Thursday, September 22, 2016

VOL. 127, ISSUE 11

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

BUILT BY SLAVES How does U.Va. recognize its history? see U.VA. AND SLAVERY, page 5

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WHAT’S INSIDE BOV PICKS FIRM FOR SLAVE MEMORIAL PAGE 2

STUDENTS AGAINST TRUMP GROUP FORMS PAGE 3

CHECK OUT FOOTBALL STATS, EDITORS’ PICKS PAGE 7

LEAD EDITORIAL: ERAMO GETS RAW DEAL PAGE 9

SALMAN RUSHDIE COMES TO CVILLE PAGE 14

THE CAVALIER DAILY

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Firm chosen for memorial recognizing slaves Conceptual design to be ready by next June MADDY WEINGAST | SENIOR WRITER Plans to build a memorial commemorating the contributions of enslaved workers who built the University are moving forward after the Board of Visitors Buildings and Grounds Committee selected a firm to design the memorial at its September meeting.

“The selected team will conduct extensive engagement with U.Va. community and Charlottesville community to solicit ideas for the memorial’s form and location,” University Architect Alice Raucher said in an email statement. “Then [they] will draft some concepts to present for further dialogue before settling on specific design ideas.”

A joint selection committee comprised of the President’s Commission on Slavery at the University and the Office of the Architect recommended Boston-based Howeler and Yoon from a group of 15 firms that submitted letters of interest.

The memorial will be part of a series of efforts to recognize the contributions of enslaved people in the University’s history.

Following the 2007 General Assembly resolution of apology for Virginia’s role in slavery, the University’s Board of Visitors issued its own mirroring that of the state.

Further, the Board approved the installation of a slate plaque residing under the south terrace of the Rotunda to commemorate free and enslaved laborers.

Kirt von Daacke, co-chair of the President’s Commission on Slavery and the University, said the idea of something more substantial than a plaque, however, started with the students themselves.

“That was part of the reason President Sullivan ultimately put together the commission in 2013,” von Daacke said. “One of our tasks was to consider appropriate memorialization.”

Araba Dennis, chair of the Student Council diversity engagement committee and third-year College student, said a memorial is important because much of Jefferson’s architecture was designed around keeping slaves at the University.

“We are able to go to school on such a beautiful campus because enslaved laborers built it for us, and we owe it to them as students to honor them,” Dennis said in an

email statement.

Diana Wilson, third-year College student and chair of the Memorialization for Enslaved Laborers, said her organization aims to educate the student body about the University’s early past — namely its reliance on the institution of slavery — and how this history has colored the University’s past, present and future. “[The memorial] is so pertinent because it serves as a physical reminder that black lives matter and the injustices that the black community incurred in slavery and its ripple effect to today's injustices are being commemorated,” Wilson said.

In 2011 a competition took place for memorial design concepts. The competition was sponsored by MEL, in conjunction with Student Council, the Black Student Alliance and University and Community Action for Racial Equality.

Following the partnership’s continued efforts, the Office of the Vice President and Chief Officer for Diversity and Equity helped to form the President’s Commission on Slavery and the University.

“I think this memorial will bring awareness to students who are unaware or ignorant of U.Va.’s and Thomas Jefferson's complicated history. Additionally, and more importantly, it will honor those who literally gave their lives to give us the school we go to today,” Dennis said. “There is such a horrible cognitive dissonance that exists with U.Va. students where we don't have discussions about the legacy of African-Americans at this school, yet we walk on the bricks they hand made every single day.”

The commission will begin working on broad community engagement with faculty, staff and members of the Charlottesville community about what the memorial means to them, what it should look like and possible locations, von Daacke said.

One possible location for the memorial includes where the Berlin Wall exhibit currently stands, which was the original site of anatomical dissection of enslaved people, von Daacke said. Another candidate is the space between Pavilion 10 and the Washington statue. Be-

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One of several concepts submitted as part of a competition in 2011. The firm will solicit additional ideas from the community.

cause this location is neither connected to a garden or Lawn, it does not run into regulations involving the use of a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Although the commission gave location ideas to design consultants, von Daacke said the consultant is not limited by any means and are free to think more broadly. The commission intentionally did not designate a spot prior to having a dialogue.

“Once built, the memorial should invite the entire U.Va. community to reflect on this history and its legacy going forward,” Raucher said.

The goal of the memorial is to fully acknowledge the University’s debt to the lives and labor of the enslaved laborers who build the University.

“To fully do it justice we must acknowledge them in really powerful ways,” von Daacke said. “The way you signal your commitment to acknowledgement is finding ways to inscribe the history and lives of the enslaved back into the landscape.”

The acts of the commission — from naming Gibbons dorm, to creating an African-Americans at U.Va. walking tour map, to restoring the African American cemetery

— should be looked at as part of a much larger process of acknowledgement, von Daacke said. “[We want to] make sure slavery is woven into the story we tell about the history of the Rotunda, University and original Academical Village,” von Daacke said. “We’re not just talking about labor or bricks, we’re talking about hundreds of people who lived and worked here.

This is a human story.”

Raucher said the anticipated completion date for conceptual design is June 2017 and will be followed by fundraising efforts before working drawings and implementation can be completed.

www.cavalierdaily.com • NEWS

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

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Democratic Coalition Against Trump forms Group questions GOP nominee’s ability to serve as president ANKITA SATPATHY | ASSOCIATE EDITOR Just weeks after College Republicans voted to endorse Donald Trump, a new student group called the Democratic Coalition Against Trump has formed on Grounds. The group, established last week, is an extension of the Keep America Great Political Action Committee, which is dedicated to preventing Trump’s election as president of the United States.

“The coalition serves as the home of the grassroots anti-Trump movement for Democrats,” the Keep America Great website states. “It has chairs in all 50 states, comprised of Democratic elected officials, party chairs, delegates, grassroots leaders and activists.”

The coalition’s campus ambassador Adam Beddawi, a third-year

College student, said this is the student group’s goal on Grounds as well. The group will help people register to vote and spread information organizers believe is crucial to its message via canvassing, tabling and making phone calls.

“We want to be as fact-based and as tethered to reality as possible,” Beddawi said. “We’re not trying to smear Donald Trump as much as we’re trying to relay information to potential voters that we believe is crucial to their actual decision, because we believe, and the whole reason that this organization exists, is that when you look at the situation empirically, there is no other objective sort of conclusion you can make than that Donald Trump is unfit to be president.”

Beddawi said a large part of why he does not believe Trump is intellectually or politically fit to be president has to do with the president’s role as a representative of the country.

“I can’t imagine that … in terms of representing the country, speaking on behalf of what is actually a very diverse community of citizens, that this is the guy to represent America in terms of foreign relations and international diplomacy,” Baddawi said. “I don’t think that this is somebody that I’m proud to have represent the country.”

Currently, Beddawi is in the process of assembling a team of students committed to the group’s message. In the future, he said he is open to working with groups whose goals align with the coalition’s, in-

cluding the University Democrats.

Sabrina Kim, University student ambassador for Students for Trump and second-year College student, said the coalition's existence does not change Students for Trump’s goals or plans.

“We don't exist to attack other members of the community and [we] respect the opinions of all students on Grounds,” Kim said in an email statement. “While we obviously fundamentally disagree on politics, I imagine that each group will continue to move forward in our own way and peacefully co-exist.”

Both Kim and Beddawi emphasized the importance of expressing political opinion and their own intentions to do so moving forward.

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The group is an extension of a political action committee dedicated to preventing a Trump presidency.

Albemarle voters to decide on bond referendum Referendum would be used to fund school improvements, could lead to higher taxes DAVID SCHUTTE | ASSOCIATE EDITOR This November, registered voters in Albemarle county will be voting on more than just the presidential and congressional elections.

Albemarle voters will decide in a referendum whether the county will be authorized to issue $35 million in general obligation bonds to fund a school renovation projects throughout the county.

The four main projects the bond revenue will fund include school security improvements, the addition, modernization and renovation of Woodbrook Elementary, learn-

ing space modernization at several schools and the addition and modernization of Western Albemarle High School science labs.

In July, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors voted 4 to 2 in favor of requesting the circuit court to allow a special November election for a bond referendum.

Citizens registered to vote in Albemarle County will be able to vote in the election. This includes a portion of the University population within the University Hall Precinct.

Students who are registered

to vote in Virginia and have listed their address in the New Dorms, Old Dorms, Brown, Lambeth, Copley, Faulkner, Gooch/Dillard, Lawn Rooms, the Range and houses on the west side Rugby Road up through Lambeth Lane will vote in Albemarle County.

Students registered to vote in the city of Charlottesville — which includes 14th Street, Wertland, Jefferson Park Avenue, Houses on West Main Street, the Flats, Uncommon, Bice, the Language houses and the IRC — will not have the referendum

COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

In July, the Albemarle Board of Supervisors voted to request the circuit court to allow a special November election for the referendum.

on their ballot.

The bond issuance would be required to fund these projects because the county’s capital improvement plan budget is not large enough to cover the costs.

To fund the bonds’ interest rates, the issuance may require a property tax rate increase of 1.3 cents, the equivalent of a $37.05 increase on the median home value in the county of $285,000.

Assistant County Executive Lee Catlin said that since the County Board of Supervisors passed the request, the county’s objective with regard to the bond has been to educate voters on what they will be voting for.

“We had a public education plan that was developed with our county attorney's office and the school division and local government that was approved by the Board of Supervisors that involves the combination of websites, printed materials, social media, public community forums, direct mailing to all county voters,” Catlin said.

Although there are several outreach methods, Neil Williamson, the president of the Free Enterprise Forum, said he believes there are areas to improve. Williamson does not take a particular stance on the bond referendum.

Williamson said the county’s informational presentations could be more neutral and transparent.

State law permits the distribution of educational material regarding referendum elections, but according to the code, “the materials or advertise-

ments shall not advocate the passage or defeat of the referendum question.”

He cited a statistic in one presentation that 40 trailers are currently used by county schools for classrooms, but the referendum would not come close to removing all of those trailers.

“I’m not convinced that the presentations I’ve seen tow that line as cleanly as the legislators perhaps wanted it to be done when [the state] enacted the law,” Williamson said.

Carter Doyle, University economics prof., said while voters will likely see school renovations as a good investment, they may be frustrated with the tax increase.

“People are already probably paying higher taxes based on rebounding home prices. Someone whose house was worth $500,000, now assessed at $520,000, the county is saying your house is worth 20,000 more,” Doyle said.

Doyle said voters may be worried about setting a precedent that would see the county having more bond referendums down the line, which if passed would require the county to increase taxes even more.

Third year foreign affairs major Katie Brandon, an active member of the Student Council’s legislative committee, said information about the bond will be posted on the U.Va. Votes website, and the the council is working out other means of education.

The county’s last bond referendum was in 1974, which was used to fund the construction of Western Albemarle High School.

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THE CAVALIER DAILY

NEWS • www.cavalierdaily.com

Native American student groups organize protest Event draws crowd downtown to solidarity gathering against Dakota Access Pipeline KATE LEWIS | SENIOR WRITER University students and community members gathered at the downtown mall Wednesday to stand in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux tribe in an event organized by the Native American Student Union, Showing Up for Racial Justice Charlottesville and the Native American Law Students Association.

The tribe is currently locked in a legal battle with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, a crude oil pipeline constructed by Energy Transfer Partners that runs within a half-mile of the Standing Rock Sioux reservation in South Dakota.

The pipeline itself runs from North Dakota to Illinois through South Dakota and Iowa. The tribe opposes its construction on the grounds that it is a threat to their water supply and to local cultural and religious resources.

Proponents of the pipeline argue that its economic and safety benefits outweigh minimal environmental risks, and dispute that it trespasses land of any proven cultural signifi-

cance.

“Multiple archaeological studies conducted with state historic preservation offices found no sacred items along the route,” Kelcy Warren, chairman and chief executive officer of ETP, said in an internal memo.

Approximately 65 people attended the protest, called NoDAPL. Eve Immonen, a third-year in the College and chief financial officer of the NASU, organized the group into a circle and led a ritual sage burning in spite of the light rain.

Prior to the demonstration, Immonen said she was hopeful that the gathering would lend visibility to the issue and provide supporters from different organizations and communities an opportunity to get to know each other.

“NASU wanted to focus on making this a peaceful protest, and kind of a prayerful protest too,” she said.

Demonstrators held up colorful banners and signs with slogans including, “Water Is Life,” “NoDAPL”, “I Stand with Standing Rock,” and “Mni Wiconi,” Lakota for “Water is Life”.

Children and adults alike pressed painted palmprints into a paper banner reading, “NASU, SURJ, NALSA: We Stand with Standing Rock!”

Organizers and representatives from local tribes and environmental organizations took turns speaking.

Karenne Wood, of the Monacan Nation, a local tribe based in Amherst County, issued a statement of welcome to the protestors.

“Whenever we get a group of people gathered together, we like to welcome you to our homeland,” Wood said.

Pam Starsia represented SURJ Cville at the event, the local branch of a national organization that networks white people seeking racial justice.

“Our goal with SURJ at this event tonight is to emphasize the interrelatedness of the movement that is going on with the water protectors at Standing Rock and the movement for black liberation,” Starsia said.

She read a passage from a statement of solidarity with Standing Rock issued by the Black Lives Matter movement, linking Native Amer-

ican concerns over water pollution to chemical contamination in black communities like Flint, MI. “None of us are free until all of us are free,” she said.

David Sligh, Conservation Director of Wild Virginia, a local environmental advocacy group, emphasized the importance of outreach to halting the pipeline and expressed his disappointment in the governmental agencies which approved to it.

“We sent a letter to the Standing Rock Tribe expressing our solidarity and our support for their movement, and we all gotta make that heard — to the president, to our Congress, to the agencies, the government agencies who are supposed to work for us but too often work for the powerful and the money,” he said.

Following a group picture, the group walked the length of the mall from the Free Speech Wall to the Omni Hotel, chanting, “Water is life!”

Before the event, Brette Throckmorton, President of NALSA and a JD candidate in the School of Law, said that the issue was of particular

interest to Native American law students due to its legal implications.

“I think this is something that really resonates, particularly with law students, just because of the unique aspects of the movement that deal with a current court case and the ongoing litigation,” said Throckmorton.

The Standing Rock Sioux lost an appeal for a Preliminary Injunction to immediately halt pipeline construction, but the Federal government has stepped in to request that construction not proceed within 20 miles of Lake Oahe.

They have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, on the grounds of inadequate tribal consultation, but a decision has yet to be made in that case.

The Cavalier Daily reached out to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Energy Transfer Partners for comment Wednesday evening and will update the article upon receiving any responses

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

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U.Va.’s relationship with slavery The role of slaves at the University, steps taken to reconcile the past

BY JAKE LICHTENSTEIN | FOCUS WRITER Earlier this month, Georgetown University announced it will give preference in admission to descendants of slaves who were sold to help fund the school. When the Jesuit Order founded Georgetown University in 1789, members decided the school would not collect tuition from its students. However, Georgetown’s property included multiple plantations and the slaves who worked on those plantations.

In 1838, two Jesuit priests, who had both served as president of the school, helped pay off university debts by selling 272 slaves for approximately $115,000 — the equivalent of $3.3 million today. Like Georgetown, the University’s history is closely tied to slavery, and students and administrators continue to discuss how this past should be recognized.

Slavery’s history at the University History Prof. Kirt von Daacke, co-chair of the President’s Commission on Slavery, said several dozen slaves participated in the early construction of the University’s grounds. “[Slaves] terraced what is now the Lawn,” von Daacke said. “They shaped the landscape before [construction] started. They then worked in the various brickyards nearby, where they actually dug clay, shaped the bricks and worked at the kiln. In some cases, they may have even hauled those bricks back to the University.”

As construction declined after the University’s opening, the number of slaves hired by the University began to taper off. However, approximately 90 to 100 enslaved laborers remained to live and work on Grounds. During this period, most enslaved people were owned or rented by professors and administrators of the University.

“The professors at U.Va. quickly purchased slaves,” von Daacke said.

“Some of them even went on to purchase plantations and farms in the county — some became significant slaveholders in their own right.”

University officials maintained a detailed record of slave ownership through those professors’ wills and deeds. However, the University did not maintain detailed records of the slaves it employed. Often, the records kept by officials referred to the appropriation of a certain amount of money for the help of “hands,” leaving out details such as names, ages and genders.

Despite the lack of records, prior to the Civil War, slaves ran and maintained the University on a dayto-day basis. In a single day, one enslaved laborer could be respon-

COURTESY UVA

Slaves played an integral role in constructing and running the University in its early days, and student interest in slavery’s history has encouraged the President’s Commission on Slavery to examine what the University can do to address its past.

sible for cleaning approximately 20 rooms, working in a dining hall and running errands for students, such as fetching books or supplies.

Is Georgetown a blueprint?

In the early 2000s, students at the University became interested in the University’s history with slavery. Prompted by student interest and the formation of the Memorialization for Enslaved Laborers, an organization that advocates for the creation of a slave memorial on Grounds, President Teresa Sullivan’s administration created the President’s Commission on Slavery and the University.

Von Daacke and Dr. Marcus Martin, PCSU co-chair and vice president and chief officer for diversity and equity, work with the commission not only to acknowledge the University’s history with slavery, but also to repair its wrongdoings to the best of their abilities.

“Acknowledgement is the first step in the process of repair,” von Daacke said. “We wanted our acknowledgement to be a process of reinscribing the story of slavery back onto the landscape in powerful ways.”

Since the commission’s inception, it has focused on renaming buildings and further detailing the lives of several enslaved laborers at

the University. For example, Gibbons House was named after William and Isabella Gibbons, a husband and wife enslaved by different professors at the University during the mid-19th century. Additionally, the commission published a map which leads participants on a walking tour of Grounds to areas where enslaved laborers greatly influenced construction and daily life.

Since Georgetown’s announcement earlier this month, members of the University community have asked whether it is practical to enact a similar policy on Grounds.

Von Daacke commended Georgetown’s recent efforts to reconcile its history and stressed the fact that the University has developed and is continuing to develop reconciliations of its own. However, he said the University is governed by state law which does not provide the same freedoms as those enjoyed by private universities.

“We are, as a public university, constrained by two 1999 court decisions in the Fourth District regarding using race as a factor in admission,” von Daacke said.

Additionally, Georgetown benefitted from an extremely detailed bill of sale, which allowed the descendants of the slaves sold in 1838 to be traced relatively easily. Since

the University contracted labor from neighboring plantations and contractors who personally owned enslaved people, the University’s records rarely include discernable information that could be used to track descendants.

The road to repair MEL President Diana Wilson, a third-year College student, stressed the importance of educating the entire student body.

“Once the University community is finally aware of this history, we will be closer to becoming the strong and united community we have the potential to be,” Wilson said in an email statement.

“Our efforts then fostered University action such as voting to create a memorial on Grounds, sending the statement of regret in 2007 and establishing PCSU,” Wilson said.

Third-year College student Weston Gobar, political action advisor of the Black Student Alliance, voiced his support for the commission and steps taken so far, but said he wants to see a more public display of acknowledgement and repair.

“The University is taking important steps to acknowledge its history,” Gobar said. “However, a

lot of the plans U.Va. has are longterm solutions. Right now, I would like to see more public affirmation, more things that connect students directly to the history of slavery at the University.”

Gobar said he appreciates statements from administrators as well as the few classes offered to students on the topic. However, he said there is a lack of student knowledge about these offerings as well as memorials, such as the slave graveyard situated near Gooch-Dillard housing.

“Right now, students can go four years and never think critically about the history of slavery at the University,” Gobar said.

Von Daacke said the commission wants to expand its work to include projects that cultivate meaningful discussion, and through that discussion, meaningful action. He also offered a new perspective to critics of the commission’s work.

“You have to look at what we’re doing as a process,” von Daacke said. “The judge of the Commission’s engagement in a process of acknowledgement, reconciliation and repair will be what we’ve done when we’ve finished our work. If you look at how the landscape will have changed by 2019 or 2020, I think that will be clear.”

THE CAVALIER DAILY

Football seeks first win against CMU

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Cavaliers’ defense looks to corral Chippewas’ dynamic aerial attack NOAH KIM | STAFF WRITER

After losing to Connecticut in the final seconds of last week’s game, the Cavaliers return home to Charlottesville this Saturday looking for their first win of the season.

The loss was Virginia’s (0-3, 0-0 ACC) third straight and marks the 17th time in a row they’ve failed to win a road game.

“This is a first — I haven’t been 0-3 before,” head coach Bronco Mendenhall said in a press conference this week. “I’m focusing so much on what I see as growth and improvement, and I’m completely engrossed in the task. This is a massive change effort — it really is, at every turn.”

Used to his winning ways at BYU, Mendenhall has been forced to adjust to a different team in the Cavaliers. During his 11 seasons at BYU, Mendenhall went 99-43, never had a losing season and became ranked 13th among active FBS coaches in winning percentage.

Last week’s loss at Connecticut (2-1, 0-1 AAC) was especially heartbreaking. After a drive led by junior quarterback Kurt Benkert resulted in a 20-yard missed field goal attempt by untested sophomore kicker Alex Furbank, some Cavaliers fans and players were distraught.

“We’re still learning from day to day,” junior cornerback Kirk Garner said. “The biggest key is just progression, going from week to week, prac-

ticing hard, focusing on our keys and making sure we’re always taking steps forward and never back.”

Despite their record, the Cavaliers have a number of things going for them. Junior linebacker Micah Kiser has made 34 tackles on the season, good enough for No. 1 in the ACC and No. 10 in the nation. Senior tailback Taquan Mizzell has caught a reception in each of his last 36 games, which is the third-longest streak in the nation, and Benkert has passed for 698 yards on the season, completing 60 percent of his passes. The East Carolina transfer has made a strong start to his career in Charlottesville, and his offensive production will be a key as the Cavaliers head into the ACC portion of their season.

In stark contrast to Virginia’s poor regular season start, Central Michigan (3-0, 0-0 MAC) has come out hot in 2016, beating Presbyterian, thenNo. 22 Oklahoma State and UNLV to open the season. The Chippewas have outscored their opponents 12351 and have won each game by an average margin of 24 points. Although Central Michigan’s only notable win was over Oklahoma State, its impressive performances over the first three weeks of the college football season spells trouble for the Cavaliers.

One of the most impressive players for the Chippewas has been senior quarterback Cooper Rush. Over the first three games, Rush has thrown

for 957 yards, 11 touchdowns and only three interceptions, cumulating in an impressive total QBR of 72.7, good enough for 26th in the nation among qualifying FBS quarterbacks.

Central Michigan has also seen solid production from junior running back Devon Spalding and freshman running back Jonathan Ward.

The two have combined for 53 carries, 301 yards and two touchdowns.

The Cavaliers will also have to play good defense to shut down the Central Michigan receivers, six of whom have caught touchdowns, and four of whom have caught for over 100 yards. One standout has been junior wide receiver Corey Willis, who is averaging 16.5 yards on 11 receptions, four of which have been touchdowns.

Luckily, the Cavaliers are coming off their best defensive performance on the season. Against Connecticut, Virginia allowed only 13 points and held the Huskies to 154 passing yards and 123 rushing yards.

In order to win Saturday, the Cavaliers will need to channel the best parts of their performances over the last three games, and then some. And while they are still the only team in the ACC yet to win a game this season, Mendenhall is confident in the potential for a week four victory.

“There’s probably more optimism now than there was in the offseason that this program, and this team is ca-

pable,” Mendenhall said. “We’re gaining momentum rather than losing momentum. It’s uncharted territory.

A tangible result would be helpful, but I’m looking for simple successes as well.”

If all goes as planned, the Cav-

aliers will head into ACC play with their first win under their belt and the momentum needed to finally get the Mendenhall era rolling.

Kickoff for the game is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Scott Stadium.

CELINA HU | THE CAVALIER DAILY

If junior safety Quin Blanding and the Cavaliers’ defense can slow down Central Michigan’s passing attack, Virginia may secure its first win of the season.

BROWN FINALLY COMES INTO HIS OWN IN JUNIOR SEASON

M

ost Virginia football fans are well aware of junior defensive end Andrew Brown’s backstory.

They’re probably tired of hearing about how Brown dominated on the high school gridiron, recording 18 sacks and nine forced fumbles his senior year at Oscar Smith High School, which earned him the No. 5 overall ranking in ESPN Recruiting’s Class of 2014. In their minds, Brown hasn’t met his great expectations after two seasons at Virginia. They can’t stand reminders of what could have been.

But this year, in his third season as a member of the Cavalier program, Brown is beginning to pan out — or so it appears. Last week against Connecticut, the Chesapeake, Va. native tallied six tackles — three and a half for a loss — a sack and a fumble recovery.

“The process has been difficult but humbling,” Brown said. “Dealing with the past coaching staff, I couldn’t really produce. Plus, when I first got here I got injured. But ever since then, it just made me realize it’s time to work… Nothing’s going to be given

to me just because I was the best out of high school.”

A turf toe injury, which required surgery in the spring of 2014, and a sprained left shoulder he suffered a few months later during fall camp hampered Brown’s development throughout his freshman season.

Both injuries caused him to miss a number of practices. When the 6-foot-4, then-305-pound end was finally cleared to suit up, a faster-paced college game exposed his lack of fitness and immaturity. Brown appeared in only six games his freshman season, totaling just four tackles and zero sacks.

Heading into his sophomore season, Brown took it upon himself to transform his body in the weight room, on the track and at the dining hall. By the spring of 2015, he’d dropped to his current weight of roughly 290 pounds. Then-head coach Mike London, defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta and Cavalier beat writers were all echoing the same message: Brown had progressed into a more effective pass rusher.

Maybe he’d truly turned the cor-

ner, but Brown’s statistics his sophomore season would indicate otherwise. Appearing in 10 of Virginia’s 12 games in 2015, he recorded a mere six tackles — three solo — and one sack. The argument could be made, however, that Brown wasn’t given enough in-game snaps to both find a rhythm and prove his effectiveness.

Three seniors — defensive tackle David Dean and defensive ends Mike Moore and Kwontie Moore — played a majority of the minutes up front.

Brown was often relegated to the sidelines, where Virginia fans continued to direct their head shakes at No. 9. “How could someone as talented as Brown be so useless at the next level?” they asked, settling on classic Cavalier misfortune as the reason. The real answer is that under London, Brown hadn’t matured, wasn’t fully healthy and didn’t have the free reign necessary for his development. That said, many saw glimpses of the former Oscar Smith standout, playing at times with the same spirit and physicality of his high school days.

“I think everyone saw the potential of and maybe a flash here or there,

and I don't think [Brown] played much,” head coach Bronco Mendenhall said. “He's gone from a player that has had very little experience to a player that's emerging within his assignments, within his technique, and understanding not only our system, but situational football. That is a work in progress.”

Brown is certainly still under construction. On occasion, he makes the wrong read or plays “a little bit wild,” in the words of Mendenhall, but Brown does these things far less frequently than before. When his mind is right and he’s executing at the point of attack, Brown has the physical tools — the speed at his size and clearly the strength — to overwhelm an opposing offensive line as he did against Connecticut.

Leading up to Virginia’s home game versus Central Michigan this week, Brown was asked how his team had responded to its 0-3 start this season and the tragic ending on the road last Saturday. The junior defensive end gave a veteran answer.

“You have to take care of what you can control, versus worry about what

you can’t control,” Brown said. “So that’s what we are trying to do. And those hurdles that have been happening, [we] can’t worry about it, because it’s set and done. The only thing we can do is play in the moment, worry about the moment and make a better future.”

Those are the words of a heralded high-school prospect who faced unforeseen challenges at the next level.

Those are the words of a teammate who has grown tremendously over two seasons at Virginia. Those are the words of Andrew Brown, a player eager to make a new name for himself. Who better than he to answer a question about how the Cavaliers will define their future?

GRANT GOSSAGE is a senior associate sports editor for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at g.gossage@ cavalierdaily.com.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

KEYS TO A VIRGINIA WIN

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www.cavalierdaily.com • SPORTS 2016 Statistical Leaders 2016 STATISTICAL LEADERS

Limit automatic first down penalties

Passing

A false start here or an offside call there rarely dooms a team. But when the penalties are frequent and of greater severity, they can determine outcome, as both a facemask and pass interference did in Virginia’s last game. The Cavaliers need to find a middle ground between timidity and recklessness.

Virginia Kurt Benkert (QB):

PLAYERS TO WATCH

65.7% Completion 957 Yards 11 Touchdowns 3 Interceptions

Rushing Central Michigan

Virginia Albert Reid (RB): 36 Carries 227 Yards 6.3 YPC* 2 Touchdowns

Taquan Mizzell (RB):

Davon Spalding (QB):

28 Carries 121 Yards 4.3 YPC* 1 Touchdown

31 Carries 166 Yards 5.4 YPC* 1 Touchdown

Jonathan Ward (RB): 22 Carries 135 Yards 6.1 YPC* 1 Touchdown

*YPC = Yards per carry

Receiving

Take calculated shots deep Based on what videographers, managers and media personnel relayed during the offseason, sophomore wide receiver David Eldridge was supposed to be a deep threat this season. Junior quarterback Kurt Benkert connected with him regularly on long balls in practice and camp.

It’s time to let Benkert loose once or twice.

It’s time for him and Eldridge to reconnect.

Cooper Rush (QB):

60% Completion 698 Yards 5 Touchdowns 4 Interceptions

Force field goals in red zone The Virginia defense contained the Huskies in the red zone last week, twice forcing field goals.

Overall, it was a commendable effort: one that finally gave the Cavalier offense a fighting chance at outscoring its opponent. A repeat bend-butnot-break performance on defense against Central Michigan could help Virginia earn its first victory.

Central Michigan

Virginia

Central Michigan

Keeon Johnson (WR): Olamide Zaccheaus (WR): 17 Receptions 159 Yards 9.4 YPC* 2 Touchdowns

14 Receptions 157 Yards 11.2 YPC* 1 Touchdown

Mark Chapman (WR): 13 Receptions 186 Yards 14.3 YPC* 2 Touchdowns

Corey WIllis (WR): 11 Receptions 182 Yards 16.5 YPC* 1 Touchdown

*YPC = Yards per catch

Defense Virginia Micah Kiser (LB): 34 Tackles 3 TFL** 2 Forced Fumbles 2.5 Sacks

Zach Bradshaw (LB): 22 Tackles 3 TFL** 1 Forced Fumble .5 Sack

Central Michigan Malik Fountain (LB): 18 Tackles 3 TFL**

Nathan Ricketts LB): 17 Tackles 3 TFL** 1 Forced Fumble 1 Interception

** TFL = Tackle for loss

EDITORS’ PICKS

The Cavalier Daily Sports staff predicts the winner for Saturday’s matchup.

For their full slate of picks, head to cavalierdaily.com.

ROBERT ELDER

GRANT GOSSAGE

JACOB HOCHBERGER

MARIEL MESSIER

PHOTOS COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Taquan Mizzell

Cooper Rush

The senior running back showed improved ball security last Saturday, carrying the football 11 times for 66 yards without a hiccup. The ACC’s leading receiver amongst running backs last season also caught six passes for 40 yards out of the backfield. Expect the Cavaliers to involve Mizzell early and often in both phases of their offense.

With 67 touchdown passes and 9,354 yards, good enough for second and third place in school history respectively, senior quarterback Cooper Rush has established a standard of success while at Central Michigan.

Through three wins in 2016, the veteran Rush has totaled 957 yards through the air and thrown 11 touchdowns to three interceptions.

Micah Kiser

Jesse Kroll

After showings like the one he had last Saturday — 11 tackles (two for a loss) and 1.5 sacks — junior linebacker Micah Kiser has to be in conversation as one of the most exceptional players at his position in college football. It is a privilege to watch Kiser man the middle of Virginia’s defense every week.

Andrew Brown

Coming off arguably his top collegiate performance, in which he recorded six tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery, junior defensive end Andrew Brown continues to mature under Mendenhall. Virginia will expect the former Gatorade National Player of the Year to bully Central Michigan’s offensive line as he did against Connecticut.

Another proven senior leading Central Michigan’s offense, wide receiver Jesse Kroll has tallied 1761 yards and nine touchdowns over his career. The Algoma, Wisc. native has followed up his stellar 2015 season with a total of only 12 catches and one touchdown in three 2016 games, but rest assured, Kroll remains a sure-handed weapon.

Malik Fountain

Then-redshirt freshman Fountain started every game in 2015 for Central Michigan, ranking third on the team with 67 tackles by season’s end.

Each game this year, Fountain has stepped up his tackling rate from the previous outing. The sophomore racked up a team-high nine tackles last week against UNLV and looks to sustain his upward trend.

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THE CAVALIER DAILY

SPORTS • www.cavalierdaily.com

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henever a placekicker misses an easy chip-in field goal to win or tie a game, fans are conditioned to blame them for the team’s losses. These placekickers have one job: to put points on the board after the offense puts them in position to do so. While the position comes with a lot of pressure, I usually have no sympathy for those that fail to accomplish their task.

However, this past weekend, I cannot say in good conscience that I blame Virginia sophomore placekicker Alex Furbank for losing the game for his team against Connecticut.

Furbank, a Northern Virginia native, had never played in a football game in his life before entering the game Saturday. As a soccer player in high school, he continued playing soccer at Randolph-Macon College his freshman year before transferring to Virginia and walking onto the football team.

Why on earth, then, would it be at all reasonable to expect him to make a game-tying field goal, albeit

PLIGHT OF THE PLACEKICKER a 20-yard one, to tie the game when his team had to rush onto the field with no timeouts?

The blame for this 13-10 loss cannot fall on Furbank. Instead, the fingers should be pointed at Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall and his staff for making irresponsible decisions both on and off the field.

It makes sense that Furbank has a spot on the Cavaliers’ roster. As a successful soccer player, he showed that he has kicking prowess with his 23-yard field goal in the first quarter of the game that gave Virginia a 3-0 lead — its first lead of the season. Yet, what doesn’t make sense is the fact that he’s starting without any prior football experience.

The reason for Furbank’s start in this game comes from a lack of depth at the placekicker position.

For the past two seasons, the Cavaliers had a reliable kicker in Ian Frye. He went 11-12 last season on field goals within 40 yards, and finished his career with 45 field goals — the fourth most all-time for Virginia.

In the face of his departure, the program was left in a bind. To replace Frye, Mendenhall decided to start kickoff specialist redshirt senior Dylan Sims, who played in the first two games of the season. However, after Sims sustained an injury, Mendenhall had nowhere else to turn but Furbank, the only other placekicker on the Virginia roster.

The fact that Virginia only has two placekickers — one who has never attempted a field goal in his college career, and one who has never played football period — baffles me. Considering how pivotal the position is in deciding the outcome of a game, Mendenhall should have more carefully focused on the position. I understand these aren’t his recruits, so the blame cannot solely fall on him. But, in the offseason and ample time he had to prepare, he should have been able to supply his roster with kickers who have at least had some experience with football before.

If the lack of investment in a placekicker is not bad enough,

Mendenhall’s poor clock management set Furbank up for failure with his last kick attempt. Using Virginia’s last time-out on the preceding Connecticut possession, Mendenhall and offensive coordinator Robert Anae needed to work efficiently to foster a comeback with 1:33 left in the game.

Starting on its own 25 yard line, Virginia managed to get all the way down to Connecticut’s nine yard line solely by passing the ball. This was a smart move to save time — incomplete passes result in no time running off the clock. Yet, for some reason, Anae drew up a running play on first down. While this gained the team four yards, it forced them to spike the ball on second down to stop the clock.

From there, Anae made his biggest mistake — drawing up yet another run, a designed quarterback draw for junior Kurt Benkert, on third down. With this leading to fourth down, the team had no time to stop the clock with a spike, and they had to rush their kicking unit

onto the field. No matter how much experience a placekicker has, and no matter how close the kick is, it is difficult for any placekicker to make a kick under intense time pressure.

Thus, without being able to set up properly, Furbank shanked the chip shot that would have sent the game to overtime.

This loss that Virginia fans have become all-too-accustomed to is not Furbank’s fault. He shouldn’t have even been playing in the first place, and the poor play-call at the end of the game didn’t make things easier for him. It’s time for the Virginia faithful to stop blaming him and to start holding the coaching staff more accountable.

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

Virginia looks to notch first ACC win in match against Louisville No. 16 Cavaliers look to continue momentum after hard-fought tie against No. 7 Clemson RAHUL SHAH | ASSOCIATE EDITOR The No. 16 Virginia men’s soccer team will be heading back onto the road this weekend as they get ready to take on No. 13 Louisville.

The Cavaliers (3-1-2, 0-1-1 ACC) will be traveling to Louisville, Ky. in search of their first conference win of the season when they take on a strong Cardinals (6-1-1, 2-00 ACC) team. Virginia has lost to Wake Forest and tied Clemson thus far in ACC play. However, the Cavaliers remain confident in its ability to emerge victorious.

Virginia hopes it can take the momentum it built during the second half against Clemson last week, and carry it into this weekend’s match. The Cavaliers outscored Clemson, one of the top teams in the nation, 2-0 in the second half to narrowly avoid another ACC loss.

“The overtime, we were not a completely different team, but we were way better,” sophomore defender Sergi Nus said. “So the energy — we’re going to take advantage of the energy of the second half, and I’m sure that we’re going to get a positive result.”

Virginia coach George Gelnovatch noted that that there is plenty for the Cavaliers to learn from the game against Clemson that can help them against another strong team in Louisville. Gelnovatch specifically pointed to Virginia’s youth and some of the mental errors they must move past and eliminate.

“I keep saying we’re pretty young,

and we just need to keep growing up a little bit, and I don’t say that in a, you know, belligerent way,” Gelnovatch said. “I said it to the team, I mean, that it’s a process. You can’t just grow up overnight, but I think we can speed it up by addressing some of the issues.”

Some of those issues that Gelnovatch referenced were not the Clemson goals themselves, but rather the manner in which the scores occurred, which highlighted deficiencies in the team that require improvement.

“When [Clemson] scored the second goal, we got a little rattled, right, and, again, that’s another lack of maturity — like [if we don’t get] rattled and go into halftime [down] 2-1 instead of 3-1, we [could] win the game,” Gelnovatch said. “So I think that’s probably the thing we’re cautious of, that we’re a little young, we’re going to make mistakes [and] we’re going to try to limit those mistakes, especially the mental ones.”

Nus agreed that Virginia will try to assess those issues they struggled with in the game against Clemson, and continue to work on them this week in order to carry the momentum they built in the second half in last weekend’s match.

“We are going to analyze the game, we’re going to do the video, we’re going to try to avoid to do the mistakes that we did,” Nus said, “and take advantage of the positive things.

I’m sure that we’re going to learn a

lot from the second half.”

Despite the optimism that Virginia maintains, they are not looking past any opponent. Virginia knows they have to head into every match with a sense of urgency, especially with its difficult schedule of play.

Gelnovatch believes that the Cavaliers have done a good job of staying focused so far this season.

“Every game’s a sense of urgency to win, seriously,” Gelnovatch said.

“I think you saw that against VCU, how we treated that, so we’re playing hard, we’re playing well. We were this close to getting a point at Wake, it’s just those are the margins — we’ll just keep working at it.”

The Cavaliers know that Louisville will be a tough team to play against, for they beat the No. 3 team in the nation, Notre Dame, last week. To make matters more challenging, Virginia will be on the road.

“Louisville is a really, really good team,” Nus said. “They just beat …

Notre Dame, so, you know, that is going to be a really tough road game, road trip, but we are really confident. Coach has been telling us we are doing the things good and the team chemistry … is really good, so I’m sure we are going to get a good result.”

The ACC showdown between the Cavaliers and the Cardinals will kick off Saturday at 7 p.m. at Dr. Mark & Cindy Lynn Stadium.

CHANDLER COLLINS | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Sophomore defender Sergi Nus’ 80th-minute goal against Clemson helped the Cavaliers salvage a 3-3 tie against Clemson Saturday.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016 COMMENT OF THE DAY “However, the question to Gary Johnson was asked outside of any Syria context....Gary has followed up knowledgeably and should be looked at as a serious candidate that belongs on a debate stage.”

“ThirdWay” responding to Lucy Siegel’s Sept. 16 article, “Aleppo is more than a flubbed answer”

LEAD EDITORIAL

Eramo deserves better The former U.Va. dean should not be considered a public figure A federal judge recently decided University administrator Nicole Eramo, who seeks $7.85 million in defamation charges against Rolling Stone Magazine, is a “limited purpose public figure.” This ruling raises the bar for Eramo’s attorneys, who now have to prove that the Rolling Stone article — which detailed a now-discredited gang rape at Phi Kappa Psi fraternity and painted a negative picture of Eramo in the process — contains “actual malice” instead of

merely a negligently published “defamatory falsehood.”

Rolling Stone’s defendants argue Eramo has become so closely associated with publicly known sexual assault issues in her role as a University administrator that she can no longer be considered a private figure.

However, Eramo’s name only became widely known after it was tarnished through Rolling Stone’s careless journalism. The ruling sets a bad precedent for otherwise low-profile admin-

istrators who are subject to national controversies due to their positions at prestigious universities, which are often held under a microscope.

Naming Eramo a public figure — even in a limited capacity — severely undermines her case against Rolling Stone by raising her burden of proof. But Eramo was not the face of the University when Rolling Stone made its baseless accusations against her.

To treat her as such simply adds insult to injury.

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

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

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

The Cavalier Daily is published Mondays and Thursdays in print and daily online at cavalierdaily.com. It is printed on at least 40 percent recycled paper. 2016 The Cavalier Daily Inc.

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The Cavalier Daily does not guarantee publication of submissions and may edit all material for content and grammar. Submit to opinion@cavalierdaily.com or P.O. Box 400703, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4703

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OPINION • www.cavalierdaily.com

THE CAVALIER DAILY

ENDOWMENTS AREN’T SLUSH FUNDS The funds provide essential support for higher educational institutions

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his past week, the House Ways and Means Committee began an investigation into the surprising size of university endowments. These funds have reached a collective $500 billion, raising the question of how institutions in possession of such incredible assets still find it necessary to charge so much for the education they provide. Indeed, some congressmen have promoted legislation stating that Universities with particularly large endowments should devote a fixed share of said endowments to offset student costs. Of particular concern to lawmakers is the possibility that this wealth accumulated in part through tax exemption is not being used to better the education of students.

Ownership of these endowments is heavily slanted towards a few large institutions. In fact, just 94 schools control 75 percent of all endowment funds.

Harvard stands on the top of the list with a staggering $37.6 billion endowment, followed by Yale, Stanford, MIT and others.

Each possesses an endowment in the tens of billions of dollars.

The University boasts an endowment of $7.6 billion, placing it in the top five endowments for public universities and the top 20 for all universities. The use of this money has naturally attracted criticism, and in fact, former Rector Helen Dragas has accused the University of misusing its endowment.

The magnitude of these assets makes them attractive not only to those seeking to enrich themselves, but to those seeking a means by which to enact change. Social agendas can be advanced through the threat of divestment in a company or country, especially if the sum to be divested is as sizeable as those universities control. Protest divestment, in which stockholders remove their assets from a corporation for the purpose of enacting social change, has a long history on college campuses. In the 1980s, campuses were the site of rising protests against the South African apartheid regime, forcing many universities to divest from South Africa.

Following this example, many students across the country see an opportunity to use

their University’s endowment as a vehicle for social and political change. This includes a new push to remove assets from fossil fuel companies, a move-

nificant barriers to the use of endowments exist. The size of the endowment alone is misleading, as donations are often accompanied by specific

It would be unwise to view these endowments as strong vehicles for social change, or to count too much on the power they can wield.

ment which has extended to the University. These students have a fair point. After all, if divestment was successful in the battle against apartheid, why shouldn’t it continue being used as a weapon for change? However, this viewpoint overlooks the essential services endowments are responsible for.

It would be unwise to view these endowments as strong vehicles for social change, or to count too much on the power they can wield. For one, sig-

restrictions limiting their use to a certain professorship or a scholarship. These positions are funded by the financial returns on the endowment rather than the endowment itself, creating a continuous source of revenue.

Moreover, to dip into the endowment itself eliminates future avenues of revenue, essentially trading a short term gain for an irrevocable loss. Endowments also provide stability for universities against fluctuating revenue, and they allow professors

to explore new academic fields and research by providing endowed professorships that help attract the most talented faculty and researchers.

Activism for a good cause should not be quickly dismissed, and a blanket condemnation of using endowments to this end is too far. But in using this tool, we also run the risk of widening our gaze too much, aiming at lofty, ambitious goals while ignoring the damage done on a smaller level to scholarship recipients and professors. Our endowment isn’t a pile of money doing nothing; through wise investment it actively contributes to the running and quality of the University. Because of this, manipulating endowments for political purposes needs to be done with caution, if at all, and always with due consideration given to its role in providing for the University.

ALEX MINK is an Opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily.

He can be reached at a.mink@ cavalierdaily.com.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

www.cavalierdaily.com • OPINION

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TRUMP IS JUST AS CONDESCENDING AS THE LIBERAL ELITE Political and economic disenchantment does not justify support for Trump

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ast week, College Republicans Events Chair Ali Hiestand defended the process that resulted in her organization voting to endorse Donald Trump.

Although I am disappointed with this outcome, I agree it would be unreasonable to overturn the results of this vote simply because the outcome is unsatisfying. I implore my fellow liberals to respect this decision and attempt to understand what circumstances would motivate likely voters to support the Republican presidential nominee this November, though I can understand why some would be disappointed by the latter’s decision to do so.

Regardless, while many Trump supporters are justifiably upset over the direction the country is headed, this should not justify supporting an individual who threatens the safety and civil liberties of our fellow citizens.

Much of Hiestand’s article is founded upon the notion that Trump’s supporters are motivated by a condescending liberal elite, a notion perhaps best summarized in Emmett Rensin’s “The Smug Style in American Liberalism.” According to Rensin, many liberals overlook moral or policy divergences and instead perceive others who do not share their

political viewpoints as foolish or “confused.” While this charge has been leveled against many Democrats in the past, perhaps the most famous instance occurred

said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not.” The notion that many Americans long to return to a simpler time succinct-

Yes, working class voters may feel neglected... but what about the interests of women, minorities and other historically marginalized groups? during a 2008 Democratic fundraiser where then-Sen. Barack Obama accused midwestern blue-collar workers of clinging to “guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren’t like them” in lieu of their economic frustrations.

Although Obama’s comment is clearly unbecoming of an individual aspiring to be the country’s next commander-in-chief, it does acknowledge an inconvenient truth. Immediately preceding the aforementioned comment, Obama speculated that many blue-collar workers are apprehensive about the country’s future because “each successive [presidential] administration has

ly summarizes Trump’s raison d’etre into the presidential race.

Far from showing Obama doesn’t understand the average blue-collar voter, Obama’s gaffe may rationalize why 68 percent of white voters without a college degree are willing to support Trump — in spite of him accusing Mexico of sending rapists and murders to the United States, speculating that “Islam hates us” and calling for a blanket ban on Muslims entering the country.

But perhaps Trump’s rise is also indicative of the growing divide between working class voters and public policymakers.

While the latter may point to 71 consecutive months of positive

job growth and a decline in the gender pay gap as evidence of a more fair and opportune economy, the former may point to rising automation and increased competition from foreign workers as evidence to the contrary.

Likewise, policymakers might ask how voters expect to both restore a domestic manufacturing industry that pays workers a livable wage and maintain their current level of consumption.

Reminders that there are no simple solutions to these issues are of little consolation to blue-collar workers currently undergoing financial hardships. Still, this sort of disenchantment should not justify supporting a candidate who consistently exploits fear and racial tensions for personal gain.

Hiestand is right to say our political system could benefit from a dose of empathy and introspection, especially given the current partisan divide. Yet, the manner in which she addresses this issue is slightly one-sided.

Yes, working class voters may feel neglected by what they perceive to be a condescending liberal elite, but what about the interests of women, minorities and other historically marginalized groups? Surely, Mercutio

Shouthall must have felt marginalized when Trump suggested “he should have been roughed up” for protesting at a rally. One would imagine that many Muslim Americans felt alienated when Trump proposed they register in a government database.

And what of the countless sexual assault victims Trump dismissed when he suggested they simply find another employer? Surely, the interests of these individuals are worthy of some consideration.

Inevitably, there will be those who dismiss the aforementioned antics as a ploy to appeal to voters. In all honesty, I cannot conclude Trump has any inclination to follow through on any of these promises should he be elected to office, and apparently neither can he. Although the College Republicans further legitimized Trump’s presidential run with their endorsement, in light of his reckless proposals, this act should not induce any student — Republican or otherwise — to support his candidacy this November.

BRANDON BROOKS is an Opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at b.brooks@cavalierdaily.com.

PUT A POLLING PLACE IN CENTRAL GROUNDS The existing options for voting are inconvenient for too many students

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here are currently fewer than two months until Election Day, and given the nature of the year’s race, this Nov. 8 seems to take on more significance than most elections. Nevertheless, it might be naive to assume voter turnout will rise, considering the United States has one of the lowest voter turnout rates among advanced Western democracies. Likewise, younger Americans unsurprisingly see lower turnout rates than other age demographics which negatively impacts American voter turnout on the whole. Yet this trend can be countered, at least at the University, by installing a polling station in a centralized place on Grounds.

Last week, I saw a young lady who was holding a sign outside of Newcomb Hall that read “Register Here to Vote on Grounds.” Although I had already registered, I knew this sign was misleading because there is in fact no place on Central Grounds where students can go to cast their votes this November. If a student lives on Grounds, then that student must cast his ballot at University

Hall which, while technically on Grounds, is a hassle to reach. It is asking a lot of first-years who lack easy access to cars to journey an entire mile out of their way to vote in an election. We should be actively encouraging

men to have access to cars, it is still a substantial burden to journey so far out of one’s way to partake in an activity that college-aged students already fail to do in large numbers.

Instead of requiring both un-

We should not be discouraging first years from participating in an activity that is already short on participation.

first-years to participate in this activity — especially since it’s already short on participation.

Students who live offGrounds face a similar dilemma.

Those who live near the Corner must vote at Venable Elementary School while those who live near Jefferson Park Avenue must vote at Buford Middle School, which are each more than a mile away from Central Grounds. Although it is more likely for upperclass-

derclassmen and upperclassmen to travel to a school which they would otherwise never travel to, this dilemma could be better resolved if all students could vote at a centralized place on Grounds. A pragmatic location for this might be the Newcomb Hall Conference Rooms on the third floor because, regardless of a student’s year or major, it is likely for students to pass by this location at some point in your

daily routine. Even if a student does not pass by Newcomb Hall routinely, holding voting here as opposed to a random public school that is not easily accessible is substantially less burdensome. Likewise, while churches and schools are often chosen because of their accessibility to the disabled, Newcomb Hall has similar accommodations since it is one of the most travelled to places on Grounds. And although some might say that Newcomb Hall is too crowded to be used as a polling station, the third floor is often vacant, especially during the daytime. While establishing a centralized polling location on Grounds might not solve the voter turnout dilemma entirely, it certainly serves as an optimal place to start.

Of course, polling locations are determined not by one’s status as a student but rather by residence. Since University residences are technically in Albemarle County, the county board has the authority to make Newcomb Hall a polling place instead of University Hall. This could be controversial since it would

affect non-University residents in the Albemarle precinct. But it would primarily affect students, and since non-students likely have greater access to automobiles, the location change will have but a minute impact.

The location of polling stations available to University students merely serves to exacerbate the voter turnout dilemma. If we are to address the embarrassing low voter turnout trend in the United States, then it is crucial to facilitate the voting process in any way we can. While it will take an attitudinal shift in American society to attack this trend effectively, making it just slightly easier for college students to engage in the political process is a step that we must take.

JESSE BERMAN is an Opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily.

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

THE CAVALIER DAILY

H R HUMO Failure is an experience most students attending the University are not accustomed to dealing with. Up to the end of syllabus week, we are all champions, intellects amongst the highest caliber in the nation, and everything comes quite naturally. Once the school year is truly underway, we are all reminded of the rigorous standards and expectations that we undertake when we agree to attend a school of such prestige that you can’t even call its property “campus” (please forgive me for using the c-word). To the first-years reading this (and the upperclassmen who missed this lesson), let me help you with this sudden feel-

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THE LAWN ON A SILVER PLATTER ing of ineptitude. Let me teach you how to manage the trials of University life when things don’t go your way.

It’s your professor’s fault.

If your paper received anything less than an “A,” then it’s possible your professor is completely illiterate. You “did” the reading, you “outlined” your research and you “edited” it with a quick glance over; doesn’t this hack know that strategy got you an “A” in high school? You got a 5 on the AP practice exams, so you’re practically a Pulitzer Prize winner. What’s unclear about your language? Your language makes perfect sense to you when you read it aloud. I mean, you’re not actually going to read it aloud because that’s exhausting, but you know it’s right. I don’t care if your use of a thesaurus is obvious because those words were longer and more Latin-y, which equals a better voice and diction! Every-

one knows that!Receiving a “C” on a multiple-choice exam?

That’s simply impossible. The TA must have botched the grading process; I mean, they’re students, too, you know? I even saw one of them outside a classroom once. They don’t know what they’re doing. A few years ago, they were just acing the course because the professor liked him or her, and hated hundreds of other students. To hell with multiple-choice exams, because they cater to people who are “good test takers” and “know the material”. How were you supposed to manage your time between being an enrolled student and expanding your range of experiences at the same bar you went to all throughout syllabus week? That’s such an unfair way to treat people with money to spend on drinks.

You would give a way better tour than half of the UGuides if they weren’t so uppity to you

and only you; getting nervous in front of crowds is something they ought to consider and balance out in their try-out process, not use as a measurement of comfort. It’s as if they wanted to throw me off to see how I would react, as if that’s ever going to happen in a real tour. Honor is so corrupt for not letting you in.

What more is there to running that organization than knowing you shouldn’t lie, cheat or steal?

If you haven’t committed any of those sins in the past week, you ought to be ordained, much less adopted by Honor.

Who does Tony Bennett think he is not offering you a spot on the team? You went to the open try-out, and you’re far more clutch than Perrantes in your driveway back home.

The Career Center can’t actually think you need work on your interview skills — your resume format is perfectly copied and pasted. And I don’t think anyone

can get the first Bodo’s ticket — the world doesn’t even exist before your 8 a.m. (which is CRAZY early).

The point I’m trying to make here is no matter what, you are destined to be on the Lawn. You can imagine yourself living on the Lawn, right? Then that’s got to be the reality. You would look so good in your Lawn chair, relaxing after your Comm school classes. Of course you got into Comm, you took Stats and Calc in high school — the Comm school should be applying to you! Dean Groves ought to just hand you the keys at this point!

You are perfect!

BRENNAN LEE is a Humor writer.

INVEST IN THE FUTURE I am offering you a chance to be a part of history. I am offering you a chance to chisel your name on the bleeding edge of human progress, and memorialize yourself as one of the great, far-sighted patrons of Earth’s well-being for generations to come. I am offering you a chance to see something really cool. I am offering you a once in a lifetime chance to be an initial investor for the world’s first Centaur-AI. A Centaur artificial intelligence would function like a normal computerized artificial intelligence, except that the digital mind will be that of a centaur rather than that of a human.

This AI will not have any physical body (that would be a robot

and I am not interested in them) but instead will run on either my laptop or Gary’s (if he lets me borrow it for one more month).

The development of a solid AI is the next big step in the development of humanity. A computerized mind would work diligently, never err and produce amazing results. However, as any avid fan of Sci-Fi knows, the development of an AI also opens the door to a malevolent AI, one that wants nothing more than to steal your pets and your jokes.

That would be unavoidable using the normal AI approach.

Since man is made in God’s image, an AI made in the image of man would also be in the image of God. Because of that, any hu-

man-based AI would probably ignore any programmed directive in lieu of punishing sinners.

Centaurs, on the other hand, are only half-made in God’s image. If we could program an AI to be half-horse, then we could successfully make a robot that is only half-god, therefore trustworthy. It’s that simple.

In order to make this AI function, I have devised a plan to wrangle the mysterious yet powerful “big data.” I’ve honestly only heard tales of big data, tales wherein sailors are lured to their deaths by bird-women who shout steady streams of personally catered sit-com suggestions.

That’s only a legend though. To possibly wrangle this power, I

am planning to scan the Facebook profiles, LinkedIns, Netflix accounts and browser cookies of millions of humans and horses.

While I secretly hope all of this data will magically coalesce into a digital centaur, I am prepared to do some dirty work and wade through bogs of horsey code for months before I call it quits.

I still need money to finish this project. I have already sunk around $10,000 of my own cash into hiring people to click “saveas” on any website with a man or a horse on it. However, with a couple extra millions, I am confident this project can come to fruition. So far, the initial tests are underway. I have successfully developed a command-line

based AI program that responds to “are you a horse” with: “only half ;-).” Every other response is much more “human” than desirable… but there’s still a horse somewhere… deep in the machine. While I believe this digital horse man might be the solution to all of the world's problems, you don't have to. If I get enough money, I might even start working on a bird-man AI!

SAM PADGETT is a Humor writer.

THE CAVALIER DAILY

WEEKLY CROSSWORD SOLUTION SAM EZERSKY | PUZZLE MASTER

EVENTS Thursday 9/22 UPC Presents: September Series Concert, 8-10pm, The Garage Indian Student Association at UVA’s Fig Fundraiser, 5-9pm, Fig Bistro Friday 9/23 Tom Tom Founders Festival Presents: Tomtoberfest, 5-11pm, Lee Park UPC Presents: Dorm Decs and Desserts, 10pm2am, Newcomb PAC Women’s Volleyball vs. Wake Forest, 7pm, Memorial Gym Women’s Tennis UVA Fall Invite Tournament, all day, Snyder Tennis Center UPC Movie Screening: Jungle Book, 7-9pm, Newcomb Theater UPC Presents: September Cinematheque (Pt. 2), 7-10pm, Newcomb Theater Saturday 9/24 USA Dance Charlottesville’s September Ballroom Dance, 7-10pm, Unity of Charlottesville Football vs. Central Michigan, 12:30pm, Scott Stadium Women’s Volleyball vs. Duke, 7pm, Memorial Gym Women’s Tennis UVA Fall Invite Tournament, all day, Snyder Tennis Center UPC Presents: Cavalier Carnival, 10pm-2am, Ern Commons Sunday 9/25 Women’s Tennis UVA Fall Invite Tournament, all day

*THE NEXT CROSSWORD PUZZLE CAN BE FOUND IN MONDAY’S ISSUE

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The Lumineers light up Charlottesville Folk-rock group follows stellar opening acts with skilled performance ELLEN ADAMS | SENIOR WRITER

It was a perfect summer night in Downtown Charlottesville when Rayland Baxter took the stage at the Sprint Pavilion to open for The Lumineers. There was a relaxed atmosphere in the air, which suited Baxter in his self-described “chill” set. Baxter’s songs had a smooth quality with hypnotic guitar riffs, which were aided by his powerful voice. Stand-out songs included the soulful “Mr. Rodriguez” and the mellow “Olivia.”

The quirky alt-rock musician hails from Nashville, Tenn. and released his latest album “Im-

aginary Man” in August 2015.

This up and coming singer is definitely one to watch out for.

BØRNS followed Baxter, bringing the Pavilion to life with his slick synthpop sound. While BØRNS was more subdued between songs, he sang with such energy and excitement making it impossible not to enjoy his performance. The catchy, upbeat songs like “Seeing Stars” and “American Money” combined with BØRNS soaring vocals made for an electric show.

Finally, The Lumineers took the stage, giving a heartfelt,

rousing show. Despite the hundreds of people in the audience in the Pavilion, the band made the show feel intimate, at one point moving to a stage towards the back of the venue. This gave a chance for everyone in the audience to get close to the band and feel part of the show.

The band led with a string of hits — popular songs like “Flowers in Your Hair” and “Ho Hey” — followed by the two lead singles from their most recent album, “Cleopatra,” and “Ophelia.”

The most earnest moments in the show came when frontman

Wesley Schultz discussed the meaning between some of their songs. The singer shared a personal story about his uncle who was killed while fighting in the Vietnam War, and how his uncle’s dedication to his country inspired him to write “Charlie Boy.” Later he sang a heartfelt rendition of “Long Way From Home” about his late father’s illness and death. This knowledge made the lyrics that much more meaningful, as Schultz sang, “God and medicine take no mercy on him … Enough is enough, he's a long way from home.”

While Schultz did most of the talking, fellow band members Jeremiah Fraites and Neyla Pekarek made their mark as well. Fraites anchored the performance on percussion, and Pekarek showed her skills on the cello, giving the band their signature, folksy sound.

The band closed with the fan-favorite “Stubborn Love,” concluding an exceptional performance from a talented band.

The Lumineers have a laid-back vibe well suited to Charlottesville — hopefully they’ll be back soon.

RICHARD DIZON | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Master storyteller Salman Rushdie speaks at the Paramount Famous author covers topics from Faulkner to Trump in recent talk BEN HITCHCOCK | SENIOR ASSOCIATE EDITOR In 1989, the Iranian government shocked the world by issuing a fatwa ordering the execution of British-Indian author Salman Rushdie. In his novel “The Satanic Verses,” Rushdie had outraged the nation’s Islamic government by lewdly depicting the prophet Muhammed. The author was forced into hiding for years.

Last week, Rushdie spoke in Charlottesville as part of “Human / Ties,” a celebration for the 50th anniversary of the National Endowment for the Humanities. When asked what it was like to go undercover, Rushdie described the experience as “bad for your social life.”

Rushdie, now nearing 70, has built a career around irreverence and a disregard for convention. He can be impulsive and flippant, and over the course of an hour-long conversation with Prof. Suketu Mehta of New York University, the revered author spouted off on everything from Twitter to trigger warnings to Republican nominee Donald Trump.

COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Salman Rushdie spoke recently as part of the 50th anniversary celebration for the Natiional Endowment of the Humanities.

For example, Rushdie referred to the U.S. citizenship test as “the thing that Mr. Trump probably can’t pass,” and unequivocally called the presidential hopeful a “moron.”

When asked about the use of the

surreal in his writing, Rushdie defended his fantastical tendencies by simply saying, “I want to make s—t up.”

Rushdie is most famous for being inflammatory and insulting, for violently eschewing tradition. Yet to think of Rushdie as nothing more than a sensationalist curmudgeon belies his deep thoughtfulness and respect for the art of storytelling.

Though he pulled no punches in his assessment of Trump, Rushdie also offered astute commentary on the nature of authoritarian governance, and the role the humanities can play in affecting national discourse.

“The writer is the voice that nobody owns,” Rushdie said.

According to the author, writers and journalists have the power to undermine the influence of authoritarian leaders by disputing their proposed narrative. Writing in opposition to authoritarians, according to Rushdie, means “contesting the thing which is most important to them —

which is to control the narrative.”

This is how Rushdie sees the world — in terms of narrative, in terms of stories.

Additionally stimulating were Rushdie’s comments regarding his experience as an immigrant coming to America. In his life, Rushdie has lived, to use his own words, “the wanderer experience,” migrating from country to country, acutely aware of the world in a global sense.

“The story of everywhere is somehow affected by the story of everywhere else,” Rushdie posited during his presentation.

Despite his own globally-oriented sensibilities, Rushdie lauded the merits of a more provincial mindset as well.

“I often envy those writers who have had the opposite life experience from mine, who have been deeply rooted to one place,” Rushdie said, citing William Faulkner as a specific example.

The distinction highlighted Rush-

die’s respect for storytellers of all stripes.

Throughout the presentation, he reminded the audience of his position not as an academic but as a writer. He communicated clearly, in simple and engaging language, entirely avoiding academic jargon. His eyes lit up when relaying an old tale about writer Norman Mailer, and he enthusiastically detailed an encounter between himself and Trump at the U.S. Open. These little snippets became meaningful comedic yarns in Rushdie’s eloquent hands.

The author presents a complicated figure, brash yet thoughtful, impudent yet undeniably appealing. The author’s joyful anecdotes and illustrative comments about politics and the immigrant experience shone through his abrasive veneer at the Paramount, highlighting his splendid talent.

To Salman Rushdie, the world is a collection of floating, interactive stories — and fortunately, Salman Rushdie is a wonderful storyteller.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

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Separating fact from fiction about Zika U.Va. experts give advice, clear up common misconceptions RUHEE SHAH | SENIOR WRITER

The World Health Organization declared the Zika virus a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern” February. By April, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the first Zika-related death in the United States, and,

by July, confirmed four cases of locally transmitted Zika in Miami, Fla. Dr. Anjali Silva, staff physician at Elson Student Health Center, said current research also suggests that a neurological disorder called Guillain-Barre syndrome is strongly associated with Zika, though it affects only a small proportion of people infected with the virus.

Since the initial report of Zika presence in the United States, there have been 35 cases of the virus acquired in Miami through mosquito transmission. With the spread of Zika to the United States has come increased anxiety about being infected, especially with regards to the birth defects, such as microcephaly, associated with it.

However, organizations such as

WHO, the CDC and local health departments have taken steps to more widely educate people on the virus and its prevention.

“A great deal of information has become available globally,” Silva said in an email statement. “Education efforts for the public as well as health care providers have become more widely available, especially online.”

Though also previously suspected, there has been increasing evidence that sexual transmission of Zika is more common than previously thought.

“It can be sexually transmitted from a symptomatic person before, during and after their symptoms end.

It's also possible that it may be transmitted sexually by an asymptomatic infected person,” Silva said.

Testing for Zika has also been clarified and is more readily available as compared to six months ago.

In Virginia, the health departments at the local and state level have taken the threat of Zika seriously, with an action plan in place in case of active Zika transmission in the state,

Dr. Denise Bonds, associate public health sciences professor, said.

“Some locations across Virginia are doing mosquito surveillance,” Bonds said. “They're putting traps out and are trapping mosquitoes and testing them... So far we haven't found any infected mosquitoes.”

Zika virus is a self-limiting illness transmitted in large part by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, and it can result in fever, rash and conjunctivitis, Dr. William Petri, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health in the Medical School, said. Only about one in five people infected with Zika virus develops symptoms, and symptoms usually resolve without any specific treatment.

While microcephaly — a birth defect resulting in an abnormally small head — was suspected to be linked to Zika, in the last few months more definitive evidence has linked the birth defect to the virus.

In terms of prevention, Bonds recommends wearing long pants and shirts during the day to prevent bites — since Aedes aegypti is a daytime

mosquito — and mosquito repellant should be used on exposed areas. The Aedes mosquito breeds in standing water, which can collect around a property in anything from a birdbath to a flowerpot.

“People need to wander around their yard or the areas they live and

make sure containers that have standing water are being emptied on a regular basis,” Bonds said. “Those measures will go a long way towards keeping the mosquito population down. In the next few months, the good news is that in Virginia the mosquito season will end.”

COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Zika virus is carried by Aedes mosquitos, but people who contract it can also transmit it sexually.

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