Plenty of Coffee, Lots of Fogel, Few Students

Published November 13, 2007

By Charles Winkleman

Last Monday, in the Mt. Mansfield Room in the Davis Center, I listened to President Fogel as he sat down with students to address their problems, questions, and ideas. Fogel was willing to give an hour of his time directly to us, yet no more than two dozen out of eleven thousand people decided to show up. Even the free refreshments couldn’t persuade enough people to stop by. Regardless, we all sat in a circle around Fogel, as a fire roared in the fireplace behind him. Students from all walks of life were there, freshmen, upperclassmen, and graduate students. Many questions were asked pertaining to different aspects of the school, and these were some of the main answers.

Athletics: When told that the hockey club team was unable to train in the facilities, Fogel quickly admitted that the athletics facility is terrible, that it is over 45 years old and needs a totally new renovation. He playfully mentioned that UVM is the only D1 school with a track and field team without an actually track. (Tracks don’t make champions, perseverance does.) He also called the condition of the locker rooms ‘scandalous,’ but that when it came down to it, academics were prized before athletics, and therefore donations, unless given specifically to athletics, would be spent mostly on paying faculty and building/renovating academic buildings. (Who needs state-of-the-art technology when we have mountains galore?) The next big project would involve a new life sciences building to house undergraduate science classes and laboratories.

Red Cross: Although he was not on campus during the actual SGA vote to keep Red Cross here, Fogel hoped that the Red Cross would be open and non-discriminate, but that it is naïve to think anything will happen quickly. UVM and the Red Cross should petition the government to change the discriminatory laws, but until then, one should remember that without blood donations the first year-student who was hit by a car earlier in the semester would not have survived. Fogel finished by saying that the discrimination is a bad policy, and he would like to see it changed. (Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.)

University Staff: One student asked if UVM and Fogel would take a neutral stance towards faculty unions. Fogel replied that although he is generally pro-union, that the faculty at UVM is competitively paid, and that there are teamsters for police, and unions for lower-paid employees of UVM. With these unions UVM has kept a collegial relationship. However, Fogel refused to say whether he would send out an e-mail that he was neutral or pro-union, because the system of employment only works if there is give and take. Even then, Fogel explained that if faculty wanted to create a union, they were free to meet in Ira Allen Chapel to create one. (Let’s get this party started!)

Drugs/Alcohol Policy: Two questions were asked here.

1) Why is weed treated differently than alcohol and

2) why was it a state-trooper who went into the dorms and handcuffed someone for smoking marijuana? The question was first self-answered, and the viable answer was to change the judicial system and RA policy, that of immediately calling the police if marijuana is smelt.

Fogel stated an obvious reason for strict drug policies, that since UVM is a public institution, it must obey federal laws and cannot give much leeway (The state rules). Yet he also said he would discuss the fact that a state trooper, and not UVM police, were inside the dormitories with the Residential Life staff. Fogel stated that he wanted the campus and halls to be open, but needs a good police presence, because in the past there have been gun/knife assaults and drug dealers on campus. (Drugs and guns are always wonderful combinations.)

It’s a shame that so few people attended the chat, considering how many people have complaints about UVM. Hopefully in the future the student body will show a greater interest.

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