Thursday, April 21, 2016

Thursday, April 21, 2016

Vol. 126, Issue 56

see CHALKING AND FIRST AMENDMENT page 2

Morgan Hale | The Cavalier Daily

PHOTO SPREAD: DAY OF SMILES PAGE 4

COLLEGE CURRICULUM CHANGES, IN-DEPTH PAGE 5

FROM CROATIA TO VIRGINIA SHOT PUT PAGE 6

LEAD EDITORIAL: HANDLING BIGOTRY PAGE 9

SHAKESPEARE ON THE LAWN DOES ‘HAMLET’ PAGE 15

N news

Alexis Gravely and Ankita Satpathy Associate Editors

Messages targeting racial minorities and transgender individuals were chalked on Grounds in the early hours of April 18, raising questions about First Amendment rights and free speech on college campuses.

The messages included statements such as “Confused about your gender? Look down your pants,” and messages explaining the wealth gap through alleged average IQ differences between white and black people.

Public responses

The Queer Student Union and the Black Student Alliance responded by chalking positive messages around Grounds such as “Love is love” and “We don’t stand for bigotry “ — several of which were defaced by having water poured on them to change their meaning.

Pat Lampkin, vice president and chief student affairs officer, Dean of Students Allen Groves and Maurice Apprey, dean of the Office of African-American Affairs, issued a joint release April 18 condemning the initial chalkings.

“The statements can only be characterized as racist and transphobic,” the statement read. “We affirm our values as a community based on trust, mutual respect and diversity in its membership.”

The statement was posted on the Office of the Dean of Students and Vice President and Chief Student Affairs Officer’s websites, but was not emailed to the University community.

The Cavalier Daily

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Chalkings raise free speech questions U.Va. policies only regulate chalking locations “As with an incident of concern last December, we decided to post this VPSA/ODOS statement on our web page,” Groves said in an email statement. “That will also allow it to remain active and accessible to the public online throughout the academic year.”

In December, University President Teresa Sullivan and University Provost Thomas Katsouleas issued a statement in response to an incident at the Lighting of the Lawn in which several college-aged males shouted an anti-LGBTQ slur during the singing of the Good Ol’ Song.

The University’s official chalking policy — which was last updated in March 2011 — specifies where chalking may occur but does not make mention of content regulations.

According to the policy, non-permanent sidewalk chalk may be used on exposed, exterior concrete and only one message is allowed per sidewalk area.

“Posted materials which are not in compliance with these regulations will be removed by Facilities Management or other University officials without regard to content,” the policy reads.

A national context

Offensive chalkings have sprung up at universities across the country.

A similar incident occurred at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in late March when anti-Islamic messages such as “#stopISLAM” were chalked on the university's campus.

Students responded by washing the messages away and calling the university's police.

University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel responded in a state-

ment condemning the incident, according to The Michigan Daily.

“Attacks directed toward any individual or group within our community, based on a belief or characteristic, are inconsistent with the university’s values of respect, civility and equality,“ Schlissel said.

Another incident occurred at the University of California San Diego two weeks ago, when someone chalked “Build the wall,” “Deport them all” and “Mexico will pay,” prompting student protest over the anti-immigrant messages.

UCSD released a statement noting that the values displayed through the chalkings are inconsistent with the school’s values.

First Amendment regulations

John Whitehead, president of the Rutherford Institute, said the University is not required to permit chalking because it has control over its own property. However, once chalking is permitted, it cannot prohibit certain messages “on Grounds that discriminate against particular viewpoints.” “[The University] would be very limited in the content restrictions it could put into place,” Whitehead said. “The restriction would have to be necessary to serve a compelling interest.”

Ari Cohn, a representative from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, said the University administration “may not punish students for chalking simply because they disliked the message written.”

Chalking would only infringe on an individual’s rights if it contains speech not protected by the First Amendment, Cohn said. Free speech that is not afforded constitutional

protection includes defamation, true threats and intimidation, all of which are “narrowly defined” by the Supreme Court.

Colleges and universities may also prohibit law-defined discriminatory harassment, Cohn said.

However, Cohn said messages about the wage gap or gender identity, which were the primary focuses of some of the chalk messages on Grounds, are not harassment “merely because some are offended by them.”

Both Cohn and Whitehead said any speech that incites violence would also not be protected by the First Amendment.

“The First Amendment also permits restricting speech that constitutes unlawful incitement, that is, speech that is intended and likely to cause imminent lawless action,” Cohn said in an email statement.

“No such concerns are present with respect to the chalking.”

Cohn said an investigation by the University would prove difficult in the face of the First Amendment.

“Any investigation that the University conducts on the basis of the viewpoints expressed would run headlong into the First Amendment,” Cohn said. “As any college or university that has been on the losing side of that battle will likely tell you, the hassle and embarrassment simply are not worth it.”

Cohn suggested instead that the University “[use] its own voice to rebuff the chalked messages,” an action that has already been taken by University officials in the recent statement from Lampkin, Groves and Apprey.

Cohn also said he thinks it would

be much more beneficial for the University to use its resources to support students affected by the messages.

While many of the QSU’s and BSA’s responses urged students to make the University a “safe space,” Cohn iterated that “there is no right to be in an environment entirely free of offense.” If this were the case, Cohn said, many important social and political issues would not be able to be discussed on Grounds.

However, student organizations’ responses to the original chalking fall directly in line with Cohn’s own suggestion to counter offensive speech with better speech.

“The solution to ‘bad’ speech, as FIRE always says, is to put ‘better’ speech into the marketplace of ideas and convince others that you are in the right,” Cohn said. As a public institution, the University cannot take disciplinary action against an individual who engages in speech that, while offensive to many, is constitutionally protected, Groves said.

“In each instance, we would need to evaluate whether the speech at issue was non-protected — and thus actionable — harassment targeting one or individuals, or whether it was offensive yet protected speech,” Groves said. “However, as in this case, we remain free to publicly state our disagreement with offensive speech, even if protected.”

Groves also said he contacted the leadership of the BSA and the QSU to offer support to the students who felt targeted or impacted by the initial chalk messages and that students are also free to contact ODOS directly for support.

Lauren Hornsby | The Cavalier Daily

The QSU and the BSA responded by chalking positive messages around Grounds such as “Love is love” and “We don’t stand for bigotry.”

NEWS

Thursday, April 21, 2016

3

Fine Arts Café to offer meal exchange Student Council, Architecture Council members worked for change Hailey Ross Associate Editor

Six months of petitioning, research and testing has led to the recent implementation of a meal exchange program at the Fine Arts Café.

Students with a meal plan will be able to use a swipe to order a combination of a sandwich or wrap, side and small drink.

The offering of a meal exchange program at the Fine Arts Café was due to a combined effort of Student Council and the Architecture Student Council. The two groups started working for a meal exchange option at the café independently before discovering they each had the same goal.

In November, second-year Architecture student and Architecture Council treasurer Josh Gritz and second-year Architecture student Kimberly O’Keeffe started a Change. org petition to create a meal exchange program at the Fine Arts Café.

The petition garnered over 600 signatures with the first three days, Gritz said.

The petition noted that the Arts Grounds houses the School of Architecture, Drama Department, Band Building, Studio Art and Art History Departments, but the only nearby on-Grounds dining option for students is the Fine Arts Café,

Courtesy University of Virgnia

Aramark tested the popularity of the meal swipe with “pop up meal exchanges.”

which did not have a meal exchange program at the time.

Because meal plans for upperclassmen often include plus dollars, students with busy schedules at Arts Grounds were spending a lot of their plus dollars on food at the café, the petition said.

“It is a burden to have to worry about using so many plus dollars at a single establishment for the sole reason of having no viable alternative,” the petition read. “Eating at the Fine Arts Café even three times a week can cost upwards of $30.”

The petition compared the situation to McLeod Café at the Nursing School, which offers a meal exchange program.

“Everyone had complained about it, but no one had tried to do anything about it, and that’s why the petition was so exciting,” Gritz said.

Together, Gritz and O’Keefe reached out to Daria Winsky, a fourth-year Batten student, who was serving as Student Council’s vice president for administration at the time.

Winksy said she had already been meeting with U.Va. Dining, as Student Council had decided they would like to see a meal exchange offered at the Fine Arts Café without knowing that Architecture school students were simultaneously working to make a change as well.

U.Va. Dining was wary at first and did not think the idea would be feasible because of the capacity of the space, Winksy said.

“They don’t have a huge kitchen area, and they were afraid that the huge influx of students would be too much for it to handle,” Winsky said. “They were a little bit resistant at first but definitely recognized the need and were doing everything they could to accommodate students more.”

First-year Architecture student Kim Corral said Aramark had additional concerns about the likelihood of upperclassmen buying meal plans.

“When we contacted Aramark, they wanted to know how many upperclassmen were going to continue

buying meal plans because of this new exchange, so that was an important decision making factor with Aramark,” Corral said.

Aramark agreed to test popularity of the meal swipe with “pop up meal exchanges” that happened once in the fall and once in the spring. Pop up meal exchanges are temporary meal exchange offerings at select locations.

The fall pop up at the Fine Arts Café, however, was scheduled during finals and the timing upset some students, Winksy said.

“I iterated that back to [U.Va.] Dining … but unfortunately because the time at the end of the semester was running out they were like it’s either that or we can’t have it,” Winsky said. “Obviously it was very successful and they found a way to handle the influx of capacity and whatnot.”

U.Va. Dining Marketing Manager Nicole Jackson said the process for creating the meal exchange included focus groups and gathering data.

“At the beginning of the fall semester 2015, the U.Va. Dining team began its research into implementing a meal exchange at Fine Arts Café.

We gathered input from focus groups and reviewed data provided to us by Student Council,” Jackson said in an email statement. “After that, we tried it out operationally — once in the fall and once in early spring — to determine menu options and feasibility.”

Jackson said the Fine Arts Café is

the only dining location where popup meal changes were conducted that U.Va. Dining can add to its “meal exchange portfolio.”

“We made the necessary operational changes to the café to enable this to happen in a safe manner, and then were able to launch the program,” Jackson said.

First-year Architecture student Kassie Landvay said she goes to the Fine Arts Café every single day and thinks the meal exchange is a great decision.

“I think that it is a great decision that was a long time needed because over here at A-school,” Landvay said. “We’re pretty secluded from everything else, and with the Fine Arts Café being our only source of food many times, meal exchange in the building is very helpful.”

Gritz also said he is happy with the decision to implement the meal exchange.

“We’re very excited that after all these months and a few pop ups that they finally decided to implement it full time. I think the meal exchange options that they gave us are very good,” Gritz said.

The meal exchange hours are 11 a.m. through 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. through 3 p.m. on Friday.

Mock Trial team wins second place at nationals Best finish for team in decade Matt Brown Senior Writer

The Virginia Mock Trial Team traveled to Greenville, S.C. April 15 to participate in the 2016 National Mock Trial Championship hosted

by Furman University. The team came in second place this year out of 48 teams from colleges all over the country.

This second-place finish was the best finish for the team in almost a decade, according to the team’s website. The University was one of just six colleges this year to have both their A and B teams qualify for and compete in the national championship.

The A team won their division after beating four teams in four rounds, advancing to the Championship Round where they lost to Yale.

The B team won two of their four rounds and received an honorable mention.

Fourth-year College student Katie Villany, who won an All-American

Award, said the road to the national competition is not an easy one. The process involves several tournaments throughout the year, including invitationals, regionals and Open Round Championship Series, leading to the 48 teams that qualify for nationals.

“To get to nationals, it’s a process … we got a totally new case literally less than a month ago that we had to prepare,” Villany said. “It was definitely a lot of work to get there.”

Preparations for such a tournament require hours of research, practice and scrimmages. The coaching staff includes University Law professors, current Law students who have participated to Mock Trial in the past and alumni who work in the legal field, Villany said.

“One of our very high up assistant coaches is a federal prosecutor,” Villany said. “The rest of our assistant coaches are either alumni who have been in our program or they’re current Law students … so we have a ton of support to come and help.”

Villany said one of the things

she was the most excited about after competing at nationals was the talent she saw among the younger students on her team.

“I’m the only person on that team who went against Yale in the final round who will be graduating this year,” Villany said. “Four of the people on the team were first years in our program, two of them were actual first years at the school, so it’s just incredible.”

One of the first-year students Villany mentioned on her team is College student Deniz Tunceli, who also won an All-American Award.

Tunceli said he was honored to win this award, which is only given to 10 people in each division of the tournament.

“I was absolutely blown away …

I actually had the second highest rank in our division which was absolutely crazy,” Tunceli said. “It was totally surreal. Even just making it to nationals is a big deal, but then to be recognized on that national stage is something else entirely.”

Tunceli said even though he put in hours of practice and preparation, he would not have won this award without the support from his team and coaches.

“It is 100 percent because of my team, because of the way my coaches helped me, because of everyone working together,” Tunceli said. “It’s a complete team effort.”

Courtesy Tanner Pruitt

This second-place finish was the best finish for the team in almost a decade, according to the team’s website.

4

NEWS

The Cavalier Daily

DAY OF SMILES

Ahead of finals, The Cavalier Daily handed out compliments, jokes and smiles to students around Grounds.

Celina Hu| The Cavalier Daily

See more smiles on the Cavalier Daily’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/CavalierDaily

Thursday, April 21, 2016

F

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A look at College curriculum changes

focus

The College may receive its first undergraduate curriculum change in 40 years

Mark Felice News Writer

Last month, the College’s Committee on Educational Policy and the Curriculum unanimously passed a new curriculum plan, an initiative that has been led by College Dean Ian Baucom since he came to the University in 2014.

Now, the proposal has to go through the entire College faculty before it can be tested at the University. If the new plan is accepted, it will be the first time the College’s curriculum has changed in almost 40 years.

The need for reform

The question of curriculum reform has been developing since the 2010-11 academic year, when former College Dean Meredith Woo — Baucoum’s predecessor — created a faculty committee to discuss the need for potential changes to the curriculum.

Changes discussed in this committee would only affect 5 percent of the student population, German Studies Prof. Michael Wellmon, chairman of the Curriculum Planning Committee, said. To capitalize on these changes, Baucom wanted to form a new committee focused on more comprehensive reform.

The Curriculum Planning Committee met frequently during the 2014-15 academic year to discuss the need for reform and how might they might implement changes. English Prof. James Seitz, who serves on the committee, commended its inclusivity of the faculty.

“In 25 years as a professor, I’ve never served on a committee that met so extensively and that kept the faculty so informed throughout the entire process,” Seitz said in an

email statement. “Faculty have had several opportunities to respond to the proposed changes at town hall meetings, department meetings and meetings with individual members of the committee, and the proposal has been altered in several ways as a result of faculty feedback.”

Over the past year, the committee has held numerous public forums for students and faculty to express their concerns or ask questions about the new curriculum. The responses have helped to reshape what the committee had already proposed.

The change to the curriculum is a comprehensive one that will affect all future students in the College if implemented, College Council President Emily Vaughan, a second-year student, said in an email statement.

“As the governing body of the College, it is our duty to both inform students about this potential transformation and give faculty members a chance to assess and respond to student concerns and suggestions,” Vaughan said.

Since the revised curriculum has already been passed by CEPC, it will be voted on by the entire College faculty May 4. If passed, the curriculum will go into a two-year trial and beta-testing phase. If this is successful, changes will go into full effect during the 2018-19 academic year.

Curriculum components

Intellectual studies will be the new focus of the proposed curriculum, which will be organized into three sections: engagement courses, literacy courses and discipline courses.

“Engagement” courses account for eight credits of the new curriculum, with offerings in Aesthetic Engagement, Empirical and Scientific Engagement, Engaging Difference

and Ethical Engagement. These classes, which make up the core of the proposed curriculum, would provide a shared educational experience for all first-year students.

“The Engagement courses would provide students with a framework to help guide them through their subsequent studies,” Baucom said in an email statement. “By looking at the world empirically, aesthetically, ethically and with a focus on diversity, they would have a great platform to think critically and to make informed decisions in their lives.”

These engagement courses would be taught by a group of faculty members who design lectures and discussions together through a new program called College Fellows.

“To me, one of the key differences is that before, as our students didn’t share a primary curriculum, there was no institutional structure for the entire faculty to take responsibility,” Wellmon said. “The idea was to establish a college-wide society of fellows, a group across departments, to design, cultivate and teach a firstyear experience for all College students.”

Literacy courses proposed by the new curriculum would include an intermediate language proficiency requirement, six credits in an area called “Rhetoric for the 21st Century” and six credits in an area called “Quantification, Computation and Data Analysis.”

The last part of the new curriculum is comprised of seven discipline courses for a total of 21 credits. Classes will be offered in the following categories: Artistic, Interpretive and Philosophical Inquiry; The Chemical and Physical Universe; Cultures and Societies of the World; Historical Perspectives; The Living Universe; Social and Economic Systems and

Science and Society.

Students would be able to opt out of these discipline courses with AP or Dual Enrollment credit, though they would not be able to opt out of the engagement courses.

“Students would still be able to count equivalent external credit taken prior to matriculation toward world languages and the proposed new quantitative literacy requirement, as well as toward the courses offered under the Disciplines category,” Baucom said.

The new curriculum requirements would not negatively affect potential double majors, Seitz said.

“We have studied all potential double majors and have found that every one of them can still be completed in four years with the new curriculum, even if the student arrives without any AP credit,” Seitz said.

Public feedback

As members of the committee developed the proposal, they worked with College Council and Student Council to incorporate student opinion and public feedback, Henry Reynolds, fourth-year College student and former College Council president, said.

“I think it is the right time to [implement changes] because we are hiring so many new faculty … about 50 percent of the college faculty will be new in the next 10 years,” Reynolds said. “Now, those professors can start on a new curriculum instead of fitting into a curriculum retroactively.”

Leading up to the proposal, some students expressed concerns that the College’s current curriculum is burdensome and noted their desire for a curriculum which would allow students greater freedom in choosing classes, Vaughan said.

“Multiple students expressed concern over, specifically, the ‘non-Western perspectives’ requirement, saying that both the name itself and the classes that satisfy the requirement are problematic,” Vaughan said. “Students also voiced the opinion that the current curriculum does not adequately address the academic study of marginalized communities. Additionally, multiple students discussed their concerns over the efficacy of the current ENWR requirement.

From this, I think it’s fair to conclude that many students are dissatisfied with the current curriculum and are in favor of some type of reform.”

In previous Cavalier Daily coverage, Economics Prof. James Harrigan stated his opposition to the proposal, arguing it is both too vague and that faculty members have not been fully informed about the proposed changes.

However, none of the professors contacted for this article who oppose the changes were willing to speak on the record, out of fear of publicly opposing the dean of the College.

The new courses aim to fix problems in the existing curriculum by providing classes which are more relevant and applicable for students of all majors, Vaughan said.

“The categories themselves are broader and the themes that they address are more universal than those that students might encounter in the current curriculum,” Vaughan said.

“I am especially supportive of the expansion of the literacies requirement. The Rhetoric and Quantification, Computation, and Data Analysis requirements will undoubtedly serve College students well as they advance through U.Va. and out into the job market.”

Former College Dean Meredith Jung-En Woo, College Dean Ian Baucomʼs predecessor, made a faculty committee to explore changes to the curriculum

The committee found the need for reform and developed a new curriculum for College undergraduates

Proposed curriculum was passed by the Collegeʼs Committee on Educational Policy and the Curriculum

If passed, the curriculum will go into a two-year development and beta-testing phase

2010-2011

2014-2015

March 22, 2016

2016-2018

2014

2015-2016

Baucom is hired and decides to revisit the idea of curriculum reform with an exploratory committee

Town halls, faculty lunches and department meetings were conducted to get different inputs and alter the original proposal

May 4, 2016 The proposal will be voted on by all College faculty

2018-2019 If still in continuation after the testing phase, the new curriculum will go into full effect for all undergraduate College students Cindy Guo | The Cavalier Daily

S

sports

The Cavalier Daily

Baseball splits midweek games Cavaliers cruise past Radford, pitching falters against VCU

Grant Gossage Senior Associate Editor

Earlier this month in downtown Richmond, Virginia baseball didn’t live up to expectations. The Cavaliers stranded too many baserunners, nine in total. They failed on a squeeze play that enabled the pitcher to cut down junior shortstop Daniel Pinero at home, and they committed two errors that each led to an unearned run.

Their opponent Virginia Commonwealth too made mistakes but, as coach Brian O’Connor admitted post-game, fought harder and executed better in the batter’s box and on the field. Junior first baseman Darian Carpenter smacked a threerun home run in the fifth en route to the Rams’ 7-5 victory that evening, their first over Virginia since 2003.

Wednesday evening at Davenport Field, the site of a rematch between the two Commonwealth schools, VCU ended another unfortunate streak dating back to 2003.

With an 11-to-5 win, the Rams (2612, 9-3 A-10) swept the season series from Virginia (24-16, 9-9 ACC).

Again, a crooked number in the

6

Courtesy Virginia Athletics

Senior Kevin Doherty allowed three runs while recording one out Wednesday against VCU.

fifth fueled VCU past the defending national champions. The Rams trailed 4-2 entering the top of that inning. Sophomore reliever Jack Roberts walked two of three batters he faced before O’Connor yanked him in favor of senior lefty Kevin Doherty.

“I thought it was the right spot to bring Kevin Doherty in,” O’Con-

nor said. “Kevin’s been a rock for us all year. We brought him in in those situations time and time again. He’s done a terrific job for us, but he just didn’t do it tonight. He left a lot of pitches up.”

Doherty’s second delivery found the barrel of junior center fielder Logan Farrar’s bat. The baseball sliced into the right center gap, allowing a run to score and two Rams to advance into scoring position.

Taking a few deep breaths, Doherty on one pitch retired the dangerous Carpenter, who had scorched a solo homer into the Hoo Zone two innings prior, for the second out.

Everything unraveled after that.

In the middle of intentionally walking junior shortstop Matt Davis, whose leadoff homer in the second had put the Rams on the board, Doherty missed his easy target.

“I guess I overthought it, first time in my career I think doing that,” Doherty said. “I just kind of babied it, and then it came up short.”

The wild pitch enabled VCU’s go-ahead run to come across. Three singles followed up the free pass to Davis, plating three more insurance runs. Who else but Carpenter grooved a 3-0 fastball over the wall in right center for an emphatic two-

run dinger. The Rams increased their lead to 9-4 with two outs in the sixth inning.

“The guy’s a strong, powerful hitter,” O’Connor said. “The wind was blowing out… Certainly, the first one was a line drive out of the ballpark.

He’s a big, strong kid, and he put a couple of good swings on the ball.”

The rest of the way, Virginia’s bullpen couldn’t put up zeros, and its offense couldn’t string together hits.

Despite the end result, the Cavaliers’ midweek wasn’t altogether forgettable.

Virginia defeated a 2015 NCAA Tournament team in Radford 11-3 Tuesday afternoon. Junior catcher Matt Thaiss, sophomore left fielder Charlie Cody and freshman designated hitter Nate Eikhoff combined for seven RBIs and four runs.

As a group, Virginia hitters made the most of favorable situations, leaving only three runners on base and plating all 11 runs on eight hits.

Two of the Cavaliers’ inconsistent arms also found a rhythm Tuesday.

Sophomore pitcher Bennett Sousa earned his third win of the season, surrendering three runs (two earned) over 5 innings, and junior Tyler Shambora worked four scoreless frames in relief.

Although O’Connor after the Radford game said he’d scratched freshman pitcher Daniel Lynch from his start Wednesday because of a tweaked back, most assumed a confident Virginia team would return to Davenport the following day against VCU, play inspired baseball and avenge its April 5 defeat. However, the Rams, riding a six-game win streak, outplayed the Cavaliers once more. “[Bennett and Tyler] did an incredible job yesterday, pounding the zone with strikes and really attacking guys,” Doherty said. “It was really great to see, and we wanted to continue it tonight… It kind of came to a halt quickly, but that’s why we play so many games. We’ve got Friday to worry about now.”

The final third of the schedule doesn’t get any easier for Virginia.

They’ll travel to Coral Gables, Fla. this weekend to take on No. 1 Miami in a three-game series.

“I’ve never been down to Miami…” sophomore third baseman Justin Novak said. “I heard Miami’s pretty cool. I can’t wait to go down there and face them. We’re going to be competitive. We’re going to bring a lot of energy and see where it takes us.”

Breaking barriers: Mihaljevic has high ambitions for his future The shot put star on coming to America, Olympic dreams, NCAAs Porter Dickie Feature Writer

Growing up in Croatia, the first ball junior shot thrower Filip Mihaljevic came in contact with was a soccer ball.

“Everyone plays soccer, everyone starts off with soccer,” Mihaljevic said. “So that was the case with me too.”

Mihaljevic said he always hoped to follow in the footsteps of his father, who was a track and field star in the late 1980s, winning back-to-back Yugoslavian Cross Country Championships in 1987 and 1988. However, there was one obstacle which stood in his way — the lack of a track to practice on.

In high school, things began to change when Mihaljevic’s cousin took steps to introduce Filip to the sport, getting him onto his first track and taking on the role of his coach.

“He let me try as a kind of testing thing, like some sprints and jumps and throws, and he thought I could be a good thrower,” Mihaljevic said.

“Good thrower,” is one of the biggest understatements of the year.

Mihaljevic has been named the Croatian Champion in shot put and discus seven times and also placed second at European Junior Championships in shot put in 2013. This significant success caught the eye of the Virginia track and field coaching staff, who began recruiting Mihaljevic. Coming to America to compete for a Division I program was a dream come true for Mihaljevic, as he wanted to find somewhere where he could excel in both academics and athletics.

“Back home … there is a big separation between sports and academics, but I wanted to do both ‘cause both of my parents have masters degrees so I wanted to keep that tradition,” he said. “I think U.Va. was definitely the best place for that.”

Despite his excitement to become a student athlete, Mihaljevic faced many challenges when he arrived in Charlottesville.

“The first two months were kind of tough [because of] cultural shock, language barriers and everything,” Mihaljeic admitted. “But everyday, I

feel like more comfortable speaking English, hanging out with people, making new friends, going to class [and] talking to professors.”

Despite the challenges he faced in his early days on Grounds, Mihaljevic has adjusted nicely, particularly under the guidance of his coaching staff at Virginia. He said that his coaches — including fellow Croatian assistant coach Martin Maric and new throws coach Kemal Mesic, from Bosnia and Herzegovina — have not only helped him adjust to the new rules and environment in America, but have also helped him “develop … as a person and as an athlete.”

Mihaljevic has excelled in his collegiate career, winning a multitude of titles, from a Bronze at the World Indoor Championships last month to winning multiple ACC throwing titles and qualifying for the NCAAs over the past two years. In January, he hit a huge milestone — earning the Olympic standard in the shot put, throwing 20.69 meters. With high hopes and even higher chances of getting to represent Croatia in the Rio 2016 Olympics this summer, he said

this opportunity is a huge one.

“It has always been my dream to compete in the Olympics,” he said.

However, there are a few other matters of business he has to attend to before Rio rolls around.

“I have [to] focus on ACCs and NCAAs — those are my primary goals,” he said. “I am still a collegiate athlete… My ultimate goal is to be a good world class athlete, but right now I still need to focus on my collegiate career. I want to win NCAAs this year.”

At the end of the day, Mihaljevic said he is excited for the opportunities he has been given and has faith in himself and the work he has put in.

“I am only 21 years old, and I am a collegiate athlete and to go to the Olympics, I think it will be huge, huge experience for me… I have been working hard, so I would never question myself if [I] were to make the team.”

Keep an eye out for Mihaljevic at the Virginia Challenge this weekend in Charlottesville, and on the national — and maybe Olympic — stage this summer.

Lauren Hornsby | The Cavalier Daily

The son of a Yugoslav cross country champion.

Mihaljevic now has a chance to compete for Croatia in the 2016 Olympics.

SPORTS

Thursday, April 21, 2016

7

Men’s, women’s tennis await ACC postseason Virginia swept conference championship in 2015 Emily Caron Staff Writer

Cavalier command on the tennis courts has become a staple of Virginia athletics — and this year is no exception. On Sunday, the No. 1 Virginia men's tennis team (22-3, 11-1 ACC) and the No. 13 Virginia women's tennis team (14-9, 9-5 ACC) both closed out the regular season with home court triumphs at Snyder Tennis Center on Senior Day. For the Cavalier men, this victory marked their 13th-consecutive ACC regular-season championship — an impressive showing under head coach Brian Boland, who has led the team for the last 14 years. The victory sharpened both Virginia statistics and self-esteem.

“It gives the team a great deal of confidence,” Boland said.

“They have worked extremely hard throughout the regular season, and they’re playing at a really high level right now.”

All of that hard work during the regular season means one thing — post-season play is coming their way.

The ACC tournament kicks off this weekend at Cary Tennis Park in Cary, N.C. where both Cavalier teams return to defend their 2015 titles as the reigning ACC-tournament champions.

Mariana Fraser | The Cavalier Daily

Senior Julia Elbaba and the women’s tennis team begin the defense of their ACC title this Thursday.

The men received an automatic berth in the quarterfinals.

Sunday’s regular season finale secured the men’s team the top spot in the ACC quarterfinals this weekend, giving Virginia time to rest during the first two

tournament rounds.

Despite two regular season losses to ACC rival North Carolina — the first conference losses faced by the Cavalier’s men’s

team in years — Boland is optimistic.

“I could not be more pleased with where we’re at this point as we head into the ACC championships this weekend,” Boland said.

Those extra days off also give the team time to refocus on the challenges that lie ahead in this championship play.

“This is what we’ve been working for all year,” senior Mac Styslinger said. “The rest of the season we were just trying to get better and grow into this point, so now everyone’s game is really coming together.”

For Styslinger, winning another title would be the “icing on the cake” of his time here at Virginia. Senior Ryan Shane, the defending ACC singles champion and ACC Men’s Tennis Player of the Week, will lead the team in Cary with his fellow seniors as they look to continue their season of success.

The women’s tennis team, on the other hand, begins play in the first round of the tournament Thursday at 1 p.m. They will come in as the No. 5 seed in the event, facing the winner of No. 12 seed Florida State (1312, 4-10 ACC) versus No. 13 seed Boston College (9-13, 3-11 ACC), both of whom the Cavaliers defeated during the regular season. After an unsteady season riddled with tough losses

both on and off the court, senior Julia Elbaba believes Virginia’s women’s team has finally found their footing.

“We have faced a lot of adversity and been through a lot of challenges, but I’m confident we are putting out our best lineups right now and I think we progressed in a really positive way,” Elbaba said. “I think we are stronger and confident now going into the postseason.”

Elbaba and fellow seniors Danielle Collins and Stephanie Nauta were the Cavaliers’ leading women last year during championship play, a role they have not relinquished. They will attempt to bring a final championship title home with them from Cary this weekend — in the seniors’ last ACC tournament.

“I think it’s important to play as well as we are capable and the results will follow,” Elbaba said.

“We are playing well right now, and if we go into each game with confidence and belief, I think we can go all the way.”

The late-season momentum gained by both teams will swing them into the weekend where they will fight to defend their titles. Virginia tennis looks to amplify their ACC championship legacy in Cary.

Men’s golf prepares for ACC Tournament Cavaliers to send five golfers to New London, N.C. Grayson Kemper Associate Editor

The Virginia men’s golf team will begin postseason play when they participate in the ACC Tournament starting Friday at the Old North State Club in New London, N.C. The team hopes to continue its consistent play this season when it faces off against 11 conference foes in the 54-hole showdown. The Cavaliers have recorded top-five finishes in each of their five regular season tournaments.

Virginia will enter the tournament as the five-seed and will be a part of the second-to-last grouping to tee off Friday morning alongside fourth-seeded

Courtesy Virginia Athletics

Although seeded fifth, men’s golf is coming off a string of five-straight top-five finishes.

North Carolina and sixth-seeded Duke. After Friday’s first round, teams will tee off Saturday and Sunday according to their results from previous rounds of play. The seeding for the tournament was determined by the Golfstat rankings through April 13.

The field at the ACC Tournament will be by far the harshest the Cavaliers have seen all season. Of the 12 teams competing, nine are ranked in the top 50 nationally, according to the most recent Golfweek poll.

Coach Bowen Sargent said the team used last weekend’s Wolfpack Invitational in Raleigh, N.C., where they placed third, to work out some lingering concerns with the team, specifically the performance level at

the fifth and final roster spot.

“We answered some questions that needed to be answered, and I think we should be in a good position going forward,” he said.

Sargent also said that while he is satisfied with the team’s consistency this season, the team’s mentality is still to take home the ACC Championship.

“Our mentality is to win,” he said. “In terms of our team goals, this is at the top of our list. To win the ACC [is] clearly our biggest goal.”

The 24th-ranked Cavaliers will send just five golfers to the tournament, two of whom are ranked in the top 100 individually. Junior Derek Bard (No. 31), who was recently named to the U.S. Arnold Palmer Cup

team two weeks removed from his participation in the Masters, will lead the way at the one-spot for Virginia. He will be joined by junior Jimmy Stanger (No. 78), sophomore Danny Walker (No. 130) and the team’s two freshmen, Thomas Walsh and Ashton Poole.

Following this weekend, the Cavaliers’ season will continue upon their placement in the NCAA Regionals, which begin in mid-May. Virginia is slated to tee off Friday at 10:30 a.m. Coverage for Saturday and Sunday’s rounds will be provided by ESPN3.

8

SPORTS

The Cavalier Daily

Men’s lacrosse prepares for must-win against Georgetown Cavaliers look to rebound after two straight ACC losses Tysen Tresness Staff Writer

It was another disappointing game for Virginia in a 14-8 loss against Duke Sunday at Klöckner Stadium. After hanging with the Blue Devils for most of the first half, No. 16 Duke (8-6, 2-2 ACC) pulled away in the second.

“We held them in check for a while and we wore down,” junior defenseman Tanner Scales said.

“As a team we didn’t get it done.”

Most of the team pointed to finishing, or a lackthereof, as a large part of the Duke loss. Virginia is converting 26.5 percent of its shots on the season, while its opponents have converted 29.7 percent.

“We kept on getting good shots,” senior attackman James Pannell said. “We just didn’t bury them.”

Duke, on the other hand, was much more lethal with the ball, scoring on 38.9 percent of its shots compared to just 17 percent by the Cavaliers (6-7, 0-4 ACC).

“I thought we played hard throughout, but what has hurt us throughout the year is not quite sharp enough when we

need to be,” coach Dom Starsia said. “They were sharper shooting the ball and finishing. That’s been our issue throughout the year we just haven’t been able to put the ball in the back of the net.”

Virginia is now winless in the ACC and will miss the conference tournament for the third consecutive year. Each of the past two seasons, the Cavaliers ended up making the NCAA Tournament, losing in the first round both years. To have a shot getting back there, they must win their last two games.

“We got to win those last two to have a chance,” Scales said.

The team is trying to put the NCAA Tournament on the backburner and simply think about their next opponent, Georgetown (2-10, 1-3 Big East). While neither team has had the season it wanted, Virginia is not looking past Georgetown because of its lowly record.

“Records, as you can see, aren’t always the best distinction of what a team is,” junior attackman Ryan Lukacovic said. “I think Georgetown will be a good team. We’re still in this thing, we’re still in the fight.”

Starsia, stressing the unpre-

Richard Dizon | The Cavalier Daily

Leading scorer senior James Pannell leads Virginia against Georgetown. The Cavaliers must defeat the Hoyas in order to keep their postseason hopes alive.

dictability of Selection Sunday for the NCAA Tournament, does not think they are out of it either. Georgetown only has two double-digit scorers on the season with senior midfielder Joe Bucci tallying 13 goals and freshman attackman Daniel Bucaro netting 14. Bucaro also has 11 assists on the year, leading the team in both categories.

The Cavaliers have been much more successful offensive-

ly thus far, with six double-digit scorers and three players with double digit assists. Pannell and Lukacovic lead the way with 26 goals and 11 assists and 19 goals and 12 assists, respectively.

Virginia and Georgetown had three of the same games on their schedule — Loyola, Duke and Notre Dame. Both teams lost all three of those games, most of which were not close in the end.

The exception is the Cavaliers’

overtime loss against to Notre Dame last month.

While the past few years have not been as successful, the team does not think it is because they are less talented than their opponents. Still, the group is unsure why they are not having success in the conference schedule.

“That’s what we’re all trying to figure out,” Scales said.

After the game against the Hoyas, Virginia will play against No. 3 Brown in the ACC-Brown Showcase. Brown’s (11-1, 4-0 IVY) only loss on the year was an early April overtime thriller against Bryant. The team is shooting 37.3 percent on the year and has 199 team goals and 138 assists. By comparison, the Cavaliers have 140 goals, although their opponents have only scored 129 goals. Brown has allowed 105 goals on the year.

Still, Virginia has not given up yet.

“We’re just gonna try and finish out as strong as possible,” Pannell said.

The game against the Hoyas is a 7 p.m. showdown in Washington, D.C. Saturday. The team plays Brown, in Georgia, the following Saturday.

Track and Field faces heavy competition at Virginia Challenge 1,200 athletes from 62 teams to compete at Lannigan Field Ben Tobin Associate Editor

On a blustery Saturday evening two weeks ago, the Virginia track and field teams wrapped up their first home meets of the season with their heads held high. Collectively, they had broken many school and personal records, won a plethora of events and continued coalescing as a team.

This Friday and Saturday, the Cavaliers will host one of the biggest collegiate meets of the outdoor track and field season — the Virginia Challenge.

“It’s an incredible opportunity for us to compete … in the NCAA on our home track in our home city,” coach Bryan Fetzer said.

At this meet, 62 teams from around the nation will send over 1,200 athletes to compete at Lan-

nigan Field. Of those 62 teams, over ten are in the USTFCCCA Top 25, Fetzer said. And, of those 1,200 athletes, there will be several national champions and potential Olympians.

“The sheer magnitude of it is amazing,” Fetzer said. “There’s not a better track and field competition in the state of Virginia, and there’s probably not a better overall competition on the east coast.”

In addition to the tough competition, this meet is also notable for being the teams’ Senior Night. One of the seniors competing is distance runner Adam Visokay.

“I love competing at home,” he said. “The fact that we don’t have to travel and the fact that we get to sleep in our own bed … are huge advantages.”

For Visokay, this meet represents more than just a chance to receive support from his fellow

Cavalier faithful. An alumnus of Albemarle High School, Visokay has the chance to see some old family and friends at this meet, he said.

“I really feel the support a lot [being from Charlottesville],” he said. “It’s a really good time to see people that maybe I haven’t seen in as long of a time.”

For Visokay, he is unsure if this will be his last meet. As someone who was redshirted, he has one more year of eligibility to compete for Virginia if he so chooses. That decision will depend on the graduate schools he hears back from.

Regardless, Visokay is not letting the idea of this being his last home meet as a Cavalier affect him, he said.

“One of the things that coach Fetzer emphasizes a lot … [is] running every race like it may be your last race,” he said. “I’m going to try to have my best per-

formance that I possibly can on that day.”

With only one more meet after the Virginia Challenge before the ACC Championships in Tallahassee, Fla., this upcoming meet represents an important opportunity for both teams. For the unranked Virginia women, it’s a chance to continue to unite as a team and make a splash.

For the No. 6 Virginia men, this meet can further legitimize the team’s ranking and continue to harbor national spotlight.

However, for Fetzer, this meet is just like any other.

“It’s about the process,” he said. “This meet is just one more step in that process.”

An integral part of this process for Fetzer is getting everyone on the team to contribute.

While both teams have their stars, other athletes have been stepping up in several ways, whether it be by setting personal

records or by winning events. “[Teamwork] has been one of our goals since I got here four and a half years ago,” Fetzer said.

“The better our team comes together, the better we’re going to perform overall.”

Visokay said that this teamwork stems from the desire to achieve success by each individual on his team.

“I think that the men’s team has been pursuing the same goals this whole time and pursuing them one step at a time,” he said. “People have really risen to the occasion.”

Both Virginia teams have a lot to celebrate for this year.

However, the season hasn’t reached its finish line just yet.

“I know the whole team is really excited with where we are now, but the hunger is still there,” Visokay said. “We’re not complacent at all.”

O

Monday, April 21, 2016

9

LEAD EDITORIAL

In wake of chalkings, students step up

opinion

Handling bigotry the right way Offensive chalking messages targeting minority and trans individuals appeared on Grounds Monday morning.

What followed was a series of reactions from University organizations and individuals including the Black Student Alliance and the Queer Student Union. Among them were chalkings with statements such as “We don’t stand for bigotry” and “Hoos in Solidarity.”

Prominent individuals at the University such as Dean of Students Allen Groves and Pat Lampkin, vice president and chief student affairs officer, also condemned the hateful messages. When hate rears its ugly head, it is not enough simply to condemn it; we need to back up that condemnation by showing up. Countering

Corrections In the Monday, April 18th edition of The Cavalier Daily the article “Men’s, women’s tennis win pair of weekend matches” incorrectly stated the games were Saturday, when they were in fact Sunday.

Additionally, the article “Honor proposes changes to Informed Retraction” incorrectly suggested changes to the bylaws would affect the Informed Retraction, when they would in fact affect how students are notified.

hate speech requires promoting positive speech, and this week University students have done just that.

The positive counter-chalkings and statements from University students and administrators showed that even though there may be community individuals who have hateful ideas or are aiming to drive a wedge between members of the University, there are many more who are actively committed to making the University a welcome place for all. QSU President Jack Chellman said it well when he said that the organization’s chalking was about “reclaiming space.” Negative chalking messages on Grounds create unsafe spaces for students by making them feel like they do

not belong, and the positive chalking messages were effective in counteracting that effort.

Student and administrative leaders should be patient with their responses when controversy reaches Grounds, but this week’s messages were unquestionably condemnable, and so the University’s quick rebuke of the chalkings was entirely appropriate. But beyond that, the widespread reaction of disgust is itself an indication that our community is ultimately united in its rejection of these acts. We should do all we can to rid the University of hate, but can take pride in the fact that the efforts of a few are no match for our community of trust.

THE CAVALIER DAILY The Cavalier Daily

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The opinions expressed in The Cavalier Daily are not necessarily those of the students, faculty, staff or administration of the University of Virginia. Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the editorial board. Cartoons and columns represent the views of the authors.

The managing board of The Cavalier Daily has sole authority over and responsibility for all content.

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

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

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

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10

OPINION

The Cavalier Daily

Increase the credit maximum to 18 The University should give students the freedom to take more classes

forced to take two such classes in one semester, as well as two other three-credit courses, workload dents’ lack of ability to can often be a source sign up for the variety of stress. Being able to ALYSSA IMAM of courses they would take advantage of the Opinion Columnist like to take. Fellow University’s offerings columnist Ben Yahof one-credit courses nian recently argued the Student focusing on fitness or mindfulness Information System should allow would be highly beneficial for such students to sign up for the 17 cred- students. it hours they are allowed. While This increase in flexibility Yahnian makes many great points, would also enable more students I think the University should go a to more easily pursue a desired step further. The College should double major, particularly if a stuconsider increasing the maximum dent were to discover a love for credit load for its students from 17 one of those subjects later in their to 18 credits. four-year career here. Lastly, such Such an increase would al- an increase in maximum credit low students more autonomy and load would also help students tryflexibility in deciding their sched- ing to graduate a semester or two ules. By allowing students to take early, particularly for financial reasix three-credit classes, students sons. Allowing students to enroll would be able to choose from a in course loads they can’t handle greater variety of courses and cre- far too easily may be a source of ate more well-rounded schedules. concern for some, but depending This would also benefit students on the classes one takes, a student taking four-credit courses, which with fewer credits could have a are typically found in and are nec- much more demanding course essary for areas such as science, sta- load than someone enrolled in tistics and economics. For students more. Besides, at the end of the

day, shouldn’t a student be able to decide for himself how heavy of a course load he is willing to take on?

Either way, one could always drop a class if it becomes clear there will be too much work. If some-

only because there needs to be a limit in place not only to keep students from overloading in material, but also because there is only so much demand in classes the University can meet with a limited number of resources.

However, taking 18 credit hours would likely result in a more rounded out schedule than 19 credit hours would.

This is because stuA student with fewer credits could have a much dents taking 18 credits would likely more demanding course load than someone be enrolled in schedenrolled in more.” ules structured as I mentioned above (six three-credit one ends up needing to withdraw courses, or two four-credit courses from a class, resulting in a “W” on with two three-credit courses and his transcript, that is a result of his an additional one-credit course). own decision.

Most students in the STEM One problem I anticipate many fields, which often include many people having with this proposal is four-credit classes, wouldn’t likely the following argument: allowing choose to take more than two of students to take one more credit in those classes in one semester and order to allow students more au- then desire taking more than six tonomy eventually results in there more credits. Furthermore, it only being no limit at all. This is not makes logical sense to assert that

“

igning up for classes can be a S stressful time for many students. One reason for this is stu-

going from 18 to 19 (or however many more) credits imposes much more of a marginal increase in difficulty than does going from 17 to 18. It therefore seems that 19 or more credit hours simply wouldn’t be requested as much.

Currently, any student so inconvenienced by the current maximum of 17 only needs fill out the Credit Hour Overload Form and obtain approval from their association dean. However, considering my previous points, having to jump through this hoop to take this one additional credit seems silly. In order to allow students more autonomy and flexibility in determining their courses of study, the University should increase the maximum credit load for students in the College to 18 credit hours.

Alyssa’s columns run Wednesdays. She can be reached at a.imam@cavalierdaily.com.

Time for a much bigger Springfest UPC should turn the event into a massive multi-day festival lawn games, crafts and more.”

The program, which runs from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. also boasts a parties, spring at the St. Lucia concert and University is one of a Lawn art gallery.

BEN YAHNIAN the most memorable While I congratulate Opinion Columnist times of the year. To UPC on throwing a commemorate this terrific Springfest, occasion, Universistudents and the local ty Programs Council, or UPC, Charlottesville community could throws its annual music, food reap the benefits of a festival that and arts festival called Spring- cements its designation as the fest. While UPC certainly is cor- go-to spring music, food and arts rect in its overall objective of the destination. festival, the scale and magnitude My vision for an enhanced should be significantly expand- Springfest would first feature an ed to not only reward students expanded timeframe by making with a comprehensive weekend the festival an entire weekend exof springtime entertainment but perience. With events all day on also showcase more of the in- Thursday, Friday, Saturday and credible talents of its students.

Sunday, more visitors would be According to UPC’s Facebook able to participate in activities page, Springfest will consist of that appeal to them. Offering a two main events this year. First, wider array of day activities over a Springfest event will occur a weekend would entice families on April 28 where four finalists and children to participate in the present “creative projects that festivities while nighttime events explore and promote the inter- could be tailored more toward section of art” with students student’s entertainment desires voting at the end to give one of like music concerts. them a community engagement That’s why the most signifgrant. Second, the main Spring- icant revision would be in the fest event takes place on April music portion, where it is critical 29 which promises “free food that a festival have venues and from a variety of local vendors, artists that attendees truly want performances by student bands, to see. The student band per-

formances are one of the coolest aspects of Springfest, as students have the opportunity showcase their musical aptitudes in front of an encouraging crowd. There-

Portugal. The Man, Twenty One Pilots and Steve Aoki. Why shouldn’t we have some of these artists too? Charging a discounted rate for students and a higher price for the general public would help pay for a great lineup each spring and fund some of the proposed festival expansions.

However, keeping A comprehensive spring music, food, and arts in line with the s t u d e nt - o r i e nt e d festival should be a staple of the University focus of Springfest, every year.” student bands and local artists should also be heavily mixed in to diversifore, Springfest should have a fy the experience. musical lineup every night at a Potential concerns about unstage on Grounds whether that be derage drinking at a Universiin front of the Rotunda or, dare- ty-sponsored event such as this I-even-propose-it, in Mad Bowl. are certainly worth considering.

The University can certainly Vanderbilt, for example, has the learn some lessons from other entire event guarded by unicolleges. For instance, Vanderbilt versity police and uses special University has a Rites of Spring wristbands at the entrance gate.

Festival where students purchase The University could employ a tickets and the revenue is used to similar system to ensure a safe bring incredible artists for a two- and fun environment for a music night music concert. Over the venue. past three years, the concert has A comprehensive spring mufeatured Future, Chance the Rap- sic, food and arts festival should per, Young the Giant, 2 Chainz, be a staple of the University every

“

rom the breathtaking sunny F landscapes across Grounds to the revelry at countless day

year. With the expanded scale of the festival, the local community would benefit as families would have a weekend full of entertainment choices, while food vendors and restaurants on the Corner could cater to more customers and local artists could have a new platform to showcase their talents. Yet, the biggest benefactor of an expanded spring festival would be the students. With so many bands, artists and dance troupes at the University, an entire weekend would allow more opportunities for these student groups to perform. A significantly increased music portion, with headliners chosen by students, would skyrocket interest in the event and provide students and the local Charlottesville area with a worthwhile entertainment venue. The springtime is here; it’s time we truly take advantage of it.

Ben’s columns run Thursdays.

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

OPINION

Monday, April 21, 2016

11

PARTING SHOTS Fourth Years reflect on their experience as Cavalier Daily Editors

The greatest show on Grounds

JAMES CASSAR

125th and 126th Arts and Entertainment Editor

cle courses and needle plunges to combat my cerebral palsy, I would’ve never found a story worth pursuing.

Since then, my life has been following the lead that was set without my editorial hand: I was born with a disability. That didn’t mean I had to have the narrative turn darker as it grew longer.

I found my bright spot in an unlikely place. I dove into the loud, fast world of punk music at a young age, despite never attending a show in a sweaty basement or growing a mohawk. The freedom the genre gave me seemed infinite. The lyrics boasted about blazing a personal trail. I

what I faced at birth. I could’ve been written off as something unspectacular, but I wasn’t. Many domino falls later, I was able to help do the same for a wider community obsessed with pop culture. We all followed different paths, but at The Cavalier Daily, they converged for an hour a week, hopefully more than As Senior Editor, I learned to become a leader, that. a mentor and a better writer, all the while Last May, I was asked to contribute cultivating and maintaining some of the closest to Alternative Press, friends I could have asked for.” the same magazine which taught me the taining some of the closest friends I basics of being a music writer in elcould have asked for. I did so in the ementary school. While it was a consame band tees and jeans I donned firmation of a lifelong dream, without earlier, but acted with relentless kind- The Cavalier Daily I wouldn’t have ness instead of a smirk. made it that far so soon. That’s what Any member of our editorial I loved about the show that went on staff could have summarized their every night in the Newcomb Hall final moments by counting the stress basement. No one had a mohawk, headaches. I just remember near-50 not many wore band tees and Arts faces in a circle of beanbag chairs and Entertainment wasn’t our shared rallying around what many consid- interest, but consistent camaraderie ered to be a publication’s throwaway and a desire to turn any passion into section. To me, that desire to make words was more than enough to give something as legitimate and exciting me a chance to continue my story. as a breaking news story isn’t unlike My cursor blinks no more.

Cheers to you

h, first-years. Still glistening A with the dew of their mother’s goodbye kiss and minted with the

University Bookstore’s newest arrivals. Utterly incomplete without a lanyard and seeking companionship from anyone with two eyes, firstyears are unabashedly naive — clueless, even — of what the four years they embark upon have in store.

I fit that mold, of course, during my own first year. I was both pre-med and pre-comm, even simultaneously for a time. I, too, frequented Rugby Road with a hodgepodge of faces I barely recognized. Though I have since gathered the courage to cross the Bodo’s threshold with my head held high, I still cringe at the memory of attempting to exchange plus dollars for a whole wheat bagel with peanut butter.

Even so, clueless and naive are words that don’t seem quite strong enough to describe first-year me. I knew not of the competition I would face when signing up for classes, not to mention in the classroom itself or, God forbid, when trying to join a club. As my laundry list of rejections began to accumulate to more than my actual laundry pile, you

speech (and wardrobe selection). As Senior Editor, I learned to become a leader, a mentor and a better writer, all the while cultivating and main-

SARA ROURKE 126th Focus Editor

can imagine my delight in receiving an email such as the following from then-News editor Kelly Kaler: “Morning newsies! First of all, welcome Sarah Rourke [sic], who is training today! Thanks so much for your interest in joining news! We are really excited to work with you.”

To be completely transparent, joining the newspaper staff was not first on my list of potential involvements (following a review of my initial email to recruiting, it seems I hadn’t even heard of The Cavalier Daily before that day). But Kelly’s

email made me feel welcome, wanted, necessary even, and that’s all it took.

As a news writer, I was sent to nooks and crannies of the University that I often never knew existed.

I trudged through the snow to an 8 a.m. Living Wage rally, where I caught my first glimpse of the Board of Visitors and their adversaries, thereby shattering my preconceived image of the University as a flawless institution. I took the Northline to the ends of the earth that is the Miller Center, where I exhaustedly attempted to follow a ping-pong-esque dialogue about recent U.S. interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan. I spoke with department heads and politicians and older, more experienced students about their accomplishments, their passions, their visions for the University and beyond.

The Cavalier Daily pushed me outside of the safe zone that was my first-year dorm and into the unknown. I explored corners of the University outside of the walls of my classrooms and the Gooch-Dillard common room, allowing me to forge new relationships along the way.

Grounds became colored with the

familiar faces of people I had interviewed and fellow attendees of events I had covered, and before I knew it I felt more at home in our community than I ever expected.

was made possible by far more than me alone, of course.

To my editors-turned-mentors: Thank you for your guidance and expertise, your patience and your tenacity in instilling a respect for deadlines. Without your iron fist, I can guarantee I would have never taken a Cavalier Daily-related phone call from the shower.

To the nameless, faceAs a news writer, I was sent to nooks and less, Cavalier crannies of the University that often I never Daily first-ever editorial board: knew existed.”

Thank you for the challenging, engaging discusSince that first year, my apprecia- sions, your ever-valuable input and, tion for The Cavalier Daily has only more than anything, your friendship. grown. Following my News tenure, I What a way to end my Cavalier Daily tried my hand at Focus, where I was career. continually impressed by the opporFinally, to the members of the tunity to gain a more nuanced under- institution we think of as the best standing of a topic or segment of the organization at the University and University population. More often in the world: Thank you for the imthan not, my favorite pieces were the measurable work you do for this Uniones that brought attention to mem- versity. Our trade is often thankless, bers and elements of our community yet undoubtedly essential. Cheers to that are often ignored. It has been an you. honor to record your history and to share your stories.

The dissemination of these stories

“

I’ve stared at this page for a long time. Adjectives and verbs would fill in sentences and paragraphs, then read back hollow and pale. I’d erase what I had worked on. Nothing could really accurately describe how my time at The Cavalier Daily felt during or after three and a half years. No $5 words or $10 sentiments could enrich empty phrases, and I knew that.

So here goes: another redo.

Every word in a sentence builds upon the ones which follow it. Every sentence in a paragraph builds a greater point. You could say all writing is is a written version of the domino effect. Once your blueprint becomes a final draft, the ensuing work under your byline could build on the legacy you unknowingly started. I only believe this because up until The Cavalier Daily, the domino effect held true in my life.

If my parents had never heard their son would never walk nor talk, I would have never been enlisted in 14 years of continuous physical therapies, leg castings, Botox surgeries (!) and even karate lessons. If I had never trudged through those obsta-

wanted to articulate exactly what these songs meant; I wrote album reviews of everything from Blink-182 to my uncle and sister’s band in the fourth grade. I knew there was a market for this — I read Alternative Press and memorized the journalistic tone, the ways of expression — but I didn’t radically increase my output until college. And so here we are.

Joining the Arts and Entertainment staff surrounded me with people who, for the first time, combined their love for music (among other things) with a love for words. I’ll admit my desire to distinguish myself from the pack wasn’t always done in prose. I never wore Vineyard Vines in Charlottesville, and a much younger, snarkier me wanted you to know that with my band tees and blue jeans. If I hadn’t chosen that path, I wouldn’t have learned it’s not about what you wear — it’s about what your words are outfitted to say.

Without The Cavalier Daily, I wouldn’t have downed several cans of Mountain Dew a night trying to make deadlines after a week of procrastination. That jolt of energy gave me the courage to run for Senior Arts and Entertainment Editor, one night after procrastinating on a potential

“

verything began with a blinking E cursor and everything is ending with one.

HU MOR

The Cavalier Daily

12

Just for wits.

A day in the life of the Beatles

transcription only, with no commentary from the reporter. Enjoy.

I first arrived at the band’s flat London to follow the early Tuesday mornlegendary rock band PATRICK THEDINGA ing. I thought it a bit Humor Editor The Beatles for a few odd that these wealthy days in order to get and famous men a sense of who they shared an apartment were as people and musicians together, but I figured it must be when they weren’t performing. for something like group cohesion The band had just released “The and thought nothing of it. I could White Album,” their eighth stu- hear a loud commotion from the dio album and, like “Revolver” other side of the door, and my and “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts first attempts at knocking were Club Band,” a different paced muffled by yells of “Oh, come off and styled album from what they it” and other such British things. had done before. Unfortunately, The door finally opened to reveal young Sydney Pidgemoh died on Paul (McCartney of course) still his return to New York. He had in his mint green pajama suit and dropped a quarter into the air- a sullen look on his face. plane toilet and looked into it too “Come in,” he sighed. “Ringo’s far, causing him to lose his bal- trying to have a pancake fight.” ance and get sucked through the The scene inside was sometoilet. His effects, including this thing else. A bedroom stemmed rough draft of the article, were from either side of the main delivered to Rolling Stone head- room, and I could see bunk beds quarters and forgotten about. behind the doors. John was waitOnly now have the records been ing outside their only bathroom uncovered and published. In it is with a toothbrush and towel, tapdepicted a slightly different ver- ping impatiently and exclaiming, sion of the band that many have “George, come on, how long does not seen before, and we at Roll- it take to pee? I know you’re reading Stone hope that this excerpt ing your little book in there.” A adds to the mythic proportions of muffled cry came from the bathwhich the fab four are seen. Also, room. because this is a rough draft, “But it’s the one where Babar some of the dialogue will be in goes to America! See John, we’re

what that means. Band meeting.

Everyone gather round.”

Paul: Okay everyone settle down. Ringo, put down that pancake.

Ringo: But it’s round, like a drum.

Paul: Yes we get it, Ringo. You play the drums.

John: I could play the drums if I wanted to.

Paul: Sure John, I bet you could.

Because this is a rough draft, some of the Ringo: But the dialogue will be in transcription only, with no drums are my thing!

George: I also commentary from the reporter. Enjoy.” like rhythm.

Paul: Okay everyone we are getthe while muttering, “I”m Ringo, ting incredibly off track. Let’s try I play the drums.” to regroup and come together in This was certainly not what I this meeting. Now, someone, I’m was expecting. Paul stood in the not going to name names, but corner of the living room, smok- someone keeps forgetting to put ing in his pajamas. away the dishes after they wash “Is it always like this?” I asked them. We just have weird piles of him. clean dishes on our counter and “Usually George is also throw- it’s very confusing. ing pancakes, but we just bought John: I shouldn’t have to put him the new Babar book, so he’s them away. I’m John! been pretty absorbed in that.”

Ringo: And I’m Ringo!

At that moment the clock Paul: Yes we all know that struck ten and Paul turned to the you’re Ringo, Ringo, and John, we rest of the group. all have our duties in the flat.

“Okay everyone, you know John: What about George? He

On dating your dad

right. It’s time to be lavished with hockey tickets and gift cards to Outback Steakhouse. It’s time to go to DSW and get the bottom of a coffee mug with your sono- CHARLOTTE RASOVICH any pair of size 11 shoes in the cleargram printed on it.

Humor Writer ance rack I want. It’s Emotional games time to be taken to have grown tiresome. There’s a limited amount the olive bar at Kroger and hear of time in my life now, and that those magic words: “Go wild at time can’t be spent waiting for a this Kroger olive bar.”

You can send me all the angry text when your dad has already sent me an article on microfi- emails you want. I’ll read each of nancing, a warning about pyra- them on each of my iPads, in asmid schemes and three pictures cending order of generations.

I know it’s hard for you to of your family dog. He says her name is Lacey. Soon it’ll be Dec- understand, but we make each adence or Gem Pile or Lacey other better. I encourage him to The Dog Who Used To Be Yours reject the culture of youthful enBefore I Stole Your Dad And titlement in which you and your sister partake. He encourages The Family Dog, Margaret.

Now it’s time to be treated me to buckle up in the backseat

of his 2008 Honda Accord.

Now before you try to tell me that this relationship is exploita-

years and get so little in return?

She suppressed all her demands, and now what does she have save for some tangible proof of past desirability?

Don’t try to guilt trip me about your mother. Now the time she would have spent on reListen, pet, I’m sorry — really, I am —but you minding your dad have to understand that when you have the sort to apply sunblock to his bald spot can of power I do, it’s difficult not to wield it.” be used to finally (finally!) make that final trip to Joanne’s Fabrics to get those tive, let me ask: isn’t it more ex- three yards of spun cotton and ploitative for your mom to have finish her memory quilt. I know poured emotional and physical you don’t care about the patch labor into this marriage for 16 depicting your mom’s first pet,

“

’ve slipped through the finI gers of young men like water. Now I find myself settled at

just like Babar!”

Suddenly, something soft and warm hit me in the back of the head. I pulled the syrupy pancake from my hair and turned around just in time to spot a giggling Ringo dive behind the couch, all

“

ditor’s Note: In 1968, RollE ing Stone dispatched a new reporter, Sydney Pidgemon, to

doesn’t do anything!

George: You guys want to talk about rhythm guitar?

Paul: Okay, well George doesn’t have to do chores and you know that, John.

John: Well what about Ringo?

Ringo: Drums.

Paul: You heard it, Ringo’s got his drums. I feel like we’re not focusing on the actual issues here.

Mainly, Ringo and George won’t stay in their bunk beds. They keep switching bunk beds, and when I go to tuck in George and read him his Babar bedtime story, I see Ringo trying to play his knees like drums.

Ringo: There’s lots of drums but only two knees, so it’s harder.

Paul: Guys, this is untenable. We have strict bunk bed assignments for a reason and if we can’t stick to them, then… then I might have to leave the band.

George: No, daddy, don’t leave!

Paul: George, I’m not your dad. We’re the same age.

George: … anyone want to talk about rhythm guitar?

Patrick Thedinga is a Humor editor for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at p.thedinga@cavalierdaily.com.

but I do. The Bank of America security questions are getting to be a real drag.

Listen, pet, I’m sorry — really, I am — but you have to understand that when you have the sort of power I do, it’s difficult not to wield it. As soon as I closed my eyes, reached out my arm, and picked a World War II book at random from Barnes and Noble, your dad’s fate was sealed forever. Sorry, sweetie.

By the way, can you please come over later and show me and your dad how to delete all these files off my laptop? Something’s gunked up in there and dang it if it’s not throwing us for a real loop.

PU ZZLES

Thursday, April 21, 2016

April 21, 2016

WEEKLY CROSSWORD SOLUTION

UPCOMING EVENTS Thursday 4/21 UPC Presents: Open Mic Night, 10pm, Open Grounds Second Year Council Presents: Second Year Sendoff, 5-7pm, The Lawn Hot Kids Video and Sketch Comedy Show, 8:30pm, Chem Auditorium Career Center Presents: Acing Your Interview Workshop, 1:30-2:30pm, Newcomb 182 McIntire Department of Music Presents: New Music Ensemble Directed by I-Jen Fang, 8-10pm, Old Cabell Hall Friday 4/22 UPC and Universal Pictures at UVA Presents: Free Advanced Screening of Popstar, 10pm, Newcomb Theater Delta Upsilon Presents: House of Blues, 3-7pm, Delta Upsilon VSA at UVA Presents: Spring Phofest, 5-8pm, St. Paul’s Memorial Church Career Center Presents: Accounting Careers Day, 1-5pm, Robertson Hall 120 Career Center Presents: Acing Your Interview Workshop, 11am-12pm, Newcomb 182 McIntire Department of Music Presents: UVA Chamber Singers, 8-10pm, Old Cabell Hall

By Sam Ezersky

Saturday 4/23 Pi Beta Phi, Camp Kesem, and ADAPT Present: Miles for Margaret 5k, 10am, Amphitheater Second Annual Lile Mile Charity Run, 10:30am, Lile-Maupin Dorm Hoos Helping the Homeless, 5-8pm, Amphitheater Football Spring Football Festival, 2pm, Scott Stadium Indian Classical Night, 6-9pm, McLeod Auditorium Hoos in the Stairwell Spring Concert, 8pm, UVA Chapel Sunday 4/24 Greens to Grounds, Spoon University, and Student Council Present: Produce Party, 11am3pm, Amphitheater University Dance Club Spring Show, 1pm, Paramount Theater Club Figure Skating End of Year Showcase, 10am-12pm, Main Street Arena

*NEXT WEEK’S PUZZLE CAN BE FOUND IN MONDAY’S ISSUE

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The Cavalier Daily

A&E arts & entertainment

Camilla Siazon Staff Writer

The Milk Carton Kids, a Grammy-nominated folk duo, played at the Jefferson Theater last week. It was an intensely intimate affair, complete with fairy lights roped around the stage, heavy interaction with the audience and a single spotlight on two eccentric, flat-picking music extraordinaires — Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan.

The concert was an experience unlike many others, for these two singer-guitarists performed with a soft subtlety, with almost a quiet indifference to their audience, capturing the magic of their performance.

Pattengale was the first to step on stage, introducing opening act Caitlin Canty. He seemed

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A hugely intimate affair The Milk Carton Kids perform with class at Jefferson Theater perturbed, as if he were astonished at the sight of his audience.

“This next act –– well, I don’t want to use the word ‘girl,’ because she isn’t just a girl, but I don’t want to say ‘woman’ because she is definitely not a woman yet,” he mused, in a manner reminiscent of telling a close friend a story over an intimate dinner.

For audience members who are not familiar with The Milk Carton Kids, such unabashed sincerity may be confusing, but many who were there knew it was part of Pattengale’s charm.

Even new listeners quickly fell for it as the concert wore on.

In the first half hour, The Milk Carton Kids played a series of songs seamlessly with no pause in between. This was essentially the band’s introduction, and in a way, it provoked listeners to sit back, listen and

trust the music. The band played many songs with no explanation or allusion to the titles of the songs, but a few pieces such as “Monterey” and “Michigan” were recognized, much to the audience’s delight.

If Pattengale played the charming talker, then Ryan was definitely the elusive one of the duo. He remained quiet throughout his performance, only speaking to quietly combat Pattengale’s wit. Yet he added to the enchantment cloaked around The Milk Carton Kids, whether by gazing up into the room, his face lost in his music or backing out of the spotlight between songs, as if he needed to rest, unseen by the audience.

“Stop criticizing the audience for their reactions!” he snapped in good humor to Pattengale, provoking laughter as they performed their finale song.

Overall, The Milk Carton

Kids were at their best during this performance –– delivering a hugely intimate affair, stripped of any grandiosity or pretension.

Their performance recalled the

reason why they have received so many accolades, for it was raw and sincere and rich in lyrics and melody.

Katie Johnsen | The Cavalier Daily

The band’s classic look perfectly complements their folk style.

The art of social media

The Shorty Awards, Casey Neistat and the future of short-form digital entertainment Ben Hitchcock Senior Associate Editor

Last week, the eighth annual Shorty Awards were held in New York City. The awards ceremony recognizes and honors various people and organizations for their influential presence on social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Vine and YouTube. What the Oscars are for movies, the Shortys aspire to be for social media.

Each year a panel of media luminaries ranging from Huffington Post editor Arianna Huffington to Food Network star Alton Brown collaborate to dole out awards in categories like “Youtuber of the Year,” “Vine Comedian” and for the best use of social media by an actor.

The existence of the Shortys speaks to the ever-increasing influence of short-form, digital content on the entertainment world as a whole. In the last few years, the awards show has grown — previous winners include Michelle Obama, Taylor Swift and Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Yet when quizzed about the ceremony, most participants are decidedly irreverent. “It’s great to be amongst fellow narcissists,” comedian Hannibal Buress said in his acceptance speech last year. “I

Courtesy Shorty Awards

The Shorty Awards honor producers of great online content.

did keep my acceptance speech to 140 characters,” Alton Brown said at a previous show. In her stint as host, actress Rachel Dratch addressed the audience, saying, “You all have one thing in common, and that is, your parents don’t understand what you do.” Last year, a person in a poop costume sauntered onstage to collect the award for “Best Emoji.”

The self-effacing attitude assumed by those involved is indicative of both the advantages and the problems presented by the social media platforms celebrated

at the Shortys. This type of entertainment thrills and engages because it is unrefined, honest and informal. However, retaining this spirit while still presenting a professional and legitimate product is a difficult task. Such is the great challenge of the Shortys.

Striking the right balance is still possible, as evidenced by this year’s “YouTuber of the Year” award recipient, Casey Neistat.

Neistat is hard to define in conventional terms, a celebrity who could only exist in the digital age. Equal parts filmmaker, freelance adver-

tisement director, skateboarder, tech geek, runner, carpenter, world traveler and obsessive vlogger, Neistat’s YouTube channel consists almost entirely of short videos of his daily life. Each video — uploaded daily — lasts around 10 minutes, documenting the 35-year-old New Yorker’s creative process and constant jet-setting.

His videos are, simultaneously, completely raw and totally polished. Neistat approaches life with a filmmaker’s eye, never missing an opportunity to interject an unconventional shot or jump cut into his daily accounts. Often, he cuts himself off mid-sentence en route to a different topic. Leaving his house is preceded by a clip of his feet walking in front of a camera on the floor. Driving between appointments means an aerial shot of the family minivan heading down the road. Each daily video exudes artistry to an almost compulsive degree.

Neistat intersperses stories about himself with beautiful panoramas filmed by automated drones.

When he isn’t talking, airy techno music propels the shots, but when Neistat addresses the audience he does so candidly and directly. He talks about his family and his creative process, but he also shares when he’s bored. “Flight takes off in like an hour and a half. We’re

gonna hit the lounge, get some snacks,” he says in a video, strolling through John F. Kennedy International airport.

Casey Neistat is exactly the kind of person the Shortys should be honoring. His daily work is meticulously edited and ingeniously compiled, full of uncensored life, yet as crisp and artful as the work of any studio professional. He is in turns funny, inspirational and enviable, and his production schedule is unflinching in a way unique to his platform. He represents the great potential of short-form, digital art — as both accessible and intellectual.

For social media to be regarded as art — for the Shortys to be legitimized — the content being produced and celebrated must look like art. It must be beautiful as much as it is intimate. Neistat’s recognition is a positive omen for his burgeoning craft, and it shows that in the right hands, this twopronged goal is not only achievable, but eminently so. Social media is on an upward, intellectual track, which Neistat is confident will continue. In his acceptance speech last week, he concluded by saying, “Thank you to everyone in this room who is a part of this, and a part of the future.”

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Thursday, April 21, 2016

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Shakespeare on the Lawn presents ‘Hamlet’ Talented ensemble brings words, words, words to life Paul Rohrbach Staff Writer

Writing an un-effusive review of “Hamlet” is a little bit of a nightmare. Though writers are discouraged from superlatives, self-important purple prose and vague tangents about how a work of art addresses the human condition, shouldn’t a review of “Hamlet” be just a little tinged with purple, or at least a soft violet? How is one supposed to not call “Hamlet” phenomenal when it is, objectively, such a phenomenon?

The impulse to simply catalogue the cultural influence of “Hamlet” is powerful. Indeed, this reading has given the play such a large reputation that Shakespeare on the Lawn’s primary achievement is having defied such scrupulous “Hamlet” worship and returned it to the meaningful, relatable questions the play poses.

Director Brian Walter, a thirdyear College student, stressed that Shakespeare on the Lawn’s interpretation was more centered on the cast and crew’s impressions of

“Hamlet” than on previous interpretations.

“As opposed to saying, ‘Oh, I want to do “Hamlet” like Benedict Cumberbatch’ or ‘I want to do “Hamlet” like Kenneth Branagh,’ I want to make “Hamlet” part of who I am and make the characters more human by doing that,” Walter

said.

The personalization of this approach emphasized the play’s moral nuance. Walter noted his production did not restrict its attention to the character Hamlet, but attempted to develop a number of the key characters.

“This production focused on

Courtesy Shakespeare on the Lawn

Chilling imagery mirrors the tone of SOTL’s unique production of “Hamlet.”

the relationships between characters and really humanizing these characters in a way that a college audience can relate to,” Walter said.

Perhaps the greatest and most surprising impact of this approach was the characterization of Claudius. Directly after the intermission, Hamlet (first-year College student Hannah Kirk Nass) and Claudius (fourth-year College student Carter Wilson) exchanged monologues: Claudius in tormented prayer, “My words fly up, my thoughts remain below,” and Hamlet resolves not to kill Claudius and send him to heaven.

Kirk Nass and Wilson delivered their monologues so powerfully that the audience questioned their preconception of the Hamlet-Claudius conflict as nothing more than a morally-unambiguous precursor to the Simba-Scar conflict.

Kirk Nass — a female — portrayed such an apprehensive, mercurial and frenetic Hamlet that the audience nearly forgot about the character’s original male gender, as the production intended.

Walter explained, “[This is] not a

heavy-handed attempt to make a huge statement about gender politics.”

Hamlet’s personality did not monopolize the audience’s attention. University alumnus Vincent Barbatti drew plenty of laughs as a staid Polonius, and first-year College student Jane Purnell’s Ophelia convincingly deteriorated from a carefree teenager to an abused maniac. All the characters were given space to develop and, for this reason, the play ran almost three hours, including intermission.

It was an immersive three hours, even though the play was in a black-box setting with unornamented costumes. The audience was forced to confront the questions which “Hamlet” poses headon, freed of the play’s cultural baggage. The production left the audience intermittently surprised, amused, haunted and confused. It performed culture’s highest function: making questions about the meaningfulness of friendship, betrayal, love, lust, family, life, death, responsibility and existence relevant.

‘The Jungle Book’ puts new spin on classic tale Mowgli and company are back in this well-done remake Ellen Adams Senior Writer

Disney’s trend of remaking their animated films continues with “The Jungle Book,” the classic tale of the man-cub Mowgli. This version takes a darker tone than the 1967 animated version but still maintains a sense humor and adventure. With stunning visual effects and top-notch voice acting, “The Jungle Book” is a surprisingly good adaptation of the timeless story.

The immersive and surprisingly realistic landscape created largely through CGI effects is perhaps the greatest achievement of “The Jungle Book.” The jungle is vibrant and beautiful, seamlessly interacting with Mowgli as he jumps and climbs. The animals are also remarkable — they look tangible down to every strand of fur. Facial expression registers clearly, allowing the animals to be as emotive as their human companion.

“The Jungle Book” boasts an all-star cast behind the voices of the animals, with each voice ac-

tor well-suited to their role. Ben Kingsley is appropriately wise as Mowgli’s protector, the panther Bagheera, and Christopher Walken is great as the intimidating Gigantopithecus King Louie. Bill Murray plays a dynamic Baloo, the fun loving and good-humored bear, and Idris Elba is a standout as the menacing tiger Shere Khan, the most terrifying Disney villain in recent memory.

The work of newcomer Neel Sethi as Mowgli, the only major human role, is especially impressive considering it was done almost completely on green screen, with no real animals for Sethi to interact with. His performance can be wooden at times, but he carries the movie well.

While not technically a musical, “The Jungle Book” includes some of the songs from the 1967 movie, sung by the actors. Although the songs are appealingly nostalgic, they are out of place and unnecessary in the otherwise serious film. In one scene, for instance, Mowgli is kidnapped by monkeys and taken to King Louie, the mob boss of the jungle. The scene is in-

credibly tense as Louie threatens Mowgli, until Louie breaks out into a verse of “I Wanna Be Like You,” shattering any sense of peril.

The transition is jarring and laughable, and it takes the audience out of the scene.

The film’s classic music is better used in the incredible score

by John Debney, who seamlessly weaves in tunes from the 1967 movie while keeping the sound modern and powerful. From the first simple notes of “Bare Necessities,” the audience is transported — the singing and lyrics should have been left out altogether.

This version of “The Jungle Book” is more mature than its animated predecessor, allowing it to exist as its own unique film.

Director Jon Favreau smartly ups the ante, creating a jungle full of real danger and truly frightening villains. At its core, however, it is still the story everyone knows and loves, appealing to kids and adults alike. With the success of this film, the trend of live-action remakes certainly won’t stop anytime soon — and maybe it shouldn’t.

Courtesy Walt Disney Pictures

Disney’s live-action “Jungle Book” centers on a young Mowgli.

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