Thursday, January 30, 2020

The Cavalier Daily

Vol. 130, Issue 18

Thursday, January 30, 2020

EMMA HITCHCOCK AND ANGELA CHEN | THE CAVALIER DAILY

DISCREPANCYÂ AMONG COACHES' SALARIES

UNDERREPRESENTATION WITHIN TENURED FACULTY

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The Cavalier Daily

NEWS

This week in-brief CD News Staff

Batten Hour event focuses on urban renewal in Charlottesville The Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy hosted an event Jan. 27 focusing on urban renewal, specifically in the Vinegar Hill neighborhood of Charlottesville, as part of the Batten Hour TAPELY BORUCKE | THE CAVALIER DAILY series — a weekly discussion for students, faculty and The event featured a lecture from Dr. Shelley staff. and a short film about the Vinegar Hill The Vinegar Hill neighborhood was a predom- Murphy neighborhood. inantly African-American neighborhood that was demolished as part of a Charlottesville-led urban renewal plan in 1965. Following the neighborhood’s destruction, more than 600 residents relocated to public housing in Westhaven. Today, the Omni Hotel stands where the houses that made up Vinegar Hill once stood.

Those in attendance watched a short film titled “That World is Gone: Race and Displacement in a Southern Town,” which features former residents of Vinegar Hill discussing the urban renewal and eviction process. Attendees also heard from genealogist Shelley Murphy, who is working for the University to help locate and contact the descendants of the enslaved laborers who worked for the University as part of the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers.

During the presentation, Murphy emphasized the idea of community and how the urban redevelopment project in Vinegar Hill fractured its community. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which was founded in 1965 — the same year as the Vinegar Hill redevelopment — was created as part of President Johnson’s War on Poverty.

“And that [redevelopment] to me is the biggest crush that HUD did to the City of Charlottesville … they destroyed that community,” Murphy said.

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Charlottesville and Albemarle County to present report on disproportionate minority contact The City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County announced Jan. 28 the completion of the first phase of their study of disproportionate minority contact in the local adult criminal justice system.

The 14-member Adult Disproportionate MiJENNA TRUONG | THE CAVALIER DAILY nority Contact Research and Planning Committee The report will be presented to Charlottesville worked with the MGT Consulting Group — a Tal- City Council during the Feb. 3 meeting. lahassee-based research and management consulting firm — over the last three years to determine the extent of racial disproportionality and disparity in the local criminal justice system. Their research found racial disproportionality – one race being over- or under-represented relative to the racial demographics of the whole community — at all points in the Charlottesville and Albemarle criminal justice system.

The research found racial disparity — meaning individuals in similar situations receive different outcomes based on race — particularly for African American males, at five specific points — seriousness of charges brought, number of companion charges brought, bail and bond release decisions, length of stay awaiting trial and guilty outcomes at trial. Researchers did not find disparity in the duration of actual time served for an offense and the duration of the sentence imposed.

The report, which will be presented to Charlottesville City Council Feb. 3, also includes recommendations to mitigate disproportionate contact. According to Kaki Dimock, director of the Charlottesville Department of Human Services, the City and Albemarle are the first localities in the country to undertake a study of disproportionality and disparity in the adult criminal justice system.

1.27

Downtown mural supports new legislation regarding Charlottesville statues A mural covering the Free Speech Wall on the Charlottesville Downtown Mall Jan. 25 expressed support for the passing of new legislation that would grant localities the authority over decisions regarding Confederate monuments.

Lead artist Romana Martinez created the PAIGE WATERHOUSE | THE CAVALIER DAILY piece in collaboration with fellow artists and The art called attention to local voices and Monumental Justice — a local activism group in advocated for more inclusive monuments.

Charlottesville that believes the local communities should be able to make decisions about their own public monuments.

Two bills are currently in the General Assembly — H.B. 125 and S.B. 620 — and will be considered in the next few weeks. If passed, they will grant localities the authority to alter, move or remove any war memorial for a veteran from public property.

The mural featured two hands snapping a tiki torch in half in reference to the “Unite the Right” rally that took place on Aug. 11 and 12, 2017 surrounded by the phrase, “We deserve a chance to heal and build a more inclusive future.”

The piece also featured suggestions of other statues to replace the Confederate memorials such as Queen Charlotte and York — an enslaved man who embarked alongside Lewis and Clark on their expedition.

1.28

Student Council integrates U.Va. Community Food Pantry board During their general body meeting Jan. 28, Student Council passed a bylaw proposed by Ellie Brasacchio, fourth-year college student and Student Council President, that will integrate all PAIGE WATERHOUSE | THE CAVALIER DAILY executive board members of the U.Va. Commu- The bylaw recognizes the pantry’s executive board nity Food Pantry as official members of Council. members as official members of Student Council.

“Basically, it makes all the members of the U.Va. community food pantry board members of student council, they'll go through the same recruitment processes that Student Council does,” Brasacchio said.

The U.Va. Community Food Pantry was established two years ago by Council’s Representative Body. Brasacchio proposed the bylaw at the Jan. 21 general body meeting with the intention to recognize the pantry’s executive board members for their contributions to Council’s initiative.

The U.Va. Community Food Pantry relocated Jan. 22 from Runk Hall to the Student Activities Center on the first floor of Newcomb Hall. With the pantry’s recent expansion and utility upgrades, it hopes to better serve the University’s students and faculty with a wider range of food options and more accessible location.

Brasacchio encouraged Council to spread information regarding the U.Va. Community Food Pantry reopening. “[The pantry is] open all the hours the SAC is open. So please tell your friends, use it if you need to. All hours and more information is at pantry@uva.org,” Brasacchio said.

Thursday, January 30, 2020 | 3

NEWS

Media Studies decreases major acceptances for 2020 Due to faculty changes, the Media Studies Department expects to accept fewer students into the major program this year Lilly Whitner | Staff Writer

ARIANA GUERANMAYEH | THE CAVALIER DAILY

These faculty members are leaving for a number of reasons, including to go on sabbatical and to work in the Fellowship Program.

The Department of Media Studies, like several other majors at the University, requires that students apply to the program during their second year. This spring, the department expects to accept fewer students to account for faculty changes in the coming academic year.

Traditionally, over 50 percent of roughly 200 applicants are accepted to the media studies major each spring. However, there is a second application round that occurs over the summer for any incoming third-year who either did not complete the application or was not accepted during the spring. The summer round is usually composed of a much smaller applicant pool.

The application process is expected to become more selective this spring as the Media Studies Department anticipates five faculty members taking leave next year. These faculty members are leaving for a number of reasons, including to go on sabbatical and to work in the Fellowship Program. As such, some of these faculty members are expected to

return to the department in the coming years.

However, according to the Media Studies Department Chair Camilla Fojas, the department has already added a new faculty member to account for these departures, and the department will still offer a myriad of courses across specialties, despite the anticipated changes in faculty.

Aswin Punathambekar, the newest addition to the Media Studies faculty, specializes in global media.

Punathambekar is working to establish a cross-disciplinary space at the University, the Global Media Studies Collaboratory, where students and individuals from the media industry can further explore and analyze the role and impact of media globally.

Director of Undergraduate Programs William Little noted that the department has put in a request for a number of additional hires next semester. These hires may be interim and will not become permanent members of University faculty, but the department is open to all types of

hires as they try to fill the gap left by the five absences.

According to Little, if this process is completed in a timely manner, the Media Studies Department may have more liberty in the number of courses offered and the number of students they can accept in the coming semesters. However, this does not apply to the current application round.

Little acknowledged this unusual inflection in the application process this round while still encouraging any and all applicants.

In an interview with The Cavalier Daily, he explained the need for the application process as a whole.

“We have an application because we do not have the staffing to accommodate everyone who wants to become a media studies major,” Little said. “We have to have a filter. We started as a very small program about 15 years ago, and we have grown incrementally but the growth of the staffing has not matched the growth of interest [from students].”

The application process con-

sists of a series of informational and biographical questions, relevant grades and coursework, the name of a professor for reference and two short essays of 300 and 500 words respectively. Little stressed the importance of the essays for the applicants.

“We look very carefully at the essays,” Little said. “We ask students to treat those essays with the kind of serious they treat a paper assignment. We’re really looking to learn from the student how she/he can imagine offering something to the program [and] what the student hopes to get out of the major.”

Second-year College student Willa Hancock, still plans to apply to the major this semester, although lamenting a more selective process for the community.

“While it is upsetting to hear that the application process has become increasingly more competitive, I am continuing to pursue this particular field of study,” Hancock said. “However, it is disappointing that such a culturally important and relevant subject is not going to be as accessible to

the U.Va. community.”

Ian Baucom, Buckner W. Clay Dean of Arts and Sciences, stressed the overall purpose of faculty leaves and the College’s support for such endeavors. Although certain departments are experiencing a higher number of faculty members on leave than others, the College as a whole is comfortable and familiar with these fluctuations.

“Whether it’s for an academic year or just one semester, we support faculty taking leave for a variety of reasons — like pursuing research or finishing a book — because we know that ultimately that knowledge will come back to the classroom for the benefit of students,” Baucom said.

The College does not expect any similar changes to majors or programs outside of Media Studies in the coming year.

The application opened on the Media Studies website Jan. 17 and will remain open until Jan. 31 at 5 p.m.

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NEWS

Honor continues to discuss ability to hear cases from Title IX A student who said she did not receive justice from Title IX called on Honor to reconsider its proposed policy Patrick Roney | Senior Writer

EMMA KLEIN | THE CAVALIER DAILY

The Title IX office handles reports of sexual and gender-based harassment and other forms of interpersonal violence.

The Honor Committee continued debating its proposed policy for investigating Honor violations that arise out of Title IX cases during their general body meeting Sunday night. The discussion lasted over an hour, causing the Committee to push the vote back to a later date in order to further consider the policy’s specific language. Through the policy, Honor seeks a balance between protecting the University community while also maintaining respect for other institutions on Grounds such as Title IX. The new policy aims to clarify the difference between re-adjudicating a Title IX case, which the proposed policy would prevent Honor from doing, and the Committee’s ability to investigate Honor offenses that arise during a Title IX investigation. This involves distinguishing between what materials are relevant to Title IX’s decision about whether “prohibitive conduct” — which is sexual or gender-based harassment — took place and what offenses are available for Honor to investigate.

Lillie Lyon, chair of the Honor Committee and a fourth-year in the College, said the Committee needs to take its time drafting and revising this policy in order to better represent students.

“We're balancing a lot of different things, so we can't satisfy all of the competing interests in a policy,” Lyon said, adding that “finding the best policy happens when we're helping as many people as we can without harming.”

The meeting began with remarks from a sexual assault survivor named Katherine, a student at

the University. After Title IX found her assailant not responsible, she contacted Honor last semester to report her assailant for lying during the Title IX investigation about his intoxication levels, his location and his witnesses.

Katherine said the support officer serving as her advisor — who had four years of experience — thought she had a strong case.

“I not only had witnesses to corroborate what I was saying, but I also had material evidence, like screenshots, to go against what they’re [the accused] saying,” Katherine said.

After Honor took on the case, Katherine was told several weeks later via email that the Committee would drop it.

“In just two sentences, my nine months of fighting for justice came to a halt,” Katherine said in her remarks to the Committee. “Honor was my last hope. I don't think Honor dropped my case out of maliciousness, but rather out of ignorance … I am living proof of your collateral damage.”

Katherine closed her statement by reminding the Honor Committee that the policies which they discuss do not apply in isolated incidents.

“I think about all of the lives that you're affecting, not just me,” Katherine said, “I come as one, but I know there are hundreds. And know that we don't live in a just world. Title IX is an inherently unjust system and Honor now has the opportunity to bring justice.”

Alex Spratley, vice chair for hearings on the Honor Committee and a fourth-year in the College,

commented on Katherine’s remarks, stating that she supports the current language used in the policy.

Katherine, however, believes it is too restrictive to keep the Committee from investigating Honor violations arising from Title IX. “I think it was incredibly brave of her to share, and I am thankful that she did,” Spratley said. “I think these are important stories to hear and I am sure it was incredibly difficult for her to do that.”

Katherine’s remarks set the meeting’s focus on the people affected by Honor’s policy. The Committee concentrated on students and Honor’s duty to reflect the values of those who elected them.

“Honor needs to represent the interests of the students,” said Todd Truesdale, an Honor representative and a second-year Law student.

As the discussion’s focus narrowed, Lyon asked the Committee to vote in a straw poll on whether to continue considering the foundational premise of the policy — that Honor should not investigate sexual assault cases since it lacks the expertise and resources, which members unanimously agreed.

Members also agreed that the Honor Committee should have the ability to override the Title IX coordinator’s determination that Honor hearing the case would be a re-adjudication of Title IX proceedings.

When Lyon asked whether any members supported the policy’s current language, the group did not reach a general consensus.

Lyon noted that Honor finds this decision difficult because the policy addresses such a complex situation.

“In general, developing policy is a difficult thing to do … and this is just extraordinarily complicated, and there's a lot to consider, especially with something like the interaction between Title IX and Honor,” Lyon said. “Just an incredible amount to consider.”

Along with these meetings amongst themselves, the Honor Committee has received outside input from Title IX, University administration, legal counsel and Evan Pivonka, special assistant to the Committee.

“We're not making this decision in a vacuum,” Lyon said. “We're ensuring that we're getting all of the possible information and we're making this decision as well informed as possible.”

Emily Babb, assistant vice president for Title IX compliance and Title IX Coordinator, did not respond to The Cavalier Daily’s request for an interview as of press time.

At its Jan. 19 meeting, Honor discussed examples in which the Committee could pursue an offense embedded in a Title IX case that is not relevant to the investigation, yet the Committee dismissed each example as a poor application of the policy.

During Sunday’s meeting, the Committee discussed possible instances that the policy would encounter, such as investigating the location of those involved in the Title IX investigation, if the ac-

cused was brought to Honor for lying during the Title IX proceedings about where they were truly located. However, the Committee discussed how confirming this could be difficult due to complications such as intoxication levels, trauma or an honest memory lapse.

Lyon thinks that, despite the nuances of each case arising out of Title IX that come to Honor, the Committee should continue to consider such examples.

“I think it's at least helpful to come up with general examples to get an idea of what this policy might look like,” Lyon said. “And if new things crop up that we didn't expect, then we will handle them as they come.”

This week, Lyon asked Honor Committee members to draft up their own versions of the policy so the body can analyze proposed language side by side and potentially vote this Sunday.

“We could need another week [after Feb. 2] just to make sure that everything is set, the language is perfect and it has been reviewed before we formally vote on it,” Lyon said. “But I'm hoping by the end of next Sunday's meeting we have come to a conclusion on where we're going to go.”

The Honor Committee encourages members of the community to attend its open meetings every Sunday at 8 p.m. in the Trial Room on the Fourth Floor of Newcomb Hall.

KATE BELLOWS | THE CAVALIER DAILY

“Finding the best policy happens when we’re helping as many people as we can without harming,” said Honor Committee Chair Lillie Lyon.

Thursday, January 30, 2020 | 5

NEWS

Tenure data show slight increase in faculty diversity at U.Va. The University demonstrates an effort to increase representation for women and people of color in faculty Paige Waterhouse | News Editor New 2019 data reveals that the representation of women and people of color on the tenure-track at the University has not increased to the same degree as diversity within academic general faculty. The University began hiring more non-tenure-track faculty in 2015 to accommodate the variety of courses being offered and cut costs on faculty compensation.

This ongoing, nationwide reliance on general and adjunct faculty members has limited the growth of tenure and tenure-track faculty.

The University’s Academic Division Detailed Employee Profile identifies faculty race and ethnicity by categorizing employees as African American, Asian, Hispanic, Multi-Race, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, Non-Resident Alien, Race or Ethnicity unknown, or White. In the data to follow, “people of color” refers to all faculty members who do not identify as White.

When the push for hiring non-tenured track faculty began in 2015, people of color represented 21 percent of the academic general faculty — professors who can apply for promotion but are not initially eligible for the tenure-track. By 2019, after roughly a 16 percent increase in general faculty staff overall, people of color represented about 28 percent.

Simple patterns of growth in diverse representation accompany the demographics of the tenure and tenure-track faculty. In 2015, people of color represented 20 percent of the tenure and tenure-track faculty. By 2019, tenure and tenure-track faculty saw a roughly seven percent increase in staff with representation for people of color reaching about 26 percent.

In addition, female faculty numbers in the general faculty category continue to outweigh those of male faculty. However, female professors are disproportionately represented in the tenure and tenure-track category. From 2015 to 2019, female faculty attributed roughly 51 percent of the general faculty demographic. In 2015, about 29 percent of the tenure and tenure-track faculty at the University were female. In 2019, the value almost reached 31 percent, with women of color representing roughly 29 percent of all female tenure and tenure-track faculty members.

In an email to The Cavalier Daily, deputy University spokesperson Wes Hester noted the University’s recent progress in expanding faculty diversity.

“As the data shows, over the last 10 years we have had success increasing the percentage and the number of both women and underrepresented minority faculty members,” Hester said. “Now, we are looking to build on that progress.”

The University plans to continue this trend with the recent adoption of the Inclusive Excellence framework which aims to focus diversity, equity and inclusion efforts towards faculty recruitment and retainment. Despite these efforts, current statistics reveal a significant lack of women and people of color who serve as tenure and tenure-track faculty.

Diane Whaley, a general faculty professor in the Curry School, recognized the disproportionate amount of women and people of color on the tenure-track to be a national trend that the University is participating in.

Whaley said this trend could be attributed to a variables such as job security, differences in compensation, and the responsibilities that come with a tenured position. All of these factors further complicate issues of faculty diversity by influencing whether a professor is offered or even willing to pursue a tenured position.

Funding has affected faculty job security Walter Heinecke, a tenured associate professor in the Curry School, attributes the rise in non-tenuretrack faculty and the impact it has on faculty demographics to University financial restraints. Heinecke connects the issue to government funding cuts on education made by former President Ronald Reagan’s administration in the 1980s that continue to limit the number of tenured professors universities like U.Va. can afford to support.

Between 1980 and 1985, government funding towards higher education dropped roughly 25 percent with a $594 million loss in student loans and $338 million cut in Pell grants, and state support for higher education also declined. According to the University’s operating budget, the state appropriation has decreased from 22.6 percent of the Academic Division operating budget in fiscal year 1998-99 to 8.3 percent in fiscal year 2018-19.

As a result, the University has seen an increase in academic general faculty and wage faculty, which is the University’s term for adjunct faculty.

Wage faculty are usually hired on a one-year contract, with no guarantees for job protection, no benefits and at a much lower wage compared to general and tenured faculty. By hiring wage faculty, the University can keep faculty compensation costs down and provide flexible course offerings to students.

Heinecke noted that this trend prevents the increasing amount of diverse faculty members being hired as wage or general faculty from gaining access to job security, further distancing them from the tenure-track.

“What's best for students is to

have faculty members who have employment rights and expectations for continued employment or tenure, and that they're able to basically exercise academic freedom in the classroom.” Heinecke said. “This whole trend undermines the ability of faculty to provide high quality education for students.”

The University has responded to the call for increased diversity In 2017, just after the events of Aug. 11 and 12, the Black Student Alliance published a proposal highlighting the lack of diverse faculty present at the University. Their demands identify the disproportionate ratio between African-American faculty and students and called for a change.

The Latinx Student Alliance raised similar concerns with their proposal in 2018, expressing the need for increased faculty and student Latinx representation.

In the wake of these proposals, the University adopted the 2030 plan in August 2019. LSA’s proposal, “Our University to Shape,” and the University’s 2030 plan are cited as “Planning Resources” for Inclusive Excellence plan. Hester noted one of the plan’s goals that focuses on increasing faculty diversity.

“One of the goals laid out in the 2030 Plan is to ‘recruit and retain excellent and diverse faculty,’ a commitment that we will strive to attract faculty who are both talented and diverse, who are or will be leaders in their fields and who are committed to both outstanding research and outstanding teaching,” Hester said.

However, Hester revealed that the University faces challenges when looking to hire new tenure and tenure-track faculty, as they are in competition with other schools to select from a very narrow pool of applicants. The University’s selection process relies on data from the National Science Foundation’s Survey of Earned Doctorates, which produces a report on the number of PhDs received each year.

“This provides a generalized prediction of what we might expect in terms of the demographics of our applicant pool in any given year,” Hester said.

In addition to using these predictions to base new employment decisions, the University Provost’s office is actively working to update their recruitment and retainment strategies to increase faculty diversity. Hester noted some of the initiatives to be: the updating of the applicant search process to decrease bias in hiring and diversify the pool, the development of leadership training that focuses on cultural sensitivity and dual career support.

University data from 2019 reveals

29%

of female tenure and tenure-track faculty are POC

ANGELA CHEN | THE CAVALIER DAILY

the underrepresentation of women and people of color in the tenure and tenure-track faculty despite recent initiatives to increase faculty diversity.

Policy changes may affect progress Heinecke is an active member in the chapter of American Association of University Professors present on Grounds. He claims the AAUP has encouraged the University to open up more tenure positions for the general faculty members who have dedicated years of service to the University.

“Look at what general faculty are doing, basically a lot of them are doing as much or more work than a tenure-track faculty,” Heinecke said.

“And so they deserve to have job security.”

Academic general faculty members may work full time and have some job insurance — however, they are paid significantly less than a tenured professor. In 2018, the average salary for a tenured professor at the University was $177,300, while an associate professor received an average of $118,700.

Job security for general faculty is one of the AAUP’s major concerns when advocating for faculty shared governance. In 2006, the University implemented a policy known as Expectations of Continued Employment that offered general faculty job insurance if they passed University review after two three-year periods.

After the policy’s initiation, Heinecke and other members of the AAUP reported violations of the ECE, as the University continued to hire faculty on flexible, one-year appointments to meet budget and course efficiencies.

Now that violations have been amended, the Faculty Senate Policy Committee is currently closely reviewing and preparing to discuss

PROV-004, the Provost’s newest draft of the University’s faculty employment policy. The policy was most recently revised in 2017 and the new draft will be discussed and finalized in the upcoming weeks.

Its 2017 revision led to the establishment of the three track system that breaks the University general faculty down into three categories — teaching, research and clinical.

These sub-tracks can hinder faculty seeking promotions, as they are often classified into just one of the three sub-tracks when they might have professional experience in several areas.

“They're restricting their portfolios,” Heinecke said. “And so it can constrain the ability of those non tenure-track faculty be able to … move forward into a tenure-track line, or it just restricts their entire professional trajectory.”

Though Heinecke attributes some of the lack of diversity in tenure-track to the limitations of the sub-track system, he also commented on the effects of the University’s culture.

“If you go all the way back to Thomas Jefferson, what you see is racism, sexism and classism.” Heinecke said. “And I would argue that those kinds of … -isms are still playing themselves out in the way that we hire faculty.”

According to Hester, the University’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts — both in faculty recruitment and community development — support the increase of women and people of color in academic career fields where they are underrepresented.

“Increasing the diversity of our faculty is an important priority for the University and one that is essential to achieve our aspiration to be both great and good. And while significant progress is already being made, there is more work ahead,” Hester said.

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The Cavalier Daily

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Inelasticity, echo-chambers — and edibles Writer and activist Roxane Gay delivers keynote address for 2020 Community MLK Celebration Kate Granruth | Senior Writer Before epochal writer and academic Roxane Gay took the stage at The Paramount Theater as the Keynote Speaker for the 2020 Community MLK Celebration Jan. 23, the only thing on the stage was a brown leather armchair and an end table with a single bottle of water. The setup was akin to that of a moderated discussion, as though another chair was going to be brought out and occupied by an interviewer.

But the emcees of the night, University-Community Liaison Carolyn Mitchell Dillard and Charlene Green, manager of the Office of Human Rights, spoke from a podium on the side of the stage, as did fourth-year College student Vilas Annavarapu, who introduced Gay. The Charlottesville High School singers, who briefly took the stage to sing two songs — the gospel song “If I Can Help Somebody” and the traditional spiritual “Elijah Rock” — also stood at an angle, keeping the center clear and further emphasizing the empty stateliness of the armchair. The space demanded to be filled, and it seemed impossible that one speaker was going to do it. And then, Roxane Gay did.

Much of Gay’s writing centralizes around just that — taking up space. “I am not small. I never will be,” she wrote in a piece for The Guardian. “For one, I am tall. I have presence, I am told. I take up space … Fat, much like skin colour, is something you cannot hide, no matter how dark the clothing you wear, or how diligently you avoid horizontal stripes.”

For Gay, taking up space is almost contradictory. On the one hand, her stature physically takes up space. On the other, the various identities she holds — black, queer, woman — are minimized, ostracized and excluded. To be seen and overlooked at the same time is a complex dichotomy, one of the many complexities described during her talk, which she titled “The Age of Inelasticity.”

Before the official talk, however, Gay broke the ice by reading an essay of hers called “The Devil’s Candy,” about her disastrous first experience trying an edible. The audience was in stitches at the anecdote, which resulted in her calling 911 while tripping out, telling them she was having a heart attack and coming to the conclusion that her mother, who hates marijuana, was ultimately right.

COURTESY TOM COGILL

Roxane Gay delivered her talk — “The Age of Inelasticity” — at The Paramount Theater in honor of this year’s MLK Day celebrations.

When “The Age of Inelasticity” began, the laughter in the room chilled. Gay began with brief reflections on the recent pro-gun rally in Richmond, which was widely attended by far-right groups, some of which have ties to white nationalism. She spoke on how the rally brought up anxieties rooted in the Aug. 11 and 12 attacks in Charlottesville, framing the discussion around the murder of counterprotestor Heather Heyer. She ended the reflection with a question — “how did we get so entrenched in what we believe … that hate and violence were the end result?”

At the same time, she wonders how we can afford not to be entrenched in our beliefs when one side is fighting for the bare minimum — for example, that women are people, and children shouldn’t be kept in cages.

“I am a realist who longs for utopia,” she said — a statement that encompasses the struggle of wanting to compromise with those of different beliefs and not wanting to be complacent in oppression. Gay described how especially hard it is to reconcile difference in beliefs amongst

like-minded people — different types of liberals, for example — comparing the experience to an echochamber where everyone is just yelling and not listening.

The talk was inherently political, with the election of Trump described as a “wound torn open, revealing the festering underneath the skin of this country.”

Gay defined the titular inelasticity as inflexibility, being completely and utterly unmoving in one’s opinions. The result of this inflexibility? “If we aren’t careful, we’re all gonna break.”

Following the fairly short talk, Gay opened the floor to a question and answer session with the audience, which took up about half of the total event runtime.

While some of the questions were more humorous, with one audience member asking if Gay had told her mother about her bad trip from the edible — she did not — the overall tone was serious and considering. Many questions asked for guidance, pointers on being oneself or on not being overwhelmed with the news cycle.

One woman, who identified herself as a professor at a rural community college, asked Gay for

advice on speaking with her students who are drastically different in political opinion than her.

Gay, who has taught at Eastern Illinois University, Purdue University and most recently Yale University, gave an answer that may have seemed surprising coming from an outspoken activist such as herself. She keeps her personal politics out of the classroom.

“It’s not relevant,” she said, though she clarified that her students get to know her well within the first weeks, so she doesn’t think her personal leanings are a secret. “They’re people, and they’re kids. I approach them respectfully, and I demand respect in return.”

Many asked Gay for advice, and she certainly had a lot to give, from encouraging young writers of color to earnestly telling a young man whose family wasn’t handling his coming out of the closet well to set boundaries and give it time. But Gay didn’t claim to have all of the answers. When one audience member asked if Gay had any advice for being better at talking to those we disagree with, she responded simply, “I sure don’t!” She admitted to feel-

ing exhausted with the current state of the world, saying that she avoids the 24-hour news cycle, and described how even though she is giving a speech on flexibility and listening, she doesn’t want to move on many of her opinions either.

The theme for this year’s MLK Community Celebration was “Taking a Stand.” In many ways, Gay’s keynote address embodied this in every way possible. The event was a chance for people who want to take a stand to speak of their own vulnerabilities, their own fears and anxieties about their role in the various fights for justice, and it was a chance for them to be validated by one of the standout activists of our time.

Gay’s keynote address was funny and serious, informative and questioning, and the audience left with the idea that sometimes, it’s rebellion enough to just be yourself.

“The reality is, joy is a radical choice,” Gay said, and if the standing ovation that followed the address is any indication, that radical choice was made by at least one theater of people that night.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

A&E Bookclub: Three books to read this month Escape the worries of the new semester by exploring three exciting new works on the literary front Caitlin Woodford | Arts and Entertainment Editor

EMMA HITCHCOCK | THE CAVALIER DAILY

As the first few weeks of classes wind down and the mountains of textbook readings pile up, why not take a break from that political theory you don’t want to read and dive into some new and exciting books? Arts and Entertainment has got you covered! This month, allow yourself some good, old-fashioned escapism from the stress of the new semester and check out one — or all — of these picks.

“Where the Crawdads Sing”

The first pick for this month — “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens — has inhabited the New York Times Best Sellers List for a whopping 72 weeks, catching the eye of the nation with its intriguing storyline and unique twist on the classic murder mystery trope. Set in a small coastal town in 1969, this novel follows the life of Kya Clark, a young woman who has grown up in isolation in the marsh of the North Carolina coast. When a murder shakes the population of the town out of its sleepy lull, Kya is singled out as a suspect. Owens — a retired wildlife biologist — broke through the barrier of typical book sale trends with the release of “Where the Crawdads Sing,” outdoing the 2019 book releases of long-standing popular authors Margaret Atwood, John Grisham and Stephen King.

The unassuming novel has exploded in national popularity, generating massive interest and maintaining its evident staying power. This book is worth the read, even if only to investigate the hype surrounding its publication and to decide for yourself whether it is worthy of the fame.

“Comes with Furniture and People”

Another pick for February is the recently released “Comes with Furniture and People” by Charlotte Matthews, a University alumna, associate professor and Crozet resident — a local talent in all aspects. The memoir by the award-winning poet centers around the experience of growing up in Washington, D.C., intertwined with intro-

spective questions concerning loss, motherhood and sickness. This book’s local flair — in terms of author and content — is appealing for both the abundance of students hailing from D.C.-adjacent Northern Virginia, as well as out-of-state students who wish to learn about the Washington-area experience through the perspective of one woman’s journey. Whether the book sparks a feeling of familiarity or novelty, its value comes not only in its entertainment factor, but also in its inherent support of the endeavors of local writers — a reminder that Charlottesville hosts artistry both within the University and in the surrounding area.

“Little Fires Everywhere”

Though not a recent release, the novel “Little Fires Everywhere” by Celeste Ng earns itself a place on the list through its incredibly potent style and lasting effect.

Published in 2017, “Little Fires Everywhere” tracks the life of the idyllically nuclear Richardson family, whose everyday routines stumble into disorder with the arrival of single mother Mia Warren and her daughter Pearl. As the connections between the two families become more and more complex and interlocked, a local controversy over the adoption of a Chinese-American baby by a white couple threatens to unravel everything the Richardsons know to be true. Devastatingly empathetic and thought-provoking, “Little Fires Everywhere” will remain in the back of your mind long after you finish reading it. The novel is surprising, heartfelt and infinitely compelling — it wrings out the intimate details of everyday life and lays them out as singular and exciting. If the book still is not yet appealing enough, a television adaptation is set to be released on Hulu in late March, starring powerhouses Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington.

To truly appreciate the source material for the series before it is inevitably dissected on camera, now is the time to pick up a copy.

Thursday, January 30, 2020 | 7

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LIFE

Love Connection: Stephanie and Kyle Stephanie and Kyle met at Kung Fu Tea Tuesday Jenna Onetto | Love Connection Writer

MEETING UP

COURTESY STEPHANIE LANDAS

Stephanie Landas: fourth-year College student Dream job: Getting paid to travel Childhood hero: Luna Lovegood If you could describe yourself as an album or movie title, real or made up, what would it be?: A Moment Apart Deal breakers: Someone who treats disliking things as a personality trait

Stephanie and Kyle met at Kung Fu Tea. Kyle: We went to Kung Fu Tea this past Tuesday. I figured a lot of people would go somewhere like Starbucks or Bodo’s and I wanted to do something different. I asked her if she liked bubble tea and she said that she did, so I was like, ‘Well, how about we go to Kung Fu Tea?’ because I also really like bubble tea.

Stephanie: We just wanted something casual, and I’m a little bit on a budget, so I didn’t want to do something super expensive.

We both like bubble tea, so we were like, ‘Perfect place to go get something to eat after class.’

Kyle: We texted a little bit before hand but really other than just introducing ourselves over text I really didn’t have any expectations going in.

INITIAL INTRODUCTIONS Stephanie: I didn’t have a whole lot of expectations just because we’re fourth years and graduating soon, so [I was just hoping for] some sort of nice, casual conversation and that’s what it was.

Kyle: She actually got there before me, so I got there and I texted her and I was like, ‘I just got here,’ and I saw that there was a girl sitting there and she was like, ‘Oh, are you Kyle?’ and I was like, ‘Yeah.’

Stephanie: I got there a little

bit before he did so there was a period of time where we were awkwardly like, ‘Is this you at the door? Is this you at the table?’

Kyle: I wouldn’t really say that it was awkward or anything — there were really no long gaps in the conversation.

Stephanie: It was a little awkward, like any kind of blind first date, even if it’s not a blind date, but I was pretty chill going into it. Not a lot of awkwardness outside of the whole, ‘Is this who you are?’

CASUAL CONVERSATIONS Kyle: I felt like it was a really good conversation.

Stephanie: We both got our tea, and we just talked for an hour. We talked about traveling, we talked about our interests and plans for after graduation. It was just kind of a very chill, communicating-type date.

Kyle: We started out with just kind of basic introductions. We talked a little bit about ourselves and our interests. We ended up finding out that we’re both really interested in traveling, so we talked a lot about different places that we’ve been. She mentioned that she was a French major, so she talked a lot about her experience in France and also traveling around Morocco. I told her some travel stories.

Stephanie: I thought it was really cool because we’ve both spent a lot of time traveling so it was cool to talk about the sights that aren’t super common. He’s

been to Azerbaijan and I’ve been to Morocco, so it was cool to talk about those places that aren’t the typical [travel destinations] like London for two weeks or France for two weeks. He was very open-minded to travel. We were both the sort of people who are like, ‘When you go to a new place you have to do the new experiences,’ so that was super cool to find somebody who did not think I was weird for wanting to solo travel and go to weird places.

Kyle: Then we talked a little bit about just being fourth years, and what we’re going to do next year about internships and that sort of thing. She seemed very passionate about her [math and French] majors, which was something interesting because sometimes people are just kind of soso, but she definitely seemed to be very interested and wanted to talk about what she likes doing.

SAYING GOODBYES Stephanie: We were there for about an hour, I had to go and meet some friends afterwards so it was a good ending.

FUTURE PLANS Kyle: I didn’t feel any sort of romantic connection, but I would definitely hang out with her again. She seemed like a really interesting person.

Stephanie: I’d hang out as friends again. I think some of my roommates know him which is interesting. I’d be down to hang out again.

COURTESY KYLE KELLY

Kyle Kelly: fourth-year Architecture student Dream job: Anthony Bourdain but still alive Childhood hero: Pope Benedict If you could describe yourself as an album or movie title, real or made up, what would it be?: Take Me Home, Country Roads Deal breakers: Vegans and communists, but it’s fine if they’re both

Thursday, January 30, 2020 | 9

LIFE

To compromise or not to compromise, that is the question Where do we draw the line between what we want for ourselves and what our families want for us?

Emma Keller | Life Columnist

EMMA HITCHCOCK | THE CAVALIER DAILY

The spring semester is upon us, and I am sure that I am not alone in saying that choosing a major, a summer internship and a career has become a daily mental battleground for me. Keeping up with application deadlines, narrowing down my actual interests and career aspirations and staying on top of current obligations like my classwork and extracurriculars is all a bit overwhelming. This is why I always treasure every second of winter break.

Winter break — a long, tranquil four weeks — means no homework, no club commitments and, most importantly, no emails. We can turn off our phones without fear of missing

a reminder or a Collab notification.

We do not have to feel bad about doing absolutely nothing all day. Winter break and the ignorance it allows us all to partake in is bliss — until we are sitting at a table surrounded by family members who are all very concerned about our 10-year plan.

It is like they expect us to go off to college, have a grand “this is what I want to do for the rest of my life” moment then come home with plans to conquer the world. Do not get me wrong, I love my family — so much — but I do not think our families realize how stressful and anxiety-inducing it is to be bombarded with questions about our futures that we desperately

wish we could answer.

First year, I was excited for the long winter reprieve from school but was not ready for the serious “future plans” discussion with my family.

However, this past Christmas, I felt more prepared for their questions. I had declared an English major, decided to apply for a second one and had picked out a short-list of internships to apply for. I would not have to fill the smothering silence at the table with “maybe” and “I am not quite sure” — not this year.

Then I got home. Cue the atomic bomb explosion sound effects.

No, I am just kidding — it was not that bad.

As expected, I had some serious conversations with my parents about my goals for the future. I think that the indecisiveness and “I want to try everything” attitude I carried home with me at the beginning of my firstyear had made my parents nervous.

But now that I am almost halfway through college — as much as I hate to say it — I do need to figure out what I see myself doing for the rest of my life.

Coming to our families with our plans, or lack thereof, leaves us vulnerable to their approval and their disappointment. Our intentions are

never to let our families down, and we certainly want them to be proud of the independent strides we have made in college.

But at the same time, we must remember that college is an investment of time and money, and that we and our parents are both important stakeholders. So, does that mean our parents should have a say in what we do here?

According to a survey of over 3,000 students, 54 percent of parents try to exert their wishes for their child’s course and career choice, and only seven percent of students believe it is wrong of their parents to do so.

Compromising is difficult enough without the weight of life-altering decisions hanging in the air. However, I know that choosing a major, an internship and a career that make me happy matters more than appeasing my family. And, if my goal — turning my passion into my career — aligns with my family’s aspirations for me, great. But, I also understand that defying your family’s wishes to pursue a passion is not a privilege that everyone can afford.

I know that compromising depends on a lot of different factors, and I recognize how privileged I am

to come from a supportive household where my parents genuinely want the best for me. Knowing that they care and have my best interests in mind makes it easier for me to let go of my young-adult pride and itch for independence to hear them out, but that does not mean I am willing to listen to the rest of my family push me to go to graduate school and change my major to something useful — who needs English, right?

Going home may complicate our plans and make us rethink decisions we have already made, and usually, I am ready for combat when I take my seat at the holiday dinner table. But this time going home was the reality check — and mental break — I needed. When it concerns my future and people who have loved me for all of my past and present, I am willing to cut a deal or two.

Compromising is hard, and I am not nearly as good at choosing my battles as I would like to be. Compromise requires letting go and perhaps giving up something — but when it comes to decisions that you, and only you, are going to have to live with for decades to come, be careful not to give too much of yourself away.

New Italian restaurant serves up fresh pasta ‘Pronto!’

Enjoy pasta on the Corner served up fresh, fast and customizable to your carb cravings MaKayla Grapperhaus | Food Writer Who doesn't enjoy some carbs after a long day of classes? Conveniently located on the Corner, Pronto! is making it a mission to serve students and locals house-made pasta on the go.

With its reasonable prices, Pronto! is not only a fast option for Italian food, but an affordable one. Doors opened Jan. 21, so the idea behind trying some fresh pasta to-go had me excited to try out the Corner's newest Italian restaurant.

Atmosphere The exterior of this new Italian restaurant might appear familiar to many in Charlottesville — this is because Pronto! is located in the building that was formerly home to Revolutionary Soup. The first thing I noticed upon arriving was the chalkboard on the sidewalk, announcing that it is now open. In the window, there is a yellow neon sign that screams, "Eat Fresh Pasta Here."

The interior is quite modern, with bright yellow walls, bright colors and loud pop music that make for a fun vibe. Although the inside still feels somewhat empty, there is plenty of seating and two large pasta makers on display behind glass. When I arrived

for lunch Monday around 11 a.m. — right after it opened — there were already a few people sitting at tables waiting for their orders.

Inside there are plenty of reminders that Pronto! has just opened. Seated in a small corner table, a photographer for a local newspaper snapped several pictures of his food. Employees rushed around, unsure of what to do in the kitchen — this is understandable since it has just opened.

With the menu posted on a screen above the counter, the ordering process is easy. Simply choose your pasta, the sauce and add any toppings you would like. Of course, as its name suggests, the food arrived within just a few minutes.

Accessibility Located on the Corner, Pronto! is easily accessible to most students on foot. However, if you find yourself making the drive, there is street parking and a garage directly beside the building where you can pay to park.

Depending on the day, parking on the Corner can be challenging — it is likely more convenient to walk or bike.

Besides, getting some exercise in before carb-loading is never a bad idea.

I opted to walk there for lunch after my class, and it was only a few short minutes from Grounds. Since it is located along the sidewalks on 14th St., Pronto! is also wheelchair accessible.

One downside to Pronto! is that the hours are not very consistent yet.

I struggled to find its hours online, and what I eventually found on its Facebook page was incorrect. Make sure you stick to the hours that are posted on the door — 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Monday through Friday and noon to 10 p.m. Saturday. Unfortunately, it is closed Sunday.

Affordability Besides the fresh pasta, one of the most appealing things about Pronto! is the prices. For under $10, you can enjoy quality, house-made pasta. For on-the-go pasta, this seems affordable.

It has a wide variety of pastas such as spaghetti, pappardelle, fusilli, gnocchi sardi, orecchiette and bucatini — it even offers zucchini noodles. The fresh pasta options are priced at $7.99, regardless of the sauce you choose. The sauces include bolognese, carbonara, al pomodoro, alfredo, cacio e pepe, fra diavolo, pesto and vodka. You can also add different kinds of meats, cheeses

and veggies to your pasta. Depending on what you are adding, extra toppings range between 49 cents and $2.49.

If mac n' cheese is more your style, there are several different options that sound amazing for just $8.49. It also offers healthier options with two salads priced at $5.99 — a classic caesar salad and another called insalada della casa.

Appeal I ordered a classic spaghetti prepared with vodka sauce and topped with parmesan cheese. It was a simple order that would have been difficult to mess up, so I had hopes that it would exceed my expectations for pasta. The

pasta was al dente and the sauce was tangy.

Although I can't say that it was the best spaghetti I've ever had, it was quite tasty! I really appreciated the paper Chinese take-out box that my food came in, which was customized with a logo sticker. Since pasta can be messy, I was pleasantly surprised that this box contained it so well. If you’re craving some carbs on the go, then this is definitely a place you should check out.

Overall, I am pleased with my first visit to Pronto!, and I look forward to returning soon.

MAKAYLA GRAPPERHAUS | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Pronto! is the new go-to pasta place on the Corner.

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LIFE

Top 10 most well-known crosswalks on Grounds Although constantly overlooked, the crosswalks across Grounds play significant roles in the lives of students every day

1. Alderman Road and McCormick Road

This crosswalk is at the classic intersection of the two main areas of first-year housing. Anyone who wants to go to O’Hill must cross this crosswalk. It is always a good time to see people hurrying to go to class after leaving their dorm and others just trying to grab some food. This intersection is really the most integral crosswalk for many first years as it connects home, food and classes.

2. Alderman Road and Whitehead Road

If you hate the gym, this crosswalk probably makes you shudder. This intersection is very important during football season — so important that there are police officers who govern this crosswalk on game days.

During everyday life, however, this crosswalk is mostly important if you are walking to classes that are off Engineering Way or if you are going to the gym. The AFC only has this crosswalk in front of it, so should you be headed to get a sweat in, this is the crosswalk to your final destination.

3. Chancellor Street and

Anna Mason | Top 10 Writer

5. Emmet

Street and Jefferson Park Avenue This is a different type of crosswalk where two roads merge and become one. On the way to Nau Hall along Jefferson Park Avenue, it is a little bit awkward because of the turning lane that doesn’t obey the light cycle, which can be a bit of a hazard when crossing the street. The first half of the crosswalk is always a gamble to see if a car is going to turn and maybe hit you, but the other half has a light so that is always a sure-fire safe crossing.

Park Avenue 6. Jefferson Brandon Avenue

McLeod 1020 is to thank for the significance of this crosswalk. When any lecture is let out of this room, all traffic rules go out the window. About 300 students cross Jefferson Park Avenue at once when the cross sign comes on and most do not make it to the crosswalk — they simply walk down the middle of the road around the cars to get back to central Grounds. Honestly if I was in a car and saw this phenomenon, I would be terrified.

EMMA KLEIN | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Crossing the street while dodging traffic is a challenge at this stop.

of the four crosswalks on 9. Any McCormick in front of old

The crosswalk that connects Grounds to the Corner in front of the Bank of America is well known by students of all years. There is a Ginkgo tree that sits right by this crosswalk that is a visual icon for all. The berries on the Ginkgo tree are known to smell foul every few months, so it becomes a common practice to hold your breath when walking across this crosswalk towards the Rotunda.

dorms

EMMA KLEIN | THE CAVALIER DAILY

These crosswalks are less used and therefore, a little more edgy. Collisions between pedestrians and cars should not even be the most feared issues — it’s bikes, skateboards and electric scooters that people crossing should look out for. At night, these crosswalks become even more precarious as there are less lights, and they become less noticeable to people in or on vehicles.

Crosswalks are a cornerstone of U.Va. life.

Road S.

This one is tricky. Just past the overpass across Emmet Street, this crosswalk is not directly in front of any significant landmarks but it is still well known all the same. There is necessary double crossing as the left side of Newcomb Road S. does not have a sidewalk — just a worn mud path. This is also one of the crosswalks where one is most likely to get hit. For some unknown reason, people like turning down Newcomb Road S. even though it is a dead end. These confused drivers don’t usually know where they are going, so as you’re crossing to the side of the road with a sidewalk, make sure to look out for them.

As another super busy intersection, students of all majors and years cross here. This is one of the main crossings to central Grounds from two libraries, Monroe Hall and Newcomb. At this hub of student traffic, I could not imagine being a bus driver and getting stuck on either side of the constant flow of students.

Students here feel free to walk across whenever, and it is a rare sight to see a student offering a car to cross the intersection before them.

and

University Avenue

4. McCormick Road and Newcomb

Road by Monroe 8. McCormick Hall

7. McCormick Road by the University Chapel

Coming from the Corner towards central Grounds, there is generally a gamble taken here.

There is first the challenge of making it to the North Line or Outer Loop shuttles before they leave the bus stop in front of Alderman Library. Secondly, there is usually a bus on either side of the crosswalk on the Chapel side of the street, so walking between two busses and into the road is a blind game of chance every student must make a few times in their years here.

Avenue and 10. University Culbreth Road This is a less utilized crosswalk, mainly used by members of the Architecture School and people who live in Lambeth. To get to this crosswalk, you walk through tennis courts and other auxiliary fields around Memorial Gym. After crossing, there is an obnoxious hill that no one should look forward to hiking up. Although obscure, this crosswalk is integrated into many people’s lives, especially those who drive along University Avenue.

Thursday, January 30, 2020 | 11

LIFE

IRC hosts Lunar New Year celebration

Students unable to go home for the holiday found a sense of home at the International Residential College Maryann Xue | Feature Writer

MARYANN XUE | THE CAVALIER DAILY

IRC residents gather in the living room of Big Morea for an evening of food and friends.

On the eve of the Lunar New Year Saturday, a string of red lanterns lit up the path behind the International Residential College, culminating at the front steps of Big Morea — part of a two-section complex of Morea House — where Reid Bailey, IRC Principal and Systems Engineering Professor, lives with his family. There, Bailey, his wife and children welcomed students for an annual celebration of the Lunar New Year.

Lunar New Year, or Chinese New Year, celebrates the beginning of a new year in the lunar calendar, which is based on the monthly cycle of the moon. In China, Lunar New Year is commonly referred to as the Spring Festival because it occurs near the beginning of spring. It’s the country’s biggest festival of the year, as well as its longest public holiday, allowing for seven days of hearty food, celebration and family reunions.

The IRC event incorporated the fundamental components of any Lunar New Year celebration — food, red packets, well wishes and paper cutting — a form of Chinese art. Over 150 students attended the event throughout the night.

The event originated six years ago under Eric Loth, former IRC principal and current engineering professor, who started it in collaboration with an IRC resident.

Since then, it has always been held in Big Morea. This was Bailey’s second time hosting the event.

“I always assumed ‘New Year’ was the same everywhere, right?

And now we're celebrating it multiple weeks after we celebrated it here,” Bailey said. “Students [know that] there are lots of people in this world that celebrate New Year fundamentally different

than [they] do. I think that's kind of its role here at the IRC … the contrast between what a student who's grown up in the United States can immediately sense by there being a new year that's not on Jan. 1.”

Graduate student Enrico Guffanti, an exchange student from Italy, has only lived in the IRC for the past two weeks so decided to attend the Lunar New Year celebration as a way to meet new people in a welcoming environment.

Prior to attending the event, Guffanti knew very little about the Lunar New Year, which gave him the opportunity to experience a new cultural tradition.

“I just wanted to meet new friends,” Guffanti said. “I was just curious about the event, and [wanted to] see a different culture, different traditions and try new food. I think I know the food now that you would eat at events like this.”

During the Lunar New Year, people typically eat food like dumplings, fish, tangyuan (汤 圆), spring rolls, nian gao (年糕) and noodles. Each food symbolizes good fortune for the new year, conveying wishes such as wealth, success and longevity. The food at the IRC celebration was catered

by Got Dumplings and included rice and cold peanut noodles, as well as chicken, pork and tofu dumplings. The meal was complemented by Thai bubble tea. In addition to the catered food, Bailey and IRC residents David Xiao and Angeline Zeng bought snacks from C’ville Oriental, a nearby Asian supermarket. Snacks included sachima (沙琪玛) — a pastry made with fried batter resembling Rice Krispies — want want senbei (旺旺仙贝) — rice crackers — and want want ball cakes

(旺旺小馒头).

“I wasn’t really familiar with the traditions of Lunar New Year, so this was really fun because I got to learn not only about writing wishes and sharing wishes with other people but also [about] tasting the different food and the dessert, especially because I've never had them,” first-year College student Juliette Laburthe said.

For many Chinese international students, this was their first time celebrating Lunar New Year away from home, but the atmosphere generated by the event was positive enough to bring back childhood memories.

“I felt a little bit sad because I really miss my family,” first-year College student Yolanda Yao said.

“There’s this huge virus in China, so I’m really worried about them, but after this, I’m just much happier. They were doing this paper cutting [activity], which is what I used to do in kindergarten, and

also they offered snacks that I used to eat as a child, so it brings a lot of memories back to me.”

The celebration included an activity involving red packets, which has always been an important component of the IRC event.

Everyone who entered the house was asked to write down well wishes on a piece of paper and slip them into a red packet that was then placed in a big bowl. Upon leaving, each person was able to take a red packet and read the well wishes placed in their envelope.

Students were also given reusable chopsticks customized with the words “International Residential College” — a new addition to this year’s celebration, along with the paper cutting activity and snacks.

“I think that this event is really neat,” first-year Architecture student Anna Wei said. “This is my first time spending it away from

my parents. I enjoyed all of the paper cutting, having conversations with other people to get to know more about the tradition and having good food and sharing a good time with friends.”

The walls, doors and ceilings of Morea House were adorned with Chinese decorations typical of the Lunar New Year. These included New Year couplets and hanging ornaments that symbolize wealth and fortune. Perhaps the only thing missing was the broadcast of the annual CCTV New Year’s Gala, which people in China watch on Lunar New Year’s Eve. “It’s my first new year that’s away from home and my family,” Yao said. “But this community gives me a sense of belonging and a home away from home so that I can actually spend this Chinese festival here with my friends, and it actually feels really warm.”

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SPORTS

Men’s sports coaches outearned women’s coaches in 2018-19 On average, coaches of men’s sports earned $88,226 more than coaches of comparable women’s sports Vignesh Mulay | Sports Editor Faculty and administration salaries for the 2018-2019 academic year show that, among the eight highest-paid coaches at the University, just two represent women’s sports.

Data obtained by The Cavalier Daily through a Freedom of Information Act request indicates that the average base salary of a coach of a women’s sport, $145,229, is 76 percent less than the average base salary of a coach of a men’s sport, $256,125. Additionally, the average base salary of a coach of both male and female athletes is $131,887 — this includes track and field, swimming and diving and squash.

This discrepancy in base salary is evident when taking a closer look at the six Virginia sports that have separate varsity-level male and female teams. In five of these six sports, the men’s coach outearns the women’s coach.

Men’s basketball Coach Tony Bennett earns $300,000 more than women’s basketball Coach Tina Thompson. Baseball Coach Brian O’Connor earns $177,058 more than softball Coach Joanna Hardin. Men’s golf Coach Bowen Sargent earns $54,500 more than women’s golf Coach Ria Scott. Men’s tennis Coach Andres Pedroso earns $36,050 more than women’s tennis Coach Sara O’Leary and men’s lacrosse Coach Lars Tiffany earns $25,649 more than women’s lacrosse Coach Julie Myers.

In fact, only women’s soccer Coach Steve Swanson — who has served as an assistant coach for the U.S. Women’s National Team — earns more than his counterpart for the men’s soccer team, Coach George Gelnovatch.

Notably, base salary is just one component of a Virginia coach’s total annual compensation. However, incentives and bonuses may actually exacerbate the salary gap further. For example, Thompson’s annual pay can reach $650,000 with incentives.

Bennett, who declined a pay raise in September, can earn up to $5.2 million after accounting for his performance incentives, supplemental compensation and longevity bonus.

While coaches of men’s sports make more than those of women’s sports, the Virginia athletics department holds that “a number of non-discriminatory factors” are used to determine compensa-

ANGELA CHEN | THE CAVALIER DAILY

tion packages.

“Seniority, merit, marketplace value, contractual requirements to perform other duties and production are all contributing factors,” said Jim Daves, assistant athletics director for media relations, in an email to The Cavalier Daily.

The value of coaching contracts is also highly situational.

To remain competitive with other NCAA programs, the athletics department may occasionally offer higher pay to a coach as an incentive to stay at or come to

Virginia. With the fourth-highest spend on coaching staff in the ACC, an aggressive job market is a driver in certain Virginia coaches’ salaries.

“There have been times where coaches have been recruited for employment by another university or organization,” Daves said. “In those instances, changes in compensation or salary have contributed to an increase in an overall compensation package in order to retain that individual.”

Moreover, the salary of a coach is tied to the financial

value of their particular sport.

For instance, in 2017-2018, men’s basketball generated $13,503,022 in revenue for Virginia athletics compared to $1,326,752 generated by women’s basketball. This difference in revenue may help explain the salary gap between Bennett and Thompson.

Virginia athletics’ salary gap extends beyond head coaches to the entire coaching staff. The average base salary of assistant and associate coaches of men’s sports is $196,570 — 173 percent more than the women’s sports average

of $71,922. The highest-compensated assistant coaching staff members belong to football and men’s basketball with average base salaries of $283,333 and $280,819, respectively. In contrast, the assistant coaches of six women’s sports — volleyball, field hockey, soccer, rowing, golf and softball — have average base salaries of less than $60,000. Just one men’s sport — golf — falls below that line.

While the current salary gap is still large, compensation for coaches of women’s sports has been progressively increasing over the course of the last decade. The average base salary of a Virginia head coach of a women’s-only team has increased 15 percent, or by $18,973, since 20112012. Excluding women’s basketball — an extreme outlier in this data and the only sport whose head coach’s base salary dropped — the average base salary actually grew 33 percent in the last seven years. Women’s soccer, volleyball and rowing had the biggest increases in head coach base salary — all three saw at least 39 percent growth.

However, less has improved in terms of gender diversity as male coaches still easily outnumber female coaches. The University has 14 male head coaches to only six female coaches. In addition to every men’s team, three women’s teams and all sports that have both men and women under one staff are coached by a male.

Abigail Palko, director of the Maxine Platzer Lynn Women’s Center, touched upon the challenge of increasing the involvement of women in Virginia athletics and the progress made so far.

“Given U.Va.'s history as an all-male university for its first 100 years, the slow admission of women in the professional and graduate schools from 1920-1970, and then the full integration of the college in 1970, the history of women's participation in athletics — as players and coaches — is complicated,” Palko said in an email to The Cavalier Daily. “A number of women have had a significant impact in recent years, including [Athletics Director] Carla Williams and [former Assistant Athletics Director] Jane Miller.”

Thursday, January 30, 2020 | 13

SPORTS

National champion men’s lacrosse set to begin title defense With a strong returning core, the Cavaliers have what it takes to repeat as NCAA champions Joe von Storch | Associate Writer Virginia men’s lacrosse begins its national title defense Feb. 8 against Loyola at Klöckner Stadium. With a plethora of key pieces from last year’s title-winning run returning, the 2020 Cavaliers have high hopes of bringing another championship back to Charlottesville.

The Roster Virginia will be returning seven of 10 starters from last year’s national championship game against Yale as well as sophomore faceoff specialist Petey LaSalla. Only midfielder Ryan Conrad, attacker Mikey Herring and defender Logan Greco will not be back — all three graduated in the spring.

Included in that returning core is four All-Americans — two-time first-team selection and senior midfielder Dox Aitken and debut firstteam selection and senior long-stick midfielder Jared Conners.

The Virginia offense is expected to be one of the nation’s most dynamic, as the Cavaliers return their four leading point-scorers from last season in junior attacker and All-American honorable men-

tion Matt Moore, senior third team All-American attacker Michael Kraus, sophomore attacker Ian Laviano and Aitken.

Additionally, after garnering interest from teams as a head coach candidate in the offseason, offensive coordinator Sean Kirwan will be back — further helping the team’s chemistry and transition into the 2020 season.

"We're very fortunate," Coach Lars Tiffany said. "We have fantastic talent back. We have most of our offensive firepower back, and we have Sean Kirwan back."

In stark contrast, however, the Cavaliers’ defensive unit has several question marks heading into the season.

Standout two-way midfielder Conrad and attacker Herring and All-American defender Greco are gone. Junior defender Kyle Kology, sophomore defender Cade Saustad and junior goalkeeper Alex Rode — named the NCAA tournament’s most outstanding player — will return, but injuries kept Saustad as well as Conners out of much of the

team’s fall scrimmages.

As a result, Virginia will have to turn to young talent on the defensive end with freshmen Scott Bower, Quentin Matsui and Jake Giulieri likely slated to play significant minutes. In terms of replacing Conrad and his tenacious play, Tiffany believes sophomore midfielder Chris Merle could help fill the gap.

"He's as close to fearless as we have on our team,” Tiffany said.

“He runs through bodies — not to hit people, but because there's a ball there — and he's oblivious to giving you a charley horse or getting slashed. So I love his doggedness in pursuit of ground balls.”

LaSalla is expected to continue handling face-offs after winning 58.7 percent of his matchups last year — ranked top 20 in the country. Freshman face-off specialist Gavin Tygh has shown potential and could challenge for reps during the season.

The Schedule Virginia opens the season against Loyola just as the team did in 2019.

Last year, the Cavaliers were defeated handily in Baltimore by a score of 17-9. The Cavaliers will return to Charlottesville with hopes of avenging their season-opening loss a year ago.

The rest of the schedule closely resembles 2019 with the opponents responsible for Virginia’s three losses — Loyola, High Point and Duke — all on the 2020 slate.

An addition to this year’s regular season schedule is Maryland.

The Cavaliers mounted a dramatic comeback to pull off an improbable win against the Terrapins in the national quarter finals last year, including a controversial game-tying goal awarded to Virginia with just over a minute remaining. The rematch will be another highly-contested matchup with emotions running high on both sides of the ball.

Of the 14-game regular season schedule, the Cavaliers will host 10 matches — including a regular season game in Charlottesville against VMI following the ACC tournament in late April.

Another game of note is the

April 9 matchup against Duke at Klockner Stadium. The Cavaliers ended an 11-game losing streak — dating back to 2010 — to the Blue Devils by pulling off yet another stunning comeback in the national semifinals last year. A Virginia win this year would be its first regular season win over Duke since 2004.

"Formidable obstacles abound in 2020," Tiffany said. "We are fortunate to have significant challenges on our schedule this spring, with many opponents coming to Charlottesville. Such a demanding slate serves as a fantastic motivator, prompting us to train in the off-season and preseason with greater focus and intensity."

While repeating as national champions is certainly no easy task, the Cavaliers have the experience and offensive firepower to put themselves in a position to capture the program’s seventh NCAA title.

This, combined with the strong culture that Tiffany has reestablished, means Virginia has the tools necessary to be playing lacrosse in late May.

New home will rejuvenate Virginia’s softball program The Cavaliers are set to play 23 home games in Palmer Park’s inaugural season Jude Nanaw | Associate Writer Virginia softball will play the first home game of its 2020 season March 3 against James Madison in its brand-new softball stadium, Palmer Park. With the intention “to build and maintain the highest quality facilities in the country,” the athletic department hopes the new stadium will help Virginia compete with the premier programs in the ACC and across the country.

When it comes to recruitment at the highest level of collegiate sports, student-athletes consider all aspects of a program from a school’s location and academics to the team’s stadium and facilities.

For Virginia’s softball program, the latter has been a hindrance for a number of years as the now-retired softball facility, simply known as The Park, has become outdated and obsolete. The Park had not received any significant renovations since 2009, resulting in the decade-long deterioration of the dugouts, bullpens and batting cages. Many believe that the facility itself has been the cause of missing out on talented local recruits to other competitors in the area.

“It’s just that with the hills, and

there’s a lot of wetlands and stuff, you just aren’t able to put the programming here that you would need to compete with Virginia Tech, and really our conference,” softball Coach Joanna Hardin said to The Daily Progress in 2018.

The Park was not accomodating the needs of a program that wanted to contend at the national level.

However, the team hopes that these setbacks are an issue of the past, as Virginia will open the 2020 season in a brand new facility at the heart of the Athletic Precinct.

The new facility — Palmer Park — is named after former Virginia pitcher Lisa Palmer and her mother, Frances Palmer, who provided the lead gift to fund the new development.

The stadium is the first competitive sports facility at Virginia to be named for a female student-athlete alumnus.

"My mother and I really wanted to make an impact on Virginia softball and give back and support it because softball and the University made such an impact on both of our lives," Lisa Palmer said.

Palmer Park will function as a game-day stadium, a new state-of-

the-art training facility for softball and a player development center.

The stadium will also feature various new amenities for players and staff including locker rooms, trainer space and team meeting rooms in addition to facilities for both the visiting team and umpires.

Not only will the new facility improve the experience for softball team players and staff but spectators as well. The concourse level will include restrooms and concessions that will serve all the fans in the 522seat stadium. The capacity of the new stadium is slated to increase in the coming years. Grandstands have the potential to increase capacity to 1,000 seats, along with a future build-out estimated to add even more capacity — up to 2,500 spectators. The stadium’s potential future capacity would be a substantial improvement compared to The Park, which only sat 475 spectators.

Softball’s audience is also bound to increase through the ACC’s new television network, as the ACC Network will utilize the new facility to televise several games in 2020 and beyond.

"Softball is the third mostwatched collegiate sport on ESPN,” Palmer said. “It's a fantastic family experience and sport for fans."

Another significant benefit of the newly-built facility is the location.

The former softball field was hidden away from the rest of Virginia’s athletic facilities, past the Darden Business School and Law School. Palmer Park, on the other, is situated at the corner of Massie and Copeley Road in view of Klöckner Stadium, Davenport Field and John Paul Jones Arena.

"Softball is so hot right now," Hardin said. "It's such a popular sport in the United States, and I think [U.Va. students and fans] miss out on it because we're so far away and so tucked away. So I think our fan base is going to grow."

The construction and renovation of Virginia’s stadiums and athletic facilities have been prevalent in other sports for years now, making the new stadium a long time coming for the softball team.

For example, Scott Stadium was significantly renovated in the 1990s and early 2000s. Both player and fan accommodations were added, includ-

ing a new locker room, a dining facility for players and luxury suites and the Hoo Vision video board as improvements for fan experience. Seating also increased to just over 60,000.

John Paul Jones Arena has also received attention in recent years, including a complete renovation of the men’s locker room and upgrades to its production facilities to meet specifications for the ACC Network.

The construction of Palmer Park is noteworthy as it sends a message from the athletic department that it is committed to non-revenue sports such as softball. The new facility should help Virginia softball — a team that has been often overlooked in the past — compete on a level playing field with rivals in terms of performance, recruitment and attendance.

“It’s a game-changer for us,” Hardin said. “It gives us the opportunity to be on a national stage. It’s not the bricks and mortar that make a program, but being visible sure helps to gain momentum.”

The softball team’s season will kickoff Feb. 7 as the Cavaliers take part in the Charlotte Invitational.

14 | www.cavalierdaily.com

OPINION

The Cavalier Daily

LEAD EDITORIAL

Title IX is failing — Honor shouldn’t need to fix it Those who faced Title IX violations deserve clear paths to justice

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ver the past couple weeks, the Honor Committee has met to discuss a proposed bylaw concerning Title IX cases and their investigations, which are cases regarding sexual and gender-based harassment and violence. There is no clear majority opinion within the Committee for several reasons — the most important of which is the lack of expertise and resources that Honor has to hear cases of this magnitude. Despite this agreement within the committee, the bylaw has not yet been rejected by Honor representatives. As the possibility of a change is discussed this week, it has become clear that Honor should not hear these cases. Rather, the Title IX office should step up its game so that Honor does not need to absorb this heavy responsibility. If not, many of these students will be failed twice — first by Title IX and then again by Honor if a decision is made to hear their case.

Under the new proposal, every Title IX-related case introduced to the Honor Committee must be reviewed by the Title IX Coordinator prior to being heard to ensure Honor is not re-adjudicating the initial case. As explained by Alex Spratley, fourth-year College student and Vice Chair for Hearing, Honor is “not here to act as an appeal to Title IX,” meaning that while they do aim to initiate critical changes, they are respecting due process while doing so. Specifically, Honor will not gain the ability to hear Title IX cases, but rather Honor-related cases that arise out of Title IX reports and investigations. However, this issue only brings to light the changes that Title IX must make to better serve survivors so that Honor does not need to be involved in these types of cases.

The bylaw provides two types of overrides that could allow them to hear Title IX-related cases. The Committee cited two examples in which an

override of the policy, which must be approved by a unanimous vote by the executive committee before they could take place. The first override — which was widely supported throughout the Committee — would be used in more standard cases. For example, “if an accused party admitted to stealing a bike and that fact was not relevant to the Title IX investigation,” then Honor could hear the case based on the theft.

However, Honor will still be unable to make decisions regarding the sex or gender-based crime that was initally reported to the Title IX office.

The second override was more controversial within the Committee, as it would allow Honor to hear any and all cases deemed “catastrophic” to the University and its community. It is unclear what the exact definition of a “catastrophic” case would be as it is used here. Regardless of any concrete definition of “catastrophic,” the possibility that Honor can access infor-

mation pertaining to Title IX cases should alarm the entire University community.

While Honor’s intent here is admired, it should not be required. Ideally, the Committee should focus on hearing reported cases of Honor Code violations — as that is their outlined role — and allow Title IX to do their part in handling reports of sex and gender-based offenses. Yet, the reality is much more complex, as the introduction of these proposed bylaws only highlights the need for Title IX reform at the University. As The Cavalier Daily reported last month, the current system is failing us. If the Title IX office could be trusted to accurately investigate and hear cases, then perhaps Honor would not feel as if it needs to make such radical leaps outside of its duties.

Clearly, the Title IX process here at the University needs to undergo intensive structural changes in order to be-

come the reliable and trustworthy resource students both deserve and need.

If Title IX were to remain as flawed as it has shown to be, survivors would be forced to go through an elongated and potentially traumatic experience in hopes of achieving justice. Many of the cases that come from this bylaw could very possibly stem from a failure of Title IX investigations — it should not fall on Honor to make up for these shortcomings. It should not be the responsibility of students to make up for the inadequate proceedings of a federal agency.

THE CAVALIER DAILY EDITORIAL BOARD is composed of the Executive Editor, the Editor-in-Chief, the two Opinion Editors and their Senior Associate. The board can be reached at eb@ cavalierdaily.com.

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The opinions expressed in The Cavalier Daily are not necessarily those of the students, faculty, staff or administration of the University of Virginia. Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the editorial board. Cartoons and columns represent the views of the authors. The managing board of The Cavalier Daily has sole authority over and responsibility for all content.

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Thursday, January 30, 2020 | 15

OPINION

Save student self-governance The University’s continued encroachments on our right to student self-governance cannot stand

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tudent self-governance — the right of students to govern their own academic affairs, adjudicate violations of our community values, enact change at the University and hold administrators accountable — is under threat. It’s been repeatedly violated by University administrators and has been called a sham and broadley dysfunctional by prominent student journalists.

In 1994, under threat of lawsuit, the University demanded the Honor Committee hold a new trial for a student who had been previously dismissed. A few years ago, the University intervened in the Student Council CIO recognitions process, again under threat of lawsuit, to grant CIO status to Young Americans for Freedom — a far right group which was denied CIO status for forcing members to sign the Sharon Statement. But perhaps the most egregious attack on self-governance in recent memory is Housing and Residence Life’s intervention in its student-governed disciplinary process, which ended with a dedicated resident advisor becoming effectively homeless in a

matter of days. University administration has shown a continued disrespect for the right of self-governance, and its decline threatens the very foundations of this University.

Self-governance is a right which has been fought for for centuries, and it’s our duty to save it.

Let me be clear — I understand the importance of working with, rather than against, University forc-

College Curriculum to steer the future of the College. The Cavalier Daily and Student Council were unrelenting in their efforts to hold administrators accountable for unjust practices in the Offices of Admissions and Advancement, and the Living Wage Campaign held a rally outside of a Board of Visitors meeting to encourage a raise for University faculty and staff. And just a

disruption and civil disobedience as tactics to achieve goals, and it’s time we bring them back into the equation. If we do not, we risk a continued administrative erosion of our right to self-governance.

There are dozens of examples of disruption and civil disobedience successfully achieving student demands when used as last-resorts — the most compelling being the

Self-governance is a right which has been fought for for centuries, and it’s our duty to save it. es. Cooperation is always the more efficient, more productive choice. I also do not intend to discount the importance and effectiveness of our current self-governance institutions. In most cases, they serve as strong advocates for the student body and are successful in governing our affairs. Over the last year, for example, we’ve seen a number of student actions which have steered the direction of the University. Students rallied in support of the New

few days ago, partly in response to reporting from The Cavalier Daily, the Honor Committee announced it is taking up new policies to help fill the gaps in the Title IX process.

But when the institutions we have in place fail — when administrators refuse to meet with student leaders, when we are led in circles, when we are outright ignored — we should never close the door on more pointed actions. Student self-governance has stopped short of using

May Days protests of 1970. Following the Kent State shootings and former University President Edgar Shannon’s refusal to sign Student Council’s anti-war demands, students stopped going to classes, occupied the Navy ROTC building, stormed the president’s mansion on Carr’s Hill at midnight and rioted on the north side of the Rotunda.

Just five days after Shannon refused to sign Student Council demands, he addressed thousands of students

on the Lawn — denouncing the Vietnam War and announcing a letter to Virginia’s senators criticizing the government response to Kent State.

I am not saying we should storm University President Jim Ryan’s mansion every time something does not go our way — I am saying students shouldn’t fear administrative retaliation for our activism. Students must not be afraid to engage in radical acts of resistance to administrative overreach, unjust and inequitable practices, mistreatment of staff and policies contradictory to our values. Self-governance is not student subsidization of administrative operations — it is not “glorified bookkeeping.” It is a right to control this University’s path forward. It is a right which students have fought for for hundreds of years. We have a duty not just to ourselves — but to the future students of the University — to continue that fight. What are they going to do, give us detention?

NOAH STRIKE is an Opinion Col umnist for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at opinion@cavalierdaily. com.

Why I don’t worry about U.Va. Athletics The University is not sacrificing education for athletics, but rather ensuring athletes compete at the highest levels in academics and athletics

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recent article in The Cavalier Daily focused on reasons U.Va. stakeholders should be worried about Cavalier athletics. While the evidence presented does have its merits, I’m going to tell you why you should not worry.

The University is taking on important projects to improve both athletics and academics on Grounds. Most notably, under Director of Athletics Carla Williams, the University has entered its first phase of a $180 million Master Plan to enhance facilities and the student-athlete experience. Rather than focusing on facilities that only provide improved opportunities for football and men’s basketball — like many other institutions competing at high levels in sports and academics — this plan includes upgrades for lower profile sports, too.

Having spoken with current and former Virginia athletes competing in a variety of sports, this project is necessary not only for recruiting and continuing athletic excellence, but also for the health and safety of our athletes.

As for academics, the University has updated its policies for athlete admissions. To ensure athletes are getting more out of

their education, the University has also revamped its athletic academic support program. Rather than focusing on rote memorization and basic understanding of their course work, athletes engage with the Cavalier Academic Support Team, tutors, mentors and peer athletes to apply and

athletes who balance school and sports at arguably one of the highest levels in Division I athletics. I’ve observed this balancing act firsthand in my course, “Athletics in the University,” where we explore this topic, and a host of others pertaining to big-time college sports.

right out of college are forced to attend an institution or head to Europe to compete before they can enter their respective drafts.

Second, while eligibility is a concern and some may view the degree requirements for athletes as conservative, the standards to which the University holds

To say that the University is sacrificing academics for athletics ignores all of the positives the department of athletics does to enhance the athlete experience and their futures. evaluate their course work in ways that deepen understanding and allow for connections to their own experiences. Additionally, the athletic department is in the process of launching a career development program housed in the new Center for Citizen Leaders and Sports Ethics.

To say that the University is sacrificing academics for athletics ignores all of the positives the department of athletics does to enhance the athlete experience and their futures. If someone thinks U.Va. is making this sacrifice, I suggest they discuss this notion with current University

Furthermore, the previous article mentioned that athletes use a prestigious university like U.Va. as a stepping stone to professional leagues, creating a focus on eligibility rather than academics. First, this is not the fault of the University — or any other institution for that matter.

Rather, this is the consequence of a system constructed by professional leagues such as the NBA and the NFL that require athletes to be a certain age or a certain number of years removed from high school prior to entering their drafts. Athletes that would rather go to a professional league

its athletes to are actually more stringent than what the NCAA requires.

The University also graduates 92 percent of its athletes, which is higher than the NCAA average for Division I schools. The previous article views this number as insignificant and questions what these graduates learned that could help them after college. Research with athletes demonstrates how valuable and rewarding their athletic participation can be. Just a few things athletes take away from their sport opportunities include leadership, teamwork, responsibili-

ty, ethics, health and well-being and acceptance of diverse others.

In fact, many companies target former college athletes from all sports and competition levels because of these enhanced qualities.

My research in the Curry School of Education centers around the academic lives of intercollegiate athletes, and I’ve worked firsthand with several U.Va. athletes. From what I have seen, U.Va. students, faculty, alumni, donors and fans should not worry about Cavalier athletics. Our athletes ably represent our institution both on their fields of play and in the classroom. The University is not failing these athletes, but is, in fact, working diligently to provide them with the resources they need to succeed at U.Va. and beyond.

MOLLY HARRY is a Ph.D. student in the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education and Human Development and the instructor for the course Athletics in the University. Her research is focused on the intersection of academics and athletics, particularly bridging the gap between the academy and sport.

The Cavalier Daily

16 | www.cavalierdaily.com

HUMOR Leave Tina Fey alone U.Va., my beautiful red-bricked burden, we have to talk. It’s about Tina Fey. I love her, you love her, but we gotta stop asking her for stuff. I know it is literally someone's job to wrangle celebrity alumni and politely force them to inspire the next generation of students, but please leave Tina Fey alone. I get that it’s hard to resist, after all, she has all the elements of a desirable University alumna.

First, we knew her before she was famous, and though we did not give her the proper respect at the time, we will happily claim her now along with Poe, O’Keefe and all the other creatives who fought to crawl out from the rug we swept them under. Second, she embodies everything the University wants to be — fiercely intelligent, boundary-breaking, extravagantly funny but still someone you could take home to your parents. She and Pharrell’s giant hat would have KILLED at graduation last year and

everyone knows it. But when someone’s in high demand you’ve got to play it cool to get their attention, and U.Va. decidedly has not.

C’mon guys! Not only do we want her to come back, we want her to want to come back. And so far we’ve gone about it all wrong.

Every time she appears for three seconds in a video you can smell the University’s desperation. We all see that edited white background, U.Va., she’s not up in the studio with y’all tossing around ideas and eating pizza. Besides, you keep inviting her to do especially un-Tina Feyish things. She does not want to participate in every aesthetically beautiful campaign to curb student behavior. That’s not her style. You will never find her in a Cirque du Soleil tent built to host donors (but more effectively to kill all the grass on the South Lawn)! You just won’t.

Invite her to things that Tina Fey would want to go to — I don’t know exactly what those are — but

have you even asked her? No, you only think about yourself.

Being a famous alumna sounds exhausting. Imagine every CIO listserv you’re on, then imagine all of them trying to contact you 20 years later. Sound fake? Every year, First Year Players saves tickets for Ms. Fey just in case she was really wanting to see a low-budget rendition of “Little Shop of Horrors” done in a glorified janitor’s closet.

Just in case.

Imagine walking into the basement of 1515 and seeing your own face on the wall next to a sweaty first-year trying his hand at Dance Dance Revolution. It would be truly surreal. So, I propose we play the long game: U.Va., save up our Fey power for something truly great.

Like maybe she’s the one to sign a law prohibiting banks from taking up any more PRIME restaurant space on the Corner. Or, we hire a soccer coach also named Tina Fey so that she has to introduce them at

the next big campus-wide shindig (hey, it worked for Tony Bennett).

Tragically, I propose the long game with full knowledge that I, as a fourth-year, will not even be around to witness it, but I consider it my ultimate sacrifice. It is because I love Tina Fey and “30 Rock” and “Bossypants” and everything she has ever created that I am willing to let her go if that means getting the University that prime Tina Time it doesn’t necessarily deserve.

Because she truly does represent the best of U.Va. — the humor that makes a point, the talent coupled with humility and the knowledge that you are only more powerful when you share the podium with others. She shows us that authenticity and creativity still have merit in this crazy, chaotic ever-warming world. She’s a rare gem, and we are Adam Sandler trying to get our grubby hands on her and we, like him, will receive no awards for it.

So chill out for a second, U.

CARTOON Canada Goose Mike McNerney | Cartoonist

Va., and give the lady her time.

She does not owe us anything, and frankly, Katie Couric has given us unrealistic expectations for how much famous alumni really like to hang around. But if one day she decides to stop by, you will know it will be because of her love for the University and not the crybaby tears splattering her six refused invitations to run with Jim Ryan.

And to Tina herself, I say only this, there will be two tickets to the final night of the drama department’s upcoming production of “Once Upon a Mattress” with your name on them. Whether I am or am not in the show is completely inconsequential. I’ll leave them at the door.

EMILY SUMLIN is a Humor Columnist for The Cavalier Daily.

The Cavalier Daily

Thursday, January 30, 2020 | 17

PUZZLES WEEKLY CROSSWORD PUZZLE Dan Goff | Puzzle Master

* THE SOLUTION TO THIS PUZZLE CAN BE FOUND IN THE NEXT ISSUE

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1. A Life writer typically has a regular ___ 2. Wins in an auction, say 3. Half as complex as Duopush's login 4. Beigey word from the French 5. Regard, consider 6. Accumulation, as of sediments 7. With a "d," it can describe one's breath 8. A wedding variety of this is not invited to the event 9. Allergy-inducing skins or furs 11. Two-word compound used when tie-dyeing 12. PBR, Guinness, Dogfish Head 13. In the ocean 14. Many of us have to worry about accumulating this as undergrads 18. Foster Wallace essay collection "Both Flesh and ___" 21. Pigs ___ ___ truffles 24. Make or repair clothing 28. Turtle or crab shells, say 30. Weird, archaid exclamation 32. It's only a matter of time before someone ___ the "Harry Potter" movies 33. Part of a church near the altar 34. Spanish for "pool" 35. Indie band whose 2009 album "Hospice" is one of the saddest things I have ever heard in my life 38. One who spray paints over public art, maybe 39. Coldness 40. Similar to 19-across, but with more sinister connotations 41. Editors at a publishing house have to work through this pile 43. Curb-___ — nasty way to kill someone depicted in "American History X" 45. Now-defunct section of Cav Daily that went indepth into a single story 50. "Don't worry, I'm ___ ___" 52. Shopping container 53. Famous canal

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1. Made a noise like a dove 6. Cav Daily's magazine feature that replaced 45down 10. 16 of this in a pound 11. Type of beetle associated with Egypt 13. Changed 15. When preceded by "high," this word is often used to describe action movies 16. Absorb something into something else 17. Fire-bombed site of "Slaughterhouse-5" 19. Give off, as light 20. Scottish word for hill 22. Odysseus was a Greek example of this 23. Mountain or mint 25. Three-part expression meaning "exactly" 26. This archaic word for the past usually has "while" attached to it 27. Term often used when studying equipment 29. These trees are traditionally used to make wicker furniture 31. Pumbaa is a famous example 33. Abbreviated title for a certain financial role 36. Overseer of a game 37. Low point 41. Body part that, when plural, is an indie band 42. Folk singer Lee known for "Sweet Pea" and "Arms of a Woman" 44. Coffee for naturally jittery people 46. Not first 47. Portion of a whole 48. Classic dog name 49. Remove clothing 51. Relating to the Pacific, say 54. With "Health," this section of the Cav Daily covers medical and technological advancements 55. Famous French actor Marcel known for his mime and clown work 56. Cavill, Fonda, Kissinger are all famous examples 57. Holy men, often Catholic 58. Persists 59. Abrupt in conversation

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18 | www.cavalierdaily.com

HEALTH & SCIENCE

The Cavalier Daily

The Australian wildfires: How they relate to Charlottesville University environmental science professors discuss the global and local implications of the fires sweeping the island nation Annie An and Cecily Wolfe | Staff Writers Currently, fires rage in Australia, ravaging the landscape and destroying everything in their way, be it plant, animal or building. Flames consume historic forests and descend upon communities of species from the charismatic koala and kangaroo to the endangered western ground parrot and mountain pygmy possum.

With apocalyptic images and dire predictions of hellish temperatures dispersed daily, the disastrous conflagration sharply contrasts the chilly weather in Charlottesville. However, according to experts at the University, there may be a stronger link between the fires half a world away and the local community.

“The same thing could happen here,” environmental science Prof. Karen McGlathery said. “If you have a period of drought and fire fuel builds up, you could have a forest fire … The lessons that we learn from Australia about [these sorts] of extreme events related to climate, we could see — not to the same extent — those things happen in Virginia.”

Wildfires in the southeast region of Australia started burning in September and have quickly evolved into one of the country’s most disastrous fire seasons on record. The blaze has claimed 29 human lives, destroyed 2500 homes, released 400 megatons of carbon dioxide and killed 1.25 billion animals to date.

While the fires are markedly severe, Hank Shugart, W. W. Corcoran professor of environmental sciences, noted that wildfires in and of themselves do not necessarily constitute an emergency.

Bushfires are a normal part of certain ecosystems in Australia.

However, though the origins of present fires have been attributed to lightning and arson, climate change has exacerbated the problem to nearly unprecedented levels.wwww “Wildfires are part of the Australian ecology,” Shugart said. “There are ways you can reduce the fuel, which is basically the real problem. You can run controlled fires to keep the fuel down ... You don’t tend to realize it here, but typically 15 to 20 percent of the land area in Australia burns every year.”

These heat waves are mostly concentrated around the southeast coast, especially near the

states of New South Wales and Victoria, leading to decreased rainfall and buildup of dry vegetation, which effectively serves as tinder for wildfires.

“The thing that is behind all of this is climate change … that is starting to promote fires,” Shugart said. “The fires might occur normally every 200 to 400 years might start occuring every 50-100 years, which is a big change, because you are dealing with fires that are roaring into highly populated areas.”

Effects from the wildfires are expected to outlast the flames.

Not only will the scorched expanses no longer provide habitats or food for the animals that remain, nor tracts of land for housing, but also debris may spill into freshwater sources and contaminate them.

Air pollution is a widespread concern as well that impacts more than just the immediate region. Australia certainly bears the brunt of the soot and ash that fill the sky, enduring days in places such as Sydney where the amount of smoke rivals that present in 37 cigarettes. Yet this problem has extended well beyond the physical limits of the continent.

Based on several satellite images and reports from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the smoke from these wildfires reached parts of South America, posing serious health hazards.

Furthermore, the soot expelled into the atmosphere, along with carbon dioxide released from burning trees, can cause temperatures to increase and ocean levels to rise, environmental science Asst. Prof. Kevin Grise said.

“Downstream, that sort of ash and carbon from the fires can deposit itself on various surfaces in the ocean, on glaciers in New Zealand,” Grise said. “That can speed up glacial melt in certain places because it changes the color of the glaciers and allows them to absorb more sunlight.”

Although Virginia has not experienced as drastic a climate crisis in Australia, it was only a few years ago in 2017 when Charlottesville experienced its own period of drought. McGlathery claimed such conditions could cause damaging fires in Virginia’s forests, although on a much smaller scale.

Statistics from Atmosphere Monitoring Service ANGELA CHEN | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Grise argued some relevant concerns for the local community are actually directly opposite in nature to Australia’s fires. The intensity of storms has trended upward in recent years, especially with regards to the amount of rainfall. Due to the climbing average temperatures, Grise explained that the atmosphere can carry more water that storms could potentially release in quick succession.

“Things you should care about here are heat waves and actually potentially the other direction, in extremes with rainfall events,” Grise said. “The argument is that as the climate gets warmer, a given storm has the potential to rain more. The system producing the rain is the same, but if the same storm passed over us in 1900 and 2100, presumably it would rain a

lot more in 2100.”

Another connection between the seemingly disparate Australia and Charlottesville is the response to such extreme events. In Australia, despite the efforts of its citizens to lobby for policies addressing the threat of soaring greenhouse gas emissions, the Australian government has been reluctant to claim responsibility for the contribution of the country’s major coal industry to climate change. Shugart pointed out that, in fact, everyone can claim at least partial responsibility for climate change and its effects, including Australia’s fires, regardless of their location.

“What is happening in Australia is by some degree caused by the people in Charlottesville,” Shugart said. “It's a planetary problem.”

McGlathery echoed that sentiment and promoted the strategy of creating change through policy. She encouraged individuals to engage in environmentally friendly practices, but declared those actions alone would not be sufficient to curb extreme events.

Supporting officials at the local and national levels with explicit climate agendas could help combat harmful climate change on a larger scale, McGlathery said.

“I think that changing policies is critical,” McGlathery said.

“I hope the Australian wildfires will help raise the awareness of people in Charlottesville and all of Virginia about the many effects that climate change can have on the environment and on people and animals.”

Thursday, January 3o, 2020 | 19

HEALTH & SCIENCE

Preventing hospital readmissions with artificial intelligence University Health System’s data science team develops models to reduce hospital readmissions Cecily Wolfe | Senior Writer The University Health System’s data science team recently advanced to the next stage of a nationwide competition to apply artificial intelligence to hospital readmissions, a persistent and costly issue. Sponsored by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the inaugural Artificial Intelligence Health Outcomes Challenge initially received hundreds of applications.

CMS chose only 25 submissions, the University’s among them, to execute their proposed strategies.

A few years ago, in order to significantly reduce unplanned readmissions to the hospital, the University initiated efforts to develop a cutting-edge — yet easily accessible — solution to this widespread problem. Bommae Kim, senior data scientist for the University Health System, began pursuing remedies for the epidemic of readmissions in 2018.

“Usually, after a patient was discharged, they couldn’t manage their disease for some reason, so we’re trying to figure out what that reason is and help,” Kim said.

The University Health System’s data science team found that three percent of patients at the University constitute 30 percent of readmissions within the first 30 days following release from the hospital, while the majority of the remaining 70 percent return within a year. After identifying the need to decrease such adverse events, data scientists in the University’s Health System, such as Jason Adams, turned to artificial intelligence to target key factors that contribute to a patient returning unnecessarily to the hospital.

“The purpose is … to take this amount of information and in an automated way to tell that a person is at risk and what is the course of action that can best help that patient,” Adams said.

Kim acts as project leader alongside a team of data scientists and information technology personnel.

Overseen by Jon Michel, director of data science for the University Health System, the researchers produce models that help predict the likelihood of readmission and subsequently provide actionable advice for physicians.

Only a year or so later in 2019, CMS announced a competition to tackle the same challenge. CMS directed participants to employ the computing power of artificial intelligence to construct a model that accurately and efficiently flags patients at risk of returning to the hospital for non-routine treatments.

More than 300 applicants submitted proposals during the launch stage of

the challenge.

The University was one of only 25 groups selected to advance to the next stage, vying with organizations such as IBM, Deloitte and the Mayo Clinic for the $1 million grand prize and utilization by the CMS Innovation Center to determine payment and service delivery strategies.

“We’re doing this for our U.Va. patients, but it would be nice to win the competition because then we can deploy our approach at the national level,” Kim said. “We believe

set from year to year, requiring the feature engineering team to sift and sort through the tables, standardizing entries and column headers, which detail the traits associated with each claimant.

“It’s not just a little data,” Saunders said. “We have exhausted a lot of resources just to get the data to consistency. Each year, things change just a little bit and so just getting it into a consistent format is a lot of the battle.”

Based on the team’s assessments,

information is scrubbed so we can move the data to this other computing infrastructure,” Silwal said. “Part of our effort has been focused on getting the data in there and using it to set up a modeling environment to see if we can make predictions.”

Specifics regarding modeling techniques and factors employed in creating the University’s unique solution could not be revealed at this time, due to the proprietary nature of the ongoing competition.

In broad terms, factors such as past

ANDREW WALSH | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Data scientists at the University are now working with the Health System and artificial intelligence to accuratley predict and prevent patient readmissions.

in our approach.”

For this phase of the competition, CMS distributed Medicare claims data to the remaining teams. Claims from all across the country provide the opportunity to fine-tune the University’s model with data outside of the University Health System. According to Application Systems Analyst Programmer Angela Saunders, the supplemental details will prove beneficial for the University’s models.

Saunders did point out challenges with the millions of rows of data, which require extensive resources to simply store in an environment suitable for manipulation. Furthermore, inconsistencies lingered in the data-

much of the feature engineering portion of the project — at least the preliminary round of it — has been completed. The next step involves transporting data to Rivanna, the University’s high performance computing system, and fitting predictive models to the data. Data scientist Rupesh Silwal, who helps design and evaluate multiple iterations of the modeling architecture, noted the importance of not only systemizing the entries, but also of ensuring sensitive medical data remains anonymous.

“The feature engineering team has cleaned the data, made sure everything makes sense from year to year and that all of the sensitive

utilization of certain hospital services like the Emergency Department or chronic conditions contribute to the initial formulation of the model, as they are indicators of high potential for readmission, data scientist Adis Ljubovic said.

“Those are fairly well-known and we’re using that as the baseline, but we also have the ‘secret sauce’ ones that are preventable,” Ljubovic said.

Other variables intended to capture financial, transportation and lifestyle information for patients also augment the standard determinants of readmission, while electronic medical records from the University provide documentation of trends in the University’s own

health system.

Another distinctive aspect of the University’s proposal is its commitment to a solution that clinicians accept. Senior data scientist John Ainsworth and Ljubovic, along with other members of the University’s project, assert that the healthcare industry generally adopts a conservative mindset with regards to artificial intelligence modeling in hospitals. However, the University Health System’s data scientists have consulted with doctors at the University hospital about introducing tools physicians trust and can easily adopt.

“Data science techniques bring with them the potential for accuracy, for bringing in and ingesting larger datasets,” Ainsworth said.

“The richness of the data gets recorded and putting up the information in front of clinicians that can help them take meaningful action is what we’re going for. If we can ... give them some sense of where preventative strategies might lie, that can support them in their goal of caring for patients.”

Several members of the team agreed a complex issue like hospital readmission calls for a collective approach. In the University Health System’s data science department, that can be a rare occurrence, several data scientists remarked, as their separate assignments often occupy most of their time. Senior Business Intelligence Developer Manikesh Iruku expressed appreciation for the chance to learn more about data science techniques, and others shared similar experiences when it came to exploring different subfields of data science.

Saunders and data scientist Valentina Baljak emphasized the confidence this collaboration has given the group to tackle new tasks.

“Frequently for us, we have our own projects and it’s a one-person project,” Baljak said. “Occasionally you collaborate with someone, but I don’t really think we had a project that involved all of us at the same time. That has been a great experience.”

Currently, competitors are finalizing their project packages to submit to CMS in February. CMS plans to winnow the field down to the seven best proposals by April.

Regardless of the outcome, the University’s team plans to put their results and newly developed models into practice within the University’s Health System.

“In particular for healthcare, in some ways the best is yet to come in the data science world,” Ainsworth said. “The future is bright for data science in healthcare.”

20 | www.cavalierdaily.com

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