The
Cavalier Daily online | print | mobile
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Vol. 125, Issue 12
A CULTURE OF COMPETITION
Several popular student groups have acceptance rates lower than 25 percent, first-years focus on few organizations out of 700, Groves says
Police use drones in Hannah Graham Search
Aetna allows students to enroll same-sex partners
Associate Editor
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Literary and Debating Society deCharacterizing Involvement clined to release all of its figures Inspired by a tradition of stufrom their fall 2014 tryout pro- dent engagement but limited by cess. a concentration on specific clubs, “We do not have a member- students fight what third-year ship quota, expected class size, or College student Emma Myers percentage admitted, and releas- called an “uphill battle” to get ining the figures from this fall may volved in popular groups. serve to confuse that message,” fourth-year College student Kate Kingsbury, membership chair of the Jefferson Literary & Debating Society, said in an email. A list circuIf someone told you they don’t do anything other lated of accepted than go to class, that would come as a shock to members showed you,” Schauer said. the Jefferson Society ultimately accepted 51 applicants this fall. Myers, who sits on the execuThe University Programs tive board of the International Council and the Virginia No- Relations Organization and is a Tones also declined to release member of the University Guide their acceptance data. Service, said that for students, But not all organizations competition lends groups a sense are this exclusive. The craze of of legitimacy. competition revolves around a “Your involvement is somerelatively small number of orga- how more valid if you competed nizations — many, if not most, with 10 people for that one spot,” organizations are open to all who Myers said. are interested, including sizable Fourth-year College student groups like Sustained Dialogue Lauren Schauer, who is on the exand the International Relations ecutive board of University DemOrganization. ocrats and is a founding member of the group United for Under-
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As September comes to a close, most upperclassmen have re-entered the academic mode. First years are continuing to acclimate to a new environment. And organizations, both on Grounds and off, have nearly finished recruiting new members. Not everyone, however, is now involved in his or her extracurricular activity of choice. With many popular and well-known groups at the University holding application or try-out processes which necessarily restrict membership, securing University involvement can at times appear a function of either luck or privilege. In discussing the competitiveness of extracurriculars, however, Dean of Students Allen Groves warns of tunnel vision. In an effort to get involved, some students concentrate on the most visible organizations on Grounds, he said. “Too many young people focus on four to five organizations, when we have 700,” Groves said. “There are a handful of organizations, that, because they are high profile, students believe they need to be part of if they are going to have the U.Va experience.” Name recognition and its ac-
companying prestige, then, creates highly-selective application processes to join some of the most well-known student groups. The University Judiciary Committee, for example, evaluated 144 applicants this fall and took “around 40,” said UJC Chair Timothy Kimble, a fourth-year College student. The UJC application rate, then, was 27 percent. Similarly, in 2013, the Honor Committee received 281 applications, ultimately accepting 43 students (15 percent), while College Council accepted only 17 of the 120 students who applied to be underclassman representatives (14 percent). And such competition is not limited to organizations predicated on student self-governance. Performance groups also boast similarly steep acceptance rates for new members. Last spring, more than 40 students tried out for the Whethermen, an improv comedy group. Only one new member was accepted. A cappella groups the Virginia Belles and the Virginia Gentlemen, which generally have few openings in already small ensembles, had acceptance rates of 2.6 percent and 4.3 percent, respectively, this fall. Not all groups disclose their acceptance data. The Jefferson
Kaelyn Quinn
PROFILE: Volleyball senior outside hitter Tori Janowski PAGE 8
WHISNANT: Duplicitous politics PAGE 10
graduate Socio-Economic Diversity, echoed a similar sentiment. “You have to be competitive to be cool,” Schauer said. Fourth-year College student Katie Somers, co-chair of Housing and Residential Life, said extracurricular involvement is encouraged from the beginning of first year. “As Resident Advisors and Senior Residents, we encourage our students to get involved in the University from the get-go,” Somers said. Involvement outside the classroom can become a key part of a University student’s identity. “People associate being involved with being a part of the U.Va. community,” said third-year College student Grace Muth, a senior support officer for the Honor Committee. Administratively-promoted values of student self-governance and engagement may work to reinforce this image. “At an institution that values student self-governance and leadership, student involvement plays a large role in the U.Va. experience,” Interim Director of Student Activities Emily Miles said in an email.
see COMPETITION, page 63 Q&A: Russell Lord opens Fralin exhibit PAGE 15