The student-run community news site of Vermont State University - Johnson

Basement Medicine

The student-run community news site of Vermont State University - Johnson

Basement Medicine

The student-run community news site of Vermont State University - Johnson

Basement Medicine

Grossly mismanaged

Mary L. Collins April 27, 2023

Vermont's State Colleges have been grossly mismanaged. While this mismanagement is due to decades of underfunding, the most recent "transformation", beginning with the poorly executed decision by then...

Lucy Boyden

House looks at election changes

Lucy Boyden March 14, 2023

One that proposes miscellaneous changes to elections has recently gained attention in and outside of the Statehouse. This bill has gone through multiple drafts and has evolved after witness testimony,...

News from VTSU is disheartening

News from VTSU is disheartening

Dan Noyes March 14, 2023

The news of moving to an all-digital library and changes to the sports programs at Northern Vermont University-Johnson is disheartening. Making sure the state college system is relevant, thriving and adequately...

Bill streamlines rules for truckers

Bill streamlines rules for truckers

Lucy Rogers March 24, 2022

Sustainable forest management is essential to maintaining the landscape our state treasures and relies upon for ecosystem services and tourism dollars. During summer and fall of 2021, members of the Legislature’s...

Committee takes testimony on opioids

Committee takes testimony on opioids

Dan Noyes March 24, 2022

Town meeting marks about the halfway point of the legislative session, commonly referred to as crossover. Bills that started in the House move to the Senate and vice versa. Interestingly, there are no...

David Yacovone

Appropriations must navigate spending requests

David Yacovone March 24, 2022

The next two weeks are crucial for my committee, the House Committee on Appropriations. Whether you call it “crunch time” or “when the rubber meets the road,” key budget decisions that impact nearly...

David Yacovone

Sustained effort needed to beat opioid deaths, suicide

David Yacovone February 21, 2022

What part of Vermont had the highest rates of suicides and opioid deaths last year? Answer: Lamoille County. Experts believe the increases statewide in suicide and opioid overdoses can be attributed...

Dan Noyes

State responsible for kids in its care

Dan Noyes February 21, 2022

We worked this week on prioritizing the family services division portion of the Vermont Department of Children and Families budget, which includes the foster care system and youth in state custody. That...

NVU Interim President John Mills

Greetings from the President’s desk

John Mills February 21, 2022

Well, we got off to a bit of a rough start with the first week remote due to Omicron. But everyone responded positively and with commitment to make it work. Thank You. And now as I write this we are getting...

SGA reveals theme of this year’s Casino Night

February 21, 2019

On Feb. 5, 2019, the Johnson SGA hosted the Reveal party for the theme of the 42nd annual Casino Night. This year’s theme is A Royal Affair. Every year the SGA’s Casino Night Committee picks a theme...

Build your mental health toolkit

Build your mental health toolkit

Seana Rowell February 21, 2019

In the last issue I wrote about the campus Wellness Center and suggested taking advantage of their free counseling and walk-in hours along with their self-guided relaxation, light therapy and biofeedback...

Legislators: stop this travesty

Adriana Eldred February 8, 2019

My name is Adriana, and I’m a first-generation college student from a low-income household. Because of this I was not only encouraged to go to college, I was expected to. My parents had seen the struggles...

SGA’s new project

Haley Frechette February 8, 2019

The SGA has been working diligently this semester to listen and to meet the needs of our students and staff. One of the projects taken on by one of our Senators, Haley Frechette, was to replace the old,...

Words of Wellness: outdoor therapy, nature’s cure

Melissa Cluff February 20, 2018

Recent studies show that being outside has both positive psychological and physiological benefits. Ecotherapy (also known as green therapy, nature therapy, and earth-centered therapy) is contact with nature...

Vermont State Colleges System Delivering Entrepreneurs and Workers

The Vermont State Colleges System (VSCS) is a major workforce pipeline delivering entrepreneurs and workers to power our state’s economy. As a system, Castleton University, Community College of Vermont,...

Words of Wellness: the connection between trauma and addiction

Courtesy of Ashwood Recovery February 8, 2018

Addiction is a disease with several causal factors – genetics, environment, personal behavior, and experience, in the form of trauma. The relationship between trauma and substance abuse is complicated...

Strategic Plan must address IT deficiencies

Thomas O'Leary, -Editor-in-Chief February 8, 2018

With the spring 2018 semester officially in session, we are now a mere four months away from Johnson State College (JSC) and Lyndon State College (LSC) officially merging under the umbrella of Northern...

A message from Student Trustee Benjamin Simone

Benjamin Simone February 4, 2016

Hi, how’s it going? I’d like to introduce myself to you readers today, my name is Benjamin Simone, and in a few weeks, myself and 12 other members of the VSC Board of Trustees are going to decide on...

Tolerance is not enough: addressing LGBT life on campus

Ryan Downs February 4, 2016

Certainly, Johnson State has made some progress as far as the state of life for the LGBT community goes. There is now an LGBT oriented club on campus; a discussion was raised a year ago about how essential...

Thank you, Kind Sir

Victoria Greenia May 8, 2014

I fell into love with a man a few nights ago and got a chocolate bar out of it –53% cocoa with pistachios and hot peppers, wrapped with a picture of Grace Potter. While I am neither a fan of chocolate...

A Band-Aid on a gaping wound

A Band-Aid on a gaping wound

Tyrone Shaw February 6, 2014

Editor’s note: The following commentary was originally published in Vt. Digger on Jan. 21. It’s been reprinted here due to its relevance, despite the protests of its author, stemming from his active...

You have the right to remain silent – right?

You have the right to remain silent – right?

Phil O'Neil May 3, 2013

You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney and to have an attorney present during any questioning....

Sen. Sanders

We must not balance the budget on poor, elderly

Sen. Bernie Sanders March 28, 2013

  In the spirit of Sen. Sanders’ recent JSC Student Town Meeting, we reprint the Senator’s recent op-ed, which discusses many of the points he raised during the Student Town Meeting.       The...

CATFISH:Fifty Shades Are Us?

CATFISH:”Fifty Shades” Are Us?

February 7, 2013

Unless you’re Amish, or live in a cave, you have probably heard of "Fifty Shades of Grey." Many of you have read it and maybe you have even read it secretly in that barn or cave. Set largely in Seattle,...

Silenced Voices loud and clear

Kayla Friedrich December 6, 2012

As I entered Bentley 207 to witness “Silenced Voices”  on Nov. 14, I didn’t know what to expect. Living in Vermont I have had the pleasure of meeting a few of the migrant workers who traveled...

Greeting from the SGA

With Thanksgiving Break just around the corner, it is hard to believe the Fall semester is already coming to a close. The SGA has been hard at work accomplishing a number of projects and initiatives with...

Puzzled by Petrics

November 15, 2012

Six JSC students, Jane, John, Erin, Frank, Ester and Jose, come to a river crossing while on an Outdoor Education trip. They have only one boat amongst themselves which can only carry 2 people at at time....

Student First, SGA Later

Dan Schurman November 1, 2012

I would like to address the Student Petitions Against SGA GPA Requirement article. I would first like to say that you are here to be a student FIRST! You are not going to college to join the SGA or play...

Letter to the Editor re: Wiseman investigation

VSC Faculty Federation October 2, 2012

While the Faculty Federation does not generally comment on confidential personnel matters, the situation involving Professor Fred Wiseman at Johnson State College has generated so much press coverage and...

Stop the nuclear industry welfare program

The following is an excerpt from a commentary written by Ryan Alexander and Bernie Sanders. The US is facing a $15 trillion national debt, and there is no shortage of opinions about how to move toward...

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