An introductory class taught by Professor Ellie Miller ignited Charis Jones’ interest in sociology and a Political Islam course, taught by political science Professor Jan Feldman, focused her interest in Middle Eastern Studies. That all morphed into a double major in sociology and political science, and Jones graduated with degrees in both disciplines in 2018.

As a student, Jones set her sights set on getting out of her comfort zone and immersing herself in an unfamiliar culture. She became the first UVM student to study in the United Arab Emirates, at the American University of Sharjah.

“For the first time in my life I know what it feels like to be a minority,” she commented in a 2017 interview. “I think it’s important to experience that.”

After graduating in 2018 with dual degrees, Jones is back in her home city of New York, taking on new challenges. She’s working as a level 1 investigator for The New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB), an independent agency empowered to investigate complaints against police officers in the city.

“We go by the acronym of FADO, which basically means we receive complaints alleging force, abuse of authority, discourtesy, or use of offensive language by police,” Jones explains.

The most satisfying outcome happens when the citizen filing a complaint meets directly with the officer they interacted with. Jones describes it as a voluntary, non-disciplinary process for both the officer and civilian.

“When officers talk with the people who have made allegations against them, it decreases the chances of that officer behaving in that same way again,” Jones said. “It also gives the gives the civilian an opportunity to talk to the officer on a level playing field, or in a neutral setting, off of the street.”

Jones finds that some people who do not wish to speak to the officer again. In these cases, her job is to interview the complainants about the incident. It’s a taxing process, she says, because many clients suffer from mental illness, have previously had negatives experiences with police, or have been previously convicted of other crimes.

“It’s a highly intense and emotional process. As an investigator, it’s my job to listen first but to also ascertain the facts,” Jones says.

The job requires an understanding of the NYPD Patrol Guide and the Fourth Amendment, interviewing and mediation skills, and lots of research. Jones assembles evidence from documents, 911 calls, footage from police body cams, and other testimony. She interviews the officer involved, then writes a closing report with her recommendation and send it to CCRB.

Jones credits Ellie Miller with opening her eyes to injustice in American society and giving her the fortitude to make a positive difference. Long-term, she is considering graduate school –perhaps law school. For now she’s settling into her new position at the CCRB.

“The issue of policing has become the center of my life right now,” Jones says. “I’m reading Michael Bennet’s book What Makes White People Uncomfortable and it is truly extraordinary. I’ve never felt more on the front lines of an issue, and while it is by no means easy, I feel it is really important.”

Rachel Lee Cummings believes that people should live at home and take part in their communities for as long as they can. She was a 22-year-old senior at the University of Vermont in September 1999 when she started Armistead Inc. Assisted Living Services of Williston—named after her grandfather—with two part-time employees. By the time she graduated in June, she had a staff of eight full-time people. “I was one of the first private-pay agencies, and word spread fast,” she says. “People liked the care they received and they liked the caregivers.” A scant five years later she was named Vermont’s 2004 Entrepreneur of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Colleen Henry is an assistant professor at the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College at the City University of New York. Her research examines child welfare policy and practice with a focus on the sociopolitical construction of family violence and its impacts on child welfare services. After earning her BA in sociology from UVM, she received her MSW from the University of California, Berkeley, and a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley. In 2012, she was the recipient of the GADE Student Award for Leadership and Service to Doctoral Education in Social Work. Her teaching interests include social policy, child welfare policy and practice, and qualitative methods.

Stephanie Hainley '11 is COO and a member of the senior project management staff at White + Burke Real Estate Investment Advisors, Inc., a commercial brokerage, asset management, and development services firm. She manages the company’s day-to-day operations and provides strategic direction to clients. “I'm able to get an inside perspective on Vermont's infrastructure and understand the landscape in a unique way. With the endless challenges and opportunities, no two days are alike in my job.” Her honors include Businessperson of the Year 2016 (Main Street Alliance of Vermont), Class of 2014 Rising Star (Vermont Business Magazine), and Woman of the Year 2013 (Burlington Business and Professional Women).

Sarah Soule is the Morgridge Professor of Organizational Behavior Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Her research examines state and organizational-level policy change and diffusion, and the role social movements have on these processes. She has published papers on how protest impacts multi-national firm-level decisions regarding divestment in Burma, and on how advocacy organizations learn new strategies and tactics from those with which they collaborate. She has published a book with Cambridge University Press Contention and Corporate Social Responsibility and has published widely in scholarly journals.

Marc Dixon is associate professor of sociology at Dartmouth College. His interests lie in the politics of social movements, or how protest groups affect and are in turn shaped by state policy. He has written on protest, strikes, and the trajectory of the American labor movement and labor policy following the New Deal, and is currently working on a comparative historical study of legislative battles over union rights in the Midwest as they were waged in both the 1950s and early 2010s.