Thursday, March 16, 2023

This week in-brief

CD News Staff

Graduate student workers continue to demand timely payments from the University

The University chapter of United Campus Workers of Virginia, a union for Virginia college and university workers, claims that the University still has not rectified the issue of missing and late payments to student workers in a letter to University leaders. Despite administration statements claiming that the problem has been rectified, the group continues to demand stricter financial policies and an expanded staff to enforce payment timelines.

In the letter — addressed to Provost Ian Baucom, Vice Provost Steve Farmer, Vice Provost Brie Gertler, Assistant Vice Provost Phil Trella and Dean China Scherz — the group wrote that since winter break, University student workers are still missing up to thousands of dollars in pay for weeks at a time. This letter, published March 3, follows action by UCW-VA U.Va. December 2022 when multiple graduate student workers said that they had not received payment for their work, calling on administration to #CutTheChecks in a Twitter movement.

“This [graduate student] labor sustains the University, and we deserve to be paid fairly for it, including being paid on time,” the letter states.

128 graduate student workers and 10 University faculty, staff and students signed the letter, which demands late penalties for delayed payments and an expanded Graduate and Financial Administrators team.

Laura Ornée, UCW-VA U.Va. chapter chair and graduate student, sees the alleged payment issues as representative of the University’s larger attitude towards graduate student workers.

“We know an institution’s values are reflected in its budgetary decisions,” Ornée said. “To truly prioritize paying graduate students workers on time, U.Va. executive administration must adequately staff the divisions responsible for this process and compensate all workers with competitive, livable wages.”

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U.Va. Medical Center ranked No. 1 hospital in Virginia

The University of Virginia Medical Center was ranked the No. 1 hospital in Virginia in Newsweek’s annual “World’s Best Hospitals” guide. The Medical Center also ranked 42nd overall across the nation with a composite score of 70.83 percent, maintaining its ranking from last year’s list.

The rankings are based on data from medical expert recommendations, patient experience surveys and different quality metrics, such as hygiene measures. This year’s rankings mark the first time that survey data on patient well-being and quality of life is taken into consideration.

Dr. Wendy Horton, chief executive officer of the University Medical Center, expressed her pride in the University’s Medical Center rankings.

“Everyone on our team puts patients at the center of all we do,” Dr. Horton wrote in a press release. “I am inspired every day by their commitment to serve our patients and provide high-quality, compassionate care.”

2,300 hospitals across 28 countries were included in Newsweek’s rankings. The lists include the best centers within each country and for more specific specialties such as oncology and cardiology.

Nancy Cooper, Newsweek’s Global Editor in Chief, said in a written introduction to the ranking that recent worldwide challenges such as inflation and COVID-19 have challenged medical centers. She said the best hospitals are able to maintain consistency.

“The goal of this study is to provide a data-based comparison of hospital reputation and performance across countries,” Cooper. “We hope this will be useful to patients and families seeking the best care for themselves and loved ones, as well as to hospitals as they benchmark themselves against their peers.”

The Corner continues to undergo retail changes as new chains take the place of historic storefronts

The Corner has experienced multiple business turnovers in the past few years, including the closures of Sheetz and Sammy’s as well as the recent Cohn’s buyout by 7Day. Students have shared mixed emotions about the change in makeup of the Corner — some excitement for new openings and some disappointment following the closure of longstanding staples.

A January vacancy report by the Charlottesville Office of Economic Development — which included the Corner — found that vacancies across the city’s six main shopping centers have slightly decreased over a year-long period of observation. The report compares vacancy numbers from July 2022 to January 2023 and is meant to provide data on the economic health of the city. The OED does, however, expect an increase in retail vacancies from rising cost of rent.

While the report found a decrease in vacancies, there is a history of locally-owned and staple businesses disappearing from the Corner. Coupe’s suffered a kitchen fire September 2022 and still has not reopened, despite plans to do so by this past summer. Other businesses that have closed in the past few years include the College Inn, Armando’s and Littlejohn’s.

Second-year College student Chloe Renken described how she missed some of Cohn’s — another long-standing convenience store staple — unique features and other subtle but important changes she’s seen under the new management.

“I used to get Diet Cokes at Cohn’s all the time from their famous soda machine before all my exams,” Renken said. “The machine was incredible and it tasted like magic, but now I can’t do that because it’s replaced by a vape display.”

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Students have shared mixed emotions about the change in the makeup of the Corner.

Lillian Rojas selected student member of the Board

Rojas’

include safety and addressing political division among Board members and across the University

Caroline Hagood | News Writer

After holding several positions in Student Council, third-year Batten student Lillian Rojas will now serve as the student member of the Board of Visitors during the upcoming 2023-2024 academic year. Rojas aims to be a voice for all students, especially regarding their views on safety on Grounds and the 2030 Strategic Plan.

The student member serves as a non-voting member of the Board and is selected by members of the Board and a Student Council selection committee. As a representative for students in the Board’s decisions, Rojas anticipates challenges with giving an equal voice to all student views, even ones she doesn’t personally agree with.

“This is not an easy job at all, trying to get a collective perspective,” Rojas said. “It will be a big challenge making sure the Board knows what all students are saying rather than just what the loudest students are saying.”

Rojas — who will succeed Lily Roberts, current student member

of the Board and fourth-year Architecture student — was elected March 3.

Rojas currently serves as chair of the Student Council representative body and has served as a representative on Student Council since her first year. Though she will not be a member of Student Council in her new role, she plans to continue working towards long-term solutions for issues that affect the entire student body.

Rojas said she plans to prioritize working with the Board on improving safety for students on and off Grounds — especially considering the shooting in November and recent increase in gun-related community alerts. Rojas said the Board needs to take steps to make Grounds feel safer and better the Charlottesville community as a whole.

“[There are] a lot of issues with safety and security, I think that is something that every single student at U.Va. can collectively come together and agree on,” Rojas said.

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Rojas also said a key concern of hers is the increased division among the Board. Since controversial text messages from Board member Bert Ellis leaked, there have been outcries from students and faculty over his behavior being inappropriate. In a full Board meeting March 3 University Rector Whittington Clement condemned the messages and said they weren’t professional. Ellis apologized to the Board.

“The Board has gotten very political very, very fast,” Rojas said. “I think now’s the time for students on Grounds to set aside those differences and to kind of reach across the aisle and work with people who they typically haven’t worked with.”

Rojas hopes that as a student member she will be a voice that builds coalitions and brings students together. Promoting unity and bipartisan outlooks are ways she hopes to improve relationships between students and between Board members when looking for solutions to issues.

She said one way democracy and

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04-07 | MICHIGAN RATTLERS WITH WOODY WOODWORTH & THE PINERS

04-13 | HAPPY LANDING 04-20 | CABINET WITH SPECIAL GUEST FERD 04-21 | WILL OVERMAN/BUFFALO ROSE

dialogue have been fostered among students with different beliefs is through the Karsh Institute of Democracy, a new center designed to address challenges facing democracy. The institute, funded by a $50 million donation from Martha and Bruce Karsh, is to be located in a redevelopment of the Emmet-Ivy Corridor as part of the University’s 2030 Strategic Plan.

“I’m very excited to talk to the Board more about steps that can be taken to improve democracy and improve dialogue here on Grounds,” Rojas said.

The 2030 Strategic Plan — an initiative aimed at making the University the best public university by the end of the decade — is one of the major projects the Board oversees. The plan was launched in 2019 and includes a variety of initiatives including increasing funds for research initiatives, improving sustainability and creating a campus in Northern Virginia.

Rojas said through her role of representing student voices on the Board, she plans to inform members on what aspects of the 2030 plan are successful and how they are impacting students. The expansion of financial aid is one of the plan’s initiatives that she is proud of as it makes the University more accessible to students.

“I think we can keep expanding that and allow more and more students to be able to come to [the University] at a price that is actually fitting to them rather than overbearing,” Rojas said.

She also mentioned looking forward to the plan to have second-years live on Grounds, as she thinks it will be beneficial for students to continue living with a diverse group of other students that they wouldn’t connect with otherwise.

Rojas said she will continue to represent students and be an advocate for student governance, on which she believes the Board should stay informed. Rojas hopes they continue to see the work students are doing through making changes and getting new students involved in the traditions of the University.

“I want the Board to know that students here at [the University], we value student self governance,” Rojas said. “It might be looking different than it did when certain Board members went here, in terms of what it meant and what it looks like, but it’s changing for the better.”

COURTESY LILLIAN ROJAS Third-year Batten student Lillian Rojas will serve as the student member of the Board of Visitors.

Leaks flood Brown Residential College with sewage

Residents reported large amounts of backflow in halls and personal bathrooms

Eleanor Jenkins | Senior Associate

A series of pipes clogged with e-cigarettes left pools of standing sewage in Brown Residential College ground floor halls and bathrooms. Although all related clogs and sanitation hazards have reportedly been resolved as of Monday night, many Brown residents have said that Housing and Residence Life failed to provide adequate resources or properly communicate their progress on the fix.

Multiple Brown students reported that they had not received the first of four HRL notifications Sunday night notifying Brown residents of the issue and their subsequent response. According to second-year College student Jason Almas, some of the people who did not receive the initial emails had been living in Brown for multiple semesters.

“Most of the people who didn’t get most of the people who didn’t get the email had lived in brown for like three, four years at that point,” Almas said. “The later emails came to more people but the original ones only came to like a select number, so

we had to supplement that with our own email system.”

The sewage backup was initially reported to Facilities Management at around 9:00 p.m. Sunday and resolved by 11:30 p.m., with two subsequent incidents occurring at 4:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m., respectively. According to University spokesperson Bethanie Glover, the three clogged pipes were caused by electronic cigarettes that had been flushed into the main sewer line.

In order to prevent further backwash, facilities turned Brown’s water off multiple times throughout the night and following morning. After receiving calls from residents, the Dean of Students was able to arrange for student access to Newcomb Hall and Memorial Gym until 3:00 a.m. to use their facilities.

However, according to first-year College student Jeffrey Wooters, HRL did not provide contact information or any information concerning water access and did not relocate students in dorms contaminated with sewage from connected bath-

rooms.

“HRL’s response basically boiled down to ‘ask your friends in the building if you can crash on their floor or if you can take a shower in their shower,’” Wooters said. “There weren’t any resources telling us where to go if your room is uninhabitable.”

Fourth-year Engineering student Neil Dolan lives in one of the dorms on the ground floor, and reported about a half centimeter of standing sewage in his bathroom drain and one to two centimeters in the hall outside his dorm. When he reached out to HRL for possible compensation for damages, Dolan was informed that the University is not responsible for any damaged property and that he would have to file a complaint through a renter’s insurance plan.

“While temporary housing was not provided in this case, anyone with lost or damaged personal property due to a facility related issue should report it under their individual renter’s insurance policy in order

to be reimbursed,” Glover said. Per clause 25 of Housing and Resident Life’s terms and conditions, the University is not responsible for damaged property on-Grounds or in University housing and students are “urged to purchase renter’s insurance for protection against loss or property damage.” Renter’s insurance is not mentioned on the HRL website outside of listed terms and conditions.

“I will say, as a fourth-year student who lived on-Grounds for years through COVID-19, at no point have I ever been informed that I should have renter’s insurance,” Dolan said.

Although many residents have expressed frustration with HRL’s response to the incident, most were satisfied with the assistance from Facilities Management and the Dean of Students.

“The general consensus is that maintenance and the office of Dean of Students were amazing, that cannot be understated,” Almas said. “Maintenance had this issue dealt with like less than 15 hours which, for a building that was built in the

1930s, is not an easy task, and the Office of the Dean of Students was helpful and gave us updates where they could.”

For many Brown residents, the issue was less about the response itself and more about HRL’s alleged lack of transparency and resources for residents, especially when compared to Facilities Management and the Office of the Dean of Students.

Residents have called on HRL to provide more direct means of communication and organized resources should another incident occur.

HRL also faced criticism for their response to mold in first-year dorms this past fall, with organizations like the University chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America calling for greater accountability and renovations.

“It’s really an issue of respect,” Dolan said. “I’m not asking necessarily for money. I’m not asking for a ton. I’m just asking to be treated as an equal stakeholder and not an afterthought.”

New zoning ordinance to address affordable housing issue

The City of Charlottesville has partnered with the community to make zoning changes, honing in on the affordable housing crisis

Emily Horn | News Writer

Charlottesville’s new zoning ordinance — the official designations by which the City is broken into legal classifications of land use — will legalize increased housing density by allowing taller buildings with more units per square acre. City officials and advocates for affordable housing hope the changes will alleviate Charlottesville’s ongoing housing crisis.

Module one of Charlottesville’s zoning ordinance — concerning zoning districts, rules of measurements and the zoning map — is now available on the City’s website. Module two, concerning developmental standards such as landscaping, parking and lighting, is expected to be announced this week.

The City aims to increase affordable housing in Charlottesville through module one of the zoning ordinance by referring to the Affordable Housing Plan, which was endorsed in March of 2021 with the goal of addressing Charlottesville’s history of housing inequity.

The ordinance is informed by the City’s comprehensive plan, which is a guide for the City’s

plans for community development. The third and final module is planned to be released during the week of April 3 and will focus on zoning administration.

The City is required to rewrite their comprehensive plan every five years to adapt to a changing and growing Charlottesville. Charlottesville Plans Together — a community process that includes several parts — is responsible for rewriting the comprehensive plan.

Lyle Solla-Yates, chair of the Charlottesville Planning Commission and University lecturer, advises City Council on community development.

“Our [previous] zoning was very good at banning affordable housing,” Solla-Yates said. “It makes affordable housing illegal just because you have to have so much land — the benefits are unclear. It’s not really a science. It’s an art.”

Other changes from the first module of the ordinance include the simplification of zoning and legalizing small businesses in neighborhoods — which have been banned since 1929. Changes also include increasing the

ease to comprehend development standards.

Solla-Yates first became involved in the process of rewriting the zoning ordinance as a Charlottesville homeowner, after he purchased his home at the bottom of the housing crisis. He said his personal experience compelled him to help implement change to housing practices in Charlottesville.

He said that this time the zoning process is different because University students are involved, specifically those on Student Council.

“That almost never happens with city programs and processes,” Solla-Yates said. “It’s very much two separate communities that don’t talk. And I think having had that student involvement is vital because we are a city, but we are also a university community, and remembering that as we write policy is essential.”

James Freas, director of Neighborhood Development Services for the City and responsible for staffing the planning commission, elaborated on the importance of this zoning project for advancing the community.

“[New zoning ordinances are] about more housing supply, more affordable housing and more types of housing to meet the needs of people with different stages in their life or different types of housing that people want to be able to live in,” Freas said. “The highlight is really important [in] creating opportunities.”

Another proposed method to reduce housing pressures in Charlottesville comes from University President Jim Ryan’s 2030 Strategic Plan, which includes a proposition to require second-years to live in University housing on-Grounds. The goal of the requirement is to reduce the pressure on Charlottesville locals to find affordable housing, which partially results from the high number of students searching for off-Grounds housing. In the meantime, the new zoning ordinance will provide options for more affordable units for both students and community members.

“In terms of students attending university, this will likely lead to more student housing opportunities around the city

around that area around the University,” Freas said. “Hopefully it will make the city an attractive place for students to then decide to stay and build their careers here and live in the city.”

Solla-Yates also said that the University could issue housing grants which students could use on the anticipated local affordable housing options created by the zoning ordinance.

The City hosted three community open houses during February for residents to learn more about the zoning process and share their feedback in-person. Community members are also invited to share comments through a Google Form or email.

The Charlottesville Plans Together website provides all updates on the zoning process, including event details for public forums. Community residents can continue to submit feedback as the other two zoning modules are released.

ROUNDTABLE: How will Virginia fare in March?

Three staff writers debate how the tournament will turn out for the Cavaliers

CD Sports Staff

The NCAA men’s basketball tournament — more commonly known as March Madness — was announced Sunday, and Virginia found itself in the bracket for the eighth time in the last nine tournaments. The Cavaliers will face off against Furman at 12:40 p.m. Thursday. To prepare for the Cavaliers’ potential run to the national title, members of the Sports Desk answer questions about what could happen in the most famous 68-team tournament in the world.

How can Virginia be successful in March?

Connor Lothrop, Associate Writer:

In order to win this game, Virginia needs to space the floor better than they did against Duke. Losing graduate student Ben Vander Plas is a huge blow to this goal. The big man was making 30.3 percent of his nearly four three-point attempts per game, and his ability to draw defenders outside the paint opened up driving lanes for senior guard Armaan Franklin and graduate student guard Kihei Clark. However, absent against Duke in the ACC Championship game, the Blue Devils effectively clogged the paint and strangled the Cavalier offense. This may mean Coach Tony Bennett has to give more minutes to sophomore guard Taine Murray and freshman guard Isaac McKneely and fewer to freshman forward Ryan Dunn or high scorer graduate student Jayden Gardner in order to open up the floor. If Virginia can create lanes and shoot better than they did against Duke — 33.3 percent from the field and 23.5 percent from three — then this first-round matchup should be a breeze.

William Smythe, Associate Writer: Virginia needs more slashing from junior guard Reece Beekman. In the Cavaliers’ biggest wins of the year — against Baylor and Illinois in a neutral site and on the road against Michigan — the ACC Defensive Player of the Year scored a total of 45 points and willed his way to the basket. With a hamstring injury in the rearview, Beekman still has not looked like his early-season self. That is not to say that he has not been excellent — he has. However, Virginia thrives when its guards — Beekman, Clark and Franklin — attack their one-on-one matchups and either score or find the easy dish to Gard-

ner or a man on the wing. Gardner’s production is largely contingent on the guards creating space for him, drawing a man from the frontcourt and leaving him either on an island or in his mid-range sweet spot. If all of the guards, but especially Beekman, can attack the rim, Virginia will have a greater chance of advancing.

Stephen O’Dea, Staff Writer: If Bennett and his squad want to make it to the Round of 32, it will be important that the Cavaliers work to make driving lanes and take advantage of Furman’s small lineup. Although the loss of an effective stretch forward in Vander Plas will make it harder to space the floor, the Paladins do not have the capacity to dominate the paint like Duke did in the ACC Championship. Furman simply does not have towering big men like freshman centers Kyle Filipowski and Dereck Lively II and Clark will likely not shoot 11 percent from the field again. If Clark and other players like Gardner and Franklin work tirelessly to get themselves to the basket, it will open up more opportunities for shooters to get open looks behind the arc.

Which player will be the X-factor in Virginia’s game against Furman?

CL: Junior forward Kadin Shedrick. Furman is a short basketball team. Their tallest regular is 6’9” junior forward Garrett Hein, a five man in spirit only. No other rotation player eclipses 6’7”. On offense, this gives the primary Virginia big man license to run the offense out of the post, scoring over shorter players or passing to open shooters out of double teams. Shedrick has flashed these skills on occasion, but this game would be a great time for an offensive explosion. In addition, Shedrick is the most effective two-point threat on the team, shooting 68 percent form inside the arc on the season. Against a smaller Paladin team, Virginia can take his proficiency and use it to its advantage. On the other end of the court, the junior should have no trouble swatting shots coming from below his level. Shedrick rarely gets chances to face teams of this little size in the ACC. If he can feast on Furman’s deficiency, the Cavaliers could grab an easy win.

WS: Gardner. Despite landing a spot

on the All-ACC Tournament team, Virginia’s second-leading scorer could not get anything to fall against Duke’s rangy bigs in the ACC Championship. In his first two games, however, Gardner tallied 40 points and showcased his usual efficiency from the mid-range. This matchup against the Paladins will allow Gardner to get back to a high level against an undersized frontcourt, as opposed to facing three players taller than 6’11” on Duke’s roster. Ironically enough, it is entirely possible that Bennett rolls out a lineup of Gardner and Dunn to match the talented stretch bigs that Furman possesses. These two provide the most defensive flexibility — especially Dunn — and Gardner can compensate for the freshman’s offensive shortcomings by reestablishing his dominance in the midrange. Expect another strong effort from the fifth-year senior.

SO:

McKneely. It seems to me that clutch shooting down the stretch will make the difference in this game. McKneely is the best threepoint shooter on the team at nearly 40 percent, and has enough volume on the season for the statistic to be reliable. There is really only one player, therefore, that can help the Cavaliers defeat Furman by reliably knocking down looks from threepoint range. In addition, with the Paladins fielding a small ball lineup, and the Cavaliers forced to give minutes to Shedrick and redshirt senior center Francisco Caffaro following the injury of Vander Plas, there is no doubt that Virginia will have its way in the post against a Furman defense that has been particularly terrible throughout this season. Although I believe that Shedrick will be a force to be reckoned with in the first half, I think that the Paladins will go into the locker room and make changes to stop him. If Furman seeks to crash in and double or triple team Shedrick in the post, look for McKneely to get opportunities from behind the arc.

What scares you most about the Paladins?

CL:

Graduate student guard Mike Bothwell and graduate forward Jalen Slawson. The last two times Virginia suffered a first-round upset — against UMBC in 2018 and Ohio in 2021 — the victor’s star player had one of their best games of the year. Five years ago, Jarius Lyles dropped 28 points and three assists to topple

the top-overall-seeded Cavaliers, while two years ago current Cavalier Vander Plas put up 17 points and five rebounds in a Bobcat upset. Fast forward to the present day, and Bothwell and Slawson both profile relatively similarly to Lyles and Vander Plas, respectively — Bothwell is a small, quick guard and Slawson is a do-it-all forward. Both showed in the Southern Conference tournament that they are capable of easily dropping 20 points in postseason play. One or both players having the game of their lives could spell trouble in Orlando.

WS:

The backcourt play of Furman should make many Virginia fans nervous. Images of Purdue’s Carsen Edwards and UMBC’s sharp-shooting guards are naturally etched into all Cavalier fans’ minds. When playing in March — even while boasting a nationally-renowned defense that benefits from opponents completely new to the pack-line defense — Virginia remains susceptible from behind the arc. I worry about a threepoint explosion from the Paladins. Now, the competition in the Southern Conference is naturally inferior as compared to the ACC, as Furman’s average opponent defensive ranking sits at 312th in the nation according to KenPom. An offense that lives and dies by the three may have benefited from its conference slate, yet its three-point ability remains a threat. Virginia’s defense will have to adjust to the frontcourt’s willingness to shoot, especially when the packline emphasizes double teams and will often concede three-point looks.

SO: Slawson and junior guard Marcus

Foster. Both players get high-volume looks from behind the arc and they do not let them go to waste, shooting 39 percent and 36 percent on three-pointers, respectively. Slawson in particular is an all-around offensive threat and, at 6’7”, will not back down against wing players of similar size on the Cavaliers like Gardner and Franklin. The Paladins rank 11th in the country in points per game and will look to work fast to get the ball to Slawson and Foster, and it will be interesting to see if Virginia’s emphasis on slow play will be able to thwart Furman’s efficiency. If there is anyone in Virginia’s path in this tournament that could wreak havoc on the Cavaliers’ suffocating style of defensive play, Slawson and Foster certainly seem to fit the bill.

In one sentence — how far will the Cavaliers go in the tournament?

CL: Virginia is good this year, but Alabama has been great – the Tide will win a close one in the Sweet 16.

WS: Despite wins over Furman and San Diego State, Virginia will fall to No. 1 overall seed Alabama in a Sweet 16 hosted in Crimson Tide territory.

SO: Virginia will beat Furman, but with Charleston’s high-octane offensive squad pulling off a firstround upset against San Diego State, the Cavaliers will take an early second-round exit in a close game against the Cougars.

MIX RUDOLPH THE CAVALIER DAILY

Ben Vander Plas talks breakfast and becoming a fan favorite

Checking in with the man behind Charlottesville’s favorite mustache before the Big Dance

Jacob Tisdale | Sports Editor

Jacob Tisdale: Hi Ben, thanks so much for taking the time to talk with us. A D1 basketball player’s schedule is surely a ton to handle, so it means a lot. How are you doing?

Ben Vander Plas: Things are going good… Good day of practice. Always good to get back to it after a day off and get back to work. But yeah, things are going good.

JT: We spoke briefly at media day about Charlottesville’s food scene. At the time, you seemed most excited by Chick-Fil-A and Chipotle — have you discovered any new favorites since then?

BVP: There’s a couple spots. I’m a big breakfast guy. So recently, me and a couple of guys have been going to Tip Top a lot. That’s been a spot for us. The Villa is pretty close to the apartment. I’m a big fan of that too. And then First Watch is always a good spot to go for breakfast. Those three have been pretty heavy in the rotation.

JT: I’m glad to hear you’re a bit more familiar with Charlottesville, and Charlottesville has certainly become more familiar with you. Have you noticed the steadily growing group of fans who arrive at John Paul Jones Arena with headbands and a mustache in homage to you? What is your message to them?

BVP: I’ve noticed a couple more

people, you know, either wearing the t-shirts or bringing their own mustaches, headbands, jerseys, gear, everything like that. There’s a group of people in the student section at the [previous] games I got to meet and talk to for a bit… The biggest thing I’m gonna say to everybody is just thank you. Just for embracing me. You know, bringing me in, I’m only here for a year and just to see everybody kind of treat me like family and support me. It’s been really, really fun seeing the mustaches and the headbands, and the hair and everything from kids to adults with their mustaches. So a big thank you to everybody.

JT: In an era of NIL deals, one could argue that there’s hardly a more distinctive name, image and likeness in college basketball than yours. How have you been able to leverage the new system in your favor?

BVP: NIL I think is just a really cool opportunity for student-athletes. A lot of times before, you would just kind of play basketball, or football — you’re a student and all. But you’re also a whole person. The NIL stuff kind of allows you to show people who you really are and do that type of stuff. So it’s been a lot of fun to get out in the community and meet some people and then obvi-

ously with the mustache, the hair and the headband to be able to do some merch and stuff like that. It’s a lot of fun to learn about that stuff and also show people a different side of you outside of the student-athlete.

JT: Turning to basketball… Before the season started, you mentioned conditioning being a focal point for you this off-season. After a season where you’ve played big minutes at center against ACC opponents, what can you say about the job head strength and conditioning coach Mike Curtis and the conditioning staff has done preparing you for the task?

BVP: Coming into the season, I actually was trying to lose a bunch of weight to get in shape to be able to guard more fours and threes. But how the season has been playing out, I’ve been playing with some fives. So in the weight room throughout the season, Coach Curtis is just focusing on keeping my strength high and just keeping me healthy to be able to fight around with the big guys. So it’s a little bit of a different challenge than losing the weight and getting more light on the feet while still keeping that strength on so I can go with the big guys. It’s interesting, it’s a little bit of a challenge, but you know, [Curtis] is the best in the business so [he’s] a good guy to be working with.

JT: Despite graduate student guard Kihei Clark’s best efforts, you are the oldest member of the Cavaliers. Coach Tony Bennett called you a “connector”. How do you offer leadership to a program you only joined this season?

BVP: I think a big piece of it is just the experience in college basketball, just kind of seeing the length of the season, the ups and downs and everything that goes into it… seeing things that work, things that don’t. From the locker room perspective, it’s just how you interact with guys. Who can push guys in certain instances and just like how to keep spirits high and things like that. How to keep guys together. And then in the actual game, just being an experienced old guy, staying calm with whatever is thrown at you. Kihei does a nice job and I try to do the best I can. But yeah, a big piece of college basketball is the culture side of it. And obviously, the culture here is great. They know what they’re about and as I’m getting acclimated to it I keep pushing guys that were already here and you know, like you said, being that connector and doing whatever I need to do to help the team win and to help guys get through stuff.

JT: With five seasons of college basketball under your belt, featuring a March Madness run in which you

topped Virginia, plenty of recognition for academics as well as athletics and a passionate fanbase behind you now, what’s left on your checklist for your collegiate career?

[Editor’s Note: This interview was conducted before Vander Plas suffered a fracture which marked the end of his season and collegiate career, prior to the ACC Tournament.]

BVP: Winning. I mean that’s, that’s number one. Obviously, it’s my last season with however many games left. I think “Don’t leave anything in the tank. Have fun every single day.” And I think that if myself and the team can kind of take that approach, we’re gonna be able to do some special things and make some memories. I think we all have one big goal in mind, at the end of the season, I think it really comes down to every single day coming into the gym, enjoying what we’re doing and just getting better. Like I said, just leaving everything out there, emptying the tank one after another. I think that’s the biggest thing for me.

JT: Thanks Ben, best of luck to you.

BVP: Appreciate you having me.

This interview has been edited lightly for clarity and content

KHUYEN DINH THE CAVALIER DAILY

The graduate student transfer out of Ohio has brought experience and leadership to a Cavalier team ready to make a run.

Midseason transfer Dante Harris is up next for Virginia

Xander Tilock | Staff Writer

Though Virginia fans will have all eyes on its current squad heading into March Madness, the program is also working to establish longevity in a variety of ways. With the upcoming departure of graduate student guard Kihei Clark and potential NBA draft selection of junior guard Reece Beekman, Virginia basketball welcomed a new ball handler to its offense for the 2023-24 season. Next year’s impact guards are young, including current freshman guard Isaac McKneely and incoming freshman guard Elijah Gertrude. Thus, Coach Tony Bennett knew that adding a veteran guard was a priority.

Enter a welcome surprise in the form of junior guard Dante Harris out of Georgetown. Transferring in the middle of the season is rare because in the past, that means a player is ineligible to play for their new team until the next full season begins. Harris explained his reasoning for the midseason transfer in an interview with The Cavalier Daily.

“It was a dream to go here,” Harris said. “[Transferring midseason] was better for me to learn the sys-

tem, pick up what [Bennett] expects early versus two to three months in the summer.”

Harris will have three seasons of eligibility beginning next year. Bennett offered him a spot on the team knowing that Harris will be a Cavalier for the foreseeable future.

“[Bennett] has developed pros,” Harris said. “It’s a blessing. I’m grateful for this opportunity. To go to March Madness every year, to be part of great history in the program.”

Looking at the multiple NBA contributors that Bennett has developed, it is clear to see where Harris is coming from. Bennett, of course, coached several notable Cavaliers over the years that are having outstanding 2023 seasons.

Malcolm Brogdon is currently the clear front-runner for the sixth Man of the Year Award. Trey Murphy III also showed off incredible skills in the All-Star Weekend dunk contest and De’Andre Hunter continues to be a valuable starter for the Atlanta Hawks.

There is no doubt that Bennett leads one of the premier college

basketball programs in the nation. When summarizing the key values of Cavalier basketball, Harris emphasized “opportunity, family and culture.”

The academic prestige of Virginia was also a significant factor for Harris.

“One day the ball is going to stop bouncing,” Harris said. “You got to have that degree to fall back on.”

Georgetown is a strong academic institution in its own right, but when it comes to the community at large, Virginia is in a league of its own. John Paul Jones Arena will be packed with orange and blue every single night — unlike the usually empty Capital One Arena in Washington.

Harris went out of his way to praise the Virginia faithful for their vigor and enthusiasm.

“The love they show to the basketball family, how happy they are cheering for us and the love they bring each game [is special],” Harris said. “They should expect a person that’s going to give it his all every time I step on the floor. I’ll be an

absolute dog and give 110 percent for everyone in the stands.”

Aside from the fans, the team chemistry that the Cavaliers have developed is truly unique. Is it not rare to find Beekman and other upperclassmen enjoying a small team dinner after practice at local restaurants. The team also spent 10 days in Italy over the summer playing exhibition games.

“They’re all so funny, especially Pop [senior center Francisco Caffaro],” Harris said. “We all get along. There’s no one here with a big head.”

Harris also praised Virginia’s coaching staff behind Bennett, highlighted by associate head coach Jason Williford.

“This is one of the best staffs I’ve been with in my life all through my career,” Harris said.

Next season’s team has the potential to be one of the best in recent memory, with Harris ready to fight for key minutes. Incoming freshmen Gertrude and forward Blake Buchanan offer advanced offensive ability. Current freshmen forwards Leon Bond III and Isaac Traudt redshirted this year, and fig-

ure to add significant athleticism to the Cavaliers. A lot of change is up in the air, especially as Virginia fans wait on Beekman and senior guard Armaan Franklin’s decisions to enter the NBA Draft or stay another year. There is also always the possibility of adding or losing another player through the transfer portal. Clark, along with graduate student forwards Jayden Gardner and Ben Vander Plas, are all in their final season of eligibility. A lot of playing time is up for grabs next season.

Harris will likely be a major contributor as a primary ball handler. Dishing out assists, playing aggressive defense and occasionally carrying the scoring load are what Virginia fans can expect. Harris’ preparation for Bennett’s system and building team chemistry this season will translate to continued success for Cavalier basketball in 2023 and beyond.

KHUYEN DINH THE CAVALIER DAILY

Harris led the Hoyas with 118 assists in the 2021-22 season.

Harris was the MVP of the 2021 Big East Tournament for Georgetown and is a significant addition to Virginia’s future roster.

Perhaps the second most important sporting event in the United States — behind only the Super Bowl — is on the horizon yet again. The NCAA men’s basketball tournament, also known as March Madness, is set to take place once again. Selection Sunday has already happened, and the Round of 64 starts Thursday. Matchups are then played every weekend leading up to the Final Four and National Championship game, which will take place April 1 and 3, respectively.

This year is even more meaningful than last for the City of Charlottesville, as Virginia has earned a No. 4 seed in the tournament and will play Furman at 12:40 p.m. Thursday in its first game. Since the Cavalier community will be so engaged in the tournament, let’s answer every question you may have about the most magical sporting event in America.

How are teams in March Madness chosen?

Sixty-eight teams make the field in a single elimination tournament that actually started Tuesday with the First Four. These eight teams play a game before to get into the true round of 64, and from there teams get whittled down round by round until there’s only one remaining. Teams can qualify by either earning an automatic bid by winning their conference championships or earning one of 36 at-large bids.

The NCAA Tournament Committee is responsible for determining who those 36 teams are, and use a variety of factors — such as overall resume and advanced statistical metrics such as KenPom — to pick the best squads that did not win their conference tournaments. Though we lost the ACC Tournament, Virginia earned an at-large bid comfortably.

Why is it called March Madness if the championship game is in April?

Good question. I don’t know.

Virginia is a No. 4 seed, but so are three other teams. What gives?

There are four total regions in the tournament, with each representing a certain geographic area so that teams do not have to travel quite as far. The structure of those regions is the same — each has 16 teams, seeded 1 through 16, that play each other in a best-toworst format. This means No. 1 seeds play No. 16 seeds, No. 2 play No. 15 and so on.

Virginia is a No. 4 seed in the South region, but there are also three other regions being played at the same time. Unless the Cavaliers make the Final Four, though, they will not

March Madness for dummies

What exactly is the tournament that locks the country in for a month every spring?

play another team from another region.

I see we’re playing Furman. Are they any good? Are WE any good?

The Paladins won their conference tournament to earn the Southern Conference’s automatic bid. What Furman specializes in is twopoint shooting, as they have the highest field goal percentage in the country. Oddly enough, though, the squad isn’t very big, with guards making up the majority of scoring. In order to potentially upset Virginia, fifth year guard Mike Bothwell needs to have the game of his life.

The Cavaliers, on the other hand, have certainly had both highs and lows this season but were on a fivegame winning streak before a cold shooting night against Duke in the ACC Tournament. The loss of graduate forward Ben Vander Plas to injury certainly hurts the Cavaliers’ depth, but improved defense in the latter part of the season provides reason for optimism. Furman’s offense is elite, but the Cavaliers can match that on their end, potentially leading to the Paladins being thrown off their game.

Ben Anderson | Sports Editor

Speaking of the Cavaliers, how far will they go in the tournament?

There are competing opinions, which is what makes the tournament so fun! As a fan, I of course hope that Virginia wins the national championship. But according to their seed, they should bow out in the Sweet 16. The Cavaliers could even fall in the first round, since Furman is a solid squad. Likely, the answer is somewhere in the middle.

You mentioned these things called upsets. Do those happen often?

No, and that’s what makes them so special. The idea of an upset goes beyond just basketball, and compares the universities to each other. Consider Saint Peter’s last year, for example. A lowly No. 15 seed, this small, Catholic university team from Jersey City, N.J. was paired against Kentucky in the first round, arguably the greatest college basketball program of all time. A true David and Goliath situation, no one gave the Peacocks a chance. And what did they do? Simply become the first No. 15 seed to make the Elite Eight in history.

Who will be this year’s Saint Peter’s?

Well, that’s the thing about upsets. No one truly knows. But if I had to throw out a team, watch out for Colgate. While the Raiders don’t play much defense the No. 15 seed’s offense is electric and can absolutely put a scare into any team it plays including its first round matchup with No. 2 Texas.

In what ways can I participate in March Madness?

Filling out a March Madness bracket is one of the most popular ways in America to become involved in sports. Last year, approximately 36.5 million adults filled out a bracket on various sites such as ESPN and CBS. In addition, many communities — such as workplaces or team fanbases — often make groups that every member can join. There they compete within themselves to have the best bracket. You can fill out one online very easily, but we’ll be watching to make sure Virginia is going to at least the Final Four. Will I do it? Probably not. But if you want to claim you’re the biggest Virginia fanatic, you have

to predict that the Cavaliers will hang a banner.

Now I’m extremely excited. How can I watch?

Games will air on one of four networks throughout the tournament — CBS, TNT, TBS or trutv. If you have cable, you can watch on any of those channels throughout March Madness. If not, though, March Madness

Live is also an option. This is a website that streams every game if you have your provider information from home. Either way, each game will be televised live.

Thanks for all of the information! I can’t wait to see who wins it all.

Neither can I! Now it’s time to celebrate the best three weeks of the sports calendar in the traditional American manner of watching the early games during your Thursday afternoon classes. It’s truly the best time of the year.

Recognizing The University’s True Heroes

Enough is enough. We walk around Thomas Jefferson’s academical village daily with the audacity — no, the gall — to continually ignore the people who really matter. We let these gods amongst men go about their days with no knowledge of how important they truly are to the rest of the student body. That ends now. It’s time we acknowledge that not all heroes wear capes — some walk around with airpods, iced coffee and a dream.

To the crosswalk pioneers, Thank you for walking into oncoming traffic without hesitation. Before you came along, I had been standing at this crosswalk, on the verge of breaking my neck as I frantically looked from side to side, looking for an opening, an opportunity to shine. You, mighty trailblazer, don’t wait for opportunities — you make them. When you walked across that street and made that green 2003 Honda Civic use the last of its horsepower to stop mere inches away from your body, I knew that I could make it to my physics class in one piece. Without

you, I would stay at crosswalks forever, letting the Honda Civics of Charlottesville curb my happiness.

To the lifelong best friends, Thank you for meeting me once during first year and deciding to hype me up whenever our paths have crossed ever since. I may not remember your name and I may forget you exist sometimes, but I will never, ever, forget your spirit. You somehow can sense when I’m having an off day and appear out of thin air to shower me with compliments. Is my outfit actually fire? Was it actually good to see me again? I don’t know, and I don’t care. It was good to see you, my dear friend. I eagerly await the next time we cross paths outside of Clemons Library at 3 a.m.

To the classroom advocates, Thank you for verbally saying what we were asking each other through confused looks. The professor is on step 10 of 20 in this math problem and the numbers are starting to seem a little suspicious. I could’ve sworn

that the 11 we are plugging into the problem was a 12. Then again, I barely know what’s happening. I turn to my friends, who point at the 12 in their notes, and we silently try to figure out if we should interrupt the professor to tell him we think he is wrong. If I interrupt him and he isn’t wrong, I’m going to feel silly, and then the whole class will see that I’m an imposter at the smart people school and I’ll have no choice but to drop out from embarrassment and live out the rest of my days in a cave somewhere in the Shenandoah Mountains! You know what — he’s probably not wrong. I’m probably wrong. I’ll just figure out what I messed up later on my own. Oh wait, the girl across the room just raised her hand and asked about the same thing. The professor was wrong! I actually have thoughts! Because of you, oh mighty voice of the people, I’ll have an ounce of confidence for the next five minutes.

To the courtesy slow walkers, Thank you for not passing me on the sidewalk, even though it’s very

obvious you want to. I know I’m not walking very fast right now, but I’m only so capable. Sometimes we just need to slow down and finish eating the protein bar we found at the bottom of our backpack before we enter that lecture hall with the sign on the door that says “No food or drink.”

Sometimes we need to finish texting our best friend about how the person we made eye contact with 10 minutes ago while walking out of Newcomb Hall is clearly in love with us and it’s only a matter of time before we need to start looking for wedding venues. Sometimes, you just need to walk at a non-U.Va. student pace to feel something. I can see your sneakers out of the corner of my eye as they barely miss the back of my shoe. I can tell you’re just yearning to get past me and walk like someone who actually has their life together. But you don’t — you stay behind me and let me live in the delusion where I am also a person who has my life together. If you had passed me, oh angel of patience, you would have taken a piece of me with you and sent me into an identity cri-

CARTOON

Post-Spring Break Daze

Nicole Piatko | Cartoon Staffer

sis. But you decide to stay behind me, making me feel like I can still keep up with everyone else, inside and outside of the classroom.

That is all the praise I have to give out for now. I hope that you, too, give these model citizens the praise they deserve the next time you see them. If you happen to be one of these people — thank you. From the construction workers who always seem to appear in the most inconvenient places to the people in charge of the questionable heating and cooling regulation in lecture halls, this University would simply be in shambles without your wisdom and guidance. May your dining hall food always be scrumptious and your showers always be the perfect temperature.

MAGGIE MCHATY is a Humor Columnist for The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at humor@cavalierdaily.com

LEAD EDITORIAL

U.Va should go test-optional indefinitely

In order to increase access to our institution, the University should commit to continuing its test-optional admissions policy

Amidst the brunt of the pandemic, many universities decided to waive their SAT and ACT testing requirements. Colleges recognized that access to testing was limited due to outbreaks and adjusted their policies to ensure students were not unfairly disadvantaged by testing cancellations and school closures. Earlier this month, Columbia University and the College of William & Mary announced they are adopting test-optional policies indefinitely. There is growing evidence that these tests are ineffective at properly evaluating applicants, in addition to perpetuating socioeconomic disparities and having a legacy of racism and bias against marginalized communities. The University has been test-optional for the past two years and will be test-optional for an additional two years. To promote a more equitable college admissions process, The Editorial Board calls on the University to extend its test-optional admissions policy indefinitely.

The first SAT was the product of decades of work from psycholo-

gist and eugenics supporter Carl C. Brigham, who believed that testing would demonstrate the superiority of the “Nordic race group.” Students first took the SAT in 1926 and Harvard began using the exam in the mid 1930s, with many other schools soon following suit. Administrators saw the test — and others like it — as a systematic way to exclude certain ethnicities from higher education. While today organizations like the College Board may have different intentions from the ones it held decades ago, the legacy of standardized testing raises serious questions about the legitimacy of the practice as a whole.

In light of their problematic history, it may be unsurprising that standardized tests are largely ineffective as tools that are supposed to be critical in gauging a student’s college readiness.

In the fall of 2021, the College of William and Mary tracked the academic success of newly enrolled students to uncover any potential differences between the 39 percent of applicants who did not submit test scores and the

THE CAVALIER DAILY

The Cavalier Daily is a financially and editorially independent news organization staffed and managed entirely by students of the University of Virginia.

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.

No part of The Cavalier Daily or The Cavalier Daily online edition may be reproduced in any form, in whole or in part, without the written consent of the editor-in-chief.

The Cavalier Daily is published Thursdays in print and daily online at cavalierdaily. com. It is printed on at least 40 percent recycled paper. 2022 The Cavalier Daily Inc.

HAVE AN OPINION?

The Cavalier Daily welcomes letters to the editor and guest columns. Writers must provide full name, telephone number and University affiliation, if appropriate. Letters should not exceed 250 words in length and columns should not exceed 700. The Cavalier Daily does not guarantee publication of submissions and may edit all material for content and grammar. Submit to opinion@cavalierdaily.com or P.O. Box 400703, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4703

QUESTIONS/COMMENTS

To better serve readers, The Cavalier Daily has a public editor to respond to questions and concerns regarding its practices. The public editor writes a column published every week on the opinion pages based on reader feedback and his independent observations. He also welcomes queries pertaining to journalism and the newspaper industry in general. The public editor is available at publiceditor@cavalierdaily.com.

remaining applicants who did. They found that both groups had similar GPAs and retention rates around 95 percent. Similarly, researchers at the University of Chicago tracked data from over 50,000 students from the Chicago Public School system and found that GPAs are five times stronger than ACT scores at predicting college graduation. These findings underscore the notion that standardized tests do not need to play an important role in the college admissions process. It is well known that the SAT and ACT are tests in access rather than tests in achievement. Research has proven that students from high-income families tend to earn higher SAT scores than students from low-income families. There are several expensive programs that are dedicated to helping students maximize their scores by helping them recognize patterns in questions and giving them tips that make them better test takers. By committing to test-optional admissions practices, the University can increase access to the University, especially for

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low-income students who are already at a disadvantage when trying to navigate the daunting application process.

Some may argue that standardized testing serves as an equalizing force, providing colleges with an objective means by which they can compare prospective students. It may be true that factors such as GPA, written essays and letters of recommendation may be harder to interpret than a singular, standardized data point. Nonetheless, deferring to test scores to try and level the playing field essentially ignores the reality that students lack equal access to standardized testing. Though the tests themselves may be administered in the same way to all students, not all students are given the same chance to succeed on these exams. An optional policy means students can still opt to submit scores if they feel their applications are bolstered by them. Students should not feel dissuaded from applying to the University, however, just because they were unable to pay their way to a few extra points on their ACT.

When the current test-optional policy was first implemented in 2021, nearly 41 percent of students applied without testing and over a third of the admissions offers went to students who didn’t submit scores. These trends held in 2022. The University has successfully admitted two classes of students who were given the agency to decide how to best represent their academic preparation — and it just so happens that these classes have been some of the most diverse in the University’s history. Going test-optional is not only the right thing to do, it is a necessary step on our journey to becoming the nation’s gold standard in public education.

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

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Grace Franklin

U.Va. must end its dining contract with Aramark

Recently, I visited some high school friends at the University of Georgia. As fellow first-years, my friends also had meal plans and ate the majority of their meals in dining halls. But I was shocked to find that I actually enjoyed the food, something I cannot say about the University. Surely, I thought, there is a good explanation — and there is — the University’s decision to choose the Aramark Corporation has negatively impacted the student dining experience, and may even be unethical.

Last fall, I wrote a column detailing why the University’s dining experience is of poor nutritional value, and the continued partnership with Aramark makes future improvements seem unlikely. As part of its contract with Aramark, the University has made some investments in healthy options for students that also come at a low cost — but only some. The Castle — a University restaurant that promises sustainable practices and plant-based options — was revamped and earned Green Restaurant certification, a major step forward for nutritional options. The plan still lacks affordability, as an All-Access Meal Plan, required for first-years, runs from $2,890$3,130 per semester. A $3,000 meal plan should come with higher stand-

A company that puts profits ahead of food quality and employee safety has no place on our Grounds.

ards than one restaurant dedicated to healthy eating.

A comparable meal plan at the University of Georgia runs at about $2,297, around $700 cheaper than meal plans here. And here, the $3,000 is a required purchase on top of tuition, while at Georgia, students have a choice of several meal plans to figure out what best suits them. U.Ga., who does not contract with Aramark, is able to offer more expansive hours at their five din-

move did not go without criticism, with a 2015 editorial in The Cavalier Daily citing extremely unethical practices in prisons — serving garbage, dog food and worms to inmates — and paying workers only the minimum wage despite continued fiscal success. This poor conduct does not come as a surprise. In one Michigan prison and two Ohio prisons, maggots were repeatedly found near food — to the point where the states fined the corpo-

$13 million in 2014 by offering the ability to outsource dining services at a lower cost — partly through paying workers low wages and lowering costsper-meal for prisoners. These cost cutting measures proved a valuable investment for the state, as it likely prevented one correctional facility from closure. Here at the University, Aramark invested $20 million to build the Pavilion XI food court and the Fresh Food Company in Newcomb Hall as

Students at the aspiring number one public university should arrive on Grounds and feel supported by the dining choices they make”

ing halls, effectively allowing students to pay less for more. But our Aramark contract offers comparatively limited hours across all dining halls — a relationship where students are charged more money for fewer benefits.

Even as concerns continue over the partnership, in 2014, the University and Aramark agreed to a 20-year contract that accompanies a promised multi-million dollar investment in dining facilities across Grounds. That

ration $200,000 and $130,200 respectively for the incidents, a mere slap on the wrist for a multi-billion dollar corporation like Aramark. The University’s continued partnership with the company is effectively condoning Aramark’s unethical actions, sending students a clear message that ethics and health are not a major concern.

It is not hard to recognize the appeal of Aramark’s services for its clients. Aramark saved the State of Ohio

part of the 2014 contract renewal. But we see time and time again that these tactics of allowing Aramark to invest for a company to cut costs reduces the quality of the product received. Florida cut ties with Aramark in 2008 after an audit showed the corporation had skimped on meals as a way to cut costs and increase its profit margin, while still overcharging the state.

Jim Ryan’s 2030 ‘Great and Good’ Plan aspires to have the University be

the number one public school in the country. Progress is being made as new facilities are constructed and the number of undergraduate applicants continues to increase. But students at the aspiring number one public university should feel supported by the dining choices they make, not concerned about the ethics. Unless the banner on the University’s dining website wants to read “number one in education, number 1,248 in food,” something needs to change. Much like inmates at correctional facilities, students are people that deserve quality food. The University has an opportunity to improve in an area where it is lacking, but it must do the work in order to be truly great and good.

FORD MCCRACKEN is a Senior Associate Opinion Editor for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at opinion@cavalierdaily.com.

Professors should reconsider no-technology policies

For a generation of college students raised in the digital age, it often comes as a surprise when professors establish no-technology policies on the first day of class. Professors support these policies by claiming that banning technology reduces distractions and encourages handwritten notes, overall leading to better retention of information. These bans extend to laptops, which some students with disabilities depend on for success in class. While no-technology policies have good intentions behind them, they negatively impact students with disabilities by isolating them and adding to disability stigmas.

While some professors may argue that no-technology policies aren’t necessarily harmful to students with disabilities because they can receive permission to use technology by filing an application with the Student Disability Access Center, we should avoid isolating students with special needs whenever possible. SDAC can provide accommodations for typing notes and recording lectures, they cannot change the stigmas surrounding disability that may make a student feel alienated in the classroom. For example, if a student is using a laptop to take notes in a room of students not allowed to touch their laptops, that student may

No-technology policies are harmful to students with disabilities

feel singled out. The student may then feel the need to justify their laptop use to others, which they should not have to do unless they want to. Disability is a sensitive topic, and students should not feel pressured to justify their needs to their peers for the sake of a technology ban.

Students with SDAC accommodations might not only feel singled out

— creating a negative learning environment.

It is also essential to consider that there are students who have disabilities but do not have accommodations. A student’s lack of accommodations could be because they find the SDAC process challenging, they have a currently undiagnosed disability or they thought they would have more free-

typed notes for both students with and without disabilities. Having access to a laptop in class can help students copy down information faster and have more legible notes. While bad handwriting likely does not qualify for SDAC accommodations, these note-taking needs further show that technology in the classroom has benefits. Professors may argue that the ben-

tion of the study could not generate the same results. The replicated study demonstrates that the conclusion that handwritten notes are better than typed notes is “premature.” This study reflects that no-technology policies are not as useful as professors claim them to be. For a generation of students raised on laptops, it is essential that more studies on handwritten notes are done before professors jump to technology bans.

amongst their peers in no-technology classes, but also may have uncomfortable interactions with professors. By supporting their no-technology policies with claims that laptops lead to more distractions and less effective notes, professors imply that students who need laptops do not perform to their standards. When a professor expresses explicit distaste for laptops, it can be uncomfortable for a student to ask for their accommodation. Students should not have to feel like their needs are a burden, and implementing no-technology policies does just that

dom to use technology in college. It is wrong that a student who has never needed technology-related accommodations can sign up for a class that interests them just to find out that they actually do need an accommodation to perform well. Now, they must fill out paperwork, get forms signed by a treating provider and meet with an SDAC advisor to succeed in class. By the time they secure their accommodation, they may have already fallen behind.

Professors with no-technology policies also overlook the benefits of

efits of typed notes do not outweigh the cost of potential online districations, but that should be a choice students get to make. In general, college should be a time to grow and develop independence. Students should be allowed to exercise that independence by choosing if handwritten or typed notes work better for them.

While there are many ways no-technology policies harm students,it is also important to investigate the benefits professors claim exist. An initial study showed handwriting to be the best method for notetaking, but a replica-

No-technology policies cause more harm than they do good. Professors paternalistically banning technology causes an array of unnecessary problems. I do not stand to say professors are intentionally engaging in discriminatory practices. Instead, I beg professors to reconsider the effect banning technology from their classrooms has on students.

MIKAYLA HAVISON is a Viewpoint Writer who writes about University Life for The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at opinion@cavalierdaily.com.

Professors paternalistically banning technology causes an array of unecessary problems”

Rest in peace Collab — long live Canvas

Students in the College embrace U.Va.’s phased transition to a new learning management system

Alex Pawlica | Features Writer

This spring, students across 40 percent of schools and departments in the University were greeted with a new learning management system used widely across higher education institutions — Canvas. Come fall of 2023 — a year after the University first conducted a pilot program with nine courses, and received feedback from faculty and over 300 participating students — all departments and schools will transition to U.Va.Canvas, rendering the University’s platform, U.Va.Collab, obsolete.

The University’s phased implementation across semesters, however, means that many students — no matter their experience with Canvas before coming to the University — will have some familiarity with the Canvas platform before it is officially here to stay. Until then, students will continue to get used to the shiny new U.Va.Canvas and prepare to say goodbye to the University’s digital staple — Collab.

For some, Canvas is not a new platform. Fourth-year College student Bella Binder transferred to the

University as a second-year, already familiar with Canvas from her classes at Northern Virginia Community College.

“It looks cleaner, and I think it’s easier to maneuver,” Binder said. “I like how they have modules on the side. I have that for all of my classes … [with] Applied Analytics for Business, we have it divided up by date and by what topic we’re doing, I feel like I can be a lot more organized.”

Binder had also used Canvas last year at the University for a class she took through the School of Education and Human Development, which used a school-specific version of Canvas before the implementation of the universal version, U.Va.Canvas.

Like Binder, third-year College student Ellen Herrera also had previous experience with Canvas from a class in the Education school. When she heard one of her College classes this spring would be on Canvas, Herrera assumed she would also use the same login as she had for her class in the Education

school. She discovered that it was on a new domain entirely, yet, U.Va. Canvas had changed little from the version she already knew.

“It was very similar to the one in the Education school … There wasn’t much of a learning curve, [but] I remember the first few days it took me a few clicks to get where I wanted to be,” Herrera said.

Students with no previous experience using Canvas may still feel at home with the platform. For second-year College student Thomas Boak, Canvas was not familiar but not entirely foreign, either.

“It reminded me a bit of [the system] I used in high school, and there was a bit of a learning curve to figure out the sidebar and where everything was,” Boak said.

The adjustment proved to be easy, though. In a short time, Boak learned the ins and outs of Canvas. Soon, he came to prefer it over Collab. For Boak, the feature of document preview during assignment submission is the one important feature that Canvas offers and Collab does not.

“I enjoy using Canvas more,” Boak said. “When you submit a PDF, you can scroll through without having to click on it … or open a separate tab, which is useful.”

Binder shares Boak’s sentiment about Canvas’s interface — for her, Canvas’s simple layout and mobile compatibility are a huge plus. Canvas, unlike Collab, offers a sleek phone app. Features like these help make Canvas better suited to the needs of students like Binder.

“I think it’s easier to maneuver,” Binder said. “And who doesn’t like a little bit of confetti when you turn in an assignment?”

Herrera, on the other hand, holds a more neutral view of the two platforms in comparison with one another. She says that she likes Collab more than Canvas because of her familiarity with the former — it is a matter of getting used to something new. Moreover, she pointed out that some of her professors only use Collab to direct students to their own sites.

“I don’t mind the interface of either one [Collab or Canvas],”

Herrera said. “A lot of my computer science classes that use Collab like to use their own website for the course, so even when you go to Collab, it’s really just for like a split second… Then, you click on a link, and that takes you to a third-party course web page.”

Binder is especially eager and has no reservations about the switch — for her, this semester’s transition period can be a bother because some of her classes are on Canvas and some are on Collab, making it hard to keep track of all of her classes.

“I have one of my classes on Collab now and I kind of forget about it, which I know is really bad,” Binder said.

On the whole, Binder, Herrera and Boak all feel ready for the University’s full-fledged embrace of Canvas in fall 2023. Though students with classes on U.Va.Canvas have approached the transition with different experiences and attitudes, one unchangeable fact is clear — the age of Collab is coming to a close.

Students with no previous experience using Canvas may still feel at home with the platform.

New Girl Scout Cookies welcome a sweet spring season

With fresh, inventive flavors, Girl Scout Cookies show how traditions may mature with us

Yiyang Zhang | Food Writer

For over a century, Girl Scout Cookies have been sold door-todoor across the United States in a campaign to develop independent, socially conscientious young women. Going from early February until late March, the cookies are sold by Girl Scouts, with all proceeds going back into sustaining their local programs. I recently tried some of the newest cookie flavors to provide my personal recommendations on the classic snack.

Girl Scout Cookies are very important to the U.S. Amidst the hodgepodge of American culture, there is little that unites us more than the beloved treat. Led by a battalion of entrepreneurial young girls and sold only during the late winter and early spring, the cookies are a hallowed sign of changing seasons. It’s a thing I find we forget about as we become depleted by the moody, sunless months of winter. Yet when the weather finally begins to warm and better times seem

closer ahead, the troops return, ready and able to help us usher in the sun.

Next to the Corner’s Bank of America, you will find a foldable gray table with boxes upon glorious boxes of Crayola-classic purples and blues. It’s a neat location, perfect for those who enjoy slow walks and admiring lovely, dry mornings — for they have come at long last.

During my visit, I saw some familiar favorites — Samoas and Thin Mints galore. But there are new ones too. Released in 2021 and 2022, respectively, Toast-Yay! and Adventurefuls are joined this year by the newest edition, Raspberry Rally. With these cookies on the stands, it’s a delightful return to the season, and our national ritual feels newly precious in warm air.

To help prepare you for your imminent visit to the table, I’ve broken down the new flavors and my first impressions of them. So, let’s try some $6.00 snacks, enjoy the

sun and salute our wonderful Girl Scout tradition. May she never die.

Raspberry Rally

The cookie is a thin, shiny chocolate painted over a pink biscuit. It’s certainly sweet, but there’s a zing from the raspberry that seems unbecoming of shortbread. This is because shortbread, from conception, has always been about the butter — the kind of fat that feels heavy on your tongue.

Raspberry — great as it may be — is incompatible with such heavy, coronary glory. What’s left is an oddly tart, strangely satisfying clash of the bright and creamy. It’s not a bad flavor, but it could be better. The texture, however, is purely wonderful — a honeycomb of crunch and air. The bites are loud, and the cereal-crisp innards crackle between your teeth. It is a fun sound but doesn’t make up for the lackluster taste.

Adventurefuls

This cookie has a brownie in-

spired base, furbished with a button of caramel and drizzled syrup — I thought they were rather cute. The taste is of chocolate and salt — it’s not bitter like real cocoa, but there is an oily sweetness that excites an inert palate for sugar and grease. The texture, already stodgy like a protein bar, with the added caramel center makes for an absolutely gnawing tear. It is a commitment to eat. There is a lot of chewing. I’m not sure it’s worth it.

I would recommend a classic Thin Mints instead.

Toast-Yay!

This spiced sugar cookie is modeled after toast, with one side layered in icing — a winning feature for anyone with a sucrose-loving heart. Inspired by the flavors of French toast, this biscuit, unlike the other rookies, suggests a more nostalgic vision.

Cinnamon is present in waves — flitting from light undertones to clove-laden strikes of flavor. Icing is

Finding solace in solitude

as it should be, sandy on the tongue but quickly melting into milky treacle. It has a soft, dehydrated crust, similar to the pap of a leftover cake. The staleness would mesh well with a cappuccino. There is a broader appeal here — the ToastYay! meets both childhood whimsy and the drier, more textured needs of an older consumer. A laudable compromise, surely.

To conclude, I found the new flavors exciting to sample and okay to taste. I still think Samoas are better, but the real fun was always the event of getting sugar-high with your friends anyways. It remains the best way to start the season, and I suggest dropping by a booth to try for yourself.

The closest booth to Grounds can be found most easily in front of the Corner’s Bank of America. There, the cookies are sold on weekends from 2:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. I recommend a visit, if only for the tradition.

How I’ve challenged myself to do things alone and feel content doing so, especially during my semester abroad

Niharika Singhvi | Life Columnist

About a month ago, I walked into a restaurant and did something I had always dreaded — I asked to be seated at a table for one. On the way over to my table, all I could think about was how people were probably going to judge me for being here alone. I winced at the thought and was ready to scarf down my food to escape the situation speedily.

To provide some context, I’m studying abroad in Madrid this semester and I went to this restaurant on my third day in the country. Since I’d chosen to arrive a few days before the program began, I spent these days exploring the city alone. I had been forcing myself to only buy snacks from storefronts in hopes of avoiding the awkwardness of eating alone. But I recognized I’d have to give in at one point or another.

It’s possible that many of you wouldn’t even bat an eye at eating out alone. But for me, this was an ordeal. Growing up, I’d always been hyper-aware of my surroundings. I constantly fear that people are watching me or judging me for the littlest things. Because of this persistent social anxiety, I’ve always been scared of the idea of going out in the world

and doing things by myself. I don’t want people to think I’m a loner or jump to negative conclusions about me.

One of my New Year’s resolutions for this year was to conquer this fear so that I could feel more comfortable doing things alone. I knew that by studying abroad in a novel country where I knew no one, I was bound to feel lonely — more so than I wanted to admit.

On a deeper level, I recognized that I’ve allowed a lack of self-confidence to hinder my ability to do simple things my entire life. Whether it’s ordering for myself or browsing for clothes in a mall, the apprehension of other people may think of me persists. Even now, in many public activities, I either feel needlessly anxious if I’m alone or I only do the task if I have a friend alongside me. This year, I wanted to change. I didn’t want to let my contentment and joy be so closely intertwined with other people’s perceptions of me.

And so, I’ve spent the last month working towards this fairly broad goal of being comfortable alone. Of course, due to the nature of studying abroad, I’ve been compelled to tackle things

alone. But, I’ve also tried to take a more proactive approach to the resolution, the journey beginning with getting dumplings on my third day here.

As I waited for my meal to arrive, I obsessively scrolled through my phone to look busy. However, once my food came, I realized it was impossible to really do anything besides concentrate on successfully grasping my dumpling with chopsticks — I’m still rusty with the utensil.

In these next few moments, I ate my food and let my mind wander. I thought about how good the dumplings tasted and how I liked the restaurant decor. As I chewed my last bite, I realized that in the past few minutes, I’d put my worries about being alone on the back burner. The simple acts of eating and observing my surroundings quietly made me feel content — I reached a simple breakthrough. Maybe the experience of being alone didn’t have to be as scary as I’d made it out to be.

This simple act of eating alone has made me more independent. It’s brought me contentment that’s not dependent on my phone or other people. Beyond

this, I’ve also spent many hours exploring the city on my own by strolling the streets, trying new foods and shopping at all kinds of stores. These series of experiences have contributed to a sense of self-sufficiency.

Despite all this, I do have to admit that doing things alone still bears its challenges. I didn’t magically become an expert at embarking on little adventures solo. I recognize my deeply rooted fears and insecurities won’t just disappear in these few months. I still fear judgment every time I walk into a place alone where I see everyone else socializing. But the little steps I’ve taken have surely helped.

A few months ago, I would’ve let my social fears prevent me from doing things like reading alone at a café. But now, I feel comfortable enough to power through the nerves. Pushing myself to be alone has even led me to discover the things I now love, like spending hours and hours in art museums.

When doing things alone, you get to operate on your own time and really process what’s going on around you and within you. I’ve become more introspective over

the past few weeks. While traveling in the metro or walking from place to place by myself, I’ve had a lot of time to reflect and take in the world around me. It’s peaceful.

Don’t get me wrong. As an extrovert, I would choose to do things with people pretty much every chance. But, I think there’s beauty in being okay with being alone. It’s taught me about who I am as a person and about the things I enjoy doing. It’s taught me to appreciate the little things. Witnessing elderly couples holding hands as they stroll through the garden has brought me joy in my solitude. Listening to the musicians liven up the metro station never fails to brighten my mornings.

At the end of the day, I’ve come to understand better that you are the one person who will be there for yourself, as cheesy as it sounds. And so, I’d like to continue this journey of being there for me — and feeling content with it — whether or not I have familiar faces around me.

Niharika Singhvi is a Life Columnist for The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at life@cavalierdaily. com.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Netflix’s upcoming policy change leaves students outraged

The password-sharing change requires users to check in to a primary location once a month

Madigan Lounsbery | Staff Writer

In a time with ever-increasing competition between streaming services, it is difficult to imagine the release of a harsh policy from one of the streaming giants. Nonetheless, a new Netflix policy preventing password sharing has been at the center of a great deal of backlash — particularly from college students — in recent days. This policy has been rolled out in various countries up to this point, and a universal implementation seems imminent.

The specific aspect of this policy that caught the attention of students at the University and across the nation requires users to register their devices with a home address and the subsequent need to check-in at the designated address once every 31 days. If someone does not have the ability to check into the designated address — or if someone just wants to share their account with someone that does not live with them — they will be charged a fee for any addi-

tional profiles outside of the home.

Though it may be difficult to conceptualize why Netflix might release such a severe policy at a time where streaming competition is at its highest, Darden School of Business Prof. Rajkumar Venkatesan gave some insight on the background of this seemingly rash and unexpected new policy.

“Netflix has nowhere to hide,” Venkatesan said. “They have to show the market how many people have added onto the platform and how many people are paying members… Netflix has a unique challenge in that sense.”

To many college students, though, the reasoning was null, as this announcement caused outrage. Many students were left asking how they were meant to check in at home when they live in a different city, state or country for a large portion of the year.

While it seems that Netflix is

amenable to the opinions of their users, young people have been tearing Netflix apart on social media and beyond ever since the news of this new policy broke. Knowing that the policy disproportionately affects them, students have taken to platforms such as Twitter and TikTok to call Netflix out for their seemingly absurd new decision.

“This new Netflix sharing password system is ridiculous,” one Twitter user said. “Because I’m not at home and at college, they want me to make my own account even though I go back home? Do they not understand not all families are constantly in one household together?”

For second-year College student Hannah Jackson, social media was the first place that she heard about the new policy.

“I saw it on Tiktok first, someone complaining about it, and then I scrolled through the comments,” Jackson said.

In Assoc. Media Studies Prof. Jack Hamilton’s opinion, the overlooking of college students is a colossal error on Netflix’s behalf.

“The demographic that the college students are in is probably the most valuable demographic in terms of what anyone wants,” Hamilton said. “If you can cultivate brand loyalty or brand affection to people who are teenagers or young adults, that’s a really valuable thing. Everyone wants those viewers.”

Despite young viewers representing a substantial market demographic for Netflix, the policy ignores their unique needs.

Third-year Architecture student Mikaela Gustitus expressed her unlikeliness to use the service after the release of the policy.

“I don’t go home every thirty days because I’m [from] Wisconsin, so I think I wouldn’t use it at all,” Gustitus said. “It is so inconvenient to have to check in all the time.”

Young viewers like Gustitus feel that the policy alienates them, and others believe the decision will likely lead to a decline in young viewership. Going head to head with the college population in the United States is arguably a risky move for Netflix, particularly when alternative streaming services such as Disney+ are gaining an increasingly large portion of the pie.

Prof. Venkatesan said that in the end Netflix will likely not recognize the need to please their younger demographic right away.

“They have bigger fires to put out,” Ventatesan said.

With students and experts alike questioning the move, Netflix’s fate and the future of the policy remainds unknown Is this the downfall of Netflix in the eyes of the student? Only time will tell.

Five films overlooked by The Oscars for “Best Picture”

While impressive movies like “Tár” and “The Fabelmans” earned rightful nominations, others like “Nope” and “Crimes of the Future” were overlooked

Charles Burns | Staff Writer

The 95th annual Oscars — which aired this past Sunday — highlighted an array of great films, each of which varied immensely in tone and genre. While the lineup for the revered “Best Picture” category featured many honorable nominations like “Tár” and “The Fabelmans” — two of the absolute best films of last year — several films failed to be recognized by the Academy as being among the cream of 2022’s crop. This list features five forgotten films that deserve a nod.

5. “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair”

It can be difficult to explain the intangible appeal of “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair,” which is so heavily tied to the uncanny mood it evokes. The director, who mostly abstains from conventional narrative shape, uses an incredibly unsettling, dystopian atmosphere to capture the surreal isolation of a life spent almost entirely on the Internet.

The eerie horror film — delivered by up-and-coming director Jane Schoenbrun — follows Casey, a lonely teenager who becomes immersed in a viral “World’s Fair Challenge,” a menacing and off-kilter virtual horror game. The metaphysical terror becomes

particularly acute when that game begins to intersect with her own physical and mental state in disorienting ways. The movie is tactfully resistant to simple explication, and it casts a haunting spell that lingers long after the closing credits roll.

4. “Nope”

Even if director Jordan Peele has yet to recapture the critical reception of his justifiably acclaimed debut feature — the instantly iconic “Get Out” — he continues to improve as a filmmaker with each subsequent release.

Peele’s newest movie, the sci-fi horror flick “Nope,” is easily his best feature film yet. Tracking a sister and brother — played by Keke Palmer and Daniel Kaluuya — who begin to notice malicious alien activity on their isolated California ranch, the movie follows the siblings’ attempts to be the first to document evidence of the alien creature. The film juggles tones effortlessly, leaning into a sense of otherworldly menace in its prolonged build-up before transitioning into a jauntier adventure in its final third. But through it all, Peele’s complete command of atmosphere keeps the journey consistently thrilling and occasionally terrifying. It succeeds beautifully as exciting

genre fare, while also indulging in audacious digressions that give the movie an entirely unique flavor.

3. “EO”

While acclaimed auteur Jerzy Skolimowski’s newest film “EO” is a loose remake of “Au Hasard Balthazar” — a 1966 French tragedy from director Robert Bresson — it offers sensations that feel entirely new. Following the travels of the titular EO, a stray donkey roaming the European countryside, the film is a striking exercise in subjectivity.

Viewed through the eyes of our central animal, mundane sights and sounds feel entirely new again, with rural wildlife taking on the feeling of almost otherworldly organisms. The crackle of poaching gunfire is wholly destabilizing. Footage of a four-legged drone feels like a vision from a farflung future. No movie from last year offered such wholly distinct visual and aural pleasures, all while building to an ending that remains devastating despite its inevitability.

2. “Armageddon Time”

James Gray — the brilliant director behind “The Immigrant” and “The Lost City of Z” — seems to have a knack for being habitually underrated. He kept the streak alive with “Arma-

geddon Time,” an incredibly haunting meditation on race and class in 1980s New York that went shamefully unnoticed by mainstream audiences.

The film frames its pointed critique of American racism through the friendship between Paul — a middle-class Jewish boy — and his much poorer Black classmate, Johnny.

After the boys are caught smoking marijuana in their public school bathroom, their relationship struggles to survive as Paul is moved to a swanky private school and all-but-forced to assimilate into the upper echelons of white New York society. The contrast between their economic and social circumstances becomes even more crushingly pronounced as the narrative progresses.

The movie is understandably indignant about the circumstances foisted upon the protagonists, but never at the expense of the dramatic nuance that defines Gray’s work. It is a sensitive, heartbreaking movie and an utter triumph.

1. “Crimes of the Future”

Returning with his first directorial feature in roughly seven years, body horror maestro David Cronenberg — responsible for masterpieces like “The Fly” and “Dead Ringers” — revisited

many of his signature themes in the indelible “Crimes of the Future.”

In many ways, the movie is classic Cronenberg, following a romantic and creative relationship that finds a former trauma surgeon, played by Léa Seydoux, removing rapidly metastasizing organs from the body of her partner, played by Viggo Mortensen, in live performances that find themselves situated somewhere between the repulsive and the reverent.

But if the movie represents another example of the strange science-fiction that Cronenberg has staked his name on, it also represents a slight change of pace for the aging auteur. The movie is more beguiling than its thematic predecessors, exchanging gnarly genre thrills for something even more off-kilter.

And, if the younger Cronenberg saw only horrific brutality in his central concepts, he approaches his material here with a mixture of curiosity and awe, culminating in one of the best final shots of his entire career. There was no better movie released in 2022 than this masterpiece.

V Magazine showcases student artistry and expression

The publication provides creative students with a shared space to hone their skills and publicize their work

Amelia Preble | Staff Writer

At a school overflowing with student talent and imagination, one student-run organization offers a space for creators, writers and designers alike to connect and share their passion — V Magazine.

Over the course of each semester, the V Magazine staff pulls together photoshoots, graphic design, student writing and student art to create their final issue — a manifestation of all things artistic at the University.

Each edition is anchored by a core theme or concept that inspires their content. Mia Gualtieri, co-editor-in-chief and fourthyear College student, said she appreciates these prompts for the ideas they spark in the magazine’s creation.

“We’re super into using a single word or phrase that has many meanings,” Gualtieri said. “We have to sort of balance how it can be broad, yet specific… sometimes it’s more helpful to be creative when you have at least some form of a box.”

These prompts serve as starting points in a greater creative process. As the production team curates the issue and student sub -

missions roll in, the original idea can evolve and change. According to Charlotte Giff, co-editorin-chief and fourth-year College student, the concept “grows on its own.”

“I think that there’s a degree to which that element of growth and change is under our control, and then another element that’s totally independent of us,” Giff said. “The final issue ends up being a conglomeration of both what we thought it was going to be and what everyone else wants it to be.”

The recently released Fall 2022 edition tackled the theme “Generations.” Despite the apparent simplicity of a one-word prompt, the issue exhibits a diverse array of interpretations. From abstract digital art to moving poems describing generational trauma, each page highlights a new meaning of the word, taking a fresh approach.

Maddie Stokes, lead creative writing editor and third-year College student, described the variety in submissions as “shocking.”

“Not only did people write about generations in a literal sense, but several pieces also dealt with the process of aging and the

natural world, a change I didn’t expect when we first called for submissions.” Stokes said. “This edition is certainly not what I first envisioned, but I love it all the more for that.”

Central to each issue and its respective theme are two photoshoots — designed, planned and executed by the V Magazine staff. In the “Generations” issue, shoots were inspired by both nostalgia and futurism.

The first of the two — “family fête” — flaunts rich colors and vintage pieces in a celebration of fashion’s mercurial, generational nature. In crafting the images, no detail was left unnoticed. Each carefully curated accessory featured in the photos is inspired by a specific era of fashion — such as a 90’s-esque bedazzled flip phone, butterfly clips, colorful makeup, and more.

Luckily, V Magazine’s aesthetic prowess extends into their staff’s wardrobes, making sourcing clothes for shoots easy.

“There’s so many people with amazing clothes here that it hasn’t been the case yet that we’ve had to find resources outside of that,” Giff said.

Each shoot encompasses a major community effort. On the day of, the energy is high — staff members assemble Pinterest boards for inspiration, makeup artists execute their visions and stylists scramble to source clothes and dress models, explained Giff.

At its core, the publication is powered by their high valuation of collaboration. Gualtieri reflected on her earliest experiences working on photoshoots for the magazine.

“I think the collective energy that comes from working on [collaborative] projects like that is something that is super unique.” said Gualtieri. “The first time I did it, I was like, ‘Oh, this feels right, and feels like something I want to be doing.’”

With around 40 staff members, each individual offers valuable skills in various aspects of production — whether it be writing, photography, graphic design or elsewhere. Editors Giff and Gualtieri hope that as the organization continues to grow, it can serve as an educational experience for new members.

According to Giff, V Magazine’s talented staff has gained in -

valuable skills that can’t always be developed in the classroom.

“I think my long term dream for V Magazine is that it becomes not just a publication, but a place where people can come in and be part of not just a community of creative individuals, but also learn from them and grow with them,” said Giff.

Having recently closed their seasonal submissions for student art and writing, V Magazine is hard at work on their Spring 2023 Issue. The staff collectively decided on the theme of “red” — which can be interpreted “literally or metaphorically” according to V Magazine’s Instagram. Gualtieri is optimistic about the “generative” potential of this prompt.

Powered by the originality and commitment of its members, V Magazine offers artists the chance to realize their abilities in a physical form by publishing their work in a professional format. Creatives of all kinds are able to find not only a platform at V Magazine, but a home amongst some of the most talented and passionate individuals at the University.

COURTESY OF ANIELLA WEINBERGER

With around 40 staff members, each individual offers valuable skills in various aspects of production — whether it be writing, photography, graphic design or elsewhere.

EXPLORING THE HEART OF EQUAL JUSTICE

featuring

BRYAN STEVENSON

in conversation with UVA President Jim Ryan

March 28, 2023 | 7:00 PM

John Paul Jones Arena

http://theologicalhorizons.org/stevenson

FREE COMPANION EVENTS

Screening of the Film "Just Mercy"

March 23, 6:30pm at Jefferson School African American Heritage Center

Restorative Justice: A Legal Panel Discussion

March 30, 4:00-5:30pm at UVA Law School, WB 128

Stevenson: Continuing the Conversation

April 2, 3:30-5:30 at UVA's Alumni Hall

Faith & Work Lunch with Attorney Rich Dean

April 13, 2:30-2:30 at Common Grounds, 480 Rugby Rd

"Sustaining the Soul of Equal Justice" with Rev. Eddie Howard

April 14, 1:00-2:00 at Common Grounds, 480 Rugby Rd

"Facilitating Change" with Central Virginia Community Justice

April 25, 6:00-7:30 at Visible Records, 1740 Broadway St