Holy Sheet: New to the syllabus

3/27/08

By Jordan Royer
Critic Collumnist

I just finished reading an article in Time Magazine that discussed the most popular websites for college-aged students. With no surprise it is social network websites like Facebook and MySpace. Slipping all the way to number four is puerno sites.

You might wonder how I stumbled across such an article, but funny thing is, it was actually by looking at Facebook. I was checking some recent wall posts on a friends wall and came across one that said, “red tube is the most innovative website since Wikipedia. Its unique vision provides insight into some of the more dynamic areas of the porn industry,” Time Magazine. After seeing this, I had to find the article in Time it came from. Well, after a hearty search I came up empty finding this quote in an article but it did lead me to statistics of most popular websites, which I thought was interesting.

While I searched Time I came across an article about porn that really interested me. It was about porn in the classroom. Right now I am taking a film class but the films they talked about in this article are by no means on my syllabus. The article was all about colleges and universities around the country who are having classes about pornographic films. I thought to myself, wow, if only I had discovered such classes more than two months before I graduate. Then I thought, Lyndon State is expanding the film study program, maybe it will include such flicks as Debbie does Dallas or Wet Latinas IV. Probably not.

Anyway, although I couldn’t find a source to back up the original statement about Redtube, I was quite satisfied with what I did uncover. Maybe I will go to grad school after all, get my masters in the puern industry. Wouldn’t that be something.

Position of the Week- Sitting Bull

Letter to the Editor: Tutsi occupies Democratic Republic of Congo

3/27/08

Dear Editor,
The occupation of Tutsi in Democratic Republic of Congo should stop. The Tutsi tribe wants to take over the Congolese government so it can control the Congo. The Tutsi tribe also has been encouraged to become citizens of the Democratic Republic of the Congo by the influence of several countries including Britain, South Africa, Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi and other developing countries. The support from these nations to the Tutsi tribe is suspect because these countries want to exploit the Congo’s resources.

The Tutsi believe they are a better tribe than the Congolese tribes. The Congolese are fighting against the Tutsi and demanding they go back to Rwanda where they came from. The Tutsi do not want to go back to Rwanda, or even surrender to the Congolese government, they want to stay and protect their families. Laurent Nkunda is a political leader and a voice for the Tutsi, who endorses unfriendly actions against Congolese government. Laurent Nkunda says the Tutsi are protecting themselves from the Hutu-dominated Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda. The Hutu controlled the Rwandan government and when the Hutu president died, they began genocide against the Tutsi in 1994. 800,000 Tutsi died with disaster genocide in Rwanda. The human rights Violations came from both sides: the remnants of the Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) regime that coordinated the genocide in Rwanda in 1994 moved to Congo/Zaire to set up their weapons training camps and plan to go back to Rwanda. They count on taking over Rwanda from the Tutsi. Both Tutsi and FDLR use children to fight against each other. It is easy to get these children to fight, because they come from poor and broken homes. These youth are living in the Congolese combat zone and do not have a chance to go to school and they turn to violence. Citizens of the Congo suffer from the ethnocentric actions of the Tutsi and FDLR. However it is not just the Congolese who are in trouble, but the peoples of Rwanda and the general public of all central Africa countries. The violence between the two positions has led to the destruction of communities by stealing, damaging property, kidnapping women, and the killing of over five million people. Since the Congolese have been invaded by the Tutsi, there has been no end to the fighting that takes place today.
Sincerely,

Verite Oscar Makuni
Former Congo citizen

Letter to the Editor: Campus parking

3/27/08

Dear Editor,

I am going to have to argue against the parking that is on campus. I am mainly talking about the Stonehenge parking lot because that is where I park my car. Lots of people that park in that parking lot do not know how to follow lines. Throughout the entire parking lot there are big white lines that show you where to park your car. It’s crazy how when you drive around the parking lot you see all these cars over the lines and in two spots.

It has been very difficult over the winter to see those lines because of the snow. People were parking all over the place. Now since most of the snow has melted there are still cars parked in spots that really are not there. Most people who live in Stonehenge leave on the weekend. This is good for the people like me who stay and have to work. As everyone leaves many prime parking spots open up. Starting Sunday night through Monday morning people take up all those good spots.

You then have to resort to parking in the way back and walking about a mile to get into your dorms. Another thing that really gets me about the parking is the people that take all the good spots at the beginning of the week and keep their car parked there all week.

The worst thing about the parking lot at Stonehenge is the crazy frost heaves. You have to go about ten miles an hour just to make it out of the parking lot. It feels like you are about to go off a dirt bike jump every time you want to park. Getting through the parking lot is like going through a maze. Another part about the parking lot is how you can lose your car. If you come in late at night you do not remember where you parked your car.

Sincerely,

Ian Weber

Student art competition

3/27/08

Gwen Cook
Critic Staff

LSC is hosting it’s sixth annual student art competition.

The basic idea of the competition is to distinguish students around the college who do exemplary work in the visual arts field. However, this competition is open to any LSC student no matter what major.

Most colleges with Visual Arts programs hold competitions very much like this one. It allows students to realize how competitive the arts field really is. This in turn will help to better them for their future after college.

“Our work is constantly judged and compared to others”, Barclay Tucker said, The Arts are highly competitive and we need to start thinking in terms of how we can better ourselves and our work and still remain true to who we are as artists.”

They are awarded for their work with a gold, silver, and bronze placement for each class. Best of show and a Best Freshman award are the other such honors that the judges will be looking for. Top awards will be given a monetary award in a range from $10-$100.

The Award Ceremony will be held on Thursday April 17 at 12:30 p.m. in front of the Quimby Gallery. The work will be able to be viewed in the Gallery from April 17-May 6.

Letter to the Editor: Smoking ban

3/27/08

Dear Editor,
The smoking ban is wonderful. Living in Stonehenge is nicer now; before it was like walking thru a chimney, with everybody smoking in front of the door, just far enough away from the building so that it was allowed on campus, but close enough that everyone ends up having to walk thru it to get into the building. It is nice not having smoke blowing into students when they have someone smoking in front of them as they walk to class. Maybe walking to the parking lot in the freezing ice and snow will even encourage some people to quit smoking.

Occasionally the whole stairwell of the Whitelaw building smells like smoke. One has to wonder if people are smoking in the building. You can sometimes see people smoke while they walk but since the smoking ban it is not seen nearly as often. There is nothing wrong with people smoking; but who wants to breathe it if they don’t have to?

The crackdown on smoking as been great; students don’t have to smell smoke or breathe smoke if they don’t want to. If you don’t smoke why should you have to smell like it? Why should you have to breathe in secondhand smoke just walking around campus? What if you got lung cancer from having to walk thru smoke to get to get to your dorm?

The college should be thanked for creating this new rule and for enforcing it. Lyndon is a healthier environment for the smoking ban. People won’t feel like they should have to hold their breath to walk up to their building. The smoke free air is healthier and a lot nicer to breathe.

Katrina Ploof

Letter to the Editor: SGA

3/20/08

Dear Editor,
In response to the article titled “House rep submits plan to fix budget crunch” written by Catherine Story in last weeks edition of The Critic, I would like to state that cutting the Campus Activities Board’s budget is a bad idea. The student activity fee provides the money that the student government divides among the clubs and organizations. If the money provided by the student activity fee is used, then it should be used by an organization that benefits the most students. CAB benefits the most students because they bring entertainment to the school and provide students and faculty opportunities to visit cities outside of Vermont, such as Montreal, Boston, and New York City. Since CAB benefits every student on the Lyndon State College campus, then CAB should get the most funding.

Nadine Grimley

Letter to the Editor: SGA

3/20/08

Dear Editor of the Critic,

I am writing this letter in response to three articles in one of your previous newspapers. The first article was “House rep submits plan to fix budget crunch” by Catherine Story, another is “LSC students: this is all you fault” by Keith Whitcomb Jr., and lastly the article entitled “The flapping jaw student opinion of SGA” by Matt Vercillo. It seems that the general population of Lyndon State College is fairly misinformed about a lot of the operations and procedures of organizations that affect them as a whole.

First, I would like to make a small comment on the first article I mentioned. As some of you might have read, there was a suggestion from one of the government representatives in which she suggested that the Campus Activities Board (CAB) should get their budget cut down because she claimed they were asking for way more money than they actually needed. Well, as a CAB member myself, I can tell you that the bus trips are very successful and students enjoy them and it should be a new Lyndon tradition. Most students on campus are requesting to have something to do off-campus all the time. Though what most people don’t realize is that CAB has never budgeted in a bus trip for each weekend. So I am assuming that part of the $30,000 they requested was to help pay for these trips. Also, in addition to these bus trips, CAB also supplies the campus with activities between the days of Wednesday and Sunday. For example, the movies series on-campus are required to be rented through Swank Motion Pictures which requires CAB to pay for a license to show the movies twice a week which costs up to $15,000 a year. These can in themselves be an expensive adventure for the organization not to mention they also need to budget in the money for all the hypnotists and comedians, at $2,000 per event, that seem to turn out a fair amount of the community any time I go.

Second, the second article I mentioned written by Keith Whitcomb marvelously displayed exactly what myself, the former vice president of the Student Government Association (SGA), and the rest of student government have been trying to make happen for months now. I ran for the vice president position to promote and help the community at large to succeed, as well as to look out for the overall well being. Though it seems no one really realizes what we really did do. For example, I know in meetings with the general assembly of the SGA we discussed the smoking policy in detail for well over a year even before instating the policy. We also were making sure to try to have it succeed and benefit the student body. Yet, if students really have a question or want to change anything with anything on campus, smoking policy or anything else for that matter, really should bring it to the people sitting in the SGA office routinely. That is why they are there, to hear the student voices and to bring up your concerns in the next scheduled meeting. The office is located on the left as you walk into the student center from the campus ATM machine.

Last, but certainly not least, the article written by Matt Vercillo appalled me being the former vice president of the student body. I was shocked and disgusted to hear that a majority of the student body does not even know what the SGA is, not to even mention that they have no idea what we do. Being a former member of SGA for the last three semesters I know how much control the group of people the general public of students elects has over major issues. The group as a whole has had major decisions just made in this semester alone. We decided to replace the television in the student center because we felt the old one was degrading fast. Though what people might not have know, and I didn’t until I was informed myself, is that the old television was also purchased by the SGA eight years ago. Another thing that is an even more major decision is the layout and general construction of the soon to be new addition to be adding in from of Vail, last I knew at least through a house representative who attends regular scheduled meetings. This building will house pre-existing departments that will be moving there most with faculty offices and classrooms. These majors include, but are not limited to: Meteorology, Business, Exercise Science and other general classrooms also are being added. It also is proposed to include a whole new space for all students to enjoy a wide variety of programs hosted by clubs and organizations. Though I am not fully informed on the project, I am told that students definitely have a voice in at least suggesting what this building should look like. We even have a student representative that sits on a committee which advises the administration and staff what the students would like to see in the building.

I would like to emphasize that this information was not kept secret or hidden in any sense of the word. The meetings of the SGA have always been open to the general public to attend on every other Wednesday at 8 PM currently hosted at the Rita Bole Community Room right across from Academic and Student Affairs. Also, the minutes and records of what goes on in each meeting of SGA and its attached committees are available for request by asking any general member of student government which includes but not limited to: Elected Representatives, Club Representatives, President, Vice President, Treasurer, Advisors, and the Secretary.

I guess what I am trying to say is, the operations and efforts of student government are largely based on what students suggests we need to do on-campus. So if the students want to know about a policy, or change it even, than SGA is there to give the people the information as well as work with and for them to see about changing or modifying policy. If students want to suggest activities to do on-campus they can bring it to the attention of the Campus Activities Office located only feet from the television in the student center. They even can attend the CAB meeting to help completely plan what activities on-campus to bring to entertain the student body more effectively.
Thank you for your time,

Micheal Hannan
Sophomore: Computer Information Systems / Bus

Holy Sheet: Puern

3/20/08

By Jordan Royer
Critic Collumnist

Stay classy LSC

Any time I mention the word porn I get one of two responses, either I get the glare and the ‘you’re disgusting’ or I get the nod and the ‘heck ya man.’ Well, thanks to a good friend of mine, Ben Clark, we now have a more sophisticated word for porn that just rolls off the tongue and sounds so much more sensual- puern.

That is right, puern is one of the single greatest words I have in my vocabulary and I find myself just shouting it out. It has all of the wonderful feelings I get from watching puern wrapped inside the classiness of it. Try it out, I am sure you will like it. And it is actually a word, just check urbandictionary.com.

Now that I have cleaned up my language and put a twist of class on things, I want to introduce people to the world of penis tricks. Sounds crazy, I know, but there is such a game and I have played it.

The world has Sutton, Vt. resident Luis Guzman to thank for bringing penis tricks to the forefront in his hilarious comedy Waiting. Guzman, like in most of his movies, is not the star but it is his constant efforts throughout the film to flash his genitalia at people that makes him a legend in my book.

Guzman and the rest of the cast introduce amateurs such as me to tricks such as the bat wing, Abe Lincoln and probably my all-time favorite, the goat. I know what you are thinking, this kid is crazy, but although a flaccid penis may ordinarily not be appealing, if you can twist and turn your man-goods into crazy little animals or circus-like attractions, you might just lighten the mood at any occasion.

I like to think I am moving past amateur status when it comes to tricks like the goat and the man-gina but there are still others, far more creative, that I have either not been able to master or maybe I just don’t know about them. I will say this, however, be smart when you try penis tricks. First off, you don’t want to damage your goods and secondly, there is a time and a place for such events.

Position of the Week- The western flamingo

Getting fucked by LSC leaves me sore and unfulfilled

3/20/08

By Matt Vercillo
Critic Staff

These days it seems like graduation is dangling in front of me like a cartoon carrot. Sitting at my desk with my fingers wrapped around and pulling at my hair, I’m thinking of just how I ended up like this: Bitter, old, disillusioned, and tired.

I am twenty-two years old and this is my tenth semester at Lyndon State College. Yea, ten semesters, that’s five years. The best part is, I’ll be returning this summer to take even more classes. That’s roughly eleven semesters, in a program that is supposedly meant to be finished in eight. This has me wondering just how many students actually finish up college after four years. It can’t be that many.

I’ve done the math: LSC requires 122 credits to graduate, that means that a student trying to graduate on time (8 semesters), must theoretically take 15 credits every semester, plus an extra 2 credits during one of those eight semesters. (15x2=30, 30x4=120, 120+2 =122)

This was startling to me. Not only because it seems like something I should have been told along time ago, but also because I’m not sure I could have done it even if I had known.

Ignorance aside, I still believe it isn’t entirely my fault. My freshman year, I came to school undecided. During my orientation, it was suggested by someone, (I don’t even remember who) that I become a Liberal Studies major instead of listing myself as undecided. Then, once I figured out what I wanted to major in, to just switch. I am still curious to know what the benefit of this was (besides extra paperwork), since the school grouped undecided students and Liberal Studies majors together for lots of things anyway that year. Including a first major activity experience trip to Montreal that had literally nothing to do with anything. Most students used it as an excuse to get drunk legally.

It seemed like they assigned us advisers at random. My first adviser was an elderly gentleman by the name of Frank Green. I still remember my first meeting with him, which I think was during SOAR orientation. He seemed a little bored or agitated by his responsibilities to advise students, and offered me little or no information about what I was getting myself into. After a conversation that led nowhere, I remember they sent us back to one of the math classrooms on the fourth floor of Vail to fill out our schedules. I had no idea what I was doing.

I was always decent in English, but horrible in math. After the placement exams they told me I had to take Basic Algebra. At the time I was glad to be in a slow-paced math class because I had already failed algebra twice in high school, but I soon found out that the class wasn’t worth any credits. So, I actually paid money for nothing, except a chance to take more classes and spend more money.

Another course I was forced to take as a freshman, was called “Entering an Academic Community.” This class was required for everyone, but the problem was it was only worth 2 credits. So as a result, even though my first semester’s schedule had a class-load worthy of 15 credits (5 classes), I was only awarded 11 credits. So looking back, I was screwed from day one. Of course, no one told me that and I was too immature and clueless about the way college works to realize what I was getting myself into.

I mentioned this problem to somebody the other day and they told me that I was supposed to learn about scheduling and such in “Entering an Academic Community.” And I do remember something about planning out our courses, but the problem was that I was a Liberal Studies major with the intention of switching eventually, so I could not possibly plan my courses for the next three and a half years. Besides, my first semester in college was a completely surreal experience. Looking back it seems as if I somehow floated through it, dizzied and bewildered by freedom and sensory overload. There is little chance that anything I was taught that semester is still being retained.

At the start of the fall semester of my sophomore year, I received notice that my adviser had retired. Great, so now I had even less direction. Not that he had been particularly helpful in the past, but he had at least served my imagination as some sort an illusion of authority. Now I had even less structure and even more questions. It wasn’t until my sophomore year at LSC, when my options for GEU courses to schedule began to dwindle, that I really began to pay close attention to the path I was taking.

After a little deliberation and some moderate success in a couple of English classes, I finally decided to switch majors. A decision provoked more for an idea of what courses to take, than out of a desire for a career. My new adviser was supposed to be some teacher I had never heard of, I never went to see her until I went to her office with the change of major paperwork.

My first semester as an English major went well, and I was relieved to have the option of having many courses to take every semester. I even tried to take more classes after that. I usually scheduled 15 or 18 credits, trying to catch up.

It never seemed to work. My English classes were going well enough, but I was not having so much luck with some of my GEU requirements. To complete the GEU requirements at LSC, I needed 6 math credits, and a 4-credit lab science. It seemed simple enough on paper, but my difficulties in math resurfaced to screw me over once again. My sub-par abilities in math and science, combined with heavy course loads resulted in several semesters where once again I earned less credits than anticipated.

I failed intermediate algebra, dropped problem solving. Failed elementary meteorology, failed astronomy, dropped intro to electronics.

At the time they all seemed like small problems, but they began snowballing. It adds up, the result is 11 miserable semesters.

I find myself here, and I can see how easily it happened to me. It makes me wonder how many other students have similar experiences. To a point, I think that what I am saying sounds almost cliché, I shouldn’t even be whining about it because it is such a common problem. Well that may be, but I still think it sucks. It’s a problem that isn’t specific to LSC either, students all over the country are being reamed by their institutions, becoming stressed out zombies, and falling into serious debt. It may be the way things are, but that doesn’t mean it’s the way things should be. It begins to appear like they actually want people to stay. I am beginning to believe it, that another semester’s tuition is more important to the administration than their student’s welfare. Plus I am really tired of being the grumpy old creep in the back of the classroom.

My pockets are growing as thin as my patience, and five years of loans don’t seem to be justified by the 30K I’ll be lucky to make a year after graduation.

By the way, I just got an email from the registrar saying I have three less credits than it says on my online program evaluation. Perfect, see you in the fall.

What happens to your recyclables?

3/20/08

By Kurt Heinchon
Environmental columnist

Residents and businesses throughout the region are continuing to divert their waste from landfills at an increasing rate. For 1999, through the end of September, a total of 2,505,000 lbs. of materials have been recycled compared to 1,693,000 during the same period in 1998- an increase of over 67%!

What is happening to all of this material that is being recycled? When materials are collected here at LSC, it is brought down to Northeast Kingdom Waste Management District (NEKWMD) located on Church Street in downtown Lyndonville, they are processed (bailed or crushed) and then transported to a facility where the material is recycled into new material or is further processed for recycling purposes. Look at what is happening to the materials you are recycling today….

Cardboard- new boxes and tissue paper.

White Office Paper- Re-pulped and made into tissue paper.

Colored Paper- cardboard, chipboard, brown tissue paper

Newspaper and Magazines mix- re-pulped to make more newspaper or match book type paper.

Glass- crushed and screened and made into other glass products.

Tin cans- smelted to make tin sheets and then back into tin cans.

Aluminum- smelted to make aluminum sheets and then back into aluminum cans

Plastics:
Are granulated and sold to blow molders to make toys and other plastic products
Can also be granulated and made into garden hoses, clothing, PET bottles, etc.
They are used to make the fleece clothing that keeps us nice and warm in the winter.

For more information, call the NEK Waste Mgmt. District at 1-800-626-3532 or you can visit LSC’s sustainability website.

Dear John: In The Eyes of the Beholder

3/20/08

By Riche Pinchingpenny
Critic Collumnist

When I first moved out of my ex’s apartment, and into the St. Johnsbury shoebox that I call my home, the tiny space echoed in its emptiness. There was nothing attractive about it. Inside, I had barely enough room to turn around, never mind cook a decent meal; a desk, and an overstuffed chair were the only pieces of furniture that I brought with me; and the walls were peeling reminders of someone else’s life. Outside isn’t any better. I get to stare at the backside of a gas station, an overflowing dumpster, and a 12-hour-a-day curb-side drunk with the name, Chance (go figure).

“You need to surround yourself with red,” my friend Leah insists. “Red is seductive.” She should know. She’s had five “serious” relationships in the last three months, and that’s not including the guy she picked up on the 9pm bus to Boston. He was her soul mate; she’s sure of that. But his ticket was only one way, and well, you know how tight money is. She had to love him while she could, and then make the best of his memory. Which I’m sure is what she’s doing every time I hear her scream, “Oh g-d ….yessssss!” from my shower (she says the water pressure is better than the shower at her place.) She always appears nearly an hour later, flushed, and ready to paint the town red.

But red makes my skin look sallow, like a dying hooker on Guiding Light. I never wear it, or decorate with it. But Leah insisted on spicing up the house with thick red curtains in the belief that they’d also improve the view. The curtains were more than enough red for my taste. I ignored her suggestion to add red pillows, rugs, and a comforter. I tried to cheer the place up with yellow paint, a screaming in-your-face yellow that dared me to be anything but hopeful. It wasn’t working.

“You need to join something. Why don’t you try belly dancing?” Leah cooed, shaking her hips in patterns that would make even Shakira blush. I tried to picture myself swaying my hips and rolling my arms seductively, but I have the co-ordination of a blindfolded monkey. It was a fact: luck’s a bitch.

After spending two months watching Chance pile his empty bottles behind the cedar bush, and listening to Leah “prep” for her dates, I decided I was tired of my mental monologue. Looking around, I noticed that the room had taken on the same hues as the two-day old pepperoni pizza, still in the open box on the counter, bought at Leah’s insistence that the pizza delivery guy might show me a good time. But the delivery guy was a 6 ft. tall, 17 year-old that dressed Goth, but talked like he was Mormon. This is neither damning, nor at this moment, encouraging. What I wanted wasn’t a man, but a life.

At Leah’s insistence to do anything but mope, I went out. But I didn’t go grab a beer at the sports bar, or bury my face in popcorn at the theatre. I just walked. That’s it. I crossed the Portland Street Bridge and headed uptown. I walked past the churches and the neat and orderly houses on Main Street. I watched a white-haired man hurry towards a red car. An irritated woman was honking the horn. He climbed in and she drove away. I imagined her seething through her red lips, “I gave up Broadway to spend my life waiting on you?” He’d say nothing.

I walked on. There wasn’t much to do in this desolate town on a Friday night. I browsed the magazines in the mom-and-pop store, The Convenient One, but they were full of love, sex, and relationships. I bought a newspaper and a Coke instead. The lady at the counter handed me a daffodil with my change. “I’ve been selling them all day, but this one’s going by. If you want it, take it. Enjoy it while it still has some color left to it.” I thanked her and walked home.

The neighborhood was quiet when I got back. Even Chance wasn’t slumped on his curb. I put the daffodil on the nightstand, and then I took the red curtains down. I could almost hear Leah moaning, “Fuck, hun. Why’d ya go and do that?” But it looks brighter this way.

The Rise and Fall of the Lyndon State Wrestling Federation

3/20/08

By Timothy “Timmy” Kemp
Critic Columnist

The people that are not familiar with professional wrestling will probably associate the entire industry with World Wrestling Entertainment. Although the WWE is the major leagues of sports-entertainment, there are other alternatives that you can check out. For instance, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, (TNA), is based in Orlando, Florida and has their television shows every Thursday night on Spike TV. Another smaller promotion called Ring of Honor, (ROH), does not have a TV deal yet, but runs pay-per-views each month with extraordinary talent. If you are not really interested in mainstream wrestling, I would suggest watching smaller local independent promotions. There are thousands of them all around the world, filled with passionate individuals trying to make a name for themselves in the wrestling business. One such promotion became a club right here at LSC. This is the story of the Lyndon State Wrestling Federation, entertaining fans in the Northeast Kingdom.

Recently I had the opportunity to get the comments of Kyle Griggs, a former LSC student who was there during the heyday of the LSWF:

Kemp: Please describe what is the LSWF and how did it come about here at Lyndon State College?

Griggs: LSWF or Lyndon State Wrestling Federation was a wrestling organization that put on wrestling shows once a month at the college; it was made up primarily of LSC students, though there were some other people from the community involved. The LSWF was the brainchild of John Lacroix, a first year student at the time. He was the one who went the through the "political channels" to get LSWF instated as a club.

Kemp: Was there any trouble in getting the organization approved by the CAB committee?

Griggs: As far as I know, no, there was no issue getting it approved, however after several events, LSWF caught a lot of flak about damage to the basketball court as well as the tumbling mats, and we had to "tone down" some of the hardcore matches, for the damage done to the gym as well as ourselves.

Kemp: Did you put on shows for the rest of the school? If so, was it a popular attraction, and what types of matches were involved?

Griggs: Yes, we put on three shows total, Spanning from December 1999- March 2000, there were singles matches, 2 out of 3 fall matches, tag team matches, wrestling title tournament matches, and our fan's favorite: Hardcore. The first show had about 80 people, and by the end we had probably about 150-175.

Kemp: Did the wrestlers need any type of training to prevent serious injuries?

Griggs: Everyone knew stuff from what we saw on TV, but to be honest, we didn't know proper techniques to fall properly, to pick up and drop people properly, and a lot of the guys were limited in their abilities and what they could do. Honestly, other than one concussion and a few bumps and bruises, everyone was lucky that they got out injury-free.

Kemp: Were there any type of characters or storylines, or was it just about having good matches? Was the entertainment aspect there as well as the sporting aspect?

Griggs: There were multiple characters for some people, but the main eventers were: Test Tickle, who would come to the ring wearing a swimming cap, blue shirt, jean shorts and a jock strap on the outside of his shorts, and the only thing he said was "Wear Condoms".

The Studley Boyz, which was a total knockoff of the WWE's Dudley Boyz, used the 3D and their interviews were highlights of the show. Grave Tavern was a gothic gladiator that started as a fan at the shows, but became an in-ring performer with us shortly after, was also quite popular with the fans. Big King was a disgruntled Burger King employee whose finishing move was dubbed "The Whopper". Falcon and Harley D were a tag team called The Rebels. Falcon was a deliberate rip-off of ECW's Raven character and Harley D, as the name would suggest, was a biking baddass. One storyline that sticks out in my mind was when The Rebels broke up in the second show. Falcon "injured" his arm in the match and because of that, they lost the tag titles. After the match Harley D proceeded to attack Falcon's arm more, effectively ending their partnership. We tried to entertain people the best we knew, the matches were hard to watch, because our move sets were limited at best.

Kemp: Is the LSWF still around today, and if not, what was the downfall of the organization? Do you see it ever being resurrected in the future?

Griggs: The Lyndon State Wrestling Federation only lasted until March of 2000, due to problems amongst its members stemming from being a college club and us having a very small fan base. People had egos about what goes on behind the scenes, which is ridiculous in retrospect. Will it be resurrected? That's up to the current students, if they want to start that again, go for it!

Next Week’s Column – A continuation of the Lyndon State Wrestling Federation; I will be getting the thoughts of a few more LSWF alumni.

A New Feature: Each week I will be selecting the best match during the week, including WWE Raw, Smackdown, ECW and TNA Impact!

Match of the Week: Tuesday’s ECW on Sci-Fi saw a tremendous six-man tag team match featuring CM Punk, Jesse and Festus vs. Shelton Benjamin, John Morrison and The Miz. This was a fast-paced, high impact match.

Moments Like These: The Signs of Spring

3/20/08

By Trish Pennypacker
Critic Columnist

Winter weekends are chaotic. Not a skier, and responsible for four children, I usually am forced to stay inside. On a typical weekend afternoon I am a pro at simultaneously folding laundry, reading my daughter a story, and writing a few lines here and there for whatever I am working on. Unfortunately, on this dark weekend I had the flu, and my sons were helping their dad at a nearby dairy farm. I had no choice but to entertain my daughter solo. And I blew it.

At first she was content to sit with me and listen to stories, or watch one of her favorite movies, Little Bear.

“Why doesn’t Little Bear live in a dark, dark cave?” she asked.

“Because he has a nice mother,” I suggested. “And because he has such a nice mother, he’s a nice bear himself and has lots of friends that like to come visit him. A dark, dark cave is too cold and scary for all of his nice friends. He needs room to dance and play.”

“Oh,” she said, wrinkling her forehead as she thought about my explanation.

But each new thought led to another question until, in the silence between her questions (if there was ever really silence) I must have fallen asleep. That I did, in my constant state of exhaustion, is no surprise. The sleep was deep, but by glancing at the TV when I woke up, it couldn’t have lasted for long: Little Bear had only enough time to eat breakfast and walk to Owl’s house. But it was long enough. My daughter’s curiosity had gone far beyond dark, dark caves.

I don’t remember if I screamed but I must have. I must have screamed something like… “G-d, NOOOOOO…!” because the sudden confusion on my daughter’s face told me I had shocked her. I tried to focus on her but all I could see was a cloud of yellow. She had zipped open the cushions of our brand new sofa and pulled out handfuls of yellow foam. Foam towered above the arms of the sofa, and floated into the kitchen. And partially hidden beneath the foam was the half deflated sofa cushion. Why she stopped half way, I’ll never know. Probably my gasp, or scream, or sudden look of horror made her self-conscious, where, just seconds before, she had been only overtly curious.

But I couldn’t stay angry at her. Really. After drying her eyes and blowing her nose, I wrapped her in a blanket until she( and I) calmed down; then I collapsed into that huge yellow cloud of frustration.

While re-stuffing the cushion, and assuring my daughter that, “No, I’m not grumpy anymore,” I imagined how bored my daughter must feel being stuck in the house with a sick mother all day. Was it anything like the boredom I feel when it is too cold to go outside and play with the kids?

My husband says I have the fever. But so does everyone else.

Spring fever hit his circle of friends hard. These feverish men consider the opening weekend of trout fishing to be Mother Spring. If song birds have returned, they are overlooked in the excitement: tackle boxes are stocked and weekends are planned around local brooks and fish lore.

Then there’s my neighbor: a legendary gardener (in this small neighborhood) who insists it isn’t spring until the crocuses have bloomed. Starting in early March, she faithfully keeps watch over mounds of snow; shoveling enough snow away for the sun’s warmth to reach the earth below, waiting, as though all of winter’s dark misery could be vanquished in her first glimpse of hopeful spring.

And I can’t forget to mention the back-road folks of the Northeast Kingdom, diligently praying (or cursing!) for snowy roads to thaw, always forgetting that mud, in its abundance, must certainly be the most apparent sign of spring.

But in my family, like many Vermont families, generations place their First Sign of Spring bets on the thousands of buckets hanging in the sugar woods, and the steady echo of the season’s first sap run. All of these signs are well and good that spring is here, but as a tired, winter-wearied, and house-bound mother, I notice something far more inspiring than crocuses, trout, mud, and sugaring season.

On a glorious Thursday, two wonderful things happened: I saw my first robin of the season perched on the garage roof as I backed the car out of the driveway; and when I returned home, all four of my children were jumping on the trampoline, their jackets tossed carelessly into the snow while the sun gleamed off of their white arms. And, even after a slight snow fall this weekend, I was lucky enough to watch the boys pull bikes and scooters out of the shed and ride for hours up and down the muddy path between the garage and the house. With a few of these “spring-like” days, I’ve noticed my spirit seems a little calmer, the house is a little cleaner, and the sofa cushion is no worst for the exploration.

I won’t argue with those who believe that crocuses, maple sugaring, or even trout fishing are the first signs of spring. But I prefer to think that the daily outdoor echoes of my children’s voices are the best indicator that spring is finally here. And because of this, my sofa might just be saved.

This is all your fault

3/13/08

By Keith Whitcomb Jr.
Critic Editor

We’ve all said to ourselves at some point, “Man, LSC sucks.”

Admit it, no matter how much you might like this college, there are things about it that annoy you; the parking stinks, the res halls are depressing, the food is awful, the curriculum doesn’t meet students’ needs. Everybody’s got something to moan about.

For all the griping we do, how many of us actually stop and do something about it? When’s the last time something on this campus pissed you off and you took action to change it?

No, this isn’t a “get out the vote” plug, and no, I’m not telling you to be a good little student and volunteer to help the community. There are plenty of students who volunteer their time and effort to put up posters, organize events, and feed orphans or whatever. Maybe they do it out of the goodness of their hearts and maybe it looks good on an résumé, I don’t know and I don’t care.

What I do know is that there are lots of irritated people on campus who are content to grumble from class to class, then back to their dorm room where they poke around on the Internet all night, drink, do a little homework, and maybe sleep.

I’ll use the latest hot topic as an example: The “new smoking policy”, the one that bans lighting up from anywhere on campus except for parking lots. I spoke to a lot of smokers when the news got out, and not a single one was happy about it. Oh, you should’ve heard the grand plans that were laid. One guy was going to hand out cigars to people Jan. 1, most were going to simply ignore it, some even said they’d smoke inside.

The coup de grace of all the anti-smoking ban ideas was the protest that was going to be held; the kind with signs and standing around shouting things. Before he was elected Student Government Association president, Jon Maciel was going to be involved in this. Maciel himself is a smoker, you can see him out in the parking lots these days, puffing away, but what happened to his protest? It’s been a long time since Jan. 1.

He became SGA president, that’s what happened.

“It wouldn’t have been appropriate for me to be involved,” Maciel said. “Besides stepping on the toes of the administration, which I’m trying to work with.”

Let’s give Maciel some credit; he has said that he would support a protest if someone organized one, but he’s not going to initiate it.

So, LSC student’s, there’s your president. That’s the guy who’s theoretically supposed to be your voice to the administration, unless of course they don’t like what you have to say, then you’re on your own.

Don’t even think of complaining about Maciel. No one, aside from a write-in candidate, ran against Maciel in the last election. The SGA hasn’t had a full executive board since last spring. As soon as the positions get filled, someone on the board steps down. First was Stephen Farrow, the secretary, second it was Michael Hannan, the vice president. I’m amazed we even have a treasurer at the moment.

Not long ago, the student Senate had 19 senators, enough to meet separately from the student House, which they no longer do. Guess how many senators we’ve got now? Four. We had five, but Ashley Mullen resigned (with an e-mail Haiku no less). As for House reps, they’re appointed by clubs, but they’ve got quite a high turnover rate as well.

I’m sure the people who have resigned from their posts had their reasons, but it doesn’t change the fact that getting people to step up to the plate and get things done on campus is like pulling teeth.

But I’m not here to shill the student government, nor am I advocating community service. I’m telling you that if there’s something you don’t like about LSC, do something about it. I have yet to hear one of the student senators bring a complaint or a suggestion to the House that they got from a student. Maciel might have put aside his own crusades in order to keep the administration happy, but truth be told, I don’t see any other smokers organizing protests either.

There are only about a thousand reasons/excuses to keep far away from the SGA, the clubs, or any other extracurricular activity. Go right ahead and make them if you want, I’m sure for some people, they’re legit, but the next time you see something on campus you think is stupid, or is giving you the proverbial shaft, you’ve really only got yourself to blame because you didn’t, and most likely won’t, do anything about it.

Moments Like These: Beyond the View

3/13/08

By Trish Pennypacker
Critic Columnist

The September I turned 13, the leaves changed rapidly from golden to brown. Buried under pungent mounds, the last blossoms of summer went unnoticed as my family and I moved the few boxes of our belongings into a rundown rental house. With most of our possessions already given to those “less fortunate” than us (though at the time I doubted anyone else could be less fortunate) the almost bare rooms of the rental house echoed with every word, every step; and the sprawling yard with its apple trees, pond, and beloved hammock, slung low beneath the birch trees, had been traded for a sorry strip of brown grass, two garbage cans, a disintegrating wood pile, a rusty propane tank and a view of the neighbor’s clothesline, underwear and all. My large, sunny yellow bedroom with the un-tuned but joyful piano and overcrowded bookcase had been replaced by a small room under the eves, faded and peeling rose printed wall-paper, drafty floor boards, and a scuffed up nightstand to place my Bible on. And in the crummy confines of that dreary bedroom, my face pressed to the cold window, I watched the sun rise and set; my eyes seeing, but not really understanding the glimpses of community that shuffled below.

Every morning, about seven o’clock, with the sun barely filtering through tree branches, I’d hear kids lining up for the school bus. By ten o’clock, my neighbor would walk by with his limping Bassett Hound, followed by a teenager and her child. They were going to the post office, which I could see from my window if I cranked my neck far enough. In and out of the doors people went, chattering and laughing as they flipped through the daily mail. Sometimes it was enough to watch these people from my small window, but other times, I felt isolated.

I never accepted my father’s idea that to save the world we must separate from the world. Everything that has made any difference in my life includes people. I used to ask my father why, if Jesus came to save the world and lived among men, we had to live in isolation? My questions only frustrated my father. I blamed my father for my sense of isolation until books began to fill my void. In books, I lived vicariously, learning about how human life grows and thrives in communities.

Now that I have a daughter, I understand what it feels like to not have answers. Her questions, layered upon everything, grow more complex by day and I’m not always sure how to respond. Sometimes, in my own frustration, I find myself imitating my father’s famous “just because.” This is never the right answer. “Just because” leads to indifference and the mass of people who don’t really care. “Just because” breaks down communities: “Just because they are homeless, doesn’t mean we need to house them in this neighborhood.” But it is just because of that dark, early adolescent year, in the isolation of that dingy bedroom, staring helplessly at the world below, that I am now able to see beyond the view of the post office.

Community is important, but the individual sense of what makes a community is selfish. Do we include teenage mothers, the disabled, and those with opposing points of view, or do we just consider those that will bring a stronger financial and ethical boost to the town? It’s amazing what we take for face value. I now realize that the same sweet old man that used to walk his dog by my window could possibly have hated the idea that a teenage mother lived next door to him. He could also have been against the programs that kept her on her feet. He could have easily believed she should “get what she deserves.” But what does she, or anyone else, deserve?

In months like these when the cold has spread deep through the hills and tree branches are brittle and bare, the darkness seems relentless. As Barry Lopez says, “Winter darkness shuts off the far view. The cold drives you deep into your clothing, muscles you back into your home. Even the mind retreats back into itself.” But to watch life pass by, with no care beyond the present view, means that nothing beyond us matters, everything is “just because”, and acts of human kindness are not enough to create a positive change in the world. That is not the life I wish to lead. I spent the dark season of my youth retreating; I am ready now for the coming light of spring.

The Three Count: Shootin’ Straight From The Heart

3/13/08
By Timothy “Timmy” Kemp
Critic Collunmist

Many of you who have read my columns in the past know about my love for the wrestling industry. Ever since I was five years old, I have been a fan of the incredible performers who put their bodies at risk 365 days a year. It is the only sport in the world that has no off season, and for that I have tremendous respect for them. It is the reason why I have chosen to have my own column in The Critic, because I feel that professional wrestling does not get enough positive recognition from the media or traditional sports fans.

Anyone who is not a fan themselves, and is on the outside looking into the wrestling world, would probably say that “Wrestling is nothing more than bunch of ‘roided up junkies who are bad actors and do fake stuff.”

Anyone who has that mindset, I am hear to tell you that you are sadly mistaken. Let me ask one question of you: have you ever actually watched a complete wrestling match from beginning to end, if not an entire show? Because I guarantee you that if you had, your perception would be far different. If you would put your opinion in the back burner and tune in week after week, you would have a greater respect for today’s stars.

One reason that a lot of traditional sports fans don’t respect professional wrestling is that it is not mentioned on SportsCenter, which for the life of me I cannot figure out why. If your reasoning is because, “Wrestling is not a legitimate sport because it has predetermined outcomes,” to me that is just not a good enough explanation. I know that ESPN used to broadcast the American Wrestling Association, (AWA), back in the 1980s and early ‘90s, but since then has distanced themselves from the entire business. I don’t understand why professional wrestling should have to take a backseat to poker tournaments and hot dog eating contests. Do people actually consider those games to be more of a sport, and more athletic, than wrestling? I wonder what is next; is ESPN going to broadcast a monopoly tournament on their network? If they really wanted to, they could easily report the current news of the wrestling industry, but they still have that stigma, which a lot of people in society still have.

As you can see, this is why I choose to write about wrestling. If I can change just a few people into wrestling fans, I will feel like a success. To be honest I want to hear your opinion about what I have written in this article. Throughout the next week, please e-mail me at the address listed below. I will address everyone’s opinion in my next article. I am a very passionate fan that wants to see wrestling be free of the negativity that seems to follow it.

Next Week’s Column – I will be discussing the rise and fall of the wrestling organization that used to be apart of Lyndon State College.

Student opinion of SGA

3/13/08

By Matt Vercillo
Critic Staff

The problem with being asked to write a column on the SGA, is that I really wasn’t sure exactly what the SGA was. After a few minutes of consideration, I figured that it was most likely an acronym for Student Government Association. I had never bothered to give it any thought.

I was a little concerned that after being a student at LSC for an honest five years or so, I had relatively no recollection of any SGA members or anything they did, besides a faint memory of an impeachment due to the personal hygiene of the president.

This one event, and the words represented in their acronym; were the limits of my knowledge.

The extent of my research consisted of a fairly thorough inspection of the Lyndon State College Web site, from which I found a few basic principles. Rather than spending an hour trying to navigate the page’s intricate web of menus and tabs, I simply typed SGA into the search box, which brought me the SGA page as the first result.

The specific page can be found at this address

The information was somewhat confusing, due to a strange layout consisting of a paragraph with a few loose bullets tacked oddly on the end like afterthoughts. Copied and pasted word for word it says the following:

“The purpose of the SGA is to promote the educational, social, and general welfare of the students of Lyndon State College. The SGA serves all members of the student body.

- To anticipate and stimulate the interests of the students through the use of student run clubs, and activities.

- To distribute and use the money acquired by the Student Activities Fee for the benefit of the LSC student body.

- To speak on the behalf of the students by presenting student opinion to the faculty, staff, and administration of Lyndon State College.”

The first paragraph seems like an explanation, and the bulleted statements appear to be goals or initiatives. Great, so now I had the vague, public relation type answer, but I wanted to know more specifically what they had done for my welfare during my long and industrious career as a member of the student body. Especially since now, I was aware that the SGA was in charge of distributing the Student Activities Fee. The fee is 188 dollars per semester for full-time undergraduate students.

I couldn’t remember ever being intrigued by any activities on campus and wondered where my money had gone.

So, rather than going through any more conventional or legitimate means of attaining knowledge about the club, I decided to ask around and collect a popular opinion of the SGA from some fellow students. I started by asking people to tell me what the SGA was, and everything they knew about it.

All of the students I interviewed seemed about as informed as I was.

“I’m not really sure, I thought that they had something to do with the events planned on campus...or is that CAB?” remarked senior Joe Gelinas, “What’s the difference? There are never any good events anyway. Someone should actually try and figure out what the students want before they plan events.”

The more I asked around, I seemed to get most of the same sentiments. It was becoming clear that even though the SGA obviously did something around here, the general public was relatively clueless about their contributions.

“What’s the SGA?” said senior Gerrin Goodwin. “Oh wait, is it the Gay Straight Alliance...no, no that’s the GSA. Oh yea, Student Government, right?”

I informed him that he was correct.

“The only thing I remember is the whole impeachment thing. He was weird and smelled bad. It doesn’t seem like they do a lot for us, and if they do I don’t know what it is.”

Now it was clear to me that I wasn’t the only one in the dark about all this. Nobody I asked could even name the SGA President (I couldn’t either until I started writing this).

It was getting towards deadline and still I couldn’t find any students with any useful information about the SGA. I decided to give up; it felt like it could be days, weeks, or even months before I found a student that was in the know.

So, I found out what the SGA was, but never pinpointed exactly what they do, except that supposedly they do something.

If this agonizing search for knowledge has taught me anything about the SGA it’s that they need to be more public with their procedures, decisions, and actions. Maybe, as students we carry a certain degree of responsibility towards knowing how things like this work within our academic community. So it’s possible, that it could be my own fault that I was so uninformed.

All I know is that as I sit here staring into a cooling bowl of ramen noodles and sipping a lukewarm glass of tap water, I sure wish I had $188 right now.

Letter to the Editor: Live music on campus, nobody cares

3/13/08

Dear Editor,
I couldn't agree more with Matt Vercillo's article! Some bands/fans seem to have trouble distinguishing noise from music. Maybe if someone tries to organize a show like this again, we can just scrap the bands and I'll turn my guitar up and let it feed back for three hours or so. Heck, we could throw a couple microphones up in the classrooms and scratch the chalkboards. Maybe the high schoolers would like it.

All sarcasm aside, most of the music that I heard that night (though I can't say I was there for very long) was absolute mind-numbing noise. Get it out of here!
-Sam Utz

Letter to the Editor: Live music on campus, nobody cares

3/13/08

Dear Editor,
We couldn't stop laughing after picking up a copy of The Critic, people ask us if we are upset, when we think it is amazing for pointing out exactly what we are, kids with skinny jeans and a style of music you just don't understand, and good job;

1. Not including our name, when we clearly said it.

2. Not spelling bands names right... I don't know who Our Drowning City is, but they sound...amazing.

3. Making us laugh and making us feel special. Congrats, you have made our night
Please come to our show at The VFW in St J on March 29th starts at 5, THIS drowning city will be there :]

P.S.
The reason only high school kids were at our show was because this school lacks any kind of scene whatsoever, the kids that did come, are called "fans", from VT and NH, the small group of "scene" kids (look that word up in urban dictionary, pal) that live for this music.

Richard Champine,
Love Shipwrecked Smiles (The Band you forgot to mention)

Holy Sheet: Coming from rags to riches

3/7/08

By Jordan Royer
Critic Collunist

I took the fall semester off in 2006 and moved to Spokane, Washington to house-sit for my old brother Joseph while he was overseas.

I went to Washington with intentions of eventually transferring, maybe to Gonzaga or another local college in Spokane. My first task was to get settled in and then find a job to hold me over until the spring semester opened.

I applied to a few different places but didn’t show a whole lot of interest in getting a job. I much preferred sitting at home watching movies, porn included. I had saved a pretty decent chunk of money before moving so I was living on my slowly dwindling bank account.

I made some pretty unwise decisions with my money (bought a whole wine making kit) and soon enough I discovered I either needed a job or needed to quit going to comedy club up the street where they served the best beer I have ever tasted, Alaskan Amber.

Well, since comedy and beer are two of my favorite things, quitting that was out of the question. So the job search kicked in to high gear. This is when I came up with a brilliant idea- I was going to be a sperm donor. Genius, I know. I mean, I was feedin’ the geese anyway, it might as well be in a cup for cash.

I filled out a 20 page questionnaire about myself, everything from eye color to drug use from number of sexual partners to intelligence. The last task was to give them a sample of the goods, and unlike popular belief, I didn’t have to go into a little room with magazines, I got to go home and do it and then bring it back the next day.

I dropped my milk jug off the next morning and then played the waiting game. After about a week I got a call saying my sperm was good, but I wasn’t what they were looking for in a donor. Great, the one thing I am good at and I won’t be getting paid for it after all.

When I told a friend about trying to donate sperm, he formulated this wild plan that eventually made me more than happy that I was denied. Think about this for a second: My sperm goes to a woman and she has a baby girl. Twenty-one years later “my” daughter is in the same bar I am, but we don’t know each other. Me, being a good looking man of 43, picks the young lady up from the bar and brings her home and, shazaam, I just had sex with my daughter. Not cool.

So my initial thought of turning old rags to riches might have seemed like a great idea, but put that idea in your pants and forget it. You might as well just stick to masturbating for free.

Position of the Week- The slinky

Change-A-Light a Big Success Once Again

3/7/08

By Kurt Heinchon
Critic Columnist

Congratulations to the Commuters in winning the LSC Change-A-Light Challenge. As a whole, the Commuters changed out 90 standard light bulbs for the energy saving compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL’s).

That is equivalent to saving 11,127 pounds of coal and preventing 39,897 pounds of CO2 from getting into our atmosphere. Not to mention, it will also help shave off nearly $700 off of their electric bill over the lives of the bulbs.

For their efforts, they will be having a Vermont native tree planted in their honor in Stonehenge accompanied by a plaque with their name and winning results engraved on it. This will be done as soon as the ground is thawed enough to start digging.

Congratulations also to the Change-A-Light Challenge Residence Hall suite winners, Whitelaw 701. They exchanged an astonishing 27 bulbs which will help save 5,007 pounds of coal and prevent 17,954 pounds of CO2 from getting into our atmosphere. For their efforts, the entire suite will all receive a free game of bowling at the Gold Crown Lanes courtesy of the Advisory Committee on Sustainability.

In total, the Change-A-Light Campaign helped LSC exchange a total of 360 bulbs. That is equivalent to saving 66,760 pounds of coal and preventing a whopping 239,380 pounds of CO2 from getting into our atmosphere. As a side note, LSC will also be saving $6,810 over the lifetime of the bulbs. Not too shabby from doing something as simple as changing a light bulb.

Please be advised that the CFL’s do contain a trace amount of mercury. But not to worry there is no where near enough in those bulbs to hurt anyone. However, mercury is a hazardous waste and should be disposed of properly. That is why I am asking for everyone to follow the CFL disposal instructions that will be put into every suite on campus. If you live off campus please visit www.newbulbintown.com/about/mercuryInfo.aspx to view how you can properly dispose of a broken or burned out CFL. Please do NOT throw away your CFL bulb.

I would like to extend my thanks to the Vermont Energy Education Program (VEEP) and Efficiency Vermont for providing the use of their light bike and the education that it brought to the community.

Also, thanks to all the volunteers that helped to make the Change-A-Light Campaign the success that it was! It was very nice to see that people were already using CFL’s or saved theirs from last years campaign. Of course, thank you to the entire LSC campus for being so cooperative and open minded to small changes in your lives. Doing the little things like changing a light bulb or turning off a light or the computer that you don’t use at night really does go a long way.

Many people had questions and concerns about light fixtures different types of CFL bulbs. The ones that were part of the campaign were only the standard CFL. There are many other styles and wattages that can be found by visiting Efficiency Vermont’s website at www.newbulbintown.com/bulbs/.