clarke has hurt Vermont more than he has helped.
“Alienating faculty who are the heart and soul of an educational institution,” is how Moye describes Robert Clarke.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Radio Talent from LSC Students
1/31/08By Jennifer Ingram
Critic Staff
At Lyndon State College there is great talent all around us, and some of the great talent comes through the air waves of the radio on a daily or weekly basis. Many of you may hear of student James Osler also known as the “Oz” on numerous radio stations such as Lyndon State’s radio station WWLR 91.5 or Nassau Broadcasting station for WIKE 1490 and WMOO 92.1. James Osler is a junior at Lyndon State College from Old Greenwich, Connecticut. James stated, “I have loved radio since he was a kid more than anyone else.” As part of being an on-air talent/ DJ for WIKE 1490 he fills in for the local sports, such as the Red Sox, Patriots and as the board operator. When he is broadcasting for LSC’s WWLR 91.5 he is the traffic director. According to James LSC has done a great deal for him as a club, it has given him first hand experience and has surrounded him with people that have the same passion as he does. James mentioned that he would love to continue his passion in the radio industry after graduation and work for 106.9 WCC-FM The Rock in Hartford, CT or for 92.3 K-Rock in New York City, or be the next Eddie Trunk who has a Friday night heavy metal show on Q104.3 in New York. According to James Osler, “he wants to be happy and follow his passion of radio broadcasting.” His dream job would to own his own heavy metal/ hard rock radio station in a major city.
Another familiar voice that is heard over the air waves every weekend is Josh Webber, or known on the radio as Greg Webber. He is a senior at LSC majoring in Meteorology originally from Bridgewater, Mass. According to Josh Webber, he’s always had an obsession with radio….whether it was the kid who kept calling the stations until they finally blocked him because they didn’t play his song….or it was trying to be caller number 10 to win a prize….music has been a big part of his life. When asked how he got involved in radio broadcasting he said, “I started actually DJ’ing when a friend of mine Michael Swan had a radio show freshman year….it seemed sort of fun, I heard him on the radio, was interested in it, so I went down and joined him on-air a few times and then decided to get a show of my own….here at Lyndon…”
Josh is following his passion on being a radio broadcaster. About a year ago he began working at KIX 105.5 in St. Johnsbury when they were looking for a weekend jock to do their country radio show in the mornings. Through working at KIX 105.5 he has learned quite a bit and he contributes that to just being thrown into the job.
Although Josh is meteorology major his dream job would be to become the General Manager which would give him an opportunity to work in all aspects of the radio field such as, finances, communications and broadcasting.
“Being apart of the radio allows me to be myself, and to have a good time,” said Josh Webber.
Reactions to the smoking ban
1/31/08By Nathaniel Champagne
Critic Staff
Students around Lyndon State’s campus will notice the signs informing them of the newly enacted smoking policy.
Smoking is no longer allowed on campus except for designated areas such as the parking lots.
“It’s not going to stop us,” said Sue, a smoker, when asked about the smoking ban.
There is no fine for smoking on campus according to George Hacking, director of public safety.
This isn’t to say that there won’t be one but simply that Jonathan Davis, director of Residential Life, has yet to decide how much the fine should be.
“I’m worried,” Natalie, a non-smoker, said. Smoking in the courtyard is a social experience, forcing the drunk kids who smoke into the parking lots is just asking for trouble.”
Members of the LSC Health and Safety Committee formed the new policy. The policy was approved by LSC President Carol Moore.
Donna Dalton, dean of Academic and Student Affairs, did not sit on the Health and Safety Committee but was able to comment on the issue.
The idea behind limiting smoking to the parking lots is to cut down on second hand smoke and litter caused by cigarette butts, Dalton said.
Aside from the change in location as to where people can smoke, little else is different in regards to how the policy is enforced.
Public Safety does not have the personnel to create a smoking patrol. If they spot people violating the ban while performing their other duties, they will then take action.
Prior to the new policy going into effect, there were concerns of vandalism incidents in the parking lot rising due to more people going there to smoke.
There haven’t been any reported cases of vandalism related to the new smoking policy since being put into effect on Jan. 1.
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Map by Takuya Shimamura
Clear Text Comes to LSC
1/31/08
By Ben Holbrook
Managing Editor
LSC’s emergency warning system, Clear Text, is now being implemented in order to warn students quickly using cell phones if there was a problem.
Clear Text is a warning system that is able to notify a large number of people quickly if there is an emergency. LSC uses Clear Text to send messages to your cell phone but it is not limited to only phones. Clear Text can be used with email and desktop, according to the Clear Text user guide. This system is only one component of the safety procedures on campus, said George Hacking, director of public safety.
At the moment only about 100 students have signed up for Clear Text notifications, said Hacking. To sign up for Clear Text you can go to http://lyndonstate.cleartxt.com/. The sign up process is very simple and only requires your name, email address, cell phone carrier service, and your cell phone number.
Besides using Clear Text, LSC also uses a phone tree to notify specific individuals who then alert classrooms as safety permits. Clear Text has limitations since not everybody uses a cell phone and often times professors require students to turn off any cell phones during class. The Clear Text system is also not compatible with track phones.
LSC chose to use Clear Text because of price, said Hacking. The program that LSC chose allows for 10 uses, which costs $250. If the school used five or six warnings then the package would be upgraded however, “we don’t expect to use all 10,” said Hacking.
LSC would only use Clear Text for actual emergencies although other colleges use it for all notifications like class cancellations.
“At the end of the year we may re-evaluate it,” said Hacking. Systems like Clear Text need to be evaluated every six to twelve months, said Hacking. Ideally Hacking would, “love to have a loud speaker system around campus.”
A loudspeaker system would cost between $50,000 and $75,000, which is too expensive at the moment. The school would look into other things that can piggyback on existing infrastructure.
Since Clear Text is only one component of an emergency system, the most likely next step would be to put speakers up around campus, said Hacking. A built in video system would also be a possibility. The school’s biggest challenge is trying to stay current on what is available and what can be afforded.
By Ben Holbrook
Managing Editor
LSC’s emergency warning system, Clear Text, is now being implemented in order to warn students quickly using cell phones if there was a problem.
Clear Text is a warning system that is able to notify a large number of people quickly if there is an emergency. LSC uses Clear Text to send messages to your cell phone but it is not limited to only phones. Clear Text can be used with email and desktop, according to the Clear Text user guide. This system is only one component of the safety procedures on campus, said George Hacking, director of public safety.
At the moment only about 100 students have signed up for Clear Text notifications, said Hacking. To sign up for Clear Text you can go to http://lyndonstate.cleartxt.com/. The sign up process is very simple and only requires your name, email address, cell phone carrier service, and your cell phone number.
Besides using Clear Text, LSC also uses a phone tree to notify specific individuals who then alert classrooms as safety permits. Clear Text has limitations since not everybody uses a cell phone and often times professors require students to turn off any cell phones during class. The Clear Text system is also not compatible with track phones.
LSC chose to use Clear Text because of price, said Hacking. The program that LSC chose allows for 10 uses, which costs $250. If the school used five or six warnings then the package would be upgraded however, “we don’t expect to use all 10,” said Hacking.
LSC would only use Clear Text for actual emergencies although other colleges use it for all notifications like class cancellations.
“At the end of the year we may re-evaluate it,” said Hacking. Systems like Clear Text need to be evaluated every six to twelve months, said Hacking. Ideally Hacking would, “love to have a loud speaker system around campus.”
A loudspeaker system would cost between $50,000 and $75,000, which is too expensive at the moment. The school would look into other things that can piggyback on existing infrastructure.
Since Clear Text is only one component of an emergency system, the most likely next step would be to put speakers up around campus, said Hacking. A built in video system would also be a possibility. The school’s biggest challenge is trying to stay current on what is available and what can be afforded.
Hornets captain cited for underage drinking
1/27/08
By Andrew R. Koch
Sports Editor
A captain of the Lyndon State men’s basketball team was cited for underage consumption following a home game over break.
Junior center Kali Stoddard-Imari was cited for his second alcohol offense in Vermont after state police found him among a group of people walking along Broad Street at 3 a.m. on the morning of January 9, following the Hornets’ win over Southern Maine Community College. While Stoddard-Imari did blow numbers in a breathalyzer test, he believes there’s more to the story than that.
“At first it was just my fiancée and I. Then a series of people left the house we were at. I was catching up with my future sister-in-law. She was about a block ahead of us,” said Stoddard-Imari, adding that she was stopped by the undercover state trooper first.
“I told my mom about what happened, and she believed that I had been racially profiled,” Stoddard-Imari said. He believes that he was profiled because he wasn’t with the person who was first stopped, and that the state trooper questioned him a couple of times, even after he told the trooper that he wasn’t driving because he had been drinking that night. He also felt that the trooper was very rude.
“I think my fiancée was lumped in with the other underage individuals so the trooper wouldn’t have to write a report,” Stoddard-Imari said. He added that his fiancée is over 21, which means that she could’ve gotten into trouble for serving alcohol to minors.
Stoddard-Imari said he resolved the situation by sitting down and apologizing to his coaches.
“I feel like I let everyone down as a captain on this team,” Stoddard-Imari said. “I’ve decided to stay dry until my 21st birthday. It isn’t that hard to do.”
“He wasn’t suspended because it happened off-campus,” said Bill Johnson, assistant athletic director and assistant men’s basketball coach. Johnson added that the school holds orientations for its athletes, as well as meetings for individual teams, where issues relating to alcohol, tobacco and drugs are addressed. Johnson also said that athletes need to be discreet about the things they do.
“He (Stoddard-Imari) handled it very adult-like. He’s a high-profile athlete, as a captain and an All-American. He’s a local kid. We’d like to see Kali be a role model for kids in the area,” Johnson said. He added that he also discussed the student-athlete expectations with Stoddard-Imari.
The student-athlete expectations include individual sections on the prohibition of the use of alcohol, tobacco and non-prescription drugs during team-related activities, such as traveling, games, practices and team get-togethers. The section on alcohol and drugs says that neither substance can be “possessed or consumed by student-athletes…unless of age with the discretion of the coach.”
“We don’t hold student-athletes to those expectations. We encourage them to meet those expectations,” Athletic Director Chris Ummer said. “This isn’t a contract. We could make it into one, but then who’s going to police it all the time?”
Ummer said that what the athletic department stresses is conduct on and off the courts and fields, plus the athletes’ conduct towards the teachers and faculty, as well as their fellow students.
“You’re representing everyone here, not just your teammates and coaches,” Ummer said. “Every student here is in a learning process. In Kali’s case, it’s a learning process.”
Stoddard-Imari will be appearing in Caledonia County District Court on February 11 to answer to the underage consumption charge, where he plans to tell the judge that he believes he was a target of racial profiling.
By Andrew R. Koch
Sports Editor
A captain of the Lyndon State men’s basketball team was cited for underage consumption following a home game over break.
Junior center Kali Stoddard-Imari was cited for his second alcohol offense in Vermont after state police found him among a group of people walking along Broad Street at 3 a.m. on the morning of January 9, following the Hornets’ win over Southern Maine Community College. While Stoddard-Imari did blow numbers in a breathalyzer test, he believes there’s more to the story than that.
“At first it was just my fiancée and I. Then a series of people left the house we were at. I was catching up with my future sister-in-law. She was about a block ahead of us,” said Stoddard-Imari, adding that she was stopped by the undercover state trooper first.
“I told my mom about what happened, and she believed that I had been racially profiled,” Stoddard-Imari said. He believes that he was profiled because he wasn’t with the person who was first stopped, and that the state trooper questioned him a couple of times, even after he told the trooper that he wasn’t driving because he had been drinking that night. He also felt that the trooper was very rude.
“I think my fiancée was lumped in with the other underage individuals so the trooper wouldn’t have to write a report,” Stoddard-Imari said. He added that his fiancée is over 21, which means that she could’ve gotten into trouble for serving alcohol to minors.
Stoddard-Imari said he resolved the situation by sitting down and apologizing to his coaches.
“I feel like I let everyone down as a captain on this team,” Stoddard-Imari said. “I’ve decided to stay dry until my 21st birthday. It isn’t that hard to do.”
“He wasn’t suspended because it happened off-campus,” said Bill Johnson, assistant athletic director and assistant men’s basketball coach. Johnson added that the school holds orientations for its athletes, as well as meetings for individual teams, where issues relating to alcohol, tobacco and drugs are addressed. Johnson also said that athletes need to be discreet about the things they do.
“He (Stoddard-Imari) handled it very adult-like. He’s a high-profile athlete, as a captain and an All-American. He’s a local kid. We’d like to see Kali be a role model for kids in the area,” Johnson said. He added that he also discussed the student-athlete expectations with Stoddard-Imari.
The student-athlete expectations include individual sections on the prohibition of the use of alcohol, tobacco and non-prescription drugs during team-related activities, such as traveling, games, practices and team get-togethers. The section on alcohol and drugs says that neither substance can be “possessed or consumed by student-athletes…unless of age with the discretion of the coach.”
“We don’t hold student-athletes to those expectations. We encourage them to meet those expectations,” Athletic Director Chris Ummer said. “This isn’t a contract. We could make it into one, but then who’s going to police it all the time?”
Ummer said that what the athletic department stresses is conduct on and off the courts and fields, plus the athletes’ conduct towards the teachers and faculty, as well as their fellow students.
“You’re representing everyone here, not just your teammates and coaches,” Ummer said. “Every student here is in a learning process. In Kali’s case, it’s a learning process.”
Stoddard-Imari will be appearing in Caledonia County District Court on February 11 to answer to the underage consumption charge, where he plans to tell the judge that he believes he was a target of racial profiling.
Vandalism
1/31/08By Joey Stewart
Special to the Critic
Several instances of vandalism in the form of graffiti have been spotted on the walls of LSC on the walls and doors of many of the campus restrooms, specifically the men’s rooms.
A large display of this graffiti is done in black spray paint outside of Vail on the concrete wall by the mail room entrance.
The graffiti, in all of its different locations, is assumed to have been done by the same person based on the fact that the writings were all done in a similar handwriting and most of them are of the same word, “Theo,” George Hacking, director of Public Safety.
“I think that some people believe it’s art. I think it’s visual pollution when it is the destruction or damage of public property, and it should not be allowed to continue,” Donna Edwards, Library Circulation Supervisor, said.
Campus security is in the process of investigating these “tagging” incidents and is confident that they will find the perpetrator, Hacking said.
“This school will bend over backwards to help people express themselves, and all they have to do is find the right avenues to ask those questions, and this person has obviously chosen not to do that,” Hacking said. “So instead, they have gone out and committed a crime, which they can be charged with criminally through the Vermont State Statutes, but I am not saying that that is going to happen. What we need to do is find this person and find out why they are doing it, and educate all people involved that this is not the right thing to do.”
Some of the damage that has been done, especially to the wooden bathroom doors, will not be a cheap fix. They will likely have to be sanded down and then re-varnished because the graffiti was done in permanent marker and has already set into the wood, Hacking said.
Many of the students have voiced there own opinions about this situation, but most of them agree that it seems childish.
“I think it’s an egotistical, improper outlet for self expression,” Eric Downing, a sophomore, said.
“It’s great that they are expressing themselves, but they shouldn’t deface public property,” Sara Morehouse, a senior, stated.
“I think that it’s sad that people feel compelled to do this. It really doesn’t mean anything, it just annoyed people, and obviously this guy has some talent and maybe he could find somewhere else to exhibit his art,” Garret Nelson, Library Director, said.
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