September 16, 2013

Monday, September 16, 2013

Vol. 124, Issue 8

LET’S TALK

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ALIT EXU

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SEX

Y SPECIAL ISSUE

ABOUT

E END

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Courtesy Wikipedia Commons

SPORTS

A&E

NEWS

OPINION

LIFE

Women’s rugby: worth a ‘try’

‘50 Shades’ of bad casting

Got Pride?

Charlottesville showed its colors Saturday.

EDITORIAL: Club protesting ‘hookup culture’ misses mark

You think your make-up routine is complicated?

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N news

The Cavalier Daily

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Honor Committee condenses support pools Unanimous decision follows several weeks of debate, opposition from some current Committee support officers

rle, a fourth-year College student, and other current support officers Cavalier Daily Staff Writers support the merger as a way to encourage cohesion. Support officers claimed the current system sepaThe Honor Committee voted rates members from each other. unanimously Sunday evening to Current support officers and consolidate its three officer pools of counselors, advisors and educators Committee members who opposed into one pool of support officers, combining the pools said they would who would be recruited and trained have to recruit a certain type of person who might not even exist. together.

“I’m concerned that looking for 40 After a brief recapitulation of the of these superhumans ... could leave us with a pool of 40 people who are okay at everything,” said Avery Rasmussen, a current support officer and second-year College student.

But fourth-year College student Josh Myers, a Committee member, did not see the issue of looking for “40 superhumans” as a threat the to the committee.

“I don’t think that that’s a fair concern,” Myers said. “I just don’t see the harm in attempting to train so that everyone can be that best person.”

Third-year College student Meg Gould, a senior counsel, said the committee would be able to find well-rounded candidates if it sought them out.

“We’ll get people who are interMarshall Bronfin | The Cavalier Daily ested in the holistic system,” Gould Honor Committee Chair Evan Behrle, a fourth-year College student, ushered in a new internal model said. “I think it’s a great opportunity Sunday evening when the Committee voted unanimously to combine its three officer pools. to allow people to gain expertise in all facets of the system.”

Third-year College student Sydproposed changes to the bylaw, the committee voted unanimously in ney Sampson, an advisor, said she favor of the proposed merger of the was concerned current support offisupport officer pools. The Commit- cers could not handle a wide variety tee had a thorough discussion of the of roles, since current support officers proposed changes at its meeting last will not have to redo training.

“My hesitation with the merge is week. centered around what we do with the Committee Chair Evan Behcurrent support officers,” Sampson

Alia Sharif and Caelainn Carney

said. “They were recruited to do the position they are now.”

Once a new support officer completes training, they will be able to perform all three of the main roles within the committee. Supporters argued that those educating the community on honor would now have practical experience dealing with the technical aspects of honor cases.

Third-year College student Rebecca Walker, an educator, said she was concerned the importance of education events would be diminished. “[I worry] I wouldn’t have joined honor if I had been expected to do the hands on case-processing stuff,” Walker said.

Fourth-year Commerce student Will Dantzler, a Committee member, said the new recruiting class could be recruited and trained together, but still decide to specialize later.

“It seems to me to be equally as valid to recruit people as counselor and support officer, train them together [and have them choose a pool],” Dantzler said. .

Despite the debate surrounding the proposed merger, Behrle said its passage would not drastically alter the functioning support officer system.

Behrle informed the Honor Committee that new support officers would be able to indicate a non-binding preference as to which function they would like to primarily serve. He also assured the Committee members that none of the prior functions of the support pools would go neglected.

“There will still be an expectation to take on case processing work and the work of the educators,” Behrle said.

— Joseph Liss contributed to this story with reporting.

Panel discusses same-sex marriage, Virginia legal challenges Supreme Court’s United States v. Windsor decision establishes conflicting national, Commonwealth marriage, benefits, tax standards

University students and Charlottesville community members packed a room Wednesday to listen to a panel moderated by Dean of Students Allen Groves about the prospects for same-sex marriage in Virginia.

National attention flared up around the issue following the U.S. Supreme Court’s United States v. Windsor decision striking down the federal definition of marriage as between a man and

a woman. Virginia, however, still has a constitutional provision passed in 2006 that bars same-sex marriage in the state.

Claire Guthrie Gastañaga, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia, said she saw the general conversation about gay marriage changing.

“We are now in an exciting place where the whole feeling has changed and there is hope and there is optimism,” Gastañaga said.

James Parrish, executive director of Equality Virgin-

ia, an LGBTQ legal rights advocacy organization, said he thought the views of Virginia’s elected officials did not reflect the views of their constituents.

“I don’t think Virginia is behind the times,” Parrish said. “I think the General Assembly is behind the times.”

Gastañaga, Parrish and University Law Prof. Kerry Abrams, a third panelist, urged interested citizens to contact their representatives. Gastañaga said the ACLU is bringing several cases to court in Virginia to

challenge the existing constitutional amendment.

“It’s a tough road, but the momentum is changing,” Parrish said.

The panel, “The Prospects for Same-Sex Marriage in Virginia,” was the first part of a series of events entitled “After Windsor: Changing Marriage Laws in the USA” presented by the Women, Gender and Sexuality Program, the University’s LGBTQ Center and the Law School. Part two of the series, scheduled for February, will focus on the legal impact of the Windsor decision.

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Zack Peak

Cavalier Daily Senior Writer

It’s a tough road, but the momentum is changing.

NEWS

Monday, September 16, 2013

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University confronts City hosts LGBTQ pride festival same-sex benefits Second annual event attracts 3,500 attendees, several University student groups Greg Lewis

Public universities lobby for same-sex benefits, highlight loss of competitive advantage in hiring, retention Jiaer Zhang

Cavalier Daily Senior Writer

In the wake of the Supreme Court decision overturning part of the Defense of Marriage Act this summer, increased attention has fallen on the University and its public school counterparts for their lack of samesex partner benefits and the potential impact that will have on their ability to attract and retain LGBTQ faculty.

The June decision affording samesex spouses federal marriage benefits could spell trouble for Virginia universities, according to Jeff Trammell, the former rector of William & Mary.

“We must face the reality that today's Supreme Court rulings add a substantial incentive for our gay and lesbian faculty and staff to leave the Commonwealth's public universities and colleges,” Trammell said in a June letter to rectors and university presidents across the state. “The fact is, unless we gain the ability to at least offer basic partner benefits, these valued employees will receive none of these if they stay at our public universities and colleges.”

An August editorial in The Washington Post cited a College professor who left to work at a university in New York because her partner, who was diagnosed with cancer, could not get access to the University's health insurance. The article also references a physician at the University Medical School who departed for another job at an Ivy League institution after failing to obtain University health

insurance coverage for her same-sex partner.

University Spokesperson McGregor McCance said in an email the University allows only legally recognized spouses and dependent children to be on a University employee’s health insurance plan. Unlike that use of the strict definition of spouse, however, the University uses a broad definition of “dependent children.”

“Children include biological children, stepchildren, adopted children and foster children,” McCance said.

“Other children for whom you are the legal guardian with permanent custody who are unmarried, live with you 100 percent of the time in a parent-child relationship, and are declared as a dependent on your federal tax return can remain on the health plan through December 31st of the year in which they turn 26.”

In 2009, presidents of the University, William & Mary and George Mason University wrote in a joint letter to then-Gov. Tim Kaine saying Virginia public universities are at a competitive disadvantage with their public and private competitors by not offering benefits to married same-sex couples.

Virginia is among the 35 states to define marriage as a relationship between one man and one woman through constitutional or statutory provisions. According to the latest result from Quinnipiac University poll, 50 percent of registered Virginia voters support same-sex marriage as opposed to 43 percent who disapprove of it.

Students talk hookup, relationship culture Student organization calls for thoughtful relationship choices Emily Hutt, Maddy Weingast and Henry Pflager Cavalier Daily Staff Writers

At a panel hosted by Off the Hook Thursday, student panelists led a question-and-answer style discussion to talk about their own experiences with hookup culture at the University and how they perceive hookup cultures at universities in general.

Third-year College students Mirenda Gwin and Christina Hadford of Off the Hook said they decided to host the event to promote an alternative to a culture that promotes “hooking up” in college. The organization wants to emphasize that sex is not necessary for a relationship to be healthy, Gwin said.

“We’ve noticed that a lot of advocacy on Grounds, especially by the University, is saying if you’re having sex here’s how to do it safer,

Cavalier Daily Senior Writer

A giant arch of rainbow balloons framed the statue of Robert E. Lee in downtown Charlottesville’s Lee Park Saturday as more than 3,500 people from around the region came to the Charlottesville Pride Festival.

Hosted by the Charlottesville Pride Community Network, an organization focused on supporting the local lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning communities, the second annual event featured 67 vendors as well as entertainment, food and children’s activities.

The purpose of the festival was to bring an oft-separated community together, said Amy Sarah Marshall, president of the Charlottesville Pride Community Network. Marshall helped found the organization when she came out to her community in Charlottesville a few years ago.

“I asked ‘where are the gay people?’ and I couldn’t find anybody,” Marshall said. “It wasn’t because there weren’t any, it was just because people in this town tend to stick to their corners. It’s a southern city and even racially there’s still a lot of division.”

The festival, which started as a small picnic, has helped LGBTQ people in in the area realize there’s a community here, Marshall said.

“When you think about the history of the oppression and discrimination that we’ve lived and we wanted to round that out by saying if you’re not having sex, that’s also okay,” Hadford said.

The four panelists were University students with a variety of backgrounds — from Greek organizations, the Batten School, the Education School and the College.

Gwin and Hadford said they chose upperclassmen because they wanted students to hear from peers who could talk about their entire experience at the University.

The student panelists said coming to the University from different high school backgrounds, many of them had expectations of what a college hookup culture would be like.

“Coming into college as a first year, even thinking back before that in high school, I had this understanding that I never wanted to get involved in that culture because I always wanted something more out of a relationship,” fourth-

under, there’s just like this automatic self-suppression that you do because you’re not expecting it to be safe for you to be open about yourself,” she said.

Last year’s inaugural festival aimed to change that. “[Last year] I saw so many straight people excited about being able to be supportive,” Marshall said. “And I saw a lot of gay people just crying from joy … So [the festival] has started this whole breaking open of the silence that existed before.”

Drag performers like Dallys Maharis and University alumnus Pearl Harbor were a central part of this year’s entertainment at the festival.

Maharis, a Charlottesville native who served as entertainment director for the festival, has performed in drag for more than 20 years.

“I got involved in drag as a joke — it started one Halloween.” Maharis said. “To me, drag is entertainment, it’s the art of illusion … It’s about becoming a completely different person.”Among the 67 vendors at this year’s festival were a number of organizations from the University, including the LGBTQ Center, Queer Student Union, Queer Med Students and the LGBT Committee. Queer Student Union Co-President Blake Calhoun, a third-year College student, said University students were excited to go out to the festival.

“We’re here today to show our solidarity with the community,” Calhoun said. “A lot of times at U.Va. we kind of forget the fact

year Batten student Sophia Urban said. “When I came to college, I already had that mindset, and it was easier for me to not get caught up in that culture even though I had friends who were going out and hooking up.”

Elliot Campbell, a fourth-year College student, said he believes hookup culture is a result of a kind of sexual economics. “In many colleges, there are more females than males,” he said. “Because there are so many females, the men get to set the norms … so generally if you want a relationship, there are others who want relationships and sex, and your 'price' is too high if there are others who will have a relationship without sex.”

Fourth-year Batten student Liz Minneman said she wanted to speak to other women about the hookup culture to empower them and let them know there are other options than hooking up.

that we are part of a bigger community in Charlottesville.”

QSU hosts social events for the University’s LGBTQ communities, as well as drag bingo each semester.

“When I was a first year, [QSU] wasn’t really visible so I kind of just found out about it by chance,” Calhoun said. “I don’t want it to be by chance for others, I want everyone to know what QSU is. We’re here and we’re a resource for you.”

Gary Nimax, the University’s assistant vice president for compliance and chair of the LGBT Committee, noted the festival’s attraction for the entire community — not just LGBTQ individuals.

“I love that I’ve seen so many of my straight friends coming with their children, as well as students, the larger Charlottesville community,” Nimax said.

“It’s really an event for everybody.”

The LGBT Committee, started two years ago and officially sanctioned by the University, serves as an advocate for LGBTQ faculty at the University, Nimax said. The committee has pushed for domestic partnership benefits for same-sex couples at the University and has also worked with the Faculty Senate to conduct surveys of LGBTQ faculty.

This year’s pride festival was paralleled by several developments in the local political culture — Charlottesville City Council decided to consider an

see PRIDE, page 103 “My mom went to U.Va. years ago, and she said hooking up wasn’t a thing — women wanted to get married,” Minneman said.

“I think it’s great that women are now able to go and get a job and be independent, but I’ve felt a lot of pressure at U.Va. during my time here to not think about my plans to want to get married.” She said although she understands not everyone wants to get married, she would like to see a change in the hookup culture at the University.

Urban said she believes people should ultimately make their own decisions without feeling pressured to conform to a hookup culture. “With my experiences in college, there are always going to be opportunities to hook up with somebody," she said. "I think it takes a lot of courage to stand up and not want to participate in that.

Don’t feel like you ever need to settle.”

O

The Cavalier Daily

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LEAD EDITORIAL

Virginia and virginity

opinion

Why Off the Hook presents a misguided approach toward dealing with “hookup culture”

Comment of the day “I agree the involvement of drugs in this young woman’s death should have been covered. This is a university newspaper, it should be covering the important things that happen within the university community, and the death of a student and the reasons for it certainly qualify.”

“frankbellamy,” responding to Christopher Broom’s Sept. 8 column, “The Hard Truth”

When it comes to sex in college, everyone seems to know one thing for sure: their peers are having lots of great sex with lots of people, lots of the time.

College today has supposedly given rise to what some have called “hookup culture” — a strange term. “Culture” is an expansive category. The phrase “hookup culture,” neutral on its face, hints at the moral panic that “hooking up” provokes. The thought of people engaging in behaviors ranging from kissing to intercourse outside of a romantic relationship is apparently so alarming that the only explanation can be that these behaviors are products of a different “culture” — an alien system of values, beliefs and practices.

What’s more, the reigning concept of “hookup culture” overstates the extent to which college campuses have become sexual playgrounds. A recent study from the University of Portland found that college students today aren’t having more sex than students 25 years ago did. Indeed, a substantial number of college students are still virgins when they graduate. It is not sexual behavior but sexual attitudes that have changed. A more precise way of characterizing what we call “hookup culture” would be to say that college campuses are often places where the taboo against casual sex is weaker.

The social and sexual conventions of college life have attracted widespread attention. A July New York Times feature about the sex lives of University of Pennsylvania students

provided a glimpse of how female students instigate — and enjoy — uncommitted sexual encounters. And at the University of Virginia, a student group called Off the Hook exists solely to combat what its members perceive as the University’s hookup-friendly atmosphere.

Off the Hook hosted a panel last week that featured upperclassmen reflecting on the University’s hookup scene. Their reviews of the school’s sexual climate were not favorable.

Most of the panelists spoke about how they had worked to sidestep a supposedly oppressive hookup culture.

Off the Hook is more than antihookup. It is also pro-abstinence. The organization’s AtUVa page reports that the group believes that “sex is good, but only in the context of marriage.”

The group’s purpose, according to its blog, is to promote an “alternative to the hookup scene.” The alternative it offers is simple: don’t do it.

It is never too late to become abstinent, the group’s AtUVa page declares.

But life is hard for the newly chaste.

The group advises the students who might seek release through masturbation to exercise caution: the most recent post on Off the Hook’s blog (which does not necessarily reflect the organization’s views) warns readers of the dangers of pornography.

Off the Hook’s members are, of course, free to postpone sex until marriage. There is nothing wrong with taking such an approach toward

your sexual life, provided that you have made that choice freely. But we detect an incompatibility between Off the Hook’s stated goal of combating “hookup culture” and its opposition to premarital sex. An inability to imagine meaningful but unconventional sexual partnerships is partially responsible for college hookup habits.

Many students choose to hook up because they want pleasure without the time and commitment that a longterm relationship requires. But they do not know how to signal, in respectful ways, that they are interested only in sex. They think they need to be distant and cold to stave off the possibility of a relationship emerging from a one-night stand. Thus the problems of “hookup culture” — a tendency toward anonymity, self-gratification and the risk of using and objectifying others — emerge.

Off the Hook’s abstinence-only message will resonate with people who are already like-minded. But most students — the ones who are actually hooking up — will hesitate to renounce pleasure. For these students, Off the Hook’s proffered alternative is too austere. If the group wishes to serve as a place for abstinent students to share their thoughts and get to know each other — but not biblically — that is a fine goal. But if Off the Hook wants to establish an alternative to hooking up, its anti-premarital-sex stance dooms its project from the start. Presenting such a stark choice

— marriage or nothing — prevents the possibility of a middle ground that would minimize harmful effects of hookup culture while taking into account how college students behave.

Off the Hook’s idea for improving the University’s sexual environment is to do away with sexual activity altogether. This plan is a bit like shutting down all banks to improve the American financial system. A better route is to ask: how can we instill attitudes that permit people to pursue pleasure freely, but in a way that minimizes hurt feelings and harm to others?

One possibility is to endorse not casual sex but rather casual romance.

Students should be able to imagine low-commitment partnerships that involve mutual respect: a friendship punctuated by pleasure, dates that do not mean the two people are “dating.”

These arrangements exist, but many students remain uncomfortable with relationships that resist easy definition.

To correct the ills of hookup culture, we must focus not on the sexual but on the social. Insofar as the problems of hookup culture are problems of respect, a solution must involve encouraging students to treat each other better: to honor the humanity of their sexual partners. A myopic viewpoint that condemns premarital sex focuses on the sexual above the social. Groups such as Off the Hook lose sight of their mission by dwelling, instead, on emission.

THE CAVALIER DAILY

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OPINION

Monday, September 16, 2013

5

A matter of taste

Unhooked

Hooking up, like all romantic arrangements, can be messy — but liberating

Hookup culture hinders meaningful relationships and does more harm than good

sit down and have a conversation, send a text at the end of the week to see what’s going on — but there is still the potential for many questions to be left unanswered. Sometimes there just isn’t He had his hands on my hips as he led me any chemistry; we find that a person isn’t quite upstairs, a trek I had taken already half a dozen what we saw in our first impression, and we are times. He locked the door to his room behind unsure of what to say to end something that him as he closed the door. He kissed me — a kiss hasn’t completely started. So sometimes, we just that was starting to feel familiar. And in the mo- don’t say anything at all. ment right before I expected him to reach for the My story was also a lesson that even when the top button on my shirt, he stopped abruptly and communication seems perfectly clear in the besaid, ginning, minds and hearts can be changed. Even “Doll, we’re clear right? It’s just casual sex.” in a world where casual sex is commonplace, It was the verbal summary of all the non- we have not lost the ability — despite our best verbal communication that had taken place in defenses — to fall in love. I knew not by what the month since we’d met — the cheap drinks at force it happened, but when I finally told him I night, the hasty exits was moving on, he in the mornings, the said, “I don’t want fact that he never to lose you,” and texted earlier than 10 proceeded to try p.m. One thing was Even in a world where casual sex is commonplace, to convince me to for sure: nobody was carry on a long-diswe have not lost the ability — despite our best fooling anyone. And tance relationship defenses — to fall in love.

I kept coming back. with him when he Forgive me for uswent to grad school ing such a personal example, but there is a point in Indiana. to it, I assure you. It has been argued that hookup I didn’t go for it. culture creates communication issues between Some of us want to settle in for the long run; people, that the inability to distinguish between some want to slake our desires without getting the prospects of a relationship and the prospects tied down. And some of us don’t know for cerof a casual sex partner leave us frustrated, de- tain what we want, and in the process of figuring feated and broken. it out, there are disappointments. We all suffer But my story was a lesson that communication from the capriciousness of the human heart, no does not have to be absent in a casual sexual re- matter what kind of value or stigma our society lationship. All the important signals were there, places on sex. But at least, in the midst of the sostarting at the beginning: I went to a frat house, called “hookup culture,” we have the freedom to drank bourbon-Pepsis and played kings. I flirted. satisfy our hearts in whatever ways we choose — And then I bounded upstairs with a charming whether it is pursuing a relationship or pursuing and charismatic boy that had been a stranger physical satisfaction while remaining duly comonly hours before. I’m not ashamed of it. And I mitted to no one but ourselves knew from the beginning that such a venue did Historically, men have always had the luxury not warrant an expectation for any further inter- of either taking a wife or taking what they want actions, even though there were more than a few. from a woman and leaving, and they have been I’m not saying that my experience holds true able to get away with it. But now the playing field for everyone. Open and direct conversation can is leveling. Women have just as much right to certainly be lacking, but that is a separate issue, pursue sex for pleasure as men do. But in order independent of the so-called “hookup culture.” to take full advantage of this freedom with the The shortcomings in the communication skills maximum amount of reward, we all must be of our peers comes from the replacement of per- honest about our trajectories and our goals. We sonal interaction with electronic media and also must be conscious of the non-verbal signals we from the fact that, simply, it is sometimes hard to receive and aware of the contexts we are in. And say what you mean and mean what you say. above all, if we want to be free from having to To say that more traditional methods of dat- justify the choices we make, we must respect the ing are straightforward and cut-and-dry over- choices of others. simplifies the nature of human relations. There are plenty of people that still try to follow the Katherine Ripley is an Opinion editor for the more “old-school” path — go out for coffee first, Cavalier Daily.

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SAVE

In the absence of clear communication, casual hookups can lead to confusion about where lines are drawn. There can be pressure from one party to go Studies such as one conducted by further physically, while the other party University of Portland sociologist Mar- does not want to do anything more. This tin Monto have shown that college miscommunication can result in regret hookup culture today is no more scan- and anger if one party crosses the line dalous than it was 25 years ago, and that unknowingly, due to the vagueness of a the amount of sex students have has not casual hookup. significantly increased. While that may This vagueness can also lead to hurt be true, hookup culture has indisputably feelings if one person has unreturned become far more casual in recent years, feelings for the person he or she hooks leading to confusion, hurt feelings and up with. This unrequited infatuation often a jaded view of relationships. is common and many college students Psychologist Susan Krauss Whit- find themselves disappointed when they bourne, when referring to research on discover their casual hookup will forever casual sex by Kinsey Institute researcher only be that. Also, there is the possibility Justin Garcia, wrote in Psychology Today of hurt feelings if one discovers his or her that "young adults are turning more to casual hookup has been casually hookcasual encounters as a way to express ing up with other people too. This can be and satisfy their sexual needs." These very hard to deal with, and comes from “casual encounthe vague ters” could be a commuone-night stand nication or a dance floor that results make-out from a caI do not know anyone who has mastered the (commonly sual hookcasual hookup. referred to as up culture. a DFMO). In Finally, these scenarios it can be unclear to one the hookup culture can leave students or both parties what the result will be jaded. Constantly failing at starting a of the casual hookup. Does he like me? relationship — because often we try Will she text me later? Is this the begin- to form them from casual hookups — ning of a possible relationship? some college students begin to believe Most often, no: it is not the start of love doesn’t exist. Some might think, “I a relationship, but rather a one-time gave him/her everything, and yet they thing. This can be devastating for one still don’t want me.” This can be very disparty, perhaps if he or she thought the heartening and discouraging. casual hookup would lead to something I do not know anyone who has masmore. It can also be confusing to the tered the casual hookup. All I have witparty who did not think anything would nessed in my time here at the University, come of it, and yet he or she is receiving in terms of the casual hookup, have been multiple texts and phone calls afterward messy endings to quasi-relationships asking to hang out. This miscommuni- and mornings full of regret and disapcation is common among college stu- pointment. dents, especially at parties and at bars, That is not to say that a one-nightwhere one-time, casual hook-ups may stand or a casual hookup never lead appear as the potential for a relationship. to relationships, because they can. But And with hooking up, sexual interac- more often than not they fail. So perhaps tion comes first — and dates come later, it is time we reevaluate the way we treat if at all. Because of this casual hookup one another, and evolve from the casual culture, we are all working backwards hookup. when it comes to relationships. By starting with the physical aspects, we are not taking the time to get to know the other Meredith Berger is an Opinion columparty, which hinders our ability to form nist for The Cavalier Daily. Her columns a real relationship. run Mondays.

Meredith Berger

Cavalier Daily Opinion Columnist

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Katherine Ripley

Cavalier Daily Opinion Editor

TREES

6

OPINION

The Cavalier Daily

Talking about sex We must change our attitude toward sex in order to build healthy and realistic expectations

Just like those jazzy hip-hoppers Salt-n-Pepa, I’m about to implore you, Wahoos: Let’s talk about sex.

Sexuality and sexual behavior get a lot of attention. But they don’t get the right kind of attention. We have been raised in a sex-negative culture. Society, whether through insufficient and inaccurate sexual education classes, movies, books or our parents, has taught us that adolescence and young adulthood is supposed to be a cringingly awkward time. We have been conditioned to believe that our sexuality is shameful: something to be hidden, something we shouldn’t mention. This is particularly true for people who find that their sexual preferences fall outside of what is widely considered “conventional.”

It is unfortunate that many college students find themselves unable to claim or feel confident in their sexuality, because the freedom and social atmosphere of college presents an occasion to explore your preferences and your self-image, and you should not miss out on that opportunity because of a sex-negative culture. Sex negativity also leads to a fear of sex and a fear of seeking out resources or advice. Buying protection or

talking openly about the sexual choices you are planning to make is seen as “embarrassing,” and this can lead to unsafe or unhealthy sexual experiences. I would suggest a sex-positive alternative. If college students could embrace sex positivity, they would lead much happier and healthier lives overall.

You may ask, what exactly does it mean to be sex-positive and how can I incorporate this philoso-

those decisions. They encourage people to claim and take pride in their sexual preferences, whether that means sexual orientation, sexual desires or even a choice to abstain from sex. Sex positivity encourages understanding sex as a biological, natural behavior, rather than a dirty or shameful act.

It can be difficult to be sex-positive after being raised in a culture such as ours. Sex positivity is a slightly abstract idea — it sounds good in theory but is tough to implement in practice. The journey to being sex positive must begin within We have been conditioned to believe that largely yourself. Evaluate what our sexuality is shameful: something to be you want in a relationhidden, something we shouldn’t mention. ship, sexual or otherwise.

Let yourself take the time to figure that out if it is not clear, and don’t feel phy into my own life? The answer embarrassed by your uncertainty. will certainly be multi-faceted. Decide how you feel about labels; Sex positivity is a concept that is determine whether you need a laslowly gaining adherents through bel for your sexual orientation, or blogging platforms such as Tum- if you feel more comfortable withblr and popular Youtube chan- out one. Do you prefer committed nels like Laci Green’s “Sex+” and or open relationships? Are titles Dr. Lindsey Doe’s “Sexplanations.” like “boyfriend” and “girlfriend” Broadly speaking, people who are important to you? Is monogamy sex-positive advocate an open- an expectation or simply an opness about and comfort with sex. tion? Whatever your answers to They champion sexual decisions these questions are, know that they that are safe and healthy, regard- are acceptable. You are allowed to less of the subjective “morality” of be a serial monogamist, for in-

“

Ashley Spinks

Cavalier Daily Opinion Columnist

stance, even if some people may not see the value in monogamous relationships. The only person who has to approve of your choices is you. And being able to vocalize them to your significant other can help you have a stronger relationship or perhaps understand why a relationship is not right for you.

Being sex-positive can also be achieved by regulating your own speech and judgments. You should never let your impression of a person be shaped by how much sex you think or know that they’ve had. A person who dates a lot or hooks up a lot — as long as their partners are consenting and they are being safe — is doing nothing wrong. They are not a slut or stupid. We should take personal statements about sexuality at face value. It is neither sex-positive nor respectful to question the validity of someone’s sexual orientation, for instance. If someone says they are gay, but you believe that their behaviors or some arbitrary stereotypes contradict that claim, you should keep those opinions to yourself. The same goes for heterosexuality and bisexuality. The only person who gets to decide what their sexual orientation is is that person. We should challenge ourselves to stop thinking of sex as either black or white. Standards that leave no room for ambiguity

can feel constricting, judgmental and filled with pressure. Sometimes a situation doesn’t have a clear answer — people are not always “gay” or “straight”, “together” or “broken up”, “slutty” or “prudish.” These types of dichotomies help no one. The black-and-white perception of “virginity” is problematic as well. We should stop placing so much value on virginity.

In addition to being a heteronormative and sexist concept, it is irrelevant. Whether or not someone is a “virgin” tells you nothing about their worth or who they are, and we shouldn’t pretend that it does.

There are so many other issues tied up with and related to sex positivity — rape culture, slutshaming, sexism, LGBT rights — that I could write an entirely separate 800-word column trying to explore them all. But if college students were to embrace a sexpositive attitude, I do believe that their (sex) lives would be healthier and happier. Sex positivity can lead to a better self-image, more confidence, and the ability to ask questions like, “Are you okay with this? What do you want to happen next?”, which will help facilitate safer sex for everyone involved.

Ashley Spinks is an Opinion columnnist for The Cavalier Daily.

The porn identity Pornography distorts sexual expectations by portraying exaggerated fantasies

The idea that watching pornography can start to negatively affect people’s lives holds sway in popular culture. Fans of the MTV series “True Life” may recall the episode about three young people addicted to porn.

And Joseph Gordon-Levitt is starring in “Don Jon,” a movie with a pornography addict as its main character. These examples show the effects of porn addiction. But it is also important to consider how pornography impacts the lives of not addicts but mere viewers.

Porn may carry the stigma of being a strange, sleazy hobby for lecherous people, but everyone knows that erotic images, video and more are readily accessible free of charge on the internet.

Some estimates report that as many as 40 million people watch porn on a regular basis. The

fact that this many people view pornography with such ease is striking considering the “sexual script theory”: that the kind of sex people watch becomes what they expect.

Looking at pornography is far from new, but the ability to look at porn easily and cheaply online is. These factors make porn viewing more common, which changes perceptions of sex and sexuality. Porn provides an easily accessible example of intense, exaggerated sex that serves as a comparison with one’s own experience. While people watch porn for the same reason they have sex — to have an orgasm — sharing a sexual experience with another person is quite different from watching people have sex in porn.

Pornography is about the shameless enactment of sexual fantasies to their fullest extent.

This is not to say that people should feel guilty about their real-life sexual desires, or that

they should not seek to fulfill them, but rather that in a physical relationship these desires are shared between people as op-

consumer. Porn rarely demonstrates realistic sexual experiences. Not only could the excessive nature of this portrayal escalate the expectations of those who view it, but it could also limit expectations to where nothing except the excessive portrayal of sex Watching pornography will always be a seems arousing.

Pornography also voyeuristic scenario, as opposed to real exports one’s sexual experience. fulfillment to other people. Certainly, many posed to being displayed on a people who watch porn are masscreen. Watching pornography turbating, but this relegates sex will always be a voyeuristic sce- to an individual action in which nario as opposed to a real expe- other people engage in the act rience. itself. Porn stars are paid to have By this same logic, pornogra- sex and do it in an exaggerated phy maximizes sexual fantasies, manner. If one only achieves an making use of lingerie, large- orgasm by watching actors have membered or big-breasted ac- sex in this way, one’s could be tors and actresses, and isolating prevented from doing the same fantasy from all other human in his or her own sex life, as it interactions. Porn’s portrayal could never match the depiction of sex is exaggerated, aiming at in a porn clip. unfiltered sexual arousal for the I do not mean to say that

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Walter Keady

Cavalier Daily Opinion Columnist

watching porn is universally bad. While porn can create an unattainable ideal of what sex is supposed to be, it may also stimulate one’s sex life by introducing new ideas, and can be a healthy release for sexual desire without a partner. However seedy it may seem in public discourse, I would wager that a majority of young people have seen pornography at least once, and that it hasn’t ruined their sex lives.

Perhaps the best way to look at pornography and maintain a healthy sex life is to take it with a grain of salt — porn is not meant to be realistic or grounded, and should not be assumed to be so. Most importantly, however, is to be true to oneself — whether in a Google Chrome incognito window or not.

Walter Keady is an Opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily.

OPINION

Monday, September 16, 2013

Working both ways The Cavalier Daily’s readers must inform the newspaper about newsworthy events Cavalier Daily Public Editor

In my first column a few weeks ago I wrote that the digital-first platform with a twice-weekly print news magazine represented both an opportunity and a danger for The Cavalier Daily. One opportunity I noted, especially in the form of the newsmagazine, is for longer-form journalism. When I saw the headline this past week, “George Martin: An inside look at the University Rector,” I thought this was the perfect place for the longer form to be used to an advantage. I was disappointed to find a fairly short article of only about 600 words. For comparison, the good and interesting piece “Cornering the market” on the Corner’s younger business owners ran nearly 900 words. I didn’t feel that I learned much about George Martin reading the article. Perhaps it was more an issue of expectations from the headline than anything else, but all I really took from it was that he loves the University and found his time here important in his life.

A true profile of the Board of Visitors’ new rector would be most

welcome, especially in light of the Reading the comments events involving the Board last year. While one mantra of many who Students, faculty and alumni remain write online is “never read the com— according to a few Facebook pag- ments,” it’s a part of my responsibiles, active Twitter accounts and com- ity in this role to try and represent ments on various Cavalier Daily ar- The Cavalier Daily’s readers. And ticles — extremely interested in the so I read the comments. Something Board of Visitors. Further, Martin is I’ve noticed is that several readers an historic figure as the University’s appear to ascribe motivations to the first Africanwriters of American articles when rector. they think The newssomething is magazine missing. One seems the commenter ideal place wrote that I urge readers to make sure that The for such an it was “curiCavalier Daily staff knows about the article. ous” that a For an exparticular things that are important to you. ample of the meeting was newsmaganot covered zine format being used to an advan- in the article “Virginia faculty tage, read the front-page story of the advocate for LGBT partner state Sept. 12 print edition, “Part 1: The benefits.”

Decision,” which offers an in-depth We all have our interests and, look at U.Va. football recruiting and more importantly, our knowledge three friends who decided to come of the things that interest us and are play at Virginia. The extra space is important to us. I urge readers to used for several photographs and make sure that The Cavalier Daily much more space is devoted to the staff knows about the things that story. Since it appears I’m following are important to you. They are not, word counts this week, Part 1 is just as it stands, going to be aware of evover 1,000 words. ery meeting or every event affiliated

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Christopher Broom

with the University. On the University public events calendar, I counted about 50 events this week. That is a fraction of what occurs in and around the University each week.

If you feel there is something important, I suggest reaching out to the various press outlets you hope will cover the meeting or event.

They may not choose to cover it, but it will get some consideration that might not happen otherwise simply because they might not know the meeting is taking place to begin with.

Digital advantages A last note: in the same article about same-sex partner benefits, there are references to a Washington post article but no link. The digital platform would be well-served by linking, where possible, to source material. It would make The Cavalier Daily that much more robust and offer more depth and additional context for readers.

Be original.

Get inspired.

Christopher Broom is The Cavalier Daily’s public editor. He can be reached at publiceditor@cavalierdaily.com or on Twitter at @CDPublicEditor.

Did I mention I was abroad?

Leaving the country can be a rewarding experience, even if it makes you a snob Fourth-Year Trustee

Everyone has “That Friend” who studied or worked abroad. They seemed pretty normal when they left, but somehow in that span of time abroad, That Friend turned into a condescending jerk that somehow forgot how to be relatable. That Friend starts out most sentences with, “It’s so funny because in Cool Foreign Country, they do Something Cool and Foreign Unlike the United States.” You smile and you act interested, but you secretly can’t wait until they’ve finally run out of espresso shops and trendy clubs to talk about.

Confession time: I am That Friend.

And I think everyone should make his or her full transformation to condescending jerk with me.

This past summer I was an au pair in the south of France, watching two twin 5-year-old girls called Abbie and Juliette. (I purposefully said, “called” instead of “named” because I’m very European now.) They were adorable and British, with British accents (however, they were fluent in French and Italian). The first day I arrived, they were playing pretend.

They both were princesses, talking

about how the cleaning lady was late to clean the castle. Princess Abbie told Princess Juliette, “The bus drivers are on strike, so the cleaning lady isn’t coming today.” How French.

In fact, when I arrived, the real bus drivers were on strike, so I was stuck in the house for two weeks. But once I was able to finally leave and meet people, my life completely changed.

The transformation began. Countless beach days in Cannes, shopping trips in Nice, hangouts in Paris and crazy nights out in Juan-les-Pins later, I grudgingly returned back to the Land of the Free.

When I arrived back in the States, my first problem arose when I wanted to get a coffee. I ordered a shot of espresso and the cashier had to ask his manager how to ring me up since no one had ever ordered one before. Not to mention, the smallest cup they had was as big as Texas, and was an inappropriate vessel for my mediocre American espresso. I eventually had to order a moka pot from Italy and make my own because I was so embarrassed by my secret problem with American coffee.

My friends constantly made fun of the changes that I couldn’t hide. I started wearing lipstick. I gained 10

pounds almost instantly from eating processed foods. And worst of all, I adopted a slight British accent from my host family. I thought I couldn’t have become more douchey if I tried. But I was wrong. I started taking French classes and couldn’t help

France completely changed my life for the better. Before I left, I wanted to make money. I wanted to have a plan. I wanted a stable future. Now, I want to be anything but stable.

I want to live in other countries. I want to learn 20 languages. I want to be spontaneous. I used to think that traveling to different countries was enough to understand other cultures, but I was wrong. There is someWhile I have made a full transformation to thing that a person can only gain from full ima condescending jerk, my three months in mersion into a different France completely changed my life for the culture — and I’m not just talking about becombetter. ing That Friend. Since I’ve already admitted to but notice when my instructors’ vo- you that I’ve transformed, I’m not cabulary didn’t match how they talk ashamed to say that it’s difficult to in France. And when I drank, when explain until you’ve done it. But I inI normally would be spitting game at sist that everyone should live abroad Coupe’s, I would pull out my phone at some point during his or her life and show pictures of Abbie and and this is the perfect age to do it. If Juliette on their dad’s yacht — or you have the opportunity, be That worse, talk about the Parisian guy Friend with me. Then at least I’d have I’m trying to court from an ocean someone to relate to. away. That Friend.

So why do I think everyone should live abroad? While I have made a full transformation to conCarrie Capps is a fourth-year descending jerk, my three months in trustee.

“

Carrie Capps

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OPINION

The Cavalier Daily

A national treasure Ongoing debate about interpretation signals the document’s vitality

As we celebrate the 226th birthday of the U.S. Constitution on Tuesday, we should take a moment to think how lucky we are to live in the ongoing experiment in self-government that is the United States and to thank the founders who spent the summer of 1787 trying to put in place a constitution that would endure. The founders gave us a somewhat skeletal document, one that was flexible. As a result, ever since the Constitution was ratified — and even before ratification in the debates that accompanied the struggle to get it ratified — we have been arguing about how we should interpret the document. We even disagree over the extent to which, if at all, it is supposed to be flexible. Most disputes about the meaning wind up before our Supreme Court, and there is disagreement there, not only with regard to the issues presented by particular cases but also over the proper role for a court justice.

This past term of the Supreme Court produced some momentous decisions. To illustrate the difficulty of interpreting the Constitution, let’s consider two of the most significant of them: United States v. Windsor, which struck down the Defense of Marriage Act of

1996, and Shelby County v. Holder, above, all the justices were activist which struck down section five of in one or the other of them. Kenthe Voting Rights Act of 1965. Jus- nedy would win the award as most tice Anthony Kennedy wrote the activist since he’s the only one who majority opinion striking down voted to strike down both laws.

DOMA and was joined by Justices A different definition of activGinsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor and ism would cover judicial decisions Kagan — all, except for Kennedy, that implement policy, rather than Democratic appointees. Chief Jus- sticking to strict interpretation. tice Roberts authored the majority Arguably, according to this definiopinion in the voting rights case, tion, judges who decide that marand he was joined by Justices Sca- riage should be open to gays as lia, Kennedy, Thomas and Alito — well as non-gays are implementall Republican appointees. ing what they think is good policy.

Much has been written through On the other hand, justices who the years about activist judges; allow states to prohibit gay marhowever, the definition of activ- riage are doing what they think is ism is somewhat elusive. I’ve heard both the late Chief Justice Rehnquist Taking time to think about and debate issues of and retired Justice Sandra Day constitutional interpretation is a worthy way to O’Connor say celebrate the Constitution’s birthday. that an activist decision is one with which you do not agree. There’s a lot of truth good policy. The Supreme Court to that, but it’s not very helpful that struck down major pieces of identifying the line beyond which New Deal legislation in the 1930s a judge has exceeded his or her was accused of implementing their proper role. One approach through preferred economic policy: laissez the years has been to define activist faire. Similarly, justices who voted judges as judges who vote to over- to uphold New Deal legislation turn a law passed by the demo- could be accused of implementcratically elected legislature. That’s ing their preferred economic polnot much help either, since if we icy: government regulation of the apply it to the two cases mentioned economy.

“

James Todd

Guest Opinion Columnist

What then of the voting rights decision that eliminated the requirement that specific jurisdictions with histories of racially discriminatory policies get preclearance from the U.S. Justice Department before implementing any change that would affect voting? From the standpoint of deferring to Congress, the Court’s decision striking down section five of the Voting Rights Act came in spite of the fact that the Congress had reauthorized the act just a few years earlier by huge majorities (390-33 in the House and 98-0 in the Senate). Congress found in lengthy hearings that there were still discriminatory attempts being made against minorities in the jurisdictions subject to the Voting Rights Act’s requirements. The Court’s majority, however, found that the formula used by Congress was out of date, and Roberts mentioned in his opinion that the Court had warned Congress about the problem several years earlier. Since Congress had not acted to fix it, the majority argued it had no choice but to strike it down. But, since Congress did not change the formula, the argument can be made, as Ginsburg did in her strong dissenting opinion, that Congress had ample grounds to conclude that there was still plenty of evidence of voting discrimination in the areas covered by the act. When should

the Court substitute its judgment for that of Congress? Those in the majority would argue that they have no choice when Congress is acting unconstitutionally, as it did by requiring only some jurisdictions to get preclearance.

Taking time to think about and debate issues of constitutional interpretation is a worthy way to celebrate the Constitution’s birthday.

There is no simple answer to the question as to what is the proper role for a judge when he or she interprets the Constitution. The fact that the debate goes on is good, however, and it helps to prevent the justices from going too far one way or another as they struggle in their ongoing effort to help the Constitution endure. At the same time, a better understanding of the complexity of constitutional interpretation and the leeway that the interpreters have would be healthy for all of us and perhaps produce a more enlightened debate about the role of the judiciary. It might also make those of us who vote pay a little more attention to the types of judges the presidential candidates we vote for would be likely to appoint.

James Todd is a lecturer in politics and a graduate of the Darden School.

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H&S HEALTH & SCIENCE

Monday, September 16, 2013

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New vaccine cures primate virus, has potential to combat HIV Meg Thornberry Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Every 9.5 minutes, someone in the United States is infected with HIV; one in five of those infected are unaware. HIV is an immunodeficiency virus afflicting 23,000 Virginians alone.

The virus weakens the immune system, allowing a person to be more susceptible to infections,

cancer, and AIDS. Over the past 25 years, great strides have been made towards finding a cure for HIV and towards making a healthy lifestyle possible for those who are afflicted. Recently, Oregon Health and Science University developed a vaccine that has the potential to clear out the virus from those who are infected.

The first trials of the vaccine eliminated the virus completely

Breaking the habit Researchers compare E-cigarettes to nicotine patches as tools for quitting smoking

from the systems of the primates who were infected; Dr. Louis Picker, the associate director of the OHSU Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute stated in an interview that, "It's always hard to use the word 'eradication', but the animals were clearly functionally cleared. There was no evidence of the virus infecting them at all. It's the first time that's happened. It's a fairly big deal”.

"It's a slow process, very pains-

taking”, he added. “There is hope on the horizon but not on the short-term horizon. We're just at the beginning steps of an HIV cure. You've got to start somewhere and at least we know it's not impossible.” Although there is not yet a cure, the medications and treatments of today have made it possible for those who are infected to have a much more normal and comfortable lifespan and lifestyle.

HIV group expands services to prisons Local AIDS/HIV non-profit receives grant to increase health care for Virginia inmates Emily Dinning

Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Photo courtesy Wikipedia Commons

Researchers at the University of Auckland in New Zealand found nicotine-producing e-cigarettes can potentially help individuals quit smoking.

Tayler Bruce

Cavalier Daily Senior Writer

Even among those who are highly committed to quitting smoking, their efforts can often be derailed by the smoker’s chemical dependence on nicotine. In the past, nicotine patches have been used to gradually reduce a person’s dependence upon nicotine to fully quit, but in the last decade, e-cigarettes, or electronic cigarettes, have been introduced to create the same effect.

According to a study conducted by researchers at the

University of Auckland in New Zealand, these batteryoperated devices can actually improve a smoker’s chances of quitting.

The researchers, headed by Assoc. Prof. Christopher Bullen, followed 657 subjects’ attempts to quit for 13 weeks while using different quitting products: e-cigarettes with nicotine, e-cigarettes without nicotine and nicotine patches.

The researchers found that participants in the e-cigarette with nicotine group had a much higher quitting percentage — 7.3 percent — than those in the other groups.

Although the results were not statistically significant, the researchers concluded that e-cigarettes could be just as effective for quitting as conventional nicotine patch techniques.

Bullen’s group also determined that e-cigarettes provide similar side effects to nicotine patches. They concluded that because of their accessibility, e-cigarettes could be used to improve overall population health not only by helping people quit smoking, but also by providing a healthier alternative to chemical-laden conventional cigarettes.

A recent grant has allowed a Charlottesville HIV/AIDS advocacy group to expand its efforts to provide care to impacted inmates in Virginia prisons.

The AIDS/HIV Services Group in Charlottesville has been working for the past 25 years to increase awareness for HIV and AIDS and to help those affected to live healthier and more stable lives.

ASG originated as a volunteer-based non-profit that worked to help those affected

by HIV to die with dignity. Today, with technological advances at the Center of Disease Control and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, ASG is able to provide a professional staff to assist with medical, social and mental quality of life issues. With $25,000 of increased funding from Viiv, a global health care company, ASG plans to expand

its efforts to prisons, helping inmates who are affected by HIV smoothly reintegrate into society.

“Living with HIV compounds all of the problems that average inmates would have,” ASG Chief Executive Officer Peter DeMartino said.

With the grant funding, ASG will be able to provide a professional staff to test prisoners for HIV while also assisting the affected inmates in setting up health care plans and appointments, obtaining employment, accessing housing and transportation and receiving mental health care — a particularly important aspect of reintegration into society, especially for inmates affected by HIV. Incarceration can already foster depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, all of which would only be compounded by HIV positive status.

“It’s important that we provide the important support that they need,” DeMartino said.

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NEWS Virginia law still victimizes LGBTQ groups Continued from page 3 ordinance that would provide couples’ benefits for same-sex city employees. And last week, Council also endorsed the Pride Festival by officially proclaiming September 14 as ‘Pride Festival Day.’ But the past year has also been marked by several difficulties for Charlottesville’s LGBTQ communities. A day after Charlottesville’s proclamation endorsing the festival, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors considered a similar resolution, but the motion failed. And last year, a gay University student was physically assaulted in a sus-

pected hate crime. The assailant has still not been identified.

“A lot of people in Charlottesville think of the city as a liberal mecca, [and] when you compare it to a lot of Virginia, it is,” Marshall said. “But that doesn’t mean there are legal protections here more than anywhere else in the state.”

Marshall said Virginia law still lacks many protections for LGBTQ individuals.

“You can still be fired in Virginia for being gay,” Marshall said. “There’s no law to protect you from losing your children, and I know people that’s happened to. You can be turned away from housing and you still get beat up and bullied in school.”

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Worth the ‘try’

Development Manager Erin Kennedy.

Women’s rugby is hitting its stride in America. Yet for many people — even here at the University — playing it still qualifies “Well-behaved women sel- as peculiar female behavior. dom make history.” Scrawled “It’s always someacross the pop-up thing that defines me that welcomed visiat U.Va., because it’s tors to the USA Rugsuch a weird thing by website last week, that I do,” said Kristen Laurel Thatcher UlMusselman, a thirdrich’s famous words year on Virginia’s emphasized the scene women’s rugby team. surrounding them: a “In other groups I’m woman, rugby ball in involved in, I’m just hand, striving for a known as the rugby “try.” player.”

A woman, defyFRITZ METZINGER An easy conversion SPORTS EDITOR ing proper decorum, Kennedy interif you accept the ad’s acts primarily with implication. high-school age and According to a 2010 study younger boys and girls, helping from the Sports & Fitness Indus- the sport gain a foothold in the try Association, rugby trails only crowded carousel of youth sports softball and ice hockey as the offerings. These young athletes United States’ fastest-growing have yet to encounter the incensports. Women have accounted diary world of modern college for a hefty share of that expo- discourse, where contemplating nential development, with USA and discussing multi-layered isRugby — the game’s governing sues such as gender norms bebody in America — reporting comes a part of the quotidian in more than 20,000 registered fe- our everlasting quest to sound male members. very smart and very moral. Thus After a 91-year absence, rugby the resistance to women’s rugby will return to the 2016 Olympic that has confronted Kennedy in Games in Rio De Janeiro in the her work represents the lingering “sevens” format — in both men’s issue confronting women’s rugby and women’s classifications. at its purest. Simply, most people Meanwhile, the U.S. Women’s think rugby necessitates mascuNational Team claimed the first linity. ever World Cup in 1991 and has “There is an underlying asremained a staple in the top five sumption that rugby is for boys,” of the world rankings ever since. Kennedy said. “And a lot of times For Virginia’s rugby club, a when we do that outreach, a lot perennial juggernaut that was of boys programs pop up, and ranked ninth nationally at the not as many girls programs pop conclusion of last season by Rug- up just automatically.” byMag.com, full NCAA memSo how are Kennedy and USA bership may await in the next Rugby successfully attracting decade, according to USA Youth women to the sport?

sports

Much of their effectiveness owes to the intrinsic qualities of the sport itself. For one thing, it caters to women of all body types and athletic predilections — forwards require strength and physicality, backs speed and elusiveness.

It also benefits from what could be crudely deemed a “hipster” effect. For Musselman, a soccer player and distance runner in high school, the chance to break from the mold and explore an uncommon sport has proved exhilarating.

“It’s such a rarely played sport that, to me, it’s this essence of adventure on my part of always learning something new about the sport [that excites me],” Musselman said.

Perhaps the most potent enticement for girls to play rugby lies in how closely it mirrors the men’s game. In contrast to sports such as basketball and lacrosse, which establish gender-specific rules and regulations, women’s rugby is virtually identical to the male game: same size ball, same scoring system, same field dimensions, same game duration.

Kennedy believes that consistency between genders has played an integral role in building women’s rugby from obscure niche sport to budding phenomenon in the United States.

“It’s completely equal,” Kennedy said. “I think that’s a huge selling point.”

Besides, as Musselman points out, women’s rugby can actually afford players a certain social prestige.

“A lot of people tell me it’s very badass to play rugby,” she said.

Worth the try Still, the perceived conflict between the kind of qualities expected of an athlete in a “macho”

sport and the qualities usually associated with femininity shapes how people see women’s rugby. It prompts the question of whether girls should be plunging into a sport liable to earn them funny looks — or worse.

Both Kennedy and Musselman answered that query with a resounding “yes.”

“Rugby is definitely a sport that has a lot of those great qualities ingrained in it at the basic level,” Kennedy said. “So when we get involved in rugby, you’re working on a team, you have to be a leader on the field, you’re building those confidence and leadership skills. It’s very similar to girls in any sport.”

Like athletes in any sport, however, the women’s rugby players also like to point to the qualities unique to their sport — sometimes, that can mean considering the way their athleticism and love of rugby challenges gender norms.“I think we definitely are proud of ourselves that we can surpass the level of women’s roles,” Musselman said, “This is a total counter-action to that role that we’re supposed to have.

Melting away The Cavalier Daily reached out to Virginia women’s rugby coach Nancy Kechner for this story. Kechner took offense to the interview request and declined to comment.

Kechner’s protectiveness reflects the exasperation of many club teams — and even many of the less ballyhooed varsity squads — with what media outlets choose to cover. It also speaks to a frustration unique to women’s rugby. By choosing to explore women’s rugby in the context of sexuality and genderrelated issues, the sport is inherently being covered in a different

context from the majority of this section’s work. The type of coverage itself could implicitly label women’s rugby as abnormal behavior.

Musselman acknowledged that the conflation of traditional “masculine” values with female athletes places an undue preoccupation on gender identity and on the presence of gay women in the sport.

“That’s just not something that fits into a social norm kind of a scale,” Musselman said. “And so at least on my part, dressing femininely and playing rugby is this weird counteraction that I at least have to my personality.”

When asked if the team discusses these issues regularly, however, Musselman shook her head. While aware of an undercurrent of gender-related angst surrounding the sport, the club members play because they enjoy the game and each other, she explains. For her, women’s rugby serves as an avenue to personal fulfillment more than social crusading.

Ultimately, the game resonates with the girls because of what links it to other sports, not what distinguishes it. Women’s rugby players yearn for those moments of bliss familiar to any athlete in any sport, male or female. Those moments when the outside world melts away with the opening whistle, when only triumph and the people striving for it on the field matter. In other words, moments when athletes get to behave exactly as they should.

“Sometimes you get dirty, sometimes you get bruised, but in the end, you’re still a girl and just tough and you’re a leader and on the field and doing something awesome,” Kennedy said.

Cavs extend undefeated year No. 5 Field Hockey shuts out Maine, Vermont; captures Catamount Classic title Matthew Comey Associate Sports Editor

The No. 5 Virginia field hockey team captured two shutout wins this weekend at the Catamount Field Hockey Classic, keeping its undefeated season intact and winning the tournament’s title. The Cavaliers defeated Maine 2-0 Saturday and Vermont 7-0 Sunday.

Virginia (7-0) outshot its opponents 59-14 on the weekend with three different players scoring multiple goals — senior forward Elly Buckley and freshmen forwards Lucy Hyams and Riley Tata.

Junior goalkeeper Jenny Johnstone recorded both wins, playing two complete games and compiling

five saves.

The Cavaliers opened the weekend with a tight win against the Black Bears (3-4). Virginia got on the board just two minutes into the game off a Maine own-goal, but neither team scored on the opposing net until the game’s final minute. Hyams tallied the lone goal off a Cavalier stick, scoring on an unassisted strike with 38 seconds remaining.

While only one Virginia player found the back of the net Saturday, five different Cavaliers scored goals Sunday against the Catamounts (0-6). Junior back Kelsey LeBlanc started the Cavalier onslaught with a goal off a rebounded penalty corner 20 minutes into the game. Three minutes later, LeB-

lanc found Tata for her fourth goal of the year. Buckley then scored back-to-back unassisted goals to bring the Cavalier lead to 4-0 going into the half.

Hyams got things going for the Cavaliers out of the break with her second goal of the weekend. Later in the period, sophomore forward Taylor Brown scored her first goal of the year on a Buckley assist, and Tata scored the final goal of the game — her fifth of the season — just minutes later.

Buckley, Johnstone and senior backs Chloe Pendlebury and Katie Robinson were named to the AllTournament team.

Virginia will next take the field when it hosts No. 1 North Carolina Friday.

Kelsey Grant | The Cavalier Daily

Freshman forward Lucy Hyams scored the Cavaliers’ lone offensive goal against Maine on Saturday in a 2-0 victory that featured a Black Bear own goal. She tallied a second goal Sunday against Vermont.

SPORTS

Monday, September 16, 2013

13

Virginia’s late-game rally falls just short Men’s soccer stays winless in ACC play with loss to No. 15 Wake Forest in Winston Salem showdown Matthew Morris Associate Sports Editor

The Virginia men’s soccer team turned what could have been an unequivocal and demoralizing setback against a conference foe into an uplifting, albeit incomplete comeback against No. 15 Wake Forest in Winston Salem, N.C. Friday. Ultimately, a threegoal deficit proved too much for the Cavaliers to overcome as their furious late-game rally came up short in a 3-2 loss.

Virginia (1-3-0, 0-2-0 ACC) fell behind 3-0 by the game’s 55th minute against Wake Forest (31-0, 2-0-0 ACC), but came alive late, scoring two goals in the final seven minutes. Prior to those tallies, the Demon Deacons had not allowed a goal since a 1-0 seasonopening loss to Coastal Carolina

Aug. 30. For much of Friday night, it looked like a foregone conclusion that Wake Forest would notch its third consecutive shutout.

Junior midfielder Eric Bird scored Virginia’s first goal in the 84th minute and junior Bryan Lima followed suit in the 89th minute. A reserve midfielder, Lima scored his first goal since his opening season with the Cavaliers in 2010. LiMarshall Bronfin | The Cavalier Daily ma’s tally brought his team midfielder Eric Bird put Virginia on the board with his goal in the 84th minute. The Cavaliers went down 3-0 before answering with two late goals to bring within one, but Virginia Junior the game within one score. was unable to fully extricate itself from a deficit goalkeeper Jeff Gal. When junior utes. more midfielder Jordan Poarch almost two halves in the making. forward Sean Okoli scored 10 Bird and freshman midfielder started for the first time in 2013.

The Demon Deacons went to minutes into the second half, Vir- Jordan Allen each had one asVirginia will next face George work on the Virginia defense in ginia appeared cooked. sist for Virginia. Junior defender Mason and conference foe NC the first half as senior forward Virginia, however, continued Matt Brown and junior midfield- State next Tuesday and Friday, Luca Gimenez and sophomore to attack, firing off 12 second- er-forward Kyle McCord made respectively. Both games are midfielder-forward Michael half shots to Wake Forest’s four to their first appearances of the year, scheduled for 7 p.m. at Klöckner Gamble beat Cavalier sophomore trim the deficit in the final min- coming off the bench, and sopho- Stadium.

U.Va. suffers winless weekend in Kentucky Volleyball drops matches to No. 21 Western Kentucky, UNLV, Ohio State; team falls to 4-5 after starting 3-0 Peter Nance

Associate Sports Editor

Courtesy Virginia Athletics

Junior Mallory Woolridge, who missed all last season due to injury, earned a spot on the Western Kentucky Invitational All-Tournament Team. She recorded 15 blocks and 29 kills on the weekend.

The Virginia volleyball team competed in the Western Kentucky Invitational this weekend, falling to No. 21 Western Kentucky Friday and to UNLV and Ohio Saturday.

In their opening match, the Cavaliers (4-5) took on the host Hilltoppers (7-4). Virginia split the first two sets, falling 25-23 and winning 18-25, but Western Kentucky took the final two 25-19, 25-19 to win the match 3-1. Sophomore Lauren Fuller put up a double-double with 48 assists and 13 digs.

Virginia was once again defeated by a 3-1 margin in Saturday’s first match, falling to the Rebels (45) by the scores of 18-25, 25-19, 2523 26-24. Junior Tori Janowski tallied 21 kills — her third match this season with at least 20.

The last match of the weekend saw the Cavaliers jump out to a 2-0 lead against the Bobcats (8-1), taking the first two sets 13-25 and 2225. But Ohio bounced back to take the final three 25-21, 25-14, and 15-11 to win the match 3-2. Freshman Haley Kole led Virginia with 19 kills in the match.

Junior Mallory Woolridge played perhaps her best weekend of the season in the losing efforts, earning a spot on the All-Tournament Team. She recorded 15 blocks and 29 kills with a .393 hitting percentage, and her seven blocks against Ohio were a season high.

Woolridge has returned to being a key contributor after missing all of last season with a shoulder injury.

Virginia returns to action next weekend at home in the Cavalier Classic. The team will host Seton Hall, Columbia and William & Mary.

The Cavalier Daily

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

ONE ARTIST, ONE STAGE, ONE GUITAR Pop-country star Taylor Swift, singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran shine brightest during show’s simplest moments Katie Cole

Arts & Entertainment Editor

Sprinkled throughout the crowd of 14,000 screaming Taylor Swift fans were illuminated signs covered in various combinations of glitter, Christmas lights and beloved lyrics. While some college students may have felt a little too old among the predominantly preteen crowd, they could find some solace in the woman with a homemade shirt imprinted, “I may be 42, but I feel 22.”

This is just a glimpse into the enchanting atmosphere Taylor Swift brought to John Paul Jones Arena Saturday night after selling out the venue and being deemed the highest grossing country artist to ever play in the stadium. Though the spotlight on Swift was overwhelmingly bright, she was not the only shining star on the stage. Her opening acts Casey James, from American Idol’s Season 9, and Ed Sheeran, up-andcoming English singer-songwriter, outperformed the Grammy award-winning country-pop artist, at least on certain levels.

James jumped on stage first with a type of boundless energy not always present in an opening act. James succeeded in setting the tone of the show with spunk and heart as he smoothly moved along the stage — contagious smile wide as can be — and instructed the audience to come on the journey with him. As he sang “Crying on A Suitcase” with cell phones and glowsticks in the audience swaying, it became clear that this little-known American rockcountry singer could become the next big thing. Keep your eyes peeled.

Ed Sheeran, on the other hand, needs no introduction. After his hits “A-Team” and “Lego House” took radio stations by storm, few would not be able to recognize the lyrics he crooned over the JPJ sound system in only a dark green t-shirt, jeans, tennis shoes and a guitar. Despite his massive hits grabbing most of the attention, I found Sheeran’s lesser-known songs the most tantalizing. Once he starting beatboxing and chiming off fast lyrics — which I hesitate to call rap because it was far too appealing to the ear — few could keep up with the sing-along. Later in the set he encouraged the fans to sing — or for the tone deaf among us, chant — along to “Be My Husband” singing, “Oh Daddy, now now, love me good.” I suggest you check him

out — whenever one guy with just one guitar can briefly turn one stage into my whole world, I know I’m witnessing musical greatness.

Following Sheeran’s mastery, Taylor Swift literally took over the entire stadium, using all the space that Sheeran left empty to fill with her fantastic props, dancers and show stunts. Swift set the scene with the first track from her new album, “State of Grace,” giving the audience the overarching theme of her entire body of her work as she sang, “This is a state of grace/This is the worthwhile fight/Love is a ruthless game/ Unless you play it good and right.” For Swift, love is a game and her songs are expressions of whether she wins or loses.

The theatrics of the performance, however, were on par with the musical and lyrical performance. Everything I’ve ever heard about a Taylor Swift concert is true — she loves being on stage, being looked at and admired for her music, but she is also whimsical, fun and, despite all the hype, a talented musician and performer.

The show’s “Red” theme kept the mood bright and bold as she sang the title’s namesake in her sparkling red, Wizard of Oz inspired shoes. The atmosphere extended to her dancers as they performed their first stunt, flying in the air on blinking red drums

Marshall Bronfin | The Cavalier Daily

during the ironic, “Holy Ground” (get it – they weren’t on the “ground”). Swift soon returned to her roots, however, coming back to earth for an oldie but goodie, “You Belong with Me,” returning memories of the young girl who once opened for Rascal Flatts. Watching Swift sit and sing her heartaching ballad “Last Kiss” front and center on a three-legged stool brought back other memories of sitting in my room listening to the honest words of Swift’s, as she called it, “musical diary.” In these, albeit rare, moments of Swift stripped raw to her emotions, it’s easy to remember how this star came to be — literally through the “Teardrops on [Her] Guitar,” which, sadly, was not on the set list.

But Swift simply could not help ending her show without an over-the-top circus theme performance. As the shrill lines of “We are Never Ever Getting Back Together” blared from the speakers, Swift’s journey could be viewed in a new light. She is still the girl who writes from her heart, but just has a different vision of herself these days — a dancing, flashy, contemporary artist.

Whether you like this direction is up to you, but it is inspiring to watch her as she digs into her true country roots. I will always admire that girl with a sweet disposition, a desire for true love and a guitar by her side.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Transitions Punk community embraces Laura Jane Grace, Against Me!’s future releases James Cassar Arts & Entertainment Associate Editor

Monday, September 16, 2013 Progressive thought has always been at the nucleus of punk music. Who could forget the angstridden politics of Fugazi or the social change Rise Against would engineer through blistering beats during their early career? For this writer, who moonlights as a punkrock history book, it’s obvious that groups like these laid the groundwork for the genre’s most prolific humanitarian attitudes. Whether it’s the Hostage Calm fan that shows up in the mosh pit wearing a shirt that proudly broadcasts “I Support Same S e x

Marriage” or Against Me!’s grapple with gender identity — the focus of this article — punk’s unrelenting acceptance of all who enter the scene is the genre’s most noble characteristic.

Gainesville, Fla. punk band Against Me! was formed in 1997 by vocalist/guitarist Laura Jane Grace (formerly known as Tom Gabel) as an acoustic project that blossomed into a full band by 2002. Gaining steam in the underground punk-rock scene for their unbridled political energy, Against Me! signed to Fat Wreck

Chords, a record label founded by a bona fide punk prodigy, NOFX bassist Fat Mike.

Despite the acclaim the band began to receive, Grace still wrestled with the gender dysphoria that plagued her upbringing. In a scene predominantly saturated by male voices, she felt typecast into a role that didn’t reflect her true self. Nevertheless, the band would find major-label success with 2007’s “New Wave,” a record that included a track with fellow lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender supporter Sara Quin of the indie-acoustic duo Tegan & Sara. Spin and Rolling Stone, two prominent music magazines, would name the album, propelled by the excellent single “Thrash Unreal”, one of the best of the year.

There were veiled hints of Grace’s battle with her gender identity on the lyric sheet of “The Ocean”: If I could have chosen / I would have been born a woman.

Despite this obvious

15

nod to Grace’s identity, the rest of the band and Sire Records, the band’s label at the time, shrugged it off as an exercise in artistic license.

The band would go on to record the lukewarm alternative-rock record “White Crosses” in 2011, a year before Laura Jane Grace revealed her decision to undergo hormone replacement therapy. In May of that year, Against Me! began issuing promo flyers with “Laura Jane Grace” displayed prominently above the band’s name. Rolling Stone’s coverage of the band sharply increased, and support of the singer’s transition made waves across all corners of the music industry. The news also garnered accolades from the outspoken professional wrestler CM Punk and the president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

Earlier this year, Grace and the band released the digital EP “True Trans,” which embraced an unplugged, folk-punk direction that hearkened back to the group’s early tracks. The band plans to release a full-length, ambitious concept album “Transgender Dysphoria Blues,” later this year.

Although thematically different from the political cynicism explored with previous material, nothing could be more punk-rock than staying true to your roots — even if they stray far from what you were born into.

Photo courtesy of The Key

Kinkiest Couple of the Year?

Catherine Jessee Arts & Entertainment Senior Writer

The entertainment world is currently scrambling to establish opinions on the actor and actress chosen to play world’s kinkiest couple.

For months, weekly gossip magazines have published fine efforts to predict the sexy couple, though fruitlessly.

No, our Christian Grey will not be Ryan Reynolds. No, our Christian Grey will not be Taylor Lautner or Andrew Garfield.

No, surprisingly, our Christian Grey will not even be one of those relatively known actors universally acknowledged as good looking.

Instead, our Christian is Charlie Hunnam, a British actor who starred in the British television series “Queer as Folk.” Dakota Johnson, who was “Kate” in Fox’s short-running “Ben and Kate,” will costar as the fabulously diffident Anastasia Steele. Few Americans recognize Hunnam,

mostly because he’s a British quality — being sexy and tacistar. Even fewer recognize John- turn. If it satisfied in the trilogy, son, probably because “Ben and why would it not satisfy on the Kate” was one of those single- big screen? Robert Pattinson camera shows that fell short just employed the same seductive as television was getting good mysteriousness for his role Edagain. ward Cullen in the In the triloTwilight movies, gy, Grey’s charand they did just acter-defining fine. and least-conAs for Johnvincing strugson as Anastasia gle is loving Steele, she at least Anastasia and has more variety controlling his in facial expreskinky appetite. sion than KrisWhen Anastaten Stewart. But sia expresses I remain unconsome, but not vinced she will be complete inclumsy enough. terest, it only And it’s sad to throws Grey think that when into more conJohnson bites her fusion. lip à la Anastasia, How Hunshe will not conPhoto courtesy of Vox Magazine nam portrays vincingly entice this inner Christian But-Istruggle will either make or just-can’t-control-myself Grey. break his role. Unfortunately, But I am forever hopeful that Hunnam already has the lit- Johnson makes Anastasia seem erature working against him; as smart as the book suggests. not even E L James could make When Anastasia lands a smallChristian Grey’s struggle com- press editorship under the ompelling. Failing that, Hunnam’s nipresent hand of Grey, maybe chief responsibility is to master Johnson will surmise a tone Grey’s only truly captivating that is convincingly outraged.

Fans consider casting choices for ‘Fifty Shades’ movie adaptation Where the book failed, perhaps the movie will repair — though that seems almost the exact opposite of what the general book-to-movie transition does.

The greatest struggle will be when Hunnam must portray an emotional Grey who reveals his kinks to Anastasia. He will have to tread a delicate line between being sexy and creepy. In the book, Grey can be creepy — Grey is creepy. He buys Anastasia particular clothes, he makes her stay at home and it’s hard for him to see her happy with other people who are not him. In the book, people notice.

Anastasia’s best friend constantly comments, “He’s weird.”

But can Hunnam be weird? In almost every paparazzi picture and Google image, Charlie Hunnam is smiley and beaming. Christian Grey smiles about once in the whole trilogy. And that, sums it up. You can’t cast sunshine-bright characters for a ‘grey’ plot.

Like t anniv

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life

Queens

A look at U.Va.’s small, but vibrant, drag scene

Photos courtesy Alison Jensen

Jessica Crystal and Allie Jensen Life Staff Writers

After a tiring Thursday packed with classes, a Queer Students Union meeting and homework, third-year College student Jomar Figueroa and second-year College student Connor Roessler had one last important task: prep. There was makeup to buy, routines to choreograph and shaving to do. The reason? Friday night’s Drag Bingo, a fundraiser regularly hosted by the AIDS Services Group in Charlottesville.

Drag is characterized by an individual dressing and performing as an entertainer of the opposite gender — most often men performing as a woman, or a series of women, though women can dress as drag kings as well. Though drag is often confused with transvestism — as both include switching gender roles — drag is primarily viewed as a form of artistic expression. “[Drag has] always been a weird fascination,” said Figueroa, a QSU co-president. “I made my debut in the spring semester [of my first year] and I’ve been doing it ever since.

There’s a weird sort of sisterhood between [the drag queens] — it’s almost like a pseudo family.”

Although Figueroa and Roessler — QSU’s social chair — love the

creativity involved with performing, preparing for a drag show is no easy feat. The week before is filled with pre-planning, which includes music selection, as well as costume, hair and makeup design. Other crucial steps include shaving and gluing down eyebrows to get ready for heavy makeup.

Drag shows are also costly. Wo Chan, a drag performer who graduated from the University in 2013, works a day job at Sephora in New York to cover the costs. In the evenings, he transforms into “Pearl Harbor,” his drag persona.

“Drag is really expensive,” Chan said. “I’m wearing a $40 dress, $30 shoes and a $50 wig, in addition to three pairs of tights, the spanx, the girdle, the makeup and three pieces of jewelry, [which cost] $20 each.

You’re walking around with $500 worth of merchandise on your body.”

A drag show is made up of numerous parts, giving queens the ability to personalize their costumes, makeup and routines, all while taking inspiration from famous artists, writers and musicians. Roessler, Figueroa and Chan plan out their music, choose their outfits and do their own makeup. While Figueroa choreographs certain numbers, Roessler completely freestyles and performs more acrobatic moves.

“I love the creativity to do whatever I want to do,” Roessler said. “I love to take what other people have made and apply that to myself. It’s also really [nice] to be the center of attention for a little bit.”

For Chan, the stage is home — a place where he feels unconditional acceptance.

“I love performing,” Chan said.

“The energy and the feel from the crowd is so distinct and so defining of the LGBT scene. [There is] so much positive energy and so much acceptance.”

Roessler, Figueroa and Chan were introduced to older queens through QSU, who later helped them get involved in drag. Three queens integral to the local drag community graduated from the University last spring.

“The QSU scene was really my incubator when it came to drag,” Chan said. “I had my biggest performances at Drag Bingo in front of 300 to 500 people. As a gay man, [that was] where all my friends were. QSU has been my home.”

The three have found their peers to be mostly accepting of their roles, although they have grown closest to their fellow members of QSU. “You’ll always have pockets of people who are not as accepting as others, but, as a whole, I haven’t experienced too much hate in the U.Va community,” Figueroa said.

LIFE

Monday, September 16, 2013

17

Living in a traditional world Miller Center hosts annual secrets, traditions event discussing University’s historical underpinnings

Feature Writers

The word “tradition” is one that carries a lot of weight at this University. Students hear about it time and time again, from the beginning of orientation to the

day of graduation. At a school with almost 200 years of history, many traditions have come and gone, while others have lasted through the ages.

Friday The Jefferson Society cosponsored The Miller Center’s fourth annual Secrets and Traditions event, where students and alumni gathered to hear Jefferson Trust Director Wayne Cozart speak about secret societies and the honor system among other topics.

“We learn something new every time we go (to the Secrets and Traditions event),” said class of 1961 alumnus John Wright.

One tradition that consistently leaves both students and alumni baffled is the prevalence of secret societies at the University. These societies have been around for over 100 years, the Z society being the oldest, founded in 1892.

Secret Societies

than

do more

mystify during the night hours and leave envelopes hidden under chairs — they contribute to the University through philanthropic donations and encouraging students

Photos courtesy Kelly Seegers

to play active roles in their communities.

“They sort of keep their finger on the pulse of the University to make sure that everything is going well and that it’s a good experience,” Howard said.

A particularly exciting night each year in the realm of secret

ety still hosts a black tie formal in the dome of the Rotunda on Founder’s Day, but not to the same level of grandeur.

Another tradition that has faded with time, to the dismay of our alcohol-fond students, is Easter’s, which was a huge party held in Mad Bowl every spring. Additionally, while the University still maintain this tradition Some traditions are so ingrained that you don’t our home realize that you’re really embodying it and living it at football games, every day. wearing coats and ties to class was once societies is that of April 13th — the norm.

Founder’s Day, or Thomas JefThough many of these tradiferson’s birthday. The Sons and tions revolve around specific Daughters of Liberty, another events, there are plenty of trasecret society, performs a ritual ditions within the University on the Lawn and post a list of that are present in everyday “Rebels and Tyrants” on the life. doors of the Rotunda, honor“I would say any time you ing some students and teasing even visit the Lawn or visit others. the Amphitheater and really Founder’s Day used to be take the time to appreciate an even larger tradition, and it, that is acknowledging before the days of fraternities tradition,” third-year Color athletic events the Jefferson Society would throw a large ball that was attended by nearly everyone at the University, Howard said. To this day, the Jefferson Soci-

“

Kelly Seegers, Margaret Mason and Darby Witherspoon

lege student Hannah Bondurant said.

The idea of student self-governance was a founding principle the the University, and each time students write the honor pledge on an assignment or leave their computer in the library unattended, they are participating in the tradition of honor. Even Z Society members, when asked if they are a member of the society, do not lie; they are required to walk away in accordance with the honor code.

While even the honor system has developed with time, the values behind tradition remain the same. Mr. Jefferson’s University remains a place that values honesty, lifelong learning and hard work. Whether students hon-

or those values through participating in the honor system, wearing a coat and tie to class, or streaking the lawn, we will always remain the backbone of the University.

“Some traditions are so ingrained that you don’t realize that you’re really embodying it and living it every day,” said fourth-year College student Graham Egan, “Obviously Honor is one of the biggest ones — we make that pledge on Convocation before classes, and I think you see that played out so often in how students behave, how they act.”

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LIFE

The Cavalier Daily

LOVE CONNECTION

Third-year College student still can’t tell his kids how he met their mother Name: Gabriel Year: Third School: College Major: Foreign Affairs and Economics Sexual orientation: Straight U.Va. involvement: Burke Society, President of Virginia East Asia Society Hometown: Madbury, N.H. Ideal date (physical attributes and personality): Athletic, vivacious, intelligent and self-motivated.

Ideal date (activity): Dinner — I’ll propose Italian, but it’s her choice, of course — and a meandering walk back through Grounds, shadowed by serenading violinists.

Celebrity crush: Uma Thurman.

Deal breakers: Smoker or overweight.

Describe a typical weekend: Watching movies or going out with friends on Friday, sleeping in on Saturday, then running, reading and meeting with old friends for the rest of the weekend.

Hobbies: Running, learning languages and philosophy and finding free food.

If your dating life were a primetime or reality show, what would it be? I would be Ted Mosby from “How I Met Your Mother.”

Have you ever streaked the Lawn? Plenty of times.

What makes you a good catch? It’s okay to brag! Athletic (former varsity athlete), bright (double major and can speak four languages) and super attractive (coffeecolored skin, well-dressed, and did I mention a six-pack?).

Describe yourself in one sentence: If you never try, you’ll never know.

Gabriel and Nicole met at the Rotunda on Friday night at 7 p.m. and went to Crozet Pizza.

Gabriel: A bunch of my friends were in Club Clem and were really bored. [We thought] Love Connection would be something fun to talk about, so I signed up.

Nicole: I wanted to find love. I was lonely.

Gabriel: I wasn't that surprised when I was chosen. I told some friends and we were debating the merits of whether or not you could employ the lemon law or not [Editor’s note: This is a “How I Met Your Mother” reference that states that bailing on a blind date within the first 5 minutes is acceptable — no questions asked].

Nicole: I was excited and shocked. I told a lot of people. They were super excited. My roommate was so excited. She wanted to come. She said to text if it was really bad for her to come save me.

Gabriel: Anyone who's adventurous enough to go on a blind date would probably be a good blind date!

Nicole: I hadn’t been on a blind date before. I do have a Christian Mingle account, though, so I'm hopeful.

My expectations were very high — I was really hoping to find love.

Gabriel: She was the only one standing alone so I went up to her and asked if she was there for the Cava-

Name: Nicole Year: Second School: Architecture School Major: Architecture Sexual orientation: Heterosexual U.Va. involvement: Association Council, Zeta Tau Alpha, Outdoors Club, Catholic Student Ministry, Architecture Brigades Hometown: McLean, Va. Ideal date (physical attributes and personality): Flawless — homeless, skinny, Brazilian, dreadlocks, can sing, struggling artist Ideal date (activity): Being sung to, eating free food If you could date any celebrity, who would it be? Jared from Subway Deal breakers? Short Describe a typical weekend: Chillin’ at Club Dunkin, sleeping, raging, watching “Avatar: the Last Airbender” Hobbies: Eating If your dating life were a primetime or reality show, what would it be?

“Toddlers and Tiaras” Have you ever streaked the Lawn?

No, but I’ve mowed the lawn.

What makes you a good catch? It’s okay to brag!: I can fish.

Describe yourself in one sentence: Zipporah needs her Moses.

lier Daily blind date. We decided we'd go towards the Corner. She suggested Crozet Pizza, which I hadn't been to. The pizza was really good.

Nicole: I sat there. I was wearing white pants and I was nervous they were going to get dirty from the dirt on the steps. I was also playing Candy Crush for a bit on my phone. He was tall and holding a water bottle, so [my first impression was] he was super prepared and hydrated.

Nicole: It was interesting. It was fun, friendly — he was a fun, cool guy. He talked a lot for a guy, but it was pretty balanced conversation-wise. It wasn’t really awkward.

Gabriel: There was not really much flirting going on.

More of a friend vibe.

Nicole: I was trying to flirt real hard — doing all my classy flirty things — and there wasn't any response.

Gabriel: She was close, but not exactly my type. She's in a sorority and I'm not big on the frat scene. We had a few things in common — we were both mixed race, so we had to guess each other's nationalities. It was fun but difficult.

Gabriel: We split the cost of the meal. One of her best friends was having a birthday party, so she went there and I went to hang out with people at my house. We didn't exchange numbers or say anything about future plans, but I'd certainly say hi if I saw her around.

Nicole: I usually like guys with dreadlocks, piercings or tattoos, and he didn't really have that. He was dressed nicely.

Nicole: I would go out with him again if he ever gets over Emily Richards [Editor’s note: this is a reference to his sort-of-ex]. The romantic connection was very one-sided on my part. I proposed but I'm still waiting for a response. He's not in the right place yet. He has to work more before he settles down. He has to find himself on Wall Street.

Gabriel: She said she was in the A-School and I like architecture so we talked about that a bit. We discussed after-college plans. We discussed our family.

Nicole: We talked about architecture a lot because he's into that. We also talked about languages because he’s studied a couple languages. When the train passed I could not concentrate at all, so I was just watching the train for 15 minutes. It was weird.

Gabriel: We did not have much [in common].

Gabriel: I’d rate the date an 8.5. No flirting or anything, but it was a good date. We both had good sense of humor. A good date, but nothing special.

Nicole: He deserves an infinity [rating], but Zipporah is still looking for her Moses with dreads.

-compiled by Alexander Stock

LIFE

Monday, September 16, 2013

17

What drives my male counterparts Ramblings in the arena of sex from a single twenty-something As a Life columnist, I have a litOn top of all that, I am an Engtle more leeway with my language, lish major. Conditioned to nomy assumptions and my stories tice — and then analyze — every than I did as a News minute detail, break in writer because all speech, one-worded reviews are only mine. sponse and blank stare, So take my opinions I’m naturally an overwith a grain of salt thinker. That’s a consid— but only a grain, eration by your stanseeing as I’ve been dards, mind you, because at this University I believe that everything for more than three should be thought out to years now and am a this extent. social and involved I believe everything person. In short, I a person does can be Valerie Clemens know a lot of people, traced back to some asLIFE COLUMNIST and a lot of what pect of who they are. goes on.

This mélange of the I’m also a jouraforementioned traits nalist — of sorts — which to me, leaves me in a constant whirlwind means that I’m extremely nosy. of interpretations, but as Freud I have quite the trained ear and would agree, we can consider sex have equipped it with an adept the foundation of all these interacability to listen to conversations tions, at least those between peers. around me while still focusing in Professors are out — hopefully. on my own. Even in my periphery, Anyway, the point to my prefI’m always watching those around ace up there was nothing more me, their interactions and their than to establish credibility when I expressions. say that there is a double standard

when it comes to dating. The way boys sometimes treat women at this University is deplorable and disrespectful, and frankly I can’t wait to enter the adult realm of dating, leaving my classless compadres in the dust for their older, more mature counterparts they can aspire to one day be.

I’ll back up a little.

Leave it up to your family to give you the real advice you don’t want to hear. Friends like to sugarcoat, hoping to alleviate your pain — or at least hoping to avoid your ire upon hearing more truth than you were equipped to hear. Family doesn’t give a damn.

My dad once told me, in a less euphemistic manner, that boys will have sex with anything that moves. Sex, he said, is all boys want.

Sometimes I feel like I’ve spent my whole adolescence trying to defy this disdainfully assuming and inappropriate generalization by finding someone I actually like, and likes me back. It works for pe-

riods of time, but every time my love-life is at a low point I burrow back down to it, finding every way to use my father’s words as a shield.

He wants to go get pizza? He wants sex. He hasn’t texted me back? It’s because I didn’t give him sex. He asked my friend for my number? Yes, but he only wants sex. He texted me at Trinity? He wants sex. It’s like the puzzle piece that fits into every divot, bend, squiggle, arch and corner. Try it; it really works!

I’ve had relations with my fair share of people, sprinkled with a few boyfriends here and there, but as a realistic, single-yet-happy, smart girl, I’m convinced this cliche holds more than a little truth.

To be honest, I can happily accept it. Call me pessimistic, but I have yet to meet a guy who’s ever argued against this conjecture.

If there were, I’d be interested to speak with him.

A few weeks ago, I spoke to my sister bemoaning particular treat-

ment I had been receiving from a guy I’d been eyeing. Her married, blasé-self, told me this with a blank stare, as if it were her indubitable, lifelong philosophy.

“Every guy is an asshole,” she said. “Every guy is an asshole until they meet that one girl that they suddenly don’t want to be an asshole to. And then they’re not an asshole anymore.”

Well, that doesn’t change the fact that all they want is sex. Now, they’ve just found someone they want to have sex with that they can put up with, connect personally with, and, biologically speaking, parent offspring with.

With family as my mostrevered source of life’s deepest truths — after all, I am the baby — I think I’ll always be trying to find where love falls between those two pieces of advice. They’re both true, but like any generalization; they’re both sweeping and malleable. There’s no puzzle piece that fits into my rough edges, but someday.

What happens in Charlottesville The sexual degeneracy of our generation From the beginning, the Uni- conclusion that I do not live in versity has had a bit of a problem New York City, do not date my with sex. Like everything great way through the week and defiabout this beautiful nitely do not make school, the story bemoney writing Anne-Marie Albracht enough gins with our old pal columns to buy ManoLIFE COLUMNIST TJ. Let’s face it, if he los. Not to mention couldn’t keep it in his the fact that there’s a pants the rest of us mere mortals much more valuable way I can were doomed from the start. use the rest of my 800 words.

I must admit I’m slightly conAs it stands, the University is flicted at this moment. Part of me ranked as the second best public would like to spend the entirety university, the 23rd best college of this column discussing the overall and — drumroll, please best pick up lines — “My phone — the 19th horniest school in is dead and I’m locked out. Can the nation. Not to mention the I sleep at your place?” — or the incredible honor of being named craziest sexcapades my friends the number one party school have shared. From adventures in the nation by Playboy — an on top of the Rotunda roof and evaluation which used students' Clark Library bathrooms to tales sex lives as one of the three main from within the Alderman stacks, criteria. Most horrifyingly, our the stories are legendary — not to hallowed Grounds were recently mention surprisingly academic. mentioned in a Washington Post But as much as I want to re- article that named us as one of lease my inner Carrie Bradshaw, the colleges making rape worse.

I have come to the unfortunate For the most part, we ignore

the issues posed by these statistics because thinking about them beyond surface level is both disturbing and incredibly defeating.

The Saturday date night of our parents' generation is now obsolete. Dating culture as a whole is pretty much obsolete. We’ve traded movie nights and dinner on the Downtown Mall for a rampant, hit-it-and-quit-it sex culture.

The expectation today is that if someone buys you a drink it’s not because they want to chat and get to know you. It's because they’d like to get to know your ass on the dance floor. Sleeping with someone may even be the most surefire way to ensure he or she will never call you again, or even look you in the eye. And let’s not even talk about the way this University treats rape survivors.

Let me be clear — I don’t think there’s anything wrong with sex.

I don’t think there’s anything

wrong with premarital sex. Everyone has sex — I’m pretty sure even Cav Man gets laid.

But the fact that 25 percent of college students have a sexually transmitted disease is an enormous problem. The fact that some guys I know have slept with more girls than I went to elementary school with is beyond problematic. It’s not about religion or prudishness — it’s about the fact that I’m not interested in being number 25 on a guy's laundry list.

And I’m definitely not interested in catching what girl number 15 gave him.

If you don’t think pop culture’s facing a major sexual crisis I will kindly direct you to the recent United Nations report that revealed one in four men confess to raping women for “fun” or out of a sense of "sexual entitlement.” Sex in the 21st century is an expectation, not a privilege.

And this is displayed everywhere

— TV shows, advertisements and every Thursday through Saturday night on Grounds.

You say, “Anne-Marie, what I do on my Tempur-Pedic is none of your business.”

Snap. I see your point. However, let me remind you my highachieving, ambitious peers of our friend, Anthony Weiner. Fifteen years later the number one auto fill for “Monica” on Google is still Lewinsky. Tiger Woods lost 23 million bucks in endorsements alone when he finally cleaned out the porn stars in his closet in 2009. Thomas Jefferson himself would probably love it if we could only strike Sally Hemings from his record.

As history has proven, the idea that “What happens in Charlottesville, stays in Charlottesville” has not — and will not — ever be true. Save karma the trouble of coming back to get you and stop screwing around now.

I’ve had

2

dream jobs

Both at PwC — Penelope Moreno Manager

Grow your own way. And my growth started right when I joined PwC. Quite a start— working with a global tech giant, and one of the top 10 clients at the firm. I learned a lot.

Those skills helped me grab an opening on a different part of their business. PwC is flexible that way. And when serious family matters need my attention, they’re flexible about that, too.

I’m fortunate. Two dream jobs. Without ever leaving PwC. pwc.com/campus

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