Thursday, May 19, 2016

Thursday, May 19, 2016

Vol. 126, Issue 60

GRADUATION SECRET SOCIETIES’ GRADUATION SURPRISES PAGE 2

MULTICULTURAL CENTER COMING TO NEWCOMB PAGE 3

HOW GRADS USE THE CAREER CENTER PAGE 4

A LOOK AT GRADUATING ATHLETES PAGE 5

FOURTH-YEAR STUDENT SPOTLIGHTS PAGE 11

All photos taken by Marshall Bronfin

The Cavalier Daily

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Secret societies at Final Exercises

news

Seven Society, Purple Shadows, Z Society likely to recognize graduate accomplishments

Elizabeth Parker Associate Editor

Final Exercises for the Class of 2016 will begin May 20, and several secret societies will likely use them to reveal information about their organizations and recognize graduates for their accomplishments.

Alexander “Sandy” Gilliam Jr.,

retired University protocol and history officer, said there used to be only three main graduation-related ceremonies at the University — Baccalaureate, Class Day and Commencement Exercises.

“Baccalaureate was a non-denominational religious service with an outside speaker, [and] Class Day was the occasion for the awarding

Marshall Bronfin | The Cavalier Daily

Each year at Final Exercises, some secret societies honor graduating students and display the symbols of their organizations.

of various prizes and honors, as well as a speech by the Class President,” Gilliam said in an email statement.

“The Commencement Exercises were for the conferring of degrees and a speech, usually by an outside speaker.”

Gilliam said the Commencement Exercises remain the same, although they were split into two ceremonies on two successive days starting last year.

“Baccalaureate was abolished in the early ’70s, with elements melded into Class Day,” Gilliam said. “The name was changed to Valediction or Valedictory Exercises … in the late ‘70s.”

Valediction is not affiliated with religion and includes an outside speaker and speeches from the class president and other leaders at the University.

Gilliam said several awards and prizes are given out by secret societies at Valediction, including one from the Purple Shadows and two from the Seven Society. However, he said the presenters of these awards who appear on the stage “are not members — or at least not identified as such —

of either group.”

These awards are the Purple Shadows’ Gordon F. Rainey Jr. Award, given to a student “for vigilance to the student experience,” the Seven Society’s Louis A. Onesty Memorial Scholar-Athlete Award, given to “an outstanding student athlete — male or female,” and the Seven Society’s James Earle Sargeant Award, “for a student organization deemed to have done outstanding work during the school year [that] just ended,” Gilliam said.

The Z Society also gives out the Edgar F. Shannon Award to the top undergraduate student at each of the University’s schools.

However, Gilliam said it is important to note that “the Z Society is partially secret in that its members are not known until their fourth year in the University.” The only truly secret societies at the University are the Seven Society and the Purple Shadows, according to Gilliam.

During Final Exercises, some secret societies display their symbols alongside awards given out. While there are no known symbols of the Purple Shadows, Gilliam said the

honoree of the Rainey award is given a purple feather.

“In addition, for a number of years — at least 60 — the banners of the Seven Society, the IMP Society, and the Z Society have been hung from the portico of Old Cabell Hall during Finals,” Gilliam said.

Fourth-year Nursing student Elise Bottimore, a member of the Class of 2016 Trustees, said there are different ways in which secret societies reveal themselves to the graduating class.

“The Z Society reveals themselves at graduation by wearing their Z rings,” Bottimore said in an email statement. “The Purple Shadows give out an award during Valediction, as does the 7 Society, which we — the graduation committee of Trustees — present. The Yellow Journal is not necessarily a secret society but their writers are ‘secret,’ but they can talk about it after graduation” Additionally, Bottimore said the president of the Raven Society carries the Raven Banner as part of the graduation procession.

Jake Lichtenstein contributed reporting to this article.

U.Va. to create multicultural center Center to be constructed in Newcomb Hall, open fall 2016

Courtney Stith Senior Writer

After two years of work between the Office of the Dean of Students and the Multicultural Student Center Initiative, the University will open a multicultural center in fall 2016.

The center will be located in the lower level of Newcomb Hall where The Cavalier Daily office is currently located. The Cavalier Daily will be moving to a partitioned portion of the Media Activities Center.

MSCI Co-Founder Thomas Pilnik, a fourth-year College student, said the center developed from conversations within the Latino Student Alliance and the Minority Rights Coalition in spring 2014. The center will be designed to bring different groups in the University together and facilitate dialogue about intersectionality.

"The goal is to unite different corners of the University to provide a truly multicultural and collaborative space on Central Grounds," Pilnik said in an email statement. "We aim to partner with the administration, students, faculty and alumni to facil-

itate dialogue surrounding intersectionality in order to create the best space possible."

MSCI Co-Founder Catalina Pinto, a third-year College student, said its placement in Newcomb Hall will be an asset to the center.

"In order for a multicultural center to be successful, it has to have a central location," Pinto said in an email statement. "Newcomb Hall is centrally located on Grounds so it will allow for the center to become a great resource, collaboration, social and event space for students."

The Multicultural Student Center is the first of its kind at the University, Pinto said, although Newcomb Hall has been home to the Kaleidoscope Center for Cultural Fluency — an event space and a lounge.

Pilnik said Newcomb Hall is a prime location for the center because many students use the spaces nearby, such as the LGBTQ center and the Programs & Councils space.

"It makes sense that a center that promotes diversity and inclusion is placed there alongside the LGBTQ center and the PAC which serve a wide array of students,” Pilnik said.

While the center will have stu-

dent staff members — similar to student involvement in the LGBTQ center — Office of the Dean of Students staff members will work out of the center as well.

"Four ODOS staff members who concentrate on multicultural programming will be located in the center and will be available every day to students for services and support," Dean of Students Allen Groves said in an email statement.

Both Pinto and Pilnik said finding a space for the center was a challenge but that the University administration was helpful in locating an appropriate space for the center.

Pinto said MSCI will be looking for student input to make the center an inclusive space for all students.

"In the next steps, I think the most challenging part will be to create a space in which all students will feel welcome — for this, we will need as much student input as possible," Pinto said.

In a press release, MSCI and ODOS said they see “see the securing of a space for the multicultural center as one of many steps in sustaining a vibrant, cross-cultural University community.”

Lauren Hornsby | The Cavalier Daily

The new multicultural center will be located in the basement of Newcomb Hall, where The Cavalier Daily office currently resides.

Other students on the current executive board of MSCI are thirdyear College student Brittany Hsieh, fourth-year Architecture student Jackie Restrepo and second-year

College student Bryanna Miller.

Updates on construction and opening dates will be posted on the Multicultural Student Center Initiative’s website.

NEWS

Thursday, May 19, 2016

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U.Va. sponsors ‘Chuck It for Charity’ Program collects gently used items from students during summer moves David Schutte Associate Editor

Lauren Hornsby | The Cavalier Daily

There are 11 off-Grounds locations that will be taking donations from students moving over the summer.

For the 17th year in a row, the University Office for Sustainability is sponsoring its annual “Chuck It for Charity” program, which ran May 5-14 on Grounds and will run May 23-24 off Grounds.

The program — which began in 1999 — encourages students to donate gently used items as they leave dorms and housing for the summer. Instead of throwing them away, students have the opportunity to donate unwanted appliances, furniture, clothing and other items through Chuck It for Charity.

The donations are then given to local nonprofits, including Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity and the Salvation Army.

Dana Schroeder, outreach and engagement coordinator for the Office of Sustainability, said that the program is unique to the University because of its continual improvement.

“Chuck It For Charity began years and years ago as an initiative of the U.Va. Recycling Department to keep usable items out of dumpsters and away from landfills,” Schroeder said in an email statement. “It is

special because it has been going on for quite a long time, with continual improvement each year. I would even say that it is one of the oldest and longest-lasting sustainability initiatives on Grounds!”

The program has experienced significant growth in recent years.

From 2013 to 2015, the amount of on-Grounds donations nearly tripled from 8,842 pounds to 26,240 pounds, according to a press release from the University.

“The program’s recent success has encouraged off Grounds property managers to open three new collection sites this year,” the release read.

The program has also experienced change over time in the types of materials it collects.

Sonny Beale, recycling programs superintendent at the Office of Sustainability, said the on-Grounds collection received more heavy building materials prior to the updating of dorm furnishings.

“In our earliest days we diverted as much as 128,000 pounds of material that included cinder blocks and other building materials typically used for shelving and raising beds for additional storage space,” Beale said in an email statement. “Since the resident halls have updated fur-

nishings to allow for additional storage areas without using the heavy materials, therefore, helping to reduce additional waste to landfill[s].”

This expansion has already had an impact on students living offGrounds.

Alexandra Pitman, a second-year College student, said she plans to “chuck” a desk.

“It’s really disappointing when otherwise useful furniture and goods end up in landfills,” Pitman said. “Just because I don’t want it [the desk] anymore doesn’t mean another person won’t find a place for it.”

Chuck It for Charity locations are also offering free cardboard boxes at the University Recycling Warehouse to help students move out this year.

In addition to Chuck It for Charity’s expansion, the U.Va. Surplus Property Department offered free “E-cycling” at the student activities building May 5-14, allowing students, faculty and staff to donate their used electronics.

There are 11 off-Grounds locations that will be taking donations May 23-24, including locations on Rugby Road, North Grounds and Wertland Street.

BOV considers next steps for Ivy Corridor Corridor is “gateway to the University,” student BOV member says

Ankita Satpathy Associate Editor

The University Board of Visitors Building and Grounds committee discussed possible changes to the intersection of Ivy Road and Emmet Street at its meeting April 26. The area, part of what is known as the Ivy Corridor, was identified by the board as a high-traffic area in need of redevelopment.

The Board’s Resolution for the Ivy Corridor, adopted in March 2015, describes several of the board’s goals, including enhancing “the safety and connectivity between the redevelopment area, Central Grounds and North Grounds while providing an opportunity for interaction with the Charlottesville community.”

Other stated goals include identifying “green space potential for community benefit and aesthetic enhancement of a major University entrance” and accommodating “current transportation, parking and stormwater functions on site.”

The board has supported a study of traffic patterns in the University area and has also been looking at potential reuses of space. According to

a presentation given to the Building and Grounds committee in April, Ivy Mountain, North Grounds, the Ivy Corridor, the International Residential College, West Complex and Brandon Avenue have been identified as potential areas to redevelop.

Student Member of the Board of Visitors Daniel Judge, a fourth-year in the College, said the redevelopment process is still very fluid.

While board members and the administration have several ideas for how to redevelop the Ivy Corridor, the project is still in its initial phases, and no proposed changes have been brought before the Board for a vote yet.

The ideas outlined in the committee’s presentation include walkways to increase connectivity to Central Grounds looking toward Carr’s Hill and improving the area’s aesthetics through including more green space.

Other ideas explored in the presentation included a potential roundabout at the intersection of Ivy Road and Emmet Street — although it was noted that a roundabout could increase conflicts between vehicles and pedestrians and bicycles — as well as altering the lanes at the inter-

section.

The Cavalier Inn may also be repurposed, Judge said, and the committee’s presentation included designs both with and without the Cavalier Inn. Judge said one of the board’s goals is to make the corridor a safer, more efficient space.

“As we are always increasing how pedestrian-friendly we are, how bike friendly we are, I think that a lot of people are wondering how we fix that traffic situation,” Judge said.

Judge also emphasized the importance of the Ivy Corridor as the entrance to the University.

“It’s in many ways a gateway to the University. Coming down [U.S. Route] 29, there’s tons and tons of students and visitors that actually enter the University through that path,” Judge said. “It’s the first time they’re introduced to the University of Virginia, so it’s a pretty key part of Grounds.”

He also said the Ivy Corridor is the approximate geographic center of Grounds.

“I think that the fact that it’s at the center, the fact that it’s the entrance, really raises the level of importance of the Ivy Corridor,” Judge

said. “The amount of care [the board and administration is] putting in to see how students and professors can really use this area and what type of impact it will have on them, because it’s the entrance to our community and again it connects many parts of the University … I think that kind of

adds to the emphasis on it, which is a good thing.”

According to the committee’s presentation, discussing the next steps for the Ivy Corridor is a proposed agenda item for the upcoming Board of Visitors meeting in June.

Lauren Hornsby | The Cavalier Daily

Many consider the Ivy Corridor to be a “gateway” to the University, as many people entering Grounds from Route 29 pass through the area.

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focus Mark Felice Senior Writer

As the 187th Final Exercises occur May 20-22, the University and its 11 schools expect to give out 6,671 degrees for bachelor's, master's, first professional and doctoral and advanced graduate degrees. Many of these students are using the tools afforded to them by the Career Center as a way to get ahead in the job market.

Career Center services The University Career Center has grown in recent years as graduates have entered a difficult job market, and the program has expanded to include an internship center, a Virginia Alumni Mentoring initiative and systems designed to help students explore their interests.

These systems include exploring careers that students are interested in, assistance in shaping a student’s professional brand and helping students develop skills needed to obtain and sustain a job through advising and workshops.

The center also has student Career Peer Educators to assist students with resumes and cover letters and help them use the center’s resources.

Third-year College student and Career Peer Educator Yae Ji Cha said the purpose of the Career Peer Educators is to support career development by connecting students with resources, which can lead to “information sharing.”

“We're trained to know all of the resources and programs the Career Center runs, along with many other resources in general at U.Va., so that we can connect students to the relevant opportunities they seek,” Cha said.

Although Career Peer Educators help with the organization of the Career Center, their primary job is to be a tool for students to use in navigating through the job market.

The center also provides a networking system to connect students with alumni and employers.

“I think what the Career Center does really well is equipping students with the lifelong skills they need to be self-sufficient in their career development,” Cha said. “So these are skills such as writing tailored resumes, cover letters, professional email etiquette, interviewing and how to network, among

The Cavalier Daily

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Career Center continues to aid graduates Higher numbers of employers interviewing on-Grounds, more students using center’s interview room other things. The Career Center also hosts a lot of networking events for students to meet both U.Va. alumni and other professionals in their desired fields, as well as opportunities to meet employers.”

A growing program Participation from both employers interested in University graduates and students getting involved with the Career Center has grown substantially in the past few years.

The number of employers participating in the on-Grounds interviewing program went up 10.2 percent in the past year, with 378 employers interviewing on Grounds between fall

2015 and spring 2016, Everette Fortner, associate vice president of career and professional development, said.

The use of the center’s interview room increased 13.4 percent over last year, with a total

of 1,664 interviews this past academic year.

Fortner also said Virginia Alumni Mentoring has become a major initiative for the center since fall 2015. Within that program, there was a 40 percent increase in alumni who registered, and a 5 percent increase with students who engaged in the program. Over 500 students met with alumni in the first full year of the program.

Advice on moving forward Many rising fourth-years and other students may be wondering when the right time is to start planning for job searches and what resources they should use.

“[There are] three steps — make a list of target companies in which you are interested in working, research those companies on LinkedIn and find U.Va. alumni that work at those companies,” Fortner said in an email statement.

Fortner suggests students contact alumni at potential employers to learn more about their jobs and how received their roles, as well as to take any

advice those alumni might have.

The Career Center also wants students to know what to do when they have finally obtained an interview.

“Talk to employers about your skills, not your major,” Fortner said. “Emphasize the transferable skills that you have developed in your classes and co-curricular activities. Take risks — if something comes along that is not exactly what you are targeting, consider what you will learn from it and go for it for the experience.”

Fortner said the University brand itself can also help graduates stay competitive.

“U.Va. is an extremely strong brand among many employers,” Fortner said. “Leverage that brand, especially among alumni.”

Graduating fourth-years are moving into the workforce and volunteering, and some are still looking for post-graduation opportunities. The Career Center will continue to offer services and resources to graduates for a short period of time.

“Career counselors can really help map out the action steps you need to take to reach your career goals,” Cha said. “Graduating fourth-years can still make appointments to speak with career counselors up until December 31, 2016, and will also have access to our new interface Handshake.”

Handshake is a new online career portal the University recently announced will replace CAVLink on June 15.

“Handshake is this really cool new platform that's algorithm based like Facebook to learn about your job interests and will recommend jobs based on what you've liked in the past, so I want to encourage fourth-years to take advantage of that resource while they can,” Cha said.

Cha said the Career Center wants to help all University students.

“The job and internship search, as well as the pursuit of finding a meaningful career, is a difficult process that can be emotionally taxing and confusing,” Cha said. “We want to help.

Know that you are always welcome at the Career Center and that you can definitely and absolutely should come, even when you feel like you don't have it all figured out.”

Thursday, May 19, 2016

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A look back at graduating Cavaliers

sports

Robert Elder, Matt Wurzburger, Grant Gossage and Mariel Messier Sports Writers

Celebrating eight Virginia athletes who are ending their collegiate careers in the orange and blue

WRESTLING: ZACH NYE

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The Cavalier Daily sports section looks back at eight graduating athletes who have left a lasting impact on their team and the University athletic community.

WOMEN’S SOCCER: EMILY SONNETT

Nye impressed early in his redshirt season, going 21-10 when competing unattached in tournaments. From then on, Nye became a staple for the Virginia wrestling team.

Nye finished as the ACC runner-up in the 197-pound weight class in the 2013-14 season, earning his first NCAA berth. The Enola, Pa. native repeated as the ACC runner-up in his next season after posting a 4-1 record in ACC duals and earning another NCAA qualification. Nye graduated with a bachelor’s degree in May 2015 and competed as a graduate student in 2016, where he earned his third NCAA tournament bid while finishing off his career with a record of 76-39.

Sonnett has been a key player for both Virginia and the nation in her four seasons with the team. Sonnett earned ACC All-Freshman team honors in her first season, and then in 2013 set a Virginia single-season record with 2,341 minutes played.

Sonnett continued to collect accolades, earning the College Cup Most Outstanding Defensive Player honors in 2014. In 2015, Sonnett was selected as a member of the U.S. Women’s National team and traveled with the team during the World Cup victory tour. Sonnett also earned ESPNW National Player of the Year and was a MAC Hermann Trophy finalist.

She will continue to make an impact in women’s soccer on the national team and on the Portland Thorns FC as the top overall NWSL draft pick.

Lauren Hornsby| The Cavalier Daily Lauren Hornsby| The Cavalier Daily

BASEBALL: KEVIN DOHERTY Over his four-year career as a member of the Virginia baseball team, senior reliever and outfielder Kevin Doherty has owned his role. This season, the Laytonsville, Md. native has made more appearances on the mound, 24, than any other Cavalier.

Coach Brian O’Connor has always relied on his lefty veteran in late-inning, high-pressure situations, where Doherty excels on the rubber and, not to mention, delivers in the batter’s box. Fans will remember Doherty for his go-ahead doubles a year ago against Maryland in the Lake Elsinore Regional and Southern California in the Super Regional on the road to Omaha, Neb.

WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING: COURTNEY BARTHOLOMEW

Ryan O’Connor| The Cavalier Daily

The backstroke specialist won 12 All-American honors, claimed 10 ACC Championships and earned 11 All-ACC mentions in her four years in Charlottesville.

She holds the program and conference record in the 100 back, with a time of 50.01, and 200 back, at 1:49.35. Her time of 1:55.23 in the 200 IM is also the best in program history. At the NCAAs in the 2014-15 season, she was the runner-up in both the 100 and 200 back and was part of the 400-yard medley relay team that placed second by .01.

The Virginia women’s swimming and diving team has won nine consecutive ACC titles, and has placed a program-best fifth at the NCAAs for two consecutive years.

Sarah Dodge| The Cavalier Daily

MEN’S TENNIS: RYAN SHANE A month ago, Virginia students gathered around the fence at court one to honor their peer, senior Ryan Shane, as he finished out his final singles match, 6-3, 6-2, at Snyder Tennis Center. The JEB Stuart alum, who currently leads the Cavaliers in defense from their 2014-15 NCAA title, has put together one of the greatest tennis careers in school history, sporting an overall singles record of 101-33.

Shane claimed the individual NCAA singles championship a season ago, in addition to the team title, and competed in the 2015 U.S. Open — a dream of his since he was a kid.

MEN’S BASKETBALL: MALCOLM BROGDON Brogdon leaves Virginia basketball as one of the most decorated players in program history. His 1,809 points rank ninth all-time, and he played the second-most games, 136, in team history.

Brogdon never missed a game in his final three seasons, starting in all 108 contests and earning three selections to the All-ACC first team. In the 2014-15 season, he was selected as a second team All-American.

In his 2015-16 season, Brogdon led Virginia to the Elite Eight, averaging a career-high 18.2 points per game. Named a unanimous consensus first-team All-American, Brogdon was also the ACC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.

Brogdon projects as a fringe first-round prospect in this summer’s NBA Draft.

Lauren Hornsby| The Cavalier Daily

Paul Burke| The Cavalier Daily

FOOTBALL: CANAAN SEVERIN

Paul Burke| The Cavalier Daily

The former four-star recruit, according to Rivals, had a tumultuous first two seasons on grounds. The Massachusetts native caught just six balls for 46 yards. Starting in the 2014 season, however, his fortune changed.

Severin dropped more than 20 pounds and went on to lead Virginia in receiving for two consecutive years, with 578 yards in 2014 and 747 yards in 2015. He also caught eight touchdowns as a senior — four more than any other Cavalier. He was one of four team captains in 2015.

Severin went undrafted in the 2016 NFL Draft, but signed a free agent contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

WOMEN’S TENNIS: JULIA ELBABA Elbaba shined in her freshman season, becoming the first Cavalier to earn a seed at the NCAA Singles Championship. She also received ITA All-American honors and was named the ITA National Rookie of the Year.

In her sophomore season, Elbaba earned her second-straight ITA All-American selection in both singles and doubles. She reached the No. 1 spot in ITA singles rankings in 2014-15 and posted a 30-7 singles record en route to her third-straight All-American singles honors.

In 2016, Elbaba won her 128th career singles match to set the program record. Additionally, she became the first in program history to be a four-time All-ACC first teamer.

Elbaba and the women’s team are currently in the midst of their postseason run.

Mariana Fraser| The Cavalier Daily

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SPORTS

The Cavalier Daily

Reaction to Harbison’s transfer shows fans’ belief in Mendenhall t’s no secret that in recent years, I transferring in collegiate athletics has grown in popularity. The foot-

ing quarterback Michael Rocco departed, at least.

But this transfer, along with the ball team, in particular, others that have affecthas seen its fortunes tied ed Virginia since coach ROBERT ELDER to the transfer market.

Bronco Mendenhall’s Sports Editor The Cavaliers brought arrival in December, was in wide receiver T.J. Thormet with little resistance. pe from North Carolina a season ago, Perhaps it’s because fans never witbut more times than not during the nessed Harbison don the orange and coach Mike London era, Virginia was blue on game day, but I think it goes on the unfortunate end of the transfer deeper than that. news.

Rather, the lack of outcry is due From 2014 starting quarterback to one simple reason: Virginia fans and team captain Greyson Lambert finally have a coach they trust in to 2013 leading receiver Jake McGee, Mendenhall. the Cavalier faithful have come all Under London, players transtoo accustomed to getting up in arms ferring from the program left with over highly touted players leaving. more credibility than the head coach.

So when news broke May 10 that When Rocco said, “It’s an unhealthy freshman running back Tre Harbison environment for any quarterback at was transferring from the football U.Va.,” fans believed him. When Mcprogram, the reaction from the fan- Gee had his spat with position coach base was rather surprising: calmness. Tom O’Brien, fans took the playmakHarbison, who enrolled in Jan- er’s side, rather than the coach’s. uary to participate in spring pracAfter years of roster mismanagetice, was Virginia’s most highly ment and recruiting rankings not touted player in a class without a lot translating into wins, London had of flare or razzle dazzle. The 5-foot- little authority to make light of the 10, 218-pounder was ranked as the transfers in the fans’ eyes. nation’s No. 34 running back by With Mendenhall though, the sit247Sports. He rushed for 5,770-yards uation is different. and 100 touchdowns in his high The former Brigham Young coach school career, leading Crest High has a clear vision for the program.

School to back-to-back state champi- From day one, his vision was expliconships. Harbison won MVP honors it. He was going to run a 3-4 defense, in both games. install an air-raid offense and rebuild Normally, losing a player of Har- the program through accountability, bison’s caliber at an impact position discipline and effort. like running back would have sent So far, he’s stayed true to his word, the fan base into an uproar. That’s and given his 99 wins in 11 seasons what happened when players like at the helm of the Cougars, fans trust Lambert, McGee and 2011-12 start- him.

When Harbison transferred, few panicked. When fellow early-enrollee kicker Holland Corbett was dismissed from the team, leaving Virginia’s placekicking situation unsettled, few batted an eye. And when once highly-touted quarterbacks Nick Johns and Corwin Cutler left the program, the fan base’s reaction was minimal.

If London were still the coach, odds are these moves would have gained a lot more traction.

Mendenhall’s trust goes even further than the transfer market. By focusing his attention on recruiting the offensive line — including landing North Carolina transfer Jared Cohen — he has built goodwill with the fan base, which has been accepting of his radical schematic changes.

Virginia will run an air-raid attack this season, despite the fact that its No. 1 receiver, junior Doni Dowling, had just one catch for minus-one yard in eight games in 2015. And whether it’s Matt Johns (who tossed 17 interceptions last year), Connor Brewer (who attempted eight passes in 2015) or East Carolina transfer Kurt Benkert under center, the Cavaliers will be airing it out with an underwhelming quarterback.

Defensively, the 3-4 alignment is a big change in both formation and technique for the front-seven. In addition, it is usually harder to recruit for the 3-4 base defense than the 4-3, as players of a certain build are required to make the defense most effective.

Yet, despite these drastic changes and once-projected starters leaving

Courtesy Brigham Young University

Mendenhall, who previously coached at Brigham Young University, has developed a base of trust and support in Virginia fans.

the program, the Virginia fan base is at peace. Unlike the London era, they see a coach who knows X’s and O’s and has a firm vision in place for the program. His background in business management and efficiency is an added bonus.

Until Mendenhall proves otherwise, he has the fans’ support. His message resonates, and like he did at

BYU, he believes he can win with any athletes as long as they fit the mindset of his program.

For now, when a player like Harbison transfers, the fan base sees little cause for concern. It’s all part of the Mendenhall’s reclamation project.

In Bronco, fans trust.

Courtesy Virginia Athletics

Rowing wins seventh-consecutive ACC Championship There is only one word that can properly describe the No. 5 Virginia rowing team — dynastic. With the ACC championship regatta being established in 2000, the team had won 15 of 16 championships heading into this season. After wrapping up action in Clemson, S.C. Saturday, the Cavaliers made it 16 out of 17 ACC Championships by winning their seventh

consecutive title.

Throughout the regular season, Virginia primed itself well for postseason success. Whether it be staple victories against Yale or Texas — which were ranked sixth and eighth respectively — the Cavaliers rowed determinedly to achieve their desired results.

On the waters of Lake Hartwell Saturday, the team’s winning atti-

tude persisted. Starting the regatta with a win from the Varsity Eight — which won ACC Crew of the Year honors for the fifth straight year — Virginia plowed full steam ahead by winning all five of its races. In total, Virginia earned the title with 99 points, followed by Duke and Syracuse with 75 points each.

While the team has nine seniors,

the future is bright for the Cavaliers. Freshman Heidi Long — a member of the Varsity Eight boat — won ACC Freshman of the Year.

With her and many other retaining team members, the Cavaliers are in position to capture another ACC title next season.

With this ACC title, Virginia teams have now won four conference championships throughout the

2015-2016 school year. The other teams that have won are women’s swimming and diving, women’s golf and women’s cross country.

Next up, the Virginia rowing team will compete in the NCAA Championships in Gold River, Calif.

May 27-29.

—compiled by Ben Tobin

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Thursday, May 19, 2016

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LEAD EDITORIAL

McDonnell should still do time

opinion

The Supreme Court can find him guilty without criminalizing ordinary political conduct This past Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in the case against former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, who was there to observe the court spar over the true nature of his transgressions.

The debate reveals a fundamental tension between what should be considered dishonest conduct and what should be subject to criminal prosecution. Both the justices and Virginians seem to agree: McDonnell’s conduct was dishonest, disreputable and inexcusable. While we believe McDonnell should serve time for his crime, whether conduct in the same vein should always be subject to prosecution is perhaps a trickier matter than McDonnell’s individual offense.

The disgracefulness of McDonnell’s actions should by now be patently clear. In 2014 a federal jury convicted McDonnell of extortion and fraud, both of which were the result of his relationship with Jonnie R. Williams Sr., who had wanted the state to provide assistance in marketing Anatabloc, a dietary supplement produced by his own company. The gifts which

Williams showered on McDonnell (and his wife) amounted to more than $170,000 in cash and luxury goods; Williams himself testified that he provided the gifts with the expectation that McDonnell would “continue to help… move [his] product forward in Virginia.” That such behavior does not even seem to raise eyebrows among those involved speaks volumes about the basic failings of conscience within our current political system.

McDonnell’s lawyers argue the governor did not perform “official actions” on account of the fact that he did not exercise nor threaten to exercise “actual government power.” Instead, his actions were routine, such as “arranging meetings… [and] attending events.” That distinction, however, makes increasingly less sense in a society in which political influence is gathered not through outright quid pro quo but through the subtle construction of relationships and networks.

Two points raised during the Supreme Court’s oral argument are worth considering. The first, from Chief Justice Roberts, concerned an

amicus brief filed jointly by former White House counsels under each president from Reagan to Obama.

It argues if McDonnell’s conviction were to be upheld, “it [would] cripple the ability of elected officials to fulfill their role in our representative democracy.” The brief suggests that to uphold McDonnell’s conviction would be to prohibit conduct that is (for better or worse) so regular, so ingrained in the fabric of governance that its proscription would stifle the day-to-day operation of government itself. The fact that such a variety of individuals could agree on such a strong point, no less ascribe their names to a document claiming conduct in the same vein as McDonnell’s should not be prosecutable, is — as Roberts himself puts it — “extraordinary.”

The second problem, in the words of Justice Stephen Breyer, is a “separation of powers problem.” A ruling upholding McDonnell’s conviction, he argues, would allow the Department of Justice to become “the ultimate arbiter of how public officials are behaving in the United States — State, local, and national.”

Valid though the concern may be, it does not in itself justify overturning McDonnell’s conviction. The court can surely find a way to affirm the egregiousness of McDonnell’s actions without setting a broad precedent that could harm politicians who are acting in good faith. We only ask that the court makes clear it does not intend to provide constitutional protection for behavior that weakens the integrity of government.

In the world of special interests, the legal distinction between “official acts” and routine political activities such as arranging meetings has become increasingly indefensible. A public official like McDonnell can exert his influence beyond the formal duties of his office, which is exactly what he did in this case; he should, therefore, be held accountable. That neither he, nor his wife, nor the beneficiaries themselves felt their behavior was improper is unfortunate enough, but perhaps that fact in itself is all one needs to know to comprehend the disheartening state to which our politics has fallen.

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8

OPINION

The Cavalier Daily

Whitewashing LGBT history t was with a mix of pleasure and in the debate over who threw the first anger that I read about President brick at Stonewall, today it seems a Barack Obama’s recent announce- moot point. It doesn’t matter who ment that he will create threw the first brick at the first national monStonewall in 1969, since DREW KISER ument to gay rights at the first “brick” wasn’t Guest Writer the Stonewall Inn bar even thrown in New in New York’s West VilYork at all; it was thrown lage, the site of the 1969 riots and the in San Francisco in August of 1966 “birthplace of America’s modern gay at the Compton Cafeteria Riots. liberation movement.” Pleasure in There, patrons fought back against seeing that, after 45 years, the LGBT police harassment in the same style community has begun to be recog- as Stonewall, and they caused some nized as the site of the most explosive good, old-fashioned havoc in the change since the Civil Rights Move- process. ment. Rage, however, at the historical So why wasn’t it reported on? inaccuracies, which fall somewhere Why don’t we cite it as the first between lazy and inexcusable. chapter of the Gay Liberation moveLast year, a firestorm erupt- ment? Where’s the Compton movie? ed when word got out that Roland Where’s the monument, Obama?

Emmerich had made a film about I suspect this oversight has somethe Stonewall riots in which the role thing to do with the fact that the of instigator was played by a white, Compton patrons were transgender. wholesome, corn-fed cisgender gay To locate the origins of the LGBT youth, instead of the more histori- movement within a space as typically likely trans person of color. Em- cally cisgendered as Stonewall, then, merich admits that the historical re- flies in the face of historical fact. The cord does not support this narrative, announcement of this monument is but he decided to represent it that just another page in the LGBT moveway anyway. ment’s shameless negligence of the Though I would love to re-engage “T.” Keep in mind the gender-variant

rioters of Compton were gathered in the Tenderloin district because they were “unwelcome” in gay bars. Our movement originated in the oppression of trans people within the queer community, yet our role keeps getting erased.

these movement, and they did not do anywhere near as much to organize people as trans women such as Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera did.

The battle for queer rights was fought by those who could not afford to stay in hiding: the trans, the poor and people of color. White cis gay men have been living on the organizational labor of trans people since the beginning of the movement, and now, The battle for queer rights was fought by those it seems, they demand credit for work they who could not afford to stay in hiding.” didn’t do. The Stonewall monument ought to read: white gays, this is not for you.

I am tired of gay revisionists who But let me return to the first thing underhandedly imply the queer I felt when I heard the news: pleasure. rights movement started with the Despite the fudged history, I am still most palatable demographic: white so glad to hear that there will be a cisgender gay men. In the words of lasting monument to the struggles of Rutgers Prof. Tim Stewart-Winter, queer people to gain legitimacy in the who specializes in the history of gay American political system. The fight movements, “this is something that has been fraught with violence, with was not a project of middle-class, cruelty and with death. white activists.” The fact of the matStill, things are nowhere near ter is they were not at the forefront of where they need to be. Lesbian, gay

“

I

A new monument ignores the role of trans people of color and bisexual youth are four times more likely to commit suicide than their straight peers. The numbers are similar for trans youth. There are no federal protections for queer people in terms of employment or housing.

And the most successful queer people in media are still predominantly well-muscled white dudes with names like “Patrick” or “Anderson.”

Looking at all this, I am reminded of the value of such a monument toward the recognition of the queer community, but I am doubly aware of the danger of erasing the truth of our history.

Build a monument at Compton, President Obama. Build a monument for Marsha. I am proud to be a member of the modern queer community.

But if being a member community means rewriting history to ignore the importance of gender nonconforming people, then I no longer want to be a part of it.

Drew Kiser is a third-year in the College.

Tone down the smug liberal rhetoric E

Liberals must proactively try to understand conservative social views

mmett Rensin recently pub- ry.” Brandon Brooks attacks the lished a piece in Vox lament- “absurd logic used to justify [the ing “the smug style in American law’s] passage.” Tamar Ziff, linking liberalism.” Rensin is a H2B to religious liberty liberal himself, but like such as Indiana’s MATT WINESETT laws a good team player he controversial Religious Senior Associate Editor isn’t afraid to offer conFreedom Restoration structive criticism to Act, asserts the “Radhis own side. Now that a new front ical Religious Right” has “equathas opened in the culture war — ed ‘freedom of conscience’ with the “bathroom bills” garnering freedom of intolerance.” I have no national attention in North Caro- doubt these statements reflect genlina and Mississippi — several of uine and justifiable moral outrage my fellow columnists and liberals at what they perceive are hateeverywhere eager to enter the fray ful laws, but the statements seem would do well to first heed Rensin’s more likely to signal the writer’s advice. virtue to other like-minded inRensin argues the vein of smug- dividuals than actually win any ness that seems to be pervasive hearts or minds. in contemporary liberalism has Siegel, Brooks and Ziff all present weakened its mass appeal, thereby compelling reasons why H2B is making it more difficult for lib- poor policy, intentionally discrimerals to enact their proposals. In inatory and hypocritical. Moreoshort, liberals have become their ver, even some conservatives like own worst enemies. I find this ar- columnist Charles Krauthammer gument plausible, perhaps even have rebuked the law, labeling H2B convincing. Consider the recent “a solution in search of an issue.” language employed in The Cava- As Krauthammer and the aforelier Daily editorial pages to attack mentioned Cavalier Daily colNorth Carolina’s controversial law, umnists all point out, fears of ramH2B, which prohibits individuals pant abuse if we allow transgender from using public bathrooms that persons to use the bathroom of don’t correspond to their biologi- their choice are wildly overblown. cal sex: There is not “an epidemic of transLucy Siegel approvingly cites a dif- genders being evil in bathrooms.” ferent student who calls the bill “a And yet these fears and the laws chapter in America’s horror sto- they spawn persist.

Rather than mock these fears as irrational, hateful or bigoted — or even cite statistics and offer what we may see as dispassionate analysis — we should first try to understand and empathize with those who hold them. Do you think the average 65-year-old man who has signaled his support for this law either directly or through a pollster to his local state representative really has the same view of transgender issues as the average liberal college student at an elite University? A majority of Americans oppose allowing transgender people to use their preferred bathroom, and ordinances instituting a policy have even failed in progressive areas such as Houston. Justified or not, popular resistance to these policies is strong.

This does not make these views correct or these fears well-founded, but it does mean these views are persistent and must be countered with something other than accusations. The first step is as simple as acknowledging the guiding motivation for some current opponents of these laws might legitimately be safety concerns, not bigotry. The second is to realize that even if bigotry is a motivating factor, as Rensin warns, opponents of the law should avoid condescension.

I realize this may be difficult, as many conservative proponents of the law seem just as eager to escalate the culture war as the liberals who oppose it. Nearly one million people are already pledging to boycott Target for signaling its openness toward transgender individuals. A Florida woman has even received national attention for announcing she’d be carrying her Glock .45 when using Target bathrooms now; the gun, she said, “identifies as my bodyguard.”

Guns and LGBT issues at once — I can’t imagine a more perfect microcosm of our polarized society.

Fairly or not, I think the burden must fall on opponents of H2B and similar laws to de-escalate this conflict because supporters of the law clearly won’t; Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) for example seems eager to turn the law into a wedge issue.

The most important emotion opponents of North Carolina’s law should convey is empathy, not disgust. Public shaming and celebrity boycotts may result in the repeal of certain discriminatory laws, but they won’t result in any sort of consensus concerning the central issue. If anything, I’d wager these approaches only stoke resentment and make finding common ground more difficult.

This common ground is not so

hard to find. Opponents of the law can at least understand why the idea of men in women’s bathrooms unnerves people. Then they can note how if the idea is to simply keep scary-looking men from entering women’s bathroom’s, laws prohibiting transgender individuals from using the bathroom of their gender identity are actually horrible policies. U.S. Army Sergeant Shane Ortega, for example, is a transgender man and bodybuilder with roughly the same figure as Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Under current North Carolina law, he’d be required to use the women’s bathroom. It’s hard to imagine many proponents of H2B had this in mind when they supported the law. This example may not direct us to a simple or obvious solution to this current conflict, but it at least demonstrates that the opposing views are not irreconcilable.

We just needed to tone down the rhetoric to realize it.

Matt Winesett is a Senior Associate Editor for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at m.winesett@cavalierdaily.com.

OPINION

Thursday, May 19, 2016

9

Stop military interventions in the Arab world Force-based approaches to terrorism are counterproductive ecent polls suggest there is R a large consensus building in America for increased military

tries who are stepping up… Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Jordan and the UAE.” The popularity of these intervention in Syria statements about Islam and Iraq. Fifty-three and Muslim-majority SAWAN PATEL percent of Americans nations shows AmeriOpinion Columnist support “boots on the cans don’t understand ground” in Iraq and fundamental facts about Syria. Sixty-eight percent of Amer- the situation right now in the Midicans believe we have not been dle East. aggressive enough in our military Gulf nations who are nominally response to ISIS. Fifty-five percent our allies have funded ISIS. Jordan of Americans hold an “unfavorable” already has their hands full with opinion of Islam. The results from millions of Palestinian refugees that these polls point to the existence have been there for decades and of large hypocrisies in American hundreds of thousands of Syrian policy that create negative feedback refugees that have poured in remechanisms for more terrorism; a cently. The United States has done force-based approach to statebuild- nothing concrete over the years to ing and conflict resolution; and a alleviate Jordan’s refugee problems fundamental misunderstanding of for decades through de facto supIslam and the nature of the conflicts port of Israel. Now we expect these occurring in Syria and Iraq. same countries to make the brunt Indeed, the consensus on these of the effort of stopping ISIS and issues overwhelms partisan differ- taking in refugees. We expect their ences, although differences do exist support without a similar dedicabetween the parties. Sen. Bernie tion to helping the displaced ourSanders (D-VT), one of the stand- selves, but we are more than willing ard bearers for the American far to bomb them. left, said that, “This war is a battle Injudiciously, when Cruz says for the soul of Islam and it’s going we need to “carpet bomb” ISIS to to have to be the Muslim coun- oblivion and Republican presiden-

Now let me tell you why: For the past four years I’ve spent the majority of my time in the basement of Newcomb, laying out the print edition of The Cavalier Daily.

Yes, that’s right, this University actually has a print paper. And contrary to popular belief, the articles, photographs and advertisements do not just show up on the pages by themselves. There is a designated team of humans quietly (or audibly, depending) cursing at crashed InDesign files or uncooperative Photoshop tools late into the night on any given Sunday or Wednesday.

Being part of the Production staff is pretty much the same thing as being part of a secret society (or at least, how I imagine it to be): you spend a lot of time with a small group of people, do some anonymous work for the good of humanity and then go home much too late in the night.

The point here being that no one knows who you are or what you really do. If I had a nickel for every time someone said, “Oh, you’re on The Cavalier Daily? What do you write?” I’d be able to pay for my outof-state tuition two times over. So since this is actually my first time writing for The Cavalier Daily, I

economic or soft power. It is incontestable that the poor job prospects and scarcities in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere have contributed to the attractiveness of an afterlife without trouble offered by fundamentalist organizations. Even in this life, being in ISIS comes with solid pay and incentives for looting, which are hard to find elsewhere for young Arab men.

Improving the economic conditions of these countries would go a long way to thwart the appeal of fundamentalism. Halfhearted nation-building in Iraq and Afghanistan crippled the effectiveness of our military efforts. Strikingly, the lessons of these countries were never learned, and even today there is little to no support for extended nation-building abroad.

What Sanders describes as a war for the soul of Islam is actually a war for the soul of the people of the Middle East. Stuck between the rock that is fundamentalism and the hard place that is agreeing with U.S. policies is a tough decision for the Arab people. Goodwill, charity and reigning in the abuses of our allies would go far to alleviate these

problems, not more U.S. imperial domination.

Finally, American misunderstanding of terrorism as a product of purely fundamentalist Islam — rather than a result of economic circumstances, western imperialism or U.S. foreign policy — hurts our efforts to stop terrorism. As a result of decades of mismanagement and conflicting U.S. foreign policy goals, preceded by France and the United Kingdom’s imperial mistakes, the Middle East today is a patchwork of alliances, sectarian tensions and billions of oil dollars.

Our refusal to help with refugees, overreliance on military force and inability to understand why our endeavors in the Middle East fail alienates many Arabs from us and drives them towards, rather than away, from fundamentalism.

Sawan Patel is an Opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at s.patel@cavalierdaily.com.

An ode to the little fish figure I should try to make it worth your while. So listen up, friends, because I only get to climb onto my metaphorical soapbox once, and I want you to hear this.

SLOAN CHRISTOPHER 125th and 126th Production Editor

At U.Va. we are surrounded by a plethora of impressive people: students who win national championships, students who live on the Lawn,

students who apply for and actually receive research grants to travel the world and pursue their passions, etc. These friends and colleagues are the big fish — the talented and downright stellar humans that U.Va. is known for producing by the bucketful. These are the students whose faces and accomplishments are plastered throughout every admission flyer and UVA Today article and whatever else the administration sends out to wealthy alumni when it asks for money. These are the students who should be celebrated, because hey, they worked their asses off in some way or another and have something to show for it. But I don’t want to talk about these students. I want to talk about everyone else — the little fish of the University. The little fish are the behind the scenes students who do their best and are never recognized for it. I’m talking about the students who serve on the Corner and work their way up to bartender by fourth year. I’m talking about the students who stay out late, drink a little too much and laugh a little too hard. I’m talking about the students who slave away in the basement of Newcomb on a dying medium and see their pride and joy used for fire fuel and packing material.

I’m talking about the students at this University who have ever felt like they aren’t good enough to be here,

or that they will never fill the shoes of those who came before them.

Although being surrounded by such impressive big fish can be inspiring, it can also make you feel down a lot of the time. As little fish, especially little U.Va. fish, we are constantly trying to be “the best,” to “win,” to do something no one else has done before. And I’m not saying we shouldn’t try, or that we shouldn’t

words, the University will not miss me the same way I will miss it. The Rotunda will still stand after I walk the Lawn; the doodle I left in a cubicle on the first floor of Clemons will forever distract my fellow procrastinators; and The Cavalier Daily will continue to show up in newsstands.

But that’s not the point. The point is that even though I will leave the University much the way I found it, even though I never got a 4.0 or won an award or got tapped for a secret society (still waiting), I will not leave the University the same way I entered it. And whether Whether you’re a big fish or a small fish, you you’re a big fish or a will not leave as the same fish you were when small fish, you too will not leave as the you arrived.” same fish you were when you arrived. Becelebrate the fish that can accom- cause whether you know it or not, plish these goals, but what I am you have grown and matured and saying is that it’s okay if you’re just a turned into someone that 5-year-old little fish. Think about it: there can’t you would be in awe of. And that’s be a big fish without a little fish. Life something to keep swimming for. and labels are relative, and without So, keep doing you, Little Fish. us, the big fish would just be fish.

Don’t let the accomplishments of Many of these little fish, like your friends and colleagues get you myself, will leave the University in down because you, too, are doing big much of the same way we found it things, even if you can’t put a label when we arrived — except for that on it. Embrace the Little Fish title hole in the wall I tried to cover up and wear it with pride. You are a litwith my wardrobe first year. In other tle fish, and you are enough.

“

i, U.Va., it’s me, Sloan. If you H don’t already know me, you’ve probably never heard my name.

tial candidate Donald Trump says he will bring back “a hell of alot worse than waterboarding,” it creates negative feedback mechanisms that only increase the number of terrorists. Indeed, when America bombs hospitals and kills civilians in war-torn areas, and when U.S.made bombs kill dozens of civilians in Yemen, there is a natural response to hate America and turn towards fundamentalism. These statements and actions only pushes young Arab men who may already have little hope for the future into fundamentalist paths. Imagine already living in a war-ravaged and poverty-stricken country; then imagine the U.S. bombing your house and killing your family. Instead of apologizing, the Americans call that collateral damage. Such actions, combined with the rhetoric of American presidential candidates like Cruz and Trump, push precariously positioned young men to become radicalized against America.

Undeniably, this is emblematic of the United States’s force first doctrine, which seeks to solve problems with force before diplomacy,

The Cavalier Daily

A&E arts & entertainment

Michael Crawford Senior Writer

In 2013, Haken’s third album, “The Mountain,” established the group as giants in the modern progressive metal scene. The album’s creative a cappella vocal parts, culled from cult prog classic Gentle Giant, gave cuts like “Cockroach King” which, nearly three years later, still sound entirely unique within the scene.

Doubters who had previously called them Dream Theater clones were promptly shut down by the vocals, the quirky jazz sensibilities and an overwhelming sense of heart and emotion,

10

Haken releases ‘The Mountain’ follow-up ‘Affinity’ plays it safe, but is still consistently solid which often lack in the sterile genre of prog metal.

Sadly, “Affinity” is not “The Mountain.” The unique nods to Gentle Giant are gone, replaced by a sound which, for better or worse, harkens back to “Images and Words,” Dream Theater’s 1992 prog metal classic.

The first nine-minute epic from “Affinity” — “1985” — opens with guitar and keyboard interplay which John Petrucci and Kevin Moore could have written. Add in a smattering of electronic drums reminiscent of mid-1980s’ Rush, and the track is essentially an electronic version of “Images and Words.”

This would be a bigger prob-

lem if Haken didn’t execute it all so well. The sextet still writes engaging instrumental sections, perfecting the balance between technicality and fun, which Dream Theater sorely lacks today.

A few other influences creep in to create a varied record.

Around 10 minutes into behemoth track “The Architect,” an incredible guitar solo plays over an icy riff stolen from Opeth’s songwriting playbook, and the group briefly flirts with dubstep in the standout single, “The Endless Knot.” These little quirks make for an engaging listen, even if they’re never the basis of entire songs like previous

work “Cockroach King.”

“Bound by Gravity” reminds listeners of Haken’s true potential. The nine-minute closer is almost entirely vocal-based, but singer Ross Jennings knocks it out of the park with backing harmonies and vocal arrangements. The climax is astounding and is guaranteed to leave listeners with goosebumps every time.

It easily stands toe-to-toe with the equally phenomenal closer, “Somebody,” from “The Mountain,” and hopefully it gives some indication of where Haken will go next.

The climax of “Bound by Gravity” only diminishes its scope: it provides a peak, but not

to “Affinity” as a whole. “Somebody,” however, works better because it feels conclusive to the entire journey “The Mountain” conveys; it gives the sense of someone who, after many trials and tribulations, found both humility and empowerment. In comparison, “Affinity” lacks the unity of its predecessor, and its impact as an album is weakened as a whole.

As a collection of Dream Theater-inspired jams, “Affinity” is worthy of a full recommendation, but it’s difficult to appraise as “The Mountain” looms in the background.

Aesop Rock’s latest shines with emotional depth ‘The Impossible Kid’ marks return of indie-rap god Samantha Rafalowski Senior Writer

Known for his extensive vocabulary and incredibly dense songs, Aesop Rock has one of the most unusual voices and approaches to rap in history. “The Impossible Kid,” the rapper’s first album in four years, does nothing but strengthen his legacy.

The LP, which tells a profoundly personal story about life and growth, can almost be considered a confessional. However, it’s not obvious or whiny about it.

Listening to this album is like looking at a smudged photograph. Listeners have a pretty good idea of some of the relationships and events Aesop has experienced over the last several years — likely, those causing him to leave San Francisco and live in a barn secluded in the woods for a few years — but in the end, they’re still just guessing. All composition on the album is his own, which is another reason this man should be considered a leader and trailblazer of the indie-rap genre.

The biggest standouts on “The Impossible Kid” give fans the

clearest look into Aesop Rock’s psyche. These include “Blood Sandwich,” which discusses the relationships he has with his brothers, and “Get Out of the Car,” which touches on his experience with death after losing friend and fellow rapper Camu Tao. Lyrics like, “Into the woods go his alien tongue / It was that or a textbook faking of funk / And I can’t,” may explain his hiatus.

Other songs show Aesop isn’t content living out in the middle of nowhere. On “Dorks,” for example, the artist says, “If I died in my apartment like a rat in a cage

/ Would the neighbors smell the corpse before the cat ate my face? / I used to floss the albatross like Daddy Kane with the chain / I’m trying to jettison the ballast with the hazardous waste.” Clearly, he is not done making a difference in the world.

A similar fear of solitariness is also seen in “Lotta Years,” which adds a refreshing breath of simplicity to the album. Aesop describes hearing a conversation between a juice bar employee and a customer, and then he reflects on aging and cultural changes: “You should have seen me in the

80s / I was bumping New Edition, dragging acne into Hades.” This track shows a lot more and tells a lot less.

“The Impossible Kid” is true to Aesop’s identity as an artist and shows his extreme growth as a producer. As is the case with most of his other work, this album is hard to listen to for pleasure — it’s very dense, and the tracks start to blend together about halfway through — but such is Aesop’s work. His music is mysterious and exists for stimulation, not relaxation.

L life

Kate Edson Feature Writer

As a four year member and membership chair of University Programs Council, a resident advisor and an Alternative Spring Break participant, it’s safe to say fourth-year College student Farheena Mustafa had plenty of opportunities during her four years at the University to touch the lives of many students. “[Farheena] makes everyone feel so welcome … she always has time for people,” third-year College student EricaJoy Oliverio said. “Every stranger for her is just a friend she hasn’t met yet.”

Mustafa said she credits her amazing experience at the University not only to the things she did but also the people she met along the way.

“I’ve spent moments with people, forming bonds and growing in relationships and friendships, and for me that has impacted me the most,” Mustafa said.

Thursday, May 19, 2016

11

Defining her own happiness Farheena Mustafa emphasizes people and passion Mustafa said her involvement in UPC helped her to grow the most.

“I was challenged in a really cool way [and] learned more about my strengths and weaknesses as a leader,” Mustafa said.

“You’re putting on these huge events, and it requires some organization, and you have to be very communicative … [so] in terms of professional and leadership development, UPC takes the cake.”

Oliverio, who will serve as UPC programming chair for the 2016-17 school year, met Mustafa at the beginning of her first year. “[She] was the first person … to really reach out to me,” Oliverio said. “She’s the one who encouraged me to join the organization.”

Mustafa and Oliverio got to know each other as they served on the UPC membership committee, governing council and executive board together.

“You can tell with everything

that [Mustafa] does that she’s devoted her time to it, and it’s kind of remarkable,” Oliverio said. “I feel honored as an organization that we’re something she chose to invest her time in.”

As UPC membership chair, Mustafa organized training for the new members.

“This past year, she was … the only person in the entire organization who [knew] every person’s name,” Oliverio said.

Regarding her other involvements, Mustafa said being an RA was a life-changing experience.

“You become involved in 20 lives very early on, and there’s like this natural bond that forms, and you automatically become a part of someone’s support system,” Mustafa said. “It really, really taught me a new level of appreciation for how powerful building a relationship can be in someone’s life. It was just a really cool thing to experience and be a part of.”

Mustafa also helped organize the University’s first Suicide Prevention Walk in April, participat-

ed in St. Baldrick’s — shaving her head and raising money to benefit cancer patients — and studied abroad in Lyon, France. Through her involvement, Oliverio said Mustafa was a “a ray of light.”

Mustafa will cherish the people she has met and the relationships she’s formed at U.Va. upon graduating.

“You meet such amazing people in your four years, and people who are so open to learning and being challenged,” Mustafa said.

“You cross paths with people from all walks of life. I think that we take it for granted a lot.”

During her four years, Mustafa came to realize “it’s very easy to feel like you have to fit into a mold when you come to U.Va.” “The standards of success are so kind of put in your face, and I think I’ve very much gone against the grain in terms of that,” Mustafa said. “I’ve done things that I’ve [been] truly passionate about.”

Mustafa was recognized by multiple secret societies for her contributions to the Universi-

ty community this year, and she thinks her drive to stay true to herself and choose projects that she feels passionate about has enabled her to contribute so much to the University during her time here.

Looking forward, Mustafa doesn’t have concrete plans for the near future.

“I am kind of relaxing,” Mustafa said. “I’m going to take time for myself … [and] do some light traveling with my family and my friends. I think it’s refreshing to hear that someone doesn’t have it all figured out, and you don’t have to!”

Mustafa said she was “very happy” with her four years here, and her parting advice to current University students is simple.

“Don’t worry about doing U.Va. right,” Mustafa said. “Worry about doing college right by your own terms. Do what you love. Do it because you love it …

You define your own success. You define your own happiness.”

A passion for helping others Ben Cunningham’s post-college plan mixes many interests Julie Bond Feature Writer

Many students dread entering the ‘real-world’ and associate a job with mundane tasks and the same unchanging landscape. However, fourth-year Commerce student Ben Cunningham proves having a job can mean blending multiple interests and doing something new with your life.

Starting this August, Cunningham will work for Study Hall Educational Foundation, which fosters learning for disadvantaged youths in India, including children with mental disorders and underprivileged girls. One of the foundation’s main goals is to instill arts into their curriculum in order to give students confidence and a new way of learning. Al-

though Cunningham will mostly be doing back office work, he will also have the opportunity to help develop a class based on playwriting and performance.

“I want to work with people writing plays off of their own experiences,” Cunningham said.

“It kind of gives them a medium to look at the issues they have at home … they can try to get to some emotional resolution with it.”

While at the University, Cunningham not only focused his efforts on his Commerce classes but also stayed involved in theater through plays with Spectrum Theatre, theater classes at the University and assisting an after-school theater program.

Cunningham first learned of the SHEF opportunity last summer while interning for Accentu-

re in Washington, D.C. “I liked the experience, but I wasn’t totally fulfilled,” Cunningham said. “There are people who do consulting and they like it, but it’s not like their passion.”

In October, Cunningham met with the founder of SHEF in New York and was able to turn the opportunity into a job. While SHEF has a number of schools aimed at educating different types of students at the primary, secondary and post-secondary levels, the office Cunningham will be working at in Lucknow, India, works closely with a school solely for girls.

Although in February Cunningham will leave India and eventually start work at McKinsey & Company in Atlanta, it is likely his foray into the nonprofit world will not stop there. “[Cunningham] is incredibly

passionate about helping others,” third-year College student Matthew Golden said. “I know long term he wants to go work in the nonprofit world, and he sees this as a great opportunity to learn about potential things he could do before going on and getting more concrete business skills that he can then bring back to the nonprofit world.”

Cunningham expects the experience to be different from anything he’s ever done before.

“I am so nervous,” Cunningham said. “I’m like the only intern there, and I’m the only person my age there. I’m going to be completely alone, which is good because college is a place where you’re never alone. I’m hoping to learn from it and not go crazy.”

In particular, Cunningham said he is excited to learn about

the difference in business culture between India and America.

“They have a very relaxed demeanor and mentality [in India] … but they work very hard,” Cunningham said.

Golden, who is also a brother of Cunningham’s business fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi, said this next step in Cunningham’s life did not seem at all uncharacteristic of him.

“He is very adventurous and has a drive to constantly want more out of the world,” Golden said. “He’s incredibly spontaneous, whether that means deciding to fly to Iceland on a week’s notice or sleeping in a garden to watch the Purple Shadows. He’s always trying to try something new and get more out of life.”

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LIFE

The Cavalier Daily

To me, U.Va. is…

Reflections on four years ccidentally dying your A roommate’s hair purple in the Watson-Webb bathroom, un-

a snow day, gentle flurries quieting University Circle.

Sneaking into secret gardens der harsh fluorescent lights. on Sunday afternoons and peelQuiet prayer on Wednesday ing dandelions petal by petal, over evenings on red couchconversations about es, in a familiar ivy-cov“Paradise Lost” and GRACE MUTH ered house. stage fright.

Life Columnist Unintentionally killPhoning your mom, ing four orchids and anxious and panicked two Betta fish, named Jaws and about something they call the “fuJaws II. ture,” driving five miles per hour Trying College Inn cheesy under the speed limit. Hearing bread for the first time. And avo- her say, “It will all work out,” but cado feta pizza. And Cool Ranch doubting it.

Doritos. And O-Hill ice milk. And Taylor Swift and Yeezus and Carter Mountain donuts.

Tracy Chapman and learning Walking on the dewy grass of every word to “Wagon Wheel.” the Lawn at 6 a.m., the morning Falling in love. And out of love. after an all-nighter. It is listening And in love again. to the sparrows as the soft mornThinking you might want to be ing light reflects off the Rotunda a doctor, then getting your first bidome. ology exam back and re-thinking.

Sitting next to an accused stuRacist graffiti and the “not gay” dent during an Honor trial and chant. Talking to a friend who hearing “not guilty” announced by says, “I’m not surprised. Just tired.” the Chair. It is walking out of the Watching your friends perform room to a hug from the student’s “Hamlet” and “Titus Andronicus” sobbing mother. and sing in the Hullabahoos and Seven pairs of shoes ruined on the Virginia Gentlemen and dance sticky fraternity floors. in a Chinese New Year celebration.

It is cooking eggs and blueberry It is reading and rereading pancakes with your roommates on Ovid’s “Metamorphoses.” Sitting

in your professor’s office hours talking about pickup basketball and Bonhoeffer. Their questions, their curiosity, their passion about Achebe and Coates and Yeats and Foucault.

Nailing art to the walls of your first apartment.

It is sitting in the Amphitheatre during a candlelight vigil, holding plastic cups with flickering flames.

Praying for the safe return of a missing classmate, thousands of voices raised in the cool fall air.

Late nights in Alderman stacks and Clemons cubicles and thinking you’ll never finish the paper or pass the exam or be hired by anyone.

It is thinking you’re too big in some places and not big enough in others; too blonde or not blonde enough, all at once.

Games of Scattergories in your living room, piccolo at El Jaripeo and Kings on your back porch with fireflies like embers in the trees in summer twilight.

GroupMes and group texts and too many listservs. It is snapchats and Facebook stalking your crush and your crush’s ex-girlfriend’s sister. And Netflix.

It is feeling both very old and so young.

Walking past Mad Bowl each morning, rugby players and sun-bathers and slip-and-sliders all congregating under the new spring sun.

It is a Love Connection date.

Sam and Judy’s Friday brunch.

It is surviving. It is remembering. It is becoming. It is trying to imagine where you’ll be of use.

Double-bourbon gingers at the Virginian on Sunday nights.

Imagining living in San Francisco or New York or Washington, D.C. Imagining yourself in Charlottesville forever. Imagining traveling to Malaysia or Dublin and being unable to imagine where you would buy the simple things, like milk or gummy vitamins.

Parents and friends and older brothers, burdened by depression and addiction. Not knowing what to say.

It is worrying you’ll never love a place as much as you love the winding brick pathways, the quiet, stark simplicity of Corinthian columns, the gently curving serpentine walls.

Singing “The Good Old Song”

at a basketball game.

Driving each Tuesday to Beaumont Juvenile Correctional Center. It is pat-downs and walking past locked mint green doors and across a wide concrete courtyard. It is seeing the faces of the residents, your friends, and talking about sisters and forgiveness and chocolate. It is the long drive back to Grounds, knowing you will never see them again.

Wine tasting and cider tasting and neglecting your 20-page term paper to imagine the five of you in 10 years, in 50 years. It is vaguely picturing children or maybe an art gallery.

It is your first Convocation, gathering on the Lawn with your hallmates, unsure if these buildings, this school, would ever feel like your home. It is imagining the walk down the Lawn in a few weeks, colored balloons and teary parents, and your best friends beside you, wondering how you will survive the strange, mysterious place called the real world. It is thinking this place feels real, and also perfect, and deeply flawed, and also just like home.

A thank you note to U.Va. To all the people and places who made these four years wonderful I don’t think anything could Earth on sunny days. Thank you have prepared me for the end of for providing a center where our my fourth year. In theory, I knew community can gather in both I would be sad to leave this place. good times and bad. Thank you I knew it would be weird to transi- for letting hundreds of students throw snowballs across tion to something new.

But I expected it to be KELLY SEEGERS your blanket of snow late at night. Thank you more like the feeling Life Columnist for providing the trees you get when you find where I could fail at out that your favorite ice cream store is going out of business, slacklining, and the rocking chairs or your favorite TV show is ending. where I could run into my friends I didn’t expect to feel the deep sense as I walked to class. Thank you for of loss mingled with fear that I have constantly inspiring me to act like a tourist in my own home, just to begun to experience recently. try one more time to fully capture But instead of dwelling on this your beauty on camera. Thank you sadness, I prefer to focus on the for the fact that I’ll never be able to. gratitude I feel for the good times To the Gardens, thank you for I have had here. So, I would like to the shadowy corners where you write a thank-you note to U.Va. have allowed me to sit and find solTo the Lawn, thank you for be- itude. Thank you for your winding ing a reliable taste of heaven on brick walls that I’ll never find anywhere else. Thank you for allowing

me to read, pray, laugh, cry, stargaze, play croquet and sip coffee with friends.

To Alderman Library, thank you for being too large and mysterious to ever really figure out. Thank you for housing way more books than any one person could ever read.

Thank you for providing a place for me to fuel my caffeine addiction.

Thank you for allowing me to pretend I go to Hogwarts.

To the Corner, thank you for providing a soundtrack for my walk home every day. Thank you for your unique mix of delicious and questionable smells. Thank you for your many options of coffeehouses. Thank you for the gift of oozing cream cheese from a Bodo’s bagel, gooey brownie at Arch’s and brunch at The Pigeon Hole.

To the Blue Ridge Mountains, thank you for always proving there is something beautiful on the horizon. Thank you for giving me a place to get away when life became too hectic.

To my professors, thank you for sharing your passions and intellectual interests with me. Thank you for having office hours, even if I never went to them. Thank you for helping me cultivate my love for reading and writing. Thank you for always reminding me that my perspective is not the only one.

To my friends, thank you for making this place my home. Thank you for the smiles you greet me with. Thank you for asking how my day has been and for listening to my answer. Thank you for eating meals with me, going on adventures with me, lying on the Lawn with me and

sharing your thoughts with me. But most of all, thank you for loving me.

To everyone who has ever read my columns, thank you for listening to my reflections. It has been a privilege to have had this platform to communicate bits of my college experience over the past four years.

I hope you may have gained something along the way, but even if not, thank you for your support.

Winnie the Pooh once said, “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”

Thank you to God for giving me so many people, places and memories that are so difficult to leave behind.

And thank you for the fact that I’ll never really have to, because I will carry it all with me in my heart.

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Thursday, May 19, 2016

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