Thursday, September 15, 2016

FALL ISSUE VOL. 127, ISSUE 9

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2016

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FALL IN C’VILLE WHAT’S INSIDE RACIAL SLURS APPEAR IN FIRST-YEAR DORMS PAGE 2

A LOOK INSIDE U.VA.’S MARCHING BAND PAGE 5

LOOKING AHEAD TO UCONN GAME PAGES 6-7

OPINION: DON’T KNOCK COLLEGE REPUBLICANS PAGE 12

BEST CVILLE HIKES FOR FALL PAGE 15

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AFB offers chance for students to volunteer Organizations include Habitat for Humanity, local food pantry ALEXIS GRAVELY | ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Students who plan to stay in Charlottesville during the October reading days will have an opportunity to both help and explore the community through Alternative Fall Break.

The three-day volunteer event is sponsored by Alternative Spring Break and is a relatively new program to the organization having only started in 2014. While ASB encourages travel and service, Alternative Fall Break was established in part as a reminder that volunteers are needed in the local community as well.

“One big thing for Alternative Spring Break is that you get to go a bunch of different places, and that’s what draws a lot of people, that they get to travel and do service,” Conner Healy, fourth-year Commerce student and co-outreach chair, said. “We also really feel strongly that there’s also going to be stuff to be done here in Charlottesville.”

On Oct. 1, 3 and 4 students have the opportunity to assist in various tasks at a variety of organizations around the Charlottesville community including Habitat for Humanity, The Salvation Army and Bellair Farms.

“All of the organizations have been very receptive to us, and they’re very happy to work with us,” Healy said. “We share that feeling 110 percent mutually with them.”

One of the organizations with

which AFB will be helping is Charlottesville’s local food pantry, Loaves and Fishes. Executive Director Margaret McNett Burruss said the organization has a continual need for volunteers.

“We’re open four times a week and each time we’re open for food distribution, it’s two hours each time,” Burruss said.

Loaves and Fishes is modeled like a grocery store and serves approximately 1,500 households per month. Volunteers assist with stocking shelves, checking the families in and taking them through the store, Burruss said.

While the organizations generally tell AFB ahead of time about the jobs to completed during their service, sometimes those needs change, which Healy said he does not believe is a bad thing.

“I actually really like that just because it gets people interested and they get to explore even more perspectives of that kind of service type,” Healy said.

Upon completion of their hours of service, AFB volunteers will have the opportunity to participate in “post-service excursions” around Charlottesville to allow the volunteers to “get to know” each other.

These excursions are decided upon by the site leaders for each particular day and have the potential to be any location around Charlottesville. Some excursions may even be based on stories the volunteers hear from others while working.

COURTESY ALTERNATIVE FALL BREAK

Volunteers work in local areas during the day and then participate in excursions around Charlottesville in the evening.

“One thing that we pride ourselves at ASB is learning other people’s stories and using their stories to help others so that potentially everyone else can benefit as well,” Healy said. “If you’re working alongside someone … [and] they mention one of their favorite places around Charlottesville is so-and-so, then it would be cool if one of the site leaders planned that everyone was going to get in the car and go see that.”

Healy said many people who apply for AFB also apply for ASB in the spring. Although students

who participate in AFB are not automatically guaranteed a spot for ASB, Healy said participating in the program “definitely couldn’t hurt.”

The ASB application asks for applicants to explain their prior experience with the organization.

“If someone has an AFB trip or any sort of event during fall break otherwise, then they’re able to talk about that and each site leader who is reviewing their application in the spring is able to look at that,” Healy said. “If the person who is submitting the application writes

about it in a way that the site leaders definitely agree with, then that’s how you can tie the two experiences together.”

Registration for AFB opened Wednesday at noon, and students do not have to sign up for all of the events. Food and a free t-shirt will be provided.

“We’re really excited to see anyone and everyone who is interested in this organization,” Healy said. “We’re really passionate about it and we love seeing people who share that interest as well.”

N-word written in first year dorms, prompts BSA event Groups plan dialogue, hopes to bring program to other dorms ANNA POLLARD | SENIOR WRITER This past Sunday, several resident advisors took steps to address racial slurs that appeared in first-year dorms.

On Sept. 2, residents and resident advisors of the Kent-Dabney Dorm Association discovered racial slurs — in particular the N-word — written in permanent marker on the doors of students’ rooms, walls and whiteboards across several floors of the residence hall area.

The incident was reported to the University through Just Report It, a system available to the University community to report instances of bias, hazing or sexual or gender-based violence.

“Investigation revealed the offensive graffiti, including rac-

ist language, was written in an apparently indiscriminate fashion on the doors of residents and RAs of various races, ethnicities and genders,” University Spokesperson Anthony de Bruyn said in an email statement. “No specific individual appears to have been the target, although students of color were among those subjected to the offensive graffiti and were clearly personally impacted by it.”

The University does not know who wrote the slurs, de Bruyn said.

“If that information is received in the future, appropriate disciplinary action will be vigorously pursued through the student-run University Judiciary

Committee,” de Bruyn said.

Senior Resident Alex Knutson, a fourth-year Batten student, sent an email to residents of the dorm the day of the incident condemning it, offering support and encouraging anyone with information regarding the vandalism to speak up, de Bruyn said.

Knutson and other RAs declined to comment for this story.

Over the weekend, several resident advisors in the dorm reached out to the Black Student Alliance to speak to their residents about how to identify and actively combat racism.

BSA President Bryanna Miller and BSA Political Action Advisor Weston Gobar, both thirdyear College students, organized

a program to address the incident. Miller said the presentation was a positive dialogue meant to both make students aware of racial stereotypes and empower them to intercede in the event of an inappropriate comment or action.

“We came up with this module to discuss black-white racism in particular, because we didn't want to speak to someone else’s experience,” Miller said. “We talk a lot about being proactive about sexual assault, but it’s also important to be proactive against racism, and in order to create a safe community within the dorm we felt like that kind of program would be the most effective.”

Miller said the presentation

included asking residents questions such as “Have you ever said anything that was very stereotypical?” to emphasize the larger context of the racist messages and ensure residents are aware of the impacts of their statements.

“Part of the reason we were brought in was there was a concern that, you know, non-black residents of the dorm were kind of apathetic to the issue and didn't really know how to get involved, and weren’t sure how to react,” she said.

The program specifically addressed microaggressions — subtle or unintentional forms

see KENT-DABNEY, page 4

www.cavalierdaily.com • NEWS

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2016

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Protest policy spurs discussion on activism, U.Va. history Student groups share concerns about future demonstrations on Grounds ANNA HIGGINS | ASSOCIATE EDITOR In the wake of the University’s approval of a policy limiting protests Finals Weekend, student leaders on Grounds are raising questions about freedom of speech and expression.

The policy, a formalized update of a policy in place for decades, restricts the area protesters can occupy to the area between McCormick Road on one side and Peabody Hall and the Special Collections Library on the other. The policy also limits the use of sound amplification devices and temporary structures.

John Whitehead, a constitutional attorney and president of The Rutherford Institute, criticized the policy in a memorandum.

“Even if there is a reason to forbid demonstrations and protests at certain places on campus at certain times — such as the Lawn during graduation — to forbid expressive activity in all non-designated places at all times — even when crowds might not be large — during Finals Weekend fails to tailor the restriction to the goals of the University,” he wrote.

Final Exercises is not typically a hotbed for disruptive protests — the last time a demonstration interrupted Finals Weekend was about 25 years ago, former University History Officer Sandy Gilliam said. Some students and faculty carried signs during the procession, and were promptly stopped by other students. Based on archival research and consultations with history professors and the University Guide Service, it is likely the protest regarded apartheid and divestment, a significant topic at the time.

“Students grabbed the placards and said, ‘This is our Finals, it’s not yours, you’re not going to mess it up,’ and tore them up on the spot,” Gilliam said.

Jessie Rivera, a fourth-year Engineering student and Fourth Year Trustees’ Final Exercises chair, said she does not anticipate protests to disrupt Graduation Weekend.

Protest demonstrations were “never brought up — no one’s ever made it seem like it’d be a problem,” Rivera said.

The policy will not change how Final Exercises is planned or run, Rivera said.

Rivera said her priorities lie more in ensuring the procession and class party run smoothly and safely for the graduates.

“I just have to plan the Valedictory Exercises on the Friday of Finals Weekend and the class party and solicit the graduation speaker

as well,” Rivera said. “The biggest problem was just making sure graduates weren’t too drunk.”

Final Exercises is not a common time for student activism since many students have either left for the summer or are busy with graduation activities, Ian Nakayama, a second-year College student and the outreach chair of the Living Wage Campaign, said.

“I don't think the recent restrictions will affect our group greatly,” Nakayama said. “I don't think usually we plan protests for… graduation, because during graduation most of us are gone for the summer.”

Maria DeHart, a third-year College student and campaign lead for the Climate Action Society’s Divest U.Va. initiative, also said the policy is unlikely to affect any plans for Divest U.Va. The only prominent University events where her organization has demonstrated have been Board of Visitors meetings.

“We don’t think it’s right and we don’t really respect their choice in prioritizing that as a policy, but I don’t think it’ll affect what we do,” she said.

However, DeHart said the University’s addition of protest policies into the University Policy Directory may be reactionary to previous protests, such as those related to tuition hikes and the Black Lives Matter movement.

In December 2014, University students and Black Lives Matter activists protested the dropping of criminal charges against Daniel Pantaleo, an NYPD police officer charged with the fatal choking of Eric Garner.

U.Va. Students United, University students and community members protested against tuition increases at Board of Visitors meetings in March 2015.

There were also several protests against sexual assault following Rolling Stone’s publication of the now debunked article, “A Rape on Campus,” in November 2014.

“We definitely think it’s a breach of freedom of speech and freedom of expression,” DeHart said. “We’re suspicious as to whether the University’s motives are to actually ensure safety during the event or simply to act as a precaution for groups that may be… getting ready to protest.”

Although the policy may not have a significant impact on some organizations, the future of University protest policy is a source of concern among some students.

“Restrictions like this make

me nervous for what the University’s going to restrict next when it comes to protesting graduation,” Nakayama said. “We should have the right to protest … that’s part of our First Amendment rights.”

Queer Student Union President Jack Chellman, a third-year College student, said the QSU believes the University did not intend to compromise students’ rights to free speech due to its consistent support of the organization’s activism efforts, such as a chalk campaign against homophobic and transphobic chalk messages last spring.

“Whether or not the administration intends it to be the case, [the policy] ends up limiting student voice and students’ ability to express their opinions,” Chellman said. “I would believe that it’s going to have an impact in some ways, whether or not it’s directly on the QSU this year or next year or the years to come.”

Chellman said the QSU sees the situation as a “miscalculation” about a typically protest-light weekend.

“QSU is understanding this as an issue where student voice and the expression of student opinion is more valuable than limiting disruption at Finals Weekend,” he said.

A University spokesperson declined to offer further comment on the free speech concerns raised by the Rutherford Institute beyond comments made to The Cavalier Daily for its first report about the policy.

Pam Higgins, the University’s executive director of major events, previously told The Cavalier Daily the policy has been in place for decades and was formally reviewed and approved by the Policy Review Committee over the summer.

“The policy continues to ensure the safety and well-being of the University community and the thousands of family and friends that visit Grounds during Finals Weekend,” University Deputy Spokesperson Matt Charles said.

“This policy also provides spaces for protests, demonstrations and other expressive activities during Finals Weekends for both the fair and inclement weather plans.”

While many student activist efforts today take place independently of major University events, multiple University protests throughout history took place around Board of Visitors meetings.

A prominent example of a Board of Visitors protest was in March 1987, when protesters

CELINA HU | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Students protest tuition hikes at a Board of Visitors meeting in 2015.

staged a sit-in and slept in the Rotunda, where the meeting was taking place. The protest spurred new University policies to decide where protests could and could not take place.

“Some rules were set up then about where you could protest,” Gilliam said. “You couldn’t come in the Rotunda, you were to be on the Lawn side or you could be on the street side, too, you had to be quiet about it, that sort of thing.”

The students were members of the Students Against Apartheid Coalition protesting the University’s selective divestment policy, according to a Cavalier Daily article from the time.

“We as students have a right to be present and to be heard in this closed session of the Board of Visitors during which the divestment issue is discussed,” then-University student and SAAC Co-Coordinator Molly McGarity said during the sit-in.

The University attempted to stave off protesting through a 1987 policy prohibiting the Students Against Apartheid Coalition from constructing shanties near the Rotunda ahead of a Board of Visitors meeting. This policy was struck down by a federal judge after students represented themselves in court against the University.

“The shanties particularized messa ge and the purposes for which the plaintiffs constructed them made it abundantly clear they are a form of expressive symbolic communication that receives protection from the First Amendment,” then-U.S. District Court Judge James Turk said in his ruling.

Students were charged again for trespassing while protesting selec-

tive divestment again in April 1990 when another sit-in was staged at the Rotunda. The 31 arrested students were offered the opportunity for charges to drop in exchange for 10 hours of community service through Madison House, the University Police Department or the Office of the Dean of Students.

While the University did not file any disciplinary charges with the University judicial system, it also did not retract its position on the arrests.

“The University bears a special responsibility to protect such a uniquely historical and fragile facility as the Rotunda,” a statement from the University said in April 1990.

The history of University protests has not seen significant changes throughout the years, but varies year to year depending on the issues at hand.

“It comes and goes,” Gilliam said. “You go through a period when there seem to be several groups unhappy about something or the other, and therefore protesting, and then you go through several years where everybody seems content or at least quiet.”

Ibby Han from U.Va. Students United and Bryanna Miller from the Black Student Alliance both declined to comment for this article.

Sumedha Deshmukh from Take Back the Night, Paola Valdez Sanchez from DREAMers on Grounds and the organization email and Facebook page for Alliance for Social Change did not respond for comment.

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THE CAVALIER DAILY

NEWS • www.cavalierdaily.com

If Clinton wins, who will take Kaine’s Senate seat?

Democratic win would give McAuliffe opportunity to choose new senator ANKITA SATPATHY | ASSOCIATE EDITOR Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine’s seat may be vacant if Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is elected in November.

According to Section 24.2207 of the Code of Virginia, when a U.S. Senate seat opens up, the governor “shall issue a writ of election to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the unexpired term.”

This election is held on the next succeeding November general election date, or on the second succeeding November general election date if the seat opens within 120 days prior to the next general election. The code also states that the governor “may make a temporary appointment to fill the vacancy until the qualified voters fill the same by election.”

Geoffrey Skelley, associate editor of Sabato's Crystal Ball, said even though there is no specified timeline on filling Kaine’s seat, it would likely be filled soon after the vacancy.

“In the scenario where Hillary Clinton wins, she would likely want the Virginia seat filled immediately, as the Senate may be very close to evenly split between Democrats and Republicans,” Skelley said in an email statement. “Kaine could resign the seat earlier, but there may be some important lame-duck session votes in December that he would like to participate in, so it seems unlikely that he would resign until the 114th Congress officially ends its session just before the New Year.”

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe has the power to appoint a replacement for a vacant Senate seat. Since a vacancy would occur more than 120 days before the next November election,

KENT-DABNEY continued from page 2 of discrimination.

“I played a spoken word poem, and it’s basically the voice of a white woman saying all these different microaggressions that you might hear on a regular basis, things that aren’t intentionally hurtful, but things that can really impact individuals,” Miller said.

The program also unpacked the concept of anti-racism.

“Anti-racism is basically when you take justice into your own hands and become active in combating racist behavior, like calling out your peers for saying

fice the following year.”

In terms of possible replacements for Kaine, Skelley said this is an opportunity for McAuliffe to make history.

“At the top of that list is surely Rep. Bobby Scott of the 3rd Congressional District,” Skelley said. “The attraction of appointing Scott would not only be the history it would make — the first black Virginia senator — but also because of the potential boon to Democratic electoral fortunes that such a pick could have.”

Skelley also said that any legislation Kaine has introduced during the current 114th Congress could be passed by the Senate until the Congress officially ends in 2017.

Skelley said there would be a special election in November 2017 to fill the final year of Kaine’s term.

“That means McAuliffe would likely appoint someone that wants to run in the 2017 special election,” Skelley said, “and someone capable of immediately turning around and running for reelection in the regularly-scheduled 2018 election for that seat, should the appointee win the 2017 special.”

University History Prof.

George Gilliam said if the Democratic ticket wins in November and Kaine is elected vice president, he will likely surrender his Senate seat immediately.

“Those elected or appointed to executive branch positions usually resign their position in the Congress promptly,” Gilliam said in an email statement.

“That permits their appointed successor to take office and accrue seniority ahead of those others who — having won a popular election — will take of-

“If Kaine remained in the Senate through the start of the 115th Congress for a few days, he could hypothetically introduce new legislation in that Congress,” Skelley said, “but that seems fairly unlikely as in this scenario he would be focused on the transition.”

Scott himself has not directly publically acknowledged himself as a potential nominee.

“Governor McAuliffe will have many qualified individuals to choose from to fill Tim Kaine’s Senate seat,” Scott said in a statement in the Washington Post. “I am confident the governor will make a good choice.”

Other possible replacements include Attorney General Mark Herring or Rep. Don Beyer of the 8th Congressional District, who previously won two statewide campaigns for lieutenant governor in 1989 and 1993.

However, University Politics Prof. Larry Sabato also suspects

something wrong, trying to surround yourself with people who are different than you [and] really amplifying minority voices when something happens in the community.”

Miller and Gobar also presented skits to contrast remaining passive and acting in an instance of microaggression. BSA executive board members also shared personal experiences of racism or microaggressions, and residents were encouraged to participate.

Miller and Gobar said they were pleased with the reactions of the residents.

“All throughout residents had a super high level of engagement, and after, many expressed inter-

est in being involved in the BSA, and some attended our general body meeting,” Miller said. “It was just so amazing to see them out there in the audience and recognize them and know that we can make a difference, and that’s kind of the driving force behind what we want to do now.”

Miller said the BSA is interested in doing further presentations and expanding the program to other dorms.

“It so shocking to me that you can literally be attacked in your own dorm, and nothing is done about it,” Miller said. “So programming like this, even if it doesn't reach everyone, can send a message that RAs care, the University cares, there’s a com-

munity here working to change the University, and there are ways to get involved regardless of your background.”

Gobar said he hopes the University will respond further to this incident and provide more data to increase accountability regarding incidents of racism.

“I would like to see more of an official response from the University condemning such incidents, and I would like to see a public way to track the number of such incidents which occur within a year,” Gobar said in an email statement.

Miller also expressed interest in having a University-wide module to allow students to experience instances such as these

COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

If Clinton is elected president, McAuliffe would appoint someone to fill Kaine’s seat until a special election could be held in 2017.

Scott will be the nominee.

“It is to the Democrats’ advantage to have an African-American senator on the ballot to boost their gubernatorial candidate, Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, who is white,” Sabato said in an article on the University Center for Politics website.

“At this early point, Republicans are more unsettled and have several aspirants for governor, and no doubt they will have multiple contenders for Senate as well — especially because incumbent U.S. House members will not have to give up their seats to run for the upper chamber in an odd-year special election.”

McAuliffe has not publically announced who he intends to nominate should Clinton and Kaine win the election.

Sam Coleman, assistant communications director for McAuliffe, said it was too soon for the governor to be considering his decision.

“Gov. McAuliffe has been pretty resolute with his stance on all of that which is that it’s not a question he’s even considering until November 9th,” Coleman said. “The elections is by no means determined yet, so to do anything else would be getting ahead of ourselves.”

Regarding what qualities McAuliffe would look for in Kaine’s successor, Coleman said for any nomination, the governor always seeks candidate best equipped to serve the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Representatives from Kaine’s office declined to comment on whom he may predict or prefer as a potential successor.

and exercise active responses.

“One thing we called for was a module or some kind of training for students, so that more people can be exposed to these kinds of experiences,” Miller said. “I want to see the University take anti-racism seriously and see more RAs bridge the gap, because RAs can have these discussions with their students — it’s important to recognize that we all have power.”

In terms of reaching students of other years directly, Miller said the Minority Rights Coalition is designing a program called “Unpacking Privilege” that can be presented to different organizations on Grounds similarly to the BSA’s program.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2016

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Cavalier Marching Band helps students find their place CMB fosters student leadership, community in its 12th year at U.Va. MARK FELICE | ASSOCIATE NEWS WRITER

LAUREN HORNSBY | THE CAVALIER DAILY

The Cavalier Marching Band is made up of over 300 members who represent 80 different majors from each of the University’s undergraduate schools.

The Cavalier Marching Band has become a major presence on and off the football field since its founding 12 years ago, performing at every home game during this period and even the 2015 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The band, which was started by Dr. William E. Pease in 2004, includes a head director, three assistant directors, four drum majors, 10 sections, 46 section leaders and about 300 members overall.

Leading up to football season By the time CMB takes the field for the halftime show of the first home football game, it’s spent hours preparing its musical numbers. Leading up to the start of the season, the members have gone to Band Camp, weekly practices and additional practices before the game.

Practices are twice a week for about two hours, and for two hours Friday nights before game days, Joanna Hsu, third-year Curry student and mellophone section leader, said. Game days see another two hour practice before the game starts.

Another important part of preparing for a show is music selection. The band directors choose the music for each game and plan out selections for the season. Recent selections have included “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Rocky, Batman, Robin Hood and a James Bond medley.

“The directors choose the music for each season — they always poll the band asking for opinions on the music for the upcoming season, but they decide,” Ilana

Brody, fourth-year College student and drum major, said. “[The other members] actually don’t know what music we will be playing before the game. After every game, all the leadership comes together and looks at the music and that is when we find out what we will play for the week’s game.”

Despite the large amount of time spent preparing and practicing music, Marching Band is not just for music majors. This year, there are more than 300 students with 80 different majors from each of University’s undergraduate schools who are in the group.

Student leadership is also a key part of the band, as many of its returning members move into advisory roles at the end of the season. These roles include drum major, section leaders, drill instructors and recruiters.

“One really neat thing about the band is the amount of student leadership,” Taylor Fisher, fourthyear College student and saxophone section leader, said. “About two-thirds of the entire band is part of the leadership team. There are students who serve as section leaders that help with the instruction of music and drill instructors who help design and teach visual moves on the field. There are also student leaders that assist with our uniforms, the setup and teardown of the practice field, recruiting and preparing Scott Stadium for football games — just to name a few.”

Perks of being in CMB Right before each football game, the band has a tradition

that not only prepares them for their performance, but also helps get the spectators excited for the game.

“Each section gets their own bus, so we will all sing and cheer on the way to the game, and it is really exciting,” Brody said.

However, perks that come with being part of the the band go beyond learning music and playing for an enthusiastic audience every home game. Members said they felt like they found their niche at the University when they joined the marching band.

“I have been playing the trumpet since fifth grade [and] did marching band in high school, [but] was not planning on doing it in college,” Naomi Gaba, thirdyear College student and trumpet section leader, said. “Then I met someone who plays the clarinet and they helped me decide to join. But from day one, I felt like I had some sense of purpose.”

In addition, the band has its own building by the Carr’s Hill Field, named the Hunter Smith Band Building, which houses a rehearsal room, a few smaller rooms for equipment and offices for the directors. The building was donated by a friend of the University who wanted to contribute to the school’s football experience.

“We are really lucky to have [the Hunter Smith] building,” Brody said. “[Smith] donated 13 million dollars for this building very recently. She wanted to contribute to the football experience and we inherited the building

that includes the equipment, uniforms, the offices for the directors and a space where we practice during the season as well.”

More than an extracurricular Members of CMB consider the band family, rather than just another extracurricular activity. For many, the band has become the defining feature of their time at the University.

“My favorite part about the band is the sense of community,” Fisher said. “Ever since joining the band my first year, I have always felt like a part of a big family. I love spending time with other band members on and off the field and I have built some of my best relationships in college during my time in the CMB.” In addition, band members said people in the program are focused on helping one another and helping the band become better. CMB emphasizes student leadership, utilizing a structure in which instrument players report to section leaders, section leaders report to drum majors and drum

majors report to the directors. “[For section leaders] our main job is to teach the music to the section — we meet, get warmed up, practice, but we also do a lot of behind-the-scenes coordinations,” Gaba said. “We are kind of everyone's parents with making sure they are there, have what they need and are doing the right thing for that practice. We also serve as the main form of communication for the directors to the section or the drum majors to the section and vice versa.”

Many students who join also develop a strong sense of pride in the band and in the University as a whole, which makes becoming a band member a worthwhile commitment.

“I think my favorite part [of being in band] is, after every game, [waiting] for the Youtube video of our show to come out and watching that,” Gaba said.

“You feel some sense of accomplishment and it's is such a great feeling when we get to watch that afterwards.”

LAUREN HORNSBY | THE CAVALIER DAILY

CMB emphasizes student leadership, and about two-thirds of the band members hold positions including section leaders, drum majors, drill instructors and recruiters.

THE CAVALIER DAILY

6

Football travels to Conn. in search of first win Cavaliers look to build on moral victories from week two Oregon loss GRANT GOSSAGE | SENIOR ASSOCIATE EDITOR For those Virginia football fans watching ESPN bleary-eyed on the east coast late last Saturday night, the Oregon game probably didn’t stir up many semblances of hope.

The Ducks racked up an absurd amount of yardage both on the ground and through the air, finishing with enough in both phases — 301 rushing and 332 passing — to outdrive most PGA Tour professionals. Flashy Oregon coasted to a 44-26 victory.

Sure, Virginia senior running back Albert Reid surpassed the century mark in rushing yards, establishing an effective, hard-nosed running game to the Cavalier coaching staff ’s delight. But with the exception of Reid’s emergence, Virginia (0-2) looked neither pretty nor promising to those brave Cavaliers fans awake early Sunday morning.

There were the six sacks of redshirt junior quarterback Kurt Benkert, a pair of ugly interceptions and well-thrown balls that Cavaliers receivers inexplicably dropped.

There also was the third down and 36 that Oregon’s offense somehow converted. Although prior to the play, seasoned Virginia fans likely sensed that the Ducks would move the chains as if they were in a video game.

I

began what has become my Tuesday morning ritual — filling out my picks for the Cavalier Daily Sports Editors’ weekly college football predictions. I made my way down the rows. Clemson, Miami, Alabama — all teams that I had no trouble choosing to win their games.

And then I made it to the end of the row.

Virginia at Connecticut.

I paused for a while as I reflected on which team I should pick. Do I have faith in my Cavaliers, or do I follow the trends of history? The Mendenhall era has gotten off to a rockier start than most expected. There’s the fact that Virginia just doesn’t win on the road. The Cavaliers haven’t won a road game since 2012, when they defeated NC State in Raleigh, N.C. Even then, it was their only road win of the season.

After a few minutes of contemplation, I did it. I picked Virginia. I can’t really say that I picked them and never looked back, because since then, I have been trying to justify my reasoning, and in that, I found quite a bit to write about. So, here are just a few of the reasons why I think the Cavaliers

Had the television cameras been trained on the play on the field more often, though, Cavaliers supporters would’ve felt better about the direction this Mendenhall-led program is headed despite its 0-2 start. There, they would have witnessed the Virginia football team achieving a previously nonexistent

CELINA HU | THE CAVALIER DAILY

If Benkert can continue his effective play, the Cavalier could secure their first win.

level of enthusiasm and chemistry.

“Guys are out there smiling — you know, we’re behind a touchdown or two or three touchdowns — and we’re actually smiling, knowing that we feel a change within ourselves that has never occurred before,” senior offensive tackle Eric Smith said. “It was just a thrill to know that we’ve accomplished something, and to know we are capable of much more.”

How the Cavaliers respond Saturday at Connecticut (1-1) after having this apparent change of heart out west will go along way in determining their trajectory the rest of the season. Believe it or not, Virginia has not won on the road since Nov. 3, 2012 at North Carolina State. So even the seniors under Mendenhall haven’t won on the road wearing Cavalier orange and blue. That is a discouraging historical trend, one that could certainly weigh on the minds of Virginia players Saturday.

Notwithstanding history, however, the team seems to have found a new identity during its loss to Oregon, as the body language that Virginia players exhibited in July, and resurfaced during the Richmond game, never did show against the Ducks. The Cavaliers may be outplayed on a given week, but their losses can no longer be attributed to a preconceived notion of how a

daunting m atchup would play out.

“Being away in a crowd [at Oregon] like that, the thing we emphasized on was just staying together and being a team, as one,” sophomore linebacker Chris Peace said.

“And like I said, since I’ve been here there hasn’t been too much of that, not consistently. I’d say that day on the field that’s about as close as we’ve been.”

Throughout the week, Benkert, Virginia’s general on the field, has echoed this positivity. The start of his 2016 season hasn’t unfolded the way he wanted it to — two runaway losses, three ill-timed interceptions and far too strong and accurate of an arm for his longest completion to be just 26 yards — yet Benkert believes the Cavalier offense will soon mesh. In the meantime, he has been quick to blame himself for any of the unit’s inconsistency or the team’s for that matter.

“Kurt is one of those leaders that will shoulder as much burden as possible,” Mendenhall said. “So when asked in relation to sacks and everything else, it doesn’t surprise me at all if he says he’s probably holding the ball too long. That’s what any of us in a leadership position want to do… In my opinion he’s holding it appropriately.”

Benkert is exactly the leader Virginia needs right now to escape Connecticut and what could prove

to be a tight game against the Huskies, with its first road win in over four seasons. The Cavalier defense, which has allowed an average of 40.5 points and 578 yards per game, will have to step up for Benkert and his offense to have a chance.

Yet if anyone on Virginia understands the fact that the football season is a process, it is Benkert.

Regardless of whether his defense puts his offense in another tough spot Saturday afternoon, the transfer from ECU, along with his teammates, will try to take another stride or two towards learning how to win. That doesn’t mean they will.

“I’m having more fun than I’ve had in a while, just being out there with this team and fighting with this team,” Benkert said. “Getting hit feels good again. It’s nice to just kind of knock off the rust a little bit at a time. And I’m really looking forward to seeing how this team, and this offense, looks going into midseason.”

A moral victory in football may not exist, but then, how can one explain this new mindset the Cavaliers have exhibited since the Oregon game, and its potential to translate into victories going forward?

Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at Pratt & Whitney Stadium in East Hartford, Conn.

BETTING ON VIRGINIA will emerge victorious against the Huskies Saturday.

The score of Virginia’s game against No. 22 Oregon does not make it seem like the Cavaliers improved much in week two. The athletic Ducks appeared to sprint past Virginia, 44-26. However, the Cavaliers made strides in more ways than one over the course of the game, and most importantly — they never gave up.

The defense seemed to at least know what they were doing against Oregon. Don’t get me wrong — the defense still needs some serious work. They allowed the Ducks to amass 632 yards. Against Richmond, however, the defense appeared to be unprepared for Mendenhall’s 3-4 defensive scheme.

The main problem against the Ducks was simply that Virginia defenders were outmatched by Oregon’s athletic offense. Of course, this comes as no real surprise, as junior wide receiver Devon Allen, an Olympic hurdler at the 2016 Rio Games, was able to tally 141 yards and a touchdown for the Ducks. For extra emphasis, Allen celebrated his touchdown with nothing other than hurdle drills. All

in all, the Virginia defense was able to hold Oregon’s offense to 44 points, which was a vast improvement compared to the 59 they allowed in 2013.

Mendenhall himself noted that improvements have been made despite what the numbers may show.

“I also rely on intuition, and I can see some of the things between the numbers that are improving,” Mendenhall said. “And I think the fans will see that, and the followers of Virginia football will see that at some point.”

However, improvement was obvious for Mendenhall’s team as far as the running game goes. So much so that it made the 38 rushing yards that the Cavaliers gained against Richmond seem like somewhat of a fluke. Offensive coordinator Robert Anae led the offense to 193 rushing yards and no fumbles — a vast improvement from week one against the Spiders.

Senior big back Albert Reid put on a show in Eugene for the best night of his career. The Washington, D.C. native averaged 8.4 yards per carry en route to 126 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore speed back Jordan Ellis bounced back from an

injury that cost him a spot in the Richmond game and tallied 46 yards on just six carries. For good measure, senior tailback Taquan Mizzell earned 48 yards and a touchdown.

The running back improvement is something that bodes well for Virginia not just against the Huskies, but for the rest of the season if they can keep up the carries.

The last area where the Cavaliers improved against the Ducks is not necessarily quantifiable. The will of the team was noticeably improved.

After Virginia fell behind Oregon 30-6 in the first half, they outscored the Ducks in the second, 20-14, behind two touchdown passes from junior quarterback Kurt Benkert. I could tell just by looking at the sideline that players were willing each other on — giving out high-fives and pats on the back after tough plays and first downs. Mendenhall noticed his team’s different attitude, too.

“We were so much more assertive, confident and decisive across the way than we were in our opener, and a little bit of that is time of just getting to know this team,” Mendenhall said.

“And we played significantly better

week two to week one regardless of where it is. So rather than where we’re playing, the approach to playing the game is what the focus has been on and what that looks like, and what it sounds like, and what it feels like.”

In Connecticut’s game against Navy last Saturday, they fell behind the Midshipmen 21-0 before coming back to score 21 unanswered points and tie up the game. The Huskies lost the game late, 28-24, after questionable clock management by coach Bob Diaco. If the Cavaliers are able to stifle Connecticut’s offense for long enough while letting Benkert get into a groove and the running backs literally run away with the game, Virginia has a real chance to prove themselves on the road.

At least that is my hope for Mendenhall’s squad Saturday in East Hartford, Conn. Either way, I need my picks to pull through. Especially since — much to my fellow editors’ chagrin — I’m winning.

MARIEL MESSIER is a senior associate sports editor for The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at m.messier@ cavalierdaily.com

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2016

www.cavalierdaily.com • SPORTS

KEYS TO A VIRGINIA WIN

Albert Reid

1

Get off the field on third down The Virginia defense has allowed opposing offenses to convert on 3rd down on 19 out of 31 attempts, or 61 percent of the time. Saturday, a penalty backed the Ducks up to 3rd and 36 before the Cavaliers surrendered a devastating 54-yard completion. Virginia’s defense has to force punts when it ought to.

2

Catch the pigskin

Against Oregon, Benkert delivered several wellthrown balls that his receivers had no business dropping. Junior Doni Dowling, sophomores David Eldridge and Olamide Zaccheaus, and senior Keeon Johnson have to haul in those passes that hit them in the numbers Saturday. They can’t be sped up by hasty thoughts of running after the catch.

Run wild again

3

Senior tailback Albert Reid was a bright spot for Virginia versus an athletic Ducks defense. The D.C. native rushed for 126 yards and scored a touchdown.

Reid, as well as senior Taquan Mizzell and sophomore Jordan Ellis, who combined for 94 rushing yards and a touchdown, must carry that momentum into Saturday’s matchup with Connecticut.

2016 Statistical Leaders 2016 STATISTICAL LEADERS 2016 Statistical Leaders

2016 Statistical Leaders ReceivingLeaders 2016 Statistical

Virginia Virginia Olamide Zaccheaus (WR): Olamide ZaccheausVirginia (WR): 8 Receptions Virginia 122 Yards 8 Receptions Olamide Zaccheaus (WR): 15.2 YPC* 122 Yards Olamide Zaccheaus (WR): 8 Receptions 1 Touchdown 15.2 YPC* 122 Yards 8 Receptions 115.2 Touchdown YPC* 122 Yards 1 Touchdown 15.2 YPC* 1 Touchdown

Receiving Connecticut Receiving Connecticut Keeon Johnson (WR): Noel Thomas (WR): Hergy Mayala (WR): Receiving

Keeon Johnson (WR): 11 Receptions 86 Yards 11 Receptions Keeon Johnson (WR): 7.8 YPC* 86 Yards Keeon Johnson (WR): 11 Receptions 2 Touchdowns 7.8 YPC* 86 Yards 11 Receptions 27.8Touchdowns YPC* 86 Yards 2 Touchdowns 7.8 YPC* 2 Touchdowns

Virginia Virginia Albert Reid (RB): Taquan Mizzell (RB): Albert Reid (RB):VirginiaTaquan Mizzell (RB): 21 Carries 17 Carries Virginia 17 154 Yards 21 Carries 55 Yards Carries Albert Reid (RB): Taquan Mizzell (RB): 7.3Carries YPC* 154 Yards 3.2Carries YPC* 55 Yards Albert Reid (RB): Taquan Mizzell (RB): 21 17 1 Touchdown 7.3 YPC* 154 Yards 21 Carries 17.3Touchdown YPC* 154 Yards 1 Touchdown 7.3 YPC* 1 Touchdown

1 Touchdown 3.2 YPC* 55 Yards 17 Carries 13.2Touchdown YPC* 55 Yards 1 Touchdown 3.2 YPC* 1 Touchdown

Virginia Virginia Kurt Benkert (QB): Virginia(QB): Kurt 63%Benkert Completion Virginia 457Benkert Yards 63% Completion Kurt (QB):

5 Touchdowns 457 Yards Kurt (QB): 63%Benkert Completion 3 Touchdowns Interceptions 5457 Yards 63% Completion 35 Interceptions Touchdowns 457 Yards Interceptions 53 Touchdowns 3 Interceptions

Virginia Virginia Micah Kiser (LB): Zach Bradshaw (LB) Micah Kiser (LB):VirginiaZach 23 Tackles Bradshaw (LB) 15 Tackles Virginia15 1 TFL** 2 TFL** 23 Tackles Tackles Micah Kiser (LB): Zach Bradshaw (LB) 2 TFL** Forced Fumbles 1 TFL** Forced Fumble 123 215 Tackles Tackles Zach Bradshaw (LB) Micah Kiser (LB): Sack Fumbles 211 Forced TFL** 23 Tackles 12 Sack Forced Fumbles 1 TFL** Sack Fumbles 21 Forced 1 Sack

ANNIE CARY | THE CAVALIER DAILY

12 Forced - Fumble TFL** 15 Tackles Forced Fumble 21 TFL** 1 Forced- Fumble -

Noel Thomas (WR):Connecticut Hergy Mayala (WR): 5 Receptions 20 Receptions Yards 186Receptions Yards (WR):Connecticut 568Receptions 20 Noel Thomas Hergy Mayala (WR): 13.6 YPC* 9.3Receptions YPC* 68 Yards 186 Yards (WR): Noel Thomas Hergy Mayala (WR): 5 Receptions 20

1 Touchdown 9.3 YPC* 186 Yards 20 Receptions 19.3Touchdown 186 YPC* Yards 1 Touchdown YPC* Rushing9.3 1 Rushing Touchdown

- YPC* 13.6Yards 568Receptions 13.6Yards YPC* *YPC = Yards per catch 68 13.6-YPC* *YPC = Yards per catch *YPC = Yards per catch

Connecticut *YPC = Yards per catch Rushing Connecticut Rushing Bryant Shirreffs (QB) Ron Johnson (RB)

Connecticut Bryant Shirreffs (QB) Ron25Johnson 33 Carries Carries (RB) Connecticut 127 Yards 33 Carries 98 Yards (RB) 25 Carries Bryant Shirreffs (QB) Ron Johnson 3.8 YPC* 127 Yards 3.9 YPC* (RB) 98 Yards 33 Carries Bryant Shirreffs (QB) Ron25Johnson Carries 3.8 YPC* 127Carries Yards 33 3.8 YPC* 127 Yards 3.8 YPC* -

Passing Passing Connecticut Passing Connecticut Passing Bryant Shirreffs (QB):

398Touchdowns 3.9 YPC* Yards 25 Carries 33.9Touchdowns YPC* *YPC = Yards per catch 98 Yards 3 Touchdowns 3.9 YPC* *YPC = Yards per catch 3 Touchdowns *YPC = Yards per catch *YPC = Yards per catch

Senior offensive lineman Eric Smith praised Reid in the press conference this week not only for the tone he set with his 126 yards on the ground against Oregon but also for the way the 5’-9”, 215-lb tailback blocks.

Reid has become an integral part of the Virginia offense.

Jordan Mack

Kurt Benkert

Mack’s teammates and coaches recognized the tremendous jump he made in maturity and energy from week one to week two. The freshman outside linebacker finished the Oregon game with six tackles, including two for a loss, and a forced fumble. Mack will look to continue his development in the Cavaliers 3-4 defense.

Exposed to all the hype this offseason, most Cavalier fans expected Benkert to unleash his big arm and scrambling ability right from the start. It hasn’t come that easily for the transfer quarterback from ECU, but Benkert has the skills to put it together. Virginia will need his leadership most of all Saturday.

PLAYERS TO WATCH Noel Thomas Thomas, the Huskies 2015 team leader in receptions with 54 for 719 yards, has put together two solid games at wideout this season. The Norwalk, Conn. native enters Saturday’s game with 186 receiving yards on 20 catches and a touchdown. Thomas is by far redshirt junior quarterback Bryant Shirreff ’s go-to target.

PHOTOS COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Bryant Shirreffs

Matt Walsh

A transfer from NC State in 2014, Shirreffs has shown dual-threat ability over his past two seasons at Connecticut. Through two games this year, Shirreffs has averaged 200 yards through the air and 63.5 yards on the ground. His versatility could prove troublesome for Virginia.

Walsh, a senior and co-captain, leads his Connecticut team in tackles this season with 16. The former fullback was converted into a linebacker last season and started in just three games as he adjusted to his new role. In 2016, Walsh has become that fearless leader in the center of the Huskies’ defense.

EDITORS’ PICKS ROBERT ELDER

GRANT GOSSAGE

JACOB HOCHBERGER

MARIEL MESSIER

Bryant Shirreffs (QB): 79.6%Connecticut Completion Connecticut 401 Yards 79.6% Completion Bryant Shirreffs (QB): 1 Touchdown 401 Yards Bryant Shirreffs (QB): 79.6% Completion 1401 Touchdown Yards 79.6% Completion 1 Touchdown 401 Yards 1 Touchdown -

Defense Defense Connecticut Defense Connecticut Vontae Diggs (LB): Defense Matt Walsh (LB)

16 Tackles Vontae Diggs (LB): Matt Walsh (LB) Connecticut 15 Tackles Connecticut15 1 TFL** 16 Tackles 2 TFL** Tackles Vontae Diggs (LB): Matt Walsh (LB) - Tackles 116TFL** 215TFL** Tackles Vontae Diggs (LB): Matt Walsh (LB)

1 TFL** 16 Tackles 1 TFL** -

2 TFL** 15 Tackles -2 TFL** -

7

**TFL= Tackle for loss

**TFL= Tackle for loss

**TFL= Tackle for loss

**TFL= Tackle for loss

8

THE CAVALIER DAILY

SPORTS • www.cavalierdaily.com

Field hockey prepares for game against ranked opponent Cavaliers square off against Princeton Friday TYSEN TRESNESS | ASSOCIATE EDITOR Virginia Field Hockey prepares for fourth game against ranked opponent Cavaliers square off against Princeton on Friday Virginia continues its brutal schedule with another battle against a top-10 opponent. The No. 14 Cavaliers (3-3, 0-1 ACC) have had a mixed start to the season despite huge early expectations. Virginia got back on track this past Monday with a 2-1 win against Liberty.

Despite their record, the Flames (0-4, 0-0 Big South) are a talented team who has only faced ranked opponents thus far. The Cavaliers were able to beat them through the successful execution of two of their penalty corners in the first half.

Junior midfielder Tara Vittese scored the first goal of the night.

Senior striker Caleigh Foust struck later off a rebound. Liberty scored late in the game to prevent the shut out for sophomore goalkeeper Carrera Lucas.

“It was very important to get a [win] against Liberty,” coach Michele Madison said. “They’re a very good team.”

Virginia started the game strong Monday. A difference was

the use of a press early on, in addition to the fast-paced style of play the team deploys.

“We used to have an old lift coach who said, ‘Come out fast and finish with the fury,’ and I think we did that in the Liberty game,” senior back Jeannie Blackwood said “We came out so fast, and they weren’t used to our tempo. We came out with a press that really took them by surprise.”

The press had a large effect on the game. Liberty was not able to continue their style of play while still effectively defending against it, and Virginia took advantage of that.

“The first half, they had a lot of turnovers, and then in the second half, they had to change their entire structure to try and beat our press,” Blackwood said. “We really forced them to play our game.”

The win was vital as it halted a two-game skid for the Cavaliers.

They had previously lost to No. 12 Delaware (4-2, 0-0 CAA) and at No. 2 Duke (6-0, 1-0 ACC). While back-to-back losses are never good, they gave Virginia an idea of what it needed to improve on. “[We know] that we have to work on our defense to deny our

opponent positive results,” Madison said.

The sentiment of working on their defense was one that shared by many players.

“I think we need to improve on getting organized quickly in the back and the front,” Blackwood said. “We need to organize our press sooner and get the ball out of the back faster because if we can start fast we can catch other teams by surprise.”

Virginia will need to be at the top of its game when it faces No. 10 Princeton (3-1, 0-0 Ivy). Both teams have played Delaware, but the Tigers f ared much better. They won 4-2 this past Sunday at home. “[Princeton is] top competition, great attack — they have great players,” Madison said.

“Tough competition always brings out the best in our players, and we really need to challenge ourselves and fire on all cylinders.”

Including Princeton, the next three Cavalier games will be against opponents ranked in the top 20.

Virginia will face Princeton Friday at 4 p.m. in Charlottesville at Turf Field.

KATIE JOHNSEN | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Senior forward Caleigh Foust’s aggressive play on offense may be just what the Cavaliers need to move past some early season up-and-down play.

Women’s golf looks to repeat as ACC champions Cavaliers begin season Friday at Mason Rudolph Championship JACK GALLAGHER | ASSOCIATE EDITOR After a great season in which the Cavaliers won a second-straight ACC championship and reached the NCAA quarterfinals, the Virginia women’s golf

COURTESY VIRGINIA ATHLETICS

Senior Lauren Diaz-Yi will be the golf squad’s leader this season.

team faces a difficult challenge for this upcoming year: the Cavaliers will have to replace their two top performers from last season, as All-American golfers Lauren Coughlin and Elizabeth Szokol have graduated.

Despite this challenge, Virginia, ranked No. 19 on Golfweek. com, still expects to contend for a third-consecutive ACC championship.

“We are fortunate to have a young, talented team,” coach Kim Lewellen said. “By our spring championship season we will be ready to compete.”

The Cavaliers will be led by senior Lauren Diaz-Yi, who finished last season ranked top-20 in the ACC for scoring average despite being slowed by a wrist injury in the fall. Diaz-Yi played especially well at the end of last spring, individually placing fourth overall at the ACC championships.

“It is truly an honor to be a part of a team that not only works hard but strives to go out and

win,” Diaz-Yi said. “We have great coaches [who] create an environment that makes playing for such a team quite enjoyable. As far as team goals, I would love for us to keep defending our titles at ACCs and the Bryan Invitational, as well as strive for top three in every tournament.”

Virginia will additionally look to less experienced but highly skilled players to have big roles on this year’s team. The sophomore trio of Anna Redding, Morgan Gonzales and Katherine Patrick returns after making significant contributions as freshmen last season. Freshman newcomer Julia Ford, ranked as the No. 52 player in the nation for the class of 2016, will be an immediate contributor for the Cavaliers.

“Playing one first year and three second years is great for the future of the program,” Lewellen said.

Redding and Gonzales look especially primed to have strong years after achieving success over

the summer. Both qualified for the US Women’s Amateur Competition, one of the most prestigious women’s amateur golf tournaments in the country. Redding was able to advance to the match play stage of the tournament, while Gonzales missed the cut for ma tch play by one stroke.

“Being able to compete against the best amateur golfers gives us the opportunity to learn from how we perform against these individuals and find what we need to work on to better all aspects of our game,” Diaz-Yi said.

Lewellen also noted that these two players were key team members in last season’s ACC championships and NCAA Tournament, preparing them for increased roles on this year’s team.

“Anna and Morgan won a team conference championship last year and finished in the elite eight at NCAA’s,” Lewellen said.

“So, they have the experience of championship college golf under their belt.”

The Cavaliers will begin their season this Friday in the threeday Mason Rudolph Championship tournament in Nashville, Tenn. Virginia fared well in this tournament last season, finishing in fourth place out of 17.

The Cavaliers will look to play sharply as they prepare to compete the following weekend in the Annika Intercollegiate, which is one of the country’s toughest fall tournaments. Each of the nation’s top five teams, including defending NCAA national champion UCLA, will compete at the Annika Intercollegiate. “[Mason Rudolph Championship] is a great tournament,” Lewellen said. “But the real test will be the following week at the Annika [Intercollegiate]. That is an invitation for teams that finished well at the NCAA Tournament last year. We would like to play well this week, but more importantly use it as a gauge on what to work on to prepare for the Annika.”

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2016

www.cavalierdaily.com • SPORTS

9

DON’T SLEEP ON WOMEN’S SOCCER

W

henever football season rolls around, a majority of Virginia students seem to neglect the successes of other Cavaliers sports teams. This year, one particularly successful team is being overshadowed by the beginning of the Mendenhall era — women’s soccer.

To describe the No. 5 Virginia women’s soccer team as dominant would be a gross understatement. Standing at 7-1-0, the team touted an undefeated record prior to Sunday’s 3-2 loss against then-No. 20 Georgetown. Additionally, prior to that game, the Cavaliers had not let any opposing team score a single goal.

Here’s the bottom line: this team has a legitimate shot at bringing back a title to Charlottesville in 2016, and while the football team’s new uniforms, coach and quarterback are nice, it’s time to start giving women’s soccer the respect and attention it deserves.

Virginia’s offensive productivity, as has been the case in year’s past, has given the team a significant advantage over opponents. Averaging 3.13 goals per game — the seventh-highest

goal-per-game average in the country — the Cavalier offense is rolling on all cylinders.

While some teams rely on one player to do all of their scoring, that is simply not the case for Virginia. Currently, junior forward Veronica Latsko leads all Virginia scorers with six goals already this season. While this statistic alone is impressive, Virginia’s 25 goals have come from 11 different team members.

Considering 22 players (along with senior goalie Morgan Stearns) have played this season, this fact is extremely encouraging. In big-time situations when Virginia needs a goal, it can rely on numerous players to score a key goal — making it a dangerous team.

Looking past its numerous contributors, the Virginia offense is also potent because of its aggressive nature. For the past two seasons, the Cavaliers averaged 20.3 shots per game.

Although this season is young, Virginia has averaged just over two more shots per game this season. In continuing to attack the net, the Cavaliers will keep their tougher ACC opponents on the back foot and seize con-

trol of the pace of the game.

The fact that Virginia’s offense isn’t even the team’s largest asset is a testament to just how scarily good the team is. The team’s defense is an immovable object on several fronts. First of all, the defense does not allow its opponents to get shots off. This season, opponents have only averaged 3.9 shots per game.

Think about that for a second — Virginia averages almost six times as many shots per game as its opponents. Furthermore, with the Cavaliers averaging over three goals per game, this would mean opponents, on average, would have to make every single shot to beat the No. 5 Cavaliers.

It seems almost impossible for the Virginia defense to be better, right? Wrong. In Stearns, the Cavaliers have one of the best goalies in all of NCAA Division I women’s soccer. Heading into her game against Georgetown, Stearns had not let up a goal for 976 consecutive minutes dating back to the last game of the 2015 season — a school record. Even though the stellar back line ensures that Stearns doesn’t have to defend against many shots,

she has been close to perfection in ensuring the ball never ends up in the back of her net.

Offense and defense aside, Virginia has something that talent alone can’t guarantee — team chemistry. Coach Steve Swanson has put a lot of faith into his younger talent, starting three freshmen against the Hoyas. Instead of changing the team dynamic, these freshmen seem to have fit right in.

“I think the veteran players have done a great job incorporating [the freshmen], and I think they fit in really well,” Swanson said.

It is important not to overlook Virginia’s loss to Georgetown when analyzing the team.

After scoring two early goals in the first half, the Cavaliers allowed the lower-ranked Hoyas to claw their way back and eventually take the lead with three first-half goals in the span of 24 minutes.

Certainly, this was not an ideal result. But due to the length of the women’s soccer season, it is extremely rare for teams not to suffer disappointing losses every once in awhile. For the Cavaliers, it is advantageous

that this loss came right before conference play started. Currently, there are six ACC teams within the NSCAA Coaches Top 25, and Virginia will take on three of them over the next four games. With a loss under their belt, the Cavaliers will look to come back with a vengeance against No. 17 Virginia Tech at Klöckner Stadium Friday and carry that momentum forward.

Last season, the Cavaliers were awarded a one seed in the NCAA Tournament but were sent home early after losing in penalty kicks to Radford in the quarterfinals. This year, with redemption on their minds, the members of the team are vying to deliver the program’s first national championship. Don’t sleep on them.

BEN TOBIN is a weekly sports columnist for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at bjt5ed@ virginia.edu or on Twitter at @TobinBen.

Virginia bounces back with resounding victory over VCU Cavaliers regain dominance in 3-0 victory RAHUL SHAH | ASSOCIATE EDITOR The No. 17 Virginia men’s soccer team was looking to bounce back after a tough loss against No. 12 Wake Forest (41-1, 1-0 ACC) this past Saturday in their first conference game of the season, with a midweek matchup against in-state rival VCU. “We all came together, and we said that this is the time to bounce back,” sophomore forward Edward Opoku said.

Virginia (3-1-1, 0-1 ACC) did just that, pulling out a dominant win over VCU (1-5, 0-0 A-10) to claim their third victory of the season.

“Coach, this week, told us to be ruthless when we are in the box and take our chances,” Opoku said. “So that’s what we did as a team together, and we got a great win together.”

The Cavaliers knew they had a tough task in front of themselves, as their last four matchups against the Rams, in each of the last four regular seasons, have been nail-biting contests that have gone down to the wire.

All past four matchups have

COURTESY VIRGINIA ATHLETICS

Sophomore midfielder Daniel Barir had two assists in the Cavaliers’ victory.

ended in a Virginia win. However, each win was only by a margin of one goal, and two of the matches went into double overtime. On Wednesday, however, the Cavaliers were able to exe-

cute their game plan and extend their winning streak against the Rams with a dominating 3-0 win.

Virginia wasted little time getting on the board and jumped right out of the gate with an early goal, courtesy of Opoku. It was the sophomore forward’s team-leading third goal of the season, with each coming in Virginia’s three wins.

Virginia coach George Gelnovatch talked about how the early goal helped the Cavaliers establish themselves in the match. “[It’s important] anytime you can get an early lead on a good opponent like that, and what a great goal too — I mean the lead up and the passing to it,” Gelnovatch said. “I think all three goals were good.”

Virginia added to that lead with another goal towards the end of the first half. This time it was redshirt junior midfielder Pablo Aguilar who punched in Virginia’s second score of the evening.

Sophomore midfielder Daniel Barir had a terrific perfor-

mance himself, assisting on both of Virginia’s first-half goals.

That was not all for Virginia’s dominant night, as the offense continued its scoring ways, getting ahead 3-0 in the 76th minute. This time it was sophomore forward Wesley Wade with the goal off a nice assist from senior midfielder Paddy Foss.

Behind the strong play of its back line, the Cavaliers were able to put up their first shutout of the season, limiting VCU to very few opportunities to score, and preventing them from doing so each time.

“The last couple of games we’ve been giving, kind of like, last-minute goals, but the one thing we were saying in the locker room after the first half was just to keep a clean sheet,” Opoku said, “so I think that’s what helped us today in keeping a clean sheet, and I think the defenders and everyone did a great job in contributing as a team.”

All in all, it was a strong performance for the Cavaliers, as they were able to put away, in convincing fashion, a VCU program that has played them

tough the last several years.

When asked if this was Virginia’s most complete performance of the season thus far, Gelnovatch answered affirmatively.

“Yeah, you could argue that,” Gelnovatch said. “[We had] three goals and a lot of possessions and a clean sheet, so it probably is our most complete performance.”

The Cavaliers will continue their home stand this Saturday at 7 p.m., with No. 6 Clemson facing off against Virginia at Klöckner Stadium. The Cavaliers will be hosting their first conference matchup of the season, and will look to start their first winning streak of the young season.

THE CAVALIER DAILY

10

CORRECTIONS In the Monday, Sept. 12 edition of The Cavalier Daily, the article “UJC reflects on dark beginnings in bi-weekly meeting” incorrectly stated Deborah Luzader was vice chair for trials. She was the vice chair for sanctions.

LEAD EDITORIAL

Slavery memorials aren’t enough The University should follow Georgetown’s lead on repara To atone for elements of its history of keeping and selling slaves in the early 19th century, Georgetown University announced a plan to ease admissions criteria for descendants of Georgetown slaves. This change accompanies a formal apology issued by the university, the creation of an institute dedicated to studying slavery and a public memorial dedicated to “the

slaves whose labor benefited the institution.” While other universities such as our own have taken steps to address the role of slave labor in their histories, Georgetown is the first to offer reparations to descendants of slaves.

Erecting memorials and renaming buildings to honor the enslaved, such as the Gibbons dorm here on Grounds, is an ef-

fective way to remind students of those who built their universities. However, these gestures don’t do much beyond honoring and reminding. Making material amends by offering reparations, on the other hand, creates a measurable, positive impact for descendants of slaves.

In practice, offering reparations to descendants of University slaves would be a

tall order. While Georgetown is focusing on a particular slave sale that occurred in 1838, the University’s first few decades were so deeply intertwined with the institution of slavery that it would be difficult to track down descendants of all of the slaves who built and maintained Grounds. Nevertheless, the University should look into the possibility of implementing a

policy similar to Georgetown’s.

Regardless of whether the same kind of reparations would be possible here, we would do well to follow Georgetown’s lead: we should move beyond memorialization and instead consider actionable ways to address the effects of slavery at our institution.

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

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

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

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MANAGING BOARD Editor-in-Chief Dani Bernstein Managing Editor Kayla Eanes Executive Editor Nazar Aljassar Operations Manager Jasmine Oo Chief Financial Officer Lianne Provenzano EDITORIAL BOARD Dani Bernstein Nazar Aljassar Ella Shoup Gray Whisnant Carlos Lopez JUNIOR BOARD Assistant Managing Editors Jane Diamond Michael Reingold (SA) Evan Davis (SA) Lillian Gaertner (SA) Trent Lefkowitz (SA) Ben Tobin (SA) Carrie West

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2016

www.cavalierdaily.com • OPINION

11

SALUTING INDEPENDENT REPUBLICANS

The minority of the College Republicans that voted against the Trump endorsement deserves to be commended

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his past Wednesday, the University’s College Republicans voted 67-63 to endorse Donald Trump, the highly controversial Republican nominee, for the presidential election. As I mentioned in a previous article, Trump and his opponent Hillary Clinton are among the most unlikeable presidential contenders is American history. While 70 percent of the entire American electorate views Trump unfavorably, a whopping 81 percent of millennials, who are aged 18-30, view Trump unfavorably.

The highest favorability Trump has received from his own party thus far was 66 percent in May, yet that number is dwarfed by approximately 80 percent favorability past Republican contenders Mitt Romney and John McCain enjoyed in 2012 and 2008, respectively. All things considered, it might seem surprising and disappointing that the College Republicans chose to endorse Trump; yet, I hope to shed a more optimistic light on this controversial decision.

There were signs from the meeting that members of College Republicans understood the enormous implications of this endorsement — a sign of intellectual maturity and strength.

The Cavalier Daily interviewed

two students, John Garza and Cameron Springer, following the decision. Garza, a first-year College student, said he worried about the College Republicans becoming the “laughingstock of U.Va.” which would consequently call into question the organization’s credibility come 2020 and beyond. Likewise, Springer, a third-year Engineering student, understood the intense disdain millennials feel toward Trump, saying the decision “could chase away new members and people who may otherwise agree with [the organization’s] ideology,” adding that it was unwise for the organization to support “a candidate almost unanimously hated by a generation.”

Although Garza and Springer’s sentiments ultimately did not resonate with the majority of their peers, it is commendable that they and the other 61 individuals who refused to endorse Trump exhibited such individuality and righteousness.

Several of Trump’s national-level supporters include individuals Trump himself has publicly defamed, such as Sens. John McCain and Marco Rubio. Trump called the heroism of the former into question even though McCain spent five years in a prison camp during the Vietnam War,

and Trump repeatedly slandered Rubio with the name “little Marco” throughout the Republican primary. Still, the two men have forfeited their pride and righteousness by endorsing Trump in hope of retaining party unity and winning contested re-elections in their home states, something these students are unwilling to do.

many seasoned politicians still fail to exhibit, and although their organization might find itself on the wrong side of history, at least these students will have the satisfaction of knowing they did not sell out their morals or independence.

The very fact that the endorsement passed by a mere four-vote margin shows a sub-

The anti-Trumpers in the organization... show they understand that sheer disdain for Clinton is not a good reason to support Trump.

The anti-Trumpers in the organization also show they understand that sheer disdain for Clinton is not a good reason to support Trump. Second-year College student Adam Kimelman explained to The Cavalier Daily that the organization might as well “endorse the entire Democratic Party” with that logic and that it “should hold itself to a higher standard than that.” Thus Kimelman, Garza and Springer have demonstrated a degree of maturity and individuality that

stantial number of College Republicans have thought deeply about this decision and understand various consequences.

While I have mentioned their concern about the effects of supporting Trump, there was also a major consequence for not endorsing him. Per the College Republicans’ national bylaws, individual chapters are prohibited from endorsing non-Republican candidates, the penalty being disassociation from the national organization. When the Cornell

chapter of College Republicans endorsed Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson over Trump, Cornell’s chapter was immediately revoked. Students who voted against endorsing Trump did so all the while understanding their decision could terminate their group’s status within a national organization. Yet nearly a majority of the University’s members did so anyway, and given the severe consequence that could have ensued, they ought to be commended.

While College Republicans might have upset many people with their decision to endorse Trump, it is crucial to look at this decision through a wider lens. We have learned that one of the University’s most conservative organizations has members who are willing to distinguish their own beliefs from their party’s, even at the risk of losing national recognition, which is something even the most vocal critics of Trump have refused do.

JESSE BERMAN is an Opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily.

He can be reached at j.berman@ cavalierdaily.com.

BRING HUMANS BACK TO FACEBOOK The website needs real people curating its news stories

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s an avid Facebook user, I frequently check the “Trending News” section on the right side of my newsfeed, which lists news stories by keyword. If you see a keyword that interests you, you can hover over it to learn more about the news story. The section also sorts news into categories such as politics, sports, entertainment and science, and ranks news stories by popularity online. The more users there are engaging with a story, the longer it will remain in the section.

At the end of August, Facebook made a big change to its news feature. The company laid off the entire editorial staff in charge of running this section, opting instead to use an algorithm. The algorithm determines what stories are trending on in the online world and lists them in the trending section. Users can hover over the keywords to view headlines featured elsewhere on the Internet, but there are no longer any basic descriptions of the news stories because there are no longer any editors to write them. When the algorithm

first came into use, editors still culled the list of trending topics, but Facebook recently announced that going forward, no humans will be involved other than the engineers working on the algorithm.

This change is problematic.

As I write this article, the top stories appearing in the Trending News section on my newsfeed are, “YAY! Ranveer Singh to perform with Coldplay in Mumbai” and “LOL!! Steve Harvey meets his lookalike on Family Feud!!” Steve Harvey meeting his lookalike is not news. It does not even qualify as clickbait for anyone except the population that still watches “Family Feud.”

The decision to let an algorithm run the Trending News section came shortly after Facebook was criticized for a supposed bias in the news it featured. There were rumors the news editors purposely suppressed conservative news stories and kept those headlines out of the section. Facebook denied any systematic political bias, but also promised to work on improving the way the section was

run. But replacing possibly-biased editors with an algorithm that’s only criteria for what belongs in the Trending News section is popularity is not an improvement. A recent study found that 62 percent of American

“September 11th” as a topic, but when users clicked on the topic, it actually led to a hoax article about a 9/11 conspiracy theory.

When a common news source used by a large number of people is featuring irrelevant and some-

Algorithms themselves are not necessarily free from bias.

adults use social media as a news source. When that many people are paying attention to sources like Facebook’s Trending News, the stories they feature matter.

In addition to a wealth of unimportant headlines — like the Steve Harvey one mentioned above — the algorithm Facebook uses has also resulted in fake news stories making it into the Trending News section. Around the anniversary of Sept. 11, the Trending News section featured

times incorrect information, that leads to the risk of a misinformed or uninformed public.

Particularly in an election year, it is crucial the general public be informed, and not just the ones who watch the news or read the paper every day. The fact is that some voters use social media as their main news source, so it is vital that this news be accurate and relevant.

Facebook does still have engineers working on the algorithm,

so perhaps it will prove more successful with more tweaking.

But algorithms themselves are not necessarily free from bias.

Sometimes they recreate human bias since they are, after all, made by humans. In particular, algorithms like Facebook’s that take into account user activity can end up reflecting human bias. As it stands, Facebook’s Trending News algorithm is insufficient. There ought to be human editors overseeing it, ensuring stories like the ones mentioned in this article don’t make it into the section.

If Facebook’s Trending News section was plagued by a strong political bias, they should address that, but an algorithm that prioritizes clickbait over news about what is happening in our country and our world is not the solution.

NORA WALLS is an Opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily.

She can be reached at n.walls@ cavalierdaily.com.

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THE CAVALIER DAILY

OPINION • www.cavalierdaily.com

TRUMP MAY BE BAD, BUT LIBERALS AREN’T HELPING College Republicans shouldn’t have endorsed Trump, but his critics are unfairly condescending

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s many of you know, the College Republicans voted to endorse Republican nominee Donald Trump. Many of you may not know that I was one of the most vocal opponents of endorsing.

I do not want Trump to be president for many, many reasons, but, as a University student, his attacks on the Khans, a Gold Star family, felt personal.

Read the last few lines from my speech at the meeting below: “The Republican Party is more than one candidate, and I cannot support someone who attacks heroes for being captured who suffered years of torture like John McCain, and who thinks his ‘sacrifices’ to his business are somehow even close to equivalent to the sacrifice of a member of the University of Virginia, Class of 2000, who died in service.”

Even if you don’t agree with our decision (I don’t) or even respect it, I hope you can respect the process through which it was made. Here’s what happened behind the scenes that night.

We, the executive board, decided to let our members decide whether to endorse Trump.

Those members were who we were elected to represent, and they deserved to have their

opinions heard. Most of us also thought there was no chance of an endorsement and thought having a vote would give our stance more legitimacy. If you think about how David Cameron felt about calling a Brexit referendum versus when the results came in, you have a pretty good idea of how we felt.

The vote tally was close: 67 to

of the executive board reminded me that had the vote been the other way — 67-63 against endorsement — we wouldn’t have suggested such a thing. We had to honor the process we had created.

It’s saddened and angered me to read some of the reactions from other members of the University community. Two com-

You know what’s harder than calling someone stupid? Trying to understand them and why they feel so differently than you...

63. If I had guessed before that meeting what the tally would have been, I would’ve said about 75 to 25 against. When the real numbers were in, I panicked.

We hadn’t officially checked to make sure only voting members (those who’ve paid dues) participated. At least 90 percent of voters were, but what about those 4 votes… could that have been the difference?

I was adamant — we had to do another vote, we had to make sure. A few of the other members

ments on The Cavalier Daily’s Facebook page were, “So much for our top ranking [school] if these are the kind of idiots we’re producing,” and “Was always somewhat okay my school was conservative — never expected it to be hateful or stupid.”

Calling your opponent stupid is probably the least substantive comeback ever, but more importantly, throwing that word around helps Trump succeed.

Think about it. When someone says you’re stupid for think-

ing the way you do, does it make you feel inclined to agree with the person insulting you?

Probably not. Trump’s support is often anecdotally credited to low-income, blue-collar white people who know Democrats think they’re stupid and who think Republicans don’t care about them anymore. The more the media and East-coast elites tell them they’re dumb, the more eager they are to vote against them. We saw it with Brexit, and we saw it with Trump’s primary victory.

You know what’s harder than calling someone stupid? Trying to understand them and why they feel so differently than you, even if they are wrong, and accept that maybe you even had a part in it.

Who are some of the worst offenders? Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Obama painted a caricature of “bitter” rednecks who “cling to guns or religion or antipathy” to “explain their [economic] frustrations.” Clinton said just a few days ago that half of Trump supporters fall into a “basket of deplorables.”

Unfortunately for those politicians, these idiots are somehow still able to pick up on their condescension.

As Emmett Rensin wrote in

an article for Vox, “I am suggesting that they [liberals] instead wonder what it might be like to have little left but one’s values; to wake up one day to find your whole moral order destroyed; to look around and see the representatives of a new order call you a stupid, hypocritical hick without bothering, even, to wonder how your corner of your poor state found itself so alienated from them in the first place.”

Now, I know my description of the Midwestern working class factory family doesn’t apply to the vast majority of the University. But that doesn’t change the fact that Trump benefits from your condescension, even at a top university. No matter how stupid you think his supporters are, they can read, and they’re reading what you say about them. And they’re coming to vote against you.

ALI HIESTAND is a third-year College student and the events chair for the College Republicans.

THE CAVALIER DAILY

H HUMOR

13

LISTEN UP, NERDS

L

et’s face the music, kids: I am extremely popular. Now I don’t want it to sound braggy when I say every waking moment of my life is brimming with beautiful, interesting people who are endlessly fascinated by me. I don’t want you to think it untoward that I don’t hide the fact I’m pretty much universally loved by everyone I encounter. Nor do I want to be thought a boor simply because I boast the biggest group of admirers since Helen of Troy. Don’t think I’m being vain. If anything, my honesty is just another one of my charms.

As the illustrious Maya Angelou writes in her famous poem: “Drew Kiser is one of the most popular people in the world. So don’t be mean to him. Because he’s, like, super well-liked. And he has a ton of friends.”

Thank you, Maya. Of all many my friends, you are definitely one of the more famous ones.

One of the reasons I’m so popular is because I’m smart and pretty. I am so smart and pretty, in fact, that President Obama, I’m told, tried to slide in my DMs. He

couldn’t, though, since I don’t follow him on Twitter. Gotta keep that ratio up!

I first became aware of the fact that I was both smart as well as pretty when I was six years old and Sacagawea herself rose out of her grave to tell me I would grow up to be hot at brainy in equal measure. My family was scared of her ghost but that’s only because they weren’t fluent in Shoshoni, unlike me. “Fluent in Shoshoni at six?” you may ask. Hey, I told you I’m just as smart as I am pretty!

But maybe the biggest reason I’m so popular (if I had to pick just one!) is that I’m super, incredibly nice. Now, you may have the impression that all popular people are nasty. That’s what they tell you in “Mean Girls” and every John Green novel. But if we all took a moment to reflect on this trope, I think it will become quite obvious that the real world behaves quite differently.

While there is definitely something to be said for the popular appeal of people who project their personalities with aggression, and there is certainly a number of people who are so strong or so rich they feel entitled to popularity, it is my experience that most popular people aren’t bullies at all. As someone who is incredibly popular as well as incredibly nice, I can

readily attest to this fact.

You see, Machiavelli got it wrong. People are motivated by hope much more than by fear.

People will continue to do things that make them feel good, whether that’s doing well on tests, or giving back to the community, or hanging out with me as much as my busy calendar will allow. People like to feel good, and they will seek out those very people who make them

The answer should become clear once you hold up all these movies and books and TV shows side by side and notice what they all have in common: they were all written by pathetic, ugly nerds with something to prove. No shade on Tina Fey, but she really does go out of her way to paint her time here at U.Va. as four years of dealing with privileged rich white people so vapid they don’t see her worth. But

One of the reasons I’m so popular is because I’m smart and pretty.

feel the best. Hence why popular people get popular. Hence why I stand before you today, with more friend requests on Facebook than I could accept in a lifetime, and a mouth so chapped from smooching cute boys that I can barely talk most days.

But the fact that the trope of the mean popular person still exists really boggles the mind now, doesn’t it? Why don’t we question the idea that popular people (like me) are popular for a good reason?

if you talk to the very same people she caricatures in her stories, you will find that they go out of their way to make people feel good, or at least aren’t actively mean. At the end of the day, one may wonder whether the image of popular people written by nerd has more to do with the nerd’s insecurity than the actual actions of the popular class.

In truth, nerds are often not very nice people themselves. I have spent some time among them and can confirm that they are just

as mean to “bullies” as the bullies are mean to them. In cultural media, nerds take it upon themselves to hash out the mistreatment that they faced at the hands of the popular kids, ignoring their own cruelties to fellow nerds and popular kids alike. Have you ever tried to question something a nerd has said? Have you ever tried to criticize something problematic that a nerd enjoys? Have you ever read the diary of someone whose entire identity depends on their status as a victim? If you have, you would know some people are unpopular for a reason — and that, no matter how many movies they make in which the “nerds” finally get their “revenge” on the cruel popular kids, at the end of the day the most important predictor of popularity is and always will be kindness.

So keep this in mind the next time you assume that your most beloved classmates had to do something nasty to get where they are. Keep this in mind the next time you try to put someone down because you think it will make you popular. If you keep this in mind in all your daily interactions, then maybe — just maybe — you will become just as popular as me.

DREW KISER is a Humor writer for The Cavalier Daily.

I’D LOVE TO TAKE YOUR FLYER, BUT I CAN’T No seriously, I would absolutely love to take your flyer. I would be thrilled to grab that flyer right out of the air and proclaim, “Yes! A flyer! A flyer all for me!” But I can’t. I sincerely, honestly, can’t. Why can’t I? It’s simple really. It’s, uh, because, I, uh, have, uh… rubella. Yes, rubella, German measles, I have that, so I can’t touch you, or else you’ll also have rubella, and all the terrible, awful, no good very bad things that come with it.

What things exactly? Oh you know, stuff. Like, rubellishness, and a dour German sensibility.

Yeah. So, watch out. Okay, so you don’t believe me, that’s fine, whatever, but I still can’t take your flyer. Why can I still not take it? Well, besides the whole

“rubella thing” — no I didn’t put it in quotes, I was just copying you — besides that, I also can’t take the flyer because, I mean, my hand is super sticky. No it’s not a rubella thing, geez. I was just holding a bunch of unwrapped Jolly Ranchers and got caught in the rain, and they all melted in my hand and now my hand is covered in Jolly Rancher stick. Yes, that’s a real thing.

Yes it was, it was raining before, and you must have missed it. Why can’t I just take it with my other hand? Oh you must think you’ve got me now, huh, don’t you, don’t you you smug, smuggy guy. Whatever, you’re still smug, I wasn’t wrong. But yeah, I can’t use my other hand, mainly because, it’s, umm, per-

petually a fist. Yeah, I seriously can’t make it not a fist. Try to open my hand, I bet you can’t.

No, no don’t try like that, hey, come on, stop, you’re gonna hurt

do you think I was carrying all those unwrapped Jolly Ranchers in my hand? Ya doofus. Frickin’ ding dong. Why don’t you just slip it in my backpack? Buddy,

Why don’t you just email me the information?

— okay fine it’s not a fist but it sometimes is and I don’t want to hinder that hand’s fist-making ability.

Why don’t you just put it in my pocket? Nonononono, that won’t do one bit, because none of my pockets are functional. Why

if you even touch my backpack I’ll hit you with so many injunctions it’ll make your head spin.

No, I’m not a lawyer. But have you seen “Suits”? Well I have, so I know a little bit about law, and it seems pretty easy, so don’t even try to touch my backpack.

Why don’t you just email me the information? What, so you can have my email address? And hack me? Uh-uh, Mr. Snowden, no way you’re getting into my private info. What even is this flyer for? What was that — oh, trying to end child hunger? Ah, I see. Well, I guess I can probably take one with my fist-making hand. Oh, you want me to hand out the flyers? I mean, yeah, I guess I could do that. Hey, you want a soggy Jolly Rancher?

PATRICK THEDINGA is a Humor writer for The Cavalier Daily.

THE CAVALIER DAILY

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Field Hockey vs. Princeton, 4pm, Hall Turf Field Women’s Soccer vs. Virginia Tech, 7pm, Klockner Stadium Men’s Ice Hockey vs. Elon, 9pm-12am, Main Street Arena Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy Presents: UVA Constitution Day Features William H. Webster, 12-1:30pm, Garrett Hall UPC Presents: Zen Night, 10pm-12am, OpenGrounds

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Men’s Soccer vs. Clemson, 7pm, Klockner Stadium Art Club at UVA Presents: September Art on the Lawn, 2-3pm, The Lawn

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2016

15

Tomtoberfest features new structure Fall festival with new line-up, location and volunteer network ELIZABETH CORMICK | FEATURE WRITER This year’s Tom Tom Fall Block Party, the Tomtoberfest, will take place Sept. 23 and 24 at Lee Park by the Charlottesville Downtown Mall.

This year, Tomtoberfest hopes to prove even more successful than past years with a new location and lineup of events.

Friday’s events span from 5-11p.m. and Saturday’s events run from 12-11 p.m., and will include the Tech Mixer, where students can mingle and network with firms, food trucks, New Belgium and Virginia craft beers and ciders and concerts with local bands ranging from blues to funk. Only Saturday will host student organization tents and FLEAville, which has craft vendors selling handcrafted jewelry, candles, soaps and other goods.

The Tomtoberfest is a small taste of what is to come in the spring: the Tom Tom Founders Festival. Like many things in Charlottesville, the festival is named after Thomas Jefferson, and its symbol of the buffalo represents pioneering innovation.

Entering its fifth year, the fall festival is showcasing significant changes to its management and events.

Emily Tu, third-year College student and student fellow for Tom Tom Fest, first became involved with the organization last fall as a volunteer

for the fall festival, and from there joined the Student Outreach team.

The team was newly divided this year into the volunteer coordinator, the student partnership and the Buffalo Bureau, which is currently in the works to become a new CIO and will serve as ambassadors to the festival.

“It’s basically going to be Tom Tom ambassadors … [who] get to work on projects and put on events throughout the year that would have to do with art, entrepreneurship, music and things like that,” Tu said.

New for the fall festival’s volunteers, Tom Tom Fest has partnered with UBike — the on Grounds biking company — to provide bikes at zero cost for five days so volunteers can get to Lee Park via bike for free.

“We had an UBike rep come in and show everyone how to use it, which is a perk for volunteers,” Tu said.

Alongside this change in management, changes have been made to the events scheduled for Tomtoberfest.

New to the lineup is the addition of student organization tents. Tu, who is in charge of partnerships with student organizations, said she has signed up ten student organizations to have tents at the festival to help increase student involvement with Tom Tom. A few of the student CIOs who

COURTESY TOM DALY

Tomtoberfest performances provides a taste of what is to come in the spring: the Tom Tom Founders Festival.

will have tents are Challah for Hunger, which will be there selling challah, Third Year Council, which will host a third-year student mixer, and U.Va. Sustainability, which will bring a variety of samples, seedlings and dirt. Tu said she is most looking forward to the new feature the student organization tents will bring to Tomtoberfest. Student Hip Hop Organization will also attend, according to Tu.

“They said they’re bringing a DJ controller that will be mixing with live while at the same time encouraging people to learn how to do some simple DJ-ing techniques,” Tu said.

The Tomtoberfest will also be held in a new location this fall. Last year the event was at IX Art Park, but this year it will be held at Lee Park where the spring Tom Tom Founders Festival is held.

Fourth-year Commerce student

and student fellow Alex Rossi said she thinks the change of venue will be beneficial for both the fall and spring festivals.

“The spring festival is held in Lee Park, and, for me at least, it provides more continuity, and I think it makes sense to have it in Lee Park all year round, fall festival to the spring festival,” Rossi said.

Best hikes in and around Charlottesville A comprehensive guide KATE EDSON | FEATURE WRITER Looking to explore Virginia’s wilderness this fall? Check out this guide to local hikes, thanks to the expertise of three College students: second-year College student Zach Schauffler, second-year College student Stephanie Roatis and third-year College student Hunter Johnson.

Schauffler led incoming firstyears on backpacking trips this summer through the Outdoor Recreation Center, Roatis serves as the Outdoor Club’s public relations and social chair and Johnson formerly served as the Outdoor Club’s public relations chair. Between these three, Charlottesville nature is as familiar as the backs of their hands.

EASY HIKES

Blue Hole Miles from C’ville: 15 Length: 3 mi Difficulty: easy What makes it special? “[Blue Hole is] kinda similar to Humpback Rock, in that it’s a short little hike up to a big reward,” Schauf-

fler said. “[There’s] a big swimming hole, [and] a giant rock you can jump off, [so you can] make a big splash with your friends. It’s a really cool way to cool off … especially while it’s so hot in the next couple of weeks.”

MODERATE HIKES

McAfee Knob Miles from C’ville: 121 Length: 8.8 mi Difficulty: moderate What makes it special?

“The view isn’t so great, but once you do get to the top there’s this huge ledge,” Roatis said. “There’s a lot of good restaurants, actually, right nearby, so there’s some people who make a huge day trip out of it … You get to drive part of the Blue Ridge Parkway on your way there.”

Spy Rock Miles from C’ville: 45 Length: 2 mi Difficulty: moderate What makes it special?

“The best part of the hike is the view at the top,” Johnson said. “Spy Rock

is this giant dome at the top and you can run all around it … When I went this past year, there were probably about 30 people camping out near the top. The view from there is just phenomenal.”

Humpback Rock Miles from C’ville: 29 Length: 2 mi Difficulty: moderate What makes it special? “[Humpback is] great for all different times of days to hike,” Johnson said.

“The scenery is very beautiful, especially with fall coming up, [because] the leaves will be changing soon.

When the fall foliage comes in, it’s just … spectacular. Sunset is just as beautiful [as sunrise].”

STRENUOUS HIKES

Doyles River Falls Miles from C’ville: 47 Length: 3.3/7.7 mi Difficulty: moderate/strenuous What makes it special? “[The hike] goes along a roaring waterfall; it’s splendid,” Schauffler said.

LAUREN HORNSBY | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Charlottesville provides endless possibilities for hiking, ranging in difficulty and distance within its landscape.

“It’s a really lovely place to go. Even more fun, there’s a cabin you can rent, with you and your eleven best friends … for only 30 or 40 bucks a night, [so] it’s a really good deal if you get a bunch of pals.”

Old Rag Miles from C’ville: 44 Length: 8.8 mi Difficulty: strenuous

What makes it special?

“The feature attraction of [Old Rag] is you can go bouldering at the top,” Roatis said. “There’s views from all around … It’s a great place to take pictures, and it’s great to do in the morning. It’s an incredible climb at all times of the year, [and] you get to see the lush foliage in the fall.”

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Halloween costumes seen on Grounds

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KRISTIN MURTHA | LIFE EDITOR

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It may not be the most original costume out there, but chances are you either own a short-sleeved, pastel button-down with an allover palm-tree-and-coconut motif or have borrowed one at some point from your downstairs neighbor. While I’ve never heard this costume referred to with any official title (in the past, people have claimed to be tourists, beach bums or Jimmy Buffet), it seems that most people have agreed to consider putting on a Hawaiian shirt to be “dressing up.” Don’t hesitate to add some accessories — the extra commitment might get you “lei-d.”

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If there is anything I have learned about the student body during my time on Grounds, it’s that we love a good play on words, both in our Instagram captions and in our Halloween costumes. Here at the University, I find you’re just as likely to see someone dressed up as an “ObamaCarebear,” “Tooth Chainz,” a “Bread Winner” or a “Nap Queen” as you are to see someone in a costume they bought off the rack from Party Starts Here.

Post a pic on social media before you leave to get the best of both worlds.

Have you ever been walking down the Corner, wondering why there was one, let

The clever pun

4 The bandana

to transform you into any number of last-minute characters. Throw on a plaid shirt and a pair of boots and suddenly you’re a cowgirl. Opt for a denim tuxedo, and bam, you’re Rosie the Riveter. Have a pair of hoop earrings and some kind of peasant blouse? Instant pirate costume. If you think you’re all out of ideas when your roommates drag you out on the last night of the weekend, away from your plan of watching “Halloweentown” and eating candy corn straight out of the bag, a bandana is your new best friend.

Another fan favorite for guys and gals alike, the jersey is beloved most ob-

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Look, there’s absolutely no shame in it. Maybe you’ve been looking for an excuse to bust out that little black dress, and a witch’s hat fits the bill, or maybe those fireman suspenders have just been burning a hole in your closet. Regardless of the reason — or, for that matter, your gender — there should be nothing holding you back from embracing Oct. 31 as one of the few times you can justify dressing up as a “sexy hamburger” or “sexy Papa Smurf.”

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The sexy “anything”

The Hawaiian shirt

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alone 12 people dressed as lobsters?

There are some group costumes that make perfect sense — the different fruits from the Fruit of the Loom commercials, all the characters in Mario Kart or every different version of Britney Spears over the years. Maybe black cats are lesser-known pack animals and I was simply just not made aware of this fact. Regardless, there is always strength in numbers, and I am always up for learning more creative names of animal groups. Get your squad together this Halloween, and go as a murder of crows or a flamboyance of flamingoes.

This is arguably the best $4 you can spend at a costume store. A classic red bandana has the power

The enormous group costume

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viously for its flexibility. Are you going as the player whose number is on your back, or simply as a fan of the team? Do you care about the team at all? Could it be you’re simply dressing up as a resident of the city the team represents? Do you wear it with jeans or athletic shorts or no pants at all? Are you even wearing a costume, or have you been wearing that all day and are just walking home from a late-night library session? Eye black or no eye black? The possibilities are endless!

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The jersey

Conversely, some choose to take their costumes in the complete opposite direction. If you feel like staying warm this Halloween, hit up your local Goodwill and stock up on long, button-front dresses, great for your “Big Love” group costume or whoever got stuck dressing up as Phoebe from “Friends.” Or break out your big cable knit sweaters and ill-fitting khaki pants for when you feel like rolling up as Drunk Uncle, or your favorite, and oldest, professor on Grounds.

The unapologetically unsexy costume

The one that constantly needs explanation

A distant, constantly-misunderstood cousin of the “Clever Pun,” this is a costume that made absolute, perfect sense in your head, but doesn’t seem to translate all that well in the wild — as demonstrated by the person handing out lemons all night, the guy covered in sponges or anyone who has given up and added a “Hello my name is” sticker to their get-up.

10 The classic ghost

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If you’re looking for a costume that’s more topical than timeless, look no further than this summer’s blockbuster, Netflix’s newest original show or the headline of any newspaper. Maybe you break out the baseball bat and the hair chalk this year and go as Harley Quinn from “Suicide Squad,” or maybe you prefer to dig through your own closet — and your roommates’ — and take on one of the characters from “Stranger Things.” The best part about going current is that you’re bound to meet someone along your travels who’s dressed as the Trump to your Clinton.

The pop culture reference

Maybe you’re consciously channeling an old school Peanuts comic strip, or maybe you just woke up from a nap and are rolling out the door with whatever is closest at hand. Whatever the motivation, watching people float down the Corner in a white sheet with eye holes never fails to put a smile on the faces of passersby. You can never go wrong with a classic.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2016

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FALL EVENTS YOU SHOULD ATTEND How to fully experience U.Va. in the fall KRISTIN MURTHA AND MARGARET MASON | LIFE EDITORS

Reading Days, Oct. 1-4

While it’s called “reading days,” this year from Oct. 1-4, most University students will take off for home and spend the days relaxing with the comfort of mom’s food. Some select students will spend their fall break volunteering on Alternative Fall Break. Even more select students will actually use the break to study for impending midterms to take place upon return.

Pancakes for Parkinson’s, Oct. 15

Homecomings, Oct. 14-16 Hoos under the Lights, Oct. 13

Homecoming weekend kicks off with the annual Hoos Under the Lights, featuring free food, music and games. Held in Scott Stadium, this event caters to firstyear students and hopes to bring school spirit to a high before the Homecoming game. In the past, musical groups have included local student bands like the Kendall Street Company.

Grounds become infinitely more packed during Homecomings as University alumni return for a weekend of activities. If you’re a second generation Hoo, this means it’s time to welcome mom and dad back. Activities span from Friday to Sunday ranging from pre-game tailgates to the infamous Young Alumni Reunions.

If you’re a fourth-year, take notes and prepare for YAR next year.

The only thing that could make game days better is if they served you breakfast beforehand. Luckily, once a year, this dream becomes a reality. Spend your morning on the South Lawn while volunteers serve up plain, blueberry or chocolate chip pancakes for a good cause. Bonus: check off one of the boxes on your U.Va. to do list!

Puppies and Pumpkins, Oct. 26

A sacred and adorable Unviersity tradition, University Programs Council hosts Puppies and Pumpkins, an event dedicated solely to petting willing puppies and carving your very own pumpkin.

Get there early and make sure you score both the best pumpkin and cutest puppy!

Annually, Puppies and Pumpkins truly marks the beginning of fall and provides students with the much-needed jack-o’lantern dorm room decor.

Fall Family Weekend, Nov. 4-6

About midway through the semester, even fourth-year students begin to miss home.

Fall family weekend, Nov. 4-6, provides the perfect opportunity for you to show off you school to your parents and ensure them that tuition money is going good places. This year, family weekend features dorm room dinners, a cappella concerts, culturefest, the Virginia Film Festival and more. For thirdyear students, the weekend marks the Ring Ceremony, celebrating the midway point in their undergraduate careers.

Trick or Treating on the Lawn, Oct. 31

If you need a little pick-me-up on your post-Halloweekend Monday, head over to the Lawn for one of U.Va.’s most beloved traditions. Families from all over Charlottesville arrive on the Lawn with toddlers decked out in their cutest costumes in tow. And who knows, you might end up finding some inspiration for next year’s costume.

Thanksgiving Break, Nov. 23-27

Fall culminates in the much-anticipated Thanksgiving break, when you finally get to indulge in that pumpkin pie you’ve been dreaming of since late September. From Wednesday to Sunday, students get a break from textbooks and long hours in Clemons library to spend time with family before finishing up the semester. Upon return, courses end a week and a half later and before you know it, it’s winter.

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This ‘Big Mess’ should be cleaned up Latest album from Grouplove falls flat CHARLOTTE KOLB | STAFF WRITER Alternative rock band Grouplove, famous for its 2011 hit “Tongue Tied,” recently dropped the album “Big Mess,” a compilation of 11 tracks about love, loss and pursuing the true meaning of life. While the band stuck to a

straightforward rock sound with its previous work, “Big Mess” showcases Grouplove’s experimental side as it mixes EDM elements with a more traditional rock sound. While the combination of these two genres creates a fresh

sound for individual songs, the album overall lacks coherence.

It seems almost too fitting that “Big Mess” opens with the song “Welcome to Your Life,” as the track comes off as chaotic at best.

While the opening verses create

COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

The newest effort from Grouplove shows a lack of cohesion amidst an otherwise radiant discography.

an energetic vibe which could easily be the intro to an EDM hit, the song abruptly transitions into a rock chorus which, when contrasted with the beginning of the song, is overwhelming for listeners.

Along with a lack of uniform sound, bizarre lyrics make the meaning of the song even harder to discern. While the band may have been going for a more alternative image, the combination of incongruent beats and nonsensical lyrics causes too much discord to be enjoyable.

As the album progresses, the genre switches to more guitar-heavy alternative rock. Songs like “Standing in the Sun” and “Do You Love Someone” mull over the hardships of unrequited love and the importance of waiting for life to get better, two consistent themes throughout the rest of the album.

While the album’s rock songs lack the excitement of the EDM beats, they have far more profound

and meaningful content. The song “Enlighten Me” tells the story of a loss of love and the singer’s struggle to reconcile his feelings. With lines like “I’m on the fence with common sense” and “Indiscretion is a blessing if you know what you want to say,” it is by far the album’s most intriguing song.

While the majority of the album consists of rock blended with EDM, the band also produced two purely EDM songs — “Good Morning” and “Cannonball.” Although most of the lyrics are hard to comprehend because of voice distortion, these songs, especially “Good Morning,” are by far the most upbeat and catchy of the album.

Although Grouplove shows potential in both of the genres it straddles, the band would profit in the future from choosing one style of music rather than trying to satisfy too many tastes at once.

Bastille triumphs with ‘Wild World’ Londoners provide context and escape with highly-anticipated second LP HENRY HARRIS | SENIOR WRITER Some say the monumental chorus of “Pompeii,” the epic single which vaulted Bastille from London amateurs to alt-rock superstars, can still be heard echoing from the radio stations of 2013. With just one song Bastille had created a name for themselves, but they had simultaneously set a standard for all future releases.

Enter “Wild World,” the newest release from the group, which picks up right where “Bad Blood” left things three years ago. The pounding synths and reverberating guitars are back in full force, with just enough subtle piano hooks to keep things from getting too predictable. With the original release of “Wild World” going 14 songs deep and the “Complete Version” adding five more, Bastille has certainly made up for lost time.

The first utterance on the album, however, is not a musical note, but a strange voice: “So, what would you little maniacs like to do first?” The reference is from the 1985 geek-centered comedy “Weird Science,” where two high school outcasts use a computer to create the perfect woman. In a recent interview, lead singer Dan Smith said the band chose

to begin the album this way “to give it a sense of nostalgia.” Bastille are certainly not outcasts like the desperate kids of “Weird Science,” but they are “maniacs” in their own way as they continue to find surprising success in a sonic niche not easily pegged as a specific genre.

The nostalgia and references don’t end there, though, as Bastille interweaves excerpts of everything from a Cold War-era propaganda cartoon (“The Currents”) to an episode of “Freaks and Geeks” (“Snakes”) to a ’70s Italian sci-fi flick which rated 2.7 out of 10 stars on IMDb (“Send Them Off!”). When the band announced the album, their press release labeled its theme as the “human condition.” They seem to be reaching to all corners of media-based expression in order to analyze this theme.

Nowhere is this more evident than on bonus track “Way Beyond,” where Smith sings “Movies and news on television / Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference, oh / When real life’s more f-----d up than fiction.” These lyrics strike especially deep in a time when many have become numb to the onslaught of tragedy and corruption plaguing the world. The

title “Wild World” is a concise yet powerful way to capture this condition. The album also accurately stages it with the cover artwork of two people sitting on the edge of a skyscraper, both observing and hiding from the chaos below.

Luckily, much like a skyscraper perch above the world, Bastille’s music is an escape, a way to transcend all else by riding the waves of synthesizers and arena-filling choruses. While there may not be another “Pompeii,” all the ingredients are still present but spread out uniformly throughout the record. From the opening thrash of “The Currents” to the soaring chorus of “Fake It,” to Smith’s impassioned vocals waiting around every turn, the whole album oozes a sense of “rising above.”

Whether the nostalgia of “Wild World” is for the purpose of harkening back to simpler times or to show that the world always has been wild is tough to say. What is easier to deduce is how the triumphant music of “Wild World” exists outside of the chaotic context referred to in the lyrics. As “Warmth” articulates, “Hold me in this wild, wild world / ‘Cause in your warmth I forget how cold it can be.”

COURTESY VIRGIN EMI

Fans of “Pompeii” won’t want to miss “Wild World,” a nostalgic release from Bastille.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2016

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