Connect with us

Vermont

University of Vermont begins two-month hiring freeze amid federal funding uncertainty

Published

on

University of Vermont begins two-month hiring freeze amid federal funding uncertainty


There are 125 open positions at the University of Vermont. And for the next two months, the majority of those jobs very likely won’t be filled. That’s after the university announced a 60-day hiring pause starting this week, citing uncertainty of multiple sources of federal funding and the potential for a partial federal government shutdown next week.

“We think it’s better to not be hiring people if we don’t know if we can continue to afford to pay them,” Richard Cate, vice president for finance at UVM, said in an interview.

The hiring pause applies to all open faculty, staff and postdoc positions, not to temporary or student positions. Cate said the university will honor offers already extended and they’ll make some exceptions to the hiring pause — like to replace faculty members who are retiring at the end of the year.

Multiple universities across the country have enacted hiring freezes in recent weeks. That’s as the Trump administration has repeatedly threatened to cut funding for research, including executive orders blocking funding for research related to race and gender and reducing grant funding from the National Institutes of Health — a policy that has been temporarily halted in federal court.

Advertisement

“Whether it’s NIH, or NSF (National Science Foundation) or the Department of Agriculture, they’re all about the degree to which the federal government will support the cost of the research,” Cate said. “All of the proposals that have been out there would reduce what they’re currently paying.”

The university received over $266 million in research funding last year, including $49 million from the NIH.

Last month, Kirk Dombrowski, vice president for research at UVM, told Vermont Public that research activities related to government contracts would continue as normal for the time being.

“As it is right now, we don’t have any reason to stop doing what we’ve always done,” he said.

Separately, the university was already planning for a roughly 2% reduction in spending to cover the rising costs of employee health insurance.

Advertisement

For now, Cate said the pause in hiring is a way to buy time to better understand what changes might happen and when.

“Hopefully we know more in 60 days,” he said.

“If there is still a lot of unanswered questions at that point, we might well extend.”

Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message.

Advertisement





Source link

Vermont

Vermont offers criminal record clearing clinic to seal or expunge old cases

Published

on

Vermont offers criminal record clearing clinic to seal or expunge old cases


Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark will host a free criminal record clearing clinic on Thursday, January 15, 2025 in Brattleboro, the first to be held in the state since new expungement laws changed in July.

Sealing a record allows an individual to wipe from their criminal record specific convictions and dismissed charges after a certain period of time has passed, including records relating to contact with the criminal justice system, like arrest or citation, arraignment, plea or conviction, and sentencing. Under Vermont’s updated law, most misdemeanors, various non-violent felony offenses, and all dismissed charges can be sealed. The free clinic will focus on sealing criminal charges and convictions from Windham County, and will be open to the public by appointment only.

“For many years, my office has assisted Vermonters with clearing old criminal records that are holding them back from securing stable housing, getting better jobs, and participating fully in their communities,” said Attorney General Clark. “These clinics are a way for us to help Vermonters who have paid their debt to society and stayed out of trouble get a fresh start and strengthen the community as a whole. I want to thank Windham County State’s Attorney Steve Brown, Interaction, and the Brooks Memorial Library for their assistance in hosting this clinic.”

Attorneys from the Attorney General’s Office will offer free assistance with petitions for Vermont-specific “qualifying” criminal convictions and dismissed charges. Appointments will be available from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Vermonters must schedule appointments in advance by calling the Attorney General’s Office at 802-828-3171 or emailing AGO.Info@vermont.gov by Tuesday, January 6, 2026. Eligible participants will be given an in-person appointment at the Brooks Memorial Library in Brattleboro, Vermont, on the day of the clinic.

More information on sealing and expungements generally is available at Vermont Legal Aid’s website at www.vtlawhelp.org/expungement.

Advertisement

###



Source link

Continue Reading

Vermont

21-year-old killed in wrong-way crash on I-89 in Vermont; other driver cited

Published

on

21-year-old killed in wrong-way crash on I-89 in Vermont; other driver cited


A 21-year-old is dead after a pickup truck slammed head-on into her vehicle on Interstate 89 Wednesday evening in Bolton, Vermont, and the other driver involved has been cited.

State police say they responded around 5:22 p.m. to reports of a wrong-way driver in the area of mile marker 71. As troopers were responding, a multi-vehicle crash on the interstate was reported to dispatchers.

A preliminary investigation shows 45-year-old Timothy Wooster was driving a Toyota Tundra in the northbound lane when he crossed the median into the southbound lane, where he continued traveling the wrong way until he collided head-on with a Kia Sportage that was being driven by 21-year-old Hailey Westcot, police said.

A third vehicle, a Cascadia Freightliner, was traveling southbound when the head-on collision happened ahead, causing the vehicle to strike Westcot’s car and then rollover.

Advertisement

Westcot, of Northfield, Vt., was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Wooster, of Jericho, Vt., was taken to University of Vermont Medical Center to be treated for serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

The third driver who was involved, 50-year-old Douglas Bailey, of Londonderry, New Hampshire, was evaluated on scene and did not report any injuries, police added.

Officials haven’t said what led Wooster to allegedly drive in the wrong direction on the highway. Wooster was cited on a charge of grossly negligent operation with death resulting. Further charges will be determined as the investigation continues, according to police.

Any witnesses are asked to contact Trooper Shawn Morrow at 802-878-7111. Anonymous tips can be submitted online here. The investigation remains ongoing.

It’s unclear if Wooster has obtained legal representation at this time. He’s due in Chittenden County Superior Court on Jan. 29, 2026.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Vermont

UVM men’s rugby team wins first-ever national championship – VTDigger

Published

on

UVM men’s rugby team wins first-ever national championship – VTDigger


The University of Vermont men’s rugby team celebrates after winning its national championship game against the University of Chicago on Sunday, Dec. 14. Photo courtesy of National Collegiate Rugby

The University of Vermont men’s rugby team romped the University of Chicago last weekend, 71-5, to win its first-ever national championship. It’s the second time, notably, that a UVM sports team has won a national-level title in the past year.

Rugby is not a varsity sport at UVM — such as soccer or basketball — which means the school’s men’s and women’s teams play outside of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, or NCAA. The men’s team plays in National Collegiate Rugby’s Division II, which has more than 100 teams in different regional conferences across the country.

The team’s win Sunday capped an undefeated season that also saw it dispatch rivals in earlier rounds of the Division II tournament by double-digit margins.

“It really hasn’t even set in yet, still. Every time I see a picture or something, I’m like, holy — I can’t believe it,” said Jack Worobel, a senior mechanical engineering major at UVM who plays in the No. 4, or “lock,” position. “It’s awesome.”

Advertisement

In UVM’s rugby league, 15 players are on the field for each team at a time. Players advance the ball by running or kicking it but aren’t allowed to pass the ball forward. Points come primarily through “tries,” which are worth five points each and scored by bringing the ball into the opponent’s in-goal area and touching it to the ground.

Worobel credited UVM’s win to strong bonds that he said he and his teammates have built up over the past four years. A number of the players, including himself, have been on the team every year since they were first-year students, he said.

UVM has had a men’s rugby team since 1970, according to a school press release.

The University of Vermont men’s rugby team handily defeated the University of Chicago 71–5 to win its first ever national championship. Photo courtesy of National Collegiate Rugby

“We all do anything for each other. Anyone would do a favor for anyone else on this team — I think that’s where the win comes (from),” Worobel said Wednesday. “It’s not from the skill or the talents. Really, it’s what’s off the field.”

The rugby team’s win comes about a year after UVM’s men’s soccer team — which competes at the highest level of collegiate athletics — won the NCAA Division I championship last December. UVM has also won six NCAA championships in skiing, with the most recent coming in 2012.

Advertisement





Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending