LSC Critic Online

LSC Hockey Nears End of Semester

2008-12-11T17:42:00.000-08:00

Sebastion C. Lury
Special to the Critic

LSC’s hockey team looks to end the semester strong.

The semester break marks the end to the unofficial first half of the hockey season. The hockey team, a club sport at Lyndon State College, looks to continue its improvement, though their record may not show it. The team is currently 3-7 with two games remaining before break.

Coach Jonathan Davis admits that this not where the team would have liked to been at the break, but he is still proud of their accomplishments. One of the things he has noticed most of all is the camaraderie that the team has adopted.

“Practices are fun,” says Davis. “They enjoy each other’s company.” Davis speaks highly of the sense of team that the players present. The quality of play is still in progress.

“There is still room for development,” says Davis after emphasizing the improvement throughout the year of the entire team, especially the first and second year students.

“I couldn’t be more proud,” Davis says of the team as a representative for the school. “They represent the college well and manage themselves well.”
Davis recognizes several key players: co-captain forward Ricky Paparo, junior, of Colchester who had eight goals and 10 assists though the first eight games; co-captain forward Jordan Mosher, junior, of St. Albans who had 11 goals and 11 assists through the first eight games; co-captain goalie Tucker Labare of Underhill Center, senior, who had played every minute of the first four games; forward Cory Pronto, freshmen, of Newport who had eight goals and seven assists in the first eight games; defenseman T.J. Duggan, freshmen, of South Windsor, Conn. who had four goals and 11 assists in the first eight games; and forward Jeff Giroux, senior, of Derby, who had three goals and two assists in his first three games. Giroux had joined the team later in the season after serving as the goalie for the LSC men’s soccer team.

The team still has a long way to go in terms of a playoff run, with a couple of months of play resuming after the break.

Outside of hockey, the team has been a presence for the school. On Nov. 17, 2008, the team hosted a free skate for LSC students at the Fenton W. Chester Arena. The event was co-sponsored by Resident Life and was held between 9:30 p.m. and 11 p.m., drawing an attendance of roughly 150 students.

The team is also holding a fund-raiser between now and the end of the season. The team is selling apparel such as winter hats a.k.a. “beanies,” t-shirts, and jackets. The apparel can be bought either at home games or at Jonathan Davis’ office.

Random acts of vandalism

2008-12-11T17:38:00.000-08:00

By Josiah Stewart
Critic Staff

Several acts of vandalism involving paint that had been stored in ACT 210 have plagued Lyndon State College over the past two weeks.

The room that was used to store the paint has seen the worst from the vandals.
“Those rooms are usually locked, and it wasn’t locked, and the paint that the students were using to do their ‘illegal’ artwork was in that room, and it is my responsibility because I thought that it was secure and it wasn’t,” Elizabeth Norris, department chair of music and performing arts, said.

Norris received a report on Dec. 2, and believes that it was a janitor who discovered the first bit of vandalism: yellow paint that had been dumped into the chalk board tray in ACT 210.

“That afternoon a student from my class said ‘oh look someone dumped paint into the heating vent’ so someone had taken the yellow paint and poured it down the heater, and it dripped through to the ground below,” Norris said, “I thought that I better also check the piano, so I opened the top of the piano looking for yellow paint and did not see any. I thought that it looked a little bit odd but I didn’t register what I was seeing because I was looking for yellow and I just looked real quick.”

On Monday Dec. 8, while Norris was having her departmental recital, she discovered that the piano she had checked earlier had been a victim of the vandals as well,

“I went to use the piano and it felt like I was playing on a table, and when I opened it I realized the whole inside was filled with brown paint so it blended in right over the hammers. So they lifted the top and poured brown paint all over the inner workings. I don’t yet know if the piano is salvageable. I still have to talk to someone about that,” Norris said.

Norris explained that although the Shelter Showcase was not greatly attended, people from off campus were free to come in, “so it could have been anyone.”

Another bit of vandalism on campus occurred on the bottom floor of the Vail building in the same spot that previously held three pieces of artwork that had only recently been painted over. “Someone took a black marker and wrote ‘Erase lies, not art,’ which I thought was very interesting, and it looks like someone tried to scrub it off and it isn’t coming off,” Norris said.

Norris also explained the reason behind the three paintings in Vail being painted over, “I found out that it was on account of supposed hidden drug messages in the paintings, because the one that said ‘Keep Lyndon Green’ had mushrooms in it and apparently someone from administration thought that it had to do with hallucinogens, and the other was an image of spray cans and this was thought to deal with inhalants.”

“Tenure or no tenure, I still would have done this project because in my brain it doesn’t really hold a connection to the project,” Norris said, “but I am on the other side of tenure now so I can’t say for sure, but the bottom line is that we are here for the students and for student education and I will do whatever it takes to teach my students something important.”

Passage to Egypt

2008-12-05T10:31:00.000-08:00

Photo courtesy of Pat McAree

Photo courtesy of Pat McAree

Gwen Cook
Critic Staff

Over Thanksgiving break 37 adventurers, including myself, went to the Arab Republic of Egypt for 10 fun and information filled days.

We saw plenty of famous sights such as the three Giza Pyramids, the sphinx and the Valley of the Kings. We traveled by plane and bus and boat to historical cities like Cairo, Aswan and Luxor. We had a very intelligent tour guide who told us more information than we could ever hope to retain. Egypt was a fantastic place for a vacation.

It was also the biggest culture shock I’ve ever received.
The four different things that I think stuck with me the most were the food, vendors, sanitation and transportation.

Egypt was the best crash diet I’ve ever been on. The food’s good but you have to do some research first. You can’t eat leafy veggies because the fertilizer is different than what we’re used to and they clean their food with Nile River water. You can’t have ice cubes because the water comes from the Nile as well. I might have gone overboard with my safety precautions by only drinking bottled water and eating bread but then again, I didn’t get sick.

Oh yea, and I didn’t have Egyptian McDonald's. If it makes you sick to eat that nasty stuff in the states what makes you think it won’t overseas?

The Nile is dirty. I never got a chance to ask about sanitation regulations but you could see there was a lack of it in many places. Like in ancient times, the Nile is their life line. Everything they do is tied to that river. I saw many people fishing, washing and drinking from the river. They were also doing this right next to heaps of trash and with a film of oil over the top. I don’t want to insult the people and make them seem like savages because they are far from it. I just think that there should be stricter regulations set in place to preserve the most important aspect of their lives.

Vendors, where do I even begin to start on vendors? They are nothing like home, that’s for sure. They get in your face and shove their wares right under your nose. They get way closer than even close friends should get. No is not a word that they accept. If you aren’t really strict with them in your dealings they’ll follow you around way past their stand in hopes that this will make you go back. I was almost pathetically grateful to get back to the states to the vendors that go out of their way to not help you. I think I can deal with that better.

I think the biggest shock to me was the transportation. Our tour guide Hashim told us that Cairo had the worst traffic in the world and I agree with him. All throughout our visit I was shocked and amazed that there weren’t more accidents. We actually were driving in Aswan and sideswiped a little truck with our big Coach bus. Our driver didn’t seem to mind and continued on at his hazardous pace.

Drivers weave in and out of traffic at an almost breakneck speed through cars, trucks, horse and buggies, and donkey pulled carts. In the cities drivers leave their lights off at night and only use them to flick at other traffic or pedestrians. If that doesn’t work than they honk their horn to warn. All through the night the sound of horns blare until you think you’re going to go completely insane.

Pedestrians are viewed as more of an inconvenience than anything else. Drivers won’t stop if they see someone crossing but will just honk their horn and expect you to get out of the way ASAP. Crossing the street is even more dangerous at night especially if you aren’t wearing reflective clothing.

Egypt was a trip that I know I’ll never forget. Not all the culture shocks were bad and I learned a great deal about their lifestyles. But after all is said and done I appreciate what I have back here at home so very much more.

Smell the Ocean Air, in the Elevator?

2008-12-05T10:30:00.000-08:00

By Sebastion Lury
Special to the Critic

Students may have noticed the sticker in the Vail elevator had expired and that it smelled of sea salt; but there is a good explanation for each.

“Everything’s up to date,” says Tom Archer, director of physical plant at LSC, “and they always were.” The elevator, Archer explains, is inspected two to three times annually by Vermont Inspection Services and the college has a maintenance agreement with Bay State Elevator to provided necessary maintenance every three months or so.

“It was a paperwork glitch,” says Archer. The reason for the expired sticker is a paperwork issue, not a safety issue according to Archer. Students will notice that the elevator now displays a faxed copy of the updated sticker and will continue to do so until the physical copy is received.

However, that does not explain the awkward smell on the first floor.

That smell is the byproduct of LSC’s efforts to be environmentally friendly. Archer explains that instead of the elevators using hydraulic oil, it uses vegetable oil.
According to Archer, most piston-powered hydraulic systems leak a bit due to the downward thrust of the piston into the oil. However, the difference between hydraulic oil and vegetable oil is that vegetable oil will biodegrade. When this occurs, the smell is produced.

When possible, the maintenance crew can clean the small leaks and the smell goes away. They do this by pumping off the rest of the oil and adding fresh and also by adding an environmental fungicide, Simply Green, and deodorant. For bigger leaks, Bay State Elevator is called in to remove excess oil.

Archer thinks that the reason for this elevator having the smell and others not having it is that the Vail elevator has a seal that leaks more. Archer assures that the seal is functional, however, because if it were not the elevator would not work.
“We spend a lot of money on these elevators,” says Archer about the smell and the inspection sticker. He also thanks LSC students for their concerns and questions and encourages students to be aware of these things.

Who owns these walls?

2008-12-05T10:27:00.000-08:00

Catherine Story
Managing editor

Lyndon is not my school.
The halls are plain or decorated with manufactured admissions propaganda and the events are generic and unimaginative. This campus has never looked like a student friendly or student run community.

The question I ask is: who really owns this school?

The reason I am dwelling on the ownership of this school is the recent expunging of student art in the hallways.

I realize the “danger” of having students feel that they can paint on any wall on campus without repercussions. There are always people who do things through hatred and angst and the school does not want those views to be a community representation.
There is however the question of who makes the decision of what can and cannot be put on the walls. Whose opinions does this school represent?

The faculty and administration of this college are put in place and paid to help students develop into freethinking and intelligent adults.

It’s upsetting for me to hear staff ask, “what gives students the right,” when discussing the painting project of the experiencing the arts class. My question is what gives the administration the right to demand that students get permission?
There is a web of paperwork that students need to fill out to do anything around campus that usually slips into the student services department and is never seen again. It is only through the SGA that students are granted money to create new activities and clubs and that SGA is made up of bitter club representatives who would generally prefer to be elsewhere.

The dilemma that is posed to me is the assertion that the administration has taken to wipe out the student artwork when they claim that the campus is too broke to pay for independent studies or up to date technology. Why are the man-hours and paint supplies so readily available to wipe out creative thought but not available to help students learn?

The administration may claim to embrace the creative and artistic students within the college but it seems quite the opposite when you hash through their actions. There is a new music room in the lower level of Vail that students are supposed to be able to practice in. Unfortunately because of the location, right below the administration offices, they are not allowed to practice before 4:30 p.m.

The students on this campus are treated like visitors. They are not allowed to leave a mark or make too much inconvenient noise. It’s the mentality of an administration and faculty that refuses to embrace their student’s creativity and expression without specific guidelines and restrictions that causes student’s lack of involvement as well as the low retention rates.

I doubt the school realizes the message they are sending their new students when they cover up paintings because of a little bit of mess. If the campus is having trouble with freshmen retention it’s probably not a good idea to erase freshman artwork from the halls.

Perhaps Elizabeth Norris, Department Chair of Music and Performing Arts, misunderstood, President, Carol Moore when she said, “I picture artwork on every single wall,” in her state of the college address. It seems she meant a picture that the admissions department purchases or perhaps she wants more big screen TVs displaying Power Points.

SGA Rundown-End of the Semester

2008-12-05T10:14:00.000-08:00

Ben Holbrook
Critic Editor

WWLR nearly losing their voting rights and having their budget frozen wasn’t the only issue dealt with during Wednesday night’s meeting.

Tom Archer was invited to speak during the meeting, which gave club representatives the chance to ask questions and pose problems around campus. Some of the issues discussed were the Stonehenge parking lots, replacing windows in the residence halls and continuing to update the Stonehenge residence halls. Archer said that the parking lots in Stonehenge are a problem that the school is trying to address however, since the school’s budget is so tight right now, the parking lots probably won’t be worked on until the summer.

J.C. Norling, the new adventure based recreation professor, gave a presentation about a new website the Outing club is working on. The new website is part of an effort to inform students about all the recreational opportunities available to them. Norling’s presentation also included a proposal to renovate the squash courts into a student activity center which would include a new climbing wall.

The key issue dealt with during the meeting was whether SGA should take action against WWLR for failing to submit registration paperwork by the Nov. 21 noon deadline.
Despite repeated warnings from the executive board, WWLR failed to submit their paperwork. Under the SGA constitution it states,” If a Club Representative fails to maintain a current registration with the Office of Campus Activities, then the SGA Executive Board shall make a recommendation(s) for action to the SGA. This must be passed by two-thirds (2/3) majority in order to take effect.”

After a great deal of discussion three motions were voted on, all of which failed. As a result, WWLR who would have been stripped of voting rights and had their budget frozen until the paper work was submitted and approved, will not face any repercussions.

AWRT and Sigma Zeta made money requests. AWRT requested money to drive to Connecticut to go on a tour at ESPN and possible tour of the NBC 30 station. The club was denied $319.80 to stay overnight at a hotel but they were approved for the money to pay for the mileage. Sigma Zeta and AMS/NWA made a request to pay for expenses for the science fair they host in March. Both clubs were requesting $750 to pay for food which, was reduced to $615.

Ryanne Ayers was approved to receive $250 to help pay for travel expenses to a 28th Annual conference on First-Year experience. Ayers received a fellowship, which only five students in the country are awarded, to help pay for the conference costs.
The meeting concluded with the disbanding of two clubs and the removal of Katie Story, Kathy Klein, Steven Cormier and Kali Stoddar-Imari from their elected representative positions.

Money classes emulate financial world

2008-12-05T10:06:00.000-08:00

David Lapham
Critic Staff

Rachel Siegel’s Money and Capital Markets class students have a rare opportunity to watch financial history as it unfolds.

“The class couldn't have been timed better, given the fact that there is so much excitement in the markets,” Sam Utz, junior business major said. “Being able to study the material real time and watch it as it happens is a luxury we are fortunate to have.”

Joel Flores, junior Business Management majors believes, “The class has benefited in an educational standpoint, the topics we have covered we get to see in real life,” Flores said. “How about instead of the professor giving a lecture, you are the one giving the lecture? This is the case in Money and Capital Market; you do a presentation each week on a specific topic shown by professor Siegel.”

A major concern for many students in the Money and Capital Markets class is the credit crisis. According to some of the class members the credit crisis has been caused by careless mortgage lending and is the root of numerous bank failures. In the midst of financial decay students are able to watch the markets fluctuate each day.

The class “gives a lot of perspectives on the economy,” Nate Taylor, senior business administration major, said. “It’s great to be informed through a class on everything that’s currently happening and taking that information as a group and trying to figure it all out.”

The United States financial mess cannot be pinpointed to a single factor; however, one factor in particular, the burst of the housing bubble, has been criticized as being a leading cause.

“So when the housing bubble burst people couldn’t sell their houses for anywhere near the price they bought them for, or owed on the house,” Taylor said.

People became trapped trying to pay for houses they could not afford; as a result people eventually defaulted on their loans. “The bank now has lent someone 500k to buy a house and since the housing bubble has burst that house may only be worth 200k,” Taylor said.

Joel Flores has experienced firsthand how banks have lent irresponsibly. “In 2004-2006 I worked for Washington Mutual. When you apply for a mortgage if you had higher than a 680 credit score [good credit] the bank would not verify your income. By not verifying your income they wouldn’t know if a customer had a means to pay back their mortgages,” Flores said.

Watching the financial world collapse before the class has caused some students to theorize what might happen to the future of banking systems, Sam Utz, junior business major contends that, "The balance of power is changing because banks have less capital, and other companies, such as Tesco, are considering entering the mortgage market to take advantage of the situation and use their capital."

Want to sell your books?

2008-12-05T09:51:00.000-08:00

Heather Poginy
Special to the Critic

As the semester comes to a close and bank accounts are running dry, students are gearing up and ready to return their books to the bookstore for some well-needed cash.

According to Anita Little-Drown, the store manager of Lyndon’s bookstore, student identification cards must be present when selling the books back to the store.

“These make the transaction traceable,” she mentioned, “When I sell a math book back for $70, it becomes a very hot asset, and this time of year, people get their books stolen or misplaced or whatever.”

Although the bookstore does buy back books year round, there are several ways a student can get the most bang for his or her book's buck.

The best way to get the most money back is to somehow convince the professor to use the book again for the next semester. The bookstore determines the demand for these books by whether or not the professor will use it again and also how many students have enrolled in the class.

As of the morning of December 4, the bookstore had 78.1% of the book orders that will be used by professors next semester. By the end of the week, the Student Services offices will alert the bookstore of the classes that are canceled for next semester.

The condition the book is in will also give you a higher sell-back rate.

“Water damage will definitely make it so we cannot accept the book back,” Little-Drown said, “Water produces mold. When you put your book in the backseat of your car, and your buddies get in the backseat this time of year with wet boots, it’s bad.”

Math books and economics books usually are bought by the bookstore, simply for the fact that professors use them over and over again. However, computer books aren’t because there are constantly new editions with the updates of the computer programs.

Any questions about book buy backs can be answered by the bookstore manager or any of the bookstore employees at bookstore@lyndonstate.edu, or by phone at 626-8831.

Long boards, a growing art

2008-12-05T09:47:00.000-08:00

Kriston Hall
Special to the Critic

Profiling a sport that may be growing on campus.

Long Boards have increased in popularity in recent years and the LSC campus is no exception.

To gain a better understanding of long boards here is a list of basic information and prices ranging from a top of the line setup and an interview with LSC sophomore. JP Guardino discussing his custom long board.

With the number of skateboards rolling around, they seem to be one of the most popular forms of transportation. The bike has been retired, replaced with four smaller wheels, a deck and far less in-between.

For those of you who don’t really know anything about skateboards or long boards they are essentially the same wheels, bearings, trucks, a deck and all the hardware in between. The deck is the wood platform you ride on, long boards are in some cases more than twice the length of a regular board with an average length of around 40 inches.

The board that Guardino made is a little bigger.

“The deck I made in June is 48" long and about 10" at its widest point.”

This board is bringing a new meaning to sidewalk surfing, being one of the biggest commonly made. Also Guardino says, “I have Original Skateboards S-10 trucks, 72mm Sector 9 Nine balls (75A), and Lucky Swiss bearings.”

The trucks on this board are ten inches wide with wheels that are almost two. Guardino said “It didn't take very long to make the board...the longest process was deciding on the shape, and dimensions.”

The deck of a board is covered in various types and colors of grip tape which is like sandpaper that gives the rider a solid grip on the board. Under the deck is where the trucks are mounted, which although they vary greatly in design they primarily have a main “King-Pin” which they pivot on to turn you whichever way you lean on the board.

On the trucks you put your speed rings and bearings which are semi-loose fitting so they spin easily and quickly. The bearings are pressed into the wheels and then Nylon nuts are used to hold the assembly on.

As far as what’s coming out of your pocket, Guardino said the “total cost of hardware [and] setup was $175...and then the deck, which I have not set a value on yet, but at least $100...So, in all, I spent about the same amount of money as I would have buying a complete, except I have a top-of-the-line setup...with my own custom made deck.”

Prices of long boards, complete or bought in parts range from 70-400$ (for a full setup) with the 70 dollar board being the cheapest parts all around. Even a cheap board can be good for transit though with the addition of new bearings. A cheap board wont handle as well at speed or for carving but good bearings (about 50$) will allow you to gain and carry speed much more efficiently while traveling from point A to B

LSC whites out student expression

2008-12-05T06:45:00.000-08:00

By Josiah Stewart
Critic Staff

An assortment of creative expression has been popping up on walls all over Lyndon State College’s campus in the form of painted murals that are the product of many hours of planning and inspiration.

So far the artwork has appeared in five different locations around campus.
Elizabeth Norris, Department Chair of Music and Performing Arts, explained that the project required students to come up with art ideas based on guerrilla, street, and graffiti art of the current century.

“The students had to draw it out and then stand in front of the class and explain what they wanted to do, and then we took all 22 ideas and then voted on them, and picked the top five, and then divided the class into teams,” Norris said.

The artwork can be seen in the stairwell going up to ACT 210 and 212, at the bottom of the spiral stairwell across from the library, right outside the library doors high up on the wall, and until recently by the elevator on the bottom floor of Vail.

Norris showed disappointment to find that three of the pieces of art have already been painted over.

Norris also explained that the students were given certain conditions when the project was first started.

“First the students were told that the art was ethereal, which means that it could very well go away, they could do no harm, it also had to respect diversity, and they had to keep it clean,” Norris said, “they also knew that I purposely did not ask for permission, because if you ask permission it destroys what it is you’re doing as graffiti artists.”

Although precautions were used to ensure that paint would not get everywhere using drop cloths and news papers, some of the paint managed to seep through and got on a carpet.

“I think part of the schools reaction is that we can’t let people paint things because they will make a mess. Life is messy and noisy, art is messy and noisy, and one of the things I discovered is that we are not used to that here,” Norris said.

The art that was painted over was of a covered bridge and two other abstract pieces that were by the elevator on the bottom floor of the Vail building.

“I don’t know who made the decision to paint over those pieces, I don’t even know if the president saw any of the art,” Norris said, “but I can tell you that at the end of her state of the college address, one of the things she said in her 'let's dream big' part of the speech, was ‘I picture artwork on every single wall,’ well how are we going to do that if there is someone on campus who makes the call about what is acceptable forms of art and what is junk…”

In the spirit of unity and artistic expression, students have placed their mark on LSC’s campus, an example of this being the U.N. symbol painted outside of the Library’s entrance.

It is not yet clear whether the rest of the artwork will be allowed to remain.

LED madness!

2008-11-13T18:43:00.000-08:00

Eric Downing
Web editor and fun page coordinator

LSC kicks other Vermont College's asses in the race for getting LEDs. Eat our dust!

Many members of the Lyndon State College community might not realize that the school has become a leader in the green revolution.

When the college installed LED lights in the Vail parking lot, the pool and both of the gyms, it became the first college in the state of Vermont to do so. LSC is also one of the first colleges to get the lights nationwide. Now the school is getting calls from places such as George Washington University.

Some staff at LSC were quite eager for the school to get the lights. Tom Archer, director of physical plant, said that the VSC Director of Facilities, Richard Ethier, Wayne Hamilton, and he drove nine hours to Connecticut to look at the lights. Seeing the lights in real life helped them make the decision to get LED lights installed at LSC.

The lights were purchased through a company called BetaLED. The school installed 21 light poles in the Vail parking lot, 16 lights each in the Bole gym and swimming pool and 36 lights in the Stannard gym. They replaced the metal halide lights the gyms and pool used to have.

Archer said that before installing the LEDs in the Stannard gym, the lighting was too poor to be legal for NCAA play. Now, the lighting in there exceeds the standard.

“They’re styling,” Archer said about the new lights. “They have zero night sky.”
“Night sky” refers to how much light pollution spills into the area above the lights. With the old lights, a hazy orange glow could be seen above the Vail parking lot even from miles away. Led lights don’t have this problem, mostly because they produce clear light.

Archer said that the community is “super happy” about the new lights, citing that he got at least three phone calls and other statements from the surrounding community already about the difference seen from outside the school.

In addition to the visual advantages of the LEDs, they have some more important features as well. They are much more energy efficient than the old lights, requiring between one-half to two-thirds less energy. This means that the college will save a little on the energy bill.

LEDs also tend to last much longer, with an expected live expectancy of at least 20 years. High pressure sodium, which is what the lights in the parking lot used to be, have a typical life expectancy of little more than a year.

UPDATE: Archer said that the school already has a 10% savings on its energy bill for the last two months as compared to last year.

The new building will be very energy efficient, but it won’t sacrifice functionality to that end.

2008-11-13T18:40:00.000-08:00

Eric Downing
Web editor and fun page coordinator

The new Met department may be greener than Vail, but not so green that study is hindered.

Imagine a meteorology student looking out the window to see what the clouds outside are doing and only seeing a large white shade.

That might have been the case if changes weren’t made to the design of the new building being constructed in Vail. The diagram printed on the front page of The Critic earlier this semester is no longer accurate. The large white shades hanging over the windows haven’t made it to the final design, as it became evident that it would be difficult for meteorology students to look out the windows to study cloud formations.

The shades were originally designed to keep sunlight from overheating the building in the warmer months. Tom Archer, director of physical plant at Lyndon State College, as well as a board member of the sustainability committee said that the new building is being specifically designed to be “greener” than the existing buildings on campus.
Archer listed off a few of the features to expect in the new building, including water-saving faucets, LED lights, and having heat be piped over from Vail’s boiler in the milder months of April and May.

“All these things will help,” Archer said, referring to the reduction of LSC’s carbon footprint.

Having a certain degree of efficiency will allow LSC to shoot for a “silver” certification with the Green Building Rating System™ Leadership Environment Energy and Design, or LEED. LEED is, as stated on the U.S. Green Building Council’s website, usgbc.org: “a third-party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.”
A building can earn a certain number of points toward a credit, which is divided into different colors such as gold or platinum. That building earns points based on certain criteria that it meets.

“I know we can get silver,” Archer said.

It actually costs money to become certified. This is coupled with needing to pay an architect more to work harder to ensure that the building meets the requirements. The benefits for acquiring this certification includes energy savings and better public relations as people knowing for sure that the building is as efficient as claimed.
LEED certification has another more indirect benefit. Efficiency Vermont gives credits toward measures taken to green up.

Archer said he’d even like to see some solar panels on campus, although pointing out that they wouldn’t be able to provide much energy.
“Payback is not initially great, but it’s a great educational tool,” he said.

Asked to be an adult: treated like a child

2008-11-13T18:38:00.000-08:00

Catherine Story
Managing Editor

Our managing editor grinds her axe. Whose head is on the chopping block? Thankfully not mine this time.

Independence is a relative term in a civilized society. Here at LSC independence is relatively limited.

When my parents and older sibling described college life it was labeled as a time of experimentation and exploration. College is a time to make decisions, good and bad.
Here at LSC students are not treated like young adults who can make decisions for themselves.

The halls of dorms and academic buildings are littered with bulletin boards plastered with big bubbly letters telling students about the next magician or some generic
alcohol awareness study

Perhaps it’s a holiday and there’s a party in the student center where students can grab a handful of snacks and paint a pumpkin.

As a teenager I babysat and many of the crafts and educational activities I have witnessed on this campus remind me of the games I would play with the 4 and 7-year olds that I spent my summers watching. These games were dull then and seven years later I am still not interested.

The effort to involve LSC students is admirable but it is being tackled with the wrong intentions.

On-campus students are supposed to be able to turn to their RAs for help when they are feeling stressed out or uncomfortable. The idea is a peer-to-peer support system. Unfortunately resident assistants are not students just like everyone else. They are not allowed to be.

Resident assistants are nervous and understandably. They can lose their job and have to pay for their living expenses if they are in the presence of students breaking rules. If an RA wants to have a drink they need to request the time off in advance. These are not good examples of mature students acting responsibly on their own. This is just another image of students following the many rules to get through the LSC experience.

If any student is feeling stressed out on campus they could just stop in at their resident assistants room. Here they will see a student who in exchange for free housing has given up the college experience replacing it with mandatory time in their room and consistent badgering by resident hall directors about not redecorating those childish bulletin boards every week or month or however often they put new construction paper on that wall that no one looks at.

Actually don’t bother walking over to your RAs room. You can ask them next time they knock on your door and come into your cubicle of privacy because of possible bottles clanking. They are only there to make sure you’re not doing anything illegal like making too much noise or drinking anywhere but in your bed. Because we all know that’s a healthy way to introduce young adults to alcohol. You can only drink in the privacy of your bedroom.

Not everyone here at LSC can drink legally, this is the justification for sending the of-age to his or her semi-private room. Why must we shelter our younger students from the life that they are so desperately trying to experience?

Peer leaders and INT classes carry first year students who are treated like sheltered children as opposed to young adults striking out on their own. There is nothing more degrading than having to pay for a class that tells you how to be an independent adult in a place where you’re not allowed to try it for yourself.

So my point is, step back and let the student body of Lyndon State College act like a body of college students. Maybe if they were treated like adults they would act like adults and participate in and create clubs and activities that they are interested in as opposed to trying so hard to get off campus and tune themselves out of campus activities.

Holiday Treats: The Naughty and Nice

2008-11-13T18:35:00.000-08:00

Brittany LaPlume
Special to the Critic

How to avoid packing on extra pounds over the holidays.

With the holiday seasons approaching, many of us have been hitting the gym and watching what we’re eating hoping to avoid gaining those extra pounds.

This is great! But how will you hold up when the tantalizing fragrance of spices, pumpkin and flaky, buttery pie crust wafts through the air as Mom bakes her famous pumpkin pie? There goes all your self-control right out the window.

Good news, you don’t need to give up all your favorite treats this holiday season. Here are some tips and tricks to help you figure out which of your favorites belong on the Nice List and which are banned to the Naughty List.

The first thing you need to learn about is fats. There are four kinds of fats: monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats, saturated fats and trans fats. If your favorite has only monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats then put them right on the Nice list. Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats are the good ones. If your treat only has saturated fat, be careful. Some saturated fat is okay, but too much of a good thing can be bad. Now, foods which contain trans fats go straight to the Naughty List. Watch out for those trans fats that come from partial hydrogenation of vegetable oil.

How will you know if your favorite holiday snack contains trans fat? Just look at the ingredients. If the ingredients have “partially hydrogenated” anywhere in it kiss that treat good bye. It is officially on the Naughty List.

Luckily many companies have done us the favor of labeling their foods with visible “0g trans fat” signs right on their packaging. Careful though, it turns out that even with those labels the foods that claim to have 0 grams of trans fat can actually have up to 0.4 g of trans fat per serving.

While that small amount does not seem like a big deal think of how many servings of those foods you might eat in a day or even a week. That’s when the grams of trans fat begin to add up. To determine if the food really is trans fat free, just check the ingredients and look for that two-word warning, partially hydrogenated.

So why are trans fats so bad? They can be dangerous to your health. A 1% increase in your daily calorie intake of trans fats increases your chances of developing coronary artery disease by 50%!

Those are scary numbers, especially around the holiday season when it’s so tempting to eat all those foods that are loaded with trans fats.

Because of this huge risk, some places, like the state of California, have completely banned the use of trans fat in prepared food. This means that if you eat at a restaurant, bar or snack shack in CA, you’ll never have to worry about trans fats.
Now let’s go over the Naughty and Nice Lists:

Nice List
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
Turkey (no skin)
Twizzlers
Cranberry Sauce
Squash
Hard Candies
Candy Apples
Dark Chocolate
Oreos
Naughty List
Snickers – 0.2 g trans fat
Sarah Lee Pumpkin Pie – 7 g trans fat
Mrs. Smith’s Apple Pie – 4 g trans fat
Caramel Popcorn Balls – 3.7 g trans fat
Ritz Crackers – Contains Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil
Pillsbury Rolls – 3.2 g trans fat
Pillsbury Cinnamon Buns – 2.0 g trans fat
Some alternatives to those Naughty List items:

Pumpkin and Apple Pie – Make a homemade pumpkin pie and find a recipe that does not have shortening in the pie crust. If the recipe calls for margarine, see if you can substitute oil.
Rolls and Cinnamon Buns – Make homemade rolls and cinnamon buns with a recipe that calls for oil.

So now that you have your Naughty and Nice Lists, enjoy this holiday season, but don’t go overboard with the foods on the Nice List. Remember, there can be too much of a good thing. Happy Holidays from the Exercise Science Department!

Difficult to move

2008-11-13T18:32:00.000-08:00

Sam Monroe
Special to the Critic

Mobility on campus is a problem for some. And the elevators are out of date.

Do you think getting up and down the hills on campus is difficult? Try doing it on crutches or in a wheelchair.

After a hockey game a few weeks ago I found myself on crutches. What is it like living on campus while on crutches? Well, it is not fun. None of the Stonehenge residence halls have elevators and therefore, it makes it difficult to get up and down inside the dorms. Luckily I live on the first floor, however not all students are that lucky.

Going across campus now takes longer than it did before and getting up and down some of the hills takes a good amount of upper body strength. However, it could be much worse at a larger school.

There are elevators in both VAIL and LAC, making it easier to get from floor to floor and class to class. However, the elevator in VAIL and the elevator going from the theatre lobby to the classrooms upstairs both have one thing in common. The expiration dates on the certificates in both of them are April 28, 2008. That was nearly seven months ago. The elevator in LAC isn’t set to expire until early in 2009.

There are also ramps and handicap entrances attached to every building on campus. This makes it easy for students who have been injured to get around and get to classes and other events.

Professor Alison Lathrop was recently in a wheel chair on campus, because of tendinitis in her heels. However, she was able to get up for short periods of time and walk short distances. She attempted to keep her wheelchair just in her lab so it would make it easier to move around.

“I was always able to get where I needed to go,” she said, making sure to mention that some times she needed to get up and walk. She also mentioned that the front doors in the theater lobby are very heavy and the doors in the hallway leading to the science wing are also heavy and difficult to open and would be harder for someone permanently handicapped. She said she wouldn’t be surprised to see doors that open with the push of a button on the LSC campus in the distant future.

Lathrop said she had to make sure that she thought ahead each morning and make sure she got all her Xerox copying done in one trip to VAIL. She also said the hardest spot to move around was the outdoor hallway connecting VAIL to the science wing.

When asked if she was concerned about the expired certificates in some of the elevators she responded with “I didn’t notice,” however, she did add, “that would be concerning.”

“I was delighted with how helpful everyone was, and that I was given a temporary handicap sticker. A little concerned about getting in to some doors,” Lathrop said of her overall experience.

Delicious Snack Bole

2008-11-13T18:30:00.000-08:00

Ben Holbrook
Critic Editor

Rita Bole's new snack shop makes money for the Leadership Recognition Committee.

If you have noticed more students going into Rita Bole on Mondays and Wednesdays then it is probably due to the new “snack bole” which is located in the main lobby of RBC.

Nate Rossett, advisor to the Leadership and Recognition Committee, started the snack bole this year in an effort to raise money for the committee.

“We’re not a club so we needed a way to make money,” Rosseti said. “This kitchen never gets used except by people in the student services office.”

Not only is everything priced very cheaply at the snack bole, all of the money that is made goes towards student awards which are given at the end of the year.

“We buy everything in bulk so we are able to sell chips for 50 cents and still make a profit,” Rossett said.

Before the snack bole was incorporated as a fundraiser for the Leadership Recognition Committee, the committee used the school’s printers to make paper certificates and they were unable to assist student life with the cost of the recognition banquet at the end of the year, Rossetti said.

The snack bole provides a cheap and convenient opportunity to grab something to eat when your schedule doesn’t permit a trip to the dining hall or the lines at the snack bar are too long.

It’s really convenient because we live in the building,” John Chetwynd, television studies major, said.

“It’s also really convenient because if you’ve been procrastinating, you can grab a hotdog and go back to doing homework,” Dave Kendall, mathematics major, said. Kendall was taking advantage of the snack bole’s meal deal, which gets you a hotdog, a drink and a bag of chips for $2.

The only problem that Rosseti has encountered so far with the snack bole is the lack of help to run it.

“Finding people to work is a problem because everybody who works here is a volunteer,” Rossetti said. “Aramark will use this space (RBC kitchen) when there are events going on in the conference room,” Rossetti said, “but we don’t have any problems because our stuff isn’t in the way since they bring their own equipment.”

The snack bole’s selection is continually expanding because students are more than welcome to suggest any items that aren’t on the menu, Rossetti said.
The snack bole will still be open next year although the days may change due to people’s schedules, Rossetti said.

Phonathon

2008-11-13T18:25:00.000-08:00

Heather Poginy
Special to the Critic

Phonathon brings in the big bucks--and old stories.

Work-study-paid students gear up Sunday through Thursday nights at the Alumni House to raise money for Lyndon State College’s Phonathon for the Annual Fund.

The students sit from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. at individual desks in the Alumni House. These desks serve as “calling stations” in which they phone alumni of the college.

Because the school has the records of every alumni that goes through its doors, the callers generally have an easy time contacting them. However, some are entirely “unreachable,” with no phone number, address, or any other contact information.

Thayer Newport, a senior at Lyndon, is in her third year working for the Phonathon. She helps to supervise the callers when Hannah Manley, the director of alumni relations and development, cannot be there.

“Talking to alumni is actually quite fun sometimes,” Newport says, “You can really hear some interesting stories.” She recalled a story one alumna told when she was living in the original Vail mansion, when the alumna’s house mother scared them by making each resident believe the Vail tower was haunted.

The purpose of the phone calls to the alumni are about more than raising money. Students keep in contact with the alumni to keep them in touch with the college, and to give them the scoop of what’s happening at LSC. However, students always ask for a pledge to the college at the end of a phone call.

There’s always something in it for the students, though. The callers receive “Incentive Points” for each call made. For example, if they receive a pledge of over $500, they receive 10 points. If they manage to convince the alumnus or alumna to donate for the first time or to increase the amount of their pledge from the year before, they receive one point. Even an email address or other personal information about the alumnus gets them points.

At the end of their efforts, whichever caller has the most points gets a cash bonus determined by their supervisor.

“I can usually get sixty or a hundred points in one night,” Newport said, “We really compete, it definitely does motivate the callers.”

Alumni might pledge from $5 to over a $1000. The money is used for scholarships for students, improvements of the buildings and grounds and it also helps improve faculty through professional development. With the college’s economic downfall, every penny helps.

“Your adrenaline really pumps when you get those big donations,” Newport said. “It makes [calling] really worthwhile.”

With the Phonathon only having been in session for a couple of weeks, the students have already raised $15,000. Each night, they raise between $500 to a couple thousand dollars.

This year, thanks to a challenge grant, when an alumni raises their pledge from the previous year, or when a new donor hits the list, their pledges are matched by the grant, so their pledges are doubled. Also, pledges made over $365, a dollar a day for a year, will be matched by the challenge grant.

Money donated by the alumni goes directly to the Annual Fund, which is a generic fund, but alumni do have the option to specify if they want to send their money to specific programs, endowments or departments at the college.

Facebook virus

2008-11-13T18:20:00.000-08:00

Derika Downing
Critic Staff

Warning email from Dente explained.

If you checked your email this week, you probably received an email from LSC’s IT Director Mike Dente, announcing that IT is, “blocking all messages from the Facebook website to our email server,” explaining that, “a virus is spreading [by] using Facebook email sending a link to a malicious video containing a Trojan.” If so, you may have wondered exactly what this virus does and how it was discovered.

“I actually received one of the messages,” Dente said, “It looked suspicious, so I did a search on Facebook viruses and there were a couple of different articles. Over the last few months, there’ve been a few of these viruses, but we’ve never been hit by one until now.”

When asked what the virus does and how it operates, Dente explained that, “it contains malware, so it tries to take over your computer. It installs programs, like SpyWare, which can bring the computer to a crawl. It uses your Facebook friends to mail it to other people,” Dente said.

When asked how many students had been affected by the virus, Dente said, “only two or three students have been affected, that we know of. We’ve blocked around a hundred emails that were infected when it happened,” noting that Facebook sends about “a hundred legitimate messages an hour, so I guess that’s why the virus is so effective.”

Dente wants to assure the LSC community, “our virus protection on campus will stop it from infecting LSC computers.” In the meantime, however, it is probably best not to open any unfamiliar links on your email.”

Rotaract Club

2008-11-13T18:17:00.000-08:00

Josiah Stewart
Critic Staff

Little known club teaches about community services.

Lyndon State College shows its good will this holiday season through the Rotaract club; one of LSC’s least known clubs.

“The Rotary is a group of business minded individuals who support good will, community services, and professional and ethical business practices,” Curtis Mathewson, President of the LSC Rotaract chapter, said. The club is sponsored by the Lyndon Rotary, and is primarily focused on helping the community, and teaching leadership and business ethics.

The LSC Rotaract club has already started its holiday food drives for the semester. “Right now we have a holiday food drive on the LSC campus that we hope to generate some food for those in need this holiday. All the proceeds are going to go to the Lyndon Food Pantry,” Mathewson said.

Although the club is not very well known at LSC, it is officially recognized by the student government.

Mathewson said that the club’s main goals are to establish their leaders and start generating some publicity on campus, “We also want to have a successful holiday food drive. Our year long goals, however, are a bit more ambitious; we hope to drive even more publicity, and maybe host a few other events on campus.”

The club currently has about 12 members, and Mathewson is hoping that students take the initiative and join up. They are looking for people between the ages of 18 and 30 who are interested in helping out the community.

“We don’t have a whole lot of people involved yet. Right now we only have about 10 to 12 people that show up at our meetings, and so far they have been very helpful, and we have gotten a lot done with the amount of people that we have,” Mathewson said.

The club’s food drive boxes can be seen around campus and have already started to accumulate a little food. The food drive was started the second week of November and will run until the last week of the semester, “We have not generated a lot of food yet; many people don’t even know what is going on. A lot of people may have seen the boxes but, not a lot of publicity has gone out yet,” Mathewson said.

The Lyndon Rotary meets in Lyndonville around the same time that the LSC club does every week, Mathewson said, and they are willing to help the club out in any way they can.

“They are actually our sponsors; they are the reason why we exist, and they help us with advice. We can go to them and find out what we can do to further our service to the community. They invite us to their meetings where we get to see what the actual rotary does on a weekly basis.”

Mathewson urges students who wish to sign up to contact him or to stop by HAC 108 at noon on Wednesdays to attend the club’s weekly meetings.

Why is registration so early?

2008-11-13T18:14:00.000-08:00

Sebastion C. Lury
Special to the Critic

Possibly so students don't have to stress about it when finals week rolls around.

Lyndon State College is amid the process of registering students for Spring 2009 classes.

Registration at LSC for classes in the Spring 2009 semester began on Oct. 27, 2008. It will be suspended on December 1. The process is scheduled early as it helps to relieve some stress for students.

“[Students] can get it done before finals,” says Deb Hale, LSC’s registrar. “It relieves some stress,” Hale says that if a student no longer has to worry about registering for classes, they have more time to study for finals.

Another issue that this registration avoids is a potential lack of communication between students and their advisers. Hale says that between semesters, advisers—like students—have time off. This occasionally causes issues when students realize during the break that they need to register, but they cannot access their advisers.

John Kascenska, associate dean of academic affairs, says that registering by Dec. 1 is beneficial for everyone involved. Kascenska says that this provides an opportunity for any issues—ranging from accounts on hold to canceled classes—to be addressed and corrected before classes begin in the spring. He also says that the goal is that students, advisers, and faculty alike can go home between semesters knowing what classes will run and what they need to do to further prepare themselves.

Kascenska says that this is the first year that LSC has established a date, specifically December 1, as an end date. Other Vermont State Colleges have similar registration periods.

Castleton State College’s registration process is November 10 to the 21. Johnson State College has a more complicated system: their primary registration process is November 10 through the 14 and is credit driven, meaning that seniors can register first, followed by juniors, and eventually working toward freshmen. This allows for seniors to be ensured of classes that they need for graduation.

LSC’s registration process ends on December 1 and it is widely recommended that students meet with their advisers to register.

Tunnel of Oppression

2008-11-13T18:08:00.000-08:00

Brian Howe
Special to the Critic

Students are required to go through the Tunnel of Oppression, though it proved haunting to some.

Racism, sexism, and domestic violence can be very hard for anyone to deal with.

The tunnel of oppression dealt with not only hate crimes but other types of violence. Students and community members had the chance to experience the tunnel. The tour features different rooms and each room deals with a type of violence.

“It hit pretty close to home because I grew up in a military family. I have been around people from all over the world”, said Micheal Smith, a freshmen and graphic design major. He had the chance to visit the tunnel but had to leave because it brought back too many memories of the past. He says that part of it brought back memories from when pow's (prisoner of war) came back from the Vietnam war.

“Our staff of peer leaders are each given a room to research”, said Donna Keely, the director of the first year experience. They put the tunnel together with the research they get and portray what would really happen in different situations when it came to different types of violence.

“Students don't know what to expect so they don't sign up but their friends go through and then tell them about it. Then we see students wanting to go through”, said Keely. By the last day they have to squeeze in students because they want to experience the tunnel; the tunnel only runs every fall semester.

“Monday in INT class some said it was ridiculous. They didn't think it was worth their time and students around campus said the same thing and it angered me,” said Smith. The tunnel was set up for students to learn about the different types of violence so they can do something about it if they see it happening.

This is a requirement for INT-1020 students and they must go through.

“My professor said that it was a requirement for us to go through and we didn't have an option,” says Smith. Some students might be too emotionally sensitive to handle this type of confrontation, says Smith.

“It is still my opinion that students either need to be told what they may find in this activity or be given the option to do something else for their INT course”, Smith said.

New 3-point line for men's college B-Ball

2008-11-13T18:05:00.000-08:00

Andrew R. Koch
Sports Editor

Change to come 20 years after old line was instituted.

Long jump shots just got longer, thanks to a rule change that is taking effect this season in men’s basketball.

The NCAA has moved the men’s three-point line back a full foot, from 19 feet, nine inches to 20 feet, nine inches. The rule change was approved in August, when the NCAA distributed its updated court diagram for the upcoming season.

The old line was instituted at the start of the 1986-87 season and was the three-point line for college basketball down to middle school. Last year in men’s basketball, teams shot an average of 35 percent from three-point range. The rule change just might bring more balance back to the game, according to Bill Johnson, assistant athletic director.

“It might get the inside game back by spreading defenses out. It won’t be a huge adjustment for the offensive players,” Johnson said. This means that because defenses have more floorspace to cover, offenses will be able to get the ball inside more often to their post players. The change might also have an impact on how the half-court game is played.

“I think it’ll make a big difference in the high-low game. I think it’ll highlight the inside game,” Johnson said. He feels that the post-up game, where a forward plays with his back to the basket, has been lost for a while.

“You gotta have a balanced game for the nights when the threes aren’t going down,” Johnson said, noticing in recent years that players are settling more for three-pointers instead of working on having balance in the other parts of their games.

Johnson believes that the evolution of the game has made the three-pointer an easier shot, especially since players are much bigger and stronger now than they were 20 to 25 years ago. However, he feels that on offense, some players won’t have to make as much of an adjustment as others.

“The pure shooters can knock down jump shots. A foot either way doesn’t make a difference. The streak shooters will have to make an adjustment,” Johnson says.
No one will know for sure how effective the new three-point line will be until the statistics come out at the end of this season.

Future budget repeal likely

2008-11-13T17:54:00.000-08:00

Benjamin Holbrook
Critic Staff

Carol Moore says that there's no reason to celebrate, but no bad news--yet.

More budgeting shortfalls may become reality soon and the Burke Mountain Room was filled to capacity on Thursday to here Lyndon State College’s administration discuss.

President Carol Moore and Dean of Administration Wayne Hamilton spoke before faculty, staff and students assembled to hear news on what the college can expect, especially after dealing with a 100,000 dollar deficit earlier this semester.
Moore says the college and the administration are awaiting budgeting action on the part of the Vermont General Assembly which is due to convene next Tuesday.

“There is no dramatic budget news,” Moore said, “but there is nothing to cheer about either.”

To an audible gasp from those assembled, Moore said Governor James Douglas informed Vermont State Colleges Chancellor Robert Clarke to project a five percent decrease in current budgeting operations.

According to Hamilton Gov. Douglas said that it is pretty definite that the state will see another repeal.

“Certainly if we get another rescission we’ll look at structural changes – personnel,” Moore said. The administration will also be looking at academic and non-academic programs in terms of viability.

Hamilton says that for now all adjustments have been made in response to the $100,000 “hit” taken earlier this semester, which included the termination of a library job, and expenses are on target for the year.

An issue that has been brought up in meetings before is why a new building is being built since LSC has to deal with budget problems. “That (building) money was generated through bond sales so it is safe and secure,” Hamilton said. “I think it is very fortunate for Lyndon that we secured the money when we did with the economy the way it is now.” Hamilton also said the new building allows LSC to remain competitive and to draw in new students.
In terms of closing budgeting gaps in the future Hamilton says that the college will need to increase full time enrollment by 120 students on top of where they are currently. Tuition will also need to be increased by 6.5 percent annually.

“We would like to include more people in closing the gap,” said Bob Whittaker, dean of institutional advancement. Whitaker says that in turning to fundraising and asking alumni, friends, staff and parents for contributions it would infringe less upon the students.

Still, with Tuesday’s meeting of legislators in Montpelier and the possibility of a thrid budget reduction next spring people are worried. “We need to be planning for the worst,” Hamilton said. Higher education tends to get cut more often by the legislature because, “they believe that raising tuition will off-set any cuts made,” Hamilton said.

Moore told the audience at the end of the meeting that if there is another recession another open budget meeting will be planned. Asked if the gathered group could come together before any structural changes were decided Moore said she didn’t want to discuss an individual’s position in an open setting.

Youth weekends

2008-11-06T18:45:00.000-08:00

Heather Poginy
Special to the Critic

A sure sign that summer is over and Autumn will soon turn to Winter is when the hunters begin to break out their rifles, bows, and shotguns for the many hunting seasons in Vermont.

With the two-week-long moose season just finished, deer season starts this Saturday, Nov. 8 with Youth Deer Weekend. There are a few youth hunting weekends in which the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, and by far this weekend is the most popular youth hunting weekend. People of any age are considered youth hunters if they are just beginning.

Experienced hunters are encouraged to seek out youth hunters in order to teach them a thing or two about the ropes of hunting in any season.

“I used to participate in those [Youth Weekends], but now that I’m in college, I only go with my brothers when I have time,” says Paxton Pennington, a long-time hunter from Holland. “It’s really a good way of bonding, makes everything more interesting too.”

The purpose of these weekends is essentially to recruit young people to hunt when they are adults, keeping the hunting numbers up will keep the animal populations where they should be to maintain the proper balance in Vermont’s habitat. When deer population is too high, crops that are important to Vermont’s economy are ruined, and there are more car accidents involving deer.

“My entire family hunts: moose hunting, deer hunting; that’s it, mostly,” says Pennington. “They used to do it for food; my parents did before I was born. Now it’s mostly for sport to keep extra meat in the freezer. It’s sort of a novelty now.”
Hunting season in general is well on its way. Black Bear season, which started on September 1 and ends on November 19, is the first season to start. This week from November 1-9 is Turkey Shotgun Season.

Hunting is allowed in Vermont from the beginning of September until the end of March. Many animals are hunted and trapped from raccoons and otters to bobcat and several types of waterfowl.

SGA meeting a flop

2008-11-06T18:41:00.000-08:00

By Ben Holbrook
Critic Editor

Town Hall format fails to draw the projected crowd.

SGA’s first ever town hall meeting lacked a key component, the people.

During Wednesday night’s town hall meeting, only nine LSC students attended. The purpose of the town hall meeting was to give students a chance to hear what SGA was working on, and it also provided an opportunity for students to ask questions and voice concerns.

“This is something we talked a lot about last year,” Andrew Chapin, SGA president, said.

“We hoped for a better turnout but it was still a success,” said. “We want to get feedback and I think we got what we wanted.”

The meeting was really focused on Aramark and SGA’s efforts to change the dining hall hours. The hours which run from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m currently, would be changed so the dining hall was open from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The possibility of a meal equivalency was also discussed although; it most likely wouldn’t be implemented due to the cost.

“Johnston State tried a meal equivalency and it ended up costing them a lot of extra money,” Tim Cappalli, SGA vice president, said. The high costs stem from the amount of food that would be wasted in the dining hall itself, and in the extra labor costs of having more people working in the snack bar, Cappalli said.

Although the meeting was lacked attendance, various concerns were still voiced by the few participants. Issues of parking tickets being given in areas where the lines aren’t very distinct, the smoker’s gazebo being extremely dirty, and the strange odor on the first floor of Vail were all brought up during the meeting.

As for holding for town hall meetings all that Chapin said was, “We’ll try it again.”

Mock debate tickles students

2008-11-06T18:38:00.000-08:00

Brian Howe
Special to the Critic

Teachers posing as candidates give a close-to-home debate.

Two faculty members went head to head in a mock presidential debate on Monday in the Alexander Twilight Theatre.

Representing Barack Obama was David Plazek, professor of Political Sciences, and representing John McCain was Alexandre Strokanov, professor of History. The moderator was Micheal Dente, chief technology officer at LSC. A poll was conducted by INT-1020 students; 70 polling cards were collected at the end of the debate. Results from the polling cards showed that 69 percent of the attendees at the debate said Obama would win the debate, while only 20 percent thought McCain would win.

Some of the questions asked of the candidates were issues of gun control, global warming, health care, our current economy and improving international relations. The two candidates had 90 seconds to respond to a question and two minutes for a rebuttal; the rebuttal gave the candidates the opportunity to argue back and forth. Global warming and gun control were issues that had a lot of debate.

At times during the debate it was obvious that Plazek and Strokanov didn't know everything about the candidates and their views.

“We want to make sure that you know that we are debating on our views and opinions of Barack Obama and John McCain”, said Plazek before they started debating.

When it came to global warming 76 percent thought Obama had a better argument. The question on gun control was nearly dead even with 51 perecent saying Obama won, while 49 percent thought McCain had a stronger argument.

“Some questions I might have disagreed with, was single payer universal health care.” said Plazek.. For the most part he(Plazek) agrees with Obama's views and says he will support him.

“No of course not, I don't agree with everything. It was a role first of all and some of the time I do agree with him. But for the most part I disagree with Obama”, said Strokanov who debated for McCain. Strokanov did not disclose who he was going to support this election.

By the end of the debate 70 percent said that Obama had won the debate, while only 20 percent thought McCain won.

Compared to the first question voters didn't change their mind on who they thought was going to win the debate. Only 9 percent said that this debate changed their minds on who they are going to vote for, while 83 percent said they feel the same after the debate.

NACA makes event choice easier

2008-11-06T18:34:00.000-08:00

Aimee Lawton
Special to the Critic

CAB representatives attend conference to improve campus activities.

The successful activity planning of the Campus Activities Board stretches beyond the creative minds of the students on the LSC campus.

While members and other students are a great source of ideas for CAB, they are not the only source. NACA, or the National Association for Campus Activities is another useful (and professional) source that provides CAB with many of its ideas for activities.

Every year, NACA holds conferences in each of its seven designated regions across the United States. These conference sessions, lasting three days each, feature many things that can be useful tools when planning activities for college students across the country.

Each year, advisors and student members of CAB represent LSC at the NACA regional conference for the Northeast; designated for schools from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and the Canadian Provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec.

Stephanie Tyler, Campus activities coordinator and CAB advisor said that these conferences are great because they have workshops for many things such as successful programming, organizing, and creative advertising for activities that can be done on college campuses. Tyler also said that there are a variety of different entertainers that perform at the conferences including comedians, magicians, singers, and bands.

“The entertainers that get booked at colleges are the ones that perform,” Tyler said. “You get to see how good they are before you book them.”

Tyler also said that these conferences provide great networking opportunities with other schools in the region.

“It’s a good opportunity to share ideas, and to hear about what worked for other schools and what didn’t,” Tyler said, “It’s also just a good way to get to know other people.”

Tyler, along with Laura McNaughton and five student members from CAB are traveling to Hartford, CT this week to attend the Northeastern NACA regional conference for 2008.

For additional information on NACA, you can visit their website at http://www.naca.org.

Dead Professor

2008-11-06T18:27:00.000-08:00

Steve Cormier
Special to the Critic

Steve experiments with new age journalism among other things.

It was nearly 40 years later as I strode, uneasy-by-northwest, looking for a man none of us had ever known. Kalman Sandor Toth, who was this man, and why the hell was I being sent out to survey some rock just below left field?

I got there and the clouds were as low as my hopes. The walk had taken a lot out of me and any chances of an intelligent interview had been left behind with my lunch at the dining hall.

Cold October evenings rarely relay much information and indeed, Toth’s plaque was not feeling very forthcoming. Any attempt on my part to make it feel at home and comfortable with my line of questioning was met repeatedly with only name, rank and academic affiliation:

Kalman Sandor Toth, born September 27, 1907 in Szeged, Hungary. Immigrated to the United States in 1956. First Chairman of the mathematics department. Died November 25, 1968.

Sure, the rock and plaque were forthcoming but I needed more and talking to myself below an abandoned autumn baseball field would soon bring unwanted attention. Besides, I was feeling depressed. I would never be chairman of anything other than maybe a bowl of popcorn. I decided to go to bed.

I got up sometime between Wednesday and Saturday, somewhere between my room and the kitchen. I decided to hunt down Alan Boye, Curator of the Archaic at Lyndon State College. He had once regaled a class about the professor who had been buried on the campus and I figured that with his literary expertise on the ghoulish maybe he had interviewed the rock and gotten more. As a professional I was embarrassed with how the previous day had turned out.

I walked into the office, it was a mess. I was a mess though and nothing was lost in translation, we were on equal ground. A few papers pushed out of the way and Boye was handing over the documents, the history, the story and the man I needed: Toth.

The documents provided that not only had Toth come from Hungary but was involved in their attempted revolution to kick the Communists out in ’56. He fled to the United States that year seeing it as a “wonderland” and “land of opportunity” according to Toth’s daughter Erzsebet. These papers were being much more cooperative than that godforsaken rock and I was glad I had left it out in the cold.

Toth came to work at Lyndon in the fall semester of 1960 and joined the mathematics department before becoming its first chairman and is understood to have built up the major.

Toth died on November 25, 1968 as the result of a two-car collision on Route 5 in St. Johnsbury with the wish that he be buried on campus. Cremated, so his soul could be freed, his urn was interred in the grass that is now outside of the Alexander Twilight Theatre. At last he had found the peace and freedom that he had fought for a decade earlier.

This is not the end of our hero’s story though. After going out to the steel sculpture that now resides beside ATT and wandering around in the snow hoping not to look like a complete fool I discovered the truth.

Eight years after he had been interred, indeed during the construction of the very steel sculpture I now found myself sitting on, his urn and earthly remains were removed by the college and moved out to the hill between the Brown House and the baseball field.
At least Toth has the best view on campus now. My own view was all too morbid now. Too depressed – this freedom fighter, this esteemed academic, this honorable mathematician who had come half a world to LSC only to be moved – I decided to go find my intelligence and my lunch.

Haunted wheelchair: the real story.

2008-11-06T18:24:00.000-08:00

Letter to the Editor :
The Halloween issue of the “Critic” contained an article about Emma Vail and the infamous wheelchair and I must add my two cents to the discussion of this beloved campus myth.
With deep respect for Alan Boye, I must make a correction to the information on the two Emma Vails. I refer to the book “In One Man’s Life” by Albert Bigelow Paine, a biography of Theodore N. Vail’s life, for the following. Theodore N. Vail did indeed have an older sister named Emma who was born in 1842. Vail married his cousin Emma Louise Righter on August 3rd, 1869.
In 1905 Mrs. Vail’s health was shaky but T.N. Vail was assured by her doctor that an upcoming trip to England could be taken without worry. The book continues, “Mrs. Vail, who at this time seemed better than usual, remained at Speedwell Farms, which she preferred to all other places….She died suddenly, February 3, 1905. Her husband, who had received no warning of the approaching change, arrived from England, a little more than a week later.” For those who don’t know, the current Vail building sits on the site of T.N. Vail’s mansion which was the centerpiece of Speedwell Farms.
The wheelchair was purchased in 1976 as a stage prop for the Twilight Players’ production “These Ruins are Inhabited” which was set in a nursing home. The revival of the show happened last year at Homecoming with the chair pressed back into service onstage. Dennis Koch, an alumnus and former employee of LSC, confirmed that he purchased the chair at a yard sale. The chair lived backstage in storage for many years. The stories that have been passed down of its adventures, along with the reported sightings of Emma’s ghost, were often centered in the theater. That must be where the supposition began that the chair was hers.
Pat Webster
LSC Library

Is there life after LSC?

2008-11-06T18:20:00.000-08:00

David Lapham
Critic Staff

Students worry about paying off loans and finding jobs.

Are Lyndon State college students worried about employment after graduation in the current state of the United States economy?

“Yeah I am a little worried, I think that having a bachelors degree isn’t going to be worth it in this area money wise,” Michelle Emerson, Junior business administration major said.

According to a 2007 graduate survey report prepared by Linda Walcholder, Director of Career Services, 95 percent of students who responded (only 132 students) of Lyndon State’s 2007 graduates reported that they were either employed or were continuing their education. 92 percent of respondents reported that they either obtained employment or continued their education within 6 months.

Those numbers do not necessarily reflect the feelings of some of the current Lyndon State College graduating hopefuls.
Nate Taylor, business administration major graduating in May 2009, is worried that he may not find employment after graduation.

“I think it’s going to be hard to get a job in this area after graduation, I don’t think that companies are going to be as willing to hire people,” Taylor said.

Many students are fearful of what might happen to them when they graduate and have to pay back student loans. Walcholder advises: “This is not the time for students to be discouraged, because then effectively students are giving up before they attempt to obtain a job.”

Not all students are completely discouraged, Bob Thompson, Business administration major graduating in May 2009, feels confident in getting a job.

“The possibilities are out there, my concern is with the current economic situation and how it may be unfavorable at this time for those who only have a degree and lack experience.”

The job market in this shaky economy fosters competition, so, graduating students need to find creative avenues to display themselves and their skills.

Finding a job “isn’t just posting you’re resume on a few web sites, or walking the streets and just handing out resumes to random shopkeepers,” Walcholder said.

“During this economic downturn students really need to take advantage of all the job search techniques available to them to hunt for a job. That means networking, considering internships, presenting themselves well on paper, refining their interviewing skills, really taking advantage of researching the positions for which they apply and taking advantage of every opportunity open to them.”

Eric Durocher, business administrator majors and Music business industry minor graduating in May 2009 does not share the same uneasiness with finding work after graduation.

“I am not as concerned with finding a job, but I am concerned to find one I enjoy,” Durocher said.

While many students flock to the job market after they graduate, trying to scoop up available jobs, there are some students who are focused on a particular field.

Lindsay Siner, 2010, an undecided LSC student is concerned that she will not be able to make a living in her desired profession, and plans to leave LSC after one year to pursue a degree in dietetics and Nutrition.

“I would like to come back here, the North East Kingdom is special, but I don’t know how I would make a living if alternative healthcare doesn’t catch on,” Siner said.

Emily Comstock, a junior Natural science major who is a veterinary school hopeful is not very apprehensive as to whether or not she will find employment, “A lot of large animal vets in the kingdom are creeping closer to retirement age and in that sense some are looking for a new flock to come. “

Instead, she is concerned that she might not meet the heavy demands for large animal veterinary schools.

“Veterinary schools are 10 times more competitive than medical schools because there are only twenty eight schools in this country,” Comstock said.

As college freshmen and sophomores move toward graduation they might want to consider certain career paths which have been perpetually employing.

Alia Wedemeyer, class of 2010, Lyndon State student enrolled in Castleton State College’s Nursing program is not anxious about finding employment after graduation.

“I’m confident, nursing is an extremely in demand profession. The population in the U.S. is aging. Think baby boomer. It’s unfortunate, but with age comes health deterioration,” Wedemeyer said.

Another internet line?

2008-11-06T18:17:00.000-08:00

Eric Downing
Critic Staff

LSC pays for a second internet connection used only for emergencies.

Most students at Lyndon State College don’t know that there is another internet line into the college.

The extra line, which runs directly into the IT department instead of through Vail building like the normal line, has only a fraction of the other line’s speed. Whereas the line used by the campus community runs 30 megabits per second, this line, used only for emergencies, runs 1.5 megabits.

Being separate from the main network allows the emergency line to remain active, even when the other line is cut, such as when the network was down for six hours earlier this year. The line was put in two years ago in case of such an event. Chief Technology Officer Mike Dente estimated that it costs about $70 a month, compared to the $3500 a month cost to run the network across campus.

Only a couple of places on campus have access to the emergency line, which comes from Charter by way of a cable modem. This is because the line is used principally if the network across campus is having problems.

“If something happens to the main line…” Dente said, knocking on the wood of his desk.

The extra line is also used for testing the primary line. As it is completely separate from the normal line, using the emergency line to communicate with the primary line, it simulates what would happen if an outside computer were to communicate with the server.

Unlike the primary line, the emergency line works even when the power is out; this is because the line runs directly into IT. Although the servers in Vail run on a generator, students in the dorms can’t access the primary network in a blackout because that would require all the wiring closets that span the buildings to run on generators, which they do not.

Dente said that IT is looking into putting an access point in Vail so that one or two important people can use the line in the case of a network outage. In the meantime, though, Dente has a temporary solution in case the business office has to get something important done in a network outage.

“They can come here and work on my desk,” he said.

Disaster drill prepares LSC students for the unexpected

2008-11-06T18:12:00.000-08:00

Ben Holbrook
Critic Editor

Lyndon State College experienced a school shooting Saturday morning.

Dan Williams, professor of English, and Peggy Sherrer, professor of Psychology, ran their simulated disaster drill early Saturday. The disaster drill is part of a class, Responding to Psychological Trauma, that allows students the opportunity to experience what happens during a real emergency.

“I expanded my class to three credits this year to give students more training,” Sherrer said. “I wanted to give them a dynamic experience where there is chaos, unpredictability and make the students have to think on their feet.”

This year’s scenario involved a school shooting and a hostage situation. Students from both the human services and journalism majors were involved. The journalism students were required to leave campus in order to simulate how journalists would respond to such an emergency.

“I wanted to give them (journalism students) exposure to people who are suffering from trauma and dealing with officials who would be at a scene like that,” Williams said.

The whole scenario began around 9:30 a.m. with the shooter walking into a classroom in HAC where he shot the professor and a number of students before taking another student hostage. Soon after the shooting took place, emergency responders including state and local police and ambulance crews, began arriving on scene.

The simulation proceeded with emergency crews treating the wounded students, police began a search of the area to find the shooter, and the human service majors began evaluating and counseling the victims. The journalists who took part in the drill were scrambling around trying to get as much information from officials and victims as they could.

The entire drill lasted until about 1:30 p.m. before everybody was gathered to discuss the events of the day.

Although the drill was a success, there were still aspects of the drill that Sherrer and Williams want to change.

“I would love to involve professional, semi-professional and theater majors as actors,” Sherrer said. “They (professional actors) could help to psychologically prepare the volunteer actors.”

Williams also wants to make changes to the journalism portion of the drill.

“I’d like to involve professional journalists in the class,” Williams said, “because it’s the type of training that professionals need and often don’t get.”

Besides preparing for a real life emergency, the disaster drill also gave students the opportunity to interact with each other in a professional role.

“There’s a lot that happens when you put our students together,” Sherrer said. “I think the students gained a mutual respect towards each other’s role, my students learned that journalists aren’t just there to harass a victim, they are just doing their job.”

Responding to Psychological Trauma is offered during the fall semester.

Adderall

2008-10-16T19:45:00.000-07:00

By Dave Lapham, Jillian Grenier, Derika Downing
Special to the Critic

Students look to a drug to aid studying.

Coffee is no longer enough; too much homework and stress is making college students across the country turn to the drug Adderall for that extra burst of energy they need.

The prescription drug Adderall is made for people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and is not only illegal to take without a prescription but is also unsafe if not taken correctly. It consists of amphetamines that stimulate the central nervous system. The drug is commonly prescribed to those diagnosed with ADHD, and is used to increase levels of norepinephrine, serotonin and dopamine in the brain. Students around campus who admit to taking the drug illegally talked openly about the subject but asked to not be identified.

“I remember a bunch of my girlfriends and I started using adderall recreationally, and that made it so we could drink all night,” an 09 female said. “I would get up and bump one in the morning before class to help me get through [the day] after a night of drinking.”

Many college students find solace in the drug because it eliminates drowsiness, supports them in their all night drinking endeavors, and helps them concentrate in those few moments before a big exam or heavily weighted essays.

Not all students use the drug to facilitate all-night drinking binges. Some Lyndon State College Students are no strangers to staying up all hours of the night on Adderall so they can study or complete a homework assignment. “It just helps me focus and get my work done,” one source said. “It just makes me want to do my homework.”

Though Adderall may seem like a miracle drug enabling students to party and study hard, there are many side affects that result from abusing the drug, such as nervousness, lack of appetite, depression, inability to sleep, dry mouth, and rapid heartbeat which can then lead to death or serious side effects on the heart.

When asked if they were worried about the side effects that Adderall can cause, it seemed that they already knew. One source said “Sometimes I get scared when my heart beats too fast. I feel like I’m going to have a heart attack.”

“It is highly addictive. It made it so I didn’t want to eat. It was never hard to find a dealer. Most of the time it would come in a little capsule and if you break it there are little white beads inside. I would ingest it and 20 minutes later I got a big boost of energy,” said the 09 female.

“I think it is risky,” said Miriam Simon, a physician’s assistant. “Adderall is potentially dangerous and there is a great concern. There are many side effects including: heart disease, heart attacks, high blood pressure, insomnia, and weight loss.”

Obtaining the drug is not necessarily that difficult; many times students are able to buy some pills from a person who has been prescribed the drug. According to a few different sources, the price of Adderall on campus can go anywhere from $3 to $9 a pill, depending on how much the person with the prescription wants to charge for it, which can be quite a lot, because they have the same customers coming back due to how addictive the drug is.

“When we prescribe the drug I have no control over diversion. We don’t know if it will be sold to other people,” Simon said.

Heating issues at LSC

2008-10-16T19:42:00.000-07:00

By Josiah Stewart
Critic Staff

Tom Archer sheds some light on how LSC determines when to put the heat on.

The Heating in the resident halls has been a topic of interest for students living on campus this semester.

“We typically try and wait for three consecutive nights where the weather drops below 32 degrees before we turn the heat on,” Tom Archer, director of physical plant at Lyndon State College, said, “and it takes a little while to set that up, but usually we have it on around the first of October.

The heat in the resident halls was turned on Monday Oct. 6 and some students believe that it was about time.
“For the past two weeks, since it first started getting cold, I’ve had to use a sheet, a comforter, a fleece throw, and a heavy quilt,” Tori Loyer, a creative writing major and Bailey resident said.

When the heating system was first turned on there was an incident involving smoke that set off the fire alarms in Wheelock. The heat had not been turned on since the previous semester and the windows in the buildings had all been closed.
“The smoke was basically puffs of exhaust that got sucked back into the building and it was due to the extreme tightness of the building,” Archer said. “But the system does work and the alarms went off.”

The fire department was immediately called into action over the incident, and assessed the situation upon arrival. The fire department corroborated with Archer as to the cause of the smoke buildup, and agreed that it was most likely due to the buildup of “negative air” in Wheelock that was caused by the lack of circulation.

“We recently installed new windows and insulation in the dorms to try and make the rooms a bit more comfortable, and to help with the overall efficiency,” Archer said. “If students have a problem with the temperature in their rooms, if they are too hot, instead of opening a window, get your RHD, just opening a window is a terrible waste, and we have the tools to tweak the system.”

Archer mentioned that if students do have a problem with the heating in their rooms, whether it is too cold or too hot, that they need to go through Residential Life with any complaints, “I haven’t heard any so far,” Archer said.

According to Archer, the school burns approximately 220,000 gallons of fuel a year, “The rising prices for fuel are definitely affecting Lyndon State College,” Archer said. “We are shooting for a biomass plant, which involves woodchips and is very viable, and in the long run would probably save millions. I am open to an energy challenge here on campus, it’s time to walk the talk. Let’s cut our electric and heating costs. It’s going to take an effort, and everyone needs to do their part. I mean, the planet is suffering.”

Financial aid collapse

2008-10-16T19:40:00.000-07:00

Derika Downing
Critic staff

Director of financial aid tells of how the national deficit affects student loans.

By now, just about everybody is familiar with the major economic crisis that has hit this country, but what effect has this problem had on student loans?

Tanya W. Bradley, LSC’s director of financial aid, says the national deficit has affected student loans in two ways.

“In places like Pennsylvania, their state agency stopped processing federal student loans,” Bradley said, “So schools have had to find other lenders or go to direct loans, like Stafford and Parent PLUS loans.” These loans “cut out the middle man,” i.e., the lenders and guarantee agencies.

“But that kind of national problem hasn’t really hit Vermont,” Bradley said, “Because VSAC [Vermont Student Assistance Corporation] has always been able to secure the funding for federal loan programs and alternative student loans.

“Because 90 percent of our loan volume is through VSAC, our students have at least been able to borrow through an entity that has the funding,” Bradley said.

“The other piece that has affected our students is that lenders have raised the criterion for the FICO (Fair Isaac & Co) credit scores, a measurement of financial strength,” Bradley said. “Many of our students have tried to use alternative loans in place of the parent loans because the parents have bad credit, and more of the loan burden falls on to the student.”

Because of these setbacks, the student seeking financial aid often needs a co-signer, “somebody who is credit-worthy and who promises to pay the loan if the student defaults [is unable to pay the loan within an allotted amount of time].” Finding a reliable co-signer is one of the biggest problems for students in need of financial aid. “There’s obviously a credit problem in this country,” Bradley said.

National Debt and You Presentation

2008-10-16T19:36:00.000-07:00

Ben Holbrook
Critic Editor

LSC professor holds youtube contest.

“The most important issue is that it matters to you.”

That is how David Plazek, professor of social science, opened his lecture on national debt to students gathered in the Alexander Twilight Theater. Plazek’s presentation dealt with the issues of having a large national debt and how it affects everybody.

“I got sent to D.C. and got all schooled up on the national debt,” Plazek said. For every new child, that child is immediately $175,000 in debt, Plazek said.

The U.S. “Spends more on defense than all the other countries in the world combined,” Plazek said.

Plazek explained the difference between a debt and a deficit. A deficit is an unbalanced budget due to greater expenditures and less revenue. A debt is an accumulation of deficits over time.

The nation’s debt especially effects college students because “You can’t have lower student interest rates on loans,” Plazek said.

In order to address the problem, Plazek is offering students the chance to compete for cash prizes in a YouTube video contest.

The contest requires students to make a video that addresses the issue of national debt in a creative way. It must also illustrate the problem clearly so that people understand what is going on, and offer solutions as to how to solve the issue.

“Power is about getting people or states to do things that they wouldn’t otherwise do, Plazek said.”

First place winners receive $300, second place $150 and third place $50.

Plazek ended his lecture by challenging students to get involved because “Democracy only works if people are involved.”

Fountain shows recession

2008-10-16T19:31:00.000-07:00

Eric Downing
Critic Staff

Budget cut causes pond to recede.

Where did the pond go?

Last week, students may have noticed something odd about the pond in front of Stevens Dining Hall.

Fountain pond, as it’s called because of the stream of water that shoots straight up in the middle of it, was looking a little low for a few weeks. The water level appeared to be approximately two feet below its normal depth.

“We’re trying to save town water,” Tom Archer, the director of physical plant, said.

In past years, the fountain had been filled continuously with water from the town. This year’s deficit forced LSC to look for budget cuts, and supplying the fountain constantly seemed like an obvious choice.

Currently, the fountain is on a monthly schedule to fill it. The fountain itself does not supply water to the pond, but actually just re-circulates the water already in the pond.

Fountain pond’s town water supply was turned off to “make sure we don’t have any major leaks,“ Archer said.

Archer cited evaporation as playing a key role in the fountain’s decline. Water shot into the air is much more likely to evaporate. The speed of the fountain’s drop might suggest that there are holes in the liner underneath the pond.

If the fabric is indeed leaking, Archer said that it would have to be dug up and replaced. Students who look forward to seeing the “ice sculpture” the fountain forms in the wintertime shouldn’t worry. Archer was positive that it would be seen again this winter, even if it may be a bit smaller. “It’s a nice nostalgia thing,” Archer said.

Club Budgets

2008-10-16T19:29:00.000-07:00

Aimee Lawton
Special to the Critic

Where the 94 dollar student activity fee goes.

If you ever wondered about how your $94 student activity fee is used, you need not wonder any longer.

This fee, paid by every LSC student at the beginning of each consecutive school year is used to fund the many clubs and organizations offered on campus. Each year, a student activity fee budget is developed, and smaller budgets for the clubs are developed from there.

Half of the overall budget goes to the Student Government Association (SGA), who distributes the money to themselves and the other clubs. The other half is given to the Campus Activities Board (CAB) to make bus trips, movies, guests, and their many other fun activities possible; both on and off campus.

You may now be asking yourself how a budget is determined for a club. Every year, each club makes specific requests for funding based on supplies and expenses that need to be paid for to keep them running. These requests are then reviewed by SGA representatives, and modified if necessary before the final budget is published.

Clubs are allowed to request additional money not specified within their budget if unforeseen expenses appear.
“Anyone can come to SGA meetings on Wednesday nights and request money,” President Andrew Chapin said, “You do not have to be part of a club, or a club that is published in the budget.”

There are four clubs that have been added to the SGA since the budget was published at the beginning of the year: Rotaract, Students for Global Change, Assist, and the Lyndon Strikers. Even though these clubs do not have a set budget, they are still allowed to request funding at the meetings.

Chapin said that they take advantage of this opportunity. In addition to this, there are also scenarios in which requests for funding are made by individuals on a personal basis if they plan to host an event or activity that could benefit others on campus. The money for these requests comes from a general fund containing money left over after budgets have been completed.

Of course, fundraising is always an option as well. All clubs are given several opportunities to host and participate in various fundraising events both on and off campus to earn their own money. Some clubs are also required to pay dues, which are used to pay for other things not listed within their budget.

“As far as club membership goes, we do not have exact numbers for you yet,” Chapin said, “We are currently in the process of collecting this information.”

Chapin said that it is tough to obtain membership information at this point in the year because some clubs are seasonal, such as High Society, and have not yet kicked in to action. Since the budgets for clubs are developed before membership is counted, it is evident that the money is not distributed based on a membership ratio.

There are 23 clubs published in the budget for the current school year. The projected budget totaled $200,000.00, while the requested budget totaled $211,852.21. Aside from CAB and SGA, clubs such as hockey and AMS are receiving some of the greatest funding, while clubs such as RPC and LPC are receiving little to no funding at all.

LSC Hockey

2008-10-16T19:27:00.000-07:00

Sebastion C. Lury
Special to the Critic

Club looks to make the playoffs for the fourth straight year.

The Lyndon State Hockey Club is preparing to begin their 2008 campaign.

Though Lyndon State does not have a varsity hockey team, the college does have a hockey club that plays roughly 20 games per year. According to head coach Jonathan Davis, the team will play around 22 games this season.

The club is in the New England College Hockey Association Division II, a subset of the American College Hockey Association.
The club is primarily funded through the Student Government Association due to its non-varsity status. Davis says the club is “extremely appreciative” of all the support they receive from the SGA.
L
SC hockey will take place in the Fenton W. Chester Arena, down the hill from the college. However, before beginning play there, the club has been traveling to Stanstead, Canada to practice and play scrimmages.

The reason for this is that the Fenton W. Chester Arena only has ice seasonally. The team will be moving from Canada to the Fenton W. Chester Arena beginning the week of Oct. 13.

The regular season begins on Sunday, Oct. 12, at the Thompson Arena in Hanover, NH, as the LSC club matches up against the Dartmouth College Club team. LSC Hockey opens at home on Halloween, Oct. 31, against Daniel Webster. Davis says that if the club had any true rival, Daniel Webster would be it.

The club looks to make the playoffs for the fourth straight year. The previous three years, the club has been unsuccessful in advancing past the first round of the playoffs and hopes to reverse that trend this year.

The club does not consist only of players, but also include statisticians, announcers, first responders, and a variety of other positions. Also, players don’t have to compete in games, but can join for the fun of hockey practice and scrimmages.
It is not too late to join the club, according to Davis. Davis recommends that those interested contact him via email, Jonathan.Davis@lsc.vsc.edu, or by phone 626-6419.

Davis is encouraged by the progress of returning players as well as the addition of new players and says that LSC will have a “great team this year.” He also encourages students to continuously check the schedule at www.lyndonstate.edu/hockey.
There is no charge to LSC students for home games.

WWLR goes Indy

2008-10-16T19:25:00.000-07:00

Steve Cormier
Special to the Critic

WWLR looks toward playing music that can't be heard on "commercial" stations.

New music, both local and global, faces the challenge of trying to be heard and college radio is up to the task of giving it an audience.

At WWLR, Lyndon State College’s radio station, student disc jockeys and faculty advisors alike are looking towards less mainstream music and more independent tunes to fill the airwaves.

“The role of college radio is not playing anything that’s played on other commercial stations,” said Paul Searls, Indy music director at WWLR and assistant professor in the department of history at LSC.

Nick Phelan, music director at WWLR, agrees with the need to play music that’s not getting playtime anywhere else. “Musicians that live off of crackers and ketchup packets because they aren’t on a major label, that’s the kind of people that we want to play.”

“I got here 4 years ago and it boggled my mind, the musical cowardice that was going on at the station,” said Searls. “People were playing the same things that they heard on all the other stations in the area.”

When Searls came to LSC and WWLR he began looking to create a more diversified music format. “It’s been a slow long haul to really make the station do what college radio’s mission is supposed to be, which is to play the 99.9 percent of music you don’t hear on the commercial stations.”

Phelan says the different students behind the mike with majors ranging from meteorology to television studies and business to environmental studies will help.

“We really like the idea of students coming in and playing whatever they want,” Phelan said. “That’s college radio.”
Looking to the community and playing music from local musicians is also important.

“We’re trying to bring in some local and independent music and getting people into the mood of listening to music that no one’s ever heard of and supporting local bands,” Phelan said.

WWLR is putting on a Fall Music Series through November at LSC with new bands from Vermont and New York to try and get students involved, said Phelan. “Another reason we wanted to do that is because there is nothing to do on a Tuesday night.”

Phelan says WWLR is also looking into the possibility of working with Vermont Public Radio and seeing how that could benefit the station, though any deal is still up in the air. “I think internships would be an awesome get,” Phelan said.

Soccer update--Mens

2008-10-16T19:21:00.001-07:00

Sam Monroe
Special to the Critic

LSC bags another soccer win.

It took the Lyndon State Men’s soccer team 12 extra minutes, but the Hornets handed Norwich its first loss of the season on October 8 with a 2-1 win.

“It was real exciting,” said Darren Roberge, a junior striker for the Hornets who scored the game-winning goal just two minutes into the second overtime period.

Norwich University struck first, scoring with more than 39 minutes remaining in the first half, and showing why they had yet to lose on the season. The rest of the game would prove to be very defensive.

Lyndon goalie Jeff Giroux made 10 stops, often stealing the show with aggressive and acrobatic saves; while the rest of his team played sound defense in front of him.

The half started to turn towards Lyndon’s favor when a Norwich player was called offside with 20 minutes left.

Lyndon had several good chances and made the best of it with two minutes to go in the half when freshman Devin Bugbee was fouled inside the Norwich defensive end. On the free kick senior Kyle Hessler placed the ball perfectly between the goaltenders hands and the left corner post of the net, knotting the game at one a piece.

The second half proved too much like the first half with hard defensive play and the goaltenders often stealing the show. Both teams had several scoring opportunities, and several shots that either went just high or just wide of a wide-open net.

With just over four minutes to play, Norwich University had a chance to put the game away when a player headed the ball in the direction of the net. It appeared as if it was going in until Lyndon goalie Jeff Giroux got his finger tips on it just enough to change it’s course sending it right over the top of the net. That would prove to be the best chance for either team in the second half as regulation play ended tied at one.

In the first overtime Giroux would have a similar save tipping this one as he fell to the ground changing the course of the ball once again, and forcing the ball to tip off of the cross bar and allow the game to continue.

A minute into the second overtime goalie Jeff Giroux drop kicked the ball about half way down the field. A Norwich defender jumped up to head the ball but hit it in the wrong direction, allowing for Lyndon’s Darren Roberge to take it on a break away and score the winning goal, sending the entire Lyndon team off the bench and into celebration frenzy.

The victory improved Lyndon State’s record to 5-5 while the loss was Norwich’s first knocking its record to 10-1-1.

LSC adjusts to NAC play

2008-10-16T19:19:00.000-07:00

By Andrew R. Koch
Sports Editor

The Hornets make a smooth transition into a new conference.

Coming into this semester, the Hornets coaching staff knew that they were going to face a stiff challenge in the North Atlantic Conference. What they didn’t know was how well some of the teams would adjust to competing in a new conference.

The Hornets soccer teams each earned their first conference wins last weekend, with the men scoring a 2-0 win at UMaine-Farmington, while the women earned a closely contested 1-0 win at Thomas College.

Despite having sub-.500 records in the NAC, both soccer teams currently have .500 records overall, and are in good position to earn conference playoff bids. The women’s team is in fifth place of the eight teams in the conference, while the men are sixth.

Wins in their final two conference games could help the teams host first round playoff games. To do that, they first have to get through Johnson State on Saturday.

“These are important games this weekend,” Chris Ummer, director of athletics, said. “They’re both in the mix. It just depends on how they play down the stretch.”

Ummer said that since two of each soccer team’s final four games are conference play, they must win those games. He feels that each team has a good chance at finishing the year above .500.
The men’s team is coming off a huge win last week against Norwich, a 2-1 double-overtime thriller. Ummer says that win should be a big help to the team.

“It’s a big boost. It gives them a lot of momentum. They realized the level they can play at.”
Ummer says that while the soccer and volleyball teams may have struggled early on in NAC play, his cross-country teams have done very well against their conference competition. He said the men’s team has beaten both conference opponents they’ve faced so far, and the women’s team has only been beaten by Castleton up to this point in the season. Ummer is very confident about how his runners will do in the upcoming NAC Championships.

“I think the men will finish either first or second, and I fully expect Lyndsay (Calkins) to win the NAC championship,” Ummer said.

As for Lyndon’s coaching staff, opinions vary as to how well they’ll do in their respective inaugural seasons in the NAC. Some teams did very well against NAC competition last year, when Lyndon was still in the USCAA.

“The coaches feel different about their teams. Some feel they can come in and be competitive right away. Some feel that they’re going to have an uphill battle,” Ummer said, adding that baseball and softball both did very well last spring against NAC teams. The baseball team went 4-1 against the NAC on their way to the USCAA National Championship.

Ummer says that Lyndon State can’t wait to be good in the future. He feels the teams need to find ways to be competitive right away, because he believes the future is now.

Banned Books Week

2008-10-02T17:45:00.000-07:00

By Josiah Stewart
Critic Staff

The Lyndon State College library and book store both observe the week that celebrates challenged books.

Lyndon State College is observing Banned Books Week once again this semester from September 27 through October 4.

“I think that every library participates to some extent,” Pat Webster, an LSC library cataloger said. Banned Books Week is an annual event held by the ALA (American Library Association). The ALA has held this event annually since 1982.

“Every year we keep trying to expand our displays and publicity because the subject is of great interest to a lot of people,” Webster said. The LSC library display is set up in front of the circulation and reference desk.

“The display is of books that have been challenged, questioned, and some that have actually been banned over the years,” Webster said. “Our right to read what we choose is something we should all recognize and appreciate.”

The LSC bookstore is also honoring Banned Books Week, and has its own display setup. Susan Millar-Williams, an LSC bookstore clerk, was willing to share some of her thoughts on the subject, “Closing a mind narrows horizons and instead of opening a discussion, some parents will willfully shield their children from exploring different topics,” Millar-Williams said.

Many of the books on display in the library and bookstore here at LSC are not banned but have simply been challenged. A challenged book is a book that someone, usually a parent, has requested be removed from teaching curricula or libraries where their children are involved.

“Some parents’ shunning of certain books is born of ignorance and fear,” Millar-Williams said. “Banned Books Week is a time for us as adults and Americans to celebrate our freedom of expression.”

Many different types of literature have been challenged over the years including children’s books such as J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, which was challenged because of its supposed teaching of witchcraft.

The reasons for challenging a book range from “offensive” language, to “inappropriate” sexual content.

“As librarians, our work involves the free exchange of information and ideas,” Webster said, “and that’s why the thought of someone creating restrictions that would curb or stop that exchange goes against our grain.”

Some of the most frequently challenged books of 2007 were: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier, and TTYL, by Lauren Myracle. These books were challenged for a variety of reasons ranging from racism to sexual content and violence.

Conn Country

2008-10-02T17:41:00.000-07:00

By Aimee Lawton
Special to the Critic

Highlighting one of LSC's longest running radio shows.

“You’re listening to the Conn Country show on 91.5, the Impulse--keep it locked.”
That’s how DJ Slim ends every air break on his Thursday night show.

As WWLR, 91.5 the Impulse kicks off their 2008-2009 season, their listeners are offered with a wide array of student run radio shows. While there are many shows that are making their debut this Impulse season, others are returning in hopes of having another successful listening year.

One show that falls in to the latter category is the Conn Country show, one of the station’s longest running radio shows, as it enters in to its 7th consecutive semester on the radio.

Students can join hosts Tim Lavigne (DJ Slim) and Mike Grigas (the Sharpshooter) every Thursday night from 8-10 p.m. as they play a variety of new and old country favorites, and take requests from their fans.

“There was one show where we had about 75 requests,” Lavigne said. “The show ran for about 4 ½ hours that night. We kept it going until the requests stopped.”
Lavigne said that last semester he and Grigas received around 20 fan requests per show.

It is very rare that any request ever goes un-played on the Conn Country show, as the hosts always say that they are willing to buy any songs that are not already a part of their music libraries. The hosts offer a 99% guarantee that those songs will be played sometime within the duration of the show.

“You guys are the ones who keep the show running,” Lavigne said. “If we wanted to play the music that we wanted to hear, we could sit in our rooms and listen to it on our laptops while we played games,” Lavigne said on last week’s show.

Lavigne started the Conn Country show three years ago and has been running it faithfully ever since.

“I’d say I’ve had requests come in from about 10 different states,” Lavigne said, “some from as far as Georgia and Florida.” The Conn Country show has a very broad listening audience that stretches far beyond the Lyndon State campus.

The ability of fans to stream the Impulse on the web is most likely responsible for such a wide ranging audience, and yet another contributor to the overall success of the show.

Lavigne went through 2 earlier supporting DJ’s before Grigas joined him as the Sharpshooter in January 2008. The two have proved to be a dynamic duo ever since. Their ability to play off of each other’s dialogue during air breaks, and their sharing in the responsibilities of providing the music played on the show and taking requests from their fans keeps the show running smoothly, and contributes to its overall success.

Disc golf course now open

2008-10-02T17:37:00.000-07:00

Abbey Heimlich
Special to the Critic

Club raises funds to build course for community.

Lyndon State officially opened its new disc golf course with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Saturday September 20th.

“It’s a wonderful way for students to recreate,” said Jonathan Davis, the Interim Assistant Dean of Student Affairs. “It’s non-invasive in terms of the environment, and a safe way to have fun on campus.”

Davis, Jamie Struck adjunct professor for the Recreation Department and Tom Kurtz a junior Music Industry and Business Administration major, all cut ribbons at the ceremony. In addition to the ribbon cutting the course was crowned with a plaque stating the rules of the game.

Struck described disc golf as “a combination of Frisbee and playing pool. You have to think of angle, speed and flight path.” The game is greatly increasing in popularity. “In 1974 there was one course, now there are over 1500,” Struck said. Some regular golf clubs and even some ski resorts are putting in their own disk golf courses.
“It’s great because no expensive equipment is needed,” Davis said. All you need is a Frisbee, though some people play with professional disc golf discs.

Players start at a tee and throw their discs as far as they can toward the hole: a pole with metal chains hanging down it to form a basket. There is a set par for each hole. The par for the course of nine holes at Lyndon is 27.

“It’s great because the student population responded to it,” Struck said. Struck had designed a course on his own property, and played on four other courses in the area. He brought students to play his course and they asked him why LSC didn’t have a course of its own.

The Ultimate Frisbee Club requested an estimated five thousand dollars for the course from the Student Government Association and began working on it at the end of last semester.

“Help from the disc golf community made it completely worthwhile,” Struck said. “They made it theirs by cutting trees or giving time to clear brush.” The course was constructed with the original landscape in mind. Struck kept in mind the lanes and alleys within the forest that made a natural path for play.

The first hole is located in the field below the Rita Bole parking lot. From there it goes up and down hills through the woods circling around the lower half of campus. It ends at the top of the hill by the baseball fields.

“Anyone from the school, the town or even the state can play,” said Kurtz. While working on the course this summer Struck ran into visitors playing the course. They told him “ its not just a disc golf course, it’s a great disc golf course.”

There are future plans for disc golf tournaments against other school such as Johnson State who also have a disc golf course. Struck would also like to create a class to teach people to play the game.

LSC faculty member to try for legislative position

2008-10-02T17:33:00.000-07:00

Steve Cormier
Critic Staff

John Kascenska hopes to help LSC students from a higher position.

John Kascenska, a former full-time professor in the Recreation Department and now an Associate Academic Dean at Lyndon State College is seeking a seat in the state legislature in Montpelier during a time of great challenge in the region.
Kascenska, a graduate of Lyndon State College and originally from the area, is running for Vermont State Senate from Caledonia County.

“It’s a good opportunity to serve the greater community,” Kascenska said. “Public service has always been something I’ve been very interested in, having worked in higher education for so many years.” Kascenska looks forward to the possibility of working for and helping his region.
Part of the community Kascenska seeks to serve is LSC, which at this time is facing a deficit.

“Anything I can do to make it known that we need additional funding to help support higher education in Vermont is something I would be very much an advocate for,” Kascenska said.

Kascenska hopes to turn his time as a faculty member at LSC into an opportunity to help the undergraduate population as well.

“One of the things I can bring for Lyndon, as close to the students as I've been over the years, is understanding where they are with paying the bills,” Kascenska said.
“I think people are very concerned about paying their bills,” Kascenska said. His campaign’s focus is on what he sees as money concerns facing the citizens of the Caledonian county.

With the recent announcement of a layoff at LSC due to budgeting and the closing of Lydall Inc. in St. Johnsbury, the focus is on encouraging and retaining small businesses regionally.

“In the Northeast Kingdom, given the territory population and infrastructure, it’s the small businesses that drive the economics in this region,” Kascenska said.
Supporting the economy must be made with the natural surroundings in mind though.

“It must be done in a way that’s balanced with maintaining our world and landscape here which is very important,” said Kascenska. “That’s a reason why a lot of people come to Vermont.”

Kascenska is running as a Republican and believes it is important to elect a more diverse body to both the Senate and the House of Representatives to get the state’s business done.

"I think there needs to be a better balance there to support some of the governor's initiatives,” he said. “It is very difficult when it's lopsided one way or the other."

A helping hand

2008-10-02T17:31:00.000-07:00

Dave Lapham
Critic staff

Members of Lyndon Rescue helped with both Hurricane Ike and Gustav relief efforts.

Lyndon State College senior and EMTV for Lyndon rescue departed from Lyndonville in an ambulance with EMTI Jenn Williams, a recent Lyndon State Graduate, on August 27. Together they drove 26 hours until they arrived at Jacksonville Mississippi.
“Our director called and asked us if we could go help in Jacksonville Mississppi, I was a little stressed, I didn’t know what to expect,“ Ferris said.”

There was good reason for him to be stressed. Gustav formed out of a tropical storm and greatly strengthened. On August 26, the tropical storm grew to hurricane intensity.

In Gustav’s early stages meteorologists deemed it to be severe with a classification of a category 4. Luckily, Gustav weakened within a couple days and eventually downgraded to a category 2.

“Once we got there and realized that we were not going to be in a lot of danger we were alright,” Ferris said. “We were assigned to help with shelter cleanup, and wait for emergency calls.”

By the time Ferris and Williams got there housing was limited. “We slept in the ambulance, tents and other shelters provided to us,” Ferris said.“There was no power in a lot of places.”

EMTV’s Branden Bunnell and Dan Bigalow later flew by plane to meet Ferris and Williams in Mississippi.

“We left Lyndonville at 2 am to catch a 6 am flight from Manchester,” Bunnell said. “We didn’t arrive to Jacksonville until 11 pm. Once we got there we hung around for 2 days, helping out when needed. Dan and I were then activated for Ike. So we took the ambulance and drove 10 hours San Antonio.”

Hurricane Ike began as a tropical disturbance off the coast of Africa and toward the end of August the storm began to slowly develop. On September 4, Ike intensified and strengthened into a category 4 Hurricane. By the time it hit Texas, Ike’s storm surge was a category three and made landfall in Texas as a category 2.

“When we got to San Antonio there was some damage. The majority of it was flooding, roof damage, broken windows and a lot of debris.” Bunnell said..

LSC's new warning system

2008-10-02T17:29:00.000-07:00

Katie Dorben
Critic Staff

Public Safety has adopted a system to send text messages to students in the event of an emergency.

Move over clear TXT, LSC has a new emergency warning system provided by e2campus.
This is an electronic system that will provide information on emergencies through text messages and email. These emergencies may be on or off campus, natural or man made disasters such as severe weather, a shooting, etc.

“The whole idea is to reach as many people as possible (in an emergency), to motivate them to spread the word,” said, LSC’s Director of Public, Safety George Hacking.
Last year was the first time Lyndon State had any type of warning system available to students. The need for some kind of campus wide warning system was prompted by the shootings at Virginia Tech and the examination of what could be done to make schools safer.

Emergency warning systems like e2campus are used to try to get the word out to as many people as possible in the shortest amount of time.
ClearTXT was sold out to another company, so Hacking reviewed other systems and e2campus seemed the best choice to replace it. The advantages of e2campus are its ease of use, the option for parents to sign up, and the option to get messages by email as well as text message.

The system is free; the only costs are those of receiving text messages.
The way it works is that one of the directors of the program here at LSC, Director of Public Safety George Hacking or Director of Student Life Jonathan Davis, are made aware of an emergency. They use a phone, computer, blackberry, or some other form of communication to create a warning which e2campus sends out to everyone who has signed up.

When asked what he wants students to know about e2campus, “If they don’t sign up, it’s a mistake. The information is only good if the people who it’s meant for sign up.”

To sign up, visit http://www.lyndonstate.edu/alert. It will lead you to a page where you can sign up for email or mobile alerts. From there you fill out the information and it will walk you through the steps to verifying it. Parents and faculty members can sign up as well. If you have any questions about the new system, you can contact Public Safety and they will try to help you.

Lacrosse looking for players

2008-10-02T16:18:00.000-07:00

Sam Monroe
Special to the Critic

A player runs down the sideline with the ball and then he passes it across to a teammate, his teammate fires it past the goaltender, the players come together to celebrate the goal and then return to play, hungry for another goal.

This could be you. The Lyndon State College Lacrosse team is looking for players for the upcoming season. Each team has to have ten players on the field at one time, and a good-sized lacrosse team often has 25-30 on the roster.

Craig Salvagno, lacrosse team captain said that the team had about twenty players last season and fourteen or fifteen of them are coming back this season. Of those twenty players last season thirteen of them had never played organized lacrosse before. “It was the teams first season and a good learning year for all the new players,” said Salvagno. “If someone has never played and is looking to they can come out.”

Last season was Lyndon’s first year having a division three lacrosse team, because of that they were not eligible for post season play. This season however is different. The team is now a varsity division three NCAA team and will be eligible for the post season.

“Last year we did not really play as a team, and that should change this season, we have a lot of guys coming back and are starting to work as a team already” Salvagno said.

The regular season will not start until March but the team is starting to practice. They are doing drills and scrimmaging to get the returning players back to where they should be and the new players acclimated to the team.
For more information contact Craig Salvagno at Michael.salvagno@lyndonstate.edu

Men's Soccer Update

2008-10-02T16:17:00.000-07:00

Jack Carney
Special to the Critic

After their first three conference games the Lyndon State mens soccer team is currently ranked 7th in the NAC. Now with ten days left until their next game Head coach Pete Kellyaway told the men its time to regroup and repair their season.

"It's now time for us to do some soul searching," Kellaway said. "you need to ask yourself if you wanna win in this conference or throw in the towel. We have the talent to win we need to decide weather we control what happens to us or if were gonna let someone do that for us"

The Hornets lost two key midfielders and senior team leaders Matt Scagnelli and Chris Cowan due to injury. Injuries have taken a big toll on the team over all many of the teams underclassmen have seen more playing time as a result to the injury.

"We need our younger guys to step up," Back P.J. Danforth said. "our upperclassmen are coming down with injuries . I feel like they've done a good job especially since most of them have never played at the college level."

Danforth went on to say that though the injuries are a big loss for the team, the biggest loss has been the lack of communication mental breakdowns between the players on the field.

"It only happens with little things," Danforth said. "like on defense we lse or marks it happened a couple of times today but every one of those times it dose happen gives them a chance to score."

Though the team has gone through both mental and physical pains the team is still optimistic about the season. Goalie Jeff Giroux said not to count Hornets out just yet.

"This is my senior season and our season on line," Giroux said. "We can be on of if not the best team in the NAC but we've lost control of that these last few games. But if we can just find some way to get back to our game we can have a winning season."

Faculty more than reluctant to let go

2008-10-02T16:11:00.000-07:00

Steve Cormier
Critic Staff

Cut of library employee galvanizes LSC faculty to demand address of the termination.

Hard financial times at Lyndon State College have become personal with the administration’s decision to cut the Director of Library Instructional Technology position.

Vicki Litzinger, an employee of the college since 2001, will be let go later this semester. The termination of her position is a result of the administration’s response to the budget deficit facing LSC this fall.

Stating in an e-mail that the situation was “very problematic,” Litzinger declined to be interviewed for this article.

A common face in the library, Litzinger is the person behind integrating class information with Blackboard to help both faculty and students. Her removal from LSC is weighing on the minds and in the actions of those who know her.

“It is always a difficult thing to deal with when a colleague is let go,” said David Johnston, Professor of Philosophy and Faculty Federation Chapter Chair.

An emergency meeting of the Faculty Assembly, the union representing faculty at LSC, convened Tuesday in the Burke Mountain Room with the only item on the agenda being the layoff.

“The faculty wants to show support for the staff… who keep LSC functioning,” Johnston said.

“When difficult things happen in a community it’s important to continue to communicate to help in knowing how decisions were made,” said Patricia Shine, Professor of Human Services.

A letter asking President Carol Moore to address the layoff at the next Faculty Assembly meeting is being circulated by Shine and is being signed by full and part-time faculty.

“The letter explains why the position is important and why Vicki is good for it,” Johnston said.

Litzinger’s termination has brought into question the way financial matters have been handled here at LSC, especially during the current deficit crises.

“Many people would have liked a more open deliberation process to work out the budget shortfall,” Johnston said.

The decision to eliminate Litzinger’s position occurred following the state government in Montpelier deciding to pull back previously approved appropriations. Cutting the library position reduced the deficit by $34,000. “We do not get a lot of money here as we are tuition driven,” said Bob McCabe, director of student support services and Chapter Chair for VSC-UP, the staff union at LSC.

Along with Litzinger two part-time housing employees will be removed and two 12 month employees will have their positions reduced to 10 months. In addition money is to be cut from the staff development, equipment and library acquisitions budgets.

The Vermont General Assembly will be reconvening in November to focus on budgeting again. McCabe worries about what decisions could be made even though last week President Moore said, “we have not targeted any positions, we will wait and see what happens.”

“I don’t think it is over yet,” McCabe said. One of the few other choices is charging more in terms of tuition and he worries that would drive students further into loan debt.

Photo by Eric Wayne

In the Crunch

2008-09-28T22:06:00.000-07:00

By Brittany Lavery
Special to the Critic

Some health advice given by an LSC student and an LSC professor.

If the crunch isn’t cutting it, here’s why.

Some people believe that doing stomach crunch after stomach crunch will make a difference in how their stomach is shaped. Sadly, that is not the truth. Jesse Potter, an exercise science major at Lyndon State College, said. “The old myth that crunches are the fastest way to lose fat in the stomach are untrue.” He also said any kind of workout one does will help remove fat from that region, and “increase overall health.”

First of all, why does it appear that the stomach is typically the largest part of one's body? Is fate playing some cruel joke on us, by giving us a midsection which is seemingly impossible to get rid of? Potter says “…the body tries to place fat (or adipose tissue) around the midsection in order to better utilize it if it’s needed as energy.”

Potter said another type of exercise which is beneficial for weight loss (if that is what you’re looking for) is “resistance training for all large muscle groups does wonders for weight loss.” He also advises keeping an active cardiovascular regimen (running, biking, swimming, etc.) as a part of your workout routine. Not only are these exercises good for keeping in shape, but they also help battle diseases such as heart disease.

Gregory Ledoux, professor of exercise science at Lyndon State College, also reminds us that weight loss isn’t the only sign of improved health. So, no worries if you don’t see the results you may have been expecting. Ledoux tells us “One can change their body composition by building lean tissue and burning fat through exercise while experiencing no change, or even a slight increase in weight.” If weight is gained, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, it just means you have gained more muscle mass.

Deficit woes continue to grow

2008-09-25T18:19:00.001-07:00

By Ben Holbrook
Critic Editor

Exclusive interview with Carol Moore sheds more light on the crisis.

Lyndon State College continues to face budget challenges due to a loss of state appropriations.
At the end of the 2007-2008 academic year, LSC was attempting to balance a budget that was in the red between $500,000 and $1 million. Fortunately, the school was able to balance the budget only to have the state take back about $200,000 of the state appropriations that each Vermont school receives, Wayne Hamilton, Dean of administration, said.
LSC has to eliminate only about $100,000 from the budget in order to have everything be balanced. One of the biggest challenges with cutting money from the budget is to, “focus primarily on areas that least impact student services,” President Carol Moore said. The choice to eliminate a position in the library was made based on this strategy since it would impact the students the least, Moore said.
The decision to cut the library position was a strategic decision because, “rather than across the board cuts we used strategic cuts because across the board cuts never pay off,” Moore said.
Eliminating the library position saves the school $34,000 but other cuts were also necessary in order to balance the budget. Those cuts included some temporary custodial positions and equipment cuts.
Moore said staff and faculty had asked why the school couldn’t stop the construction project in order to use that money to balance the budget. The school cannot use the bond money for anything besides the building and renovations Moore said. This is because additional student fees pay for the bond.
Faculty and staff members reacted strongly to eliminating a position and offered ideas for other alternatives such as giving up salary increases. However, Moore said all salary increases are contractual and therefore, employees cannot voluntarily give them up. Patricia Shine, Professor of Psychology, spoke out against the position cut, “it is a nightmare up here to lose your job,” she said.
Making personnel cuts is never easy but it was necessary in order to come up with the $100,000, Moore said. “Anybody is welcome to look at the budget but ultimately the decision is the dean’s and mine,” Moore said. Even with the current deficit relieved, the problems may not be over for LSC. In November, LSC may again be asked to come up with more money, which could result in more cuts, Moore said. If it becomes necessary to once again make cuts in November then, “we have not targeted any positions, we will wait and see what happens,” Moore said.
The employee who was laid off from the library will receive severance pay, and will get help with being relocated, Moore said.
Recruitment and retention have always been important to the growth of LSC and this year retention rates were higher than in previous years, although recruitment was down, Hamilton said however, Castleton and Johnson are both having record enrollment years.
Not all is bad news though for LSC because Project Compass will put into place nine different student success interventions to help needy students, Moore said.
The meeting concluded with Moore calling on faculty and staff to, “Focus on the good things going on at Lyndon and at our students being successful.”

Deficit problems hurt non-workstudy students

2008-09-25T18:18:00.000-07:00

By Dave Lapham
Critic Staff

Deficit issues are causing large problems for many departments throughout Lyndon State College.
Many departments have had to cut back on their expenses in order to stay within their budgets. The Department of Student Services is one department that has seen the effects of budget cutting. As a result they have made some changes to meet the demands of a lower budget Allowance.
"Work-Study money allotted to the student services department has increased, but direct hire has significantly decreased," said Deb Bailin director of student services.
Direct hire (Non-Work-Study) is a program funded by Lyndon State College for the purpose of hiring students that do not qualify for or are not hired within the pretenses of Work-Study. Non Work-study funds last year totaled just over $300,000 and this year non work study has decreased to $178,000.
The difference between Work-Study and Direct Hire is that direct hire funds come from Lyndon State College money. Work-Study money on the other hand comes from Government funds and that bucket of money is allotted to the college. The college then disperses the money to each department. Each department can hire as many Work-Study positions as their funds allow.
“Lyndon State College has given us more money for Work-Study because they have taken an interest in this department’s Work-Study program,” Bailin said. “One reason they are interested in our department’s Work-Study program is that the student retention rate has been going down for the last few years. This year is the first year in a while that we have seen the retention rate go up. The greater number of students retained the more tuition dollars the college receives.”
The loss of direct hire funds means that each department has to rely only on the funds given to them through Work- Study, which are limited.
“We have trained 21 students for the circulation desk and only 5 were returning students, Donna Edwards, circulation supervisor, said. “Training takes a lot of time. When we lose upper classmen as workers because they lose their work-study money, it compromises our ability to stay open until 11 p.m.
“The library would not be able to remain open the amount of time that we do, evenings and weekends, without our students,” Edwards said. “They are a valuable part of our team.”
Student Services has also had to make cuts to tutorial programs. Tutorials unlike direct hire are funded by the Student Services department. The purpose of tutorials is to assist students with particular problem classes. In the past Student Services would have continued holding tutorial sessions throughout an entire semester, regardless if there was a low student interest.

SGA president has positive outlook

2008-09-25T18:16:00.000-07:00

Steven Comier
Special to the Critic

Change and civic commitment to government were words once used only in Washington and in speeches used by major party candidates but Student Government Association is changing that.
Prior to the reorganization of the student government infighting and large turnover rates led to numerous interventions in House and Senate affairs by the two RHD advisers, neither of which were elected.
This year with two new RHD advisors, Stephanie Tyler and Laura McNaughton, and increased stability in the makeup and membership of the executive board, the students will have the opportunity to take control of their government once more.
“It all starts with the organization,” Andrew Chapin, SGA president, said. “We have a really good crew at the top and hopefully it will trickle down.”
Chapin hopes to institute change at LSC while once again making the SGA the mouthpiece of the student body to the administration.
“We weren’t doing a very good job really representing the students to the administration which is our job,” he said.
Chapin showed optimism that increasing the voice of the SGA was possible due to new blood entering the academic equation through LSC newest students.
“We are in a good position to really work on it,” Chapin said. “We have very enthusiastic freshman which is great.”
In committing to change and producing results to student’s wants and needs Chapin is banking on that being the key to reinvigorating interest in SGA activities.
“If we can actually do something,” Chapin said. “If we can fix these little things that annoy them about the school, I think that they will see the power of the Student Government and we’ll see involvement.”
Apathy in SGA affairs is not a new thing to him and not something relegated to LSC Chapin commented while talking of a national SGA conference he attended this past summer.
“At the conference in Villanova there was an entire workshop on SGA apathy. It was one of the biggest workshops there,” Chapin said.

Cold weather food

2008-09-25T18:15:00.000-07:00

Gwen Cook
Cooking Columnist

It’s that time of the year again. The days are getting shorter and the nights are bitterly cold.
It makes great weather for sleeping but it changes our food cravings. Warm food always seems to appeal to us because it heats us from the inside out. Hot drinks are great because you can bring them to class and keep your hands and fingers warm.
I know these recipes aren’t all microwave friendly this time around but college students are a creative bunch and I’m sure you’ll all find a way around that minor detail. Happy eating!
Broccoli and cheese soup
Ingredients-
2 cans of broccoli cheese soup
2 cups of milk
1 bag of frozen broccoli (steam in bag is best)
Procedure-
Empty contents of cans into a medium saucepan. Combine with milk. Prepare broccoli according to the directions on the back of the package. Combine with soup mixture. Cook over medium heat until hot.
Corn chowder
Ingredients-
1 can of whole kernel corn, drained
2 cans of creamed corn
2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 package of pre-cooked bacon
2 cups of milk
1 small onion, chopped
1 tbsp cooking oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Procedure-
In a saucepan, brown the onions in oil. Add the potatoes cook over low heat for a few minutes until they are slightly soft. Add the milk, corn, bacon, and salt and pepper. Continue cooking for another 10-15 minutes or until hot.
Mint cocoa
Ingredients-
1 package of cocoa mix
2/3 cup of hot water
2 tbsp mint chocolates
Procedure-
Pour hot water into a cup. Add the mints and let them melt. Add the cocoa mix and stir. Top with whipped cream if desired. END

A new revolution is needed

2008-09-25T18:13:00.000-07:00

By James Beaulieu
Special to the Critic

Thomas Jefferson once said, “A little revolution every now and then is a good thing,” and when I look out over this campus I see that we need one. The government that is in place to help the students here, SGA, is not helping us the regular student at all. That when there is a student issue that needs to be addressed the SGA is unavailable to help us. That with there commitment to the club and the groups here on campus, and the common student gets over looked.
The thing is that the SGA is unavailable to the common student. They have there meetings with the club and students reps and no one really knows who they are. So how can we as a school community communicate with our government which has “us” in there mind.
Well it seems the only way I can think of is by doing this. Evoking my first amendment right and write about it. There are other ways we can get our message to the SGA. We need to stand up as a school and ask for change. The Declaration of Independence says “That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government.”
This means if we don’t like the way the SGA is being run then we need to get rid of and institute one that has a better connection to its students. The answer isn’t give it more power but to give it a new order and purpose, to make it what it should be. This is a student government; so let the students run it and have more say in it then the administration.
I know it is not all the SGAs’ fault; a lot of it falls on the students themselves. I hear people complaining about current polices here on campus. Well, if you don’t like them, or want change, you need to be open and express those feelings to the SGA. The way to change things is to stand up for what you believe in and not just to bow down and take it. If you don’t like what’s going on its your right as students and Americans to stand up and try to make a difference.
So maybe this could be a call for reform and revolution. Take it as you will. But I see that the SGA needs to be abolished and remade into the image of what the students need. One where the students have more voice and where CAB is no longer the focus of the SGA. With CAB out of the picture then we can have real issues that matter to the student body and not to one group or another. The meetings should be in a town hall style where the common student can come and express there thoughts, ideas, and grievances to the SGA without hesitation and fear of being turned away.
If you see what I see, and feel what I feel, then you need to speak up. That’s the message here. Speak up. If we speak up then change can happen and that’s what this school needs. I can no longer stand by and watch this student body lose its voice in the school. I am willing to stand up and fight for change here and now, the real question is which one of you will be willing to stand next to me and fight?

Boys and girls sleeping together?

2008-09-25T18:08:00.000-07:00

By Derika Downing
Critic Staff

The recent surplus of male students entering Lyndon State College this year has some LSC freshmen finding themselves in an unusual on-campus housing arrangement.

You may have heard that some freshmen have been living in co-ed suites, and you may have thought that this was just a rumor, but, as it turns out, it’s true—although it’s not really as dramatic or scandalous as it might sound.
“It was a big decision that we made last year,” Erin Rosetti, LSC’s Assistant Director of Residential Life and RHD at Rita Bole, said. “It was the first time it had been done. We considered the pros and cons. Students were informed directly of the situation. RAs spent time talking to them about the expectations of temporary housing assignment.”
Rosetti said this is the second year in a row that such arrangements have been made, due to the high male to female ratio of incoming LSC students. Some male students have to temporarily stay in suites that were originally intended for females, because there is an overabundance of male students and a dearth of females.
Rosetti emphasized that the co-ed suites (suites where male and female students live together) are “definitely a temporary situation.”
Rosetti said that LSC would “rather accommodate students on campus than have them stay at a hotel.” LSC is making efforts to set aside additional male housing, so that male students won’t have to stay in suites that were intended to be all-female. Rosetti said they “would have done something different this year,” but it’s difficult to find alternate housing situations.
They did change one traditionally female first-year suite to a male suite, so things are “pretty even now.” Some students are still on a waiting list for housing, but these are mostly students who did not take the opportunity to sign up for a room during housing selection at the end of last semester.
The students living in the co-ed suites have been handling the situation maturely.
“The biggest thing is respecting the use of the bathroom,” Rosetti said. The boys in the suite that was originally intended for girls have to use the private bathroom in the hall rather than the bathroom in the suite.

Wrong number?

2008-09-25T18:04:00.000-07:00

By Rachel Keller
Critic Staff

Phone line mix-up causes confusion.

When the parents of Lyndon State freshman, Laura Lenfest, tried to reach their daughter by calling her campus telephone, the greeting they received surprised them.
It was not their daughter on the other end, nor was it her roommate; it was “some girl named Heather,” says Lenfest. Though Heather’s identity was never discovered, it was clear that there was something amok with the telephones.
As other instances in the Wheelock residence hall surfaced, Michael Dente, director of I.T. was notified, Wednesday, September 24, that phone lines had apparently been crossed.
What was the reason for this mix up? Last week, workers focused on phone lines in the Vail and Wheelock buildings, and when the dug-up materials had to be put back, roughly 1200 color-coded cords had to be matched with their corresponding colors. This had to be completed absolutely “perfectly” says Dente, in order for the job to be successful.
“In Vail, it was done just right” Dente said. “We had no reason to suspect otherwise in Wheelock. We figured it was correct.” Even if only a few cords were not matched correctly, it could have the side effects that the building had been experiencing.
Repairs began at 8 a.m. on Thursday, September 25, and the cord mix-up is expected to be resolved before the weekend.

Young hornets are still learning to buzz

2008-09-25T18:00:00.000-07:00

By Sam Monroe
Special to the Critic

The women's volleyball team at LSC still has some learning to do.

Inexperience once again poisoned the Lyndon State women’s volleyball team.
On Saturday the Hornets flew out to a 2-0 game lead over the Thomas College Terriers. However the Terriers would prove to be too much for the Hornets in the end, staking out a comeback and winning the match 3 games to 2.
In the first game the young Hornets would prove to be overpowering against the Terriers, winning the game 25-20. The Hornets would also dominate the second game winning it 25-19. Then with the score tied in third match at 12 all, the Terriers would begin to turn the tables their way. The Terriers would win the match 25-21 and then take the fourth match 25-20. It came down to one final match and then to one final serve. With the score 14-13 the Hornets had the match in their grasp, however it was not meant to be.
The Terriers would turn it around and complete the comeback. They would win the game 16-14, and the match 3 games to 2, and send the young slumping Hornets to a 2-8 record.
Freshman Amanda Laramee and Junior Morgan Reilly led the Hornets with four assists each. Sophomore Ally Ciaramitaro, junior Michelle Petty, and freshman Kayla Probst led the team with 6 digs (the passing of a spiked ball) each. Petty also led the team with 7 kills/spikes and had a block. Probst also had 6 kills/spikes and led the team in blocks with 2.

Part-time faculty member makes dynamic entry

2008-09-25T17:57:00.000-07:00

By Josiah Stewart
Critic Staff

Former LSC student becomes member of the faculty.

Lyndon State College welcomes John Shanks as one of 11 new part time faculty members.
John Shanks will be teaching one of the second half mini courses taught this semester on Olympic, and power lifting. Shanks is an exercise science major, and is also the president and founder of the Brazilian Jujitsu club at LSC.
“I’ve been studying Brazilian Jujitsu since my senior year of high school,” Shanks said.
Shanks is a blue belt in Brazilian Jujitsu under Roy Harris, and a green belt in Adaptive Combat Jujitsu.
The Brazilian Jujitsu club has been running since last spring, and is currently being held on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays starting at 6 pm in the racquetball court.
“I was asked to teach this second half mini course by Anthony Sgherza,” Shanks said.
“The class is going to focus on Olympic and power lifts, the power lifts being squats, bench presses, and dead lifts,” Shanks said. “The Olympic lifts will be the snatch, clean and jerk, among others.”
Shanks said that this is his first real instructing position at LSC and he is excited about getting started. The course is worth 1 credit, and 19 students are currently enrolled in it.
“I’m very excited about teaching.” Shanks said. “I was originally going to study computers, but they were too frustrating, and lifting is something that I enjoy doing.
Shanks has competed in power lifting competitions as well as Brazilian Jujitsu competitions in the past, and was adamant about the Brazilian Jujitsu competition that he will be attending on the 1st of November.
“The competition is something that we’re trying to get the Brazilian Jujitsu class into,” Shanks said.
Shanks, now age 22, entered a power lifting competition when he was 19 and won 1st place in the teen 220 lbs division. He also won second place in a men’s open 242 lbs division with a 435 lbs bench press.
Along with his other qualifications, Shanks is also an apprentice level grappling instructor under Roy Harris.
Shanks is enjoying his Brazilian Jujitsu instructor’s position, and can’t wait to be officially teaching the Olympic and power lifting course.
“I once heard that if you do what you love, you will never work a day in your life,” Shanks said.

Lyndon State strikes again!

2008-09-25T17:54:00.000-07:00

Aimee Lawton
Special to the Critic

Highlighting LSC's newest club.

There’s a new club at LSC that’s striking up a real buzz around campus!
At last Wednesday’s house meeting, the SGA approved the newest student run club on campus, the Lyndon Strikers. The idea for the Strikers came from President Michael Michaud, who thought it would be a good idea to start a club on campus for those students who like to bowl.
“A friend of mine and I love bowling and are always at the insomnia bowl nights, so we wanted to see if we could start a club to get to go [bowling] cheaper,” Michaud said. “We talked to the alley [to see] if they could work something out with us, and they did.”
Michaud started a group on Facebook for the club over the summer to see how much interest a bowling club would attract.
“A lot of people seemed interested, so we started to form it in to a club and here we are now,” Michaud said. His Facebook group currently has a member count of over 50.
The Lyndon Strikers meet Wednesday nights at 9 p.m. at Gold Crown Lanes in St. Johnsbury. Their first official meeting as a club was held last night, and proved to be a success as the alley began to fill up within the first 30 minutes of the meeting.
The bowling alley offers the Strikers discount game prices, along with free shoe rentals. As of right now, members also get to bowl their first games free courtesy of the club. If anyone is interested in learning more about the Lyndon Strikers, they are free to contact Michael Michaud at michael.michaud@lyndonstate.edu, and can be added to the club’s mailing list
So shine up those bowling shoes and get ready to roll. Head to Gold Crown Lanes on Wednesday nights, and check LSC’s newest club out for yourself. You’re sure to have a good time.

2008-09-25T12:59:00.002-07:00

2008-09-25T12:59:00.001-07:00

Answers to the Word Find of 9/19

2008-09-25T12:46:00.000-07:00

Cartoon Crossword

Deficit woes continue to grow

2008-09-25T09:01:00.000-07:00

By Ben Holbrook
Critic Editor

Lyndon State College continues to face budget challenges due to a loss of state appropriations.

At the end of the 2007-2008 academic year, LSC was attempting to balance a budget that was in the red between $500,000 and $1 million. Fortunately, the school was able to balance the budget only to have the state take back about $200,000 of the state appropriations that each Vermont school receives, Wayne Hamilton, Dean of administration, said.

LSC has to eliminate only about $100,000 from the budget in order to have everything be balanced. One of the biggest challenges with cutting money from the budget is to, “focus primarily on areas that least impact student services,” President Carol Moore said. The choice to eliminate a position in the library was made based on this strategy since it would impact the students the least, Moore said.
The decision to cut the library position was a strategic decision because, “rather than across the board cuts we used strategic cuts because across the board cuts never pay off,” Moore said.

Eliminating the library position saves the school $34,000 but other cuts were also necessary in order to balance the budget. Those cuts included some temporary custodial positions and equipment cuts.

Moore said staff and faculty had asked why the school couldn’t stop the construction project in order to use that money to balance the budget. The school cannot use the bond money for anything besides the building and renovations Moore said. This is because additional student fees pay for the bond.

Faculty and staff members reacted strongly to eliminating a position and offered ideas for other alternatives such as giving up salary increases. However, Moore said all salary increases are contractual and therefore, employees cannot voluntarily give them up. Patricia Shine, Professor of Psychology, spoke out against the position cut, “it is a nightmare up here to lose your job,” she said.
Making personnel cuts is never easy but it was necessary in order to come up with the $100,000, Moore said. “Anybody is welcome to look at the budget but ultimately the decision is the dean’s and mine,” Moore said. Even with the current deficit relieved, the problems may not be over for LSC. In November, LSC may again be asked to come up with more money, which could result in more cuts, Moore said. If it becomes necessary to once again make cuts in November then, “we have not targeted any positions, we will wait and see what happens,” Moore said.

The employee who was laid off from the library will receive severance pay, and will get help with being relocated, Moore said.
Recruitment and retention have always been important to the growth of LSC and this year retention rates were higher than in previous years, although recruitment was down, Hamilton said however, Castleton and Johnson are both having record enrollment years.

Not all is bad news though for LSC because Project Compass will put into place nine different student success interventions to help needy students, Moore said.
The meeting concluded with Moore calling on faculty and staff to, “Focus on the good things going on at Lyndon and at our students being successful.”

LSC Volleyball

2008-09-18T15:34:00.006-07:00

By Jack Carney
Critic Staff

Even with a 2-6 record, hopes are high for LSC's volleyball team.

Of the ten woman roster for LSC's volleyball, only three have played before. Of those three there are only two players returning from last year’s team. The girls are currently 2-6 in the regular season but the Lady Hornets women's volleyball head coach Sean Fisher says the important thing for the team right now is to keep their head up and stay positive.
"I think down the road we can compete but right now, because of lack of experience, we have issues," Fisher said. "I think we can gain something from every loss. We can learn something and hopefully become a better team."
Because of the girls’ lack of experience as a team many of the girls said communication was a big factor impacting their current record. But Morgan Reilly, a junior, said that she believes the chemistry will come in due time.
"We go into communication breakdown and then we’re too late to do anything about it," Reilly said. "And by the time we do start clicking, and are getting motivated, we’re too far behind and it’s too late."
Fellow teammate and Junior Michelle Petty agreed with Reilly, but also added that there has been a big change with the new freshmen on the team. Petty said that fixing chemistry is priority number one right now.
"Getting a whole lot of new freshman on the team, we really don't know what to expect this season. I think we’ll just take it game by game. And as far as the winning goes it’s a work in progress.”
Fisher says that right now he is happy with the way things are going and said he knew it would be a rough start. But Fisher says he knows by the end of the season, the girls will be able to play with most teams.
"We have a young team," Fisher said. "And if they can stay here another four years, they'll have a chance to be really good."

Lyndon wins over Mitchell

2008-09-18T15:34:00.005-07:00

By Jack Carney
Critic Staff

LSC emerges victorious in the overtime.

With five minutes left in the game, many of the fans still cheered on the Hornets as time wound down. The men were down 1-0 when, with 5:06 on the clock, senior Kyle Hessler crossed the ball to Phil Curll, who headed the ball into the back of the net to tie up the game 1-1. Men’s head soccer coach Pete Kellaway said he believed in his team and knew they could win as long as they kept their composure.
"They were staying patient, never let panic set in and never lost control," Kellaway said. "Our whole game is about control and we continued to move the ball well down the field.”
With the game tied the Hornets would take the game to overtime. Earlier in the season the men’s first game went into overtime, ending in a 1-0 loss. But this time around the Hornets would come out victorious. Hessler once again set up another ball that ricocheted off the cross bar to the feet of Junior Darren Roberge who punched it into the back of net giving the Hornets their third win of the season.
Tomorrow is the men’s North Atlantic Conference (NAC) opener vs. Castleton, the same team who won the NAC last year. But Kellaway said he won't let his team slide away from the things he believes this team can accomplish this season.
"We had a goal from day one and that goal was to do as well as we could to win the NAC," Kellaway said. "We feel real comfortable with our center fielders Kyle Hessler, Matt Scagnelli and Chris Cowan. Those three guys have been playing together for four years and they can play with anyone on the field."
But Kellaway went on to say it’s not just the seniors’ compatibility.
"I think one of the things I like about our team is everyone is in it for the team," Kellaway said. "This is about as close to a family as you can get. They truly enjoy each other, and they will do whatever it takes to accomplish the goal. Because that’s what this is, this is a team."

Photo by S.C. Lury

Girls' soccer

2008-09-18T15:34:00.004-07:00

By Jack Carney
Critic Staff

Lady Hornets' soccer pick up the slack on slow season.

After losing the first two games to start the regular season, the Lady Hornets’ women's soccer team is now on a three game win streak heading into the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) opener vs Castleton tomorrow. Women's head coach Jim Davis said the first two games were tough with all the new faces.
"We spent the first week finding players. At the start of the year we only had nine girls, and now we have 17," Davis said. "I have ten freshmen that are new to this team and the school. So I think those first two games were just us getting the jitters out. But we have a great group of girls that work together and are focusing to be a better team."
Kathy Kline has scored three of the Hornets’ five goals in the last two games. Kline says she sees that her team is starting to focus and get better overall as a team.
"I think it’s because we became close as a team," Kline said. "Our game has progressed so much over the past few games. If we play the way I know we are capable of, I know we can win."
Davis said going from 0-2 to 3-2 has made a big psychological difference. Since going on the three game win streak the girls have scored 12 goals and have only allowed four. Davis says this is because the girls are finally moving into a progressive sequence.
"We can definitely score, but I think if we can tighten up on defense, we can beat any team," Davis said. "That’s what wins games is defense and if we can do that we will be a solid team. If we can do that we have got a good shot at beating teams and winning the NAC this year."
After their first five games, the Lady Hornets currently are ranked second in preseason NAC rankings in women’s soccer. Kline went on to say she and her teammates have big plans for this team and their season to come.
"I think I want to win the NAC conference," Kline said. "We can beat any team we go up against. We're 3-2 right now but by the end of the season I want us to be the winners overall."

Photo by S.C. Lury

There’s Water in Them Thar Halls

2008-09-18T15:34:00.003-07:00

By Sebastion Lury
Special to the Critic

New sprinklers in Arnold and Bayley residence halls increase safety of the buildings.

The Arnold and Bayley Residence Halls received new sprinkler systems over the summer.
The sprinkler systems were set in place due to other construction in the buildings. Resident Hall Director for Arnold-Bayley, Laura McNaughton, says that when additional construction was done to the halls, the fireproofing needed to be updated, hence the new sprinkler systems.
“It’s going to save lives,” McNaughton said. Due to time constraints, Arnold and Bayley were the only two dorms to receive the construction. However, that is likely to change over the course of time. McNaughton says that the goal is to eventually “put them in all the buildings in Stonehenge.” This is a promising idea, as the sprinklers offer better protection.
A popular rumor about the sprinkler system is that if one goes off, they all go off. However, Tom Archer, Director of Physical Plant, has set the record straight.
“In response to the question of a sprinkler head going off: it is just that one head discharging water,” Archer said. “The heads are set off by temperature or if someone physically damages them.”
There are still hazards involved. Because they can be set off by physical damage, it is strongly recommended that no one hang anything, including one’s self, from the sprinkler head or pipes.
This suggestion is for the safety of all. McNaughton warns that if you set one or more off, even by accident, the consequences could be severe.
“They’ll destroy people’s property,” McNaughton said. She also warns that possible punishments could include eviction, lawsuits (from the college, fellow students, or both), and also expulsion in extreme cases.
All in all, the residents in Arnold and Bayley should be grateful for the sprinkler systems and feel safer because of them. Residents should heed McNaughton’s advice: “Be responsible.”

Photo by Brian Howe

Strokanov on the Georgian conflict

2008-09-18T15:34:00.002-07:00

By Steve Cormier
Special to the Critic

LSC history professor claims that American media is portraying the Georgia-South Ossetia war with bias.

Georgia was making trouble
War, with its division of truth and display of human misunderstanding, is what drove Alexandre Strokanov and an audience of students, faculty and community members into the Alexander Twilight Theatre.
With last month’s Georgia-South Ossetia War as his muse, the professor of history at Lyndon State College stood center stage to explain the misconceptions of the conflict that took the world by surprise last month.
“When I asked at the beginning questions about what do you know about this, not so many of them were greatly enlightened about the event,” Strokanov said of his audience.
His presentation, part lecture and part slide show, was Strokanov’s answer to what he perceived as a bias in reporting and opinion in the United States.
With a brief history of military activity in the region Strokanov impressed upon those in attendance that blame for the aggression laid with the Georgian government. Meanwhile he questioned conflicting images that the US government and mass media had been showing since hostilities began.
Images of gutted hospitals, bombed-out libraries and universities reduced to rubble in South Ossetia were featured in the power-point presentation projected onstage. An Internet video, recorded by advancing Georgian soldiers, showed the deliberate targeting of residential buildings with no military resistance.
Addressing questions pertaining to Russian activity, Strokanov said that Russian and Georgian forces were equal in size, despite reports to the contrary, which he stated were Pentagon lies. He also said that Russian forces would withdraw from Georgian territory by October (though not from South Ossetia).
Georgian civilian casualties, Strokanov said, were between 10 and 20, caused mostly by mistakes made by Russian long-range bombers though reports indicate Russian aircraft dropping Cluster bombs over Gori, Georgia, which break apart randomly over large areas of land. Civilian deaths in South Ossetia that have been attributed to Georgian military activity number around 1,500.
Washington and the American mass media have largely portrayed the conflict as an aggressive move on the part of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev whose internal Russian approval ratings have gone up since the beginning of the conflict Strokanov said. The American government believes any dispute in South Ossetia concerning Georgian activities is an internal matter.
Strokanov, seeing a balancing out of reporting occurring in Europe now concerning the events ponders the perceived bias in the United States once again. “I hope it will happen here too and some other points of views will be presented in the American media but I don’t know. Will it happen, when is it going to happen, that’s why I did this now,” Strokanov said.

Intramural Sports

2008-09-18T15:34:00.001-07:00

By Sebastion Lury
Special to the Critic

Busy LSC students look to intramural sports to satisfy their hunger to hit the field.

The sweat forms over her brow as the clock wanes far too slow yet all too fast from 5.2 seconds to 0. She sees a lane, maneuvers the ball from her left hand to her right. She makes her move. Everyone in the gym holds their breath and awaits the result.
Sounds like a good game between the Lyndon State Lady Hornets and a school of your choice, right? Wrong. This is a friendly game between two Lyndon State teams, but it’s not a scrimmage. It’s an intramural match-up. The two teams competing in this hypothetical game are consisted of classmates, suite mates, roommates, and friends.
Despite keeping a record of wins and losses, the game is not entirely about winning it all, though that is a factor. Rather it is about sportsmanship and the spirit of competition. These teams may include players on the school teams but more likely the players are young men and women whom are unable to compete on the school team (for a myriad of reasons) but still love the game as much as the next person.
“Why…not?” said Dane Martin, captain of the Hitmen flag-football team and member of the Domination Nation softball team when asked why he plays intramural sports . He said they give him a chance to “show off my mad skills.” Martin says “I don’t have time,” for school sports and that intramural sports fit into his schedule more conveniently.
There are more intramural sports than just women’s basketball. There is also flag-football, coed softball, and floor hockey, just to name a few.
To participate in intramural sports, visit the office of Sue Henry, director of Intramural Sports, in the Activities Building.

No home for LSC x-country

2008-09-18T15:34:00.000-07:00

By Sam Monroe
Special to the Critic

Without a single home meet, X-country athletes at Lyndon State College will have to travel away.

LSC Cross Country is running away.
Running away is the only type of running the Lyndon State College men’s and women’s cross country teams will be doing this season, as they do not have single home meet.
“It is just the nature of the sport,” Athletic Director and cross-country coach Chris Ummer said. Not every team has home meets every season; this is much to do with the amount of teams in the league, and the rotating schedule of the leagues championship meet. Most teams will want to run on the course that the championship is on at least once that season so they can prepare themselves for the course.
Ummer also said that there is a lot of “sweat and sometimes blood” that goes into preparing the course for a race. The entire course has to be raked of any leaves or branches that may have fallen and all other hazards that may cause any of the athletes to slip or possibly get injured.
The school’s cross-country course is deep in the woods and the construction has nothing to do with the scheduling.
“I would have loved to have them race here and give Lyndsay (Calkins) a chance to break the course record, but it just didn’t work out,” Ummer said. Ummer went on to say that both the men’s and women’s teams are looking good and should be exciting to watch this season. Unfortunately the Hornets will not get a chance to run in front of their hometown fans this year but expect them to be running through the Lyndon campus sometime in the near future.

Where's the light?

2008-09-18T14:52:00.002-07:00

By Eric Downing
Critic Staff

LED lights to come to Vail parking lot

Lyndon State College says, “Let there be light.”
Students who go out to the Vail Parking lot in the next week might look up and wonder where the new lights they were promised are.
Director of Maintenance Tom Archer said that the new LED lights for the Vail Parking lot were scheduled to come in last week. Unfortunately, due to a factory mix-up, LSC was sent the wrong size arms for the fixtures, which had to be sent back.
The LED lights are to replace the high pressure sodium bulbs that were removed from the Vail parking lot before the fall semester began. Currently, the lot is lit at night by two construction light towers. Archer said that the 500 watt bulbs are safe enough in the mean time, but that the he's “psyched” that the new lights should be arriving shortly.
The 20 new light fixtures will require 53 percent less energy to run, according to the manufacturer. The light bulbs also have a lifespan of around 20 years and are virtually indestructible. “So you're not buying new bulbs all the time,” Archer said.
Another difference is that the lights provide white light, as opposed to the orange haze high pressure sodium produces. “The town of Lyndonville will like us a lot better,” Archer said. The lights are even effective in the low temperatures in the area. “They actually work better the colder it is,” Archer said.
Although the lights will only go to the Vail parking lot right now, Archer said that he looks forward to getting the rest of the lamps changed in the future. This might not, however, happen until after next year. One of the reasons for the delay is that there are plans to expand the Stonehenge parking lot.
“The plan is to keep moving,” Archer said.

Building Update

2008-09-18T14:52:00.001-07:00

By Heather Poginy
Critic Staff

Work continues on the new building in front of Vail Hall

Construction of the new academic and student activities building is well on its way at Lyndon State College.
Started this summer after the Vail parking lot was repaved, the building is expected to be finished after one year. It will house the Exercise Science, Meteorology, and Business departments, which will allow other programs to expand into the existing buildings. Also, according to President Carol Moore, there will be “a multipurpose Student Activities room that can host presentations, poetry readings, and club activities; anything really.”
With the start of the new school year came the very first stages of the building’s construction. Within the first week of school, many students, faculty members and staff were asked to move, for safety precautions, from the side of Vail closest to the parking lot while the construction workers blasted rock out of their way for digging.
Over the summer, there were many renovations put into effect in the residence halls in Stonehenge. These renovations included new floor tiles and new windows in Arnold & Bayley. According to Moore, the remaining windows in the Stonehenge residence halls will be changed this upcoming Winter Break.
Across from the Stonehenge parking lot, the rugby field was also improved over the summer. It was leveled and reseeded to meet regulation standards and official play. Another field was also added for intramural sports hosted by Lyndon State.
Many students across campus question the way the school is gaining the money for this building Many students believe this added money is for the addition of the building. President Moore explains that the school’s deficit has nothing to do with the building. “The money we have for the building we attained through bonds last year,” Moore said.
Moore also commented about the improvements on Lyndon’s horizon. “We’ve had a good start this year. The college is outlined to grow modestly and enhance academic programs as well as student activities.”

Too much noise!

2008-09-18T14:52:00.000-07:00

By Josiah Stewart
Critic Staff

Noise from the construction has some impact on classes at Lyndon State College.

The sounds of blasting sirens and heavy machinery have become a part of every day life for students, faculty and staff here at Lyndon State College.
"I wish that they had started the whole process early enough so that a delay in permitting wouldn't have meant that they were starting this kind of construction just when classes begin, because it is very disruptive,” Richard Moye, professor of Literature and Cultural Studies, said.
Construction would have been started earlier if not for delays in the acquiring of permits, Wayne T. Hamilton, Dean of Administration, said. Construction is scheduled to continue up until August of 2009.
The construction zone is located directly in front of the Vail Hall building where quite a few classes are held during the day. The noise from this construction occurs regularly from early in the morning up until late afternoon is when the bulk of classes in Vail are held.
“I teach a couple of courses in Vail 451, and the noise has seriously disturbed concentration for me and the students,” Moye said. “I'm pretty sure that at least one class has been a complete waste.”
Concentration when the noisiest parts of the construction are going on is a serious issue for students and professors alike. With the majority of the blasting complete, students can expect less noise, however, there is still drilling to be done and a little more blasting can be expected in the future.
"I hope it doesn't really affect my ability, but it does affect my effectiveness,” Moye said. “The construction makes teaching and learning more difficult, but there is really no alternative.
“We'll just have to do the best we can,” Moye said. “I also have to say I'm less concerned about the impact on teaching than I am about the impact for student concentration and focus both in and out of the classroom.”
With the noisiest parts of the construction soon to be over with, students can expect an easier time trying to concentrate, but there will undoubtedly be other forms of noisy construction going on before the project is completed.
“With a project like this, some disruption is unavoidable, but everyone involved is trying to minimize the impact on the campus.” Hamilton said. “I hope that the end result of better facilities for our faculty and students will make the interruptions seem worthwhile.”

Norling joins faculty line-up

2008-09-11T19:07:00.000-07:00

Blurb: Meet new recreation professor Jonathan Norling.

Section: Campus News
9/12/08

By Josiah Stewart
Critic Staff

Adventure is in the air for Recreation majors, and any students taking Recreation courses, with the recent addition of Jonathan “JC” Norling, who will be teaching in Lyndon State College’s Adventure-based program management field.
“The focus on adventure was why I applied at LSC, for a field based experience,” Norling said.
Norling is one of eight full time faculty members to join Lyndon State College this semester, and he is taking the time to get to know the students as well as the faculty.
As many students here at LSC are well aware, the campus has a fairly close nit community, co-mingling of Professors from different fields is not unheard of, and Norling can often be spotted chatting with Professors and students in the halls.
“I love it here at LSC, it’s so different,” Norling said. “I was in the Rec. Department at Utah State, and here everything is closer.”
“The access for students and faculty is closer [at LSC], at Utah State, most people hung out in their own silos, and associating with professors from other fields was practically unheard of,” Norling said.
LSC has a wide variety of Recreation activities and each teacher in the rec. department offers something different to the students.
“I can bring research as well as a field based experience to the Rec. Program that I don’t think has been here before, I can also adapt easily because I am used to my settings changing,” Norling said.
Norling holds many certifications, and is a part of the W.E.A., Wilderness Education Association. Norling has studied Physical Education, and Wilderness Education. He is focused on bringing a field based perspective to the students at LSC.
“There is a spiritual side to being outdoors,” Norling said. “Time takes on a different dimension when you spend weeks in the field.”
“You get to know people better when you spend a lot of time with them,” Norling said about recreation expeditions.
There are many scientific aspects to the Recreational Fields of study, and JC Norling has delved into many of them.
Norling has spent time teaching in the Department of Health as well as Physical Education at Utah State University.
“I’ve done research on exercise science and neuro-psycology, and I see Adventure Education as interconnected with these things,” Norling said.
JC Norling moved here this summer with his wife and two children to join LSC’s faculty.

New teacher in the department of TVS

2008-09-11T19:05:00.000-07:00

Blurb: Meet Assistant Professor Meaghan Meachem, department of Television Studies

Section: Campus News
9/12/08

By Steve Cormier
Critic Staff

Meaghan Meachem will be the first to tell you that this is the last place she expected to be.
Meachem’s office, located above the News 7 studios here at Lyndon State College, belie the makings of a person not long for its space, with empty walls and even emptier shelves. But the closet-like workspace of this new and youthful Assistant Professor in the department of Television Studies is not her arena of choice, nor does it accurately show just how excited she is to be back.
“Even though it’s been 5 years it sort of feels like I never left,” Meachem said. “Things don’t change very much around here.”
Meachem is a 2003 graduate of the very department for which she now finds herself working in. A colleague now, she heartily admits that she has not forgotten her time here.
And that is what excites her about being back at Lyndon. The television studies department and the News 7 team are so engrained in the school and community, with 9,000 viewing homes in northeast Vermont and northwestern New Hampshire, it is important to Meachem that students are getting a hands-on approach to learning.
“[The students] go out every day and do stories in the community just like every other news station would and so they’re immersed in and amongst that community all the time,” Meachem said.
Before joining the faculty here at Lyndon State College this year Meachem completed her master’s degree work in television and technology at Marlboro College in Marlboro, VT. She has taught at the Burr and Burton Academy in Manchester, VT and has worked in the private sphere for Greater Northshire Access Television doing photography and field production and for News 10 Now in Syracuse, NY, which is owned by the Time Warner Cable Company.
Having those opportunities and work experience, along with her time here at Lyndon as a student, makes Meachem a resource for her new students. “To bring the experiences I have in a studio production environment to the classroom makes it much more tangible,” she says, “and kind of fun because it makes me more real too.”

New Band

2008-09-11T19:03:00.002-07:00

Blurb: Mt. Moon is a band that might be worth checking out.

Section: Campus News
9/12/08

By Jesse Meunier
Critic Staff

During the spring and summer of 2008, in the wilds outside of Portland, Maine, a band dubbed Mt. Moon was conceived, born, and lived a life full of gleeful frolicking.
Coupling beautiful harmonies and folky footstomping with the dreamy aesthetics of shoegaze and indie pop,, the seven person group manages to create music that is absolutely haunting, and simultaneously full of joy and sorrow. Formed from the remnants of the noise band, 1800’s Sea Monster, the group traded in the performance art, sonic sludge, and primal intensity of their last endeavor for sophisticated songwriting and folk instrumentation.
The band manages to couple diverse influences ranging from Leonard Cohen, to Neutral Milk Hotel’s fuzz folk, to the melodic sonic haze of My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive, into a dense amalgam that is best described as “dream folk.” Songwriter Jakob Battick likes to describe it more creatively: "‘Think of it as if some big old moths grabbed acoustic instruments, met in the big field out back, grew some keyboards on trees, waited until the stars came out and then started to decorate the whole forest in songs.’ That, my friends, is the sound of Mt. Moon.”
“Mt. Moon was built upon the work of myself and Patric as songwriters. We'd play the main guitar parts, sing lead vocals, and pick up random other various instrumental roles when needed; banjo and mandolin being two that come immediately to mind. Beyond that, the backing players were Ryan Higgins (bass, ukulele), Zach Brown (trumpet, xylophone, organ), Mike Wellington (viola), Michelle Dempsey (Violin), and Tim Cunningham (electric guitar,)” says Battick.
Their latest work, A Burial In Seven Births, is easily their most polished and accessible to date, composed primarily of previous recordings that were re-written and reconstituted from lo-fi folk songs into more complex and carefully orchestrated affairs. “So many times before in the past we'd just recorded records sloppily, with hiss and mistakes and little attention paid to really developing every aspect of the sound, so this time we made a conscious decision to really be perfectionists. It's music for hazy summer days where the sun washes everything out, where insects are on the breeze, and the trees dance back and forth half-asleep. ” says Battick. Burial may never touch a pop chart or achieve any mainstream success, but it is nonetheless a brilliant underground album that true music lovers will come to appreciate.
All things however, must come to an end, and Mt. Moon is no exception. Their death was as carefully orchestrated as their birth. “As far as future plans are concerned, Mt. Moon itself has self destructed exactly as planned. The whole thing was just a summer project, something to keep my mind off the absolutely dead art/music/fun scene in Bangor. …There are no places for bands to play (here), and few honest people making legitimately interesting music for the right reasons. So, we decided to start our own thing to keep ourselves busy and creative and honest.” Despite the end of one of his more successful projects, Battick looks optimistically to the future: “As of right now, this would appear to be my life goal; to become the best mouthpiece, the best illuminator, and the best illustrator of the great American folk wilderness that I could possibly become.”
Mt. Moon’s latest album, as well as their previous works can be downloaded for free through links on their Myspace page: www.myspace.com/mtmoontheband

New Rugby Coach

2008-09-11T19:03:00.001-07:00

Blurb: There is a new face on the Rugby field this semester.

Section: Sports
9/12/08

By Kriston Hall
Critic Staff

There is a new face on the Rugby field this semester.
Josh Ainsworth originally of Peacham, Vermont but a current resident of Westmore has assumed the role of head coach this year.
“Every Jersey out there has a collar,” Ainsworth said. Rugby is (despite its appearance) a gentleman’s game. A game where no matter where you go you can be greeted with a handshake and hospitality.
Rugby is a much more rigorous workout with fewer breaks than football which it is frequently associated with and Ainsworth said that the rugby players are better athletes because of this.
Ainsworth plans on having fun and said he wants to take the team all the way to the championship this season.
Ainsworth attended Castleton State College where he played on the rugby team. He will now coach a team opposing his alma mater. This is only his second year as a coach.
Another difference is the attire.
Though there are still scheduling issues and a flux of number from practice to practice both of the men’s and women’s teams consistently have enough players for a full team of fifteen and many are returning faces.
Ainsworth is confident that the team can do well and is taking more of a “hands on, get down and dirty” coaching technique, by practicing with his players rather than sitting off to the side all practice.

Meet the new RHDs!

2008-09-11T19:02:00.001-07:00

Blurb: Exclusive interviews with the new Residence Hall Directors

Section: Campus News
9/12/08

By Avery Williams
Critic Staff

Lyndon State College has hired three new Resident Hall Directors for the Buildings of Wheelock, Arnold/Bayley and Whitelaw/Crevecour who are planning on making a few changes to the LSC campus.
Each is looking to build strong and healthy communities within each of their buildings and throughout the campus, but they each have unique ideas for the betterment of the Lyndon State campus.
“One of my goals is to help develop students into leaders and to help them feel ownership of campus activities,” says Stephanie Tyler, RHD of Wheelock. Tyler wants to develop a student based Student Government Association and Campus Activity Board. She is also interested in bringing Service Learning, Community Service and more cultural events to campus.
A native of Pennsylvania, Tyler has come to Lyndon State for its small local feel and to work toward a graduate level degree in Education. She comes from Juniata College where she studied Latin American Studies, with minors in German and Education.
“The small campus and small community means we can do big things together,” Hailing from Northern California Laura McNaughton, RHD of Arnold/Bayley.
McNaughton hopes to bring more opportunities for students to become engaged within the campus and to find more ways to empower the students into taking pride in their campus and community. She wants them to stay in college until graduation.
McNaughton went to Humboldt State University in Northern California where she majored in communication. She hopes to continue on towards a master in Education at some point in the future.
Jillian McLaughlin, Whitelaw/Crevecour RHD, is a former RA. Previously a Meteorology and Applied Math major here at LSC she loved it so much that when she heard that an RHD position had opened up she knew she wanted it.
“I want to help them make the most of their Lyndon Experience,” McLaughlin said as one of her goals for the near future here at LSC.
McLaughlin said she wanted the Residence Halls to be a place to live, not just a place to sleep. Another of McLaughlin’s goals is to help start the club ASSIST again, and promote giving back to the NEK with Community service. McLaughlin loves the area so much that she hopes to stay here and raise a family in the future.

New field might draw in more students

2008-09-11T19:00:00.000-07:00

Blurb: Lyndon State College’s sports teams look forward to seeing the results of the renovations done to the sports fields.

Section: Sports
9/12/08

By Jack Carney
Critic Staff

The torn dirt and ripped grass of the beaten up varsity field is hopefully going to be a thing of the past with the athletic department’s new renovations to the varsity and practice fields.
Some of the renovations include elongating the varsity field as well as getting the practice field up to varsity standards and possibly having two varsity fields. The decision to renovate the fields was made by the administration initially, said assistant athletic director Bill Johnson.
"We’re renovating our fields mainly to fit the needs of our athletes," Johnson said. "It gets used up a lot with both soccer teams as well the lacrosse team using it in the spring."
"So what we've come to is to renovate the varsity field and get the practice field to varsity standards," Johnson said. "If we can do that it will give the varsity field a little rest and we will be able to keep up and maintain its condition."
Over the last few years poor field conditions have been a source of frustration for many of the athletes. These new renovations could eliminate that frustration for LSC athletes. And for LSC soccer and lacrosse player P.J. Danforth the decision to make the renovations could not have come soon enough.
"I think it’s a good thing because we all share that one field," Danforth said. "The camps they run in the preseason tear up the field so when the soccer season starts our field is already torn up and when the soccer season ends they cant do anything with the field cause its under snow and ice so by the time Lacrosse rolls around its still in bad condition."
Over the summer LSC runs many athletic camps using the varsity field these camps provide a key source of income to the schools athletics. Jim Davis head coach of the woman's soccer program here at LSC said having another field to work with during the summer camps would take some of the wear and tear off the varsity field.
"The camps just make it hard to keep up and maintain in good condition," Davis said, "So if we can have that other field to work with and move our summer programs to the practice field it would be an enhancement for our programs."
But renovating the varsity fields wont just help Lyndon State varsity athletics now but could be the gate way to luring in new recruits to LSC. Davis said the new renovations could be a key selling point for LSC athletics.
"What sells a student athlete is their game facilities," Davis said, "You look at the competition of LSC and a lot of other school are putting money into their facilities. If your LSC you have to compete, you have to show the student they can excel not only academically but on the field as well. The student athletes want to know that the school cares about their athletics."

Moment of Silence Strikes a chord at LSC

2008-09-11T18:58:00.000-07:00

Blurb: Around sixty students, faculty, and staff gathered in the student center to commemorate the tragedy of 9/11.

Section: Campus News
9/1208

By Eric Downing
Critic Staff

On Thursday, Lyndon State College held a moment of silence in memory of those who lost their lives in the tragedy of September 11, 2001, marking its seven-year anniversary. The event was conducted in the student center and was attended by roughly 60 faculty, staff, and students of LSC. Some people had to stand, as just about every seat was filled.
The event was preceded by some Jazz music performed by Chris Arsenault, Bill Moulton, Mike Olmstead, and Iain Brown. They performed a jam on the student center's stage, ushering in attendees to the event. Music filled the room as students took their seats.
Just before 12:30 p.m., President Carol Moore went up to the stage to speak. She recounted how she remembered watching the news footage of 9/11 seven years ago in the student center. She spoke of the impact the tragedy had on our nation, but ended on a lighter note. “Let's celebrate the hope for the future,” she said.
Next, Dr. Moore called up George Hacking, Director of Public Safety. Hacking had some words to share about that fateful day as well. He spoke of the death of victims being counteracted by the births of heroes. Hacking also reminded the audience how firefighters rushing on to the scene became additional victims. “Personal loss happens to all of us,” Hacking said. “9/11 was personal to many,” he continued. He wrapped up by saying, “I don't believe anyone can tell you how to feel about this day.”
Donna Dalton, Dean of Academic and Student Affairs stood up and said, “I ask you now to bow your heads in a moment of silence.” The room dropped to dead silence, the only noise being the rattling of cooking utensils and workers' voices from the Snack Bar next door. After a few moments, the silence was broken by the deep, mystical intonation of LSC professor Beth Norris's hand bell.
After a few moments, the room was filled again with music as LSC student Lindsay Johnson led the audience in singing “The Star Spangled Banner.”
The LSC Jazz ensemble once again took the stage and played a piece put together by student Chris Arsenault. The song they played was a melodic merging of The Beatles' “Let it Be” and Sarah McLachlan's “I Will Remember You.” Arsenault, who played the piano, had a special reason for arranging the piece for this event. “From myself, that was a personal dedication to a friend that died in the first plane,” he said.
Vocals were performed by Iain Brown and Casey Bonilla with back-up by Matt Paul.

New year, new deficit

2008-09-11T18:57:00.000-07:00

Blurb: With a deficit hanging over LSC, how will students be affected?

Section: Campus News
9/12/08

By Rachel Keller
Critic Staff

The start of the school year means a lot of new things: people, classes, and friends, to name a few.
For Lyndon State College this fall, it means a new deficit. Funding provided to LSC by the state has been cut two and half percent, meaning the school’s budget is between $100,000-$200,000 less than last year. President Carol Moore is in collaboration with others in efforts to balance the school’s budget by figuring out which programs can be cut.
“[Lyndon’s] bottom line is based on the number of students who stay,” Dean of admissions, Patricia Krahnke said. Krahnke is carefully reviewing the number of students enrolled. The budget will be balanced once the number of enrolled students is stable, and that should be by the end of the second week of classes.
“Vermont has the highest number of colleges per capita in the United States and also the lowest population,” said Krahnke. “Do the math.”
Krahnke believes that the problem lies within the retention rate for Lyndon State students, which from Fall 2007 to Spring 2008 was at a high 72%. From Fall 2007 to Fall 2008 the retention rate was at 57%.
“72%, excellent. 57%, not excellent,” states Krahnke, “That’s just the tip of the iceberg, getting them here. It’s after that, keeping them here, that is the issue.”
Organizations like Project Compass, a grant from the Nellie Mae organization, are working to help make college affordable for students, and Lyndon is in the running for this grant. As a school with little private funding, scholarships and financial aid Lyndon can only do so much.
“We do what we can,” Krahnke sympathizes, as she recognizes the fact that some students just cannot afford the ticket price. For what seems like a shortage of money due to a state funding decrease, the deficit that Lyndon is experiencing goes deeper into the realm of student enrollment.
“We do not have a luxurious amount of funds,” said Moore, “making cuts are always difficult.” While the budget is continually trying to be balanced, and admissions continues to work to solve the problem of retention, students at Lyndon State should not be concerned that the financial cuts to certain programs will have a negative effect on them. “We try to hold the students harmless when it comes to lack of revenue from tuition fees,” Moore said.

Parking Woes

2008-09-11T18:56:00.000-07:00

Blurb: Students are finding that finding a parking space has gotten very difficult this year.

Section: Campus News
9/12/08
By Abbey Heimlich
Critic Staff

Commuter students, faculty and staff may have noticed a decrease in available parking spaces in the Vail parking lot recently due to construction.
“Give it an extra 10 to 15 minutes,” George Hacking, director of public safety said. “Driving from one lot to another takes time.”
“If you give yourself time you will find a space,” Hacking said. Residential students are reminded to park only where their sticker designates, and not to park on the lawn or in visitors’ spaces.
“It can be very difficult to find a spot to park depending on what time you show up,” Joseph Pasquence, a sophomore Computer Science major said.
In total, the main Vail lot and the lower Vail lot have 214 parking spaces. Thirty-five of these spaces are currently blocked off by construction in Vail, and a construction trailer in the lower Vail lot also blocks off spaces. There are four admissions parking spaces, and seven handicap spaces. The Stonehenge parking lot is also a commuter overflow lot.
So far Hacking says that 480 commuter stickers have been passed out this semester. An estimated 200 faculty and staff also use the commuter parking lots. He has no concern about having enough room.
“The first day was the worst, everyone was here, but we still had room,” Hacking said.
Some commuters may not agree.
“I feel like there want enough parking last semester and this semester is worse. I think they need to expand the commuter parking lot, or make a whole commuter lot,” Gwen Goehring, a sophomore Business Administration major said,
Spaces were added in the main Vail lot this summer. Hacking said the lot was redone this summer “to correct deficiencies in the underground infrastructure,” such as pipes and wiring.
The lot was repaved and repainted. The repainting added parking spaces at the end closest to the soccer field.
Hacking said there is no concern for winter parking either. While the snow tends to shorten the lots, the maintenance crew is efficient with plowing, sanding and salting.
Hacking hopes that the new yellow lines in the lots will stand out more against the salt, making it easier to see what is and what is not a parking space.
Public Safety got tougher on parking violators in the spring and that seems to have sent the message not to park illegally. Hacking also notes that there has not been an increase in illegal parking.
“We will be tolerant,” Hacking said, “If for some reason we find no parking spaces available, we will understand why people will deviate.”
The Vail lot is expected to reopen in Fall 2009, after the construction is complete.

Messages to graduating seniors

2008-05-08T17:57:00.000-07:00

1. Megan Monette
Message from her parents: “Congratulations, Megan! We are so proud of you.”

2. James V. Palmarozza
Message from family: “Congratulations on your graduation Jim! You have a bright future ahead of you. We are so proud of everything you have accomplished. Love, Mom, Dad & Rebecca.”

3. Alex Rapice
Message from his parents: “These four years went by so fast! We are very proud of you. Go west young man! GO WEST! Good luck in pursuing all of your dreams out west. Love, Mom & Dad.”

4. Rodney Mercier
Message from his family: “Congratulations Rod! You worked hard for this. We hope you get the job you want. Love, Mom, Dad, Randy & Mindy.”

5. Tracy Anketell
Message from her parents: “We are very proud of you! Love, Mom & Dad.”

6. Kaitlin Letourneau
Message from her parents; “Congratulations Katie, we are so proud of you! Love, Mom & Dad.”

7. Jeffrey Scott Dickinson
Message from his family: “Congratulations on your achievement on this wonderful day. We are so proud of you. Best wishes for your continued journey, may it be filled with happiness and love, Your Parents & Sister.”

8. Matthew Kittredge
Message from his parents: “Congratulations! You have done a great job! Love, Mom & Dad.”

9. Andrew Shepeluk
Message from his parents: “Congratulations & good luck, Andy! Love, Mom & Dad.”

10. Amanda Wozniak
Message from her family: “Congratulations Amanda! All that hard work has paid off. Good luck for a very bright future- we’re with you every step of the way. With love, Mum, Tim, Kristen, Josh, Ryan, Cori & Matt.”

11. David J. Dumais
Message from his parents: “Congratulations David! Your hard work and dedication has paid off. The long journey has ended and now a new one begins. We are very proud of you. Good luck - We love you!”

12. Sarah Winans
Message from her parents: “Great job Sarah! We are very proud of you. Love, Mom & Dad.”

13. Russell A. Lafleur
Message from his family: Russ, we are so proud of you on this day, your day of graduating from Lyndon State College. Your future is bright; we look forward to your continued successes. Love, Mom, Dad & Craig.”

14. Dane Haskell
Message from his family: “Dane, congratulations on a job well done! We are all so proud of you! Best wishes for a bright future! Love, Dad, Brittany, Mimi & Uncle Ritchey.”

15. Christopher Gillece
Message from his family: “The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure… make each day a new horizon… Congratulations - Love, Mom, Dad, Sean & Tommy.”

16. Brittney Holland
Message from her mother: “We could not ask for a better daughter. You can do anything. You have worked hard, now it’s time to make all of your dreams come true. I am more than blessed to see you come this far. You have made my dreams come true. Love, Mom.”

17. Eric Guillot
Message from his family: “We are so very proud of you! Love, Mom, Dad & Stephanie.”

18. Bryan Edward Shaw
Message from his dad: “GO BRYAN!”

19. Brandon Wholey
Message from his parents: “We are so proud of you son for all the effort you have put in to achieve your goals. May you be blessed with future success and happiness. Love, Mom & Dad.”

20. Chris Nachtwey
Message from his parents: “Have fun! Congratulations - You earned it. Love, Mom & Dad.”

21. Sarah Willey
Message from her parents: “Great Job, well done Sarah! Always the best of success in your future. Our love will always follow you where ever you turn. God Bless You! Love, Dad & Mom.”

22. Earl Jamaal Lawson II
Message from his family: “Jamaal, we are proud of you and your commitment to graduate! Love always, Mom, Dad, & Kayla.”

23. Christine Cyr
Message from her family: “Congratulations Christine!!! We hope you never lose your sense of wonder or settle for the path of least resistance…As you continue to Dance, Dance, Dance. Be happy and know we are proud. Love Mom, Dad & Matthew.”

24. Sara Jane Morehouse
Message from her family: “Congratulations, Sara! We are so proud of you. Love, Mom, Dad, your sisters, brothers, nieces, nephews, and grandparents.”

25. Joslyn Grace Sykes
Message from her family: "Dear Joslyn, Today we celebrate with you your graduation from LSC! You are a generous, loving, member of our family and we are truly blessed because of you! You are a gifted, talented business woman and we look forward to witnessing and sharing in your future. Remember the love of your family and friends. Remember your own sacrifice and hard work. And remember that God has a special plan for your life. All our love, Your Family."

Condoms are free on campus

2008-05-08T17:53:00.001-07:00

5/8/08

Catherine Story
Business Manager

“We have a virtually unlimited number of condoms,” Avery Williams a Resident Assistant in Arnold said.

The condoms are Durex extra lubricated and they cost over a dollar a piece at Rite aid.

“All RAs on campus have condoms as well as all Resident Hall Directors and the Brown House and they are all completely free,” Williams said.

Some students are shy about the free condoms on campus.

“I’ve had some students come in and try to start a conversation at four in the morning,” Williams said.

“I’ve also had students come wearing just their towel,” Williams said.

Williams is happy that students are being safe and doesn’t mind the early morning interruptions.

There have been rumors on campus that the free condoms on campus are not as good as the ones that can be purchased in the store.

“At the beginning of last semester people were complaining about the condoms breaking,” Williams said.

A group of men in Williams' suite filled a condom with water and it didn’t break even when it expanded to the size of the sink. Williams feels that the condoms are perfectly safe.

“It’s more likely that students just don’t know how to put them on correctly,” Williams said.

Critic TV

2008-05-08T16:26:00.000-07:00

Spring Dip
By Gwen Cook, Allison Sullivan, Aimee Lawton.

Wet and wild action at the Spring Dip.

Who is your favorite professor?
By Keith Whitcomb Jr., Joshua James Gervais, Emily Curtis and Blair Wolston.

What did students say when asked “who is your favorite LSC professor?” Watch this video and find out.

The Critic
By Katie Story, Ben Holbrook and Emily Hazard.

A humorous look at what really goes on behind the scenes at the Critic.

AIM may go the way of the dinosaurs in computer labs

2008-05-08T16:05:00.001-07:00

5/8/07

By Ben Holbrook
Managing Editor

When one of the most often used programs in the computer labs is non-educational it can create problems for students who need to get work done.

With new software available the IT department has been able to monitor ten computers in the 24-hour lab to see which programs get the most use. IT has bee compiling the data for about a month, which was when they acquired the new software Mike Dente, head of IT, said.

The three most used programs in the computer labs are Internet Explorer, which was used the most, AIM came in second and Microsoft Word was the third most used program, Dente said.

Even though word was only the third most used program it wasn’t a huge concern since, “it isn’t like word isn’t getting used at all,” Dente said.

Jeb Stewart, a math major, didn’t care if AIM was removed from the computers because, “I don’t use it.”

Although nothing has been decided as to whether AIM will be removed from the lab computers it would be done in order to make the labs more efficient, Dente said. “Recreational activities like AIM are lowest on the scale of priorities,” Dente said.

The real issue isn’t with people using AIM but with the people who use AIM exclusively, Dente said. Another problem is that AIM contributes to a large number of the noise complaints within the labs, Dente said.

Kasey Cushman, a sophomore, wasn’t concerned about AIM being removed because, “I don’t even have AIM but it would bother me if I had something to do and people were only using AIM.”

A possible compromise would be to only have AIM on a certain number of computers in the labs. Shandi Barclay, senior social sciences major, didn’t think removing AIM would make any difference because, “people could still use AIM Express on Internet Explorer.

Mike Thatcher, a senior social science major, shared similar feelings because; “I’m graduating in two weeks so it doesn’t matter.”

Dente would also like to have “lab maps” outside of the computer labs, which would show students, which computers are available and which ones aren’t available.

Nothing has been decided yet as to whether AIM will be removed from the lab computers because data is still being collected and it needs to be looked at, Dente said.

Cooking with Cook: Finals snacks

2008-05-08T16:03:00.001-07:00

5/8/07

By Gwen Cook
Critic Staff

Ugh. Its finals time again. Most college students, me included, are completely jam packed with last minute papers, projects, and studying. There’s barely any time to do anything else but study, and certainly no time to prepare something to eat. So with this article, the last of the semester, I wanted to do every student at the campus a favor and do a snack article. I’m talking quick and easy things designed to go along with your jam-packed day. It may not all be brain food, but its sure going to hit the spot when it’s needed most.

Cream cheese and cherry dip
Ingredients-
1 package of cream cheese
1 jar of cherries (drained and sliced)
1 box of graham crackers

Procedure-
Mix cream cheese and cherries in a small bowl. Spread over graham crackers.

Microwavable nachos
Ingredients-
1 bag of tortilla chips
1 jar of salsa
1 jar of Cheez Whiz

Procedure-
Spread desired amount of chips on a plate. Pour salsa and Cheez Whiz over the top and microwave for 45 seconds.

Mini PBJ’s
Ingredients-
1 sleeve of Ritz crackers
1 jar of peanut butter
1 jar of jelly

Procedure-
Lay out crackers on a plate. Spread peanut butter and jelly on them and top with another cracker.

Formerly British, at home in the states

2008-05-08T16:00:00.001-07:00

5/8/07

By Norman Johnson
Special to the Critic

"You get in about 6 a.m. unless you sleep well on a plane, things are a bit bleary," said Bill Barber about the 6½ hour plane ride from Boston to Heathrow in London.

Barber, fiftyish, well over six feet tall, has a basketball center's build, Celtic-Graying loose-curled hair and blue eyes. By today's airline seating standards, a flight of that length is pure misery for anyone of Barber's size.

On trips to England, Barber and his family now rent a car to make sure they visit all the relatives. "You don't want to offend people," he says about making sure everyone gets a visit. "With the way the dollar is, it'd be a lot cheaper for them to see us." Barber interjects, however, "one of the things about going back is seeing how much your relatives have aged." He talks about seeing his mother age and a young girl he saw on his last visit who is now old enough to go to a pub.

Barber is from Harwich, England, a town with a history going back to the Roman occupation. "You still see Roman walls around town still being used." Barber said. "There's an old crane down on the docks dating back to the 1600s that looks like a big hamster cage—" and he details how people walking in a big round cage power the gears that operate the still functional dock crane.

"When I graduated from high school, I worked for the customs and excise department on the docks," Barber said. "I realized I didn't want to end up like those guys, and I quit. My father went ballistic." For Barber's father, it was like throwing away a perfectly good job to go to school.

At the time, College was free in England. Barber went to night school, worked off expenses picking grapes or construction work on the continent. Later, he spent what he calls "a four year stint," traveling through Canada, the U.S., Central and South America, India, and Russia. He's also seen far western China.

He worked his way into polar studies at Cambridge, a masters program for people with school and work experience. Since then, Barber has worked, as he says, "on the ice," at both ends of the globe, also in Greenland and Alaska, contracting services to polar study groups.

Barber, his wife Victoria, and son Max live in St. Johnsbury, Vt. He built a super-insulated house, what he calls "Greenland style," off the electrical grid near Marshfield on 150 acres, is remodeling a house in St. J. and has projects in Kentucky. He thinks of going back to work on the ice, but doesn't know when.

Harwich, with its old Roman walls and Napoleonic War era tower, is on the coast northeast of London, with the Netherlands to the east across the North Sea. "They say you can go anywhere in England, and never be more than 80 miles from the sea," said Barber. "There's something about growing up on the sea, it's very calming. Every day after school we'd go down to the shore when the tide was out. Sometimes the fog came in while you were out there and you couldn't see the land."

Barber, a U.S. citizen now, is thoroughly adapted to life in the states but his speech still retains that distinctive British elegance. After a moment he says, "I miss the attitudes, the gentleness of the culture. When I was working on a boat in Antarctica, we stopped in the Falklands. They were so gracious, so English," and he recounts the way Falklanders entertained them with English tea and biscuits, a bit of England in spite of thousands of miles of cold Atlantic between them.

A Time of War

2008-05-08T15:55:00.004-07:00

5/8/07

By Nat Forcier
Special to the Critic

Nick Davis and Matt Howard, veterans who served multiple tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq, provided some insights into the war in the last issue. Members of the National Guard have also been called upon to serve in this Global War on Terror. When Charlie Forrest, LSC staff member, was sent to Iraq as a member of the Guard, Harry Swett, LSC staff member and Vietnam veteran, gave him a small Vermont state flag. Forrest took it with him and then returned it to Swett on a visit home months later. Swett asked him to keep it for the remainder of his tour, but Forrest insisted it stay stateside. He added his name and unit numbers to the flag in white and it still hangs in College mailroom today. Forrest came home, but there is still the possibility that his unit will be called upon to serve again in this war.

Swett said it is "such an ironic thing" when American citizens "scoff" at our privileges. "We take it for granted [while others in the world are] crawling just to get the right to vote," Swett said. David Ballou, LSC professor and Vietnam Era veteran, also advises that students "exercise your right to vote" while there is no draft that makes it compelling. When asked how we might best respond to the war, he repeated, "That is a hard question to answer other than with a vote." Shine, LSC professor and veterans advocate, acknowledged that "people's lives are hard" and we tend to avoid painful issues, but we need to become empowered as "agents of change in our society…If people thought they could make a difference, they might." She also reminds "politicians are beholden to the people."

Swett said the media provides only of "a snippet of what [soldiers] see" and is "so manipulative and so controlling." He looks to alternative sources of information for full coverage of opinions and events. "Those opposed are more vocal," Swett said. "Let 'em be -- I don't like it, but…they have a right to do so." He served in order to ensure that right remains in place.

Buck Beliles, LSC professor, "couldn't sit still" as the case for the war was advanced "based on lies…Wasn't enough to talk about opposing the war." His family joined in protests on campus, in New York City, and later in Washington DC. In spite of the size of protests, Beliles was "so disappointed" by the press he holds in such high regard. "They are not really doing their job anymore" and this leads to a "breakdown of our democracy," he suggested. For Beliles, it is important to "give play to another side" through alternative websites and print publications. Fellow faculty member Shine would like to "invite faculty to imbed important information into our courses…Students are interested in learning more." As the media begins to critique itself, it is hoped that films like Buying the War will be shown to all audiences in an effort to spread media literacy. We have developed a certain savvy when it comes to advertising, but we must see how those same techniques are applied to our most readily available sources of news. A healthy skepticism must be cultivated.

At the same time, it is of the utmost importance to support our troops and returning veterans. Davis stressed the power of mail as a morale booster. Swett recalled the importance of the written letter when he was a sergeant. Ballou remembered the same and gives a nod to cell phone technology.

Davis finds that movies that "over glorify" the military do a disservice and recommends the Valley of Elah. CAB could be showing important productions on campus: Body of War, Fog of War, Why We Fight, Buying the War, Bush's War, Bad Voodoo's War, and Taxi to the Dark Side. It is an investment in time, but all warrant viewing. Some are available for online viewing. The Winter Soldier hearings are also online. Iraq Veterans Against the War "implicating themselves in murder," said Howard, discuss the errors they saw occurring in Iraq and Afghanistan.

New Hampshire Guardsman Jose Pequeno, Sugar Hill police chief, was wounded in an attack that also killed a Vermont Guardsman. Anne Brown, Director of Americorps at LSC, also runs a summer quilting program that distributes quilts through Quilts of Valor and it was important to her one should reach this NH neighbor. "He has a young family and received severe head wounds…He still is not home (after years of) countless procedures and surgeries…His wife called me and thanked me. It is so sad…"

Another recipient wrote a poignant thank you note to Brown's group. Richard Jadick was presented with a quilt while attending a conference: "I am not wounded but have treated many of the wounded in Iraq during the campaign for Fallujah in 2004. I was there with 1st Bn 8th Marines and was merely at this conference to support those who were home and having trouble navigating a convoluted post combat course. [But]…to some degree we all return with wounds and whether physical or emotional they never go away. Thank-you for understanding and giving me such a tangible piece of comfort."

We all may not be able to offer such gifts to our troops and veterans, but we can exercise the rights and privileges they are ready to defend for us. We can also send mail and pay attention. This is a time of war.

Soldiers raise questions about war, the first part of this two part series.

Reconstruction of the Athletic Fields Underway

2008-05-08T15:55:00.003-07:00

5/8/07

By Jennifer Ingram
Critic Staff

The construction of a new field and an amphitheater, and improvements to the varsity and intramural fields are in the works. It is hoped that the intramural field will be completed by the fall of 2008, and that the varsity field will be completed by the fall of 2009.

“The varsity field which is located closest to the gym needs to be overhauled. There have been no improvements made to the field in nearly 20 years,” Chris Ummer, Director of Athletics said.

At this point in time, the plan is for the varsity field to be overhauled and then to have grass reseeded.

The varsity field has taken a beating due to the fact that there are so many events that happen on the field. In addition to games, class graduations, practices for soccer and summer camps all take place on the field.

The graduation ceremonies are rough on the fields because of the tent that is set up and the thousands of people that walk across the field. Last year the tent was on the varsity field for nearly a month due to the fact that the tent had to be dried before it could be taken down and it kept raining so the tent never was able to dry completely.

When a certain area of any space does not get precipitation for nearly a month it does a certain amount of damage to the surface. In fact, according to Chris Ummer, the field was in such bad condition in the fall that the varsity soccer team’s practices were relocated to the Lyndon Town School.

Currently the intramural field, which is located near the Stonehenge parking lot, is under reconstruction, and receiving the long overdue improvements. The new field will be located near the intramural field near the Stonehenge parking lot. Already, trees where the new field is planned to be located are being cleared. The intramural field homes the rugby, soccer and lacrosse teams, According to Tom Archer, the plan is that all of the fields will be regulation size fields. “I have my fingers crossed that the new field and the intramural field will be ready in the fall of 2008 so that the sports can be played as scheduled,” Ummer said.

With more regulation fields available, the utilization will be spread out and the fields will be in better condition.

Hornets baseball, softball going to national tournaments

2008-05-08T15:55:00.001-07:00

5/8/07

By Andrew R. Koch
Sports Editor

The Lyndon State baseball and softball teams have earned bids to go to the national tournaments for the first time in recent memory.

This year was the first winning season in several years for each team. The softball team learned about their bid last week, while the baseball team received their berth on Tuesday. According to a press release on the athletic department’s web site, this year was the baseball team’s first winning season in over ten years. The team has recently caught fire on their way to earning the bid.

Two weeks ago, the Hornets were on the outside looking in at a bid, as they were two games below .500. The team has won eight out of their last 11 games, including back-to-back doubleheader sweeps against UMaine-Farmington. The softball team has won five out of their last eight games and has had a winning record since April 12.

“I can’t even explain how I feel right now,” senior captain Angel Phelps said. “I’m honored to be a part of this team. This is the best thing to happen to me in college sports.”

“This’ll be great for me to finish out my last year ever of playing fast-pitch softball by going to the national championship as a number one seed,” said senior pitcher Ashlea Bourdon. She and junior catcher Sara Fetterhoff will each be going to their second national tournament this year, to go with their appearance at the USCAA women’s national basketball championship earlier this year. Bourdon says she’s more excited for this tournament because softball is her sport, and that she’s worked hard to reach this level. Fetterhoff thinks this string of national championship appearances by the school’s women’s sports teams shows how strong the women’s sports programs are here at LSC.

“It’s good to finally get some recognition,” Fetterhoff said, adding that she enjoys the camaraderie of her teammates. She also had some advice for her teammates about what it’s like to go to a national tournament.

“The goal is to win a few games, if not the championship. It’s not a vacation. The school is sending you to make a name for it,” Fetterhoff said.

Junior lefthander Matt Picard of the baseball team has enjoyed the offensive support he’s received in his recent starts. He and junior righthander Jesse Ballard lead the team in wins.

“It’s been phenomenal,” Picard said. “We got hit after hit. The offense got big hits from everyone in the lineup, especially big two-out hits.” It hasn’t been just Picard and Ballard leading the way in the rotation; it was everyone on the staff, as well as everyone on offense.

“The whole team in general has done well, on both offense and defense,” Picard said. Head coach Ryan Farley praised his players’ mental toughness when they caught fire on their way to clinching their tournament bid. The bats proceeded to heat up from there.

“The guys made a decision and they wouldn’t be denied,” Farley said. He added that this season’s success is the result of hard work all season long.

“We put a lot of work into it,” Farley said. “It’s nice to see it pay dividends, especially for the seniors.”

Farley says that after the struggles of the last couple of years, it’s rewarding to know that he was doing the right things and was putting the team in a position to be successful.

“It’s nice to know there’s something after the regular season,” Farley said. “It’s nice for the seniors who experienced the hardships.”

The softball team will be in Illinois for their tournament this weekend, while the baseball team will leave for Virginia tomorrow.

LSC hires new soccer coach, seeking new basketball coach

2008-05-08T15:54:00.001-07:00

5/8/07

By Andrew R. Koch
Sports Editor

The Hornets have found one new coach and are looking to find another.

Jim Davis, the husband of administrative assistant Traci Davis, has been hired as the new head coach for women’s soccer. The athletic department is still searching for a new head coach for men’s basketball.

Former head coach Miles Etter decided to leave because he found that it was more difficult to balance both his full-time job and coaching, according to Athletic Director Chris Ummer. Ummer was very appreciative of the job Etter did as head coach.

“He did a wonderful job,” Ummer said. “He raised the bar for the program, and he did it effectively. Under his tenure, the women had their most success, by far.”

Davis, who graduated from North Country Union High School and Middlebury College, was hired because of his vision for the future of the school’s women’s soccer program.

“As much as Miles raised the bar, I’d like to see that bar continue to be raised,” Ummer said. He added that part of Davis’ vision for the team is to make it competitive with any Division III program in New England.

Because of confidentiality issues, Ummer couldn’t name who the other three candidates were for the position. He did say that all of them were “external to New England,” including one from Britain.

As for the former men’s basketball head coach Randy Rathburn, the athletic department decided to go in a different direction in terms of leadership in the coaching position, according to Ummer. This move follows the team’s struggles each of the last two years. One of the candidates for the position is Assistant Coach and Sports Information Director Bill Johnson. Ummer confirmed that Johnson has submitted an application for the job, but again because of confidentiality issues, couldn’t name any other candidates. Because of his candidacy for the position, Johnson was unable to comment.

Ummer says that he’s forming a search committee, which will begin looking for a new coach within the next one to two weeks. The athletic department hopes to have a new coach in place by the beginning of June.

While the athletic department would like to see all its varsity sports have winning teams, Ummer says that the student athletes’ experiences are even more important.

“We’d like to see all our student athletes have a positive experience with every component of every program. The head coach plays a pretty key role in that,” Ummer said.

Ummer is very hopeful that the new coach will make the team more competitive next season, when the athletic programs begin competition in the North Atlantic Conference.

“We got a lot of talent on the men’s basketball team. We got a lot of returning talent,” Ummer said, adding that recruiting is a very large part in the team’s success.

“You bring in good folks with people who have good knowledge, that’s a lethal weapon,” when it comes to having winning programs, Ummer says.

Don't fear the freeze

2008-05-07T17:53:00.000-07:00

5/8/08

By Keith Whitcomb Jr.
Critic Editor

To make sure the budget is balanced by the end of the fiscal year, the college has taken measures to control spending.

“Effective immediately, all spending for supplies, services, travel, and equipment will be frozen until the end of the fiscal year,” Wayne Hamilton, dean of administration, said in a memo.

The freeze affects departments, such as Digital and Graphic Arts, which have not completed their purchases yet. Some members of the LSC community, who did not wish to be named, were concerned that the fees paid by students as part of lab and course fees would go to paying the college’s bills and not course supplies.

“Our first priority is to balance the budget,” Hamilton said.

“Academic departments anticipating equipment and supply purchases from course fees and lab fees should submit their requests to Dean Dalton,” Hamilton also said in the memo. “If departmental funds are currently available, purchase requests for items may be considered prior to June 30, 2008. Essential purchases relating to summer 2008 courses should be specifically identified. Departments currently without available funds in their budget will not be able to purchase items until fiscal 2009 (July 1, 2008).”

“I don’t think the message was clear when it first came out,” Sheilah Ladd, LSC Controller, said. Ladd also said that the freeze only affects the timing of a department’s purchasing.

“I respect very much that fees paid to a department should go to that department,” Hamilton said. If money comes out of a department to help pay for something else, that department will get its money back as soon as possible, Hamilton said.

“I hope that come June 30, all of this will be moot,” Hamilton said. June 30 is when the fiscal year ends.

Students looking for work at the college this summer may end up being affected in a much more direct way, however. “Direct hire of student workers is being curtailed for summer 2008. Departments that will have funding have already been notified and no additional funding is available. This does not affect students with federal CWS funding,” Hamilton said later in the memo.

The freeze comes as the result of a $500,000-$900,000 budget deficit announced by the LSC administration April 21. Many factors contributed to the deficit, including energy costs rising 50 percent. This also affects travel.

“All travel must be pre-approved by the appropriate dean. Employees should confirm approval by email prior to traveling. Faculty travel reimbursed under the professional development provision in the contract is excluded from this requirement. Employees traveling from the LSC campus should use college vehicles whenever possible,” Hamilton said in his memo.

Soldiers raise questions about war

2008-05-01T16:30:00.000-07:00

5/1/08

By Nat Forcier
Special to the Critic

On the morning of 9/11, Nick Davis, Afghanistan/Iraq War veteran and former LSC student, was down a foxhole training with his M16 along with other Army personnel. Drill sergeants told everyone to halt, gathered together after some initial confusion, and resumed the exercise. The Army chose not to share the details and Davis had no access to the media.

Many join our armed forces and "deploy with noble intentions," Matt Howard, president of the Vermont chapter of Iraq Veterans Against the War and UVM student, told an LSC audience in April. But Howard said, "I didn't sign up to have contractors make billions. . . . Iraq as a country does not exist. It is rubble." Howard joined the Marines pre-9/11, because he lacked direction, understood the benefits after service, and out of an "allegiance to the Constitution." Davis joined for similar reasons and is proud of his Company's efforts: "We did it awesome." He, like other Americans trusted in the prowess of our military, and thought, "Who is gonna mess with us?" He did not anticipate serving one tour of duty in Afghanistan and two in Iraq.

LSC professor Patricia Shine has a nephew who served and was honorably discharged. He established a business in Florida and, then as part of the Stop Loss policy, was called back to serve again; he lost his business and investment. For family members, Shine said, it is "just a nightmare." Stop Loss enables the military to require, if it chooses, service 90 days before a volunteer's start date and extends service 90 days beyond the end of one's service. During this extension, another tour of duty can be demanded. This is often referred to as a sort of "back door draft." Davis signed up for 4 years active duty and 4 years inactive duty with the Army. He has served his Stop Loss tour and, with one year left of inactive duty, is contacted every couple of weeks by recruiters updating his information. He is cooperative and hopes to remain a student in the meanwhile, but the stress of knowing that he may have to return to the Middle East is uncomfortable. It's "hard for families," Davis said. He realizes that with "one little signature [the] non-deployable crap is thrown out the window."

Howard suggests each of us take seriously the idea that the war "was being done in your name. . . . Get informed, do the research, and know the geopolitics behind it." 4027 soldiers have died in Iraq and the number approaches 500 in Afghanistan. Civilians have suffered far greater losses -- men, women and children.

"Even if you don't support the war, you can always support the soldiers," Davis said. According to the Congressional Budget Office, "As of December 2006, more than 1 million active-duty military personnel and over 400,000 reservists had deployed to combat operations in the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters."

While this war may not seem to touch us all, as casualties increase, it reaches deeper. Our veterans return in need of care and now the order "don't diagnose PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder)," said Howard, has come down. This recognized detriment of war is considered a "pre-existing personality disorder" and thereby relieves the government of the responsibility of treatment for those suffering. Traumatic brain injuries are also of particular concern in this war. The projected lifetime cost for treatment of these bomb blast injuries is $35 million. Shine indicated that as funding continues to be spent on the Global War on Terror, other services are "losing major funding and it's not going to get any better. . . . We are ethically-bound to hold elected representatives accountable." The War List reports that "according to secret Pentagon study, Marines KIA [killed in action] from upper body wounds that might have survived with extra armor, 2003-2005 [equals] 80%." Cries about inadequate equipment fell upon deaf ears. We cannot let the same mistake be made with services denied our veterans.

While our military serves abroad in a certain capacity, these soldiers are ready to fulfill duty in this country should it become necessary. Send mail and shoeboxes full of items! Davis said that "mail is better than email. It's like a present. Don't expect a thank you letter back," but know that your gift is well-received. A handmade envelope from a friend meant a lot to him. The woman who became his girlfriend made a wreath with her mother of Vermont balsam and Davis hung it in his tent until it was brown; he had to be asked to take it down. Yellow ribbons are meaningful for troops to see. Davis also said, "I wish people talked more to soldiers." They have stories to tell and the telling may benefit both the veteran and the listener.

In Part II, a discussion of how we can become better informed, the role of National Guard, and LSC Vietnam veterans consider the issue of how to respond to war and how to best support the troops.

LSC alum for Gov with love for bud

2008-05-01T16:13:00.000-07:00

5/1/08

Catherine Story
Business Manager

Tony O’Connor a LSC alumnus is making a run for governor this fall and he stopped by LSC to chat with students about his no politics policy.

“There’s no Passas,” O’Conner said “There’s no fun. I want to make it fun.”

O’Conner holds to his views which are a little different than most politicians. His motivation is that he’s not a politician.

“I won’t take the big bucks,” O’Conner said. ‘I don’t want anyone to own me at the end of this.”

O’Conner estimated that he had only raised about $5,000.

“The ordinary citizens of the state are sick of seeing professionals screw it up,” O’Conner said. “I could screw it up just as well.”

O’Conner’s speech was full of jokes. Many of these were focused on his disabilities.

“I lost my arm and both my legs, below the knee,” O’Conner said. He was shocked while playing in a train yard as a teenager.

“I was hoping to receive a lot of press for free,” O’Conner said. He has had trouble getting much attention in papers and on television stations.

“I want someone to write a letter to the Burlington free press and tell them that there’s another candidate,” O’Conner said.

O’Conner’s major issues are oil and energy.

“We need to cut the oil umbilical cord,” O’Conner said. He also talked about rising gas prices, which he said, are up $.71 since January 1.

“I do not support atomic energy,” O’Conner said. “There are other forms of energy.”

“I don’t think Vermonters want anymore atomic plants,” O’Conner said. O’Conner worked for the INS and he said that atomic plants are a more likely terrorist target.

He supports hydro dams around the state as well as solar power and wind turbines.

O’Conner’s other major political goal is to legalize marijuana 100 percent.

“I was in law enforcement for a while,” O’Conner said. “I hated ruining kid’s lives over a couple of joints.”

“When you pull over someone who has been smoking marijuana they’re apologetic,” O’Conner said. As opposed to pulling over a drunk which he described as hostile.

“Marijuana can’t be stopped,” O’Conner said. “ Just like distilling alcohol couldn’t be.”

O’Conner pointed out that while working on the border he new many people who had smoked pot in their past.

“If you use marijuana it leads to bigger things,” O’Conner said. “Which apparently means a job at the border.”

“50 percent of United States citizens want marijuana legalized,” O’Conner said. “Lets tax it and make some money.

O’Conner does not support the legalization of any other drugs.

O’Conner is also anti-draft.

“I am not in favor of the draft,” O’Conner said. “I am in favor of paying them.”

O’Conner hopes to return to the campus in the fall to what he hopes will be a larger crowd.

“I’m already reaching tens of people,” O’Conner said.”

Another Hurdle to Jump Over

2008-05-01T16:12:00.004-07:00

5/1/08

By Jennifer Ingram
Critic Staff

In Meri Stiles’ Intro to Human Services class this past week students were giving speeches on a term paper that they wrote.

The speech that they gave in front of their class counted as the newest graduation standard. Students are required to give a speech to two different professors to meet the oral expression standard.

The other graduation standards are written expression, quantitative reasoning and information literacy. Written expression is embedded in upper level courses, quantitative reasoning can be embedded in upper level courses or be taken as an online assessment depending on major, and information literacy is taken as an online assessment.

There are exceptions for certain majors.

“Education majors can be exempted from taking the written expression and the quantitative reasoning portions off the graduation standards if they passed the writing and math components of Praxis 1, “Diane Tanguay an Education and Human Service major said. Praxis 1 is a standardized test which tests students’ knowledge in three aspects reading, writing and math.

Juniors and seniors have different graduation standards than freshman and sophomores because the standards were introduced over a number of years.

Graduation requirements
If you came in 2004-2005
Written expression

If you came in 2005-2006
Written expression
Information literacy
Quantitative reasoning

If you came in 2006-2007
Written expression
Information literacy
Quantitative reasoning
Oral expression prior to graduation

If you came in 2007-2008
Written expression
Information literacy
Quantitative reasoning
Oral expression prior to graduation

Spring Dip: Human icicles form in LSC pond

2008-05-01T16:12:00.001-07:00

5/1/08

By Matt Vercillo
Critic Staff

There isn’t anything much more enjoyable than going for a swim on a sunny May afternoon. Unless of course, its 40 degrees outside. This year’s Spring Dip was faced with this very twist of fate on Thursday, May 1st when over a dozen members of the community gathered to face the frigid waters.

Spring Dip, now in its second year, is an annual fundraiser held by the Faculty-Staff Scholarship committee. The event was conceived as both a wacky way to shake the winter blues, and also as a creative fundraiser benefiting student scholarships through the Faculty/Staff Scholarship Endowment Fund.

Registration was 10 dollars per person, which was donated. Entrants all received a coupon for a free iced coffee, although most everybody seemed to need a hot cup on that day. A veil of clouds formed and was diffusing what little warmth could have been offered, but the show went on.

Things started at 12:30 without delay, and the 13 registered participants lined up outside along the edge of the water. They all rushed in at once, and a 14th member ran in at the last second to join the festivities.

Granted, the event was purposefully designed to offer the dippers with a brisk experience. However, it was particularly cold for the first day in May. All of the dippers should be given a pat on the back for risking pneumonia in the name of student scholarships.

LSC legend, Harry Swett was one of the participants in the Spring Dip. “It’s a good cause...damn that water’s cold!” he said, as he stood hunched and shivering after his brief flirtation with the icy pond-water. Harry’s enthusiasm was also emanating from his bright pink wig and oversized, Seuss-inspired top hat. “It’s good to have spirit.”

Given the conditions outside, none of the swimmers seemed particularly intent on spending any extra time enjoying a swim. It was in and out for everyone.

The event was over as fast as it began. After all was said and done, the event was a relative success despite the opposition of the weather. Given the number of entrants, there was a stout 130 dollars raised toward scholarships, which should provide one lucky student with the cost of a fraction of one credit here at LSC.

As the crowd dispersed and the swimmers dried off, it was hard not to notice the sun beginning to peek out.