Thursday, April 16, 2015

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Vol. 125, Issue 52

University students gather, promote sexual misconduct awareness, prevention Kayla Eanes

Senior Associate Editor

Take Back the Night held a panel discussion about Title IX legal requirements and the University's new sexual misconduct policy Tuesday as a part of their week long event combatting sexual misconduct. The panel, titled “A Discussion on Sexual Misconduct Policy and the Law,” was headed by 2014 College graduate Emily Renda, project coordinator in the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, Assoc. Dean

BSA ELECTS NEW EXECUTIVE BOARD PAGE 3

VAUGHAN CHOSEN FOR CRISPELL LAWN ROOM PAGE 4

of Students Nicole Eramo and Law Prof. Anne Coughlin.

Each panelist prepared a presentation covering topics ranging from the history and background of Title IX and prior policies, community input on the revised interim Policy on Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment and Other Forms of Interpersonal Violence released March 30 and recent legislative changes regarding sexual misconduct policy.

Fourth-year College student Erica Robertson, major event chair for the Sexual Violence Prevention Coalition, said the event was the first

BASEBALL EARNS ‘FUN’ 3-2 WIN VS. TRIBE PAGE 7

time students had the opportunity to openly discuss the new policy.

“It will finally provide people with an understanding of the behind the scenes workings of how the University handles sexual assaults,” Robertson said. “By having this kind of event it helps to break it down to help everyone understand it better.”

At the panel, Renda provided a broad legal context for the new policy and explained the

see TBTN, page 2

OPINION: MOVING BEYOND THE EQUAL SIGN PAGE 12

ACCLAIMED FILMMAKER DISCUSSES ‘TIMBUKTU’ PAGE 14

N news

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TBTN Panel outlines new sexual misconduct policy Continued from page 1 difference between University and criminal actions in cases of sexual assault.

Renda said many people questioned why the police did not directly handle cases of sexual assault on campus.

“School based adjudication is very different from criminal [adjudication],” Renda said. “Under Title IX, [the new policy] covers a spectrum of conduct that is far broader than what might be criminalized in any state.”

Renda emphasized that the University system of investigation and the criminal justice system are not mutually exclusive.

“A lot of people think we are asking people to choose between the University system and the criminal system,” Renda said. “In an ideal world someone would use both, since both are available to them… [and] these two systems have fundamentally different tools at their discretion.”

Eramo explained some of the nuances of the revised policy and said it is not just a procedural document like the previous policy used by the University.

“After some consideration and looking at examples of other schools and what they have done, we broke the policy into this umbrella policy

document,” Eramo said.

The new policy outlines resources for survivors, practices to encourage reporting, detailed separate procedures for students, faculty and employees and various expanded definitions. “[The Violence Against Women Act] requirements require us to enhance some of the definitions we had before,” Eramo said. “In the new policy we talk about affirmative consent rather than effect consent.”

The panel also explained the single investigator model, which Eramo said has already been adopted by schools such as University of Michigan, Tufts University and Dartmouth College.

The single investigator model outlined in the revised policy provides one lawyer trained in relevant areas of the law who will investigate both sides of a complaint, draw up a report and present the report to both the complainant and the respondent as well as a review panel.

Coughlin said the single investigator model is an attempt to avoid the retraumatization of survivors.

“We were trying to balance legal imperatives from a lot of different statues and be mindful of our community as well,” Coughlin said. “The idea was to try to reproduce what cross examination is supposed to produce but without people having

Cameron Blackwell | The Cavalier Daily

Renda said attendees questioned why police did not directly handle campus sexual assault cases.

to go through the process of being cross examined and confronting each other.”

Coughlin also addressed the issue of a single sanction policy in the wake of the Rolling Stone article.

“At the time that the story first broke there was a lot of commentary coming our way that expulsion had to be on the table,” Coughlin said. “As time went by, we realized there are a range of different types of sexual misconduct covered by our policy.”

Coughlin said she wanted to clarify that while expulsion and suspension will be considered, there is no single sanction system regarding

sexual misconduct. “[There] isn’t one form of single misconduct,” Coughlin said. “It’s a broad spectrum of sexual misconduct that we’re discussing.”

Renda said she does not want survivors to be discouraged from reporting incidents of sexual assault from fear of being forced into such a strict system of punishment.

“As a survivor myself and from working with many survivors, there’s a strong presumption from the community that everyone must want the same outcome,” Renda said. “Single sanction is not best process for engaging in higher reporting rates.”

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NEWS

Thursday, April 16, 2015

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Climate Action Society constructs mock pipeline Students protest Dominion Power proposal, host local speakers, activists Elizabeth Parker Senior Writer

Climate Action Society members assembled and unveiled a 55-foot long pipeline on the South end of the Lawn Monday in an effort to protest the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. The pipeline — proposed by Dominion Power — would transport natural gas from West Virginia to the edge of North Carolina.

If approved, the pipeline will cut directly through and severely impact areas of Charlottesville and its surrounding localities, most notably Nelson and Augusta Counties. Second-year College student Hannah Beaman, Climate Action Society president, said the artwork on the Lawn was completed and displayed to simulate the effects of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.

“The construction of a pipeline that cuts through Virginians' property and our forests and landscapes, as an investment in fossil fuel combustion that is flooding our coastlines, sends a clear message that this place and these people are means to a

short-term profit end,” Beaman said. “I hope that people who see our exhibit and learn more about the [Atlantic Coast Pipeline] do feel violated and indignant.”

Climate Action Society hosted a panel Tuesday of community organizers and local grassroots organizations. Among those present was Kirk Bowers, the state chair of the Pipeline Committee of the Virginia chapter of the Sierra Club, Hannah Wiegard, Campaign Coordinator of the Appalachian Voices, and Charlotte Rea, a local landowner and co-chair of the anti-pipeline group “All Pain, No Gain.”

Bowers spoke about the Mountain Valley Pipeline, projected to run from northwestern West Virginia to southwestern Virginia, cutting through Roanoke County.

“The Mountain Valley Pipeline runs a mile from where I grew up in Roanoke County,” Bowers said. “Mountains are sacred and my family’s been there for hundreds of years. It shocked me and I thought we really should take some action here. Overall though, I do this because I’m concerned about our changing

environment. I have grandkids and I’m concerned with their future and their grandkids’ futures.”

Rea described her background slightly differently as she was only recently involved in the fight against the pipeline.

“What got me involved initially was that [Dominion] was going to run a pipeline 42 inches around through my backyard,” Rea said.

“If they build this pipeline, I believe it will be the largest environmental disaster in the state of Virginia. The mountains in our area are totally unstable and we are the most landslide-susceptible area in the country. If you run pipelines through there, you will totally disable them and everything will topple over.”

Wiegard explained that her employer, Appalachian Voices, was founded in 1997 in response to a resurgence in the building of coal mines, but has shifted to accommodate issues of fracking and pipeline construction.

“Questions we got from the community shifted to being about pipeline stuff. We sort of realized that one of our slogans is ‘I love mountains’ but to live up to that we need to contribute the

resources we can to one thing,” Wiegard said. “Some of the ways we’re trained is simply to communicate stories, especially about pipelines and fracking in North Carolina.”

Both Rea and Bowers said the most realistic way to stop Dominion Power and other business from building pipeline after pipeline is to continue filing lawsuits against them, especially regarding confiscation of property under eminent domain.

“There have been roadblocks, but we did win a lawsuit. We’re back in the cycle again,” Bowers said. “We’ve had little successes here and there. In Nelson County, we brought the [Federal Energy Regulatory Commission] down.

We took up a briefing to show all the impacts.”

Bowers said he disapproves of the Virginia state government for inadequately addressing conservation issues. He particularly spoke out against Gov. Terry McAuliffe for his support of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.

“He’s been very disappointing on the pipeline issue. He had a press conference last October in which he came out in support of

BSA elects new executive board Senior Writer

The Black Student Alliance selected its 2015-16 executive board Tuesday in an election held in Gibson Hall.

Second-year College student Aryn Frazier was elected to serve as the organization’s next president.

Third-year College student Alex Huff-Reynolds was elected as vice president and second-year College student Khadijah Vasser was elected to the chief financial officer position.

Eighteen candidates ran for 11 executive positions, including president, vice president, chief finance officer, secretary, political action chair, director of membership, director of programming, marketing chair, leadership development chair, academic and career development chair and historian.

Third-year College student Kelsey Watkins was elected as director of membership. Diana Wilson and Magdalene Kwakye, both firstyear College students, were elected as the organization’s new directors of programming. Second-year Col-

lege student Destiny Dobbins was elected the new academic and career development chair and Bryanna Miller and Devin Rossin, both firstyear College students, were elected leadership development chairs. The new marketing chair is second-year College student Chadia King, and second-year Batten student DeAnza Cook was elected as the incoming historian.

Huff-Reynolds said BSA saw a fairly competitive presidential election this year.

“It is a contested election,” Huff-Reynolds said. “There are four people running [for president] this year and three of us have held executive positions in the club before.”

Frazier outlined her plans for the upcoming year in her speech.

“My three main focus points for the upcoming school year would be to improve the black experience and create a vibrant, active black community, to build coalitions that push forward our agenda items to improve the University, and to expand our reach past the grounds of U.Va. and into the Charlottesville community and the state of Virginia,” Frazier said.

When asked to detail the responsibilities of the office, outgoing President Joy Omenyi, a fourth-year College student, emphasised the importance of clarity both between different members in the organization and well as between BSA and the University.

“I would say the biggest responsibility for the president is often you have to work very diligently to make sure your organization actually looks like what you’re doing,” Omenyi said.

She also stressed the importance of having a well-rounded president.

“For me the most important part of the president is that your experience can’t be pigeonholed into one thing,” she said. “So you can’t just be all about finance and be president, because you won’t know what’s going on in regards to political development or community action or something like that. You have to be very well-rounded.”

All four presidential candidates emphasized a need for more communication and transparency between officers and regular members within BSA. “I want to increase transparency

Students displayed the mock pipeline to protest a proposed pipeline through Charlottesville.

the Atlantic Coast Pipeline,” Bowers said. “We asked him why and he doesn’t have a reason for it. He didn’t have to come out and say anything and he shouldn’t have said anything, especially after all the support the Sierra Club gave him in getting elected. We hear he wants to be known as the ‘environmental governor,’ but he’s not quite on target, let’s just say.”

President-elect Aryn Frazier said one of her main goals is to promote a sense of unity and belonging among BSA’s members.

President-elect Aryn Frazier emphasizes communication, transparency Katherine Pollard

Courtesy Kate Ford

Marshall Bronfin | The Cavalier Daily

between the executive board and general body. If you don’t know what we’re doing then we’re not doing our job,” Watkins said.

Watkins also called for more clarity within the organization, calling for a definite set of guidelines for active membership within BSA. Huff-Reynolds said BSA should expand its website as well as reinvigorate its Black Ambassadors program.

“We want to make sure we have access on the [BSA] website to internships and scholarships that black students can find accessible,” she said. “We also want to make sure the Black Ambassadors program is

picked back up.”

The Black Ambassadors Program, according to BSA’s website, is “an initiative dedicated to facilitating increased interactions with prospective black high school students and their families in Virginia and the neighboring areas.”

Frazier said one of her main goals as president is to promote a sense of unity and belonging within the organization’s members.

“I know just how great BSA can be, and we need to ensure that all members of our community have the chance to experience the camaraderie I have come to know and love,” she said.

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The Cavalier Daily

Student groups host teach-in, discuss tuition hikes Han says U.Va. Students United to meet with legislators, push for transparency Caitlyn Seed Associate Editor

U.Va. Students United and United for Undergraduate Socioeconomic Diversity (UFUSED) co-hosted a teach-in Tuesday on the new Affordable Excellence model approved during the most recent Board of Visitors session.

Affordable Excellence is a multifaceted high tuition-high aid financial model designed to make the University more accessible to lower-income Virginian students while also increasing funding for both classroom technology and salaries for established faculty members.

Under the model, all in-state students will pay a 3.9 percent increase in tuition and all outof-state students will pay a 3.7 percent increase. Incoming instate students will also be subject to a $1,000 step increase for the 2015-2016 academic school year. Incoming in-state students in the following year will be subject to an additional $1,000 step increase.

Second-year College student Ibby Han, a U.Va. Students United member and one of the presenters at the event, said the purpose of the teach-in was to educate the community on the explicit details of the Affordable Excellence model and how it will impact students and their families.

“I think that Teresa Sullivan and the Board of Visitors has done a lot to get out the information about the Affordable Excellence model, but not a lot of real numbers,” Han said. “They’re

talking about it very broadly and in abstract terms and we want to break down what they’re saying.”

Third-year College student Melanie Witten, UFUSED Coordinating Chair, said the Affordable Excellence model is a complicated issue which originally caught many students off guard.

Whitten said the numbers of the model can be misleading and should be discussed.

“We feel like there has been a lot of misunderstanding,” Whitten said. “The model seems intentionally confusing and UFUSED has been trying to understand why there is this misconnect.”

Presenters began the teach-in by first explaining the numbers and details of the model associated with the increase in tuition for students. They then critiqued several parts and implications of the model which they argued will be adverse to the student body at the University.

Fourth-year College student Greg Lewis criticized the Affordable Excellence model for not prioritizing students’ concerns and financial struggles. Lewis said the model will likely force many students to bear a larger financial burden over time.

“Higher education is a public good, its something that benefits not only students, but broader communities,” Lewis said. “It should be free and accessible to all.”

Second-year College student Nqobile Mthethwa said the administration and Board of Visitors should better manage their current spending and budget to determine a way to increase funding without including stu-

dents’ tuition.

“It’s not the job of families and students to be the balancing checkbook for the University,” Mthethwa said.

The Board of Visitors pursued several alternative funding routes before deciding to raise the gross tuition rate at the University, including restructuring debt, redistributing endowment spending, balancing current investments and philanthropy donations.

However, U.Va. Students United and UFUSED said they are not pleased with the result of the University administration’s inability to find sufficient funds outside of increasing tuition.

“On the University level, we need to work on actually lowering tuition and reprioritizing the budget,” Han said. “I think we need to be putting students first and the education of students first. Not amenities that attract more wealthy students.”

The presenters also said increasing tuition is indicative of the lack of a long-term financial plan at the University. For instance, should there be a financial crisis, without other means to fund the University budget, students would still be forced to pay the guaranteed tuition increases, but would not necessarily receive aid to subsidize the costs.

One other major concern the presenters highlighted was the possible implications the Affordable Excellence model will have on future socioeconomic diversity at the University.

“The model depends on having a quota of wealthy students,” Lewis said. “Because it ties aid to the number of wealthy stu-

dents that come to the University, there can’t ever be a change in the amount of socioeconomic diversity.”

Though the plan is meant to assist 70 percent of Virginian families, the teach-in presenters argued the statistic is reflective of Virginia’s socioeconomic diversity, which is not necessarily the same as the University’s socioeconomic diversity.

“The 70 percent statistic is misleading, [the University’s] population does not reflect the average Virginian families’ socioeconomic diversity,” Han said.

Lewis also said the socioeconomic divide can already be seen at the University and implementing the Affordable Excellence model would only exacerbate such a tension between students of different financial back-

grounds.

The teach-in is one of several organised responses U.Va. Students United and UFUSED have held in response to the BOV passing the tuition raise. U.Va. Students United is meeting with several legislators from the Virginia General Assembly this week to voice their concerns about the implementation of the model at the University.

“We sent a letter to the general assembly that stated basically that there was a lack of transparency that occurred in the passage of this plan and included why this model is not good for students,” Han said. “We got a lot of responses and as a result we are meeting with legislators tomorrow about transparency in higher education and specifically the Affordable Excellence model.”

Affordable Excellence Returning student in-state tuition

$12,948

First-year student in-state tuition

$12,948

Low income student in-state max loan/yr* In-state max loan/yr*

$13,468

$14,468 $3,500 $1,000

2014-15 $7,000

2015-16

$4,500

*Under “Affordable Excellence,” lower loan amounts are given to students from low income backgrounds, indicating a lower amount they must pay back to the University. These students are typically compensated with a higher grant amount that does not have to be paid back.

Cody Simms | The Cavalier Daily

Graphic by: Cody Simms

Vaughan chosen for Crispell Lawn Room Third-year student says he is surprised, honored Genny Huss Senior Writer

A special committee selected third-year Batten student Israel Vaughan to live in Lawn Room 1 West, the John K. Crispell Memorial Room.

The committee has in the past awarded the room to an outstanding pre-health student, however, in working with the Crispell family in recent years, the committee has moved to instead award the room to a rising fourth-year student who best exemplifies the joy and sense of community John Crispell brought to the Lawn, and

can help to bring the Lawn and University communities together through his or her residence in the Crispell Room.

All students who applied to live on the Lawn were eligible for consideration. A committee overseen by Pat Lampkin, the vice president and chief student affairs officer, assembled to evaluate the pool of students who best met the criteria for the Crispell Room and selected Vaughan from a group of finalists for the upcoming year.

Vaughan, a public policy and drama double major, is a member of the Virginia Gentlemen and played on the Virginia football

team during his first two years at the University.

Vaughan said he doesn’t know what he did to deserve this honor.

“I cried when I got the letter,” Vaughan said. “I’m still kind of in a daze about the whole thing. I’m just really surprised and really honored.”

Vaughan said while he wanted to at least apply to live on the Lawn, he had no idea he would be selected.

“I wouldn’t be able to live it down if I didn’t give myself a chance at least [at applying],” Vaughan said. “U.Va. has done so much for me so … I’m glad I was given the opportunity to do this.”

In working with the Crispell family in recent years, the committee has begun to instead award the room to a rising fourth-year student who best exemplifies the joy and sense of community John Crispell brought to the Lawn.

John Pappas | The Cavalier Daily

NEWS

Thursday, April 16, 2015

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Blackwell receives Casteen diversity-equity-inclusion award Fourth-year College student created program United for Undergraduate Socioeconomic Diversity Lakshmi Kopparam Senior Writer

Fourth-year College student Ashley Blackwell was recently named the 2015 recipient of the John T. Casteen III Diversity-Equity-Inclusion Leadership Award. This year marked the sixth year of the award with a total of eight recipients.

Marcus Martin, vice presi-

dent and chief officer for diversity and equity, said the award is given to a community member who shows leadership in the promotion of diversity.

"The award honors a member of the University community who best demonstrates a dedication to leadership and the ability to create a setting in which the promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion is paramount," Martin said in an

Courtesy UVA Today

Fourth-year College student Ashley Blackwell said University students should focus on Charlottesville.

email.

Martin said the selection committee reviews and scores nominating material as well as “activities and works that exemplified individual commitment, passion, leader and sustainable efforts to work towards diversity, equity and inclusion.” The nomination pool consists of community members ranging from students to staff and faculty.

Blackwell said she was surprised her efforts merited the award.

"I just would never imagined having this opportunity and this recognition just considering the work that I do with communities [is] often deemed peripheral to the university community, like low-income populations, communities of color, as well as Charlottesville residents," Blackwell said in her acceptance speech.

Martin said Blackwell's letter of nomination and supporting letters "superbly highlighted her tremendous passion for the commitment towards social

justice … at the University of Virginia and beyond."

The award aims to promote diversity, equity and inclusion with a sustainable and quantifiable impact at the University and in the community. Blackwell said she came to the University from a difficult background, with a hopeful outlook to turn that situation around.

"I had this romantic notion that as soon as I entered college, I would automatically break the poverty cycle and my family’s financial circumstances would no longer be an issue," Blackwell said.

Blackwell said she quickly learned, through helping her mother navigate work and housing options in Charlottesville, that breaking the cycle would not be as easy as she had first imagined. She said she found the University impacts the Charlottesville community by raising the cost of living, thereby pushing many workers across the University community to take on two or three jobs.

Blackwell created a program

known as United for Undergraduate Socioeconomic Diversity. The program works not only to “address the issues and gaps in the support structure for low-income students, but also to work with the Charlottesville community ... to address barriers to employment for low-income residents.”

"We tend to put on a pedestal this southern white elite culture through traditions like Girls in Pearls and Guys in Ties, as well as Foxfield … changing and challenging these cultures and traditions is essential to the work that UFUSED does in order to create a space and create new traditions so that students from a variety of backgrounds can really create a sense of belonging here and be connected to this community," Blackwell said.

Blackwell also advocated for "transparency, accountability, and representation on the University's board of visitors to include students, faculty, staff [and] local Charlottesville residents.”

Charlottesville City Council solidifies 2015-16 budget Model to raise meals tax 1 percent, local restaurant owners worry tax will hurt lower-income customers, increase costs Catherine Griesedieck Senior Writer

Charlottesville City Council passed the 2015-16 fiscal year budget Tuesday evening.

The budget has proved contentious throughout the budgeting process due to its proposed 1 percent increase in the meals tax, from 4 percent to 5 percent.

Local restaurant owners came together against the tax increase, but the budget passed with the provision to reduce the tax if, after two years, restaurant revenues declined by 10 percent or more as a direct result of the tax.

Prominent changes to the budget model from the previous fiscal year include a pay raise for staff to account for inflation and to ensure that wages are comparable for those living inside city limits to those living in outer areas of the Charlottesville community, as well as changes in the infrastructure on West Main and the addition of new police officers.

Council member Kristin Szakos said the Council hopes to create a better relationship

between the community and the police force by adding more officers.

“We’re looking to build a positive relationship and prevent crime rather than just respond to crime,” she said.

Szakos said the budget was considered to be fairly stable, exempting the meals tax increase. A meals tax is separate from the 5.3 percent sales tax from the state, since it is passed by the localities as a luxury tax on prepared meals.

The 4 percent Charlottesville meals tax was the lowest in the state — and with the raise to 5e percent, it will now be comparable to other localities. The Charlottesville Restaurant Association told the Council the 1 percent increase would likely not affect the behavior of customers, though it could depend on the restaurant.

Local restaurant owners, such as Maya co-owner Peter Castiglione, said they worry the meals tax — a regressive tax — will hurt lower-income families as well as the restaurant industry. Since restaurants must pay state and local taxes — totaling approximately 9 percent — as well as a processing fee when customers use credit or

debit cards, the restaurants may come up short after paying these fees and the normal costs of a restaurant, including wages.

“The higher the tax goes, the more money goes to taxes than the industry, so the less money employees get, forcing them to spend less of that income in the economy,” Castiglione said.

The tax money will go into a general fund that will then go toward education, public safety and infrastructure. Since the state has cut funding for schools by around 30 percent in the past several years, pressure has been put on localities to make cuts and raise more money for the school system.

“If the local economy is doing well, people eat out more, and I believe this tax will help us to do what keeps our local economy healthy,” Szakos said.

Castiglione said the government ran a surplus last year, so many restaurant owners are wondering where that money went and if the city is raising the tax out of necessity.

“We want our city to be accountable for how they spend our money and how they raise our taxes because we as taxpayers

Dillon Harding| The Cavalier Daily

Council member Kristin Szakos said the budget was considered fairly stable, exempting the meals tax increase.

and tax collectors have a right to know,” Castiglione said.

The diverse Charlottesville restaurant community competes only with New York City for most restaurants per capita. Many of the restaurants source primarily local produce and employ a large amount of Charlottesville citizens. Castiglione said restaurateurs worry that if the meals tax continues to rise in the future, the city will be less appealing for

these small, locally-owned businesses, and Charlottesville could lose that diversity.

“We have one of the most competitive [restaurant] markets in the U.S., and raising prices is a big deal,” Castiglione said. “They’re going to spend more, and they’re going to raise the meals tax again in a few years, and while they’re doing that, they’re undercutting all the ‘Mayas’ in the community.”

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sports Matthew Wurzburger Senior Associate Editor

For 23rd-ranked Virginia baseball, bad news of player injuries has dominated the season, but good news finally prevailed Wednesday afternoon with the inclusion of junior outfielder Joe McCarthy and freshman second

XXX XXX | The Cavalier Daily Kelsey Grant | The Cavalier Daily

Junior Joe McCarthy had two hits Wednesday.

Thursday, April 16, 2015

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Baseball earns ‘fun’ 3-2 win vs. Tribe Right fielder McCarthy, second baseman Gerstenmaier return from injuries, bullpen silences William & Mary late

baseman Jack Gerstenmaier in coach Brian O’Connor’s lineup.

“That was a really fun baseball game,” O’Connor said. “I was really proud of how our guys competed.”

The duo shined in their return from injury, and the Cavaliers (22-14, 7-11 ACC) welcomed them back with a 3-2 victory.

“Having [McCarthy and Gerstenmaier] playing tonight for the first time this season and having them perform was really cool,” O’Connor said.

The Tribe (15-19, 6-6 CAA) jumped ahead with a quick run in the third inning. Freshman Cullen Large singled and scored on a double by junior Ryan Hissey — both hits came with two outs in the frame.

Virginia struck for four in the fourth, and both McCarthy and Gerstenmaier were in the thick of the action. Senior third baseman Kenny Towns launched the second pitch of his at-bat over the wall near the 370-foot marker in left-center for a leadoff homer — his third of the season.

With the blast, the Lake Braddock alum surpassed his 2014 home run tally.

McCarthy backed up Towns’

round tripper with a single into right field. He would later score on a Gerstenmaier single.

Cavalier starter freshman Derek Casey could not secure the all-important shutdown inning in the next half-frame. With two outs, he hit freshman Luca Farina and then balked to advance him 90 feet. William & Mary would capitalize on the mistakes of the young righty as Large tied the game with a single.

Virginia’s midweek starter turned in another solid outing, working six innings of two-run ball on five hits and zero walks. In his last four starts the Mechanicsville, Virginia native has allowed only eight earned runs in 21.2 innings — good for a 3.32 ERA. “[Casey] would bend, but he would not break and give up the big inning,” O’Connor said. “[He] is somebody who is really maturing, and that is certainly a positive.”

Towns, the Cavaliers’ leading RBI man, put his team ahead for good in the seventh. Sophomore Daniel Pinero led off the inning with a single, advanced to third on a balk and wild pitch and scored on a Towns’ single.

“Kenny is a senior and the leader of this team,” McCar-

thy said. “We expect him to step up in big situations like that, and he looks forward to being put in big situations like that — that’s what I love about that kid.”

From there, the Virginia bullpen strangled the life out of the Tribe batters. Sophomore Alec Bettinger threw two perfect innings to earn his third win. Junior Josh Sborz struck out two in a clean ninth inning for his ninth save of the year.

“We needed that,” O’Connor said. “Alec Bettinger has been pitching some great ball for us.

We needed to be darn near perfect with our pen, and we got it.”

McCarthy required 77 days to recover from back surgery.

Wednesday, he played as if he never missed a game, going 2-3 with a walk and run scored. The 2014 All-American and the coaching staff had complete confidence in his back — he played right field, beat out an infield single and scored from second on a single into left.

“The doctors did such a great job, and they said that [McCarthy] was ready to go.” O’Connor said.

“There was no hesitation from him wanting to do it, and it was great to see.”

Perhaps overshadowed by Mc-

Carthy was Gerstenmaier. The Richmond, Virginia native tore his hamstring during the first game of the fall season. At the time, he was Virginia’s starting second baseman.

In his college debut, Gerstenmaier had three hits in four at-bats, and was a diving catch away from a perfect day at the plate. Though only a freshman, he battled at the plate like a veteran and made both routine and spectacular plays in the field.

“I was sitting back and wanted to be aggressive,” Gerstenmaier said. “I saw the ball well and was able to do that. It was a lot of fun.”

Adding to this impressive feat is the simple fact that Gerstenmaier did not know he was cleared to play until earlier in the day.

The return of McCarthy, a solid outing from the bullpen and a one-run victory all added up to a vintage Cavalier victory.

“Just having [McCarthy] in there made it feel like last year,” Towns said.

Virginia now rides the euphoria of this reunion into a crucial home series with ninth-ranked Miami.

From here on out, the Cavaliers are playing for their very lives — a spot in the ACC Tournament.

Virginia to host Georgetown No. 8 Men’s lacrosse to honor six seniors before matchup with stingy No. 17 Hoyas Will Fahy Staff Writer

After Sunday’s 15-8 loss to Duke, the Virginia men’s lacrosse team finds itself in an uncomfortable yet familiar spot, having missed the ACC tournament for the second year in a row. Virginia is just 1-15 in its last 16 contests with the Blue Devils, and will conclude the regular season Saturday against Big East foe Georgetown with no ACC wins.

But when you play in a conference like the ACC, nothing comes easy.

Despite their in-conference struggles, the Cavaliers (8-5, 0-5 ACC) still rank as the eighth best team in the country, with Duke (94, 2-3 ACC) resting just two spots ahead of them at No. 6. The remaining three ACC teams, Notre Dame (8-1, 3-0 ACC), Syracuse (8-2, 2-2 ACC) and North Carolina (12-1, 3-0 ACC), sit at one, two and three in the official NCAA RPI, making the ACC one of the most powerful conferences in the country.

“When we’re out there recruiting

we tell kids that if they want to play the best lacrosse in the country then they’re coming to Virginia or another ACC school,” Virginia coach Dom Starsia said.

The Cavaliers are currently ranked ninth and 10th, respectively, in the USILA and Inside Lacrosse polls, while the four remaining ACC teams managed to crack the top 10 — Notre Dame ranks first, North Carolina second, Syracuse fourth and Duke sixth in both polls — making it hard to argue that the ACC isn’t the best lacrosse conference in the country.

When you throw in the fact that these five teams combined have lost just three nonconference games this year, it makes the argument nearly impossible.

So although the Cavaliers will once again be absent from the ACC tournament, it would be unfair to say that they’ve had a disappointing season. Virginia has battled through inexperience — returning just one defensive starter in sophomore goalie Matt Barrett — and injury — losing junior attackman James Pannell to a torn ACL midway through the sea-

son — to retain a top-10 ranking for the larger part of the 2015 campaign.

“Defensively we’ve been getting better every single game,” senior midfielder Ryan Tucker said. “If we continue that trend we’ll be good to go.”

Barrett has become one of the country’s elite goalies and currently ranks fourth nationally with 13.42 saves per game, which is even more impressive than meets the eye considering Notre Dame, North Carolina, Syracuse and Duke deploy top10 scoring offenses. Tucker has also turned in a career season, accounting for 33 points thus far after tallying just 30 all of last season.

But now the question will be how Virginia rebounds Saturday against Georgetown, which has been a tough team all season long.

The No. 10 Hoyas (8-4, 3-1 Big East) opened up their season with a 14-12 loss to Notre Dame in a game that remained very close until the Irish finally pulled away with 12:20 remaining. Then, just under three weeks later, Duke found itself in an unexpected battle with Georgetown as well, although the Blue Devils

Anna Hoover | The Cavalier Daily

Sophomore goalie Matt Barrett ranks fourth nationally with 13.42 saves per game.

were able to pull out a 15-13 win thanks to a four-goal rally in the final quarter of the contest.

The Hoyas have proven they have one of the best defenses in the country. Led by freshman goalie Nick Marrocco, 13.58 saves per game, Georgetown allows just 10.67 goals per game and holds opponents to 29.8 percent shooting. Virginia, therefore, will rely heavily on stellar offensive performances by Tucker and junior midfielder Greg Coholan — who currently leads the team in scoring — to rebound.

But the Cavaliers don’t seem to be

too worried about that.

“For a younger group they’re very resilient,” Starsia said. “They may be too young to understand everything that’s going on around them, but we seem to be able to bounce back and get back to work.”

Faceoff against the Hoyas is set for 1 p.m. at Klöckner Stadium. The Cavaliers will honor six seniors — Tucker, midfielder Tyler German, defender Davi Sacco, attackman Owen Van Arsdale, long-stick midfielder Tanner Ottenbreit and defender Thompson Brown — prior to the game.

8

SPORTS

The Cavalier Daily

Women’s lacrosse prepares for Tech No. 5 Virginia to recognize seven seniors before opening draw Saturday Chanhong Luu Associate Editor

With the ACC tournament set for next week and the NCAA tournament following in early May, the No. 5 Virginia women’s lacrosse team still has plenty of games to play.

But the Cavaliers will first have to get through in-state rival Virginia Tech — which is seeking its first ACC win of the season — in both teams’ regular season finale Friday night.

Although Virginia (10-5, 3-3 ACC) will host the ACC tournament next week, seven Virginia players will be honored before the game Friday in the team’s annual senior day ceremony.

“We’re excited to have our senior day on Friday night, although it’s really sad to think about our seniors being finished with their last regular season home game,” coach Julie Myers said. “We’re going to need to make sure we take care of our details, and our kids are going to have to be focused to be able to come out with the win.”

Virginia is coming off a 17-9 win against Louisville last weekend, its seventh victory in eight games, with its only loss in that span coming April 4 against Notre Dame.

“I think it was huge for us,” senior attacker Casey Bocklet said after the

Louisville win. “We’ve worked really hard all week, and we were looking to come in this game with a lot of energy and play well, and that’s what we did.”

Bocklet was one of eight Virginia players to score in the game.

She contributed seven points on four goals and three assists and was named ACC Offensive Player of the Week for the third time this season.

Bocklet, who transferred to Virginia after playing one season at Northwestern, is having a successful career year offensively and defensively. She is shooting 50 percent, putting 79.7 percent of her shots on goal and has caused eight turnovers this year, all career highs.

Rounding out the senior class for the Cavaliers are defenders Kelsey Gahan and Morgan Stephens, midfielders Daniela Eppler, Caroline Seats and Courtney Swan and attacker Liza Blue.

Swan had her best season statistically last year but continues to contribute to the team as co-captain alongside Gahan. Swan is also second on the team in points behind Bocklet.

“Honestly, I have not really thought about this being our last regular season home game,” Swan said. “We still have so much more lacrosse to play and we could hopefully play six more games on Klöck-

ner, not including Friday's game. It is crazy to think we are nearing the end, but we still have so much more lacrosse to play.”

Stephens changed positions last season, moving from the midfield to the back line. She has taken a step back on the offensive side from previous years but won a career-high nine draw controls in game against Navy earlier this year.

After switching from defender to midfielder last season, Eppler provided 10 goals for the Cavaliers in 2014, and she has continued to score this year with a career-high 11 goals and five assists on the season thus far.

Seats, a 2013 Georgetown transfer, has appeared in only two games this season but was able to score when she came off the bench against Richmond in February.

Blue, like Swan, had her best season statistically in 2014 but currently has the most assists in her career with 12 during her fifth year at the University.

“Our fourth years have been so awesome,” Myers said. “Obviously they’re having a great year for us this year, but they’ve had a great four years for us … They’re such a huge part of our success, but mostly I will always be grateful for what they’ve taught their teammates. They always encourage their teammates.

Zoe Toone | The Cavalier Daily

Senior Courtney Swan leads her team with 28 assists this season. She has also scored 26 goals.

Everybody feels that they can talk to a fourth year, which I think is an integral part in being a leader and an approachable leader.”

Virginia Tech (6-9, 0-6 ACC) is also led by seniors, specifically attackers Meg Bartley and Megan Will. Will leads the team in scoring and assists, while Bartley has set the

all-time record in draw controls at Virginia Tech. She has secured 70 on the season thus far.

The Hokies are coming off a close 13-11 loss to Boston College on their senior day last Sunday.

Virginia’s senior day festivities are scheduled to start before the opening draw at 6 p.m.

Cavs to embrace Virginia Challenge Satchell, Bohan believe team has room to improve before ACC, NCAA meets

Marshall Bronfin | The Cavalier Daily

Senior jumper Ryan Satchell recorded two top-10 finishes April 4 in Berkeley, California.

Grant Gossage Associate Editor Steady rain forced Cavalier track and field athletes into University Hall Tuesday where they continued practicing. Runners warmed up in the underground tunnels, while jumpers and throwers assembled in a vaulted space known as “The Cage,” training for the important home meet, the Virginia Challenge, only three days out.

Near the back-left corner of The Cage, sophomore Christine Bohan launched the shot put into a net.

Throwing coach Martin Maric, a

two-time Olympian for Croatia, offered instruction between her tosses. Bohan has been a star in recent weeks — two Saturdays ago in Berkeley, California, she completed a hat trick of field-event victories in the javelin, shot put and discus. Bohan led the women’s team to victory over the host Golden Bears and No. 25 Michigan, but this didn’t make her complacent.

“We did well to score as many points as we did and to come away with a win,” Bohan said. “That was our goal before the meet. But we still haven’t peaked and have to keep improving. There isn’t a whole lot of time before the ACCs are here

and then the NCAAs.” Bohan said her young team has made significant strides and shows true promise in the remainder of the season.

“We have made a lot of progress and are in a pretty good spot right now with a group of mostly first and second years,” Bohan said. “I’m excited to see what we can accomplish the rest of this season and beyond.”

In these final, all-important weeks of competition, Bohan and her teammates will depend on senior sprinter Jordan Lavender’s leadership to stay grounded in the moment.

“Jordan is our role model,” Bohan said. “She continues to be successful. It’s fun to watch her compete in all of her events. She’s a very supportive teammate and just a great person to be around.”

Lavender — MVP of the 2014 ACC Outdoor Championships — put on a show April 4 in Berkeley.

Among an elite pool of sprinters, she won the women’s 400 meter by nearly half a second. An hour later,

Lavender beat her two teammates junior Peyton Chaney and freshman Kiana Hairston, to secure first place in the 200 meter.

Friday, Lavender will compete in the 400 meter during the Virginia Challenge’s Main Event. Meanwhile, senior jumper Ryan Satchell will return to action after recording two top-10 finishes in Berkeley. Although the men’s team fell to host California by a mere nine points, Satchell remained optimistic.

“We didn’t come away with first place, but I saw good competition out of all the guys,” Satchell said.

“Coach [Bryan] Fetzer talked about how almost all of us placed — that’s always a positive thing.”

Tuesday, Satchell strolled into The Cage with a confident gait.

“I really look forward to this weekend,” Satchell said. “We are back home, and it’s probably our first big meet here. The long jump and triple jump were on the same day in California, so I wasn’t at full strength after my first event. This weekend I can jump for the first time — meaning I can fully com-

pete.”

Satchell, along with his teammates, will face the nation’s best at the Virginia Challenge. The meet will be one of the largest in program history: more than 1,300 athletes from 35 schools will challenge Cavalier athletes in their individual events.

“The competition is really strong,” Satchell said. “There will be some of the top guys here. Since this isn’t a scored [team] meet, I’m only focused on reaching 60 meters and continuing to get more reps. I know I’m not at my best yet.”

Satchell said that he and his teammates can perform well coming weeks with further training.

“Training has changed a little bit this season, and we’re still making that adjustment,” Satchell said. “If we can get back to where we were around this time last season and then gear it up by May, we should put ourselves in a great position for the ACCs and NCAAs.” The Virginia Challenge is scheduled for Friday and Saturday at Lannigan Field.

SPORTS

Thursday, April 16, 2015

9

Softball scores walk-off wins in doubleheader against Longwood Cavaliers come back after sixth inning, end home sesason successfully Chuck Siegel Associate Editor

Sarah Dodge | The Cavalier Daily

Sophomore first baseman Kaitlin Fitzgerald racked up five hits in seven at-bats.

F

The Virginia softball team earned two comeback, walk-off wins against Longwood Wednesday in its last games at The Park this season. The Cavaliers improved to 15-33 (4-14 ACC), while the Lancers fell to 20-23 (14-4 Big South).

In the first contest, Longwood relied heavily on the long ball, beginning the game by launching a two-run shot over the left-field fence to give the Lancers a 2-0 lead with no outs in the top of the first frame. Longwood widened the lead to 5-0 in the third, this time on a three-run homer by senior Megan Baltzell.

However, the Cavaliers came roaring back in the bottom of the third to score four runs, followed by two more in the fourth frame to take the lead.

Sophomore second baseman McKall Miller and freshman shortstop Allison Davis singled to start the rally for Virginia, and sophomore outfielder Iyana Hughes followed with a double to score Miller.

Sophomore first baseman Kaitlin Fitzgerald then stepped to the plate and launched the ball down the leftfield line and over the fence for a threerun homer to put the Cavaliers within one. In the fourth inning, senior outfielder Heidi Velk singled with two outs, and Davis followed through with a two-run shot to put Virginia on top.

The Lancers managed to knot the

game up in the sixth as the Cavaliers nearly let the game get away, loading the bases on an error, a hit-by-pitch and a walk. Baltzell squeaked into home after a wild pitch by junior pitcher Aimee Chapdelaine, who relieved freshman pitcher Alex Formby earlier in the inning, but Chapdelaine then induced a ground out right back to herself and threw to first to end the inning and limit the damage to one run.

However, the Cavaliers would end the game in walk-off fashion in the bottom of the seventh. With the contest tied at 6-6, freshman designated player Danni Ingraham singled and was pinch-run for by freshman Lauren Heintzelman.

Senior outfielder Megan Harris laid down a bunt, but the Lancers managed to throw out Heintzelman at second. Freshman third baseman Brittany McNulla singled through the right side to move Harris to second before sophomore catcher Katie Park knocked the ball to the shortstop, who committed a costly throwing error that allowed Harris to slide safely into home and give Virginia the 7-6 walkoff win.

Virginia completed its sweep of Longwood with another comeback, walk-off win in the second contest.

Longwood again got off to an early lead, hitting two home runs and scoring in the first three innings to lead 3-0 entering the bottom of the third.

However, the Cavaliers responded by showing how tremendous of a home-

run threat they truly, mashing backto-back-to-back home runs by Miller, Velk and Davis in third to even the score at 3-3.

After flexing its muscles, Virginia’s offense remained mostly quiet for the remainder of the game. Longwood struck for one run in the top of the fifth, when the Lancers orchestrated a double steal that allowed Baltzell to steal home and score her third run of the night, giving Longwood the 4-3 lead. Heading into the bottom of the seventh, it looked like the Lancers might run away with the victory. However, the Cavaliers, as they have done all season, would not go down quietly.

McNulla led off the inning by drawing a walk to bring the winning run to the plate. Miller immediately laid down a textbook bunt for a single.

With no outs and runners on first and second, Velk drove a 3-2 pitch over the right-center fence for the walk-off 6-4 win. It was Velk’s second shot of the game.

Chapdelaine, who was also the winning pitcher for the first game, earned the win for her complete-game effort.

The two comeback, walk-off wins should serve as a satisfying ending to Virginia’s home schedule. Virginia will next take on the Florida State Seminoles as the team travels to Tallahassee to compete in a three-game series this weekend. Returning to conference play, the Cavaliers will look to earn some ACC wins and qualify for the upcoming conference tournament.

A difficult decision: why Justin Anderson’s early departure was the right choice

or Virginia guard Justin Ander- lar season. son, the decision to forgo his The rust clearly showed in the postfinal year of eligibility and declare for season. Anderson did not make a the NBA Draft was not shot in the Cavaliers’ an easy one. two ACC Tournament “It was definitely a games — he was 0-2 tough decision,” Anderagainst Florida State and son said. “I think this 0-4 in the UNC game. was one of the biggest Because of his less than decisions of my life, bestellar finish to the 2014hind maybe choosing 15 campaign, the 2014 college and maybe other ACC Sixth Man of the things you have to do.”

Year now rests uneasiWhile turning pro ly between the late first was a difficult choice round and early second MATTHEW for Anderson, it was ulround.

WURZBURGER timately the correct one.

In this no-man’s land, Senior Associate Editor Anderson had little to the difference in one gain as an individual spot has serious moneathlete and everything tary ramifications. Only to lose by returning to Charlottesville first-round salaries are guaranteed, for a fourth season. and where a player is taken deterThe heart and soul of Virginia mines the value of his contract. basketball rode a drastically imAccording to RealGM, the proved three-point shot up the draft 30th-overall selection is set to make boards during the first half of the $943,300 in his first season — alseason — he was by some projections though rookies can sign for anya fringe lottery prospect — before a where between 80% and 120% of the broken finger followed by an emer- value assigned to them on the scale. gency appendectomy sidelined him (See a complete breakdown of the for the final eight games of the regu- 2015-16 rookie scale here).

Meanwhile, the 31st pick faces uncertainty as contracts for second-round selections are not guaranteed — they must be negotiated between the team and the draftee.

For some context, Damien Inglis, the first pick of the second round in 2014 signed a three-year, $2,655,431 deal with the Bucks.

Anderson realizes he is a fringe first rounder, but he is not concerned about when on June 25 his name is called.

“That’s not what I worry about now,” he said. “Right now in this process I want to just be hungry and humble about everything and just be motivated to just be the best basketball player that I can be right now.”

Some might suggest that Anderson’s stock could have rebounded with a healthy senior season, but it isn’t that simple. He risks everything by staying one year too many.

Anderson’s greatest asset is his shooting, since his lack of handles severely diminishes his athleticism. As a professional offensive threat, Anderson will live by the trey. Should he take a major step back shooting the ball in his senior season, he could go

undrafted.

And the latter half of the 2014-15 campaign suggests that regression could be possible, if not likely. Anderson ended the season shooting 45.2% from deep — which would have been the fifth-best mark in the NCAA had he hoisted enough shots to qualify.

However, his percentage plummeted to a pedestrian 15% in his final eight regular season contests.

Even more importantly, Anderson runs the risk of injuring himself.

One misstep is all it takes to end one’s professional career before it even begins.

But what about his teammates and the potential glory he has turned his back on by leaving a program that topped many of the way-too-early rankings that emerged in the wake of the National Championship game?

One could argue that Anderson already can claim his fair share of glory. While the most recent season ended in disappointment, Anderson has almost exclusively known how it feels to win in his three years with the Cavaliers. Virginia won 83 games in that span and claimed two regular season ACC titles along with the

ACC tournament crown and a spot in the Sweet 16 in 2014.

More importantly, Anderson said he believes the program is in good hands. Coach Tony Bennett returns starters Malcolm Brogdon, London Perrantes and Anthony Gill, as well as key bench players — all of whom are viable options to fill the production and energy of Anderson.

“We’re going to have a great team regardless,” Anderson said. “We saw it this year with my injury and a couple of guys stepping up. The program that Coach Bennett runs here — we have guys here who are very capable of stepping up. When I made this decision, I had to realize there was no looking back.”

And there should be no looking back for fans of the team, either.

Anderson’s decision is final. There is no need to second guess or pine for things that might have been. Anderson stepped into the hole left by the graduation of Joe Harris; now it is time for someone else to step up. In Tony we trust.

In short, goodbye Justin. Thank you for all the memories, and the best of luck to you.

O

opinion

The Cavalier Daily

10

LEAD EDITORIAL

Finally, a faculty Board member The addition of a non-voting faculty member to the Board of Visitors will have positive effects

Comment of the day “The country is not libertarian and never has been libertarian and never WILL be libertarian.”

“MadSat” in response to Ben Rudgely’s Apr. 10 column, “Rand Paul and the future of the GOP.”

The Board of Visitors recently approved the addition of a non-voting faculty member to its body; the Board will appoint someone by next semester to serve a one-year term, though the selection process has not yet been finalized. This is a step in the right direction for a Board that is in dire need of better exposure to the concerns of its constituents.

To be fair, the Board has not been ignorant of faculty concerns in recent history: since 2007, the past chair of the Faculty Senate has served as a consulting member to two internal committees and to a special — now standing — committee on diversity. And, in 2012, the Board expanded this role so that the faculty consultant would consult on all nine of the Board’s standing committees.

But the presence of a faculty member as an official member of the Board will strengthen its

response to and understanding of faculty concerns. Though one single faculty member cannot represent the concerns of all faculty members — much the same way as one non-voting student member cannot represent the concerns of all students — since faculty were unrepresented until now, this is certainly a positive step.

Additionally, the presence of someone with a background in higher education — even if that person does not have voting power — will be immensely valuable to the Board and to our school. Currently, the Code of Virginia requires the presence of a physician member, but has no requirement for members with experience in higher education — something a 2012 Faculty Senate Task Force report critiqued. The Board of Visitors governs, among other institutions, an educational institution; it needs members

who have at least some understanding of this overall purpose.

Many Board members have no experience at all in this field; their appointments often seem to be a form of patronage, as they are appointed by the governor. Many current Board members are attorneys and businessmen — and while their insights are valuable, such insights can in no way overcome the need for actual background in higher education policy or work.

The Board has included a non-voting student member for a long time prior to this recent inclusion of a non-voting faculty member; this speaks to the disconnect at our school between the various populations in need of representation. With our commitment to student self-governance, students have the privilege of independence, and therefore fewer interactions with faculty

members outside their academics. Compared to other schools, there is likely increased interaction between students and administrators, without interim faculty involvement. Interestingly, faculty concerns can seem to fall by the wayside compared to student concerns, and students themselves may not know what faculty members’ concerns are.

This, of course, should not be the case. The long delay in appointing a non-voting faculty member to the Board speaks to the University’s need to foster a stronger connection between these various branches of our school.

The presence of a faculty member will both improve the Board’s understanding of faculty concerns and its understanding of higher education. Faculty members should certainly have a seat at the table when important decisions are made.

Don’t ask about criminal history ast week, Gov. McAuliffe is- ed how McAuliffe’s decision might sued an executive order requir- affect “law-abiding people who are ing the removal of criminal history looking for jobs.” One commenter questions from state emargued, “Do you want a ployment applications convicted criminal pokNORA WALLS in Virginia. According ing around where he/she Viewpoint Writer to Executive Order 41, can access the informaabout “70 million Amertion the Commonwealth ican adults have arrests has on file about you?” or convictions in their past that can It is unsurprising that many make it difficult for them to obtain fear allowing ex-convicts into our employment.” McAuliffe’s decision state employment system, but it is is intended to give these adults a important to remember that not fair shot at employment. He hopes it everyone who is arrested or imwill serve as a push for private em- prisoned has committed crimes of ployers to remove questions about an equal degree. Many people are criminal history from their applica- imprisoned for non-violent crimes. tions, as well.

Of course, this is not to say that any The decision to “ban the box” crime is excusable. Anyone who came as an executive order be- commits a crime ought to serve a cause it failed in the General As- fitting punishment, but the system sembly, passing in the state Senate in place often fails, handing out but blocked by Republicans in the punishments that don’t necessarily House. The removal of criminal his- fit the crime. Many states use Three tory questions has faced backlash in Strikes Laws, which mandate that other states, too. Thirty-five states anyone convicted of any crime must still require job applicants to detail serve a life sentence if he has been their criminal histories in the appli- convicted of two violent crimes cation process, although President prior. In the Supreme Court case Obama and the U.S. Equal Employ- Lockyer v. Andrade, the Court held ment Opportunity Commission that a man sentenced to 50 years have both called for fair-chance for stealing video tapes from a destandards. The reason for this partment store, due to his two pribacklash stems from the way many or convictions, did not violate the Americans view those who have Constitution’s prohibition of “cruel gone to prison. In the comments and unusual punishment.” Officials section of a Cavalier Daily article claim these laws are in place to comon this issue, commenters lament- bat recidivism rates, but requiring

disclosure of criminal history on job applications seems contradictory. If we want ex-convicts to rejoin society, it makes no sense to keep them from finding employment.

Requiring job applicants to disclose their criminal history seriously limits their chances of finding employment; this can turn even a small charge into a life sentence.

While McAuliffe’s decision addressed job applications exclusively, applicants also have to disclose criminal history when applying to college. The Common Application, as well as many separate applica-

This system allows even one non-violent conviction at a young age to determine the rest of a student’s life.

A study by the Center for Community Alternatives found that people with convictions of any kind often give up on applications that require disclosure of criminal history because the process often means having to answer endless questions and jump through impossible hoops.

The Common App began requiring criminal history information in 2006, and many colleges soon followed suit. This practice is problematic because it requires disclosure of any criminal history, making no distinction between severity or relevance of convictions, and the admissions officers who read these files have no training as to how they should interpret The issue of criminal history disclosure on such information.

Of course, safety college applications is particularly important may be a concern for because of the many studies that have shown university adminthe inverse relationship between education and istrators. Such have concerns have grown crime.” since 1986 when a Lehigh University student, Jeanne tions, includes a question about past Clery, was murdered in her dorm, convictions, and over 60 percent of prompting Congress to pass the schools consider criminal history Clery Act, which requires colleges as a factor in admissions decisions. to publicly report campus violence.

“

L

Ex-convicts shouldn’t be prevented from gaining education or employment One possible solution is to require applicants to disclose criminal history only if they were convicted of a violent crime, but university administrators and admissions offices also need further training in how to weigh and interpret criminal history information.

The issue of criminal history disclosure on college applications is particularly important because of the many studies that have shown the inverse relationship between education and crime. One study at the University of California Berkeley found that “schooling significantly reduces the probability of incarceration.” It is better for everyone if ex-convicts can become contributing members of society, rather than committing additional crimes and returning to prison. Keeping them from obtaining educations and jobs does the exact opposite. Though Governor McAuliffe’s decision has seen some backlash, giving former convicts a fair chance at employment, as well as a college education, is the best thing for the economy and for society. If we continue to keep ex-convicts from returning to normal life, we will continue to see more poverty, more crime and even more overloaded prisons.

Nora Walls is a Viewpoint writer.

OPINION

Thursday, April 16, 2015

11

A world class University n her Opinion piece from last hind us, our image will repair itself, week, my fellow columnist Lau- and the next logical step is to build ren Jackson argues we should think up our brand. My argument differs critically about how the from Jackson’s in this University’s image is respect because I stress perceived. She emphathat in addition to anasizes that we need to lyzing how our image be more realistic about is perceived, we must our standing in the work next school year “hierarchy of collegiate and in those to come brands” because we far on improving the brand too often see ourselves we expose to the world as more prestigious than outside of the University we really are. Jackson bubble. This improvecorrectly points out that ment can be achieved in JARED FOGEL our brand is sometimes a variety of ways.

Opinion Columnist overrated. Considering One way we can imthe vast amount of negprove our brand is by ative media attention the University striving to increase the University’s has received this past school year, it graduation rate. Although we boast is crucial that we act carefully and a very respectable 87.1 percent fourswiftly to preserve our image while year graduation rate, this does not at the same time working to build even land us in the top 25 of all uniour brand. Only then can our brand versities. Although I am no expert on “transcend regional influence,” how we should go about increasing something Lauren concludes the this percentage, it may be achieved University has yet to do. I will argue through working to improve our facwhy this should be our future goal. ulty-student and student-student acChanges are and will continue to ademic support networks. This goal be made from the top down as well to increase graduation rates extends as, more importantly, from the bot- to minority groups as well, such as tom up to fix the image we portray to the University’s African American the world. Once we put the past be- graduation rate, which sits at 82.8

percent. It is true that this is “one of the highest” rates among major public institutions in America, better than both the University of Michigan and University of California, Berkeley; however, to take our brand the next step, we must work to catch up to other high-ranking universities.

Another key point is the prospect of increasing the percentage of outof-state students, a topic I focused on in one of my articles in 2013. Currently, it is Virginia law that institutions “shall not increase the current

ian institutions, the first step toward achieving the goal of an increase in nonresident students is to repeal this law currently restricting the University, since it already is made up of 32 percent out-of-state students.

Though my article largely emphasized the need for out-of-state students both for funding and prestige purposes, non-Virginian students also are significant in that they will help the University further its nationwide and even worldwide brand. This starts with our international student population, which is rather low compared with other high-caliber universities. Five percent of University students are foreign nationals, which barely cracks the top 100 universities in the Our image will repair itself, and the next logical United States. Among the many Ivies and step is to build up our brand.” other top academic schools that are over proportion of nonresident under- 10 percent international include graduate students” if the nonresi- public schools like the University of dent enrollment is greater than 25 Iowa, University of Washington and percent. Although some politicians UC Berkeley. It is time for the Unimight push to impose a required 25 versity to increase its international percent nonresident cap on Virgin- presence and in doing so improve

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To truly excel, the University must look beyond state borders our worldwide brand.

We face undeniable disadvantages in building our brand. The largest disadvantage specifically is trying to keep up with high-caliber private institutions and their often superior funding. This larger funding can go toward hiring esteemed faculty or developing more academic programs. Either way, it is difficult as a public institution to compare ourselves with top private institutions.

This, however, is what we must strive to do. Through efforts such as increasing our international students, graduation rates and ethnic diversity, we can seek to improve our brand and reach the point where we are comparable to top private institutions. There are already a variety of areas in which we excel, such as our extremely high first-year retention rate of 97 percent, but there is always room for improvement. For our school to truly become relevant beyond just the mid-Atlantic region, developing our brand must be a central concern.

Jared’s column runs bi-weekly Thursdays. He can be reached at j.fogel@cavalierdaily.com.

Refugees and the empathy gap s a spin off of Jimmy Kim- those “strange combination of spicmel’s “Mean Tweets” series, es” the author of the “O’Hell” article where celebrities go on camera to says fell “just shy of flavorful and read tweets posted about [erred] on the side of them by users online, the LAUREN JACKSON painful and disastrous.”

Canadian Safe School Without formal training, Opinion Columnist Network has been getand lacking proficient ting media attention knowledge in English, recently though its campaign “Kids these workers are doing the best they Read Mean Tweets,” which reminds can, and many inevitably infuse their everyone that cyber bullying isn’t a knowledge of spices from home with joke. the cafeteria’s staple dishes. Maybe Similarly, the lesser criticized there isn’t curry powder in Mac & “O’Hell” article in the April Fools’ Cheese. But there also isn’t Mac & edition of The Cavalier Daily is filled Cheese in Rwanda, and I bet if the with insults that, if read by the Rwan- author had taken a minute to sit with dan, Iranian, Afghan and Burmese them as they mixed the dish, listenrefugees among others working ing to their stories of life in a genobehind closed doors at University cide, the taste of an out-of-place spice dining halls, would strike us all as would not have been so bothersome. egregious. Though the creation of While it should be noted that the such a video would likely be impos- author was writing under the pseusible, most of these employees spend donym “Gordon Ramsay” and was the entirety of their one-hour break trying to take on the brusque tone working with student volunteers of the famous “Hell’s Kitchen” chef, from the VISAS program to practice the article was again a failed attempt their English. to wield satire as it did nothing to Relegating these employees to spark a productive conversation. “contracted employee” status allevi- After a series of misplaced insults, ates the University of the imperative the conclusion of the article is only to offer them any employee benefits, that dining hall food is bad and that and Aramark can pay them as low “Kelly the Sandwich Lady” makes as the national minimum wage. For the cafeteria a “sad excuse for a dinlong hours they work amidst the ing establishment.” The article unhalls of cold, stainless steel, mixing derscores an empathy gap between

University staff and students who too often complain about amenities without considering the humanity of the workers serving them. This creates an othering effect — an “us” vs. “them” divide between factions of what is ultimately one University community — and results in the exclusion of staff from a majority of campus-wide dialogues and events.

Aside from VISAS and Hoos for Refugees volunteers, the refugee community is largely invisible to University students, despite its booming population. With the location of an International Rescue

settling roughly 12 percent of all the refugees entering the United States each year, stating, “Groups like the UN Refugee Agency and the International Organization for Migration work directly with families in refugee camps and help them begin the long process of interviews, medical screenings, background and security checks, and connect them with the IRC to begin their new lives.”

Charlottesville has seen an influx of refugees in recent years, with thousands being relocated to the city suburbs, yet these people remain some of the most marginalized in the city due to lack of citizenship, lack of employment opportunities, lack of adequate housing and lack of access to education and healthcare for children and famThe fact that few students at the University... ilies. In the current discussions on race are aware of these refugee communities is the University and indicative of the empathy gap between different at in Charlottesville as a socioeconomic subsections of the city.” whole, these communities are continually Committee office in Charlottesville, left out of the conversation. Not only the city has seen the introduction do they lack a presence in dialogues of thousands of refugees over the or a voice on panels, they lack reppast few years. According to C-Ville resentation in the policy debates on Weekly, the IRC is responsible for re- minority rights.

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The University is dismissive of one of Charlottesville’s most marginalized communities The fact that few students at the University, as well as citizens of Charlottesville, are aware of these refugee communities is indicative of the empathy gap between different socioeconomic subsections of the city. All marginalized communities in Charlottesville, both in and out of the University community, deserve allies to amplify their voices and advocate for both policy changes and cultural shifts. However, for students to consider that there is simply a divide between “white” and “black” communities in Charlottesville is flagrantly reductive. The microaggressions committed against black students at the University are different than the discrimination Patrick Bagaza, a refugee who fled the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide, and many like him feel as they struggle to support their families and become fluent in English. To group the entire black community together and attempt to have dialogues on discrimination in Charlottesville is yet another example of the over-culture’s lack of empathy for the nuance within a community they continue to group together as the “other.”

Lauren’s column runs Wednesdays. She can be reached at l.jackson@ cavalierdaily.com.

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OPINION

The Cavalier Daily

Moving beyond the equal sign f you’re anything like me, math as instruction fails to communicate instruction up until middle to students that algebra isn’t just apschool is a haze, an impenetrable plying “memorized procedures” of fog. I couldn’t tell you symbolic manipulation, what we did. I think but is a way of thinkthere was long division ing about problems. To in 4th grade, maybe remedy this, researchers multiplication tables advocate introducing in 2nd. I remember a letters earlier in math teacher telling me five problems. minus 10 equaled zero.

This is a simple soluThe instruction was all tion, but it’s not being very diffuse and generfollowed by the Comal, skipping from basic mon Core. Looking BRENNAN EDEL geometry to reading an at the 1st grade math analogue clock, as if they standards, one might Opinion Columnist were rushing to prepare indeed get the impresme for the time, post-5th sion that schools are grade, when I would leave school to already taking the advice. Solving work on the homestead. There was word problems with “equations with no overarching principle. The very a symbol for the unknown number” divisive Common Core Standards sounds promising. But take a look at — say what you will about them — the table where they give an example are making an attempt to concentrate of this, and it’s not right at all. “2 + 2 = early education and drive it towards ?” is not introducing a letter in math some goal. For math, that goal is alge- problems. It’s a glorified mathematbra. But they can still do better. ical expression, as reprehensible as As researchers have noted, alge- the scores of worksheets with fill-inbra often “marks more or less the end the-answer arithmetic problems. We of [students’] mathematical growth” need to introduce the concept of the

mathematical variable as quickly as possible in American education. Replace all those “2 + 2 = ?” problems with “2 + 2 = C” problems, and then instead of asking what the answer is, we can ask what “C” is. Adding that extra level of abstraction is critical to laying the groundwork for developing the sort of abstract reasoning skills that algebra heavily tests. It’s important we introduce young students to the concept of a variable, even if not rigorously, at the start of their ed-

equal sign,” meaning they should “be trained to view an equal sign (=) as balancing an equation, not as a command to produce an answer.” This poignant idea uncovers probably the most nefarious byproduct of using expressions or “?” equations to teach students math: it commits a subtle semantical error. Asking children to fill in the spot after the equal sign suggests that by doing the arithmetic, one is actually creating the answer to the problem. The equal sign in this case is an operator, yet this isn’t true in the slightest. An equal sign is just an expression of equality between two sides. The answer already exists, and by doing the arithmetic We need to introduce the concept of the one simply uncovmathematical variable as quickly as possible in ers it. Understanding that the equal sign is American education.” a fluid, non-operating symbol — which was ucation so they don’t get blindsided probably the hardest part of pre-alby algebraic concepts. gebra for students — is absolutely The researchers also advocate crucial to early algebra, where one broadening kids’ “definition of the adds, subtracts, multiplies and di-

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Introducing algebraic concepts is crucial to mathematical development vides each side to solve for a variable.

Thus, placing young students under the impression that the equal sign is doing something in an equation besides expressing equality is directly undermining their ability to adapt to algebra when the time comes.

We’re really wasting an opportunity here to jump-start kids’ mathematical understanding. Solving expressions is an inefficient teaching-method because we could easily introduce the variable, and directly harmful because it incorrectly uses the equal sign. I’m not saying this would make us all prodigies, nor that it would completely fix America’s math curriculum (I’m still not completely sure what Algebra II is, for instance), but it would definitely help. And maybe it would bump us up a few spots in the international math and science rankings. I think we need it.

Brennan’s column runs Thursdays.

He can be reached at b.edel@cavalierdaily.com.

We need accountability, not retractions ast week, I wrote a column “retractions don’t work.” They’re about the status of The Cavalier right — retractions don’t work, Daily’s editorial integrity. Some may and The Cavalier Daily’s Managing question, “Are Cavalier Board shouldn’t have Daily readers really conissued one. cerned with editorial inBefore the satirical tegrity?” But to write off articles were removed this concern as trivial from the website, the disrespects not only the .pdf copy of the issue intelligence of our audideleted from cyberence but also the hunspace and the print copdreds of students who ies mysteriously taken dedicate hours of their from all the distribution free time to producing boxes, the Managing our paper. Thousands Board said, “We deepof people visit our webly apologize to anyone ASHLEY SPINKS page every day. During who felt hurt, marginalOpinion Columnist the several scandals that ized or that their expeplagued the University riences were trivialized this year, students counted on The by these pieces.” I applaud the ManCavalier Daily to deliver the facts aging Board for acknowledging that efficiently and accurately. To know they, through their editorial decision that our readers care about our ed- to publish those satire pieces, creatitorial integrity, one need only look ed an unintended harm. I have spoat the community’s response to the ken with members of the Managing April Fools’ Day issue. Reactions to Board and also attended the recent the issue were varied, but regardless, dialogue between The Cavalier Daistudents had their faith in us as a re- ly staff, the Black Student Alliance liable and reputable publication test- and the Native American Student ed, and they spoke out about it.

Union. I am convinced the ManagThe Managing Board’s response ing Board’s dedication to do better to the controversial articles in ques- is sincere, and the pain of marginaltion proved to me that editorial ized communities at the University integrity at The Cavalier Daily is is immense and justified. definitely in danger. In an unprecSo I do not take issue with the edented (and likely unique) move, apology, but only with the retraction I’d like to agree with the Managing that accompanied it, because it unBoard of The Virginia Advocate, dermined our publication’s editorial who argued in a recent editorial that integrity. As a former Opinion edi-

tor, I was taken aback when I heard of the retraction. The Cavalier Daily’s long-held policy has been that controversial editorials are never taken down. We also do not publish anonymous pieces — we make writers attach their names to their words, regardless of how those words could potentially be perceived. I am keenly aware — as is the Managing Board, I’m sure — that Google is the new resume. I have written with self-assurance about liberal politics, race issues and my personal failings — even as I knew those words would be attached to my name for perpetuity. And all other writers on

lished once a year. But the editors on the Managing Board are still the last few people to see every piece of content we publish — they hold the final stamp of approval, and they consciously decided to run each of the offensive articles, even as they held positions on the paper with the authority to stop publication. Since April Fools’ articles are historically published under pseudonyms, the Managing Board is the sole source of accountability. It is reprehensible that the Managing Board failed to hold itself to the same standards that it sets for its subordinates. It exercised its own judgement when deciding to run those articles, and the Managing Board needs to stand by its decision.

The Cavalier Daily, as an editorially independent institution, had every right both to attempt satire and The Managing Board’s response to the to publish jokes at controversial articles in question proved to me others’ expense. The Board acthat editorial integrity at The Cavalier Daily is Managing tively exercised that definitely in danger.” right, and to retract the pieces post-hoc The Cavalier Daily staff are regular- suggests that they did so wrongly, ly asked — nay, forced — to display which undermines their individual equal courage of conviction. and collective integrity.

Somehow, the Managing Board Further, it demonstrates Orwellisaw this occasion as exempt from an levels of wishful thinking that all the rules. Yes, an Opinion column is evidence of the problematic satirical distinct from a satirical article pub- articles was eradicated. I was told by

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The Cavalier Daily’s Managing Board should have left all April Fools’ Day content online a member of the Managing Board that the emptying of the distribution boxes was not an organized Cavalier Daily effort, but the Managing Board did remove all digital copies of the articles. Beyond the philosophical problem with attempting to merely erase the mistake of publication, this decision also had a far more damaging effect: it halted any serious engagement with the satire.

Now those wishing to dissect the articles and to host discussions about what, exactly, was problematic and why are unable to do so. There is nothing left with which people can grapple — only whispers of half-remembered sentences and the pain of jokes that didn’t land remain. How can the Managing Board expect The Cavalier Daily to improve not only its sensitivity but also its skill at satire if the staff lacks bad examples to consult? How can we aim to deconstruct the articles if copies are no longer easily accessible?

The retraction issued by the Managing Board was at best counter-productive and at worst actively cowardly and harmful. I am disappointed in a decision that did further damage to The Cavalier Daily’s already fragile editorial integrity.

Ashley’s column runs Wednesdays. She can be reached at a.spinks@ cavalierdaily.com.

HU MOR

Thursday, April 16, 2015

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Just for wits.

Male student causes uproad over makeup comments till reeling from a traumatS ic year in the national spotlight, on the morning of Mar. 30

claimed to nearby classmates that he “is totally not friends with that guy.” In an exclusive U.Va. students expeinterview with The rienced yet another Cavalier Daily, the PETER STEBBINS uncovering of a perfriend said he’d “seen Humor Writer sistent problem on enough ESPN footGrounds. age of broadcast guys Being called the “whisper making offensive remarks to heard round Grounds,” third- know that I needed to ‘get out year Engineering student Mark of frame,’ so to speak, as soon as Reynolds reportedly remarked possible.” to a friend in class that the girl In the aftermath of his comin the third row had “WAY too ments, Reynolds has yet to issue much makeup on. It just looks an apology. Unaware of his own gross.” He then began to dig his complicit role in the girl’s desire own grave in earnest by further to cover her face with expensive wondering aloud, “Why would products in an attempt to gain anyone want to wear that much male favor, he also seemed conmakeup? She must be pretty fused as to why his advice that vain. She would look way better she might look better without without it.” makeup still perpetuated the His friend and seat buddy, primacy of physical beauty. who wished to remain anonShockingly, Reynolds conymous, immediately began to tacted The Cavalier Daily of his edge away in his seat and pro- own accord and explained that

he wanted to “tell his side of the story.” In the ensuing interview, most of which the Managing Board saved to permanent record as entertainment during next year’s Christmas party, Reynolds made comment after comment that betrayed his ignorance of how male privilege works.

“Listen,” he began. “I just roll out of bed every morning and tousle my hair a bit, maybe spray some deodorant and I’m ready to go. Why doesn’t that chick study astrophysics or something instead of putting on eyeliner?

It’s not like looks matter, right?”

Friends of Reynolds related his deep love of “bro country” music, in particular the song “Gimmie that Girl,” in which the lyrics express the artist’s desire to find a girl who looks good with no makeup. Reynolds didn’t seem to notice the weap-

ons-grade amounts of product applied to the actors and actresses in the music video, in particular the girl purported to be make-up free.

Several student groups have used the incident as a platform to address broader problems in the community, citing the deeply ironic comments of the student as “smoke where there’s fire.”

Fourth-year Margaret Corum, looking up from her book of confessional erotic poetry, offered her thoughts on the matter: “I wonder if he wants us to stop shaving our legs, too?

I mean, we can’t win for losing. That being said, I already stopped shaving my legs a while ago. You know what’s crazy? As a woman, I’ve literally never felt the air go through my leg hair while I run, before last week.

That is CRAZY.”

University President Teresa Sullivan, in an unprecedented move, has called for all female students not to wear any makeup for the next two weeks. In an official statement to The Cavalier Daily, she expressed a desire “to basically just give our female students more free time.” The administration also recognized that some students might take advantage of the situation by not putting down their eye shadow, but ultimately saw it as “an inevitable risk of any mutual disarmament.”

It remains to be seen if the response will continue to reverberate throughout Grounds, but it seems unlikely, at the least, that Reynolds will be coming within spitting distance of a vagina for the immediate future.

Peter Stebbins is a Humor writer.

SIS is watching... is always watches.

S You set your alarm for your 7:15 a.m. sign up time. SIS

ule. “Good, something’s gone wrong and I’ve caught it. Phew, now it will all be fine from here,” laughs when you get you think to yourup at 7:05 a.m. to ANNELISE KOLLEVOLL self. SIS knows that make sure nothing was a red herring. It Humor Writer goes wrong, because planned this to boost SIS knows something your foolish confiwill always go wrong — in fact, it dence. plans on it.

7:14 a.m. You refresh the page, 7:06 a.m. You turn on your lap- waiting to hit enroll and get it all top. “So far so good,” you think to over with. Your pulse quickens yourself. But SIS knows better. It and sweat collects on your foreeagerly awaits the moment nine head. “Quit freaking out over minutes from now when it will something this silly,” you think to destroy your life, or at least your yourself. But SIS knows you have fall semester. reason to fear: SIS has a plan for 7:08 a.m. Cavalier WiFi fails to you. connect. “Cavalier never works, 7:15 a.m. You hit enroll. And so don’t freak out,” you think to wait. The page loads and then… yourself. But SIS relishes this. Its SIS crashes. “This bleeping proplot has just begun. gram never works,” you think 7:10 a.m. You restart the com- to yourself. But SIS never makes puter and the Internet opens mistakes. SIS crashes intentionalwithout a hitch. “See, it’s all gonna ly to wreak havoc on your life. be fine,” you think to yourself. SIS 7:17 a.m. You log back on mocks your stupidity. to SIS. You hit enroll. Loading.

7:11 a.m. You gain access to Loading… SIS almost pities you the SIS webpage. Your heart rate as it observes your desperate face, quickens as your nerves kick in. but not quite.

“Dude, I told you not to freak 7:19 a.m. Error. MDST 2010, out,” you think to yourself. But SIS the one class you need to declare knows your anxiety is warranted your major, has no spaces left. “It as it counts the seconds until your had six spaces left when I checked destruction. last night,” you think to yourself.

7:12 a.m. You type the course SIS grins maniacally as it notes numbers into your planner. You your rising panic. accidentally type one in wrong, 7:20 a.m. You frantically search but quickly realize your mistake for another class to fill your and delete Organic Chemistry schedule. “MDST 3250: Sports 6550 from your tentative sched- and Popular Culture… cool…

Friday at 8:00 a.m.… never mind,” you think to yourself as you scroll through the dwindling list of available courses.

7:22 a.m. Desperate, you click to add the sports class anyway.

SIS stops you in your tracks. Error. “Media Studies majors and minors only,” you angrily read in your head. “If SIS would work, then I would be a Media Studies major by now,” you think to yourself. SIS, however, works quite hard. Just not to help you.

7:24 a.m. You add a two hour lecture on food deficits in Africa.

“It will suck, but at least I’ll get rid of my non-Western perspective

requirement,” you think hopefully to yourself. SIS will not allow hope. Error. “Instructor Permission Required,” you read, abandoning the hope you once had.

7:26 a.m. You find a 12 person lecture on William Faulkner at 8:00 a.m. Monday and Wednesday with the bonus of an 8:00 a.m. discussion on Friday. “This will totally not work again, and then I’ll be able to justify taking 12 credits without pissing off my parents,” you think optimistically.

SIS does not tolerate optimism.

SIS is where optimism goes to die, so…

7:27 a.m. “Congratulations!

Enrollment complete,” you read to yourself, dreading re-reading all the incest and confusion of Faulkner you thought you finished in high school, except now you are expected to actually understand it. SIS pats itself on the back, congratulating itself on ruining yet another semester. SIS does not rest, however, because it must begin to torture its 7:30 a.m. victims.

Remember, SIS is watching you. Always watching…

Annelise Kollevoll is a Humor writer.

COMICS REVERB

BY SESI CADMUS

Like what you see? Join Humor! For more information, contact humor@cavalierdaily.com

The Cavalier Daily

A&E arts & entertainment

Elizabeth McCauley Staff Writer

Speaking in a near-whisper that would startle most American ears, Abderrahmane Sissako, an internationally recognized and highly-decorated filmmaker, told an African Cinema class that he does not enjoy making films.

“It’s really difficult, and there are many constraints … If a shoot is cancelled due to weather, I am very happy [to be able to put it off].

The day I don’t have to shoot, I sleep very well,” Sissako stated.

Sissako delivered this news with only a slight smile, but his translator laughed as she shared it with the class — his dry humor was to be taken lightly. Minutes ago, he told the class that except for briefly considering teaching history in his youth, filmmaking is all he has ever wanted to do. After starting film school in the Soviet Union at age 19, he never looked back.

Born in Mauritania and raised in Mali, Sissako now divides his time between the two countries, although he added that the recently-imposed borders are not very distinct in his mind. Instead of these remnants of imperialism, he said he prefered to think of Africa by region.

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Inside Abderrahmane Sissako Acclaimed filmmaker returns to University to teach, discuss

“Timbuktu,” his most recent film, was shot in Mauritania. He said he was compelled to make the film after learning the true story of a couple stoned to death by jihadists for having two children outside of marriage. Sissako said he hoped to film in Timbuktu itself, where this event took place, but a suicide bombing around the time of location scouting caused him to make new plans.

The film addresses the atrocities committed by jihadists and the ways in which many people dare to defy oppression. The jihadists enter Timbuktu by force, disregard local customs and languages and control residents with fear. Their rules, such as requiring a woman to wear cloth gloves even as she handles fish in a market, are frequently outlandish, even eliciting occasional laughter from the audience in the first hour of the film.

In these scattered laughs lies Sissako’s brilliance — a deep understanding of people. By getting the audience to laugh, he gains their trust. As such, Sissako is able to portray each character empathetically without alienating the viewer, ultimately creating a nuanced and authentic portrait of a complex modern issue.

The jihadists are not caricatures of radical Islam, but fully formed characters. They disagree amongst themselves, break their own rules and even appear to waver slightly

in their resolve. Yet, empathy is not to be confused with sympathy. The jihadists’ hypocrisy makes their exceedingly cruel punishments even more deplorable.

Then again, so is perseverance.

While a woman (played by Fatoumata Diawara) received 80 lashes for singing songs of worship in her home, her cries of pain transform into a new song — one of resistance. A team of young men continue to play soccer despite its ban, avoiding punishment by passing only an imaginary ball back and forth, their faces alight with mischief and joy. The central family in the story lives alone in the outskirts of town, refusing to abandon their home even as the last neighbor fled.

Images of the family’s tent tucked away in the dunes of a vast desert emphasize their isolation.

With these scenes and many others, it would be difficult to overstate the beauty of the visual composition.

Sissako’s characters are perfectly photographed, and his command of lighting makes nearly every still worthy of a frame.

Despite the subject matter, very few of these frames contain physical violence. The film devotes most of its time to exposition and character development, showing violence so sparingly that it maintains immense power. Instead of displaying graphic images for shock value, Sissako treats tragedy with extreme re-

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Sissako’s latest film, “Timbuktu,” was screened.

spect. Most importantly, his humanist approach to filmmaking never loses momentum.

With these qualities in mind, it makes sense that Sissako would not enjoy the rigors of shooting a film. During question-and-answer sessions throughout his visit, his relaxed posture and eloquent responses demonstrated an inclination towards thoughtfulness rather than urgency. He made it clear that he does not take lightly his position as one of the few African filmmakers known throughout the world,

hoping to express universal truths through regionally-specific issues.

“An artist is without nationality.

He or she speaks to the world,” Sissako concluded.

U.Va reads ‘Ulysses’ A book lover’s account of literature lover’s event Dhwani Yagnaraman

Countless Joyceians gathered last week to read aloud “Ulysses” in full.

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Staff Writer

In the middle of a busy day, a handful of James Joyce enthusiasts brought out their well-marked and coveted copies of his magnum opus, “Ulysses,” for the first event of its kind — U.Va. Reads “Ulysses.” Starting April 8 in the Amphitheater and continuing on into the early hours of April 9, the postmodern masterpiece was brought to life once again.

The event began with everyone reading the first few pages aloud, a surefire way to capture the attention of onlookers and stragglers who eventually joined the reading.

“Joyce is my absolute favorite,” exchange student Camille Feidt said.

“I think ‘Ulysses’ is great because of how he uses language by mixing together French, German and English.

So if you know more languages, you have an advantage. Everyone gets something different out of ‘Ulysses.’

But what I like the most about the book is that if Joyce is trying to be funny, it’s funny regardless of where you’re from or what makes you laugh.”

The event highlighted the nuances of reading a book aloud compared to silently. Having never read the book before, I found myself chuckling at certain parts and puzzling over the words that Joyce invented.

More than anything, I was struck by the dedication of the readers who abandoned their work and sleep in order to come together and read through all 18 episodes. The event was pleasing proof that reading, and books, are not completely obsolete. It was tangible evidence that the greatest stories live on as long as someone is listening.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Thursday, April 16, 2015

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An introduction to Nashville’s Blank Range Rock band will open for Two Gallants at The Southern Noah Zeidman Senior Associate Editor

Blank Range will be opening for Two Gallants at The Southern Cafe & Music Hall May 3. The Nashville-based group packs a timeless sound and powerful rock energy and will be touring the United States until the start of the summer. Arts & Entertainment had the opportunity to talk with guitarist/vocalist Jonathon Childers about the band and their upcoming show.

Arts & Entertainment: For people who might not be familiar with the band, can you give some background about your style?

Jonathon Childers: We’re a five piece rock ’n roll band — bass, two guitars, drums and keyboards. We like doing vocal harmonies. [I would] tell everybody that we’re a rock ’n roll band, because that’s easier than trying to make something up!

A&E: Who are some artists who have influenced your band?

JC: For sure I would say classic rock has been a big thing in all of our lives: Neil Young, the Eagles, the Beatles. Actually, more so than the Beatles, I would say the Beatles’ post-Beatles work, like John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison solo stuff.

A&E: You’re based in Nashville. Has being a part of that music scene impacted the way you work?

JC: Yeah, I would say absolutely. I think Nashville, there are so many great bands here that it’s very competitive. Competitive in a good way. It kind of raises everybody’s standards a little bit. You work really hard here, everybody’s really hard-working and supportive of other bands that are in town. So it’s been a great experience, getting to know other musicians.

We’ve all played in different groups with other people, so that’s good practice.

Courtesy Black Range

A&E: When you started out, you guys were involved in making cassette tapes for your own band and others. Can you talk about what drew you to that?

JC: When we moved here, we started a cassette label called Sturdy Girls Records. We put out our record on there and we put out some other records, duplicated cassettes for people. It was a really good experience, owning our own label, and we put a lot of energy into that. And

then as we got this band going we didn’t have as much time to do that, the band kind of took over that realm of things. But we still have the label, and … we’re putting out our EP on vinyl in collaboration with Gravitation Records.

A&E: You’ll be opening for some pretty huge acts this year: Two Gallants and the Mountain Goats. Where do you see your band headed from here?

JC: We’re going on tour … until June. And then we come back from L.A., have about five days home … and then we’re going to go record a record in Athens, Georgia. Our first full length.

A&E: Have you already started doing any work for that record?

JC: Yeah, we are working with a guy named Billy Bennett, who’s an engineer here in town, and a guy named Drew Vandenberg, who’s from Athens … Billy’s dad has a warehouse in Ath-

ens, and we’re gonna go set up a studio there and go for three weeks … We definitely liked the idea of being in a place where we can just hole up … We’re going to live in the studio, too. Just hole up there and focus entirely on this record. There’s plenty of great places in Nashville but we just want to get out of town, just have the five of us and the two guys recording it.

A&E: How would characterize your live performances? If someone is coming to see Two Gallants and will be seeing you for the first time, what would you say to expect?

JC: We have these recordings out, but I think that the live show brings something else to it that you don’t necessarily get from the recordings we have right now. A lot of dynamics … and you try to make sure it’s a journey from start to finish.

Adam Stephens on Two Gallants Guitarist, vocalist talks upcoming Charlottesville performance Noah Zeidman Senior Associate Editor

San Francisco-based Two Gallants are an explosive, dynamic band whose earth-rattling sound belies the fact that they are only a duo. With a sound that will appeal to fans of folk, hard rock and anything in between, Two Gallants will be shaking the Southern Cafe & Music Hall May 3. Arts & Entertainment spoke with singer and guitarist Adam Stephens about the band’s style, latest album and upcoming show.

Arts & Entertainment: You guys have a very unique sound.

How would characterize your band’s style?

Adam Stephens: At the risk of being kind of cliché, I don’t really like to. I’m not very good at it…I guess, to someone who’s never heard the music before, I kind of describe it as industrialized traditional music, or something. Our roots in traditional American music are pretty strong, that’s kind of how we started out, and as we’ve played through the years it’s just gotten louder and a bit more aggressive. More of our childhood influences like punk and grunge

and metal have kind of resurfaced.

It’s kind of a clash between those elements.

A&E: Can you talk about some of your specific influences as a vocalist, songwriter and guitarist?

AS: Well, as a guitarist, I think probably my biggest influence is John Fahey. John Fahey and Reverend Gary Davis are two of the people I’m most affected by and whose songs I learned and somewhat adapted or borrowed style from. As a songwriter, it’s pretty evident to me that pretty much the reason why I started writing music was from listening to Bob Dylan … when I was 15 or 14, I was pretty much only listening to … punk and grunge, whatever kids were listening to at the time, and I’d kind of lost interest in it. Coming upon Bob Dylan on my own kind of reinvigorated an interest in music … an interest in making music and maybe … writing songs.

A&E: Between the cover and title and subject matter of a lot of the songs, your latest album, “We Are Undone,” deals with some pretty dark themes. Can you explain where the inspiration for those themes comes from?

AS: I think it just comes from the time that we live in. I’m not

really one who’s motivated to write songs that are just a diversion and distraction from the realities in my life. If there’s something that’s on my mind that’s affecting me, it’s kind of unavoidable and it finds its way into a song. To be honest, I’m extremely frightened by the future, in particular by the changing climate and how much more drastic it is than anyone really anticipated.

That in particular is a recurring theme throughout the album.

A&E: Are there any challenges to playing your songs live with just two people?

AS: I mean there aren’t really that many overdubs [on the album] … There’s a few little things here and there, like the last song on the album is mostly piano- and drumsand vocal-based and there’s some acoustic guitar on the chorus, and that’s obviously not really possible with the two piece. And on another song there’s a banjo for like 30 seconds, but those are just more like adding a little touch of character to little sections. I don’t think, playing those songs live, [that] they seem like they’re lacking anything because those parts aren’t there.

For the most part [on the album] we kept it pretty real and pretty realistic with how we’ve been per-

forming them live, that’s kind of something we try to keep in mind.

A&E: Can you talk about songs you really like to cover or want to cover live, and how you put your spin on others’ music?

AS: Going back to what I said earlier, we’ve been really influenced from the beginning by a lot of traditional American music and blues and country music … because America has this huge wealth of amazing tradition in its music that is often ignored because it’s not the most, by I guess today’s standard, the most entertaining music to a lot of people … I think that whenever we have the opportunity to... play some music for people that they wouldn’t otherwise be exposed to, we like to take advantage of that … kind of pay our respects, as well, to a lot of the people who made this music, most of whom didn’t really see any money from it at all or any success by any means in their lifetimes. It’s what they deserve given the amount of influence they’ve had … From the start, we were covering a traditional song that Blind Willie McTell did, called “Dyin Crapshooter’s Blues,” that was a standard of ours. We’ve covered a lot of Robert Wilkins songs, a lot of Gary Davis songs, Blind

Blake, some Hank Williams songs along the way.

A&E: If this is someone’s first Two Gallants show, what would you tell them to expect?

AS: One thing people tend to say is that they’re shocked by the amount of noise and the broad sound that we make with just two people. I guess I would hope people don’t write us off and just think that since we’re a two-piece it’s going to be weak or it’s not going to have the full band sound that someone wants to see at a live show. Our songs tend to be pretty dynamic, and there’s a lot of tempo shifts and intensity shifts that we kind of use, unintentionally I think, to [give the songs a] driving character … that’s kind of limited by our instruments.

Because, when you don’t have three or four instruments in a band, obviously it’s a bit of a challenge to keep songs interesting and have the character of each song and not have it just slip into being monotonous. We try to keep it interesting, change things up a lot. There isn’t really anything that’s too consistent that I think people can take away from our shows. Hopefully it’ll be entertaining, make people feel like they’re getting their money’s worth.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

The Cavalier Daily

Alexander McCall Smith delivers ethics lecture Bestselling author discusses importance of forgiveness, writers’ social obligations Elizabeth McCauley Staff Writer

Not many people hear the phrase “ethics lecture” and picture a rollicking good time. Yet, the right speaker can supply a breath of fresh air to a subject which could easily become stuffy and solemn.

Alexander McCall Smith delivered a lecture titled “Fictional People, Real Issues,” Friday addressing the social obligations of writers and how his study of ethics has impacted his writing.

McCall Smith — best known for penning the “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” series about a woman who starts her own detective business in Botswana — is an internationally bestselling author and an expert in bioethics. He worked as a professor of medical law before dedicating himself to a career of fiction writing spanning many genres, in-

cluding detective novels, short stories, children’s books and philosophical and academic works.

“I hope you won’t consider me immodest for focusing on my own novels,” the writer began.

After this bit of charming humility, McCall Smith delved into a gently persuasive lecture on the ethics of forgiveness, which posited that our increasingly post-religious world often emphasizes the necessity of accountability over the virtues of forgiveness.

“Forgiveness acknowledges that a single act may not be indicative of long-term character traits,” McCall Smith said.

This statement was not intended as interpersonal relationship advice.

McCall Smith said he hopes it will be applied on the scale of international diplomacy, citing examples such as former IRA Commander Martin McGuinness’s reconciliatory handshake with Queen Elizabeth II and

Nelson Mandela’s call for forgiveness rather than revenge after his release from prison.

McCall Smith said he sees fiction as an opportunity to discuss morality without alienating readers through proselytization. His detective series elevates forgiveness by deviating from the classic template of finding and punishing the offender. Instead, Precious Ramotswe, the protagonist of the “No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency,” often finds alternative peacemaking solutions.

Acknowledging critics have called his writing trite or utopian, McCall Smith professed the alternative is the amoral and often gratuitously violent cultural depictions seen in many books and films today.

Though he did not claim authors and filmmakers are obligated to create a moral structure, McCall Smith said he believes in the power of authors, filmmakers and other creators to influence social values.

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Courtesy UVA

McCall Smith, best known for his “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” mystery series, delivered a lecture on writers’ ethics last week in Nau Hall.