leiGh Bailey, Kayla MOOre & CaT WhiTe The Cavalier Daily
Dear community members,
In the midst of this cold spell, I am honored to share with you the first print edition of The Cavalier Daily’s 136th term. Inside these pages, you will find pieces which bring the student experience to life. There are articles which track the University’s progress and spotlight special moments on Grounds. There are columns which explore what it means to be both a student of the University and a member of
the Charlottesville community. And there are images and puzzles which encourage us to remember the diverse mediums through which stories can be told and languages explored. As this term begins, I am very aware that it coincides with the beginning of a new presidential administration in Washington, D.C. There is no doubt that this administration will seek to radically change, and likely undermine, institutions of higher education. In fact, it has already
Letter from the Editor-in-Chief NEWS
done so, compromising our ability to collectively affirm and contest the values, principles and initiatives within our community.
At The Cavalier Daily, we like to say that we “tell the history of now.” This has meant something different for every term, and those differences are reflected in the pages of our back issues. But for this term and in this political climate, our commitment to telling the history of now means being deliberate about the manner in which we localize national
This week in-brief
CD News Staff
U.Va. Health launches mobile care unit to
increase healthcare access
In an effort to improve healthcare accessibility, U.Va. Health has instituted a mobile care unit that will provide care to underserved communities in central Virginia. The mobile care unit van will visit the Fifeville and Southwood neighborhoods of Charlottesville twice per month, on the second and fourth Tuesdays and Wednesdays, respectively. This unit will offer a plethora of services, tending to both acute and non-emergent healthcare needs.
U.Va. Health unveiled the unit with a ribbon cutting event at the Boys and Girls Club Jan. 9. At the event, nurse practitioners spoke about the care and services offered via the unit — these services range from general health checkups and lab tests to chronic disease management. Residents can call ahead to make an appointment, but walk-in patients are also welcome at the van, which will park at community centers in each neighborhood from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m on days when it is offering services.
Residents can pay for care with most insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid. With a chief goal of providing service to those who encounter barriers to receiving healthcare, the unit works to accommodate its patients’ unique financial needs.
Dr. Craig Kent, chief executive officer of U.Va. Health and executive vice president for health affairs, said that the unit is a way to bring U.Va. Health to residents who typically face geographic and financial barriers to accessing care.
“If those people can’t come to us, why don’t we go to them?” Kent said.
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discourses. It means understanding that history is not a neutral narrative, but rather something which is constructed by people’s voices, perspectives and the ways in which they enter the historical record. In short, it means telling multiple histories.
I hope you, our readers, will join us in finding creative ways to tell these multiple histories. Your voices and stories are the lifeblood of what we do, and we look forward to engaging with you and soliciting your feedback.
Thank you all for your continued readership and support!
Sincerely,
Naima Sawaya 136th Editor-in-Chief of The Cavalier Daily
Community members react to the Presidential transition
President Donald J. Trump was inaugurated Jan. 20, marking only the second time in United States history where a president will serve two non-consecutive terms — the first being Grover Cleveland as the 22nd and 24th president. Prior to the inauguration, Trump announced numerous policies that he aims to implement or retract, taking advantage of the fact that both the Senate and the House of Representatives are under Republican control for at least the next two years.
University students said they would pay close attention to the inauguration and incoming administration. Third-year College student Kierany Lewis, who was involved with the Kamala Harris 2024 campaign throughout the fall semester, expressed concern about Trump’s reelection, saying that this was not the outcome she was hoping for. Lewis said that one issue in particular that she worries might have a direct impact on the University is immigration policy.
“I’m definitely kind of worried about some of the immigration policies, because I know a lot of students on Grounds … whose parents are immigrants,” Lewis said. “It’s really upsetting to me that students now have to worry about that.”
Second-year College student Ryan Shoztic, whose political views are more moderate, also spoke about immigration policy, particularly as it relates to academic visas and how the Trump administration might change certain aspects of the visa program, such as paths to citizenship afterwards. He said he thinks this will be the issue that will most directly affect the University community because of the number of international students on Grounds.
Trump was sworn in around noon Jan. 20 and immediately issued several executive orders.
Students share their thoughts on U.Va. Dine’s new meal exchange options
U.Va. Dine is debuting changes that will add flexibility to students’ dining experience, according to an email sent to students just before the beginning of the semester. Spring semester additions to the dining experience on Grounds impacted dining options in the Pavilion XI at Newcomb Hall, including a new Chick-fil-A meal exchange exclusively Fridays, as well as cementing Subway and Starbucks meal exchanges that were first introduced last semester.
As a result of increased demand for these new options, students have experienced longer waiting times and some have been discouraged from ordering after seeing their estimated wait.
Depending on the type of meal plan they have, students have access to a certain number of dining swipes, meal exchanges and Flex Dollars which they can use around Grounds at various dining locations. Dining swipes may be used at one of the three dining halls.
Meal exchanges allow students who have a dining plan to order a preset meal option from other dining locations at no additional cost. Students with a meal plan are able to use two or three meal exchanges per day, depending on the plan. Flex Dollars, of which an allotted amount is purchased as part of a dining plan, allow students to buy items at full price, exempt from sales tax.
Chick-fil-A is also piloting meal exchanges on Fridays. The option began Jan. 17, and saw large numbers of students ordering throughout the day. During lunch hours, wait times were consistently above 30 minutes, with over 100 students in line before noon, according to Grubhub.
Halfway there — a progress report of U.Va.’s 2030 Plan
Five years into President Ryan’s plan, the University has made progress across a variety of dimensions including housing and academics
Vyshnavi Tatta | Staff
Writer
The University has reached the midpoint of the 2030 “Great and Good” Plan timeline. Announced in 2019 as part of University President Jim Ryan’s overarching 2030 vision to position the University as the nation’s leading public institution, the 2030 Plan has led to numerous changes across Grounds. This plan was approved by the Board of Visitors in 2019 and aims to strengthen the University’s foundation, cultivate a vibrant community in higher education, enable discoveries that enrich lives and serve the local community.
Key developments emerging from this plan include the construction of the School of Data Science, the opening of the Gaston and Ramazani Houses for upperclassmen and renovations of the Edgar Shannon Library. Additionally, the plan has introduced initiatives to enhance financial aid, expand student advising and advance research, all of which is aimed at enriching the University experience for students and staff alike.
With goals such as housing all second-years on Grounds, becoming the number one public university in the nation and establishing the University as a leader in 21st-century research and education, the 2030 Plan is robust and ambitious. Here is a progress report on a few of the key tenets of the plan.
Housing
The 2030 Plan aspires to house all first- and second-years on Grounds, an area in which the University has taken deliberate steps to achieving. Right now, only first-year students are required to live on Grounds with a majority of upperclassmen choosing to live off Grounds. This reality creates more demand in the Charlottesville housing market and potentially contributes to the affordable housing crisis.
In working to realize the 2030 Plan, the University has built and is building more upperclassmen housing. After its opening in Fall 2024, the Gaston and Ramazani Houses have already reached full occupancy, housing 338 upperclassmen. The construction of those residence halls increases the total capacity of on-Grounds upperclassmen housing to 2,797 — up from 2,409 in the past.
According to University Spokesperson Bethanie Glover, the University also plans to build more residence halls along the Emmet-Ivy Corridor — a University-owned plot of land under development — containing around 800 beds.
Jolina Dong, second-year College student and resident of Gaston and Ramazani Houses, says she has had a positive experience living there and thinks it is advantageous for the University to house second-years on
Grounds in the future.
“I actually don’t think [housing second-years would] be a bad idea,” Dong said. “Second year is still a tough year to get associated with school. It’s really nice to have community, and I know this whole off-Grounds versus on-Grounds dilemma stresses so many first years out.”
Sagar Murthy, third-year Commerce student who lives at Bice House, also believes that having first and second-years on Grounds can prove to be beneficial from the financial perspective to a lot of students.
“I think more housing in general is good to stop the prices from continuing to go higher, Charlotesville rent is insane for the college town it is,” Murthy said. “I think it will make U.Va. financially more attainable for lots of people.”
Data Science School
The School of Data Science was also established as part of the 2030 Plan which seeks to establish the University as a leader in research. In 2019, the school initially enrolled graduate students before welcoming its first undergraduate cohort in fall 2024. The newly opened SDS building, located on the Emmet-Ivy Corridor, opened in April 2024 and is designed to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation with an open floor plan and two-story central hub.
The University is the first in the country to have a school for data science, a specialty focused on using technology and science to gain insight from data. Students majoring in data science have the opportunity to concentrate in astronomy, analytical accounting, neuroscience and more.
The first undergraduate class in SDS is 75 students — a majority of whom are women.
Second-year Data Science student
Yuthi Madireddy said she appreciates the versatility of the major, which allows graduates to work across various industries and explore what they like to study.
“I think offering those [concentrations] … encourages more people to kind of branch out and try these new things and see for themselves what they like, what they don’t, and take what they can from it,” Madireddy said.
Academic Support and Improvement
To provide better academic support, the 2030 Plan aims to address issues with academic advising and financial aid in addition to creating opportunities for students to be more well-rounded.
In terms of financial aid, the University expanded its financial aid program in 2018 and again in late 2023 to better support Virginia families. Under the updated program, titled SuccessUVA, in-state students from families earning $50,000 or less annually now receive grants and scholarships covering tuition, fees, housing and dining, an increase from the previous $30,000 threshold.
Families with incomes up to $100,000 will have tuition and fees fully covered, up from the prior $80,000 limit, while those earning up to $150,000 will receive at least $2,000 in need-based grants, an increase from the earlier $125,000 annual income threshold. This initiative aims to enhance accessibility and affordability for students from lower- and middle-income backgrounds.
According to Glover, the University has improved undergraduate advising as part of the 2030 Plan by implementing structural and staffing changes across several schools, including the College of Arts and Sciences and School of Engineering and Applied Science. Previous concerns about academic advising were that it was not sufficiently specific, as students typically had advisors from outside their major during their first and second years. Additionally, the University launched a new online ad-
vising platform this year, called Stellic, which allows students to explore different academic paths and access advisor support more easily.
As part of the 2030 Plan’s aim to expand its research goals and address pressing societal issues, the University started the Grand Challenges Research Investments, which focuses on areas of democracy, environmental resilience, precision medicine, neuroscience and digital technology.
These investments in academic areas are part of a broader strategy to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and enhance the University’s impact on global issues.
Community Engagement
In striving to more positively impact the Charlottesville community, the 2030 Plan works to engage and support the local community through initiatives like the President’s Council on U.Va.-Community Partnerships. This council leads the Good Neighbor Program initiative by suggesting ways for the University to strengthen its relationship with the Charlottesville and Albemarle County communities. These recommendations focus on education, employment, affordable housing, the local economy and public safety.
Through this initiative, the Pipelines & Pathways program connects
local residents with jobs and career advancement opportunities at the University. Since its launch in spring 2023, the program has provided entry-level jobs to over 200 people and engaged more than 1,000 people in the job-seeking process, according to Glover. She said that these initiatives show the University’s commitment to building a positive, symbiotic relationship with its surrounding community.
The Future of the 2030 Plan
The University has made significant progress in achieving its strategic goals as outlined in the 2030 Plan, especially as these goals relate to various construction projects such as upperclassmen housing and the School of Data Science.
Nevertheless, certain aspirations, such as becoming the number one public university in the country, remain unrealized — the University dropped two spots to number five in 2024 U.S. News & World Report public university rankings. For the next five years, these same aspirations will continue to drive the direction of the University. More information on the progress of the 2030 Plan can be found on its official website.
KAYLA MOORE THE CAVALIER DAILY
The University has made significant progress in achieving its strategic goals as outlined in the 2030 Plan
Democrats seek Youngkin’s support in his last session
As Youngkin’s final year in office begins, Democratic legislators anticipate that he will continue to veto bills passed during the 2025 session
Lauren Seeliger| Staff Writer
As lawmakers return to Richmond for the 2025 legislative session, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin will once again experience divided control of the General Assembly, with Democrats holding majorities in both the State Senate and House of Delegates. As Youngkin retains veto power over any bills passed by the Assembly, Democrats require his support to achieve key priorities.
Lawmakers were able to file bills from July 15 to Jan. 17 and session was originally set to begin Jan. 8. After a delay due to the Richmond water crisis, during which a snowstorm the week before caused a citywide water shortage, the General Assembly began session Jan. 13. With this year being odd-numbered, the General Assembly will meet for 30 days — in even-numbered years, the Assembly holds session for 60 days. Enacted legislation will go into effect July 1.
Among the thousands of bills filed, there are a handful which have the potential to impact University students. These bills include a grant program to help end food insecurity on Virginia college campuses, an endowment to provide scholarships to students at 12 eligible Virginia public universities and various constitutional amendments.
Senate Bill 1016 was introduced by Danica Roem, D-Manassas and proposes a Hunger-Free Campus Grant program that will work to eliminate food insecurity on campuses of public institutions and eligible private institutions of higher education. In order for an institution to be eligible for the grant, they must create an on-campus food pantry or partner with a local food bank to provide students with information about food services in the area. If passed, this bill could directly affect the University by expanding funding for the existing food pantry on Grounds.
Eleanor Steiner, executive director of the University Community Food Pantry and fourth-year College student has been advocating for the bill for several months and said that the bill could be essential to the operations of the Pantry — which include providing essential food and hygiene items free of charge to mitigate financial hardships of University students and staff.
Steiner said her primary concern, as executive director, is identifying a sustainable funding source to ensure the Pantry remains a student resource for many years to come. The Pantry is currently funded by a 2018 donation from the Parents Fund, a committee supporting students and other onGrounds initiatives. A grant program established by this bill could help support the Pantry’s functions long-term.
Steiner said she began advocating
for SB 1016 when Robb Friedlander, director of advocacy at Swipe Out Hunger, reached out to her from the University of California, Los Angeles. Swipe Out Hunger is a nonprofit that works with colleges and universities to provide food resources to students, and at the time, Friedlander was advocating for the Hunger–Free Campus Bill and wanted insight from Steiner about food insecurity in Virginia.
Ultimately, Steiner and the Pantry invited Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Charlottesville, and Del. Amy Laufer, D-Charlottesville, to the University to discuss food insecurity problems on Grounds and ask them to cosponsor this year’s bill in support of Roem.
“Getting [Deeds and Laufer] to sign on and be cosponsors was our role, just letting them know about the issue, because so many people don’t even know that it’s a problem,” Steiner said.
According to Steiner, student leaders from around Virginia will be meeting Jan. 29 in Richmond to advocate for SB 1016. Students will meet with the legislature all day to discuss the need for the Hunger-Free Campus Grant — many college campuses report food insecurity levels around four times the national average, with students lacking access to affordable food.
This is not the first time the Virginia legislature has tried to address food insecurity at universities — during the 2024 session, the House passed House Bill 827 which required the State Council of Higher Education to survey every public institution of higher education to determine how they are addressing food insecurity. SCHEV reported that almost all of the institutions surveyed were aware of on-campus food insecurity and actively working to address the issue.
The report also made recommendations for what more could be done to further these efforts, such as involving students in the implementation of services to combat food insecurity. SB 1016 is part of those increased efforts to address food insecurity through establishing the grant program.
Another proposed bill this session that would affect Virginia college students is SB 501 which deals with the creation of the Virginia College Opportunity Endowment and Fund and aims to support students at universities with smaller endowments. The bill was introduced by Sen. Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax and the Senate majority leader.
Students at 12 universities across the state, including the University’s College at Wise, would qualify to receive a scholarship, provided that they are also eligible for the Federal
Pell Grant and remain residents of Virginia for eight years post-graduation.
The University’s main campus, William & Mary and Virginia Tech are not included in the 12 eligible universities.
“[U.Va., Virginia Tech and William & Mary] have lots of endowment funds and private funds that they’re able to draw on to attract high achieving, [Federal Pell Grant] eligible students,” Surovell said. “[These universities] have massive endowments because they only let white men in for their first one or 200 years. My bill is trying to make up for that history of discrimination.”
Republicans have also introduced several bills for the session, including HB 1588, proposed by Del. Wren Williams, R-Galax. This bill would prevent rate increases of public utilities during the months of November-February. Another bill focused on decreasing living costs, HB 1790 — introduced by Del. Robert Orrock, R-Spotsylvania — would authorize localities in Virginia to designate specific districts for affordable housing. Generally, in a Democratic controlled legislature, Republican bills have a small likelihood of passing unless they can garner bipartisan support.
This session, legislators will also consider amending the Constitution of Virginia. Surovell said there are three amendments especially impor-
tant for college students to follow — all three of which were first approved in 2024 and continued to 2025 by a voice vote. Because constitutional amendments must be approved at two separate legislative sessions before being decided on by voters, the amendments will need to pass both houses this year.
In Virginia, amending the Constitution does not require the approval of the governor. The amendment language must be proposed twice to the General Assembly, with an election in between. If the bills pass both times in the Assembly, they are put on the ballot during a general election for state residents to vote on. If the amendments receive more than 50 percent of the vote, they will be enacted. The next general election will be held in November of this year.
The first of these amendments is House Joint Resolution 1, introduced by Del. Charniele Herring, D-Alexandria. HJ 1 is the Fundamental Right to Reproductive Freedom, which would prohibit the Virginia government from penalizing or prosecuting any individual for exercising their right to reproductive freedom.
HJ 2, introduced by Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, D-Alexandria, is regarding voting rights. The bill proposes that convicted felons only be prohibited from voting during their incarceration period and are freely allowed to vote once released. Existing
language requires the governor to restore the right to vote to a convicted felon.
Lastly, HJ 9, introduced by Mark Sickles, D-Fairfax, repeals current language that marriage is only the union of one man and one woman and proposes language stating that marriage is a fundamental right and issuing a marriage license is not dependent on the sex, gender or race of the two parties.
As Youngkin’s final year in office begins, Democratic legislators anticipate that he will continue to veto bills passed during the 2025 session. Surovell said the Democrats are always open to collaboration on bills with the governor, but that Youngkin has shown little willingness to do the same.
“[Youngkin] has vetoed twice as many bills as any other governor in history.” Surovell said. “Our door is always open to talk, [but] I have yet to receive any offers to work on specific, significant policies together.”
After session concludes, Youngkin will review bills passed by legislators and decide whether to sign or veto them — the assembly can then attempt to override a veto or accept or reject the governor’s proposed amendments. Session will last 30 days, but can be extended by up to 30 additional days if needed. Legislators will reconvene April 2 to consider Youngkin’s amendments and vetoes.
COURTESY RON COGSWELL VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
As Youngkin’s final year in office begins, Democratic legislators anticipate that he will continue to veto bills passed during the 2025 session
Guide Service restarts historical tours independently
After an extended University suspension, the Guide Service has reinstated historical tours but will maintain a working relationship with administration
Jackie Bond | Senior Associate
The University Guide Service will begin holding independent historical tours Jan. 24 with tours offered every Friday, Saturday and Sunday starting at 11 a.m. After a suspension of both historical and admissions tours before the beginning of the Fall 2024 semester, the Guide Service parted from the University Dec. 4 to independently reinstate historical tours. Guide Service leadership has said that they will continue working with the University to reinstate admissions tours.
The Guide Service is a student-led organization which had previously been able to conduct tours sanctioned by the University per a special status organization agreement in which the Guide Service acts as an agent of the University. According to University Spokesperson Bethanie Glover, in conducting historical tours separately from administrative authority, the Guide Service is no longer considered to be acting on behalf of the University.
“Any individual may give a tour of the University, however, the Guide Service provides tours on the University’s behalf through a special status agreement.” Glover said. “They are free to resume historic tours as individuals, separate from the Guide Service agreement and name.”
Beginning at the Rotunda steps and navigating the Academical Village and gardens, previous Guide Service historical tours delved into the founding ideals of the University and how these ideals have evolved over time.
According to Jack Giese, co-chair of the Guide Service and fourth-year College student, there will be no significant changes to the content of these tours and the Guide Service will continue to implement the student-led training program for historical tours. This program consists of four hours of in-person training each week for a total of ten weeks, in which students learn history from local “experts” including historians, professors and graduate students.
“We’ve always had a unique student-run training, and so we will not be changing the content from what we’ve done in the past, as all of that information is something that was student-generated,” Giese said. “Our tours have their distinct brand, and we are going to stick to that as closely as we have in the past.”
Davis Taliaferro, Guide Service co-chair and fourth-year College student, said that the purpose of historical tours is to shed light on the University’s complicated past while also reflecting a broader national story of resistance to oppression and rising against unjust systems in hopes of a better future.
“[The suspension] put a full stop to all of that history being shared … so a lot of the stories that we share weren’t
shared for that semester during a period where we saw a lot of discussions about history, as it is increasingly relevant in election years,” Taliaferro said.
While the University will not hold student-led historical tours this semester, Glover said administrators have been working with members of the Guide Service to develop self-guided tours in the form of a brochure to be released at the start of this semester.
According to Glover, the University will also be developing a more comprehensive self-guided audio or online history tour which will debut at the beginning of the Fall 2025 semester.
“The decision to pause the University’s delegation of authority to the University Guide Service to deliver U.Va. history tours centers on the institution’s desire to work with historians, students and others in our community to develop a holistic, self-guided U.Va. history tour that honestly, fully and consistently engages with our school’s history — both the difficult and the uplifting stories,” Glover said.
According to Giese, the University provided reasoning for the suspension of admissions tours and a framework for improvement by means of a semester-long training program, but there was limited explanation as to why the historical tours were also placed on an extended suspension.
“The complaints that administrators had [for admissions tours] were made pretty clear over the summer when they suspended us and there was a very clear pathway forward,” Giese said. “What we noticed on the history side is those [tours] were suspended at the same time without the same justifications that the admissions tour suspension had.”
Taliaferro also shared that there was little effort from the University to reestablish historical tours led by the Guide Service, which factored into their decision to conduct tours independently.
“It was ultimately that waiting game of us asking and asking for answers and not really getting anything in return, particularly in terms of the return date [of historical tours], that pushed us to give these tours.” Taliaferro said.
Guide Service members will also not be able to conduct admissions tours this semester without completing a semester-long training program established by the Office of Admissions last fall in order to address concerns about Guide Service tour quality. Only one Guide has completed this program thus far — other than that individual, only interns for the Office of Admission can conduct those tours.
According to Taliaferro, student Guides are currently in the process of completing this training. Taliaferro said that the Guide Service originally had approximately 100 student Guides
in the Spring 2024 semester before the suspension took place, and now there are approximately 50 to 60 Guides who are currently training for admissions tours while also preparing to give independent historical tours.
One second-year Guide, who asked to remain anonymous, stated their support for the co-chairs’ efforts to work with University administration and return to giving University-sanctioned tours. According to this Guide, the University did not adequately inform Guides on the problems with tours before suspending the Guide Service, but said that they still hope to work with the University in future.
“I definitely think that working with the University is always the best option. Even though we might not agree with them on some things, they unfortunately have the power in this situation,” the Guide said. “And I think that giving historical tours with their support … just makes them better [and allows for] more people to come on these tours.”
According to Glover, the University will continue to work with Guide Service leadership to navigate the best path forward for both admissions and historical tours this semester. Both Giese and Taliaferro also stated their intention to continue communication and meet with University administrators to reach an
agreement and eventually return to giving University-sanctioned tours as a special status organization.
“We do think that our mission is best carried out when we are doing tours on behalf of the University, pro-
vided that we have enough autonomy to train new Guides … and give Guides enough space and flexibility to choose the narratives in history that speak to them and that they want to share to others,” Giese said.
KAYLA MOORE THE CAVALIER DAILY
The University Guide Service is a student-led organization which had previously been able to conduct tours sanctioned by the University
OPINION
LEAD EDITORIAL
Support low-barrier shelters in Charlottesville
Low-barrier shelters ensure that all unhoused people are entitled to housing, regardless of employment, criminal record or other obstacles
200 people in Charlottesville experience homelessness annually. Of four active shelters, the largest shelter provides only 55 beds, and these beds are limited to unhoused individuals screened by a variety of high-barrier assessments. This means that, in the coldest months of the year, there is a dire shortage of available shelter beds for the unhoused population.
In order to solve this deficiency, Charlottesville City Council has proposed the establishment of a low-barrier shelter. Low-barrier shelters do not require drug tests, identification or other barriers commonplace in other shelters. There is already one low-barrier shelter in Charlottesville, People and Congregations Engaged in Ministry. However, PACEM is only open in the winter months. In order to fully address demand, Charlottesville must establish this low-barrier shelter, thus demonstrating an admirable and vital commitment to shelter as a human right.
While the high-barrier shelters which exist in the City are neces-
sary, their regulations mean that they are only able to provide shelter to a fraction of the unhoused community. Screenings for high-barrier shelters include furnishing proof of employment, clear drug history or a government ID. These are all requirements which neglect the basic reality of homelessness — many people who experience homelessness are not able to be accepted into high-barrier shelters. One-third of the unhoused population is addicted to drugs, and 54 percent have been incarcerated at one point — barring them from high-barrier shelters. Moreover, these factors certainly should not disqualify any person from being able to safely find shelter. And yet, the reality of high-barrier shelters is that these factors are disqualifying even in months when remaining outside can be life threatening.
Critics of investment into low-barrier shelters will point out that it seems like a dangerous idea to provide relatively unconditional housing to those with compromising
backgrounds. These people would say that the safety of those who simply could not find a bed in a high-barrier shelter is threatened by those who were turned away from high-barrier shelters. Espousing rhetoric that low-barrier shelters are simply venues of crime engenders untruthful rhetoric which dehumanizes those who lack housing.
Safety should be the number one priority for any project funded by taxpayer dollars. However, low-barrier shelters should not be conflated with no-barrier shelters. Rather, rules do not ban entry but do govern guests’ behavior on the premises. In this way, the safety of guests and surrounding communities is realized in rules which may include bans on weapons and drugs on the premises. Moreover, any sort of shelter reduces crime and drug use in the long run, helping to move people away from the struggles of homelessness. In short, investing in low-barrier shelters now will pay off in increased stability for the unhoused community, which will im-
prove the safety of shelters and the community writ large.
In the past, Charlottesville has undertaken initiatives to support unhoused individuals. Its prioritization of housing first programs, for example, provided over 60 units of affordable housing to those seeking shelter. The University has also worked to support underserved populations including the unhoused community. For example, U.Va. Health recently launched a mobile care unit to solve health inequities, and the University also runs a program which provides opioid-use disorder care in concert with The Haven, a day shelter on the Downtown Mall.
In this way, the University has demonstrated that they are able to work closely with Charlottesville to address the root causes and health implications of homelessness. As a source of vast funding, the University could easily help Charlottesville expand its low-barrier shelter system. But beyond those efforts, the University must continue to actively con-
front its role in developing the exact shortage of affordable shelter that has exacerbated these divisions.
Winter renders homelessness visible in a way that it rarely is to those who do not care to look. As such, this is a moment for us to reflect on the nature of high-barrier shelter rules, and to realize that these rules inhibit human beings from having a roof over their heads. To address this humanitarian violation, the proposed low-barrier shelter must be established to better support Charlottesville’s unhoused population. Housing is essential for survival, and we should start treating it like a basic human right.
THE CAVALIER DAILY EDITORIAL BOARD is composed of the Executive Editor, the Editor-in-Chief, the two Opinion Editors, their Senior Associates and an Opinion Columnist. The board can be reached at eb@cavalierdaily.com.
Denying RAs compensation will leave us behind
Housing and Residence Life continues to benefit from an institutional power imbalance that disadvantages and undervalues those doing the grunt work
Housing and Residence Life has been under scrutiny this past year for compromising RA autonomy and providing inadequate compensation. HRL has guidelines that theoretically navigate and govern the power imbalance between RAs and HRL, but those guidelines directly contradict the actions taken by HRL. This relationship does not resemble a voluntary partnership between two equally powerful allies but rather a hierarchical dynamic in which RAs are treated as school property and HRL fails to compensate them. The dissonance between the de facto status of RAs and their compensation will hurt current RAs and prospective applicants, compromising HRL’s ability to realize its mission.
HRL’s website describes the role of RAs and the organization as “[supporting] the physical wellbeing of students and their academic, social and emotional development.” Rather, it means being on call for any emergencies at least once a semester and on coverage for more than four weekends. In addition to cri -
sis management, RAs must host events to integrate residents into the community. RAs must attend meetings with their Senior Residents and document ongoing issues for HRL.
Theoretically, HRL argues that RAs are compensated for this job
and a meal plan throughout an academic year, RAs would still be an underpaid class of employees on Grounds. RAs do not work traditional hours — they frequently operate at odd hours, serving as therapists, emergency responders and event planners.
SRs with last-minute changes to the status quo demonstrated that HRL is increasingly exercising control over Resident Staff as employees not partners, without compensating them accordingly. Rather than granting RAs greater autonomy, HRL has begun to cat -
Every other role at the University does not have such a range of expectations and compensates well beyond that of RAs.”
in the form of free housing and a limited meal plan. However, one might argue that these are basic preconditions of the job — if HRL did not provide free housing and meal plans, they would be guilty of creating employment without the preconditions for that employment. Housing and a meal plan are not payment so much as the bare minimum for RAs to exist at all.
Even with housing and meal plans, compensation remains insufficient. If we combine the monetary value of both housing
Every other role at the University does not have such a range of expectations and compensates well beyond that of RAs.
Understanding this undercompensation makes the egregious nature of HRL’s interference in the RA role appear even worse. HRL decided to insert itself into the RA appointment process last year by pre-assigning 25 percent of its staffers. Previously, students had a certain degree of control over appointments because SRs selected their own staff. Blindsiding their own
egorize them as employees rather than students doing a difficult job.
The difficulty of the RA job and lack of benefits may deter motivated candidates. When you factor in a string of bad decisions that reduce worker autonomy and undervalue RAs, you have successfully stripped the job of the few merits it may have. The University does not pay its RAs any stipends, something that other Virginian institutions do. Yet they get to infringe on long-established rights without any
meaningful feedback from the RAs themselves.
The evolving dynamic between Housing and Residence Life and its RAs illustrates a troubling imbalance that undermines the role’s core purpose. By prioritizing control over collaboration while also saying that the very autonomy which they compromise is compensation, HRL alienates the individuals it relies on to maintain a supportive and well-integrated residential community. Without meaningful changes to both compensation and autonomy, the University jeopardizes not only the quality of RA candidates but also the broader principles of student self-governance and worker recognition. If the institution truly values its RAs as more than employees, it must reflect that commitment through equitable policies and practices that acknowledge the unique challenges of the role.
MUHAMMAD ALI RASHID is a senior associate opinion editor for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at opinion@cavalierdaily.com.
McIntire’s three-year model limits students
For first-year students, applications for the McIntire School of Commerce will open Jan. 29 and close Apr. 30. This represents the first application cycle after Commerce decided to undergo a monumental change in the school’s admissions process — while students used to apply during their second year, they now apply by the end of their first year. The goal of this change is to broaden the scope of information that McIntire can cover by keeping students in the program for an extra year. However, this change leaves prospective applicants with little time to explore diverse interests before committing to commerce. In this way, the new three-year model is antithetical to the University’s mission to promote a holistic education, instead pigeonholing students into one subject much too early.
To apply to Commerce, applicants must submit a transcript, two video essays and completion of a handful of prerequisite class requirements. Previously, students had two years to compile this information. The new system means that applicants will have half the time to obtain class and extracurricular experiences.
The new model hurts students by preventing them from taking a diverse array of courses
Similarly, in the past, the admissions team had an extra semester of data to decide the admissions process, meaning that they could track students’ progress throughout their first and second year. The truncated timeline coupled with the number of requirements will limit the experience reflected in applications and the ability of the admissions team to holisti -
ing them to explore other fields. Consequently, applicants will be coming in with less dynamic transcripts and will be less able to understand how commerce interacts with other fields. Even though it is possible for students to take courses in fields besides commerce, the three-year model places unnecessary obstacles in their way.
not be able to discover this interest in commerce by the application time of the two-year model, the chance certainly increases with an extra semester of classes.
The challenges presented by this change beg the question of why Commerce made this decision in the first place. The majority of top undergraduate business schools in the United States
The new three-year model is antithetical to the University’s mission to promote a holistic education.”
cally evaluate candidates. Additionally, being forced to apply so early will hurt students’ opportunities to explore their own interests and will impede them from developing the holistic worldview which should be intrinsic to any commerce curriculum. Having to take Intro to Microeconomics, Commerce 1800, a writing requirement and multiple recommended courses while simultaneously completing an application — all in two semesters — traps students in the commerce path without allow -
In addition to affecting the well-roundedness of applicants, these obstacles inhibit students who may not be naturally inclined towards Commerce from applying. These students will be unable to unearth their interest in Commerce before the opportunity to apply to McIntire has passed. In the new threeyear model, students are given a more limited amount of time to take classes, join organizations on Grounds and discover which career path best suits them. Although some students still may
have switched to a new three or four year model within the last few decades to emphasize a more career-oriented education. Thus, it seems beneficial for the University to follow suit. In reality, however, not only is this change unnecessary to preserve Commerce’s reputation, but it also sets students up for failure in admissions and education.
Before making this switch, Commerce at the University was still a highly-rated undergraduate program. Despite its previous two-year curriculum, the Univer -
HUMOR
Taking my professor to the
frats
sity remained an attractive target school for employers, in part because of the University’s emphasis on a well-rounded liberal arts education. This education produces students who graduate prepared for their careers with a diversified skill set and the ability to think critically. It is odd to standardize a system sought after for this intellectual diversity.
Success in the field of business requires a deep understanding of multiple disciplines. Students pursuing a career in business benefit from gaining an understanding of economics, politics and many other fields due to the complex nature of the business world. The purpose of a college education is to strengthen one’s knowledge in order to utilize this broad understanding to solve problems. By pigeonholing students into commerce so early, the University violates its own mission of providing a holistic education that produces students capable of succeeding in a variety of fields.
ALEX SHRAUGER is an opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at opinion@cavalierdaily.com.
Editor’s note: This article is a humor column.
Everyone remembers their first finals season. As I write this, I’m applying for U.Va. in Ibiza, a summer abroad program that requires my transcript. That struck me as odd, because in Ibiza, I’m only required to take two 1000-level courses — but as a strung-out third-year, I’m in no position to complain.
In reviewing my efforts from first year, I was taken back to when I received my first A-. Now, I might have my Canvas notifications silenced, but back then, I didn’t take a grade like that well — and I refused to be denied a chance to change it.
As my first finals week approached, I organized my computer into split screens of Canvas, SIS and the RapidTables Grade Calculator, ready to spend hours plugging in numbers to see what I needed on my finals to get
straight A’s. But as I opened up SIS, I audibly gasped as an Astared back at me.
How was a 93.4 even an A- in the first place? Not to mention, I had meticulously attended office hours every eighth Wednesday. That’s when I saw it. Attendance and participation. I had received an 80. In the comments section, my professor had written “Not enough eye contact.” My reaction was shock — I’d been sure I fulfilled the two to three moments of deadlocking eyes as required!
My 4.0 was in jeopardy, so I had no time to waste. I burst into Professor Porter Stoutman’s office hours with a false story about my grandma breaking her leg and thoughts of sad puppies in case I needed to spring some tears.
Professor Stoutman listened to my plight, and before I could pull out the story — it would have been my grandma’s third
broken leg this semester — he carefully turned his orange-andblue tweed cap backwards. He agreed to round my grade. However, there was one condition — I had to take him to the frats to help him relive his glory days of drinking and hazing.
I was the last student I would have expected him to ask, which I thought was obvious from my tendency to stay in libraries until I was forced to leave. I had expected an extra paper of some sort, but it seemed easy enough. We set the date for Friday night.
On that fateful night, I shivered as I approached the Corner Bank of America — our designated meeting spot — and stopped in my tracks when I saw him. He hadn’t changed out of his button-up, but he had put ON a tie. Undeterred, I led him down Rugby Road and towards the only frat whose letters I knew, Kappa Wamma Damma.
Stoutman and I marched up to the front door, but were halted by a five-foot-one frat guy wearing flip-flops in December. He inquired whether I or “the old man” had DoorList. I, mistaking the app for being the SIS waitlist, was turned away. Professor Stoutman, not having any apps at all, was also rejected.
I was ready to give up and wave my 4.0 goodbye. But Professor Stoutman wasn’t easily defeated. Demonstrating more athletic prowess at 64 than I had in my life, Professor Stoutman leapt through the window. I got caught in a bush in my trek to the windowsill, and, covered in leaves, I scampered behind him.
Frantically looking around, my eyes locked on a bewildering sight. Professor Stoutman, one arm frat flicking high in the air. The other was slung around the DJ. He had accumulated a pair of sunglasses in the two seconds I
had lost him. I watched as he descended into the masses to crowd surf to the beat drop of “Turn Down for What.”
I figured that Professor Stoutman would be fine — and watching him dap up students in the crowd was making me feel lame. Thus, I began the chilly trek home.
The weekend went by with no word from Professor Stoutman. Fear struck my heart — did “Turn Down for What” actually kill him? I was rescued from my panic by an email in the afternoon, and breathed a huge sigh of relief.
“Still hungover, LOL. Yuo get 100. Thakns for night out. Peace n love, Professor Stoutman.”
ANNA SCOTT is a humor columnist for The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at humor@cavalierdaily.com
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CAVALIER DAILY
Junior guard Andrew Rohde does not pay attention to his stats. Except for one, that is — his assist to turnover ratio, a metric calculated by dividing a player’s assists by their turnovers. The result is a fairly strong portrayal of a player’s playmaking.
Rohde has taken leaps as a passer this season, reflected by his ratio since Dec. 31 of five assists for every turnover, and by Interim Coach Ron Sanchez’s use of him as Virginia’s starting point guard and offensive conductor. He partly attributes this to his mental approach — he likes to go into a game with a clear head, waiting until afterward to study the box score.
“There’s an added pressure, when you’ve got the ball in your hands a lot more, to not turn the ball over,” Rohde said in an interview with The Cavalier Daily. “I don’t really think about a lot of that stuff, though — going into games I just try and go in with a mentality of trying to help my team win, and I try not to put too much pressure on myself.”
After impressing at St. Thomas in the 2022-23 season, Rohde transferred to Virginia and played over 25 minutes per game in a more off-ball role in his first season as a Cavalier. Working alongside Reece Beekman, Rohde — an offensive force of his own in his time with the Tommies — struggled to make the same impact on the offensive end last season.
But heading into this season, roster turnover shifted Rohde into a different role.
He started the season plagued by turnovers, averaging 2.9 per game through the team’s first 10 games, but he has since tidied up his act, with that 5.0 ratio since conference play began. Being a team’s lead ball-handler comes with all sorts of added expectations, and Rohde said that his improvements have come as a result of “comfortability” in his new role, as well as his relationships and trust with his teammates.
“As I got more and more games under [my] belt [I] get more and more comfortable with the ball in [my] hands,” Rohde said. “It definitely helped a lot, knowing the places that [my teammates] are going to be and knowing the spots that they like the ball.”
Rohde shares a backcourt
SPORTS
The reinvention of Andrew Rohde
The junior guard has stepped into the spotlight this season as a ball-handler and scorer
Thomas Baxter | Staff Writer
with two guards — junior Isaac McKneely and sophomore Dai Dai Ames — who are both strong shot creators in their own respects.
“When [Rohde] comes off ball screens he sees everything,” McKneely said. “He sees the floor really well. As a shooter I love it because he puts the ball right in my chest. All I have to do is just go up and shoot it.”
Rohde creates most of his passing and scoring opportunities out of the pick-and-roll — when he pairs with one of the team’s bigger players to disrupt the opposing defense. Rohde pointed to his extra time in the gym with sophomore forward Blake Buchanan over the past two seasons as helping them both get a lot out of each other’s games this season.
He also said his work with newcomers in junior forward Elijah Saunders and freshman forward Jacob Cofie has helped him make big plays on offense.
“I know they have my back,
[and] I have theirs,” Rohde said. “I trust them to catch the ball even when I put it in a spot where it might be hard for them to get.”
Continued votes of confidence from Sanchez also helped Rohde get comfortable in his new role, the player said. He added that Sanchez keeps telling him to “be himself,” and that the entire staff’s trust helps him make the right decisions on the court.
Averaging double as many points as last year on remarkably higher efficiency, Rohde has soared to become the team’s third leading scorer, averaging 8.6 points, and its leading passer. He is remarkably effective at coming off a screen and positioning himself between his defender and the basket, allowing him to read the defense and decide whether he is going to shoot or pass.
“During practice we work a lot on two-on-one situations,” Rohde said. “So when I’ve got my defender on my hip or behind me, I try to keep him there, and at that point it’s just, ‘read
the big’ — if he’s in drop coverage I try to get to my floater or my pull-up. It’s kind of a little game you have to play with a lot of pass fakes and try to play off two feet.”
That ability to get his defender in “jail” does not show up on the box score the way the points and assists might. That is not a big problem for Rohde — again, what matters is keeping the mistakes to a minimum and finding ways to help the team win.
Rohde also leads the team in steals and is often tasked with guarding the opponent’s main playmaker — where the active hands and quick footwork which he said he fine-tuned while watching Beekman last year have been invaluable.
The season still trudges on, but the wins have not been coming in droves — or recently, at all. With only two wins against conference opponents — games against NC State and Boston College in which Rohde scored a combined 27 points and assisted
13 baskets with only one turnover — Virginia is still looking to create positive momentum.
“I think at this point in the season, I have to just continue to do what I do, but I have got to keep elevating to a higher level so we can actually start winning as many games as we can,” Rohde said.
Through a trying season, no one is more grateful to have Rohde in a Virginia uniform than his teammates. Virginia cruised past Boston College Tuesday with a 74-56 win, snapping a five-game losing streak. Rohde tied his Virginia career high of 16 points in the game and logged six assists. He never turned the ball over. McKneely, when asked about his teammate, smiled.
“It’s a blessing playing with Rohde,” McKneely said. “He’s just going to continue to do great things for us.”
BENVIN LOZADA THE CAVALIER DAILY
Rohde has shifted into a primary ball-handling role this season.
‘Just keep swimming’
Leah Hayes shares her story of becoming a dominant swimmer alongside her experience with alopecia
Xander Tilock | Sports Editor
Obviously, Virginia women’s swimming and diving is the backto-back-to-back-to-back national champion. Four straight times have the Cavaliers staked their claim as the nation’s very best, but the number four is also significant for another reason — Virginia signed four of the top 11 swimmers in the 2024 high school recruiting class.
Those freshman swimmers — Katie Grimes, Leah Hayes, Anna Moesch and Bailey Hartman — compose the next generation of superstar Cavaliers. That quartet will aim to etch their names into the history books alongside the historic achievements of a Walsh sister or Class of 2023 alumna Kate Douglass.
It seems like a lot of pressure for these young swimmers. Well, according to Hayes, it is not. Quite simply, for Hayes, swimming is all about a strong love of team, sport and self. When Hayes faces adver-
sity, she powers through.
Interestingly enough, swimming had not always been Hayes’ primary sport. Her parents mandated Hayes play an instrument and play a sport — and she tried ballet, soccer, dance and others in conjunction with playing the piano, before falling in love with swimming at the age of seven.
“One of my friends at the time had invited me to do swim lessons,” Hayes said in an interview with The Cavalier Daily. “And [after that], you couldn’t keep me out of the water.”
But at the age of eight years old, she also developed alopecia universalis — an autoimmune disorder which causes complete hair loss. She initially wore a wig, but the transition between a wig and a swimming cap was difficult. Hayes then decided that she would not wear a swimming cap at all, in a statement of self-love for her body.
“It started helping me accept
myself for who I was, and it also eventually led me to no longer wear a wig in public places,” Hayes said.
To this day, she still races without a swimming cap. And in her races, Hayes has been an absolute superstar.
Like many of these Cavaliers, Hayes came to Charlottesville with an already prolific resume. She was a member of the 2024-25 United States National Team, a bronze medalist in the 2022 FINA World Championships and the 2018 SportsKid of the Year from Sports Illustrated Kids, among other accomplishments.
In some ways, Hayes’ swimming progression has been tied to Virginia for years. That aforementioned bronze medal she earned in 2022? To some extent, it was assisted by the fact that Douglass dropped the event — giving Hayes the chance to compete. Hayes, just 16 years old at the time, capitalized
by earning bronze with a time of 02:08.91 in that 200 meter medley. It seems like destiny that she ended up at Virginia.
Hayes is one of the bright stars for the Cavaliers, and the nation.
In her first year with the Cavaliers, Hayes has already made her mark — posting a 4:01.34 performance in the 400 IM at the Tennessee Invite, which is the third-fastest time in program history.
But behind the scenes, the overarching sentiment for Virginia is not pressure — it is just fun.
“I think it’s more about just the fun that we experience in practice and just on the deck with each other that take [the pressures] off and help us excel,” Hayes said.
“Just keep swimming,” is a little jingle from the film “Finding Nemo.” It is also a mantra repeated by Coach Todd DeSorbo and his team. This Virginia squad embraces it — and it shows. This team is ultra-focused and dominant, but
not just in the sense that they eviscerate their competition. DeSorbo’s bunch also truly love each other, and the team culture is pristine.
Hayes is a winner in several ways, She shatters records in the pool, plus she is an inspiration to swimming fans and all those with alopecia. She will continue to “just keep swimming” throughout a successful freshman campaign, but regardless of the result of any race, Hayes’ confidence is undeterred — and is fueled by self-love.
“When I don’t wear a cap in the water, that is me saying ‘Hey, I’m bald, and I love it,’ and this is who I am and even though I have alopecia, this is what I’m capable of doing,” Hayes said. “It doesn’t stop me. I want to show people that even if you have an autoimmune disease, a disability, anything, that you are capable of achieving your goals, that nothing is standing in your way.”
Shane Cohen emerged from the shadows to redefine his legacy He started as a Division II walk-on, then captured a Division I national title and is now entering a professional career
Mofeoluwa
Akande | Sports Writer
Growing up, if you told Shane Cohen he was going to sign with Nike as a professional runner, he probably would have looked at you funny. Then he would have gone back to shooting baskets. But now, after a remarkable 2024 outdoor season at Virginia where he claimed a national title in the 800-meter, earned All-American First Team honors and set a personal best in the 800-meter final at the Olympic Trials, the fantasy of becoming a professional athlete has become a reality.
Cohen, who competed at Virginia for a year as a graduate transfer, turned professional a few days before Halloween, signing a sponsorship with Nike.
He will be in new Nike threads as he makes his professional debut Feb. 8 at the Millrose Games at The Armory in New York City. His first race of the year will be as part of a loaded 800-meter group battling it out indoors.
Looking at Cohen now — the accolades, the contract — it might seem like he has been planning for this his entire life. But that is not necessarily the case.
“I pretty much just [started running] because all my friends did it,” Cohen said in an interview with The Cavalier Daily.
Props to his middle school friends
for essentially creating a star. Cohen started running in seventh grade. However, early on in high school, there was another sport he shone bright in. The native of Huntingdon Valley, Pa., outside of Philadelphia, had a brotherly love with basketball, one he still cherishes to this day.
“That was the first love,” Cohen said. “I definitely, whenever I can, always try to get out and play. Whether it’s AFC, putting shots up, just kind of freshening up my mind from running all the time.”
Coming out of high school, Cohen considered two Division III schools for basketball. He also entertained Rider University, a Division I track program, despite knowing he probably would not run there.
“The decision was if I wanted to play basketball or just go to school for academics and enjoy my college time and experience,” Cohen said.
Choosing the latter is how in 2019, Cohen ended up 16 hours away from home at the University of Tampa. After touring the campus with family, the resort-like setting is what swayed him to spend his next four years in central Florida.
Going into Tampa, Cohen, for the first time in his sports career, did not have the opportunity to represent his school. He played basketball with friends on outdoor courts, but he felt
like there was something missing. He needed more.
Cohen emailed the school’s track coach after his first semester and received the opportunity to try out for a walk-on spot. He bet on himself and eventually earned a full spot on the team.
“I re-fell in love with running, essentially,” Cohen said. “Because it was like, now is my time to really go all in on it, and especially [with it] being a Division II program, not high school anymore.”
Track might have been his second love, but Cohen put in the work to make sure he made the most of this second life as a runner. He dropped his 800-meter time from a 1:57.87 to 1:48.25 at the NCAA Division II Track and Field Championship.
But a femoral stress fracture in Cohen’s leg near the end of his senior season injured his quest for top times, setting him back in the recruiting process.
“You’ve got to go through your ups and downs before you get to the highs of it all,” Cohen said. “It was my senior year at Tampa. I got injured. Made transferring a whole lot harder for me.”
Virginia, though, took a chance on him.
Cohen completed a full recovery and got back on track while under
the helm of Virginia Coach Vin Lananna in the 2023-24 season. One thing in particular, he said, helped him tap into his potential.
“The biggest thing for me, I would say, between Tampa and Virginia, is just the teammates,” Cohen said. “I think it’s the people you’re around.”
He loved his Tampa teammates. But Virginia was different.
“Guys like Gary [Martin], Conor Murphy, Wes [Porter],” Cohen said. “It’s just having conversations with them. Everyone’s goals are so much better.”
Cohen raced to an ACC bronze medal in the 800-meter, running a 1:46.89. Months later, he claimed Virginia’s first national title in 13 years in the 800-meter, running a 1:44.97. His last-minute kick, charging down the competition, has gone relatively viral.
His style of emerging from behind is symbolic of his journey as a whole. It is something he has been doing for years.
Cohen took being the best to greater heights as he competed at the Olympic Trials in June 2024. Running against other high-octane athletes played a vital role in his decision to go professional, as the possibility of representing not only the United States, but also another brand, sunk in.
“You want to be part of a good brand that’s going to best suit you,”
Cohen said about deciding between Adidas and Nike. “Nike’s the best of the best … And it would have been very hard for me not to go there, to say the least.”
Cohen has worn Nike forever — at a young age, during his time at Tampa and in his career at Virginia. He will wear it into this new stage of his life, too, one where he is chasing even loftier aims.
“The goal is the Olympics ... or the World Championships,” Cohen said. “The goal is just to stay focused for these down months and then peak, later in the spring, and hopefully get the world standard time.”
Cohen reached the final of the Olympic Trials, running a personal best of 1:44.65 and placing sixth overall. That made him realize what the future could hold. But he understands running is a long game, one that requires elite diligence.
“It takes a lot of years of building and going through the motions before you can finally get to executing at the highest level,” Cohen said of what running has taught him.
His career has consisted of untraditional paths. But in life, as in running, and as long as Cohen is still going, there is always the possibility of that stunning final kick.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
The Mighty breaks down barriers for students to discover dance
This student-run organization offers beginner dance workshops at zero cost to prospective dance learners on Grounds
Rea Pillai | Staff Writer
Students who enjoy dancing find themselves immersed in a myriad of dance forms at the University — from K-pop to swing dancing and everything in between. Yet, students who have not had the opportunity to explore dance before college may struggle to find a place to start. One student-run dance organization hopes to change this — The Mighty.
Founded in 2012, The Mighty is a student-run and mainly student-taught dance organization that provides beginner-friendly dance workshops for students interested in experimenting with the art form. The club also brings in professional choreographers to teach workshops during an annual April event called The Summit. As The Mighty’s platform expands on Grounds, the ultimate goal of the organization is to create a platform where novice dancers can interact with experienced dancers.
Kenny Nguyen, president of The Mighty and third-year College student, explains how he took his minimal dance experience and used it as a source of encouragement at one of the first workshops he attended.
“Rather than the gap [of knowl-
edge] intimidating me, it pushed me to want to grow and see dance as something that is easily pursuable beyond graduation,” Nguyen said.
The Mighty’s workshops take place at various accessible locations on Grounds and are termed “openstyle,” wherein registration is not mandated, and students are free to join as per their schedule. Divided into three categories, classes are catered to students’ prior experience levels, ranging from beginner, intermediate and advanced.
Classes typically consist of learning workshops that are geared towards learning a foundational style, which can help learners understand the basic skills of the dance, such as hip-hop or voguing. These workshops are divided into two sections taught by different choreographers, each encompassing 1 hour and 15 minutes. Students have the option to attend either one, and the classes of a higher difficulty level tend to be at the end.
Nguyen explains that the organization has recently sought to offer more beginner classes taught by students themselves in hopes of decreasing the pressure of attending
workshops.
“It definitely makes it a lot easier to come into a workshop knowing who’s teaching and knowing who else is going to be there,” Nguyen said.
This emphasis on student choreography has helped The Mighty expand and diversify its group of instructors. Aside from students, choreographers often extend beyond the University due to the organization’s connections to the larger DMV area including Richmond and Northern Virginia. Kristina Kang, treasurer of The Mighty and third-year College student, expressed how the presence of The Mighty in the dance community — supported by its 13 years of activity and large social media presence — helps in finding choreographers willing to teach classes.
“Since [The] Mighty has been around for a good amount of time, there’s already a pretty good community out there who already knows what [The] Mighty does,” Kang said. “Our primary way of recruiting choreographers is [by] sending out an interest form to our Instagram and then also sending it to different DMV dance crews.”
For The Summit, the organization flies in professional choreographers from across the United States to offer workshops, such as Ty Newby and Bo Park from Los Angeles and New York, respectively. For approximately $40, attendees can participate in a day of four workshops and learn from a diverse set of choreographers.
Choreographers at The Summit have flexibility in structuring their own lessons by formatting them to their personal artistic style, creating a “classroom environment.” Nguyen explains how this format allows the choreographers’ teaching styles to more effectively direct students and makes it easier for dancers to absorb information.
“A lot of times, teachers often talk about how they’re able to conceptualize the choreography and [the] intention behind certain moves which really helps with execution,” Nguyen said.
Looking ahead, Nguyen expressed his hopes to revive a dance showcase event previously hosted by The Mighty. The organization worked in collaboration with other dance crews at the University and
across the DMV area to give dancers the opportunity to perform in front of large audiences.
The event has since been discontinued due to the logistical obstacles regarding the lack of available performance venues on Grounds. However, with the proposal of the new performing arts center near the Emmet-Ivy corridor, this objective may be realized sooner than expected.
“I hope that through the following years, we’re able to establish an even a bigger community and really be able to bring back the showcases,” Nguyen said. “I think it’s such a unique aspect of dance in terms of being able to present something that is entirely your own to a big crowd.”
From intimate workshops hosted on Grounds, to larger showcases expanding outside the University community, The Mighty bridges the gaps in helping aspiring dancers realize their potential.
The Mighty holds workshops nearly every Friday at 6 p.m., and the details regarding each workshop can be found on their Instagram.
COURTESY KENNY NGUYEN
The Mighty holds workshops for aspiring dancers who hope to venture into new forms of the art.
Milpa exhibit brings Aboriginal Australian artwork to life
Experience the stop-motion film exhibit at the Kluge-Ruhe Museum through June 1
Madigan Lounsbery | Senior Writer
Beginning this past December and continuing until June 1, the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection is hosting Milpa — a stop-motion animation exhibit named after the Anangu people’s traditional practice of sand drawing which is an artistic and storytelling medium in Australian Indigenous art. Milpa is also the namesake of the studio and is operated by the Spinifex Arts Project. Based in the Indigenous community of Tjuntjuntjara in Western Australia, the project highlights the creative and culturally significant work of local Spinifex artists.
Kluge-Ruhe is home to a vast number of art pieces and cultural objects acquired from Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders in Australia. The museum is a revolving door of paintings and exhibits, from showings of colorful print works to striking digital collections.
Jaimeson Daley, manager of education and programs at the Kluge-Ruhe, said that this art is important for the way in which it highlights Aboriginal culture.
“It’s a really great testament to the artwork itself because it shows Aboriginal folks’ culture, their content and brings a focus to an underrepresented group that really needs more exposure,” Daley said.
The use of stop-motion animation, which is photographed frame by frame to mimic movement of still objects, is particularly significant in this sense because it combines a variety of different artistic practices including clay sculpting and filmmaking.
Katina Davidson — curator of Indigenous Australian art at Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane, Australia — curated the Milpa exhibit at Kluge-Ruhe as part of her six-month curatorial residency. The exhibit displays five distinct stop-motion animations made by Spinifex artists from Tjuntjuntjara.
“Seatbelt Tjura: Put on Your Seatbelt” and “Walawuru Iti Katitja: An Eagle Story” will screen at the Kluge-Ruhe through March 2 before the exhibit shifts to show three new films on March 4 entitled “Putikutu Ananyi: Bush Trip,” “Milpa Movie” and “The Tjuntjuntjara_Nya Cooking Show Mai Wiru Palanya: Making Beautiful Food.” These short films cover everyday events in Indigenous Australian communities including the collecting of native plants, Indigenous cooking practices and hunting. According to Kluge-Ruhe Curator Eleanor Neumann, the films are split into two separate installments so that museumgoers will be exposed to more films.
“If you are a frequent visitor to the museum, it might be nice to see something different after three months,” Neumann said. “We thought really carefully about what people’s attention span is and how long someone would want to come and sit in the gallery to watch these films.”
All of the films are quick watches, between two and six minutes. In the exhibition room, patrons can sit or stand in front of a large screen which projects the films on a loop. With no pauses between the films besides a brief rolling of credits, the repetition allows viewers to pick up on different flourishes with each watch.
Made by combining real photos with polymer clay puppets and set pieces, each film is spoken in Pitjantjatjara — the native language of the Anangu people. English subtitles also accompany each film. These components come together to paint realistic scenes for the viewers to observe.
Neumann explained that the stop-motion films from the Milpa project bring about a different, yet complementary perspective to the artwork already on display at Kluge-Ruhe, showcasing the viewpoints of younger artists.
“Younger people from Tjuntjunt-
jara are more interested in digital media,” Neumann said. “It’s attracted younger people who are able to tell stories, sometimes even the same stories that are told in paintings, but through a different medium.”
The two films currently on display — “Seatbelt Tjura: Put on Your Seatbelt” and “Walawuru Iti Katitja: An Eagle Story” — were made in 2018 and 2019 respectively and sheds light on everyday challenges faced by Indigenous communities in Australia.
“Seatbelt Tjura” focuses on the high fatality rates facing Indigenous individuals who get into car accidents in rural areas. The film depicts a clay man giving a public service announcement as the film switches between an interview-like scene and a reenactment of events depicting the importance of vehicle safety.
“Walawuru Iti Katitja” depicts another scene, following two brothers made out of clay as they roam the lands on which they live. Their journey takes a turn when they encounter a threatening clay bird soaring in front of a photo of a sunny sky.
By observing which movements and events film creators chose to highlight — such as the comfort that the younger sibling receives from his mother in “Walawuru Iti Katitja” —
viewers can begin to understand key facets of Indigenous Australian culture such as familial relations.
Neumann emphasizes the impact of this specific exhibit, noting how it reinforces the vital and innovative work of the artists.
“The main point [of showing the exhibit] is just that these cultures are thriving contemporary cultures producing really exciting contemporary work,” Neumann said.
However, Neumann also encourages museumgoers to tune in to the languages being spoken in the films to better understand how the community interacts as a collective.
“Another really exciting part for us is that people can actually hear a First Nations Australian language being spoken and to think about the ways in which they are communicating their culture and their stories to one another,” Neumann said.
Just a fifteen-minute drive from central Grounds and free of charge, the Milpa exhibition is quite accessible to students and community members alike. All five films, plus an additional film not yet shown, will also be screened at the University as a part of the exhibition in the coming months.
Yahweh Night celebrates diversity through artistic worship
The organization brings underrepresented communities together through a shared love for art and Christianity
Manmayi Ghaisas | Staff Writer
Throughout the semester, Yahweh Night celebrates cultural differences through expressive Christian worship, which culminates in a night of dance, song and spoken word featuring African diasporic and Latinx styles of Christian worship among others. Yahweh Night is a Contracted Independent Organization with over 80 student members who each come with a different relationship with God.
The organization works to celebrate the diversity of its members and uses the medium of art to build community. According to Juliana Dawdy, co-President of Yahweh Night and fourth-year College student, art can be a powerful medium of worship.
“We believe that God is very intentional, in that He is somebody who created us. When He gives us talents, and there’s ways to worship Him [with it], there’s something special about doing that,” Dawdy said.
Yahweh Night was founded in 2018, by Class of 2020 alumni Temi Akinola and Ezinne Ogubanna. Akinola and Ogubanna felt as though the University and greater Charlottesville
community lacked an organization which honored their Nigerian Christian identities, and they wanted to create a cultural outlet for all University students feeling the same way.
Dylan Myaing, violinist for Yahweh Night and fourth-year Education student, noted that while these songs are sung in different languages, this language barrier does not hinder connection between its members — rather, it strengthens it.
“Music is so good at being a conduit for religious worship,” Myaing said. “Even if there are a lot of people who don’t speak some of the languages we’re performing in, [they] can still feel the message being expressed through music. It kind of transcends that language barrier.”
Many of Yahweh Night’s members are students of color who grew up worshipping in a language other than English. Members have hailed from Nigeria, Ethiopia, Bolivia, Mexico, Venezuela and more. The organization has performed songs in Spanish, Korean, Arabic, Mandarin and Yoruba.
In preparation for the end-of-se-
mester event, the executive team begins by deciding on a piece of scripture that will serve as the theme for the Night.
At the beginning of the semester, members sign up to dance, sing or play an instrument during this event. There is no audition process to perform a song or dance. If there is a culture yet to be represented in Yahweh Night, any member is encouraged to pitch a song or dance and teach the other members how to pronounce words in the song’s language.
Each Yahweh Night also features a spoken word piece — a short, slam poetry-esque piece that correlates to the theme of the night — and a word of encouragement. Members apply to perform the spoken word or word of encouragement, and Yahweh Night’s executive team chooses one person for each based on how well their message fits the night’s theme.
Talented instrumentalists also support the night’s performances. The instrumentalists are responsible for accompanying the worship songs, facilitating transitions between per-
formances and creating an inviting atmosphere in the church.
Israel Olukanni, music director and fourth-year Engineering student, works with singers and dancers to put together instrumental arrangements that are sonically cohesive and align with the theme of the night.
Olukanni shared how he approaches music direction, including deciding how the instrumentalists should collaborate with the night’s performances.
“A lot of it is improvisation. I give [the instrumentalists] a general framework of what should be the [music’s] direction. I sit with the music and try to hear things that maybe God is saying to me or maybe God is wanting to hear,” Olukanni said.
Myaing detailed what each practice looks like for the instrumentalists and also noted how instrumentalists’ roles are simultaneously structured and spontaneous.
With new performances, languages and instrumentals and a new word of encouragement each semester, no two Yahweh Nights are the same. But, one consistency throughout the organization’s years is that each Yahweh Night always closes with a medley of African worship, paying homage to the organization’s original mission.
Myaing said that members and attendees feel energy and joy towards the end of the night when they sing the African praises.
“[The] praise is a very upbeat way to end. It’s cool to see how a whole congregation will stand up and start singing, dancing and worshipping,” Myaing said. “It’s really cool to see all of the work that got put into it, the impact that it has on the people that came, and to know that you were a part of that.”
Videos of Yahweh Night’s past performances are available on the organization’s YouTube page.
“[Each week], singers and musicians will start with a little bit of worship and then go into running the songs. Singers will workshop as they sing, and musicians will [improvise] in the back, trying to find what sounds good,” Myaing said. “It’s very free form.”
Top 10 ways to avoid burnout this semester
As we transition out of syllabus week and resume our status as full-time students, let’s address what’s waiting for us on Clem 1 — burnout. Chances are that last semester, many of you fell prey to this college epidemic. With a mile-long to-do list filled with tasks for your classes, extracurriculars and personal life, it’s hard to balance it all and maintain the motivation to push forward. As you settle into this semester, try implementing these 10 tactics to take care of yourself and wave goodbye to burnout.
1. Call home to loved ones
Drudging through a never-ending laundry list can leave you feeling isolated from friends and family — which secures a one-way ticket to Burnout City. Connecting with those close to you, even for just 20 minutes over the phone, can help you feel rejuvenated. Your loved ones, whether they be hometown friends, family members or a personal mentor, are the perfect people to give you a much-needed motivation boost and a healthy dose of perspective. This spring, take time away from the dark confines of the Clark stacks to dial into your support system.
2.
Step away from work to be with friends
We’ve all been there — trying to crank out everything on our to-do list before allowing ourselves to take a break. But the truth is that the workload will never truly go away, in college and beyond. While work comes in surplus, we must appreciate what is truly limited — our time with our college friends here in Charlottesville. Close your laptop for a midweek coffee date with a class buddy or a weekend movie night with your roommate. Trust me, making unplugged memories with your friends will feel both worthwhile and restorative.
3.
Delegate, you overachievers
You may encounter situations where it seems easier to complete the work for a group project or a CIO event by yourself. However, assuming tasks that extend past your individual capacity is a key risk factor for burnout. In group endeavors that require a lot of coordination, use a “divide and conquer” strategy to make sure that no one person has a drastically heavier load than the others. For the peers in your group who require more explicit direction, lay out realistic action items to be completed before the next meeting. And remember, it’s more than okay to give a flat-out “no” in order to protect your downtime.
4. Get outdoors — like, right now
Nothing fuels winter burnout quite like spending all day cooped up inside, only to be greeted by pitch-black darkness at 6 p.m. Therefore, opt to spend more time outside this semester. Although the temperatures remain low, a brisk walk down the Lawn will provide you with the Vitamin D and serotonin boost you need to keep your stress at bay. As spring approaches, swap the library for a table outside — my go-to is one on the Newcomb Hall patio. For a little bit of a longer excursion, make the 12-minute trip to Ragged Mountain or the 10-minute drive to Saunders-Monticello Trail. I find that time outside — replacing the trees in my Outlook background with real ones — restores my energy.
Here’s to fewer headaches in 2025
Sam Saks | Top 10 Writer
5.
Seek out good-quality food
As the workload builds throughout the semester, it can grow tempting to opt for a quick, convenient bite over a tastier, high-quality meal. But it’s important not to skimp on good food. Your body needs proper nutrition to fuel your scholastic endeavors, and routine late-night Cane’s or West Range won’t cut it. Schedule the time to either go out for a nicer meal with friends or cook a healthy feast at home. Not only will your body be thankful for the nourishing change-up, but your mind will feel clearer after allowing yourself to unwind at the dinner table.
6.
Venture beyond the University bubble
There’s a lot to keep us occupied on Grounds — classes, club meetings and copious library hours — which makes pockets of time physically away from school few and far between. Make the effort to occasionally immerse yourself in new environments that don’t remind you of your workload. Walking or taking the trolley to the Downtown Mall is a great way to remind yourself of the “real world.” You can also check out IX Art Park for outdoor art displays, immerse yourself in a magical wonderland at The Looking Glass or shop at the Farmer’s Market. My personal favorite outing is enjoying apple cider donuts at Carter Mountain.
7.
Kick back and spectate
With classes, clubs and internships constantly clouding your mind, sometimes you just need to “lock out” for a bit. Taking the back seat as a spectator is a great way to loosen up. One way you can do this is by sporting orange and blue to cheer on our Hoos. Men’s and women’s basketball are now in full swing at JPJ, and men’s and women’s tennis and swimming & diving are gearing up to have great seasons in 2025. There are also frequent opportunities to sit back and enjoy live arts on Grounds, and signing up for the U.Va. Arts newsletter is a great way to stay in the know. Upcoming performances include an improv comedy showcase this Friday and The New Works Festival in mid-February.
8. Transcribe the mental calendar
There is a lot to keep track of as a college student — due dates, upcoming exams and rescheduled club meetings, among other things. And doing so is no easy feat. Don’t even get me started on what I’m having for dinner each night, because I seldom think that far ahead. To avoid sinking under the weight of these abstract to-dos, lighten your mental load by writing everything down on your calendar. Whether you opt for Google Calendar, Notion or a physical planner, stay organized by cataloging all of your tasks in one concrete space.
9.
Incorporate variety into your daily routine
The day-to-day of a college student is quite unique — your Tuesday may consist of two 75-minute classes and some basketball at Slaughter, while your Sunday may bring an afternoon club meeting and dinner with a friend. Take advantage of the flexibility you’re afforded in college before you’re immersed in a typical post-grad, 40-hour work week. Strike a balance between work and leisure, and seek out new experiences to make each day different from the one before. Spice up your day to keep the burnout away.
10.
Hold space for your mental health
As I’ve emphasized throughout this article, make it a point to take care of your mental health this semester, whether it be changing your habits or finding opportunities to relax. A friendly reminder that, although you may love that one desk in the depths of Shannon, cabin fever will only bog you down, so switch up the spaces where you work and study. Additionally, you can take care of yourself by unwinding at the gym, finding zen with yoga, meditating with the Contemplative Sciences Center staff and consulting with CAPS. Make these small changes to refresh your senses and boost your productivity.
KAITLIN LUU THE CAVALIER DAILY
Holding onto every grain in the hourglass
How a visit with my grandparents in Japan made me realize the preciousness of time
Mai Hukuoka | Life Columnist
As I gingerly trek to class along the ice-coated sidewalks on Grounds, I find it hard to fathom that a mere month ago, I was in Japan, enjoying the endearing company of my grandparents.
Living in America, a whopping 7,000 miles away, I only get to return to my second home once every couple of years. And aside from the occasional phone call, I seldom interact with any extended family. But this past winter, I flew to Japan all on my own and basked in an entire month of family gatherings, home-cooked comfort foods and walks in the park with my grandmother.
But unlike my past trips to Japan, where I felt unabashed joy, this trip was marked by a stinging guilt that I had dismissed the fleeting nature of time.
My parents had long wanted me to return to Japan as my grandparents grew older, emphasizing the importance of spending more time with them. But these conversations often happened in passing, and I never took the time to consider what they really meant. However, when I arrived in Japan in December, I was quickly made aware that my grandparents were getting older — and so was I. Unlike trips past, it was no longer a simple task for my grandparents to walk to the grocery store, much less to travel across the expanse of the city of Saitama. And I was far from the young child who could barely reach the light switch and needed a chaperone to walk to the train station. Instead, I found that it was now my turn to carry the bags of produce, walk slower and ensure that everyone was accounted for.
the beauty of the mundane moments with my grandparents. I sat in the living room, rather than retreating to my bedroom as I normally would, to listen to my grandmother play Chopin on the piano. I got up early in the morning to catch my grandfather before he cycled to work, and I accompanied my grandmother on her daily walks around the neighborhood.
other, as my grandmother recounted stories of her spontaneous trips to Europe. And to capture every little detail of their love, I dutifully photographed each breakfast, lunch and dinner that was laid out in front of me.
As I assumed these more mature responsibilities, I recalled the trips I took to Japan as a teenager, when I naively chose to spend that sacred visiting time away from my family. At every opportunity, I’d go out to explore the city with friends, rather than moving through humdrum days with my grandparents at home, doing chores and sitting in their company. However, during this most recent trip, my mindset changed. With a newfound adult perspective, I realized
It was during these moments that I longed to turn back the clock. I wished I could go back and tell my younger self to appreciate the few times over the course of my childhood that I’d be in the company of my grandparents. Though I knew I couldn’t go back, I vowed to make up for the lost time. During this visit, I wouldn’t take their presence for granted.
Instead of sighing at the thought of running errands, I eagerly tied my shoes for the walk to the store with my grandparents. As we flipped through old photo albums, I’d tell myself, “Use all of your senses to remember this feeling — this warmth, this nostalgia.” I listened intently, no longer allowing her words to go in one ear and out the
In these little moments, I urged time to stop. I wanted our time together to linger endlessly, not to come to an end, only to fade into a distant memory. Although it was sad to realize that my time with my grandparents on this trip was slipping away, there was a silver lining — for once, I was able to truly, purposefully savor the time I spent with them in Japan.
Now that I’m back at school, I have made it my mission to take note of the sneaky passage of time. I want to be able to look back at my past, as my grandparents do, with gratification, not regret. And I want to enjoy the moments in front of me with the same intentionality that I did while I was visiting them.
Throughout the rest of my time in college, I aspire to better appreciate where I am and who I’m with. It can be easy as a student — a young adult
with endless to-dos and decades of future potential — to urge time to pass by more quickly. And it’s all too easy to allow each stressful day to forgetfully fly away. But college is a precious time. We’ll likely never have this day-today freedom, nor this intimacy with friends, ever again.
With this newfound perspective, I’ll look forward to my trips to the grocery store, and I’ll delight in my time spent lounging at home with my roommates — as mundane as these activities may seem. While the next month, semester and entire year will pass by faster than I can imagine, I vow not to let my time, especially with my loved ones, pass me by.
As I enter this new year with renewed clarity about what — and who — is important in this life, I resolve to cherish little moments. I have my grandparents to thank for that.
MAI HUKUOKA is a life columnist for The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at life@cavalierdaily.com.
Students brave the cold for a whirlwind sorority rush
After a stream of social events, students describe the stress and excitement of recruitment
Mia Tan | Features Writer
Cheers filled the Newcomb Hall Ballroom Sunday as hundreds of students tore open envelopes to reveal which sororities they would get to call their new homes. The bid day celebration — held inside this year due to frigid temperatures — was the culmination of a recruitment process marked by long hours and icy conditions. Now, students recount a mix of emotions from rush, with some disappointed after dropping from the recruitment process and others ecstatic to join Greek life.
The Inter-Sorority Council kicked off rush Jan. 9 with a potential new member orientation, followed by several rounds of events where PNMs talked to current members and familiarized themselves with the sororities’ charities and houses. PNMs were ultimately matched with sororities based on mutual selection — PNMs ranked their preferred sororities, and sororities chose which PNMs to invite back for each round. Sunday’s bid day festivities capped the process, as PNMs received their bids and returned to the sorority houses to bond with their new sisters.
Liz Chew, ISC president and fourth-year College student, told
The Cavalier Daily in an email statement that the ISC worked with over 3,000 participants this year, including PNMs and sisters across 14 sororities. Chew said that, this year, the ISC worked extensively to motivate students to participate in rush.
“One of the ISC’s goals this recruitment cycle was to encourage more women to register for recruitment. We accomplished this by holding information sessions via Zoom or near first year dorms to make the information readily available,” Chew said.
Chew also noted that the ISC expanded its resources to accommodate an increase in PNMs this year. One notable change was including additional physical spaces and refreshments — an effort to make rush an enjoyable experience for PNMs despite the frigid temperatures.
While PNMs faced less than ideal weather while traveling between houses, the toughest parts of recruitment were emotional rather than physical, according to Erin Sinclair, a new member of Sigma Kappa and first-year College student. She described how PNMs must simultaneously feel out sororities they would
like to join and try to leave a good impression on dozens of sisters at each house — a daunting task, day after day.
“I didn’t realize it would be so emotionally [intense]. I’ve heard people say that it is, but I didn’t really believe it until [I was] kind of in that spot.” Sinclair said.
Despite the intensity, the process is well worth it for many PNMs, allowing them to gain a new sense of belonging. As she proceeds to pledge Sigma Kappa, Sinclair described the shared identity she now enjoys with her pledge class and upperclassmen sorority members.
“It’s like having a little home with people who you know are unconditionally there for you,” Sinclair said. “If I see anyone walking around with [my sorority’s] letters on, then I’ll be like, ‘Oh, hey — we’re sisters.’”
Still, Sinclair said it is difficult to tell during the rush process which sororities will ultimately bond with a PNM. She described how many PNMs, while excited by the prospect of meeting potential sorority sisters, remained tentative, not wanting to get too attached to a sorority in case they eventually got dropped.
“It’s pretty intense to be given a list of places that you really liked and [felt] a connection with, and then to see they dropped you,” Sinclair said. “You attach a lot of worth to what different houses think of you, and then you get kind of absorbed in that.”
First-year College student Lily Ohlschlager dropped out of the rush process when she could not picture herself in the sororities she was asked back to. She said she wants to make the right decision when choosing a group of people to call her college — and even lifetime — friends.
“I eventually dropped because I was like, there’s no point continuing the process when I know that this isn’t where I’d want to be,” Ohlschlager said. “Especially because once you initiate, you’re with those people for the rest of your life.”
The idea of choosing friendships that may last a lifetime can weigh on PNMs during an already intimidating process, but not all PNMs place a heavy emphasis on finding an ideal circle of friends. Second-year College student Saniyah Manaal decided to rush this spring for the first time, signing up without any expectations to pledge.
“I was like … ‘Whether I drop or not, I’ll be okay,’” Manaal said. “But if I do end up in [a sorority], that would be wonderful as well.”
Manaal said she entered rush feeling little emotional stress because she already had a supportive group of friends at the University. In this way, the rush process took her by surprise — she found a house she wanted to pledge. Now a new member of Alpha Delta Pi, Manaal said she looks forward to expanding her circle to include new friends in Greek life.
“This is just an extra thing I get to do, which is super fun and exciting,” Manaal said. “But I can also stick to doing my other things too.”
Whatever the outcome of their rush process, students can now take a breather after a whirlwind 10 days. As students return to their normal schedule of classes this week, Sinclair said she looks forward to growing close to her new sorority sisters.
“One of the main reasons I rushed was to meet new people [and] expand my circle of close friends,” Sinclair said. “So I’m really just excited to get closer with everyone.”
Shreyas Agnihotri | Puzzlist
PUZZLES
ACROSS
1 U.Va. athletes, briefly
5 “Don’t worry about me”
6 Baker of song
7 Troubling spots
8 U.Va. athletes, briefly DOWN
1 Uno y cuatro
2 Acid in proteins
3 Casts a ballot
4 Reggae precursor
6 Something often said to dentists
Olivia Boynton | Puzzlist
ACROSS
1 With 7-Across, iconic 2004 U.Va. alumna movie
5 Be of use
7 See 1-Across
6 “Cat’s out of the bag!”
9 You can’t see him DOWN
1 Orlando basketball team
2 You might R.S.V.P. to one with a click
3 Fictional character who, on October 3rd, asked what day it was
