Thursday, May 19, 2022

The Cavalier Daily

Vol. 132, Issue 16

KHUYEN DINH | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Thursday, May 19, 2022

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NEWS

This week in-brief CD News Staff

Governor Youngkin urges college presidents to hire faculty with more diverse political perspectives In a statement sent to presidents of Virginia’s public universities, Governor Glenn Youngkin asked schools to increase their commitment to free speech by taking on more faculty of “diverse political perspectives” and supporting events and forums that allow for the civil exchange of ideas.

The letter begins with an acknowledgment of the added strain the pandemic has incurred on students in regards to their “mental health, academic achievement, social and emotional development and sense of community” and goes on to ask public university leadership to make changes in areas such as student safety, tuition rates and instruction.

Youngkin encouraged universities to promote greater “free inquiry” and increase commitments to free speech. Youngkin’s first recommendation is the development of a shared statement that supports freedom of speech, citing the University of Chicago’s statement of free expression. Endorsed by the Board of Visitors, the University released its own statement affirming its commitment to free expression and free inquiry.

Youngkin also asked that the university leaders prioritize the hiring of staff and faculty with “diverse political perspectives,” as well as support events that facilitate the civil exchange of ideas.

Youngkin’s letter goes on to ask that the university leaders do not increase tuition by reducing costs and become “creative and strategic problem-solvers.” The letter further suggests a review of staffing as well as majors and course offerings. In December, the Board voted to raise tuition for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 academic years following a tuition freeze for both the 2019-20 and 2021-22 school years.

The letter ends with Youngkin urging the leaders to alter what they consider as success. Arguing for another metric of college’s overall success, he asked the university leaders to track post-graduation outcomes by employment and wage in addition to the graduation rate tracking already done.

The Cavalier Daily

Workers at Bodo’s on the Corner go public with union Workers of Bodo’s Bagels on the Corner have reached a majority agreement to unionize Wednesday, per a release from the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. UFCW represents companies such as Kroger and CVS. Workers at Bodo’s cited various reasons for unionizing, including short staffing, low pay and inadequate sick days.

Per the UFCW release, workers presented union authorization cards, which serve as pieces of evidence for the voluntary recognition of the union by Bodos’ management. If management refuses to voluntarily recognize the union, the employees have filed for election with the National Labor Relations Board, who will conduct an election by the federal labor department. The election will determine if the group can unionize.

Bodo’s has struggled previously with staffing shortages, which have resulted in occasional closures at the Corner location — in September, they posted a job listing that advertised a starting pay of $15 an hour along with benefits.

A major concern for the workers of the Bodo’s on the Corner is the rising cost of living in Charlottesville, which the current wage rates fail to accommodate. With stagnant wages, rising housing costs due to inflation cause the real wage rate — a measure of the value of a worker’s hourly wage with respect to the cost of living — to continuously sink further below a livable wage.

Some members of the Charlottesville community expressed support for the union, including City Councilor Michael Payne, who acknowledged the necessity of unionization for workers across multiple sectors in securing fair pay.

“Not just at this Bodo’s location but throughout our restaurant and service sector … employers like Starbucks, other restaurants, nurses—I think unionization is critical to be able to give them the power to negotiate for better wages and benefits,” Payne said.

5.10 5.11 5.17 5.18 Graduation weekend arrives as COVID-19 cases continue to rise This weekend — May 20, 21 and 22 — thousands of family members and friends will make the trip to Charlottesville to celebrate the fourth-years during in-person Final Exercises. However, the celebration comes as the positivity rate for COVID-19 within students, faculty and staff reaches over 21 percent.

There are currently 158 active cases of COVID-19 in the University community, bringing the spring 2022 total case count to nearly three times the case count of 1,349 for fall 2021. The seven-day average positivity rate has been on the rise since March 9, which had a rate of 2.29 percent, and reached 21.96 percent on May 16.

In an email statement to the University community on May 13, University leadership announced that they do not plan to change current public health policies — which include no measures for social distancing or masking — in advance of the ceremony. However, they urged any individual experiencing COVID-19 to not attend Final Exercises, encouraged any attendee to get up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccinations, recommended mask-wearing indoors and on University transportation and advised those attending to consider taking a COVID-19 test prior to arrival.

The Class of 2022 is the only class currently at the University that has experienced a full year without COVID-19 restrictions, before the pandemic forced the University to move classes online in March 2020.

“These particular Final Exercises are even more profound due to the unique challenges these graduates overcame due to the pandemic, and the incredible efforts they made to keep themselves and the people around them healthy and safe,” the email read. “As we prepare to honor their efforts, please consider taking extra precautions to ensure that these ceremonies are as happy and safe as possible for everyone involved.”

SOPHIE ROEHSE | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Bodo’s workers encourage community members to wear red to the Corner location on Wednesdays to show solidarity with their push for unionization.

UTS begins clean energy transition with four new battery-powered electric buses University Transit Service announced Tuesday that it has purchased four new battery-powered electric buses to add to its existing fleet of 40 buses as part of an effort to make the service more environmentally sustainable. As a typical bus runs for about 12 to 15 years, this purchase sets into motion the long-term plan towards the University’s sustainability goals.

Per its Sustainability Plan, the University administration pledged to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality as an institution by the year 2030 and make all operations fossil fuel free by 2050. These zero emission vehicles, purchased from California-based electric vehicle manufacturer Proterra, are one step in the action plans to reach both those climate targets.

The buses in the current UTS fleet run on an average of 10,000 gallons of diesel fuel annually, the combustion of which emits around 100 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. The four new buses together will mitigate the carbon emissions equivalent to the annual emissions of 50 typical households.

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NEWS

Summer abroad programs return for first time since 2020 Following a year with no study abroad programs available, students this summer will be traveling abroad to a variety of countries Julianne Saunders | Senior Writer Summer study abroad programs, which provide students with opportunities to visit different countries and partake in exciting experiences while learning important skills, have recently become available for University students for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic halted operations in 2020.

This summer, 1204 University students will travel outside of the country to study abroad. The number of students studying abroad has increased significantly since 2020, when only two students went abroad, and 2021 when 103 students left the country.

Still, the number of students traveling abroad has not yet hit pre-pandemic levels, as the summer of 2019 saw 1862 students travel abroad. 22 programs will be offered directly through the University this summer.

For the 103 students who traveled abroad in 2021, the impact of COVID-19 was very pronounced. Thirdyear College student Alexandra Shaul, who did archeological research in Greece in the summer of 2021, said the pandemic made the process of accessing study abroad experiences difficult.

“Because I was going to a zone that was more COVID restrictive — according to the United States and the CDC — I had to go through more hoops,” Shaul said. “Even though I was vaccinated or had my vaccine card, I still had to get PCR tests before going — and then also leaving Greece I had to get a test coming into the United States.”

Shaul accessed her study abroad experience through College Year in Athens’ Excavating the Aegean program. CYA is a non-profit education abroad program that aims to provide a cultural bridge between the United States and Greece and enable English-speaking undergraduates to study in Greece. The program that Shaul participated in allows students to excavate a sanctuary in Despotiko while learning about methods and theory in archeology.

Shaul found that the application process to gain approval from the University’s Education Abroad Office — a division of the International Studies Office — was extensive and took her a few months to complete. Because her departure was scheduled just before the June 1 date when COVID-19 travel restrictions were lifted in many countries, Shaul also had to acquire special approval to leave.

Although some restrictions remain — like Austria and Belgium, which require travelers to present proof of vaccination or recovery from a COVID-19 infection — over 1,000 students have successfully traveled abroad since June 2021, when the University first began allowing students to study abroad after limitations due to COV-

MAYA KALIDINDI | THE CAVALIER DAILY

ID-19 severely limited international travel.

When planning their travels, students must consider the COVID-19 levels in the country they plan to visit while also being aware of the program’s protocols for what to do in the event of an infection. According to Doane Dudley, director of the International Studies Office, some destinations remain unavailable to students and other countries’ restrictions regarding travel are subject to change.

“Student travel plans remain subject to more extensive review than pre-pandemic, and students complete several additional steps pre-departure to make sure they understand local operating conditions, know entry and exit requirements, and understand operating conditions may change and what to do in the event of a change,” Dudley said in an email statement to The Cavalier Daily.

The International Studies Office recommends all students to be fully vaccinated prior to departure, adding they should be aware that the University will not reimburse students for a canceled trip. Further, students who want to participate in international programs not affiliated with the University must be approved by the University as well as their desired program.

Second-year Education student

Paige Handy will be traveling abroad to France through the French Department’s Summer Program in Lyon, which allows students to enroll in two French courses over the five-week program.

While in Lyon, students will not only engage in classroom experience, but must also agree to speak in French when interacting with locals. Handy expressed excitement for this feature of the program, as it pushes students to engage with the French language and culture.

“I’m also just really excited to be independent and have that, literally, living-learning experience of being on my own someplace having to learn and navigate a new culture while also pushing myself outside of my comfort zone to get better in French,” Handy said.

Handy said that she remains cautious about COVID-19, and is making an effort to wear a mask and stay away from the public as her departure date nears, citing concerns about contracting the virus when she is scheduled to leave. She also reported feeling mixed emotions about being part of the first group of students going on study abroad trips since the pandemic.

“It’s exciting, but also intimidating to be the first new class venturing out there in this uncertain world now.”

Handy said.

For some other students traveling over the summer, COVID-19 was not a big concern as they planned their travels.

First-year College student Asher Creskoff plans to travel abroad to Seville, Spain this June to study Spanish.

“It was definitely an optimistic time in regards to COVID, so I think that that wasn’t one of my main concerns when going through it with my advisor.” Creskoff said.

Creskoff will be traveling through the Spanish Studies Abroad Program, one of many external study abroad programs approved by the University. The program allows students to study in Spanish-speaking countries while learning the Spanish language intensively through classroom environments and interactions with the student’s host family.

While Creskoff did not see COVID-19 as a major concern of his while researching study abroad programs, it was still a consideration during his preparations. Within the paperwork that he was asked to complete prior to departure, he made sure to consider the epidemiological conditions in Spain and had to report his program’s protocol in case he became sick while abroad.

For Creskoff, who will be staying with a host family in Seville and taking a Spanish language class for transfer

credit, his primary goal was to acquire transfer credit and take advantage of the opportunity provided by the University.

“I always had this vision of wanting to study abroad while I was in college to take advantage of some interesting and informative programs that the college offered,” Creskoff said.

Regardless of the COVID-19 precautions that remain, Creskoff is excited for the possibilities afforded to him through the study abroad program.

“This program is very exciting because it allows you to be paired up with a local student who is at the University of Seville there and then I’m staying with a host family, which should be really exciting and a really informative and interesting experience,” Creskoff said.

For these students, study abroad offers exciting opportunities to learn new languages and skills, meet new people and explore different countries. Despite the challenges and long processes prior to departure, study abroad opportunities allow students to enhance their college experience.

“I had an amazing time and I would recommend anyone to study abroad if they have an interest in it.

It sounds cliche, but it’s kind of a life changing experience.” Shaul said.

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NEWS

Bio-Builds project aims to change construction status quo The sustainable sculptures were installed at five locations around Grounds until April 30 Elizabeth Rambo | News Writer

KHUYEN DINH | THE CAVALIER DAILY

The University was chosen to showcase the exposition because of its rich history as an “architectural testing ground.”

Students and University members may have noticed a handful of abstract structures popping up around Grounds throughout the spring. These structures were public exhibits — parts of a larger project by Architecture students and professors in collaboration with architects across the country who hope to reinvent construction norms. The exhibits came to a close recently after decorating Grounds for nearly a month.

The Biomaterial Building Exposition was created by Asst. Architecture Profs. Katie MacDonald and Kyle Schumann, who also serve as curators of the project.

MacDonald and Schumann conceived the idea for the project and worked together on fundraising, collaboratively putting together a group of contributors, designing a January Term course for the project and organizing the on-Grounds exposition itself.

“We were interested in how we could create dialogue around biomaterials here at U.Va,” MacDonald said. “In particular, we’re interested in how we can contrib-

ute to the circular economy and make building materials that not only sequester carbon but also are able to be decommissioned for decomposition or reuse at the end of their lifecycle.”

There are many ongoing construction projects on Grounds — notably the renovation of Alderman Library the Ivy Corridor on Emmett St. — which have impacted student life, including creating noise in and around residence halls and confusing traffic patterns.

The idea for the project came in response to long-running practices of using unsustainable materials within construction and infrastructure. One solution that has been on the rise is the use of biomaterials — naturally-derived and sustainable materials that can be used as alternatives to traditional construction materials.

After receiving funding for the project in January, MacDonald and Schumann worked on creating a J-Term course in which students would work hands-on with creating the exhibition.

Graduate Architecture stu-

dent Collette Block worked closely with both MacDonald and one of the visiting design groups as a research assistant and project manager. She also worked directly with the students in the J-Term course in creating UNLOG, a display of kerfed, or cut and bent, wood currently outside of the Physics Building.

Block said everyone was looking for new ways to incorporate sustainability into the project.

“We had students trying out different kerfing techniques … super hands-on in the workshop, cutting wood that we had found,” Block said. “This was right after a massive storm, so we actually sourced a bunch of wood [from] trees that had fallen around Grounds.”

The project’s goal of highlighting more environmentally-friendly construction materials also prompted the use of innovative biomaterials such as mycelium — a fungus that can be grown and treated into buildable sheets. Two of the five pieces around Grounds were constructed from mycelium.

La Parete Fungina, one of these pieces in the exposition, is a wall made entirely of mycelium. Its creators at Myco Matters Lab and Kansas State University used this medium to underscore the need to turn to materials that divert construction waste from landfills. Mycelium is renewable, biodegradable, and uses little energy to produce — the fungus is also lightweight and repels water.

MacDonald and Schumann stressed these points and reiterated how one of the project’s goals was to spark discussion about these types of renewable materials.

“We’re interested in showcasing that material as part of this exposition so that the public could start to experience and see how it performs,” MacDonald said.

Although there is a long way to go before they can be used for entire construction projects, the goal of projects such as the Biomaterial Building Exposition is to begin this process by raising awareness of the benefits of using biomaterials.

“To have that enter the public imagination is something that’s really important to us and the future of these materials,” Schumann said.

Ultimately, the goal is for there to be larger-scale shifts within the University’s construction and infrastructure toward a more sustainable future. By involving students in this project, MacDonald, Schumann and Block hope that there will be a new generation of young architects using their talents and knowledge for a better environment.

“One of the things that was most important to us was having students lead some of these efforts,” Schumann said. “[It can be] a way to create more opportunities for collaboration within different schools at U.Va and between U.Va and other institutions to start to build a network of voices that can then work together.”

Block agreed and emphasized how she and her peers will be society’s future builders and designers, adding that how they accomplish this defines the quality of the world in which we will live.

“We are the next generation of architects — we are the next generation of people that are going to be designing our world and designing our built environment,” Block said. “As much as we can, [we should] be aware of how that’s affecting our climate and our surroundings, and how we can make better use of materials.”

The project’s creators chose the University to showcase the exposition for its long history of being an “architectural testing ground.” Thomas Jefferson’s original design for the University was, in fact, revolutionary for the time. Jefferson envisioned and designed an “academical village” in which students and faculty would live and learn together, with a library at its center — the now-iconic Rotunda.

The Lawn’s status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site puts the project in relevant conversation with the rich architectural history of the school and its innovative future.

“This really puts U.Va. front and center in this conversation of biomaterials,” said Block.

“Which is not only exciting for the Architecture School, but the entire University should be very excited about what could come from this.”

The Cavalier Daily

Thursday, May 19, 2022 | 5

LIFE

Student-professor relations inspire intellectual curiosity After experiencing detachment from the pandemic, students and professors discuss the importance of getting to know one another Srilakshmi Medarametla & Alston Rachels | Features Writers Through attending office-hours and sharing an occasional meal, students and professors both attempt to build relations with one another in order to build a more cohesive learning experience at the University. Students look to gain everything from a better understanding of the material to tangible, experienced-based career advice, while professors find enjoyment in and even learn from getting to know their students.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, chatting with professors after class represented an opportunity to gain a greater understanding of class concepts and get to know instructors for third-year Engineering student Patrick Dunnington.

“Besides office hours, often I would go and talk to them after class about a question I had, because sometimes in the middle of class it’s hard to pause a lecture,” Dunnington said.

The lack of in-person interactions during the peak of the pandemic enabled students to realize the value of physically being in the classroom with their peers and professors. Once the pandemic passed, students were more likely to take advantage of being able to speak with their instructors in person.

“I think immediately after COVID, it was more like, ‘Oh, I have access to my professors, I haven’t had that in a while’ — and so it was exciting,” Dunnington said.

Even younger students understood the positive effect of in-person learning on attempting to cultivate relationships with their professors. First-year Engineering student Reevu Adakroy felt lucky to have his first year at the University be in-person and recognized the value of getting to know his professors.

“They’re really good resources ... as people who dedicate themselves to helping their students and also knowing so much about their fields would be a wasted opportunity not to get to know them better,” Adakroy said.

Dunnington noted how his initiative to engage with professors has prompted discussion on his own career trajectory, summer internship and research projects.

He has found that striking up conversations about class leads to more productive discussions

MAYA KALIDINDI | THE CAVALIER DAILY

about the bigger picture in his life.

“We’ll end up going off of the topics discussed in class, and then especially in engineering, to a more general, ‘Oh, this is what you want to do in a job’, or ‘This is a problem I solved recently’, which is cool to hear about,” Dunnington said.

Despite the potential value for students in getting to better know their professors, these relationships have always been tough to facilitate from the faculty’s perspective — and not just as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Visiting Economics Prof.

Edwin Burton has struggled to engage with his students informally, before and after the pandemic.

Burton noted how eating lunch with faculty was common practice during his time as an undergraduate at Rice University.

This experience is what inspired his own habit of taking students to lunch.

“When I was an undergradu-

ate at Rice, there were 1,200 students,” Burton said. “Every day we all ate lunch together, the faculty and the student body. You were very likely to sit down next to a professor of classics, or one in biology.”

Now at the University, Burton hopes to provide his students with a similar experience that he enjoyed during his undergraduate years. He invites them to lunch throughout the week to break the ice and get to know one another.

“Students are always reluctant to go to lunch with their professors, but I push them every day,” Burton said. “Every class I say, ‘Okay, who wants to go to lunch tomorrow at noon?’ I send them emails, and I just keep barraging them all semester and so finally, some of them that have never gone say, ‘Well, why not? Everybody has to eat, right?’”

Adopting this “why not” attitude has helped many students develop a relationship with Burton that extends beyond their

time at the University. Burton hopes to cultivate their learning and interest in his particular field of study of finance and beyond. However, Burton is quick to point out that students are not the only ones reaping the benefits of going to lunch with him, as he still learns from his students as well.

“Other professors may think, ‘I don’t really want to go to lunch with a student.’ Well, do it a few times and see,” Burton said. “You might be surprised how enjoyable it is and how much you learn from students … they may not know the subject you’re teaching very well, but they know things we don’t know.”

For Burton, connecting with students informally is the most effective way to fulfill his role as a professor and make an impact on not just students’ understanding of class material or research, but on their careers and lives.

Over his 34-year career, Burton has taken more than hundreds of students for a meal in efforts

to connect with them and get to know them.

Adakroy, in addition to serving as a teaching assistant and conducting research in applied mechanics, describes how he appreciates even the most simple interactions with his professors such as staying after class and just having a chat.

“It’s just really interesting to discuss topics, try to understand things better and really just take advantage of the opportunity that there’s someone who knows so much and is willing to put in so much time,” Adakroy said.

For students who haven’t tried as much to connect with their professors, Adakroy offered a piece of advice to get started.

“Choose a class that you really care about, think of an interesting question, and have one conversation with your professor,” Adakroy said. “It’ll help you with the material, and it’s an opportunity to know someone better, who might make your future better.”

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LIFE

Top 10 things I will miss most about the University As my time here comes to an end, here’s a list of things I will miss most about being on Grounds Madison Workman | Top 10 Writer As my time as a student of the University comes to an end, I can’t help but ruminate on the many things I will miss about this special place. From eating Bodo’s on a Friday morning to fall football games and Madison Bowl in the spring, the list could go on and on. For those of you who are fourth-year students, whether it be today or tomorrow or before you graduate, I encourage you to visit a place on Grounds special to you, do an activity that will remind you of this place and lastly, know that the University will always be a part of you.

1.

Passing people on my way to class There’s nothing that makes me happier than passing familiar faces on my way to class. At times, the University can feel so overwhelmingly big — and don’t get me wrong, it is big — but the number of recognizable faces I pass on my way to class reminds me just how close-knit it can really be. Whether it is one of my good friends, someone I’ve met a few times or a classmate I had a couple semesters ago, sharing a smile and wave with someone I know or recognize always brightens my day. While this is certainly something I missed during the pandemic, it will continue to be something I miss when I leave the University.

4. Picnics around Grounds It’s a random Wednesday night and all of your friends decide it’s a beautiful evening for a picnic on Lambeth. Everyone entertains the idea of ordering out food from somewhere, but let’s be real — how are 15 different people going to decide on one place? It’s virtually impossible. So, someone proposes BYOM — short for “bring your own meal.” Everyone makes their way to Lambeth, blankets and puppies galore, and you end up sitting there for hours — eating, talking, playing frisbee and listening to music. Dusk begins to settle in and a beautiful sunset paints the Charlottesville sky. You look around and for a second, you can’t think of anything better than this moment. Wholesome moments like these surrounded by friends, food and beautiful Charlottesville sunsets that exist beyond compare are ones that I will miss the most upon my departure from the University.

2.

Eating Bodo’s Bagels on Friday mornings You wake up at 11 a.m. in the morning, you’re still in your clothes from the night before, a half-eaten bowl of mac and cheese lies next to you and you’re trying to recount the sequence of events from the night prior. Your roommate comes into your room and asks the five magic words — “Want to go to Bodo’s?” You rise from the dead, toss your biggest pair of sweatpants and hoodie on and walk — or rather crawl — out the door.

You arrive at Bodo’s and spend 15 minutes contemplating your order. Sausage, egg and cheese or bacon, egg and cheese? Should you just go with a plain and cream cheese? Hesitantly, you place an order, wondering if you made the right choice. When that perfectly fluffy, warm bagel lands in your hands, you take a bite and somehow, someway, everything in the world is good. If one thing’s for certain, I will surely miss throwing on an outfit equivalent to my pajamas, crawling out the door and taking a ridiculously absurd amount of time to decide on a bagel order from one of my favorite go-to breakfast spots.

3. Football games and tailgates

There’s something about gameday energy that is absolutely, undeniably unbeatable. As you make your way to Scott Stadium, amongst a crowd of hundreds of people all walking in the same direction, you can’t help but feel the school spirit radiating around you. When you arrive at the stadium and begin to make your way through the different lots, passing tailgate party after tailgate party, the blue and orange colors that surround you remind you just how lucky you are to be a student at the University.

After walking around for an hour and eating 10 too many of your friend’s family’s chicken nuggets, you enter the stadium and make your way to the hill. The fullness starts to settle in, your stomach begins to churn and you carefully contemplate whether or not you should have eaten the last five chicken nuggets. Minutes in, the Hoos score a touchdown and in that moment, all discomfort leaves you. All you can feel is pure bliss. It’s as if the 10 too many chicken nuggets you ate never actually happened. There’s not a doubt in my mind as to whether or not I will be returning for several gamedays — and there’s certainly not a doubt in my mind I won’t make the same mistake of eating 10 too many chicken nuggets.

5. Madison Bowl in the spring There’s no better season than spring in Charlottesville. Well, unless maybe you have terrible allergies. There’s something about passing Madison Bowl on a warm and sunny spring afternoon that brings such a smile to my face. Maybe it’s the multiple dogs running around or the myriad of sports and activities taking place, but something about it is just so happy. As I leave the University and move somewhere to a new place, I can only hope that I find something that reminds me of these moments — warm, sunny days on Madison Bowl where there seems to be not a single care in the world.

KHUYEN DINH | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Students smile in sharing the joy of U.Va. football.

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LIFE

6. Snow days

SOPHIE ROEHSE | THE CAVALIER DAILY

It’s a Monday. Your alarm sounds and you wake up thinking that today is going to be just like any other Monday in the winter — cold, filled with overcast skies and — to be blunt — long. You turn over to your nightstand to stop the ringing and you see a plethora of text messages on your lock screen, most of which read, “GET UP! SNOW DAY!” You peer out the window and see infinite snowflakes falling softly towards the ground which is already covered in five inches of snow. You hop out of bed, put on your warmest winter jacket and quickly head for the door. Let’s just say that from there, the rest is history. Next time I experience a snow day, I know I’ll be reminiscing on these days, wishing I was at the University sledding down Madison Bowl, slipping down fraternity staircases covered in melted snow and trudging to the Corner for dinner after a tiresome day full of snowball fights.

Snow coats the Lawn and Rotunda on a wintry Charlottesville day.

7. My professors Saying that one of the top 10 things I will miss most about the University is my professors is an understatement. My professors over the past four years deserve much more than several lines of text in an article, but since that is all I have room for right now, it will have to momentarily suffice. As I leave the University, I can’t express enough how much I owe my growth and development not only as a student, but as an individual, to my professors. They have pushed and challenged me to think in new ways, to expand my horizons and to take risks. Because of them, I have become a more confident writer, a deeper thinker and a more multifaceted individual.

As the semesters progressed and I began to enroll in smaller classes, the relationships I was able to build with my professors in these smaller settings were unparalleled. A piece of advice — attend office hours, do everything you can to get to know your professors and have faith in them, because they certainly have faith in you.

8. Charlottesville restaurants

I’ve had my fair share of Charlottesville restaurants, some that I prefer more than others, but I know one thing for certain — Charlottesville has some dang good food. One thing I will miss about the University is the luxury of being surrounded by such a strong food culture. There’s nothing I love more than getting to explore the multifarious arrangement of local restaurants, most of which are within walking distance of Grounds. In just a month, my taste buds will surely be craving Orzo’s warm pita and hummus, Tavola’s buttery carbonara and last but not least, Christian’s hot slice of pesto tortellini pizza.

9. Concerts on the

Downtown Mall

Despite the temporary pause of live music during the pandemic, Charlottesville concerts are up and running once again. Two of my favorite venues to attend live music near Grounds are the Jefferson Theater — an indoor venue — and Ting Pavilion — an outdoor venue. Both located on The Downtown Mall, these venues host all kinds of artists, meeting a variety of tastes and genre preferences ranging from jam band to dance-pop, electronic, bluegrass and alternative rock.

The best part about attending live concerts is immersing yourself in the larger Charlottesville community.

There’s something special about being gathered in a large entertainment venue, surrounded by the familiar faces of friends and the unfamiliar faces of new people and it is something I will miss greatly.

10. Exploring Charlottesville You wake up at 5 a.m., lace up your best pair of hiking shoes, grab a Clif bar, brew a quick cup of coffee and head for the door. You feel Charlottesville’s fresh morning air hit your face, hop in the car with a few of your friends and head for Humpback to hike the mountain for sunrise. From hikes and historical site-seeing to wineries and breweries, one of the many things I will miss about being a student at the University is being surrounded by such a vibrant city full of activities. Whether it’s exploring the Appalachian Trail or the Blue Ridge Parkway, visiting Monticello or exploring the wide variety of vineyards close by, I will certainly miss being in such close proximity to such adventurous and cultural attractions.

SOPHIE ROEHSE | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Graduating students walk the Lawn in celebration of their achievements at the University.

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LIFE

Saying goodbye What Stevie Nicks taught me about bidding my friends farewell Mario Rosales | Life Editor

CECY JUAREZ | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Saying goodbye reminds you to look forward to your own life — to be open to meeting new people, to allow yourself to love and embrace the struggles and changes that are sure to come.

I hate farewells. I don’t mean the brief adieu we might bid to each other while knowing it won’t be long until our next encounter. No, instead I mean the ones we exchange while mutually understanding that we won’t be an immediate and strong presence in each others’ lives anymore. I hate them because they feel so permanent — they feel as if we are releasing the other person from being a part of our lives. Pertinent to this time of year, I’ve had the displeasure to say quite a few of these farewells to my fourth-year friends over the past couple of weeks.

While I am glad to only be a rising fourth-year, it still sad-

dens me to think that this past semester was the last time in my life I’ve had these people, whom I love and look up to, regularly in my life. In a way, my fourthyear friends have been an integral part of my experience at the University thus far, as they’ve been with me at the University for every moment of my time here.

As a third-year, I perceive my relationship with them distinctly from my first and second-year friends. In essence, this is because my fourth-year friends and I had a certain shared experience in being upperclassmen. We’re able to recall experiences that occurred prior to the second and first-years attending the Univer-

sity. That is, experiences common only to us that we laugh and smile about while reminiscing.

All of this is to say that I have really been struggling to say goodbye to them.

I think Stevie Nicks put my difficulties best in the chorus of her song “Landslide” featuring Fleetwood Mac — “Well, I’ve been afraid of changing / ’Cause I’ve built my life around you.”

Indeed, in having to say a more permanent type of goodbye, our lives will change as a result of the absence of someone. Whether it’s your friends at high school graduation, a co-worker as you transition to a new job or your closest friends as you move to a

new town, the effects of the people that we interact with face-toface everyday no longer being so immediate and tangible as they once were, invokes a noticeable change in our lives.

That is why I struggle with saying goodbye — how do you express to someone that your life will feel incomplete without them? Surely, you can tell them.

But I’ve found those expressions to be hollow. Not in the sense that these comments are insincere. Rather, these expressions feel hollow because it is so difficult to convey my appreciation for them such that they are able to feel the extent of the impact they’ve had on my life. I’ve tried

and tried again, but perhaps, this is just one of the boundaries of language.

Thankfully for me, however, Nicks’ chorus had more than two lines. She continues to sing and points out that “Time makes you bolder / Even children get older / And I’m getting older too.” To me, these lyrics call attention to the power of the passage of time as an instrument for personal growth and healing. In spite of having to let go of some of the most wonderful people in my life, I have realized that saying goodbye should be something sweet — not bitter.

Saying goodbye to someone not only represents a change in our lives, but more importantly, as I’ve realized, it reminds us of the growth of our own selves. We may no longer have someone in our lives, but in saying goodbye to them, we realize the passage of time that has taken place since they entered our lives.

For me, as I bid my fourthyear friends farewell, I am prompted to think back to my first-year self, who was so reserved, beautifully naive and incessantly curious about the wisdom my older peers at the University carried with them.

Only then, after thinking about my former self, do I understand the growth that I’ve experienced as an individual in my character and in my own wisdom.

As such, I’ve learned to recognize the hidden silver lining that’s buried in the act of saying goodbye. Bidding our friends farewell is really a celebration of the passage of time. It is a call to remember the growth you’ve experienced, the memories you have made and the time you have spent together. Further, it also reminds you to look forward to your own life — to be open to meeting new people, to allow yourself to love and embrace the struggles and changes that are sure to come.

Despite seeing the good in it, saying goodbye to my friends was and has been emotionally difficult for me. That, however, is the purest demonstration of the value of the memories I have created with these people. So, thank you to my fourth-year friends — for more than you can know. Goodbye, and I will miss you all immeasurably.

Thursday, May 19, 2022 | 9

The Cavalier Daily

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Fourth-year students find inclusivity in the arts From visual art to spoken word, the University has a community for every budding artist Julia Ochsenhirt | Staff Writer

PROUD CHANDRAGHOLICA | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Fayemi was excited to choose African performers for intermission and costuming changes, incorporating various art forms to highlight the breadth of African culture.

For nervous new students at the University, a supportive community can make all the difference between a lonely and fulfilling college experience. Many Wahoos find belonging in the arts and, by graduation, consider their artistic groups of choice a second home on Grounds.

Fourth-year College student Bobbi-Angelica Morris is one of those students. Morris joined CIO Flux Poetry and Spoken Word in her first year after writing poetry as an emotional outlet during high school. She has since found the club’s members to be some of her favorite people she has met on Grounds.

“I love the people and I love the safe space that they create,” Morris said. “They’re literally just the most amazing people at U.Va., honestly, and they did amazing this semester.”

Particularly special for Morris

was Flux’s willingness to accommodate her being hard of hearing, which has been a perpetual challenge for her in college. At first, Flux presented a familiar hurdle — Morris struggled to hear other poets without an interpreter or captioning. But when she decided to advocate for change in the club, Morris was relieved at how quickly Flux worked to accommodate her and ensure she felt included.

“We had a link with all the poems on it, so the deaf and hard of hearing students and community members that I invited to [the showcase] could go along with it,” Morris said of her experience performing at a Flux showcase this spring. “We also printed out all of the transcripts for everything, and we had an ASL interpreter at the performance. It was a really good experience, and I’m glad that my poetry coaches and teammates

helped me advocate for that.”

Fourth years in other artistic communities mentioned a similar degree of warmth, love and acceptance in their respective groups. Fourth-year College student Parinita Kumar has been involved in a gender-inclusive a cappella group, the Harmonious Hoos, since her first year.

Kumar said that participating in a cappella helped ease her social transition to the University.

“I think one of the biggest things I love about [the Harmonious Hoos] is I found a group that I can consider to be like my family, and in a place I didn’t even expect,” Kumar said. “I didn’t expect that this random group of people would be so open and so loving. That’s really what I was looking for as a first year coming into U.Va. with knowing only five to six people from high school. It was crazy to just be taken in, and

everyone showing me the ropes to college really meant a lot to me.”

Alongside student organizations, there are also a variety of University-sponsored opportunities to help students experiment artistically and exhibit their work.

Fourth-year College student David Askew has been heavily involved in the studio art program and recently completed a multi-work thesis project.

“My thesis show consisted of six pieces,” Askew said. “All of them have the same meaning — they all are basically me trying to recreate myself into a form of art. Recently, I just haven’t understood who I am. And so I’ve been using art and the way I create to understand it. I use a lot of different mediums to represent all the different identities I have, and I adorn all of my pieces with glitter like I adorn myself with jewelry.”

Askew was also part of a cohort group through the studio art department that put on multiple shows. Askew described the cohort as uniquely supportive and welcoming, particularly for risky artistic decisions — in Askew’s case, significantly changing their thesis’s style shortly before exhibition.

“I know a lot of other [art] programs are very competitive and that a lot of the people in your cohort will be kind of against each other, whereas here … we’re all super supportive and a great community,” Askew said. “I feel like the community of the art department is, what’s made my time at U.Va. so great. If I went to any other school, the changes I’ve made in my work over the past semester wouldn’t have been encouraged.”

Along with opportunities for personal growth, artistic communities at the University often aim to showcase other groups in performances or encourage members to attend shows. This semester, fourth-year College student Sarah Fayemi served as creative director for Africa Day, a fashion show put on by the Organization of African Students. In her role, Fayemi was excited to choose African performers for intermission and costuming changes, incorporating various art forms to highlight the breadth of African culture.

“We had a guest dance appearance from VCU,” Fayemi said.

“They did so good, they definitely brought the energy. We had rap and a section of spoken word …

I like when we can have different aspects of African and Black culture just come together and make one big, amazing show.”

Fourth years have different visions for how they will stay involved with the arts after graduation. After a brief gap period, Askew hopes to apply to a masters in fine arts program and work as a full-time artist, while Kumar plans to settle into a career in neuroscience and sing as a hobby. Regardless, their experiences at the University have instilled a passion for art that will persist after college.

“I want to give myself time to breathe and develop as an artist and figure out exactly what route I want to take, but I definitely can’t see my life without art,” Askew said.

10 | www.cavalierdaily.com

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Persian Cultural Society celebrates Iranian culture Earlier this semester, the group held its annual Nowruz celebration Kennedy Moore | Staff Writer As the Class of 2022 graduates, they leave their own worlds within the University behind. One of these worlds is the University’s Persian Culture Society. The student group celebrates Iranian culture, showcasing Iranian arts, music, dance, and fashion.

PCS offers a community for students with strong ties to Iranian culture, while for other students, the club is an opportunity to reconnect with their Iranian heritage. Darian Kaviani, PCS president and fourth-year College student, is the son of Iranian immigrants.

“Both my parents came to the U.S. after the revolution,” Kaviani said. “And when they came, obviously neither of them really spoke much English, so their community became all the Iranians around them.”

Ariana Gueranmayeh, fourthyear Education student and vice president of PCS, shares a similar story.

“My grandparents immigrated here after the Iranian revolution

that happened in 1979 that overthrew the Shah,” Gueranmayeh said. “So that was when my grandparents came with my mom and her three siblings, sort of all of them came here to the U.S. just to seek political asylum after what was happening in Iran. So they essentially started their lives here.”

PCS members share a variety of different connections to Iranian culture. Multiple club members were born and raised in Iran, while others are further removed from Iranian culture.

“That’s a cool dynamic to experience having these people who are Iranian, but don’t really speak, or don’t know, the culture,” Kaviani said. “People like Ariana and I who grew up here, and are kind of in between two worlds.”

One of the club’s largest events is the annual Nowruz celebration of the Iranian New Year. More than three hundred people attended this year’s celebration in April. The event was vibrant and lively, featuring Iranian music, dance, food and fashion. Parents

and grandparents of many students attended.

Shirin Nariman came to the event to support her daughter, third-year Commerce student Neikey Panah.

“I’m Iranian, I moved here 36 years ago,” Nariman said. “I tried to raise my kids to learn about their Persian background, history and culture.”

Nariman immigrated to the U.S. in 1986 and said she decided to leave because of the Iranian Revolution in 1979. The popular uprising led to the overthrow of the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and the establishment of an Islamic Republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

“I was anti-Iranian regime,” Nariman said. “So I was in prison for two years. And then when I was released, I decided to leave Iran — Iran wasn’t safe for me anymore.”

Nariman attended George Mason University, where she met her husband in an Iranian student’s group. Today, Nariman is hap-

py that her daughter Neikey has embraced Iranian culture through PCS. “Now she’s very involved with the Persian club, which, for us, is fantastic, because we never expected that,” Nariman said. “But U.Va. gave her that opportunity to explore her own culture with other kids that come from the same background.”

One of the ways that PCS members explore this heritage is through the Iranian language of Farsi, which many students grow up speaking Farsi at home.

“Being bilingual, coming to U.Va. and meeting other Persians who could speak Farsi … it was just kind of funny,” Gueranmayeh said. “I remember my first few years we would just toss it into conversations … just poking fun … that language aspect adds another sense of community.”

Many PCS students who didn’t grow up speaking Farsi take courses in the language offered by the University. Mashad Mohit, lecturer of Middle Eastern and South

TAYLOR WEIGAND | THE CAVALIER DAILY

PCS offers a community for students with strong ties to Iranian culture, while for other students, the club is an opportunity to reconnect with their Iranian heritage.

Asian Languages and Cultures, was honored at the Nowruz event, and has been especially important to the University’s Farsi program.

“So we have a number of people who are just learning Farsi or learning about the traditions,” Kaviani said. “And they’re really passionate about it, which was really exciting to see the new kids kind of getting into it just as much as we did.”

PCS also preserves Iranian culture musically. Kaviani teaches club members how to play the Daf, a traditional Iranian drum.

“When I came to college I had never picked up the drum,” Kaviani said. “And we had one kid who was really good at it and he decided to start teaching the club how to play this drum and here we are like two generations later, the person who originally brought it to the club has been gone for a little bit but we’re still teaching based on what he’s taught us.”

Over the years, PCS has developed its own history and sense of belonging at the University. Gueranmayeh says the Iranian clothes she wears during PCS performances have helped foster a feeling of shared tradition between students.

“The girls wearing the red skirts and black shirts — there have been generations of PCS members who have worn that,” Gueranmayeh said. “It’s kind of fun to see things passed down.”

Like many groups on Grounds, PCS has struggled to keep club traditions alive through the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s event was the club’s first in-person celebration of Nowruz since the spring of 2019, meaning that fourth-year students were the only members who had previously participated. This placed an extra responsibility on fourth-year students to pass on Nowruz traditions before graduating.

“This was one of our hardest years ever, having all the new students who have never been to Nowruz before,” Kaviani said.

However, Kaviani and Gueranmayeh remain hopeful. With a successful Nowruz event, PCS is opening a new chapter. While Kaviani and Gaueranmayeh are graduating this spring, they have both left a lasting legacy on future generations of PCS students.

“Hopefully we can share our knowledge with them,” Kaviani said. “So they can continue doing something like this down the road … and grow the club and take it to places that Ariana and I haven’t even thought of yet.”

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Thursday, May 19, 2022 | 11

Hoos in Treble highlight musicality and friendship Members of the group are able to create astonishing performances that emphasize their deep connection Omari John | Senior Writer The University is well known for its wide array of a capella groups, so much so that it has become a cultural landmark for the community. Through a cappella groups, student musicians are capable of generating awe-inspiring, memorable performances — a significant part of the University experience that inspired The Cavalier Daily to profile a long-standing group — Hoos in Treble.

Since 1999, the all-female a capella group has performed at many events on Grounds — including Rotunda Sing, Lighting of the Lawn and the national anthem for men’s basketball games.

Hoos in Treble also hosts a fall and spring concert every year.

The group is famous not only for their signature black dresses and pink pumps, but for the close bond members share.

A-capella performances are a special art of their own due to the lack of instrumentation and reliance on group cohesion. A cappella also allows for artists to reimagine songs in dramatically different ways than their original form.

For this to be done, it is necessary to have an informed, dedicated members leading performances. Krysten Kuhn, HIT music director and third-year College student, knows the challenges of this role well.

“I do a fair amount of our arrangements, which do take time to put together,” Kuhn said. “Lots of listening, lots of working and re-working with things and communicating this semester with the fourth years, because I arranged a few of their solos, and I know it’s really important to them that the songs that they have picked come out really well.”

The labor-intensive work of assembling an a capella performance is felt by the other members of the group as well. When rehearsing with people that share a close bond, however, the task becomes much more enjoyable.

After speaking with Deborah Yu, HIT president and third-year Education student, it is clear that the friendship between them is what leads to their excellent performances.

“We literally hang out 24/7 outside of rehearsal too, and these are people that, through music, you’re bonding, but in the end, you make lifetime friends that you end up wanting to spend every moment at U.Va. with,” Yu said.

As many have learned during

KHUYEN DINH | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Whether a singer is holding out high-pitched vocals during solos or excellently mimicking the instrumentation of well-known songs while perking — performing percussion — Hoos in Treble are capable of doing it all.

the pandemic, being far from others can make collaboration difficult. However, if everyone participating is fully dedicated to the assignment, beautiful things can be made. Members of Hoos in Treble have felt this sentiment throughout the last two years while creating their elaborate performances. “[In March 2020] we had gotten really close to having a concert and then COVID hit,” Kuhn said. “So it’s been a lot of ups and downs, and last year when I was assistant music director, we tried to do rehearsals on Zoom, which was also a little back and forth.

We got a small concert in the garden for our fourth-years last year, which was really rewarding

… it does take time to practice your music.”

While hearing members of Hoos in Treble perform, it is easy to identify the immense musical talent each member has.

Whether a singer is holding out high-pitched vocals during solos or excellently mimicking the instrumentation of well-known songs while percing — performing percussion — Hoos in Treble are capable of doing it all. Even while dealing with the difficulties of regular college life or a one in a lifetime pandemic, the unique bond members of Hoos in Treble enables the group to effectively perform.

During the spring concert — the final show for fourth-year

students — members of Hoos in Treble read speeches highlighting the special memories and unique characteristics of each graduating member. Fourth-year College student Joelle Miller was complimented for her wise nature due to the great advice she gives. Truly heartwarming was seeing fourth years, underclassmen and Hoos in Treble alumnae in the audience crying during the speech, illustrating the strong bonds the group builds.

The sense of camaraderie that make the speeches so emotional was explained by public relations chair and fourth-year College student, Akimi Gyamfi.

“When you spend so many hours singing together, you liter-

ally have no other choice than to be best friends,” Gyamfi said. “So when people leave It’s not like they really leave because there’s still such a big part of your life and it just carries over into literally every aspect. Now we have alumnae and I haven’t seen one of them for two years. But we’re still catching up as if they’ve never left.”

On the night of the Hoos in Treble spring concert, audiences had the opportunity to not only hear wonderful performers but to see firsthand these beautiful bonds of friendship that make being a student at the University so special.

12 | www.cavalierdaily.com

CLASS OF 2022 GRADUATES

CONGRATS U.Va. Class of 2022!

from your friends and loved ones

Congratulations to The Cavalier Daily’s graduating staffers! We are so proud of you and cannot wait to cheer you on in your future endeavors. You’ll always have a home in the basement of Newcomb Hall.

Lots of love, The Cavalier Daily’s 133rd Managing Board Eva, Ethan, Jessica, Ava and Katrina

U.VA. CLASS OF 2022

Jenn Brice Jenn - Congratulations and enjoy your graduation day! Take time to celebrate your accomplishments and know that we are so proud of you - today and always.

Love, Mom and Dad

The Physics Department congratulates the Class of 2022 Physics and Astronomy/Physics Majors

Ryan Wood Jamie Staeben

John Leondaridis

AnnMarie Kelly David Winters

May you see yourselves clearly, with a kind and generous eye.

Wishing you joy and meaning, Your YSI Faculty & Staff Self-portraits created as part of the YSI final presentations

Gregory Breza

Alexander Byrd Andrew Toler

Amanuel Anteneh

Pablo Fernandez Olivia Goodrich

Preston Purita

William Musk

Zaki Panjsheeri

Michael Stepniczka

Rebecca Hall

Caleb Barnes

Carter Hedinger

Grace Buehlmann

Madeline Gyllenhoff

Maya Parker

Nicholas Winans

Mohit Srivastav

Devin McDonald

Charles Rushton

Bramwell Shafer

Grace Minesinger

Emiko Gardiner

Davis Garwood

Hannah Woodward

Congratulations Youth & Social Innovation Class of 2022!

Abigail Hellman

Leigh Hatfield

Rose Gigliotti

Alexander Marinescu

Grant Killian

Missing: Librado Anglero, Christian Benedict, Kathleen Chang, Youngtae Cho, Maximilian Dawkins, Daniel Devlin, Jacob Flaherty, Eva Greco, Ibrahim Hamdy, Ryan Hart, Zachary Khan, Haley Knowles, Sean McHugh, William Meynardie, Byungjoo Park, John Raymer, Joshua Smith, Evan Sooklal, Zexuan Wang, Brendan Whalen

CLASS OF 2022 GRADUATES

Thursday, May 19, 2022 | 13

Congratulations, Graduates!

(And a special shout-out to all our student employees)

We are proud of you and your accomplishments!

Your Friends in the Division of UVA Student Affairs Office of the Vice President Office of the Dean of Students Office of African-American Affairs Housing and Residence Life Student Health and Wellness UVA Career Center

See you at the FREE Breakfast at 1515 with hugs from Ms. Kathy!

Saturday and Sunday 6:00am-8:30am

14 | www.cavalierdaily.com

CLASS OF 2022 GRADUATES

Thursday, May 19, 2022 | 15

CLASS OF 2022 GRADUATES U.VA. CLASS OF 2022

U.VA. CLASS OF 2022

U.VA. CLASS OF 2022

Anna Faulks

Ali Plump

Ell and Schuyler Leffler

Anna, Congratulations!!

Keep making the world a better place. We will be rooting for you all the way. We love you! Xoxo Mom, Dad, Emily , Will, Grandma, Oba and Grandy and Yaya

Congratulations, Ali!! UVA 2022!! Love, Mom, Dad, Tim, Emily, Bella and Apollo

Congrats Ell and Schuyler Leffler, class of 2022! You are both extraordinary!

Congratulations to the

CLASS OF 2022!

Wherever life takes you next, you’ll always have a home at UVA. From the faculty and staff of

405 Emmet Street, Charlottesville, VA 22904 • 434-924-0742 • education.virginia.edu

U.VA. CLASS OF 2022

Hanna Preston Congratulations to the UVA Class of 2022,

To our daughter Hanna and her amazing friends, with so much love.

Behind you, all your memories. Before you, all your dreams.

Around you, all who love you. Within you, all you need.

16 | www.cavalierdaily.com

PARTING SHOTS

The Cavalier Daily

Finding my place On a particularly bad day my first year, I wrote down the following quote — “I don’t belong here. I don’t fit in.”

In all honesty, I was being a bit dramatic, but I was just young and sad so save the judgment please! When I first came to the University four years ago, thoughts of loneliness filled my mind constantly — they often dominated the beginning of my time at the University. I don’t often admit this to most people, but I struggled a lot early on — I came to U.Va. alone, and it seemed like everyone else was able to find their people so much more easily than I was.

I spent many days wondering if I made the right decision in coming here — over 700 miles from where I grew up — but as I reflect now on my college experience, I know that I absolutely made the right decision. That’s where The Cavalier Daily comes in.

I joined The Cavalier Daily on a whim — I was involved in my high school’s newspaper, but I had no intention of bringing that into my col-

lege experience. In reality, I was just looking for a way to meet new people and immerse myself in the University’s extracurricular culture. Looking back on it, I don’t think I ever could have guessed just how important walking into that first info session in Wilson Hall in 2018 would be to me. Maybe I’m being dramatic again, but that hour I spent on some random Tuesday

off was a bunch of hateful comments on Facebook. I say “it seemed” because as I near the end of my time here, I’ve realized that it wasn’t really about the work at all — it was about the people.

My time with The Cavalier Daily was really about finally finding my family on Grounds, and realizing that I was not alone.

As parting shots often offer advice,

at times, but find time to spend with one another outside of a strictly work setting. At the end of the day, I’m not going to remember exactly what we wrote in every editorial, but I’ll remember the laughs we shared at every meeting and the trips to Cohn’s on print nights that really hurt my bank account. A lot of you all only have a year left at the University and on The

My time with The Cavalier Daily was really about finally finding my family on Grounds, and realizing that I was not alone.” night would become the most meaningful hour of my time at the University.

It’s hard to explain what my time on this paper meant to me and to my college experience. I definitely complained a lot — the work was hard and tiring, and it seemed like the only pay-

I’ll say this for those still on The Cavalier Daily — do everything you can to enjoy the time you have left at the University and on The Cavalier Daily.

It’s cliche, I know, but it’s also incredibly true that this experience will be over in the blink of an eye. I know that it can feel completely overwhelming

Cavalier Daily — don’t let it fly by without stopping to appreciate those around you. The people around you may be your colleagues, but they’re also your friends.

To the people who put up with me and my antics throughout my time on The Cavalier Daily — thank you

for giving me a home at this school.

Thank you for surrounding me with a family at a time when I didn’t think I’d ever find one at this school. Thank you for dragging me out of the shell I put myself in my first year and making me feel loved. You were all there for me at a time when I really needed it — whether you knew it or not.

This is the last paragraph I’ll ever write for The Cavalier Daily. After four years, 63 columns, two crossword puzzles and countless new friends, my time has come to an end. I write this final column with nothing but absolute love for this paper and every single person I’ve met through it. To the 131st and 132nd terms, thank you for bringing me to life. To the 133rd term — I’m sure you’ll be fine. But I’m not in your shoes anymore so that is not my problem! Love you all, and talk soon.

ZACK PASCIAK was an Opinion Editor for the 131st term and the Executive Editor the 132nd term of The Cavalier Daily.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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MANAGING BOARD Editor-in-Chief Eva Surovell Managing Editor Ava MacBlane Executive Editor Jessica Moore Operations Manager Ethan Fingerhut Chief Financial Officer Katrina Yankovich

EDITORIAL BOARD Jessica Moore Eva Surovell Evelyn Duross Bryce Wyles Shaleah Tolliver Grace Duregger

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Assistant Managing Editors Kate Jensen Ellie Prober (SA) Ella Dailey (SA) Claire DiLorenzo (SA) Grace Eberhardt (SA) Nicole Freeman (SA) Alexandra Holmes (SA) Jenna Onetto News Editors Emma Gallagher Lauren O’Neil (SA) Tanner Kissler (SA) Rahul Sharma Life Editors Submit a letter to the editor to opinion@cavalierdaily.com Cecy Juárez

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(SA) Tess Ginsberg Graphics Editors Lexie Gagnon Maya Kalidindi Production Editors Ally Liu Mix Rudolph Honor Wood Video Editor Addy Klinger Social Media Managers Nicole Ryeom Jennifer Tran (SA) Maeron Kebede (SA) Halle McCormick Website Manager Rose Eluvathingal Muttikkal Spanish Translation Editors MJ Corvalan (SA) Carla Betancourt (SA) Marina Peebles (SA) Giuliana Rejalaga Chinese Translation Editors Xiaohan Zhang (SA) Yuhan Hou (SA) Yuqi Pang (SA) Ruiyan Qiu Finance Manager Charlie Healy Advertising Manager Montana Showalter

Thursday, May 19, 2022 | 17

PARTING SHOTS

Student journalism is all of our business A few days ago, my life felt like it was coming to a halt, flashing before my eyes and taking off all at once. In one Wednesday afternoon, I went to my very last undergraduate class and committed to my next career move. We celebrated the two first-place Virginia Press Association awards for The Cavalier Daily, and I ventured to the Newcomb basement for the first time in months to collect my CD grad cord. I should have felt pretty excited and maybe even a little accomplished that evening.

Instead, I remember feeling sad and scared.

That Wednesday, it hit me that in less than a month I’d no longer be with the people who made these causes for celebration possible. As graduation grows closer, bright moments are also heavy reminders I won’t always be a five-minute walk from the friends with whom I share so many of the good things in my life. I’ve learned a lot from The Cavalier Daily, student journalism, my time at the University — above all, I’ve found it’s impossible to do anything worthwhile alone. There are no stories without sources and no editors without writers. Working with such creative, caring people was an incredibly humbling experience.

I spent a lot of other Wednesday nights in our basement office with a whole team of editors piec-

ing our print paper together. We raced against our 2 a.m. deadline basically every time, placing and replacing headlines and visuals and leaving last-minute edits. At print night, everyone has their designated “roles” and “responsibilities,” but nobody stays in their lane. Photo editors help come up with title phrasing and production staff catch copy errors on InDesign. I can’t imagine it any other way. These nights taught me so much more than how to meet

office for her class project about spaces on Grounds. I summed up my experiences in my job, this paper and its community in a cliche but honest way — it was the thing that had already “definitely defined my U.Va. experience.”

When I started as news editor the previous semester, The Cavalier Daily became a full-time job and schoolwork secondary.

“But I think whenever you write any news article, you get to talk to someone about something

knew next to nothing about the place I signed up to live for four years. In my four years here, students, staff and community members led the charge for momentous wins — a living wage for all workers, ethical institutional responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and appropriate contextualization of our historic landscape are just a few examples. Students don’t join The Cavalier Daily because they already know everything about the U.Va. or Charlottesville beat,

I’ve learned a lot from The Cavalier Daily, student journalism, my time at the University — above all, I’ve found it’s impossible to do anything worthwhile alone.”

a deadline or manage a team. It was a time to test and trust each other’s instincts, knowing we all shared a stake in the stories that hit stands the next day.

There are bylines and mastheads — but there are also dozens of other eyes, hands and minds that shape every story. That’s student journalism, but also life. We owe a lot to each other, because we share so much of ourselves with one another.

In the spring of my second year, when I was just starting out as managing editor, first-year staff writer Eva Surovell flattered me by interviewing me about our

they’re really passionate about,” I said. “And so I like getting to help others experience that too.”

That was maybe my most pure, basic appreciation for storytelling as a tool in building community.

As a writer, editor and someone finally finding somewhere she belonged in the U.Va. ecosystem, The Cavalier Daily taught me to appreciate the many ways we depend on one another. And our love for our fellow editors and staff here is just a small part in our collective commitment to our broader community.

I joined the news and copy teams as a first year because I

but because we care a lot about understanding our new home. We get to watch people make changes and capture a sense of their importance.

Every few months, I’d barely remember whatever big story we rushed to put out so many weeks ago. That news cycle whiplash may be familiar to seasoned journalists, but for about a week in February 2020 I was convinced that nothing could beat Student Council election drama, but we were sent home for a pandemic one week later. And now my time here is suddenly up. So, in the wake of unmemorable clips and

endless edits, I’d like to recognize the people I’ll never forget.

Nik and Victoria, thank you for being such cool leaders to look up to. Ankit, after two managing boards together, you are my most trusted voice of reason. Truly an icon. Zack, the managing editor should have no reason to befriend an opinion editor. I’m glad it worked out for us though, haha.

Khuyen, you are the definition of a Resilient Hoo. And you’re a fantastic friend. Ava, Ethan, Jessica and Katrina, I’m so impressed by you all, individually and as a team. Eva, you show us how to be a better leader, friend and person every day. I am proud and in awe of you always.

So many editors and peers inspired me. So many fellow students, staff and community members let us ask you questions and write down your stories. Thank you all. I loved getting to know this place and still have much to learn. I obviously don’t view any of these sentiments as original — I hope they’re universal lessons to be learned here. All I know is The Cavalier Daily is a special operation that, in my biased opinion, is home to many special people who care a lot. Lots of love!

JENN BRICE was a News Editor for the 130th term, the Managing Editor for the 131st term and the Editor-in-Chief for the 132nd term of The Cavalier Daily.

Embracing my journeys 619 hours. To be honest, that number is probably a bit of an underestimate. It’s hard trying to quantify how much time I spent on The Cavalier Daily over the past four years. A few hours went into Sunday night copy shifts, watching students swipe in and out of the office as I waited to factcheck articles. Others were spent rushing to put together a print edition of the paper at 1:55 a.m. And even more were spent in weekly meetings, either with fellow Junior Board or Managing Board members, or just in the office waiting to see who would swing by. But no matter how I used those hours, 100 percent of them were spent learning how to bring my full self into wherever I go.

Anyone who knows me knows I spent the majority of my first year in the basement of Newcomb Hall. That basement is home to The Cavalier Daily office and is the former home of the Multicultural Student Center and the LGBTQ Center. It was in all these spaces where I began a four-year journey — not only one of professional and academic growth — but also of personal growth.

In my journey on The Cavalier Daily and in my journey of self-acceptance

as a queer person of color, the more I embraced each, the more I felt at home in both. Each time I swiped into the The Cavalier Daily office for a spot on the couches, I was unlocking the world of collegiate journalism — helping out with article reviews and page layouts, overhearing conversations of the stories-to-come and hot topics of coverage for the week and understanding what it meant to give to something bigger than myself. Right across the hall,

but rather as converging stories of growth. It started by coming to the office wearing one of the QC’s “Love Is…” campaign t-shirts. Then by creating an informal private Slack channel, #QueerDaily, in our online workspace with a few other LGBTQ+-identifying staff members. Later by raising my hand in brainstorming meetings to share what events were happening from Multicultural Student Services.

In retrospect, these actions may not

student journalism since my freshman year of high school, I’ve come to learn how the diversity of stories we tell is, in part, shaped by those that have a seat at the table in the newsroom. By not drawing on my experiences as a queer person of color, I would be doing a disservice to those whose stories and experiences deserved to be heard.

Both through my connection to other editors on the paper and through my own efforts to create content — such

As the semesters passed and I went from spending a few hours on The Cavalier Daily to multiple days each week as a Managing Board member, I soon realized that being fully who I am was not only a privilege, but also a responsibility.”

every opportunity I had to stop by the MSC or LGBTQ Center, I was getting one step closer to finding the key to understanding my own identity. Over time, more and more strangers in these spaces began transforming into friends with whom my relationship would extend beyond the confines of Newcomb’s low-ceiling basement.

And through these sources of community, I finally began to recognize these journeys not as parallels,

seem like much, but seeing my confidence grow was like a microcosm of the increasing strength I felt in bringing my full self to the paper and being authentically who I am.

As the semesters passed and I went from spending a few hours on The Cavalier Daily to multiple days each week as a Managing Board member, I soon realized that being fully who I am was not only a privilege, but also a responsibility. Having been involved in

as a video I made in the summer of 2020 on the intersection of LGBTQ+ identities and the Black Lives Matter movement — I could use my position to make an impact across the paper.

And as much as I hoped to make an impact on the paper, I could not begin to describe how much the paper did the same for me. Learning how to navigate my identity in the workplace occurred at the same time as I learned the ins-and-outs of how

to produce a paper, how to manage digital platforms with tens of thousands of followers, how to lead a team and so much more. This development eventually expanded into other parts of my life, manifesting in projects like a podcast about my identity that firstyear me would have never thought was possible.

Now, as I reflect on my time on the paper and count the days until I’m tossing my graduation cap on the Lawn, I can confidently say that those shifts on the The Cavalier Daily couches, those late nights in the office, and the many other memories that originate from Newcomb’s basement have brought some of the greatest joy in my journey through U.Va. To put it simply, I would not have spent those 619 hours any other way, and I truly can’t envision what my time at the University would have been like without The Cavalier Daily — a community from which I’ve found some of my closest friends, and from which I’ve finally found myself.

ANKIT AGRAWAL was a Production Editor for the 13oth term and the Operations Manager for the 131st and 132nd terms of The Cavalier Daily.

18 | www.cavalierdaily.com

PARTING SHOTS

In a perpetual state of awe My time with The Cavalier Daily began in the spring of my first year with a grainy photo of Newcomb Theater to complement a life article about weekly movie screenings held by the University Program Council.

I remember standing in the dimly lit theater, just down the hall from The Cavalier Daily’s office, fumbling with the manual settings on my camera in an attempt to capture a good photo.

“Oh dear,” I thought to myself.

This “oh dear” feeling came up more than I would like to admit in my three and a half years with The Cavalier Daily’s Photo section as a staffer, senior associate and editor.

As a first-year staffer, I eagerly accepted photo requests because it brought me joy to visually represent student journalism at the University and to have a creative outlet as well.

I quickly learned that each “oh dear”

moment that occurred while completing a photo request of the Women’s Center or Peabody Hall would also be a learning experience that would take me out of my comfort zone. Slowly, I became more comfortable with manual settings such as ISO, aperture and shutter speed while embracing their nuances. “It’ll be okay,” I thought to myself.

And it was. As a second-year senior associate, I not only took on more leadership within the Photo section, but I felt more confident behind my camera and prepared to work through inevitable “oh dear” moments. As I looked through the viewfinder in the fall semester, I saw football games at Scott Stadium and Multicultural Student Center events aimed at increasing diversity in selective schools at the University. In the spring semester, I saw the makings of

my first print cover and a basketball game at John Paul Jones Arena as a newly elected photo editor.

Then, the pandemic hit.

I have been on a vulnerable journey with my mental health since the onset of the pandemic two years ago.

My ability to fulfill aspects of my role as photo editor was adversely affected by the complexity of my mental health challenges, leaving me feeling disappointed in myself for letting down the brilliant student journalists at the University. But one day, I had an open and honest conversation with two managing board members who reached out to me after noticing changes in my work ethic. After hearing my story, they were not only incredibly understanding but also encouraged me to use the support system around me at the paper to fulfill aspects of my role that I could

use an extra hand with. Albeit difficult to admit one’s shortcomings, not only did this conversation warm my heart, but it left me feeling incredibly grateful for The Cavalier Daily.

The Cavalier Daily is a group of awe-inspiring students who have encouraged and motivated me to be a better photographer, student and person through their kindness, humor and intelligence.

I may not have been the most talented photographer or savvy with manual camera settings, but I was left in a perpetual state of awe. I was in awe of the writers who report on all aspects of student life — but especially the latest news affecting the University and Charlottesville communities with impeccably written stories. I was in awe of the photographers who capture once-in-a-lifetime moments at sporting, protest and

University-wide events to accompany these phenomenal articles. And I was also in awe of the editors and other leadership who come together not just at weekly meetings but also at print night where an immeasurable amount of effort is put into designing the cover and formatting the pages to create the print edition of the paper.

Throughout it all, I have been in admiration of the sheer talent that exists within this leading University paper. I consider myself lucky to have been given the opportunity to have been a part of this community at the University because I will cherish these memories for years to come.

Thank you, The Cavalier Daily.

ARIANA GUERANMAYEH was a Photo Editor for the 131st and 132nd terms of The Cavalier Daily.

Dreams change and that’s okay I can confidently say that I’m not the only one whose dreams have changed since arriving on Grounds as a wide-eyed first year. I’m also certain that I’m not the only one who struggled to comprehend that the things I once dreamt of were no longer my dreams.

I spent years dreaming of the day that I would become a doctor and join the medical staff of a National Football League team. I had a lifelong love for sports and I knew I wanted to make an impact on people’s lives, so this career seemed like a natural path for me. After enrolling in a rigorous science, technology, engineering and math-based course load, I spent my entire first semester at the University constantly trying to keep up and ultimately realized that this

dream might not become a reality.

This realization was a harsh truth to face at the time. After spending so long thinking I had a perfect picture of what my life would look like in five or 10 years, there was a certain confidence I carried in my daily stride. When people asked me what I was studying and what I wanted to do with my degree, I didn’t have to question myself — I knew the answer. Losing that confidence and not knowing the answer to that question was more challenging than I imagined.

During these times, I found solace in my support system. My wonderful parents, family members, roommates, friends, friends of friends, professors — the list of people I leaned on could go on for

a while. They all held a flashlight for me when I felt like I was walking in the dark, and I feel grateful that I had such amazing people assuring me that I deserved happiness and peace, even if I didn’t have it all figured out.

These are also the same people who pushed me to pursue different interests and get involved around Grounds — making my days less monotonous and changing my life for the better. After struggling so much, I never envisioned I could get back up and do things like intern for Virginia Athletics or join the Distinguished Majors Program in Sociology — but I did. One of the most valuable things I pushed myself to do during this time was to apply for the sports section of The Cavalier Daily in the spring of 2020.

When I was accepted, I remember being so excited that somebody else believed my writing was worthy of an audience. I took that reassurance and ran with it, writing about the baseball team, Joe Reed’s appearance at the NFL Combine and how Virginia Athletics Marketing gets ready for a basketball game, among many other topics. In the fall of 2020, I covered the field hockey team and wrote more articles, but as time passed, I had a growing desire to take on more responsibility and began thinking about running for Sports Editor.

With the encouragement of my phenomenal editors at the time, Vignesh Mulay and Akhil Rekulapelli, I ran for the position and became Sports Editor for the 132nd term of The Cavalier Daily. Without them

and the backing of countless other people in my life, I would never have done something so bold.

It was during times like these — times when I broke out of my comfort zone — that I found myself. That’s not to say that I have everything entirely figured out, but I understand that I don’t have to in order to be satisfied with who I am. I feel as though I’ve regained that sense of confidence I once held, and I have a stronger sense of identity than I ever did because I had lost it for so long. I dream of different things now, and I’m content with that.

SARAH PETTYCORD was a Sports Editor for the 132nd term of The Cavalier Daily.

More than a hundred stories later, I’m signing out I’ve spent all of my eight semesters as a News Writer for The Cavalier Daily. Now, four years, a global pandemic and 118 news stories later, my time at the University has drawn to a close, and I want to do what little I can to make sure that people understand that the students dedicated to The Cavalier Daily, which is more important than most know, are some of the most hardworking on Grounds.

My time at The Cavalier Daily has been a pleasure — I’ve enjoyed working with four different editors-in-chief, plenty of news editors, hundreds of staffers and everyone else who keeps the massive enterprise that is The Cavalier Daily afloat. Without my experiences here, I surely would not have been

able to secure prestigious writing opportunities at The Washington Post, The Council on Foreign Relations or AccuWeather — all of which have allowed me to build upon the journalism skills that The Cavalier Daily helped me develop.

I’ve come a long way from the firstyear applicant who said they wanted to launch a weather section here, and while I did not manage to make that happen — I don’t exactly have a meteorology degree — I’m happy to say I wrote about the weather at least a few times.

Don’t tell any of my editors at the other publications I write for, but The Cavalier Daily’s editing and commenting process is arguably the most thorough I’ve seen, with the pursuit of fact-checking

and rigorous journalism that involves student voices being second-to-none, even in drafting this Parting Shot.

Over the past 118 stories I’ve written, I’ve worked to inform students and tried to hold people accountable when needed. Yes, I’ve written fluff stories about electric scooters. But, our section holds a history of important stories too, including some of my own — from student activism to extend the University’s COVID-19 grading policy to anonymous activism around the naming of Alderman Library, to my very first story. Still one of my favorite stories, my first piece covered the difficulties non-English speaking students experienced at Student Financial Services. Shout-

out to the editors who saved that piece from being a mess.

In general, I think the role of student journalism at the University isn’t fully appreciated — when I tended to tell friends I wrote for The Cavalier Daily, a common question was to ask who actually read the pieces. In reality, plenty of people do — as our website analytics prove. Charlottesville and the University have both found themselves in the national spotlight time and time and time and time again, with The Cavalier Daily’s news section remaining an independent overseer of all these difficult and polarizing issues.

So, to those still reading this parting shot and my final words words in this paper, I hope that you

appreciate the amount of time and effort that goes into running this paper — from the news section, to the sports section, to the copy editors that make any of this possible, to even the oft-criticized Editorial Board that tends to take way more heat than it deserves.

To any students reading this — join the paper! Even if I don’t work in journalism after I graduate, the experience has been invaluable — hopefully, at least, my coworkers appreciate grammatically-correct and well-phrased emails.

Signing out — Zach.

ZACH ROSENTHAL was a Senior News Associate Editor, Senior News Writer and News Writer for The Cavalier Daily.

The Cavalier Daily

HUMOR

Thursday, May 19, 2022 | 19

Soon-to-be Grad Nathan Ray offers us his expert advice Q. Dear Nathan, I’ll be studying abroad in Valencia this fall and I’m pretty nervous. My boyfriend and I have been together for about two and a half years now, and I’m scared because the semester I’m in Spain will be the longest we’ve ever been apart. How do we pick up where we left off when I come home in December?

Sincerely, Anxious about Ethpaña A. Dear Anxious, I’m going to put this in the gentlest way possible — your boyfriend is going to cheat on you while you’re in Spain. Think about it — who encouraged you to study abroad in the first place? I’m willing to bet all the tuition money I’m about to pay for grad school that it was your boyfriend. “You’ll get so good at Spanish that when you get back we can have dates where we speak in Spanish the whole time!” Sound familiar? How about, “Take lots of pictures so I can live vicariously through you!”? How

easily statements of support can disguise the desire to hook up with strangers at the bar in your absence.

Look, I get it — 4,000 miles and an ocean separating a couple can make it seem easy to fool around without consequence. But trust me, nobody on this earth, and certainly not at the University, is worth losing your shit over on a Spanish balcony at three in the morning when you find out that that “just a friend” you were worried about, finessed their way into splitting Plan B with your partner. My advice? Dump him on the way to the airport and ball out in Valencia. As the philosopher Elaine Benes once said — “NEXT!” Q. Dear Nathan, As a straight man, I recently downloaded YikYak and was surprised to find how sad and horny the majority of University students seem to be. Anyways, after responding to an anonymous request for a cuddle session with who I assumed would be a woman, I found myself at the apartment of another straight man.

The whole thing ended up being very

professional — we spooned wordlessly for 30 minutes, followed each other on LinkedIn, and then I was on my way. How do I define my relationship with this guy? Should I introduce him to my parents?

Sincerely, Byte Curious A. Dear Curious, I wouldn’t worry too much about labels, just stay open to new experiences and be sure to honestly communicate your feelings. I’d be more concerned about the fact that you assumed the cuddle request came from a woman. Seems like the problematic mindset from that old “the doctor was a woman” riddle to me.

Q. Dear Nathan, I’m also graduating this spring and am worried about making friends in the adult world. How can I connect with people my age when there aren’t any classes or clubs that force us to spend time together?

Sincerely, Stressed in the City A. Dear Stressed, Here are a few topics that are sure to be fodder for fun conversation when meeting other young adults. 1.

Our national championship win, people from other schools never get tired of hearing about that. 2. How many drinks you can take before you black out or throw up. Trust me, drunk stories are like dreams — everyone wants to hear about yours in extreme detail. 3. Conspiracy theories about the Food and Drug Administration. I once went on a date with a girl who believed that lactose intolerance isn’t real and that the government is unfairly keeping Americans from buying raw cow milk and let me tell you, that worked like a charm.

Q. Dear Nathan, I’m insecure about how lanky I am, so I’ve started hitting the gym.

The problem is that I often feel even more self-conscious there, since I’ll often find myself struggling to do

CARTOON Build-a-Grad Audrey Lewis | Cartoonist

bicep curls with 10-pound dumbbells while some guy who looks like the human version of Shrek in “Shrek 2” is next to me benching three times my bodyweight. How can I feel more confident when working out?

Sincerely, Gym Bro Q. Dear Gym, I could feed you some overused advice about trusting the process and how nobody is judging you at the gym for trying to be healthier, but I’m sure you’ve heard all that before. Here’s my take — go to the gym naked. Want to clear out the gym so you can have a solo squat sesh? Nothing will empty the place faster than rolling up with your Wahoos and Jim Ryan hanging out. Just be careful on the treadmill.

Buena suerte, Nathan Ray NATHAN RAY is a Humor Columnist for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at humor@cavalierdaily.com

20 | www.cavalierdaily.com

HEALTH & SCIENCE

The Cavalier Daily

Graduating students highlight interdisciplinary research Social sciences research creates a multitude of opportunities for students to pursue their dreams across many disciplines Katherine Costin | Staff Writer After four years of learning at the University, three social science students — fourth-year College students Erica Sprott, Macie Clerkley and Sarina Margolin — shared their unique experiences in conducting research across multiple disciplines with The Cavalier Daily. Though the three have different fields of study, each expressed a similar passion for research that integrated interests beyond their majors.

Sprott, who has completed a distinguished major program in economics in addition to a second major in statistics, conducted experimental research in the Vecon lab — an economics laboratory located in Monroe Hall — with Political Economy Prof. Charlie Holt to complete her thesis.

“Physically [the Vecon lab] is just a computer lab,” Sprott said in an email statement to The Cavalier Daily. “However, the Vecon lab’s online presence is much more impactful than its physical presence — veconlab.econ.virginia.edu hosts all the simulations that Charlie codes and maintains, so that anyone anywhere can create an account and run the simulations for free.”

After establishing an interest in offshore wind, a constantly renewable energy source, Sprott decided to look into two countries with differing mechanisms for leasing.

“Different countries have different mechanisms to allocate offshore wind leases for companies that can then decide where they want to put their wind turbines to generate clean electrical power,” Sprott said. “The U.S. has an auction mechanism that it uses, and the U.K. has a different one. For my thesis, I was interested in comparing those two in a controlled setting.”

Sprott noted that experimental economics research is often expensive because participants have to be compensated. She received funding for her research through the Marshall Jevons grant, which supports economics undergraduates at the University in research projects or academic travel.

In addition to her research, Sprott also co-taught a one credit course with Holt — Economic Insights: A Behavioral Starter. The course utilizes classroom simulations to encourage thought and discussion on real-world applica-

tions of economics.

Sprott will attend a pre-doctoral program in economics next year and intends to obtain a doctorate.

Like Sprott, Margolin pursued a distinguished major program, but in the politics department.

Her research as a foreign affairs major focused on nuclear energy.

“The research I did specifically focused on eight countries that had both nuclear power for civil purposes and nuclear weapons in order to figure out if there was some type of trend between dem-

sponsible for finding an advisor that is willing to work with you on your paper.”

Margolin’s interest in the energy industry comes from her previous job at a consulting firm.

After starting her job with the firm, she decided to write her thesis on it and pursue a career in energy.

After graduation, Margolin will be moving to Houston to start a job in the energy industry.

While Sprott and Margolin utilized a distinguished major program to complete their re-

about African diaspora archaeology.

“I’m doing a case study on Black feminist archaeology and its role in reshaping the way we think about our past and how we can utilize it as a tool for liberation in the present,” Clerkley said. “It’s really interdisciplinary and works with archaeology, anthropology and Black studies.”

Clerkley said that the University was the perfect place to conduct her research due to its proximity to plantation spaces like Montpelier — the home of

LEXIE GAGNON | THE CAVALIER DAILY

ocratic and authoritarian regimes and whether they adopted nuclear weapons or nuclear power first,” Margolin said.

Margolin said the distinguished major program in politics — an application based program with a focus on thesis writing — is special because students are able to work with a cohort of people with high interest in a specific field.

“It’s really helpful because you’re getting classroom instruction on how to read and write to properly form a good argument and thesis,” Margolin said. “And then on top of that, you’re re-

search, Clerkley followed a different path.

For Clerkley, conducting an independent study with the Woodson Institute has allowed her to figure out her passion in an interdisciplinary field — Black feminist archaeology. The Woodson Institute, named after Carter Godwin Woodson, has two main purposes — enhancing the research and teaching of African-American studies at the University and establishing a research center to make contributions to learning and scholarship.

Clerkley’s interest in research stems from the lack of classes

James Madison — Monticello and Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest, as well as the Digital Archaeological Archive of Comparative Slavery where she was an intern.

DAACS is based in the department of archaeology at Monticello, but is a web-based initiative that fosters comparative archaeological research focused on slavery. The database has information about artifacts, images, ceramics, objects and site information.

Clerkley plans to continue this research throughout her education and career, specifically conducting fieldwork with Black

feminist archaeology as a framework. This summer, she will attend Monticello’s Archaeology Field School as part of her gap year before applying to graduate school for the fall of 2023.

Even though Sprott, Clerkley and Margolin had very different backgrounds, they had similar advice for those who are interested in research.

Sprott noted that while office hours can seem intimidating, there are other things students can do to become acquainted with professors and teaching assistants.

“Everything that has happened to me in the economics department has come from sitting in the front of Econ 201 and 202,” Sprott said. “That’s how I first got introduced to research and professors.”

Margolin emphasized the importance of looking into non-traditional programs that allow for personalized experiences.

“If you’re interested in learning more about something that isn’t offered in the typical classroom, go after the DMP or some type of program that would allow you to pursue your interests,” Margolin said. “More often than not, you’re going to get a really great encyclopedia of resources offered at U.Va.” Clerkley suggested attending office hours as a way to get to know professors, which could turn into opportunities in research or teaching assistant roles.

“They know a lot of people on Grounds,” Clerkley said. “And so if their research topic maybe isn’t similar to yours, they’re definitely likely to steer you in the right way. And so just kind of talking to someone about some broad interests. They’ll definitely help you either narrow that down, or kind of help you figure out where you want to start.”

Tackling something like research is not easy, but for Sprott, Clerkley and Margolin, having a strong passion and interest makes it worth it. One thing worth remembering is that students don’t have to face big projects like this alone.

“I think the biggest part of starting a research project is having a base of communication and community that is gonna help you push yourself to finish it,” Clerkley said.

Thursday, May 19, 2022 | 21

HEALTH & SCIENCE

Students, faculty identify ongoing accessibility issues Input from the chronically ill and disabled U.Va. community spotlights both physical and cultural initiatives aimed towards inclusivity Matthew Whitlock | Staff Writer Despite advancement in accessibility in recent years ­— like the Lawn Accessibility project, which installed accessible ramps in 2019 ­— there are still physical and cultural barriers that create ongoing challenges for those with disabilities who live at, work in and visit the University.

To combat the accessibility impediments that are currently being faced, various initiatives have been implemented that have made an impression on students and faculty.

One of the most prominent barriers seen on Grounds today is due to public transportation and the current bus routes, which were notably modified following the COVID-19 pandemic. The Demand and Response Transportation program, specifically tailored to transport mobility-impaired students and faculty around Grounds, is one of the options in place as an accessible alternative to the bus system. According to fourth-year College student Alex Pace, however, the DART program has not been a reliable alternative. “[DART] doesn’t quite meet the needs that we’re looking for because it’s not reliable,” Pace said. “I’d say maybe 80 percent of the time when you schedule them, you have to schedule them with a 30-minute buffer if you’re trying to get to classes or something like that, sometimes maybe even an hour … You’re having to build all this time in, and you’re really not sure when they’re gonna come, if they’re gonna come and how long it will take them.”

In addition to physical mobility issues like those caused by transportation, there are also less direct disability issues that cause less tangible, but still very real, barriers. This includes cultural barriers that can unfairly pit the chronically ill and disabled population against the rest of the University community.

Annie Zetkulic, third-year College student and newly-elected president of Chronically Ill and Disabled Cavs, said that the general attitude towards disability has created difficulties for the chronically ill and disabled population.

“There are a lot of cultural barriers,” Zetkulic said. “Most students on Grounds don’t view disability or chronic illness as an identity that has a place at U.Va. necessarily because it’s often hidden or just not really acknowledged.”

To push back against these cultural barriers, there has been a growing movement to reclaim the term disability as an identity and not a source of division.

Mausam Mehta, fourth-year Commerce student and former

CHARLOTTE COONEY | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Despite the 2019 installation of Lawn ramps, there are still physical and cultural barriers that create ongoing challenges for those with disabilities.

CIDC president, said that disability should not be considered an impediment.

“I think that disability is a very integral part of identity,” Mehta said. “It is just a part of our identity, and it’s a set of circumstances. What really creates the disability is the barriers that society poses to us, at least that’s the way I think of it.”

Instead, Zetkulic believes that there are specific changes that the University community could make that would help eliminate this divide currently felt by chronically ill and disabled students towards the rest of their peers. “[The solution] requires people to just be willing to listen and understand,” Zetkulic said. “And that is tough, because it does require a bit of a burden from disabled students on Grounds to do a little bit of education to have people seek to understand and not to just put a label on things … Not only do we need to be understood and listened to by students and everyone else on Grounds, but [disability should be thought of] not as a detriment, but just as an identity.”

This final idea, that disability should be considered as a part of one’s identity and not as something that makes them inherently different from their peers, is an idea that ultimately resonates across the en-

tire University community.

Bridging this mindset to those on the faculty level, Rupa Valdez, associate professor of medicine and engineering, said that ideas implemented to improve accessibility are not limited to only helping those with disabilities and chronic illnesses.

“I think there’s a growing awareness of disability as an identity … thinking about disability as much more than this person has a medical diagnosis, or they have this particular limitation,” Valdez said. “If you make changes, generally they’re helpful for everyone … not just the person who’s asking for the accommodation.”

One of the main accommodations that professors provided during the virtual semesters from spring 2020 through spring 2021 was making recordings of their lectures available to students. This allowed students to watch the material safely at home during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, permitting them to learn at their own pace and in a quiet environment. As the University transitioned from fully virtual to hybrid and then to fully in-person classes, the rate of professors recording their lectures plummeted, causing sizable dismay from the student body.

The Student Disability Access

Center is the main route students use to acquire accommodations on an individual level, providing services that range from assistive technology to note-taking services to remote participation requests.

As pointed out by Valdez, some of the services offered by SDAC can be helpful for everyone and not merely for those that explicitly seek their support.

“If someone is asking for lectures to be recorded, or for someone to be a note-taker, that likely benefits everyone in the classroom,” Valdez said.

In terms of obtaining accommodations from professors, Mehta said that the blame for shortcomings in acquiring these accommodations should not fall at the feet of SDAC, which normally does not create an obstacle.

“A lot of times, SDAC is not the problem — it’s not SDAC that poses a barrier,” Mehta said. “It’s professors who don’t understand the need for accommodations or think that they are ways for students to shortcut rather than to level the playing field.”

In an attempt to tackle similar problems of people not fully grasping the need for disability education, faculty members created the Disability Studies Initiative in 2015.

Its mission is to underscore the no-

tion that disability can function as a social, cultural and political identity, not simply as an alienating typology from the rest of the population.

Christopher Krentz, associate professor of English and American Sign Language and director of the DSI, said that one of the core goals of the organization was to increase the access to disability studies for all students.

“We find that a disability studies lens applies to bioethics, to architecture, to literature or philosophy of media studies, to history, to many fields,” Krentz said. “We have seen students almost coming out of the woodwork who are interested in disability for a variety of reasons.

Our goal is to give them some kind of concentration, or minor, or some way to link courses that have to do with disability together.”

Although this goal has not yet been reached, it serves as one of many representations of the effort to advance accessibility across the University. Coupled with initiatives to increase disability awareness, Krentz is encouraged by the progress that has been made over the years.

“I can tell you that disability access has greatly improved since 1994,” Krentz said. “It’s great to see the University taking this so seriously at the highest levels.”

22 | www.cavalierdaily.com

SPORTS

The Cavalier Daily

The best of Virginia athletics’ seniors Highlighting the best teams and graduates of the last four years Connor Lothrop | Sports Columnist of the 2022 class is senior wide receiver Billy Kemp IV. Kemp has been a reliable target throughout his career for both former quarterback Bryce Perkins and junior quarterback Brennan Armstrong, totalling 176 career receptions — good for fourth in program history.

Kemp experienced a lot through the ups and downs of the Mendenhall era and would no doubt be a valuable leader in the transition to the tenure of Coach Tony Elliott. Armstrong and the group of upperclassmen that remain will miss the consistent presence and unmatchable work ethic of Kemp, a player who worked his way from a rotation player to an every-game starter.

Senior guard Kody Stattmann — Basketball

COURTESY SCOTT TAETSCH, MATT RILEY & VIRGINIA ATHLETICS

Jelani Woods (top left), Laurel Ivory (top right), Matt Moore (bottom left) and Alexis Wenger (bottom right) will be critical departures for Virginia athletics heading towards next season.

For the first time in three years, the University will host normal Final Exercises this weekend. Among those leaving will be about a quarter of the school’s 750 student athletes. The athletes in the Class of 2022 have given their all to the University’s athletics programs and given some of the best results in school history as a result. The last four years have seen an unprecedented level of success for the Cavaliers.

These athletes have combined to win five national championships in four years — a historic achievement — and many of the programs that didn’t win national championships shook off years of failure and made deep runs into the postseason. This, of course, was all done with many seniors missing a year of the college athletics experience due to the COVID-19 pandemic, making it all the more impressive.

As Finals Weekend approaches, it feels right to honor the most successful of the school’s graduating athletes who made these last four years so special for Virginia athletics.

fire in May and made it all the way to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. before being eliminated after a pair of tight losses to Mississippi State and Texas. The 2022 squad started white hot before cooling off as of late, but Virginia is still on track to host a regional and potentially return to Omaha.

Baseball’s Class of 2022 is headlined by graduate student first baseman and pitcher Devin Ortiz. Ortiz has been batting fifth in the order and will be a major offensive loss for the Cavaliers.

In fact, it was Ortiz who hit the walkoff homerun in extra innings to defeat Old Dominion and send Virginia to the Super Regionals in 2021, a play that single-handedly not only affected the tail end of last season but also likely the Cavaliers’ attitude heading into 2022. Having been there for the lows of 2019 and 2020, the loss of a leader like Ortiz will mean much more than just an on-field impact.

Graduate student first baseman and pitcher Devin Ortiz — Baseball

Virginia women’s soccer has been one of the most consistent programs in school history, having not missed the NCAA tournament since 1993. In the four years that the graduating seniors played, the women played well, but never reached the summit. Twice, they were ACC runner-ups, they reached the national Sweet 16 twice and they

Virginia baseball’s 2019 and 2020 seasons were forgettable, with the 2019 team missing the postseason and the 2020 season starting strong before being canceled. 2021, however, was a magical year, as the Cavaliers caught

Graduate student goalkeeper Laurel Ivory — Women’s soccer

lost in the national semifinals in 2020.

Graduate student goalie Laurel Ivory — the program’s second winningest goalie — is perhaps the most impactful loss of this year’s class. Having been the starter since her freshman season, Ivory served as a steady presence in front of the net for the Cavaliers. She no doubt was a mentor to many of her younger teammates and her emotional impact on the team was made plainly clear following her season-ending injury in the ACC Tournament final in 2021 — the team made her a clear rallying point in its postseason run. Among all the key graduates moving on from the program this year, Ivory’s leadership makes her an especially important departure.

Senior wide receiver Billy Kemp — Football The last four years under former coach Bronco Mendenhall saw Virginia take a big step forward and then a few small steps back. Both the 2018 and 2019 teams were ranked at one point or another. The 2019 team reached a peak of No. 18 in the national polls, beating Virginia Tech for the first time in 16 years and reaching the Orange Bowl, where it lost to Florida.

The 2020 and 2021 teams had exciting offenses but horrendous defenses, and both teams returned to Earth and finished .500.

Perhaps the most crucial graduate

The men’s basketball team’s national championship victory in April 2019 will likely be the iconic Virginia sports memory of nearly every graduate this weekend. The following two seasons were just fine too, with the team reaching postseason play, but running into issues with COVID-19. The 2022 squad greatly underperformed, and well, the less said, the better.

Senior guard Kihei Clark and senior forward Jayden Gardner will both play an extra year after completing their senior seasons, leaving senior guard Kody Stattmann as the most significant departures of this class. In his senior season, Stattmann began to find a more consistent spot in the lineup, contributing valuable minutes and points to a team that desperately needed it.

With Stattmann moving on, Clark and junior center Francisco Caffaro will be the only remaining players from Virginia’s national championship squad from 2019. While Stattman has struggled to play a substantial role in the Cavaliers’ on-court success for much of his college career, veterans that know what it takes to win are valuable on any team — losing that should not be taken lightly.

Senior Alexis Wenger — Women’s swimming and diving Virginia women’s swimming and diving finished sixth in the country in 2018-2019, before breaking out after the canceled 2019-2020 postseason and winning the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 national titles.

This group of graduating seniors for the women’s swimming and diving team played an instrumental role in the ascension of the Cavaliers from

a good program to an elite program, and senior Alexis Wenger especially starred as an 11-time All-American selection.

Now back-to-back national champions, Virginia is on the verge of emerging as a dynasty. Wenger — who was part of the 400-yard medley relay team that set an American record — was an All-American in events as a sophomore and elevated teammates around her as a member of a number of relay teams. While the Cavaliers have a plethora of talent returning, the loss of Wenger will leave a significant void to fill.

Senior face-off specialist Petey LaSalla and graduate student attacker Matt Moore — Men’s lacrosse The final sport, men’s lacrosse, has been the most successful program on Grounds the last four years. The seniors, after winning the 2019 and 2021 national championships, have a chance to be crowned champions for every year that they had a postseason.

Currently, the team is in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament, where they will face No.1 Maryland on Sunday.

As the all-time leader in face-offs won for Virginia, senior face-off specialist Petey LaSalla played a critical role in Virginia’s national championship runs, continually giving the Cavaliers the edge at the face-off X including critical performances deep in the playoffs. To compliment LaSalla’s faceoff success, graduate student attacker Matt Moore has displayed incredible offensive prowess throughout his five-year career beginning with being names ACC Freshman of the Year in 2018. Moore recently became Virginia’s all-time point leader, and the announcement of his return for one final season following the 2021 season was a major boost for the Cavaliers’ preseason expectations.

With Coach Lars Tiffany at the helm for Virginia, there will always be a bright outlook, but the loss of Moore and LaSalla will be a major blow to the Cavaliers in two key areas of the field as well as from an intangibles perspective — they are undoubtedly emotional leaders of a team looking for a third consecutive national championship.

The last four years have been a wonder to behold for many Virginia sports programs. The graduating athletes have been exceptional, and the graduating students who have been watching for all their school careers have been lucky to have them. Hopefully, the next four years bring even more stars and even more rings.

Thursday, May 19, 2022 | 23

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PUZZLES * SOLUTION FROM LAST ISSUE

Across

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The crossword puzzle in Vol. 132, Issue 16 included some minor errors with certain words fitting correctly in the grid. We apologize for the mistakes and hope this didn’t ruin your puzzle experience!

1. Tie 4. Mars 8. Ump 9. Mechanical 11. Ear 12. Diana 14. Madonna Louise Cecione 15. Chowder 18. Quentin Tarantino 21. Alarm 22. Samurai 25. Pain 26. Bahamas 27. Asia 28. Megamind

Down

2. Elementary 3. Wuthering Heights 5. Ang Lee 6. Brokeback Mountain 7. Quentin Tarantino 10. Key West 12. Drawn 13. Eel 16. Duke of Hastings 17. Low 19. Eliminate 20. Mascara 21. Adult 23. Aroma 24. Dada

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