leON arCeO, aDaire BUrNSeD, leXie GaGNON & hONOr WOOD | The Cavalier Daily
This week in-brief
CD News Staff
U.Va. Health faculty demand removal of health system CEO, School of Medicine dean
The morning of Sept. 5, the University’s Board of Visitors received a letter of no confidence for Craig Kent, chief executive officer of U.Va. Health, and Melina Kibbe, dean of the School of Medicine, Medicine professor and chief health affairs officer, demanding both of their removals. The letter, signed by 128 U.Va. Physicians Group-employed faculty, alleges that the two leaders have fostered an environment that compromises patient safety and creates a culture of fear among faculty.
The letter accuses Kent and Kibbe of allowing “egregious acts” to occur at U.Va. Health and the School of Medicine, including hiring doctors with questionable quality of work, subjecting residents to harassment, excessive spending on executives instead of addressing staffing shortages, a lack of transparency on financial matters and violations of the Board of Visitors-approved code of ethics.
“Craig Kent and Melina Kibbe have not only undermined but also directly attacked the values that inspired us to study, teach and work at the University of Virginia School of Medicine and U.Va. Health,” the letter reads.
The letter also states that, though the alleged concerns have been longstanding and routinely documented by faculty, leaders in U.Va. Health have dismissed, punished and silenced those who have followed U.Va. reporting protocols, including threatening promotion denials as retaliation for speaking out against U.Va. Health leaders, as well as altering and suppressing reports of instances in which U.Va. Health leaders committed abuses of power.
The letter mentions that the environment fostered by Kent and Kibbe has contributed to an “ongoing exodus” of qualified U.Va. Health employees, which the faculty say undermines their ability to ensure adequate patient care.
Israeli flag vandalized in Rouss-Robertson Hall
In an email statement sent to the University community Sept. 6, University President Jim Ryan and Ian Baucom, executive vice president and provost, wrote that an unknown individual vandalized an Israeli flag hanging in Rouss-Robertson Hall, home to the University’s McIntire School of Commerce. According to the email, University administrators are overseeing an investigation to identify the culprit and have filed a police report.
In the statement, Ryan and Baucom wrote that while the University is committed to free expression, vandalism is not protected speech, and bigotry and harassment are not tolerated at the University.
“This act of antisemitism is antithetical to the values and norms of the McIntire School and the University as a whole,” the statement read. “University leaders are supporting the Dean, students, and other members of the community who were affected by this incident.”
The statement included a message from Nicole Jenkins, dean of the McIntire School of Commerce, who wrote that the flag was located on the second floor of the building and was defaced with the words “Where is Palestine.” Jenkins said the flag was removed Thursday afternoon after they noticed the vandalism and that it will be replaced, although she did not provide a time frame for this replacement.
In her statement, Jenkins encouraged any student with information about the incident to come forward. She also wrote that administrators have reported an incident to the Office for Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights, which is responsible for investigating incidents of discrimination and harassment at the University.
Tim Kaine speaks on election, Virginia political landscape at University Democrats event
Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine voiced his support for Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign and encouraged students to vote at a 175-person event hosted by the University Democrats, a political organization on Grounds that aims to support the Democratic Party through voter outreach and activism. In its first meeting of the semester, club leaders said they hoped to increase recruitment and engage students in election campaign efforts by hosting a recognizable politician like Kaine, who was the vice presidential nominee for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. Kaine, a Democrat, has represented Virginia in the United States Senate since 2013 and is currently seeking reelection for a third term. Prior to his time in the senate, he served as Mayor of Richmond from 1998 to 2001 and Governor of Virginia from 2006 to 2010. He currently serves on the Armed Services, Budget, Foreign Relations, and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committees in the Senate.
Kaine said that he wanted to visit the University as part of his campaign efforts in order to connect with voters of every age group, region and demographic and hear their perspectives. Throughout the event, Kaine encouraged students to vote, saying former President Donald Trump poses a threat to American democracy should he be reelected.
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He also discussed Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign, which he endorsed shortly after President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race July 21. He shared an anecdote about the first tie-breaking vote in the Senate that she made as Vice President, in which she supported a bill to extend Medicaid coverage for low-income mothers.
8.29.2024
U.Va. suspends University Guide Service tours
The University Guide Service announced Aug. 28 in a statement on Instagram that the University has suspended them from conducting both admissions and historical tours, citing concerns from the University over tour attendance and tour quality. According to the statement, the Guide Service will continue to work with the University to develop an agreement that would allow for future Guide Service-led tours, and the group will continue their recruitment operations for the semester.
The Guide Service is a student-run organization on Grounds that gave admissions and historical tours to pro-
9.5.2024
Finn Trainer, Thomas Baxter, Grace Thrush | News Editors
spective students, families and visitors. As a Special Status Organization, the group is among a handful of other groups on Grounds — such as Student Council and the University Board of Elections — that are trusted to act as agents of the University. This designation means that they are required to keep a close working relationship with a University advisor.
University spokesperson Bethanie Glover said in an email statement to The Cavalier Daily that instead of members of the Guide Service, student interns employed by the Office of Admission will be conducting admissions tours for prospective stu-
dents and their families. According to Glover, the University has been in “close contact” with the Guide Service and its leadership over the past two years, cooperating to develop plans for the future of the Guide Service and admissions tours.
“The University Guide Service has a longstanding, proud tradition of providing tours on the University’s behalf,” Glover said. “In the interest of continuing that tradition, we are working with the [Guide Service] on a performance improvement plan which will extend through the fall 2024 semester, reviewing the University’s expectations for guide attendance
and tour content and delivery.”
According to the Guide Service’s statement, the suspension of their tours is a result of the University administration’s belief that the organization is failing to fulfill its designated responsibilities. The Guide Service refuted this idea, claiming the administration paints an incomplete story of its performance, as the group keeps its own internal accountability measures.
“The justification for these suspensions is based on the Administration’s view that UGS is failing to fulfill its delegated functions, particularly in terms of reliability and tour quality,” the statement reads. “Our own ac-
countability measures — including tour feedback solicited from all admissions tour visitors — suggest that this is an incomplete view of our tours.”
According to the statement from the Guide Service, the group plans to continue to work with administrators so that it can return to giving tours in conjunction with the University.
“We believe our mission is better fulfilled when we can offer tours in collaboration with the University,” the statement said. “This will remain true so long as this relationship does not harm our ability to share an honest and complete account of U.Va. and its history.”
Guide Service and administration negotiating possible return
After sharing that the University suspended its admissions and historical tours, leaders of the University Guide Service said they are working closely with administrators to establish a proposal that would allow the organization to begin leading admissions tours as soon as the spring semester. The Guide Service first announced its suspension in a statement Aug. 28, where they said that the administration had concerns about the reliability and quality of their tours.
Though no agreement has been finalized, the current proposal from University administration requires Guides to attend 10 trainings hosted by the Office of Admissions, submit an outline of their tour plans for ad-
9.8.2024
Thomas Baxter, Nathan Onibudo, Grace Thrush | News Editors
ministrative approval and conduct a tour observed by a University administrator, according to Jack Giese, cochair of the Guide Service and fourthyear College student.
According to Giese, the current version of the administration’s proposal requires Guides interested in leading admissions tours to attend 10 training sessions run by the Office of Admission over the course of this semester. Giese said that some of these sessions will address the administration’s reliability and consistency concerns, while other sessions will connect Guides to resources designed to enhance the quality of their tours.
In addition to these training sessions, Giese said Guides will be re-
quired to submit outlines of their individual tour plans to the Office of Admission or Student Affairs. It is unclear what the approval process for the outlines will look like, though Giese said administration is working to provide a more developed plan to the Guide Service.
“All of the nitty gritty details of this [proposal] are still being negotiated, so it could definitely change,” Giese said. “And I think there’s been a lot of progress in that direction [of getting it] finalized.”
After attending the required training sessions and having an outline of their tour approved by administration, Guides will also have to conduct an admissions tour observed by staff
in the Office of Admission or Student Affairs, according to Giese.
While the Guide Service and University administration are working on a specific plan to reinstate the organization’s admissions tours, Giese and Taliaferro said that they currently have no concrete plan on when or how the organization will return to giving its historical tours.
“In terms of historical tours … our hope is that those can return in some sense before the end of the semester,” Taliaferro said. “But we just do not have any plan right now for when or how that could look.”
Despite this sense of uncertainty, Giese said that leadership in the Guide Service has also had a few productive
meetings with University administrators about reinstating its historical tours, which he said makes him optimistic about their return.
While Giese and Taliaferro shared their disappointment at the suspension, the two emphasized that their main goal is to get back to giving tours and wants to work with the University to do so.
“The Guide Service in general is very committed to giving tours and so obviously, many members are disappointed that we can’t do that,” Giese said. “But I think there is a very large focus on how we can get back to doing that as soon as possible, in as many ways as possible.”
How Admission intern tours differ from the Guide Service’s
As Guide Service leaders work alongside administration ahead of an anticipated re-launching of updated tours this spring, all prospective students and families will experience Grounds through University-run admission tours. Although still student-guided, these tours are led by interns trained and paid by the Office of Undergraduate Admission.
To examine the differences between Guide Service- and Office of Admission-led prospective student tours, The Cavalier Daily attended three admission tours between Sept. 3 and Sept. 5 to see how the Office of Admission prospective student tour compares to a prospective student tour provided by the Guide Service. Despite criticism that Guide Service tours focused too heavily on the past, Office of Admission tours also
Merrill Hart, Thomas Baxter | News Editors
acknowledged the negative impact that the University and its history has had on certain communities. All Office of Admission sessions started with a general admission officer-led presentation featuring a land acknowledgement of the University’s place on former Monacan Nation territory, labeled as a “best practice suggested statement” in presentation footnotes. The content in this presentation has remained consistent throughout the past several years, according to a University spokesperson. Admission officers also introduced the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers, a monument completed in 2020 to honor the lives of enslaved laborers at the University.
After the introduction from admission officers, Office of Admission interns began the walking portion
of the tour. When the tour groups stopped at the Lawn, each intern spoke about the University’s history and traditions, also recognizing the University’s relationship with enslaved laborers. One intern encouraged attendees to engage further with the subject after the tour.
The Cavalier Daily obtained a sample tour outline used by the Guide Service which provides a framework for Guides to plan their tours, including route options and scripts for certain topics. Guides are not obliged to follow the outline, and are generally encouraged to develop their own scripts following a probationary training semester.
While the Guide Service document provides similar talking points for Guides regarding the University’s place on Monacan Nation land and its
history with enslaved labor, it also included a talking point not covered by Office of Admission interns — white supremacy.
The Guide Service outline recommends that Guides address the Aug. 11, 2017 “Unite the Right” rally, when white nationalists brandished torches on the Lawn and chanted racist, antisemitic and homophobic chants, including “White Lives Matter” and “Jews will not replace us.” None of the three admission interns mentioned these events.
Despite these differences, the content within the Office of Admission tour largely matches that of the Guide Services’, with similar stops and talking points visitors might expect on a college tour, like study abroad options, student research and the housing selection process.
While current admission interns receive training and oversight from the Office of Admission, not all of their tours painted the University in an entirely positive light. In the three September tours, students maintained a positive tone yet appeared free to share anecdotes and voice minor frustrations about the University.
One Office of Admission intern said the school’s advising can be hit or miss. Another admitted she nearly transferred after her first semester, but later found the tight-knit community she had been missing.
University creates guidelines to inform AI technology use
The guidelines task University professors with establishing their own rules surrounding AI usage in their courses
Jackie Bond | Senior Writer
With courses underway for the fall semester, the University’s first set of unified guidelines for the use of artificial intelligence in classrooms offer advice on how to ethically and productively engage with the emergent software. Working in conjunction with the Provost’s Office, University Information Technology Services published recommendations, known as the Generative Artificial Intelligence Guidelines, July 8 to help students, teachers and staff use AI technology in a responsible manner.
In the guidelines, the University encourages professors to develop their own policies on how AI technology can be used within their specific classrooms and asks members of the University community to ensure that their applications of the technology align with the University’s broader principles.
One of the first initiatives started by the University to address the creation and advancement of Generative AI technology was the Generative AI in Teaching and Learning Task Force, composed of six faculty members and Gabrielle Bray, former chair of the Honor Committee and Class of 2023 alumna. Created in March 2023, the Task Force hosted a series of virtual town hall meetings to further the community’s understanding of AI technology and draft a series of recommendations that they sent to the Provost’s Office.
One recommendation the task force developed was for the University’s information technology department to investigate AI usage and be clearer about resources that are available. According to Natasha Heny, co-chair of the Generative AI in Teaching and Learning Task Force and associate Education professor, this recommendation likely led to the creation of the guidelines recently released by the Provost’s Office and IT Services.
The new guidelines define generative AI as a computer system able to create new content in response to a given prompt. The guidelines ask the University community to consider the appropriate context for using AI, understand the liability issues and lack of data protection that may come with using individually licensed AI tools and be aware of potential data bias.
Along with the guidelines from IT Services, the Provost’s Office published a page for Frequently Asked Questions among
students and faculty regarding generative technology. Other University resources for understanding AI technology include the LibGuide created by the U.Va Library, titled Getting Started with Generative AI, and the Center for Teaching Excellence’s online collection of articles written by professors, which focus on topics such as how to ethically incorporate AI into courses and how to discuss AI usage with students.
“GenAI Tools should not be used blindly for decision making and/or the creation of content without the review of a knowledgeable person, and should never be relied upon for important inquiries,” the guidelines read.
“AI Users are expected to recognize the limitations of the GenAI Tools they are using, avoid over-reliance on such tools, carefully review output for errors and remain vigilant to identify potentially erroneous, incomplete or otherwise problematic output.”
While these guidelines offer advice for professors to consider when deciding on AI policies for their courses, according to Deputy University Spokesperson
Bethanie Glover, these guidelines are not enforceable, and AI usage within the classroom will be left up to the discretion of the professor. Cheating is a punishable offense under the University Honor Code, reflecting a breach in boundaries established for students by professors, and the failure to comply with a professor’s AI policy may constitute an Honor violation, Glover said.
“U.Va. instructors have been reminded to set clear expectations regarding permitted resources that students may use for their assignments, and as always, students must properly cite the sources used in their work,” Glover said.
The guidelines also encourage students and faculty to use U. Va.-licensed AI programs such as U.Va. Copilot Chat and U.Va. Copilot for Microsoft 365 whenever possible. According to Heny, the Copilot program offers University students and staff free access to generated content without risking privacy concerns such as the sharing of raw data from inputting prompt questions into AI technology.
Looking at the current reality, professors have begun to
make their AI policies clear to students by including guidelines in their syllabi and allowing for open discourse about AI within the classroom, according to fourth-year College student Lauren Wisniewski. She said that many of her data science classes allow students to use generative AI to help come up with ideas or brainstorm new approaches to projects, with the requirement that they cite the AI tools they used. Conversely, she noted that some of her other classes ban AI use entirely.
“In the College of Arts & Sciences, they’re a little bit more strict with the AI, so we’re not allowed to use anything,” Wisniewski said. “But [those classes are] a little bit different, because we’re writing reflective papers about our own experiences, so that makes sense.”
Associate Professor of Biology Christopher Deppmann compares AI technology to growing up with smartphones in his generation — the technology appears foreign at first but with time and adjustment it becomes natural. According to Deppman, AI technology is not going away anytime soon and we must learn
the ethics and etiquette of this technology in order to take full advantage of its possibilities.
While some professors are more restrictive in their AI policies or outright forbid its use, Deppman invites students to use AI as much as possible within the classroom as a learning aid. He said that if used ethically and effectively, AI can help facilitate learning by helping students answer questions and take interactive notes. As such, he encouraged his fellow professors to make use of AI technology in their classrooms as well.
“Universities have generally been caught a little flat footed on the frontier of this type of technology and I think as professors, we really need to up our game and use these things to make our classes even better,” Deppmann said. “I think we should be offering [students] really profound experiences, and we should use all the tools that we have at our disposal to do that.”
ALBERT TANG THE CAVALIER DAILY
According to the guidelines, the University encourages professors to develop their own policies on how AI technology can be used within the classroom.
U.Va. offers special classes ahead of presidential election
Classes from several departments use this year’s election to teach broader lessons about American society and democracy
Brandon Kile | Senior Writer
As campaigns ramp up in a year that promises a change in national leadership, one class at the University titled PLAP 3500, “Election 2024,” will use political science principles to make sense of the historic election. Meanwhile, professors in other departments, from media studies to history, are emphasizing this year’s election as a way to discuss American democracy more broadly.
“Election 2024” examines campaigns during presidential election years — as well as other topics in political science, like election forecasting — with the guidance of a two-person teaching team. While some courses at the University are also taught by two professors, the class is unique in that it is taught by professors on opposite sides of the political spectrum. Politics Prof. Mary Kate Cary and Jennifer Lawless, politics and public policy professor, come together in this class to offer a bipartisan perspective on current events with regard to the election cycle.
Cary, who served as a White House speechwriter for former President George H.W. Bush, spoke on a “class agreement” — that everything said in class is off the record, and that students should remain curious about new information, not judgmental of others’ viewpoints. Cary also said that she and Lawless hope to model proper civil discourse to students so they can evaluate both perspectives and decide for themselves where they land on an issue.
“Part of our commitment to viewpoint diversity is you learn more when you hear both sides of the argument,” Cary said. “We’re trying to show how reasonable people can agree to disagree, and that’s how we all learn.”
According to Cary, classes begin by laying out facts that both professors agree on before moving onto opinionated takes on different policy issues.
Lawless, who sought the Democratic nomination for Rhode Island’s second congressional district in 2006, also said the two professors want to model civil discourse and show that agreeing on issues is not necessary to respect each other.
“Moving forward … [means] listening and respecting the other side’s opinion and trying to figure out where there is common ground,” Lawless said. “Even when there’s not, demonstrating a degree of respect in tone and tenor.”
So far, students seem to appreciate the difference in opinion offered by Cary and Lawless.
Second-year College student Maggie Chang, who is enrolled in the class, said she enjoys the format of the class, and that having two people from different sides of the political spectrum makes the class more dynamic
and provides a diverse atmosphere.
“It’s really great to see a class where there’s a diversity of ideas in the audience, but also on the stage,” Chang said. “When people are getting concerned about polarization in education nowadays, I think this is a really good example of how we can work against that.”
The class, which is only offered during presidential election years, was first offered in the Fall 2020 semester. However due to COVID-19 restrictions, the 223 students enrolled in the course in 2020 had classes entirely online. Cary said the online format of the class made it difficult to create an interactive, engaging course.
This year’s in-person format, with over 400 students enrolled, is something that Cary prefers, as she said she values being able to see and hear the reactions of students on different topics.
“We get much more of a sense of feedback from the students, and specifically laughter,” Cary said. “To me, half the fun is just interacting in person and being able to see what’s going over and what’s not.”
The in-person version of the class also affords the ability to collaborate on assignments, according to Lawless.
“There’s a final project in this class that involves group work, and that’s a lot easier to do when the students can actually meet together in person,” Lawless said. “[In-person class] allows for more meaningful interactions among students who might not ordinarily speak to each other.”
At the end of the course in 2020, the professors surveyed their students and asked whether they would like to see more politics classes co-taught by a liberal and a conservative and 89 percent of respondents said yes. Given the student approval of this teaching model, Cary said she had hoped the class would open the door to other classes being co-taught by a liberal and a conservative in subjects like economics and religion.
Another unique aspect of the class is the guest speakers who come frequently to talk about their areas of specialties, such as journalists and campaign staffers. Second-year College student Jonah Linker said that the guest speakers are the most interesting part of the class for him because of the first-hand political experiences they bring when speaking to students.
“I think the whole point of the class is to bring in many different viewpoints,” Linker said. “With the guest speakers and the two professors, it’s way more interesting to hear about the election that way than just from one person.”
Other election-focused classes offered this semester include PLAP 3140, “Mass Media and American Pol-
Other election-focused classes offered this semester include PLAP 3140, “Mass Media and American Politics,” and PLAP
“Political Advertising and American Democracy,” both taught by Assoc. Politics Prof. Paul Freedman.
itics,” and PLAP 4180, “Political Advertising and American Democracy,” both taught by Assoc. Politics Prof. Paul Freedman. The former focuses on media coverage of elections and how media outlets portray and represent campaigns, while the latter focuses on how candidates seek to get their message out to voters and how the delivery of that message has changed over time.
According to Freedman, both of the classes will be looking at the campaigns’ advertisements as well as those from other political organizations.
Freedman said he uses the example of the election to help students generate their own thoughts about politics and the media, but that it can be a challenge to prevent students from simply reciting what they have read online instead of forming original opinions.
“I’m very lucky that I have a real time example playing out every single day that I know most or all of my students are paying attention to,” Freedman said. “The challenge is to keep it tight, to keep it focused and to be thoughtful and creative in using the example of the election to illustrate the larger points that we’re reading about.”
The Media Studies Department is also offering an election-related course this semester. MDST 3510, “Democratic Politics in the New Media Environment,” taught by Media Studies Prof. Bruce Williams, is a seminar where students will work in small groups over the course of the semester to
research different topics like the interaction between social media and politics, while still tracking the presidential campaign.
Williams said he wanted to keep his class structure flexible, allowing new developments in the election cycle to help determine the week-byweek focus of the course. This decision is demonstrated in the syllabus, which simply says “TBD” in the final weeks.
“I change topics, spend more time on them, change focus, depending on how the students are reacting to things and what’s happening in the world,” Williams said. “I’m really interested in how students are thinking about the election, and it’s a small class … so it’s easy to change things up as we go along.”
One class that focuses on a more specific policy area highlighted by this election is HIUS 2559, “The U.S.-Mexico Border: History, Policy, and Theory,” taught by Assoc. History Prof. S. Deborah Kang. The new class will look at how the history of the United States.-Mexico border has been documented and examine major policy issues affecting communities along the southern border, such as immigration, water policy and urban planning.
Having been a resident of multiple states along the southern border in her life, Kang said her major motivation for creating this class was her frustration with the media’s tendency to misrepresent communities along the southern border and neglect the bor-
der’s rich history.
“During every election cycle, the issue of immigration and the border come up, and for a [former] border resident like me, it’s always a frustrating time because the way the border gets talked about by policy makers and politicians doesn’t reflect the reality,” Kang said.
To illustrate modern depictions of the United States-Mexico border, Kang said that the class has utilized images from this year’s Republican National Convention. Kang also said the class will compare contemporary representations of the southern border with historical images.
She said she hopes students will better understand the backstory to present day policy decisions by making connections between the representation of the United States-Mexico border in the past versus today.
“The [southern] border has a long and rich history,” Kang said. “By the end of the class, I hope students take away a much more sophisticated and nuanced understanding of the border.”
As of the deadline to add or drop classes, all of the discussed election classes were near or at full capacity.
ANNAGRACE PARMER THE CAVALIER DAILY
4180,
OPINION
Learn from past mistakes on ranked choice voting
On Sept. 3, the Charlottesville City Council approved ranked choice voting for next year’s Council primaries — a decision that should be applauded for its transformative potential. But while ranked choice voting is a path to more inclusive elections, it is not without pitfalls. Specifically, the system can be counterintuitive and create unnecessary knowledge barriers. Thus, in order to counteract such pitfalls, the Council must consider the shortcomings of other localities and institute an educational framework which promotes voter understanding of and participation in this new system.
A ranked choice voting system involves ordering your preferences for candidates. After the first round, the candidate with the fewest top preference votes is eliminated, and the second preference listed for all voters who ranked the eliminated candidate is taken into account instead. Round by round, the candidate with the fewest top preference votes is eliminated, with votes for their next highest preference being added to that candidate’s
We need extensive educational outreach to voters as ranked choice voting comes to our elections
tally. This continues until one candidate has a majority of votes.
Though this system may seem complicated, ranked choice voting can be beneficial — ranked choice voting increases voter turnout and enthusiasm. Because there is greater opportunity for several candidates to run, ranked choice voting allows for a multiplicity of political positions. Beyond just intellectual diversity, people from different identitarian backgrounds are more likely to run for office under a ranked choice voting system. Additionally, voters perceive elections which use ranked choice voting to be more civil. Overall, the usage of a ranked choice voting system in Charlottesville and elsewhere broadens the marketplace of ideas and ensures a greater representation of voters’ political opinions.
While the benefits of ranked choice voting are numerous, the implementation of ranked choice voting has not always been as sunny as its underlying promises. The University has used ranked choice voting for over 20
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years for student self-governance elections, and not always with complete success. Specifically, engagement in student elections remains low — less than 18 percent of the student body voted in the Student Council Presidential election in February.
At the University, however, the culprit in low turnout is not ranked choice voting itself. Rather, a lack of education about student voting has contributed to the limited success of ranked choice voting. Without sufficient support and education for ranked choice voting, people are left with limited knowledge about the voting system. The lack of understanding then breeds lackluster motivation to participate in the election, limiting turnout despite a system with the potential to be more politically inclusive. Learning from the limited success of ranked choice voting at the University, the Council must actively advertise the changes in the voting system for the upcoming 2025 election so that voters can approach the elections with enthusiasm and knowledge.
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For specific lessons on how to improve their educational framework, the Council should look to Arlington, Va. Though overall positive, there have been challenges in the rollout of ranked choice voting — in a recent survey in Arlington, only 56 percent said they understood ranked choice voting and only 27 percent said they had received their information from the Election Office Education Campaign. The limited efficacy of Arlington Election Office outreach can be blamed on their methods. All of their educational strategies placed the onus of action on the voter, ostracizing those without the motivation or time to do research on the system and its candidates.
Ultimately, the Arlington County Board unanimously renewed its approval of ranked choice voting, a testament to its overall popularity and success. Nevertheless, the burden of voter education for ranked choice voting must rest on the administrative officials. Sufficient voter education means proactive outreach by our gov-
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(SA) Alison Pike (SA) Albert Tang (SA) Tess Ginsberg (SA) Kate MacArthur
ernment to all potential voters. In this way, the Council should build on the framework of Arlington online tools by also organizing door-to-door and community events that seek to inform all eligible voters. This will help the Council optimize the launch of their ranked choice voting system.
Given the success of ranked choice voting elsewhere in America and abroad, ranked choice voting will likely animate Charlottesville voters and improve our elections. For this to be the case, however, the Council must take time and effort to build a substantial framework for outreach and education. As they say, Rome — or a ranked choice voting system — was not built in a day.
THE CAVALIER DAILY EDITORIAL BOARD is composed of the Executive Editor, the Editor-in-Chief, the two Opinion Editors and their Senior Associates. The board can be reached at eb@cavalierdaily.com.
Design Editors
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Sarah St. John
Mariam Seshan
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Dailin Li
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Covonna Bynum
Cody Scarce (SA) Halle McCormack
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Wilson Simmons
Advertising Manager
Will Peres
Website Manager
Leigh Bailey
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Elisabeth Bass
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Grace Franklin
DEI Chair
Leena Fraihat
QR codes have crashed the party
Not only does DoorList impede fun at parties, it also causes unnecessary frustration and deepens social divisions
In recent years, the party scene at the University has become more exclusive. With St. Patrick’s Day celebrations hidden behind the bushes of Beta Theta Pi and darties swallowed up inside the confines of St. Anthony’s Hall, feelings of open and accessible social connection have been hard to replicate. The dissemination of the app DoorList has uniquely intensified this issue, and DoorList’s damage to nightlife must be stopped. DoorLists at fraternities should be replaced by more relaxed methods of invitation that advance an attitude towards maintaining a fun and diverse party culture.
Let me be clear — DoorList complicates every student’s night out. DoorList, the McIntire School of Commerce startup, began in 2022 with the goal of “bringing people together” by minimizing the logistics of wristbands purchased for each party. Wristbands are stricter than most methods for party entry across universities — most fraternities just require a guest to name a fraternity brother or simply be a woman. However, at our University, DoorList has heightened exclusivity. In order to enter a party, all
guests must present their unique QR code, provided by the host, to the bouncer. This undoubtedly raises the bar to entry.
DoorList was created with good intentions — it was designed to improve safety and security at parties. It allows the hosts of fraternity parties to vet guests and place approved ones on a list. However, even with DoorList at
less, unchallenged feedback loop of safety problems. Concerns of safety — and specifically the lack of Greek Life’s response to those concerns — remain omnipresent around Rugby Road, despite DoorList’s robust presence. It is time to stop viewing DoorList as a fix-all for safety and to start to consider why fraternities rely on it as such.
circle past their bubble. Taking away DoorList will not dissolve social divisions at the University, but it will importantly take a step toward greater inclusion.
Undeniably, having such barriers to entry for the University’s nightlife squashes fun. A million anecdotes exist for how DoorList has turned a night out into a night in — a phone dying before
Whether consciously or unconsciously, students at this University understand what true fun means — events free from the social divisions prevalent on Grounds.”
the most exclusive fraternities, guests continue to be harassed — there is no evidence to suggest that DoorList decreases the incidence of assault or roofying at these parties but there is much anecdotal evidence to the contrary.
In addition to falling short of its goal of improved safety, DoorList also enables the false idea that to achieve safety, fraternities must be exclusive. Such exclusivity is implicitly tied to a culture of silence in fraternities, a culture which enables an end -
In general, the exclusivity of Greek Life is evident. However, DoorList, in encouraging the exclusionary tribalism of fraternity parties, endorses such exclusion. Leaving parties only to those on the right lists is bound to skew along the same lines that Greek Life does — upper-middle class, straight and white. Members of Greek Life are the ones setting the DoorLists — and who gets priority within that community? By furthering these divisions, DoorList reinforces similar limitations on expanding one’s social
showing a QR code, a bar closed for a DoorList event or many an argument with a bouncer to let in a QR-codeless friend. Although these are minor situations, the frustrations add up. And in the end, whose idea of fun is scanning QR codes at 10 P.M. on Madison Lane? DoorList exacerbates stress on the average student’s nightlife experience — stress that is worse for students that do not fit into the mold of the average person involved in Greek Life. The University’s fraternities must begin to consider more relaxed invitation methods.
Whether consciously or unconsciously, students at this University understand what true fun means — events free from the social divisions prevalent on Grounds. Some of the most memorable events are those that celebrate holidays free from Greek Life designation. For example, the Saturday before the first day of fall classes, Block Party sprawls across multiple streets. Similarly, Midsummers displays Charlottesville at its most excitable — freed from DoorLists, hundreds of students gallivant around Madison Bowl. These two inclusive and dearly loved University traditions certainly demonstrate the University’s party scene at its peak, inviting the entirety of the community to break down social barriers. Hopefully, once DoorList is but a memory, a fun night out will not be reliant on sorority dues or your phone’s battery life.
SCARLETT SULIVAN is a senior opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at opinion@cavalierdaily.com.
Politicization should not determine the Board of Visitors
Condemning the appointments of Board members with whom we disagree politically is an ill-advised standard
As we return to the University, some see a change brewing. No, not excitement for a better football record this year — rather, some see the nature of our Board of Visitors changing. In June, Gov. Glenn Youngkin appointed five new members to the Board. Many have assailed appointees to our University as excessively conservative in their educational views and too tied to the MAGA movement, arguing that these political affiliations should be justification enough to reject their appointments. But this approach is short-sighted. In order to protect the fair process of Board selections and preserve its broader responsibility, individuals within the University community should prioritize the appointee’s connection to our University as the primary qualification for membership on the Board.
In Virginia, governing board appointees at universities across the state are selected by the Governor and confirmed by the General Assembly, a process comparable to that of the United States Supreme Court. The process of Board appointments can strengthen the legitimacy of the institution because it better reflects the collective views of Virginia voters and
Board stakeholders. When the Governor and General Assembly are elected by the people, they are empowered to make decisions for the people. By being a reflection of voters’ trust in their representatives, therefore, the process of appointments is the best way of keeping a legitimate board.
change our appointment processes to reflect the growing politicization of education. The logical extension of this position is that members of the Board should be elected directly. To be fair, school board elections offer a compelling comparison for these advocates to point to. Most Virginia res-
Despite the Board appointee process reflecting the implicit trust given to our elected representatives, some have called to block candidates for appointment due to differences in opinions. The 2022 appointment of Bert Ellis, for example, engendered great debate, with many University mem-
By being a reflection of voters’ trust in their representatives, the process of appointments is the best way of keeping a legitimate Board.”
Since this process allows for voters’ voices and opinions to influence Board appointments, the standard for qualification ought to represent something other than solely hewing to one’s own political opinions. As an institution responsible to University students and Virginia voters, the main qualification standard for Board appointment should be some personal connection to both of these stakeholders — not blind support for one political side, but a metric which reflects the politically diverse population that Board members serve. Some may believe we should
idents get to directly elect the school board members who serve in their school districts.
But this comparison fails to consider the size of the potential voter base for state universities’ governing boards, as well as the frequency of appointments. There were 69 Board appointments in June alone — that is the equivalent of having 69 statewide senate elections in one month. The impracticality of having a statewide referendum on each representative makes the existing political process the best pathway to the most representative body.
bers calling for his nomination to be rejected because of his political views. However, as a double alum of the University, a major University donor and the co-owner of a University hang-out spot, Ellis has proven himself to be connected to the University — thus displaying one of the most essential qualifications to serve on its Board. Some argue that the Board at our University should be student-confirmed. But with the powerful presence of self-governance, student confirmation of our Board goes too far. Students are neither the only group with a rightful stake in a public insti-
tution nor the only ones qualified to judge the Board — because the University is a public corporation funded in part by state dollars and serving instate students, Virginians at large have a stake in the Board. Student confirmation would disenfranchise other stakeholders. Instead, reforms, such as allowing the student member of the Board a vote, can be instituted.
Many of our sacred institutions, like the United States Supreme Court, have fallen prey to hyper-politicization. The Board of Visitors is an essential part of our University, one that has existed for over 200 years. Its importance must not be threatened by differences in political opinion — or else it will cease to have the mandate it needs and will devolve into another illegitimized, hyper-politicized system. It is through this legitimized permanence of the Board that we can continue to evolve as an institution — and hopefully as a football team.
WYLIE BRUNMAN is a senior associate opinion editor who writes about politics for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at opinion@cavalierdaily.com.
SPORTS
Anthony Colandrea — the heartbeat of Virginia football
The sophomore quarterback is leading the way for a promising 2024 season
Xander Tilock | Sports Editor
When then-senior quarterback Tony Muskett went down with an injury in the 2023 season opener, dread descended over the Virginia sideline. Muskett was supposed to lead the Cavaliers back to bowl game contention, and instead he suffered the first of multiple injuries he faced last year. With overwhelming confidence, swagger and talent, enter then-freshman quarterback Anthony Colandrea.
Today, the Virginia signal-caller has proved to be exactly what this program needs. His leadership and talent could end up leading this 2024 team to the best record in the past few years. But before becoming an All-ACC contender, Colandrea had to overcome a load of adversity.
Colandrea’s Cavalier career began, of course, with an underdog story. Clocking in at six feet tall and just 183 pounds — undersized for a Division I quarterback — Colandrea was just a three-star recruit in the high school class of 2023, ranked as the 45th best quarterback in his class. Most quarterback commits ranked that low rarely get playing time, let alone a starting job for an ACC program. Still, Colandrea battled.
Hailing from St. Petersburg Fla., Colandrea’s recruitment likely took a hit due to the abundant talent from across the state even though he threw the seventh most passing yards across all levels of Florida high school football in the 2022 season. Despite a strong high school career, Colandrea did not receive a ton of interest from Division I teams. Of his 19 total offers, only two came from a powerhouse conference — Virginia and Kentucky. The Wildcats, who compete in the prestigious Southeastern Conference, were one of Colandrea’s initial offers — but he did not sign.
Instead, he signed with the Cavaliers July 8, 2022 just a few weeks after Coach Tony Elliott extended an offer. In fact, Colandrea ended up enrolling at the University a semester early — just six months after committing — to start getting reps with Virginia. His decision clearly paid off. Colandrea earned a start in the 2023 Spring Game, throwing for 218 yards and a touchdown.
“I’ve said it for a while about Ant [Colandrea], he’s a ball player,” Elliott said postgame.
The blond-haired Floridian was forced to start the 2023 home opener versus James Madison after Muskett’s injury. Although Virginia lost, Colandrea made a loud en-
trance with a total of 377 passing yards.
The young underdog quarterback continued to shine over the course of the 2023 season, making repeated highlight plays — even if those were occasionally paired with excessive celebrations or frustrating turnovers. However, Colandrea and Muskett then traded starting duties throughout 2023, with an intriguing competition spilling over into the summer for the starting gig in 2024. Colandrea emerged victorious.
Despite being under-recruited, undersized and beginning his career as a backup — Colandrea emerged from his difficult circumstances like a phoenix from the ashes. Fast forward to 2024, and Colandrea is one of the best quarterbacks in the conference — if not the country.
Notably, he has completed over 75 percent of his passes, a 13 percent increase from 2023. After two weeks of play, Colandrea ranks ninth in completion percentage and 10th in passing yards nationally. Both marks are ahead of the top quarterback prospects in the upcoming draft, such as junior Quinn Ewers of Texas and senior Carson Beck of Georgia.
With his impressive statistics, Colandrea is not just exceeding expectations — he is redefining them. Every time he takes the field, there is a chance of an electric scramble or a 50-yard touchdown pass. Every other ACC program passed him up,
and now he is making them all pay. Entering a primetime home game versus rival Maryland, the Colandrea-led Cavaliers are 2-0 for the first time in Elliott’s tenure.
As a bonus, Colandrea is a captivating leader. When junior wide receiver Trell Harris dropped what would have been a 50-plus yard touchdown against Wake Forest Saturday, Colandrea did not abandon his teammate in frustration. Instead, Colandrea checked in with Harris on the sideline and hyped up his brother in arms. Ultimately, Colandrea connected with Harris seven times for 91 yards and a touchdown after that error — showcasing exemplary leadership.
Regardless of whether or not Colandrea is showered with honors by national media throughout the season, he has stepped up to be everything Virginia needs in order to succeed — an elite passer, rusher and leader for the Cavalier football program.
“It’s a blessing to be in the position I am in,” Colandrea said.
Fans are getting excited about Virginia and for good reason. The Cavaliers are two wins away from surpassing their win total in each of the past two years, and it is only September. After a few rough seasons of Virginia football, Colandrea has brought hope back to Charlottesville — and the best is yet to come.
ALBERT TANG THE CAVALIER DAILY Colandrea celebrates a first down at Maryland last season.
No. 2 women’s soccer begins ACC campaign Thursday
The undefeated Virginia squad will be diving into the challenge of conference play with confidence
Peter Kratz | Staff Writer
Virginia women’s soccer took its exclusion from the preseason top-25 rankings personally. Winners of their first seven games of the 2024 season, the No. 2 Cavaliers have outscored their opponents by a 19-1 margin — in the past four games, they have not allowed a single shot on goal.
While Virginia’s non-conference excellence has established the team as a national championship contender, the upcoming challenge of the ACC season is what will decide the trajectory of their season.
The Cavaliers were faced with a similar situation last year — they ended the non-conference slate undefeated before their season spiraled to a disappointing end. Virginia burned out in conference games and missed the postseason for the first time in Coach Steve Swanson’s storied 25-year tenure at the helm of the program.
The ACC is always a difficult conference, but this year’s competition appears to be some of the strongest in recent mem -
ory. Currently, half of Virginia’s conference matchups are against ranked opponents, highlighted by away trips to No. 10 North Carolina in September, No. 8 Duke in October and No. 3 Florida State later in the month. It will be a gauntlet, and it is a daunting task, but the Cavaliers have given their fans plenty of reason to be optimistic.
Virginia has already beaten a ranked opponent on the road — the Cavaliers upset then-No. 3 Penn State in August after scoring a pair of second-half goals in State College, Pa. Last season, Virginia did not play a ranked team in its non-conference slate and thus had no indication of how it might stack up against the ACC’s best. The Cavaliers know they belong among the top contenders this time around.
Virginia’s backline is once again one of the most stout in the nation. The combination of graduate defender Moira Kelley, senior defenders Kiki Maki, Laney Rouse and Samar Guidry plus junior defender Tatum Gal -
vin has consistently neutralized the opposition. Additionally, sophomore goalkeeper Victoria Safradin has shown up big this season, as both her shot stopping and distribution abilities have elevated the Cavaliers’ build-up play.
In the center of the park, senior midfielder Lia Godfrey and graduate midfielder Alexis Theoret are the motor behind a flying Cavalier attack. They are not just spraying through balls, switching the play and kick-starting the attack for their teammates — they are also tracking back on defense and preventing the opposition’s counterattack. That effort-fueled play in the midfield has been critical to Virginia’s success in dominating possession this season.
Despite the aptitude and technique in the Cavalier buildup this season, the brilliance and flair of the attacking play has been the most eye-catching and is arguably the most crucial for success against other strong ACC teams. Junior forward Maggie
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Cagle has been the star of Virginia’s show in that regard. Cagle has five goals in seven games, and she has created a barrage of chances for her teammates with her adept dribbling, inventive playmaking and elusive runs.
In tow, and never removed from play, is senior midfielder Laughlin Ryan. She is always ready to support Cagle, fearlessly taking on opponents one-onone and taking shots from range — Ryan’s tally of two goals and two assists shows her impact on the offensive end. Sophomore forward Allie Ross is another crucial contributor, never shying away from the spotlight. Her 19 shot attempts lead the team and, like Ryan, she has a pair each of goals and assists.
Virginia clearly possesses the forte to compete in and win the most skilled conference in the country. But coaching is often the difference between teams that are simply good and teams that are truly great — good thing Swanson is up to the challenge.
His emphasis on controlled
build-up, quick transitions and innovative play up top have left the Cavaliers’ opponents chasing shadows this season. If he sticks with the tactics that got Virginia off to its hot start, it will not be too long until some of the ACC’s finest teams are picking the ball up out of their own net after an abundance of Cavalier goals.
Swanson will need to be vocal with his team throughout a 10game stretch that will test every player on the Cavaliers’ roster. It would be unbalanced to think that the ACC will hang its head low in favor of Virginia’s objectives, and Swanson will be an important factor in keeping the team cool in times of stress and fired up in times of turmoil.
As the Cavaliers set out to avenge a less-than-stellar 2023 season, the expectations are once again lofty. But more so than last year, the tools are present for conference glory — do not be surprised if Virginia adds a third ACC Tournament title to the trophy case this year.
Rivalry renewed — a timeline of Virginia versus Maryland
Ahead of the 80th game between the DMV foes, we take a look at the five most memorable Cavalier victories
Ben Istvan | Sports Editor
Virginia versus Maryland is a stapled rivalry of college football. The two teams first squared off in 1919 and have shared the gridiron 79 times, including annually from 1957 to 2013, when the Terrapins left the ACC for the Big Ten. Even after that departure, the bordering rivals found their way back to each other with a home-andhome agreement that started last year in College Park and will conclude Saturday night at 8 p.m. at Scott Stadium.
Much of Virginia fans’ attention should be turned towards the team’s 80th all-time matchup with Maryland that looms this weekend, when the Cavaliers will take aim at their first 3-0 start since 2019. But there should be no lack of heed paid to the eventful 79 games that came before, the more than century-long history characterized by winning streaks, last-second drama, a few mud-infested meetings and the occasional game in a baseball stadium.
If you are willing to hop in the time machine or maybe take a trip down memory lane, here are a few of Virginia’s best wins against Maryland over the years — starting in the 1920s.
Oct. 24, 1925 — Virginia 6, Maryland 0 Virginia’s first win against Maryland was perhaps its ugliest. In 1925, the Cavaliers hosted the Terrapins at Lambeth Field, where Virginia played
its home games until moving to Scott Stadium in 1931. Rain poured down on the field throughout the contest, and players on both teams had trouble handling the slippery surface.
The two teams combined for 59 punts — 33 by the Terrapins and 26 by the Cavaliers — and the game had to be halted numerous times so players could get mud out of their eyes. Virginia got the upper hand in the second quarter after B. Winston Cardwell blocked a Maryland punt, allowing Paul Walp to rush for the game’s only touchdown on the ensuing drive.
Nov. 4, 1944 — Virginia 18, Maryland 7
Only two of the rivalry’s 79 games have been played outside of both College Park and Charlottesville, and Virginia won the first in 1944. The Cavaliers met the Terrapins for a neutral-site affair in Washington, D.C. at Griffith Stadium, a baseball park that doubled as a football stadium thanks to its left-field line that spanned more than 400 feet.
Rain once again drenched the field, leading to seven combined turnovers between the teams. In the end, Virginia used the elements to its advantage, rushing for 340 yards to Maryland’s 90 en route to an 18-7 win. James Walker III, William Hickman and Richard Davis scored the touchdowns for the
Cavaliers, who evened the series at 9-9-2 with the victory — they have not been .500 or better all-time against the Terrapins since.
Nov. 25, 1961 — Virginia 28, Maryland 16
When Virginia traveled to College Park to play Maryland in 1961, there was no expectation they would return with a win. The Terrapins had won the last three meetings by point margins of 38, 43 and 32. They were 7-2, in need of a win to clinch the ACC and secure a bowl game — the lowly 3-5 Cavaliers had nothing to play for, save for a sliver of dignity.
Nonetheless, Virginia stunned Maryland in a 28-16 victory as quarterback Gary Cuozzo and running back John Hepler connected for a trio of touchdown passes. With the Cavaliers ahead 21-10 in the fourth quarter, defensive back Ted Rzempoluch iced the game after intercepting a pass from Terrapins quarterback Dick Shiner and returning it 95 yards for a touchdown. Maryland lost out on the ACC and failed to qualify for a bowl game.
Nov. 20, 1999 — Virginia 34, Maryland 30 1961 was not the only year that Virginia walked into College Park and broke Terrapin hearts. In 1999, Mary-
land held an even 5-5 record when they hosted the Cavaliers in the final game of the regular season. Once again, a win for the hosts was necessary to secure bowl qualification for the first time in nine years.
Virginia toyed with the hopes of Terrapin fans, rushing out to an early 17-0 lead before blowing the advantage in the fourth quarter and then taking it back for good on an incredible game-winning drive in the final minute. Quarterback Dan Ellis led that charge, tossing a go-ahead touchdown pass to wide receiver Billy McMullen with 26 seconds remaining. The 34-30 win was the Cavaliers’ eighth in a row against Maryland, who came up short of a bowl game at the hands of Virginia for a second time.
“This has to be the worst loss I’ve ever been associated with because there was so much on the line,” Maryland Coach Rob Vanderlinden said after the game.
Nov. 6, 2004 — Virginia 16, Maryland
0 The Cavaliers were dominant in 2004, posting a double-digit margin of victory in each of their eight wins. Entertaining football paired with a home game against a fierce rival is a recipe for a buzzing gameday environment, and that is what took over Scott Stadi-
um when the Terrapins came to town late in the season.
63,072 fans — then a Scott Stadium record and currently the fifth-highest attendance in the venue’s history — filled the seats to watch No. 12 Virginia take on Maryland. The Cavaliers did not disappoint, rushing for 295 yards and allowing only seven first downs to the Terrapins, who were shut out by Virginia for just the second time since 1945.
Overall, the Cavaliers have racked up 32 wins against Maryland — this list could be much longer than just five games. Honorable mentions include the Cavaliers’ 45-0 victory in 1997 that is still the biggest win in the rivalry’s history and a come-from-behind win in 2007 in which running back Mikell Simpson dove into the endzone for the game-winning touchdown with 16 seconds remaining. When the rivalry renews for the 80th time Saturday evening, Virginia will be looking for its 33rd win and its first since 2011.
MARIAM SESHAN THE CAVALIER DAILY
Business-oriented CIO empowers students to engage with AI
A
year after its founding, the Business and Artificial Intelligence Institute aspires to be a model for ethical AI usage on Grounds
Malaika
Rehman & Mia Tan | Life Features Writers
Students keen on using artificial intelligence on Grounds may look no further than the Business and Artificial Intelligence Institute at U.Va., a recently-established Contracted Independent Organization that offers AI and machine learning opportunities to students. At a time when the University is hastening to keep up with strides in AI technology, BAI encourages students to step out of the classroom and experience the rapidly expanding AI climate for themselves.
Founded one year ago by thirdyear Commerce student Jack Deutsch and third-year College student Ali Rizwan, BAI joined a small number of existing data science CIOs on Grounds. Now, BAI is at the forefront of AI developments in the undergraduate student body. The CIO invites its general members to attend lectures about AI-related current events and to complete bootcamp-style education modules. For students interested in client-facing work, BAI also organizes project teams in which selected applicants develop free AI services to optimize the productivity of local and national businesses.
Rizwan said BAI’s primary mission
is to keep AI within reach regardless of a student’s familiarity with the technology. He said BAI caters to anyone, whether one is a pre-health student interested in applying AI to radiology or a public policy student interested in discussing AI’s ethical implications.
“A student should not look at U.Va. and say, ‘I don’t know how I can get involved with AI,’” Rizwan said. “We want to be the club where — if someone thinks, ‘I want to talk about AI, I want to learn about AI, I want to use AI’ — immediately, you point to BAI.”
Deutsch and Rizwan initially floated the idea of BAI over the summer of 2023. With AI booming and the one-year mark of ChatGPT’s release approaching, the two students sought to engage in real-world applications of AI. Struck by the limited options for them to do so on Grounds, the duo founded BAI that fall — pitching the CIO as a unique mix of business and technology — recruited their inaugural members and, shortly afterwards, partnered with their first clients.
Since then, BAI has hit several milestones. Last semester, BAI became the first CIO to partner with the School of Data Science. This semester,
they became the first CIO to give a presentation in the School of Data Science building’s Capital One Hub, with Deustch and Rizwan speaking in front of the space’s two-story-high screen. And this past week, BAI secured a partnership with Perplexity AI, an AI-powered search engine which Deustch and Rizwan hope to make accessible on Grounds through an upcoming two-week campaign — according to Rizwan, the company has promised the University a free, one-year subscription to Perplexity Pro if 500 students create a Perplexity AI profile with their University email.
With the CIO’s foundation established, Deustch and Rizwan are now turning their attention to their project teams. The CIO currently serves five clients, ranging from an entertainment marketing agency to a healthcare business, and Deustch said he and Rizwan plan to expand this number even more.
“Now that we have the groundwork laid … we can hit the ground running immediately with projects and start building for a full year,” Deutsch said.
BAI’s growth at the undergraduate
level reflects wider, growing support for data science at the University.
Brian Wright, director of Undergraduate Programs for the School of Data Science, said he is excited to see undergraduate students strengthen their connection with the School of Data Science, as the school’s new building offers a community space and resources for organizations like BAI.
Wright specifically commended BAI’s client-facing work, saying the CIO’s projects get right to the heart of data science. He said in a field historically rooted in industry and still firmly embedded in companies like Meta and LinkedIn, BAI’s professional projects exemplify a crucial purpose of data science — to apply scientific techniques to real-world problems.
“[BAI] was just a perfect match for what we would want anybody that’s interested in data science to be doing,” Wright said. “There’s a lot of things we just can’t teach unless you go out and do projects.”
Alongside organizing their project teams, Deustch and Rizwan are ensuring that the ethics of AI remain a central pillar of their organization. Last spring, they hosted Rick Campanelli,
lecturer at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, who spoke on the ethics of AI. Looking ahead, the two co-founders have laid out plans to further educate students on AI safety and the importance of using AI with a conscientious purpose.
“Yes, there are a ton of risks with AI,” Deutsch said. “But something that we wanted to highlight with BAI is that [AI] also has a tremendous capacity for good. That’s why we went out and specifically staffed these projects on a pro bono basis — so we could build things that would benefit the Charlottesville community and showcase how AI can be used responsibly and effectively with the proper oversight.”
As AI becomes incorporated into everyday life on Grounds, Deustch and Rizwan said they envision BAI as an educational and professional community for students. The co-founders hope that BAI continues to spearhead opportunities for any student interested in AI.
“BAI is meant to be the pinnacle of AI at U.Va.,” Rizwan said. “We founded BAI to be the center [through which] all AI related activities pass.”
BENVIN LOZADA THE CAVALIER DAILY
Deutsch and Rizwan founded BAI in an effort to make AI opportunities more accessible to students on Grounds.
Serving up subs at 7Days Junior Deli & Bar
Takeaways from the new 14th Street sandwich shop
Kate Johnson & Blaine Hutchens | Life Editors
Walking along the Corner these days, you might experience some déjà vu. From University Ave to 10th Street, you’ll pass by a remarkable five different storefronts with the 7 Day Junior trademark. 7Days Junior Deli & Bar, which opened Aug. 13 on 14th Street, is the latest addition to the local convenience empire. Keeping with the ethos of other 7 Day stores, the deli provides a wide variety of affordable offerings with characteristic 7 Day humor and hospitality — though frankly, the food came up short of our expectations.
The deli, the first restaurant in the 7 Day Junior franchise, was heavily promoted on social media ahead of its strategic opening near the start of the school year. A myriad of students even sported 7Days Junior Deli & Bar t-shirts to advertise. In the weeks since, the deli has become a pit stop for students and local residents alike, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner items. As the self-proclaimed sandwich connoisseurs of The Cavalier Daily, we simply had to pay a visit to investigate the newest deli in town.
We arrived for lunch around 2 p.m. on a Thursday. We stood back to pore over the 51 available sandwiches — some of which had such ostentatious names that we had to read them over twice. After several minutes of deliberation, we decided on a representative sample of four, from a classic sub to a signature cheesesteak. We were pleasantly surprised to see that our order came out to $36 — a much cheaper total than you’d encounter at some nearby sandwich shops.
To see how well the subs traveled, we trekked back to The Cavalier Daily office — about a 10-minute walk away — for our taste test. Once we were seated with our sandwiches strewn across the office table, we agreed to dig into the Italian sandwich first.
This was not your average Italian sandwich. While waiting for our order, we were informed that the kitchen was out of salami, which they subbed for pepperoni. Though we missed the classic combination of deli meats on this sub, that was not our chief complaint. The components of the sandwich
were overwhelmed by a mouthful of shredded iceberg lettuce. The ingredients were also missing the added flavor and uniting quality of a condiment — if there was any oil and vinegar on the sub, we couldn’t taste it. However, this sandwich would certainly do the job for a quick, refreshing pick-me-up. The hydrating lettuce, spicy raw onion and burst of tomato were nice complements to the layers of meat and cheese.
Next came the Chicken Parmesan sub. Cubes of chicken cutlet were lightly tossed in marinara sauce and overlaid with a slice of melted mozzarella. Though the sandwich was still warm when we tasted it in the office, we would have preferred the sub roll to be toasted for an added crunch. Overall, however, we were fans of the sandwich — there was a flavorful crust on the chicken, and the layer of mozzarella tied the savory chicken together with the sweet marinara.
From there, we moved on to the Hoos Cheese Steak. This was a classic Philadelphia cheesesteak
with green peppers and onions, featuring the unique addition of chopped mushrooms. The extra ingredient proved a welcome surprise, adding a nice umami to the familiar flavor profile. An ample amount of creamy cheese sauce tied the shaved beef together with the veggies, resulting in a perfectly melty bite.
With anticipation, our eyes turned to the final sandwich — the Fat A-ss, our pick from the “Fat Sandwiches” section of the menu. Piled high on white sub bread were chicken tenders, fries, cheesesteak, bacon bits and mozzarella cheese, submerged in mayonnaise and hot sauce.
Eating this sandwich was … an experience. The first bite would have been enough on its own — it was a beautiful mass of caloric glory, equal parts fry, salt and grease. After that, each bite felt terribly heavy. The sandwich as a whole surely had enough calories to sustain someone for seven days — pun intended. We imagine the Fat A-ss would make for a fantastic hangover cure. We would not recom-
I’m not a grown-up — yet
How gaining second-year independence brought me renewed gratitude for my support system
Mai Hukuoka | Life Columnist
Oh, we’re so back. Back to pulling all-nighters, organizing get-togethers and going off on weekend benders. We’re also back to that time of year when uppity upperclassmen, in their infinite wisdom, grumble about the innocent, plodding ways of first-year students. For weeks on YikYak, upperclassmen have complained about first-year students sauntering down McCormick Road and having loud conversations in the Shannon Library stacks.
But do upperclassmen have the grounds — no pun intended — to belittle these so-called babies? As I’ve transitioned into my second year in Charlottesville — living offGrounds without a meal plan and carrying unfounded confidence in my maturity — I’ve realized how much I’ve naively taken for granted.
Entering my second year, I was proud to be the new tenant of an apartment, contractually bound to pay twelve months of rent and take care of my own home. I’ll admit — on more than one occasion, I frantically Googled, “What is renter’s insurance?” But beyond that, my only
worries were choosing a comforter and ordering an extra large frying pan.
I considered myself ready to be independent — I knew I could make something edible, and my room was always relatively clean.
I took quiet pride in the fact that I was now an adult, managing my own groceries, budget and daily life without the constraints of resident advisor supervision and dining hall menus.
However, my romanticization of second-year independence was short-lived. Living on my own was not the dreamy ideal I had built up in my head. Water stains appeared on bathroom mirrors. Hair piled up on the shower drain. Vegetables expired way faster than I expected them to. And, as it turns out, no matter how strictly you enforce a “no shoes in the house” policy, the floors will still get dirty. Until you are the only person responsible for keeping up a standard of living, you never really realize how much effort it takes to do so.
As I dealt with all of these newfound stressors, I felt a sense of
guilt weighing upon me. I realized I had never considered the effort my loved ones — and even service workers — put in to ensure I could live with ease. Managing my life was hard and monotonous work, day in and day out. Making breakfast. Taking out the trash. Cleaning watermarks off the bathroom mirror. All of these seemingly minute details added up, and I realized just how much I took for granted in the past. Living alone had been easy — but only because someone else was doing all the heavy lifting for me behind the scenes.
To think that I was “independent” last year — when every single meal and household chore was taken care of for me by University service staff — is laughable now. But this isn’t to say that being dependent is a bad thing. It was a privilege to have so much provided for me without knowing.
Having realized this, I started to notice just how often I ran to my mom for help, for instance. In my so-called independence, I call to ask her, how do I contact maintenance to fix that leaky faucet? How do I
change the air filter? What should I do if my package gets stolen? Now, I know how important it is to show her gratitude.
We so often forget to thank others. I am evidently guilty of this — these last couple weeks of apartment living have been blatant proof. But I’ll ask you too: How often do you thank your parents? The janitor cleaning the bathroom you’re using? The person bagging your groceries, or even your roommate for refilling the Brita? Understanding true independence is to be conscious of how much tedious day-to-day effort goes into simply living — and how often other people come to our aid.
I have resolved to reconsider each aspect of my life with this new perspective. How much do we all take for granted? How independent are we — or aren’t we? In reality, our support system is far more extensive than we realize. We are supported every day by everyone — from doormen to janitorial staff — who make our lives just that much easier.
This semester, I urge you to thank all the people that support
mend this sandwich, however, for a weekday lunch before your afternoon lecture — you will, undoubtedly, fall into a food coma.
In a sluggish haze with bursting bellies, we sat back to discuss our takeaways. We agreed that 7Days Junior Deli & Bar offers a convenient option for hungry passersby, and the quality of the food makes sense at its low price point. Just the sheer variety available to order makes for a fun visit. When we return, we will look forward to sampling more of the extensive menu — especially with sandwiches like the Fat Cat and the Fat Knight waiting to be tasted.
Beyond the many sandwich options, the menu also includes breakfast burritos, quesadillas and chicken wings. There are very few options for vegetarian and vegan patrons — but meat lovers will find plenty to strike their fancy.
7Days Junior Deli & Bar is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and on weekends until 3 a.m. Diners can also order food online with Grubhub.
your daily living. Your long-distance friend who calls to ask how you are. The professor who works one-on-one with you in office hours to help you through a math concept. Ms. Kathy of Newcomb who raises your spirits with a glowing compliment. The nurse at Student Health and Wellness who calms you down when you catch the frat flu. People you love and strangers alike care for and about you, in both visible and invisible ways. You are never truly independent. You are never truly alone.
While I am no longer a first-year student waiting in line at O’Hill, I am only just beginning my journey closer to independence. And in many ways, I am grateful for this — it means there are so many people who continue to support me. As I grow up, slowly but surely, I am built up by my community — and so are you.
MAI HUKUOKA is a Life Columnist for The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at life@cavalierdaily. com.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Fralin exhibit is an unflinching portrayal of living with illness
On display at the Fralin through January, the multi-media installation depicts Hammer’s relationship with her body and her cancer diagnosis
Grace
Traxler | Staff Writer
Currently illuminating the dark corners of the Fralin Museum of Art is “Barbara Hammer: Evidentiary Bodies,” a vivid exhibition exploring what it means to make art in the midst of severe illness. Hammer, an experimental filmmaker known primarily for her innovative work within the feminist and queer film genres, dealt with ovarian cancer for the last 13 years of her life. The exhibit, unveiled at the museum June 22, features the short film “Evidentiary Bodies,” her last before passing away in 2019.
The installation uses small transmission screens and large scale video projections to display Hammer’s own medical X-rays alongside “Evidentiary Bodies,” a video amalgamation of images from her past films, footage of her moving body as well as bright and abstract shapes resembling photography prints.
Created in 2018, the film serves as an extension of her 2016 live studio art performance of the same name at the Microscope Gallery and The Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. Though people will often describe cancer as a “battle,” Hammer explicitly rejected that phrase in that performance, calling it “misleading and wrong” on her website. She specified instead that “cancer is not a ‘battle,’ cancer is a disease.” Both the 2016 performance and the film currently housed in the Fralin represent Hammer’s commitment to “living a vital life” with disease, not in spite of it.
Along with being emotionally compelling, the exhibition is also physically immersive, according to M. Jordan Love, the Carol R. Angle academic curator and co-interim director at the Fralin. She encourages everyone to go to the installation to experience how powerful multimedia, immersive art can be.
“Immersive experience is really just on a fundamental level, very sensory, and so that in itself can just be a really fascinating and interesting and sometimes magical experience,” Love said.
This sensory captivation starts as soon as museumgoers enter the exhibit. Transmission screens displaying Hammer’s X-rays hang from an entryway, grouped together in clusters that give the distinct appearance of curtains. There is no way to
pass through to the next room without touching those X-rays, a curatorial decision that forces observers to really engage with the palpable nature of another person’s illness.
“It’s experiential. She’s tapping into all of our senses,” Love said.
Along with sight and touch, the exhibit also engages the sense of sound, utilizing the original cello music of Norman Scott Johnson, a friend and collaborator of Hammer. After viewers pass through the X-rays, they enter a large room with three projections on three separate walls, displaying the film of “Evidentiary Bodies,” which is soundtracked by Johnson’s music.
The cello varies in speed and volume alongside various iterations of videos of Hammer crawling, dancing and walking through space alternately colorful and dark. A striking moment shows two images of Hammer — one clothed in a white bodysuit, one naked. The two renderings of Hammer weave in and out of each other, never fully overlapping or separating.
For Ainsley McGowan, Fralin Student Docent and third-year College student, the display of this intimate imagery is extremely meaningful. McGowan said that the level of vulnerability embedded in the exhibit is what makes it so impactful for those who interact with it.
“This is such an intensely personal process, that she’s chosen to share with us, because it gave her some bit of comfort during [life with cancer],” McGowan said.
As a student in the Docent program — which trains University students to lead educational tours for school aged children through the museum — McGowan has been able to introduce young students to Hammer’s work. While the task seems daunting because of the topics of illness and mortality on which the exhibit is based, McGowan shared that kids are often able to handle and process the subject matter better than adults would expect.
“Even if you take a kid into the Barbara Hammer exhibit, maybe they haven’t experienced it firsthand, but maybe they visited [a loved one] in the hospital. They have some relationships. If you give them breadcrumbs,
or ask them questions, they can make connections.”
McGowan said that the multimedia interplay of this exhibition — from the cello to the colors to the screens — not only makes the installation engaging and accessible for children but also highlights the overall diversity and range of work featured in the museum.
“People don’t really realize how extensive our collection is, having [the installation] on the first floor is really good to show people that are walking into the museum and looking around, ‘Oh, there’s more here than I realized’,” McGowan said.
To further engage the community with Hammer’s work, the extracurricular U.Va. School of Medicine organization HeArt of
Medicine will lead a workshop in the exhibition Oct. 7. The group facilitates conversations and workshops with various experts who deal with issues of death, in order to help med school students develop empathetic bedside manner.
“[The organization comes to the Fralin] at least once a year, to look at art, to talk about death and dying, because art is a good medium,” Love said. “You can talk about the art itself without having to first go through some of the difficult conversations around your own experience … it’ll be a great way for the nursing and medical school students to see that view through the artist’s eyes.”
“Evidentiary Bodies” reminds us that fruitful and compelling
work can come from life’s unexpected turns. According to Love, with this exhibition, the Fralin spotlights a consistently innovative artist, a woman whose historically visionary film work is still shaping the current generation.
“Barbara Hammer is no longer with us, but current artists are building off of her work. So it’s important for us to recognize where film art has come from, where it is now, and where it’s going,” Love said.
“Barbara Hammer: Evidentiary Bodies” will run at the Fralin Museum through January 26, 2025. The Fralin is open every day except Monday, and daily hours of operations can be found on their website. Admission to the museum is always free.
ADAIRE BURNSED THE CAVALIER DAILY
The installation uses small transmission screens and large scale video projections to display Hammer’s own medical X-rays alongside “Evidentiary Bodies,” a video amalgamation of images from her past films, footage of her moving body as well as bright and abstract shapes resembling photography prints.
Stanley Stepanic on fact and fiction in ‘A Vamp There Was’
Inside
the popular “Dracula” professor’s new novella
Sophie Hay | Staff Writer
When students enter Asst. Prof. Stanley Stepanic’s office, they are met with a spooky sight. An inflatable bat dangles off a shelf over the computer, a puppet Count von Count from “Sesame Street” rests on top of a pile of Polish books and posters advertising “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Love Me Deadly” hang next to a marker rendering of Dracula — Stepanic’s office is a tribute to the supernatural being at the center of his new novella, “A Vamp There Was.”
Stepanic is part of the University’s Slavic Languages and Literatures department. He teaches a popular class on Dracula which covers the history of the vampire from pre-Christian Slavic belief to the present and often pops up on lists of students’ favorite University courses. According to Stepanic, scholarship on vampires is valuable because analysis of vampire folklore provides insight into humanity.
Now, he’s one of those people — his novella titled “A Vamp There Was” was released Sept. 3. The book is Stepanic’s first fiction publication, but it is not entirely invented — his vampire story is supplemented by metatextual references to the historical context of its setting and the literary tropes it employs.
While Stepanic is recognized as a vampire expert — he gets lots of media requests around Halloween — he originally came to the University in 2005 for postgraduate studies with a plan to focus on Russian language. Stepanic also worked as a teaching assistant for Prof. Jan Perkowski’s class on Dracula for a couple of years, launching his love for the topic. After Prof. Perkowski retired, Stepanic got the opportunity to retool the curriculum and teach the class himself.
The course has exploded in popularity over time — the 35-person section Perkowski passed on to Stepanic is now the iconic 200-person SLAV 2360. Stepanic said his focus on links
“Vampires, over time, have become symbolic of human experience,” Stepanic said. “They reflect the times they exist in and the people that create them.”
between vampires and the human realities they represent helps “Dracula” stand out to students.
“The thing about the class I think is interesting, and students think is interesting after they take it and understand it, is that … it’s really a class about human beings,” Stepanic said. “Students learn about anthropology and linguistics and language and disease epidemics and racial identity and gender identity, practically anything you can think about that relates to human beings relates to a vampire in some way.”
Similar to the societal perspective on vampire folklore which defines his “Dracula” course, Stepanic said he found inspiration for “A Vamp There Was” in something human — a photograph of a Fredericksburg woman shot in the heart by her husband in 1934 for infidelity. He said he first imagined an epic sci-fi romance based on his research into the case — the story of a man who falls in love with a woman in a photograph and time-travels to the past to be with her. However, agents he approached
were not interested in the project.
Then, in 2013, he came up with a new idea informed by “Dracula” class content on the vamp archetype — that of an irresistible woman who deploys her wiles to manipulate men, named for the vampire played by Theda Bara in “A Fool There Was” but applied to mortal women of this era too.
“Since I’d already done so much research into Fredericksburg at that time, and knew what the city layout was like and stuff like that, I was like, what if I took that vamp thing and made it an actual vampire — took that classic flapper image of the vamp and made it an actual supernatural being,” Stepanic said. Stepanic’s vamp transfixes a young boy from Fredericksburg who investigates the secrets of her past and her devastating effect on the men who fall for her. This fictional story is complemented by fact — “A Vamp There Was” is an annotated text, complete with endnotes explaining links to local history and gothic epistolary forms, an essay
on the development of the vamp as a trope and a catalog of actors who played vamps and the films in which they played them.
“I [wanted] to write my own history based on what I learned,” Stepanic said. “I went through all these digital archives. You can go through old magazines and books and find this stuff so much more easily than you would have before the internet.”
The combination of imagination and meticulous research found in “A Vamp There Was” reflects Stepanic’s anthropological approach to his “Dracula” class. While his text references representations of the vampire popular in the past, “A Vamp There Was” points to societal influences on vampire folklore which offer insight into new iterations of the creature that proliferate today.
“A Vamp There Was” is available online now, or readers can pick up a copy at Stepanic’s upcoming book talk and signing Oct. 19 at New Dominion Bookshop.
Ballet & Books builds confidence through literature and dance
By serving as mentors and educators, students in this CIO are paving a path toward increased literacy for Charlottesville’s youth
Rea Pillai | Staff Writer
Both dancing clubs and service organizations can be found all around the University — however, one Contracted Independent Organization combines the two activities with volunteering in a novel and engaging way. Founded in 2017, Ballet & Books is a national non-profit organization that pairs mentors with young girls, using social interaction and movement-based activities to enact and embody the material they read.
Maddie Mattox, the marketing director for the University’s Ballet & Books chapter and second-year College and Education student, explained that the program allows mentees to strengthen their reading skills by making connections between movement and the mind.
“The way kids learn best is through activating things like their body and other parts of themselves, other than just memorizing words,” Mattox said. “My mentee got a lot better at reading over the course of the year because she was not just listening to me read to her or trying to read to me because she memorized words, but she was using her body and other parts of her brain to help her learn to read.”
Broken into two segments, the
program takes place weekly across the span of eight weeks. First, a personality-based matching process pairs University mentors with compatible students from the Charlottesville community who have signed up to participate. Each lesson involves a 45-minute ballet session taught by University students to learn dance terminology and movements, closely followed by a mentorship session, wherein mentors and mentees read together while incorporating active learning techniques such as dance, games and social interaction.
The mentorship session utilizes the foundation acquired through the dance lesson to help navigate literature, in which students apply their new physical knowledge to books and stories related to dancing. Ballet & Books’ operations currently run in partnership with the Gordon Avenue Public Library, which acts as a meeting point for the mentors and mentees.
The CIO at the University is a chapter of a national organization — which hopes to “strengthen literacy skills, build confidence and incite a passion for learning,” according to their website. The group uses a dynamic curriculum that includes read-
ing books, playing games and completing literacy-building activities to address the fact that only 33 percent of fourth-graders are at or above the appropriate level for reading proficiency set by the National Assessment of Education Progress — a program that provides policymakers with information about student academic achievement levels.
The national Ballet & Books organization has been strengthening its chapter at the University over the past two years, alongside nine others at schools such as the University of Michigan and Duke University.
As the University’s chapter of the organization has grown, its impact has become evident to the mentors.
According to Olivia Geisler, Ballet & Books’ director and fourth-year College student, the driving force behind the work she does with Ballet & Books is witnessing the development of the children’s confidence in real time.
“[My mentee and I] were talking about the different parts of a story … and we had watched a little video of ballet, and we were trying to piece together which parts of the ballet correspond with which parts of the story,” Geisler said. “At first, I remember she
was struggling with it a little bit, but then once she [found the connection], she just absolutely lit up with excitement and was so happy that she had finally gotten it, and it just felt really good to have led her to that spot.”
While both Geisler and Mattox both have several years of dance experience, as both began dancing at an early age, they said that University students wishing to get involved with the CIO should not feel limited by their dance skills. Instead, Mattox said that the primary requirement for being a mentor is a passion for service.
“I think [we look for] just someone who’s passionate about the mission,” Mattox said. “Because really, you aren’t going to do it for any gain for yourself. It’s for the gain, for watching the kids grow … as long as you’re passionate about reducing the literacy gap and dedicated to showing up.”
Mattox relayed her hope for how the University’s Ballet & Books chapter can further embed themselves in the community at the University by partnering with Shannon Library or Clark Library. She hopes that by giving children the chance to learn alongside older students in their educational communities, it will inspire a
lifelong passion for learning.
With consistent efforts to find the intersection between fun and learning, Ballet & Books at the University strives to exemplify the national organization’s guiding values — education, diversity, community and confidence. By fostering and uplifting the talents of mentors and mentees alike, the organization embodies a strong commitment to the Charlottesville community.
While Geisler spoke to the value of Ballet & Books at the University, she said that volunteering at large is crucial — regardless of the form it takes.
“I’m just really proud to be part of an organization that’s really supporting the needs of some of the kids in the Charlottesville community,” Geisler said. “It’s really impactful and rewarding to be able to serve kids in this way, and I would encourage everyone to, even if it’s not Ballet & Books, [to] just to be part of some sort of service organization … and I think serving other people in some way is really important.”
United States opts for roast battles over presidential debates
Editor’s note: This article is a humor column.
Sept. 12, the Roast Battle Federation — a new nonpartisan nonprofit — announced that they will hold another presidential debate Oct. 31, but this time in the form of a roast battle. Breaking from a tradition of electoral debates, this decision was deemed necessary in the wake of the debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
“Most of the debate consisted of Harris and Trump attacking each other. From who received a small loan of a million dollars to who doesn’t give a frack about fracking, the candidates were at each other’s throats,” said Roasting Expert Burn Tacrisp.
RBF has pointed to the recent presidential debates as the reason for this change. The June debate allowed for Joe Biden, president and then Democratic candidate, and Donald Trump to throw insults at each other — with Biden calling Trump a “whin-
er” and Trump claiming that Biden cannot drive a golf ball 50 yards.
Experts hoped that the Harris-Trump presidential debate would be more civil. However, not even the muted mics could restrain the candidates from verbal combat. While the handshake between Harris and Trump was a positive optic that contrasted the stiff greeting between Biden and Trump, the appearance of civility disappeared as soon as the back and forth began. According to RBF Founder Mick Canyon, this was the final straw that led to the creation of RBF.
“As I watched the debate, I couldn’t help but wonder what the nominees were thinking behind their smirks,” said Canyon. “It’s time we start acting like the candidates and forget about policy talk during debates. Voters don’t want to hear about Trump’s ‘concepts of a plan’ for healthcare — they want to hear him call Harris the president’s babysitter. And does it really matter if Harris dodges the border
question? At least she confirmed that Putin would eat Trump for lunch!”
RBF has decided to harness the passion expressed by both candidates and the increased viewership of the recent roast-heavy debate to promote voter engagement. RBF Executive Director Daniel Disser has announced that both presidential candidates have agreed to this new debate format.
“The debate between Harris and Trump proved that holding our candidates back from roasting each other is like trying to get Trump to tell the truth,” said Disser. “We hope to capitalize upon the passionate political climate and get the attention of young voters through this ‘hip’ change.”
RBF’s website explains this format. The candidates will begin by greeting each other through calculated eye contact and silence. Then, the roasting will commence. Candidates may follow suggested roast formats — such as making rash statements, claiming that the other is Marxist and calling each
others’ rallies lame. The battle will be mediated by a single moderator, who need not fact check the candidates. RBF will no longer discriminate against the candidates’ perspectives by contradicting their statements with expert opinions and facts.
“RBF hopes the new format will allow candidates to call each other out for wrongdoings, whether that is a policy failure or a felony charge,” said Disser. “Similarly, banning factual corrections will allow candidates to demonstrate their stances on imaginary topics — such as dogs being eaten by immigrants — rather than the actual hardships Americans face.”
It is unclear how the change in format will affect the venue. Some have proposed holding the roast battle in a public forum, such as a sports arena. Others want to bring the event to where some of the most iconic roast battles have occurred — Dr. Phil’s studio.
In American fashion, this would be a ticketed event. Tomatoes would be offered at concession stands for the audience’s throwing pleasure, but few will be able to afford them with the price of groceries on the rise.
With the roast battle format, the United States may opt to embrace a new form of voting — this will come in the form of which side chants the loudest or which candidate leaves the scene too embarrassed to continue.
Voters have expressed excitement about this change. Civie Duty, an independent voter, outlined her hopes.
“I can’t wait to be an audience member,” said Duty. “I hope the candidates focus on sourcing their insults from Twitter — that’s where the real magic happens.”
EMMA NERO is the humor senior associate edtior for The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at humor@cavalierdaily.com
CARTOON & PUZZLES
Same old, same old roulette
Kaileigh Proctor | Cartoonist
Crossword Quinn Connor| Puzzle Master
The Spirit of 1974 Symposium
BREAKING THROUGH / GOING FIRST
CELEBRATING THE CO-ED TRAILBLAZERS OF THE CLASS OF ‘74
REGISTER TO ATTEND:
SEPT. 25 & 26 / THE ROTUNDA & ALUMNI HALL
DAY 1: THE STORIES
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 25
FROM 3–5:30 P.M. THE ROTUNDA, DOME ROOM
DAY 2: THE LESSONS
THURSDAY, SEPT. 26 FROM 3–5:30 P.M. ALUMNI HALL, BALLROOM
