Thursday, October 5, 2017

The Cavalier Daily Vol. 128, Issue 7

Thursday, October 5, 2017

BICENTENNIAL SCHEDULE OF BICENTENNIAL EVENTS PAGE 4

TOP 10 THINGS T.J. WOULD FIND INTERESTING AT U.VA. PAGE 6

XXXXXXX GRAVE ROBBING TO SOFT-EMBALMING PAGES X-X PAGE 18

SEAN CASSAR | THE CAVALIER DAILY

THE CAVALIER DAILY

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In Brief A summary of what’s happened on and around Grounds in the past week

NEWS

By Cavalier Daily News Staff

October 1 U.Va. alumna injured in Vegas shooting University alumna Allison Crute was injured by a gunshot in the mass shooting in Las Vegas on Oct. 1. Crute graduated from the Nursing School in 2013, and now works as a traveling nurse.

Crute was attending the Route 91 Harvest Festival with her boyfriend, Andrew Kampe, who was also injured.

According to a Facebook post from the University’s School of Nursing, Crute has received emergency surgery to control bleeding and will be undergoing surgery soon to repair her radius, which was shattered by a bullet.

Crute’s father, Allen Crute, stated in a Facebook post Oct. 2 that both Crute and Kampe are alive and stable.

A GoFundMe page for Crute’s recovery has raised over $26,000, and has been updated with information on her recovery.

“Her insurance is minimal at this time and the deduction is very high,” the page read. “Let's help her focus on recovery.”

At least 59 people were killed and over 500 people were injured in the shooting.

(October 3) COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

October 3 Charlottesville Human Rights Commission hosts ‘Dialogue on Race’

Kessler indicted for perjury

COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

The Charlottesville Human Rights Commission hosted a study circle for its “Dialogue on Race” program at the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center Tuesday evening.

The study circles started in September and meet once a month through November for three hours. Participants receive reading materials which accompany the curriculum and trained facilitators lead group discussions.

Tuesday evening the study circle began with a privilege walk facilitated by Charlene Green, manager of the city’s Office of Human Rights.

Green told the dozens of community members in attendance to stand side by side in a line in the center of the room. She read instructions for the participants to step backward or forward depending on their experience with race.

“If your ancestors came to this country by choice, take one step forward,” she said. “If your ancestors have ever been denied the

right to vote based on their race or ethnicity, take one step back.”

The directions also included questions about contemporary experiences of racial identity.

After the privilege walk, Green asked the participants to examine who was standing nearest them, who was farthest away and discuss how the activity made them feel.

Most of the community members near the front of the room were white, while most in the back were people of color.

Green then asked the participants to divide into groups based on their identity as white or a person of color for the next 30 to 40 minutes.

She said the groups would discuss what patterns they noticed during the privilege walk, and the connection between those patterns, racial identity and privilege. Some questions were tailored specifically to the group’s identity as white or people of color.

ANNA HIGGINS | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Jason Kessler, one of the organizers for the Unite the Right rally, was indicted Monday on a felony perjury charge which stemmed from his misdemeanor assault conviction from an incident which happened in January.

Kessler delivered a statement to a county magistrate Jan. 23 and alleged he had been assaulted by a Charlottesville resident — James Justin Taylor — while petitioning on the Downtown Mall for the removal of Vice Mayor Wes Bellamy from City Council. The perjury

charge cites Jan. 23 as the date of the offense.

Kessler was arrested Tuesday and released on $5,000 bond.

His perjury charge is a Class 5 felony, which could result in a prison sentence of one to 10 years, a maximum find of $2,500 or confinement in jail for a maximum of 12 months. Kessler could also receive both time in prison and the fine.

Kessler is scheduled to appear in court Dec. 4.

www.cavalierdaily.com • NEWS

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2017

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Attorney reviewing Aug. 12 city response speaks to Council City Council passes resolution to redesignate portion of Fourth Street in honor of Heather Heyer Geremia Di Maro | Associate Editor Former U.S. Attorney Tim Heaphy and Charlottesville City Manager Maurice Jones responded to concerns raised by citizen speakers at the Sept. 18 City Council meeting Monday night relating to the ongoing review of the city’s response to and management of recent white supremacist events, including the deadly Aug. 12 “Unite the Right” rally.

Heaphy, a former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, was tasked by the city with conducting the independent and external review The city launched the review Aug. 25 in response to citizen concerns expressed at an emotional City Council meeting in which speakers demanded answers from Council concerning the management of the “Unite the Right” rally.

Before Heaphy addressed the Council, Jones stated his confidence in the integrity of the review process and the expertise of Heaphy’s team.

“We are partnering with Mr. Heaphy, [and] we hired [him] to conduct this independent review because of his critical eye, his experience and his understanding of law enforcement procedures and practices,” Jones said. “We fully expect Mr. Heaphy to come back with a detailed report that will explain to us what we did well, what we didn't do well, not only on Aug. 12 or July 8 but May 13 as well.”

Throughout his statement, Heaphy emphasized the independence of the review process from city influence.

“I don't really think we consider the city to be our partner,” Heaphy said. “I frankly think that we were hired to be critical of the city, to look hard at what occurred with respect to those protest events and provide a candid, objective assessment of how those events were handled.”

“The direction I have received from Mr. Jones, [City Attorney Craig Brown] and his office is to get the facts, wherever those facts lead,” Heaphy added. “This is not … a witch hunt to point a finger necessarily at any individuals.”

Heaphy also emphasized that the review process was thorough in its conduct and is investigating all avenues of interest in seeking out answers.

“The process is fulsome and comprehensive,” Heaphy said.

“We have already obtained tens of thousands of documents … that reflect reports, assessments, plans, emails, text messages and

GEREMIA DI MARO | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Heaphy has been tasked by the city to conduct an independent and external review of its reponse to the Aug. 12 “Unite the Right” rally.

really anything at all relevant, we've asked for and are going over.”

In relation to the collection of information for the review process, Heaphy was hopeful that it would ultimately allow for citizen input.

“We continue to believe it's important to try to gather the perspectives of people who came at this event from lots of different places,” Heaphy added. “We are trying our best to get a comprehensive report from various perspectives about how these events were handled.”

Heaphy also acknowledged what he called the “skepticism” of community members concerning the independence of the review

process from the city.

“There is some skepticism about this process that we've confronted,” Heaphy said. “The fact that our client is the city and the information will be presented to the city makes some people frankly skeptical that this isn't a truly independent exercise.”

“We have worked hard to try to disabuse people of that skepticism and reinforce that our intention is to do a truly candid assessment, critical as I said, of law enforcement and our client,” Heaphy added.

Heaphy said he was hopeful that the final report would be released around Thanksgiving.

Vice Mayor Wes Bellamy asked Heaphy if a “mini-update”

on the status of the review could be released in the next couple weeks to reveal answers to pressing questions, including the opening of Fourth Street and the ability of individuals to openly carry firearms on the Downtown Mall Aug. 12.

Fourth Street crosses over the mall and was the site of where a car plowed into a crowd of people Aug. 12, injuring at least 35 people and killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer. The crossing was not supposed to be open to vehicular traffic during the events of Aug. 12.

“If there are discrete questions that are factually oriented or are easy to verify, then yes, I would be happy to answer them,”

Heaphy responded. “I can't give you answers to those now because those are questions that are complicated. I feel like, rather than starting to answer one off questions, my strong preference is to give you a comprehensive answer.”

Councilor Kathy Galvin asked Heaphy if there would be any information that the city would not be able to legally divulge to the public after the review process was completed.

“As far as I am aware, no, there is nothing that will be prevented from being disclosed, and that is a decision frankly for the City Manager,” Heaphy said. “There is nothing that we are gathering that will have a legal prohibition on public disclosure.”

After Heaphy addressed the Council, many citizen speakers still criticized the review process during the matters by the public section of the meeting.

Don Gathers — who has served as chair of the city’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Race, Memorials and Public Spaces — suggested that he and other activist groups may launch their own investigation into the city’s response to and management of white supremacist events. “[It has been] 51 days since [Aug. 12] the hounds of hell marched down our streets, and we still have no answers,” Gathers said. “This is not just going to go away, we will not just let it go. If necessary, I will call upon other community activists and panel our own review board and present answers that we come up with to both the citizens and the media, possibly then we will get some viable responses.”

Dave Ghamandi, who was also critical of Heaphy at a previous Council meeting, claimed that Heaphy and his firm, Hunton & Williams, would profit from the review process and were exploiting the tragedy of Heyer’s death.

Council unanimously passed a resolution Monday to honorarily designate Fourth Street between East Market Street and Water Street as “Heather Heyer Way” in memory of Heyer.

Susan Bro, Heyer’s mother, made a statement after Mayor Mike Signer announced the resolution to honor Heyer’s life. “[Heyer] being memorialized in this way — I deeply appreciate the honor,” Bro said. “I would hope that the city, though I’m not a resident of Charlottesville, would also consider [honoring] other African-American leaders who've made an impact.”

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THE CAVALIER DAILY

NEWS • www.cavalierdaily.com

Bicentennial event schedule THURSDAY

OCT. 5

6 p.m.

FRIDAY

OCT. 6

A Historical Perspective of the 1817 Ceremony talk 1-2 p.m.

Monroe Hill

BackStory Live presents "Who Speaks for America? 200 Years of Debate" Paramount Theater

3-3:45 p.m.

Tribute to the Laying of the Cornerstone

The Lawn

“The University in 100 Objects” talk by Brendan Wolfe 4-5 p.m.

Memorial to Enslaved 4-6 p.m. Laborers Exhibit

Harrison Small Auditorium at Special Collections

East of Brooks Hall and across from the Corner

Bicentennial Launch Celebration

Featuring special guests Andra Day, Leslie Odom Jr. and the Goo Goo Dolls

6 p.m.

The Lawn

SATURDAY Authors in the Arts

10 a.m.

OCT. 7 10 a.m.

U.Va. Bookstore Mezzanine

WTJU’s Freefall Music and Art Festival

“More than the Score” lecture

by Alan Taylor

Newcomb Hall Theater

12:20 p.m. kickoff 5-9 p.m.

IX Art Park

7 p.m.

UVA vs. Duke football game Scott Stadium

Zac Brown Band Concert John Paul Jones Arena

All week long

“The University in 100 Objects” exhibit Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library ELEANOR BARTO AND LUCAS HALSE | THE CAVALIER DAILY

www.cavalierdaily.com • NEWS

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2017

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Heather Heyer Bicentennial Scholarship established Sullivan announced the scholarship at the September Board of Visitors meeting Joshua Okada | Senior Writer in honor of Board of VisitorsOne alumna and two non-alumni of the University have donated a combined $100,000 to create a Bicentennial Scholarship in honor of Heather Heyer. The University’s Bicentennial Scholarship Fund matched the donation with $50,000. Heyer was a Charlottesville-area resident who was killed in the Aug. 12 car attack on the Downtown Mall during the violent “Unite the Right” rally. At least 35 other people were injured in the incident.The Heather Heyer scholarship will give about $5,000 a year to students with demonstrated need, according to Mark Luellen, the University Vice President for Advancement.

“Several donors stepped forward and have completed pledges to us for a scholarship in her [Heather Heyer’s] name in the amount sufficient to qualify for the Bicentennial Endowed Scholarship Fund,” University President Teresa Sullivan said at the Sept.

15 Board of Visitors meeting when she announced the scholarship.

The scholarship is part of the University’s Bicentennial Scholarship Fund, which was founded last December. Through the endowment, the University promises to match any donation of $100,000 or more by half. Donations over $1 million will be matched dollar-for-dollar over a fiveyear period.

The Bicentennial Scholarship

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Fund can match funds because of the Strategic Investment Fund which has $100 million set apart for the Bicentennial Scholarship Fund.

“To date, nearly $40 million in verbal and signed commitments have been secured for scholarships in nine months,” Luellen said in an email.

“When you apply the matching funds, this initiative has created scholarship endowments totaling approximately $75 million.”

Luellen also said the endowment could grow to as large as $300 million for scholarships between the $100 million available for matching funds and donations up to $200 million. The $100 million of matching funds are available as long as there is still money to match committed funds or until the five year timeline of the Bicentennial Scholars Fund runs out.

He said through investment returns, the endowment has the possibility of expanding.

This is not the first fund named in honor of an individual — Politics Prof.

Larry Sabato also established a Bicentennial Scholarship Fund in honor of former University administrator Leonard Sandridge and his wife Jerry.

The Heather Heyer Foundation, a Charlottesville nonprofit organization, will also offer additional scholarship opportunities in commemoration of Heyer.

“The Heather Heyer Foundation was created to honor Heather Hey-

TIM DODSON | THE CAVALIER DAILY

The scholarship will give about $5,000 a year to students with demonstrated need in honor of late Charlottesville resident and activist Heather Heyer.

er, a young civil rights activist, who dedicated her life to promoting equal rights for all people,” the Foundation’s homepage said. “The Foundation has established a scholarship program to provide financial assistance to individuals passionate about positive so-

cial change.”

The foundation’s specific scholarship wishes to help law students, paralegals and other advocates who proactively lend a helping hand to those in need.

“Heather was a young woman who

was deeply involved in taking a stand against injustice when she didn’t have to do so,” the foundation’s webpage says.

The Heather Heyer Foundation did not respond to request for comment.

Finding confidence 4,000 miles from home New routines should be exciting, not scary

LIFE

Luke Fischer | Life Columnist The apartment smelled a little different than I expected. Not bad, per se, but the odor of a foreign spice I had never experienced before. The rooms were a bit small but, nonetheless, I was just pleased to have cool air oozing from the vents on the hot Spanish day. “This is my home for the next six weeks,” I thought anxiously to myself.

My host mom — or “madre” as we called her — instructed in rapid Spanish for my roommate and me to place our luggage in our bedroom and hurry to the dining room table.

I could sense a mutual nervousness amongst all parties in the room, which had a calming effect of its own.

In my jet-lagged stupor, I hadn’t realized that welcoming two teenage strangers into her home was just as nerve-racking for this 75-year-old woman as moving to a foreign country was for us.

As a fairly experienced traveler, I wasn’t really concerned about my impending study abroad trip in the weeks leading up to it. In preparation, I mindlessly began to load the entirety of my closet into two massive L.L. Bean duffles with my initials stitched into them. It was more routine than conscious, as it hadn’t yet sunk in that I would be spending the majority of my summer in Valencia, Spain.

Eventually, the day arrived and my parents shuttled me to JFK Airport and we said our quick goodbyes.

And when I took that first step into the airport looking like a pack mule, it hit me like a brick wall — I was completely alone.

Sure, I’d lived by myself at college for a full year but cross-continental travel just me, myself and I? That was a new one.

Soon after takeoff, 40,000 feet in the air, I reclined my seat (grateful for

the extra leg room) and tried to doze off for the nine-hour flight. Instead, my mind was flooded with hundreds of questions that I had been unconsciously avoiding for weeks. What if I get pickpocketed? What if I lose my passport? What will my temporary family be like? Will they be strict?

Even worse, what if they don’t have Wi-Fi? But less than a day later, sitting at the kitchen table with my new madre to my left and my roommate to my right, my worries had already begun to evaporate. Before us sat a spread as grand as a Thanksgiving dinner — a pan of paella with the circumference of a motorcycle wheel, a vegetable salad overflowing from its dish, bowls of chicken and rice soup and a flourless chocolate cake for dessert. I guess they call it comfort food for a reason.

We all shared some awkward

laughter — mostly madre at our broken Spanish — and the conversations began to flow naturally. She had a reassuring aura about her and oddly reminded me of my grandmother, right down to her flowered apron and curly black hair.

I spent the next few weeks navigating the beautiful city with the help of Google Maps, seeking out the best local bars, exceeding my data overage (sorry Dad) and sharing massive meals with my new familia. My passport and belongings remained in my possession all six weeks, and I transformed myself into a confident citizen of Valencia.

My nerves didn’t return until the very last day of my trip but for a very different reason — I simply didn’t want to leave. I had created a home for myself and bonds that I never expected would feel this real. It was a painful adios as I hopped in my taxi

to the airport, leaving behind a city and its people that I had grown to love.

My ride home felt surprisingly long as I sat back and contemplated what it took to get here. My initial apprehension was nothing but a silly memory. Had I not been thrown into independence and forced to land on my feet, I would have forfeited the opportunity to grow and thrive halfway across the world. I realized that sometimes, when new situations arise that make you uncomfortable or nervous, the best way to solve them is to dive in headfirst — a lesson I carried with me all the way back to Charlottesville.

With an experience of a lifetime under my belt, I recognized that my newfound ability to adapt was one that changed me for the better — and I began to plan my next adventure.

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THE CAVALIER DAILY

LIFE • www.cavalierdaily.com

1.

Minorities

This one is obviously shocking for a guy from the 1800s. Only rich white men attended college when the University was built, so seeing a woman or person of color would definitely be out of the ordinary.

Now, we have all sorts of minority organizations and spaces, like the Black Student Alliance, the Society of Women Engineers and the Multicultural Student Center, just to name a few. Despite what Jefferson’s University looked like in 1819, our move towards diversity has been one of our better decisions.

Unfortunately, we still have a long way to go.

2. Starbucks I would love to see Thomas Jefferson try a pumpkin spice latte. Coffee — or sweetened drinks with a little bit of coffee flavoring — has become increasingly popular, especially on college campuses where we all put off getting enough sleep knowing we can have that pick-me-up the next day.

Just one more episode, right? One more minute on Twitter? Actually finishing that essay you’ve put off eight nights in a row? On Grounds, we have two Greenberry's, Argo Tea and a Starbucks to fuel our all-nighters and sleepless study sessions. Off Grounds, options abound. Maybe Jefferson would appreciate our long nights of hard work, even though they were inevitably caused by our own procrastination.

3. Old and New Cabell

When the Lawn was built, the South Lawn was left empty so the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains could be seen from the Rotunda.

Now the Lawn is capped off by Old Cabell Hall and New Cabell Hall, blocking the original view. The Homer statue would also be a surprising addition for TJ because it wasn’t added to the Lawn until 1907. Although we can’t see the mountains anymore, the buildings are beautiful and fit in well with the architecture of the Lawn. It’s also a little late to do anything about it.

4. The Rotunda Part Two

There are so many overwhelming and new things at the University, but to Jefferson, the Rotunda still seems to be the same! Silly, silly TJ. This is the Rotunda Part Two. The Rotunda reimagined. Wouldn’t he be surprised to learn that the reason the Rotunda had to be rebuilt was because a professor added dynamite to a fire to try to save it in 1895? After the fire, the Rotunda was rebuilt with two floors instead of three to increase the size of the Dome Room and central heating was added. Luckily, many books and works of art were saved by faculty and students. TJ might like the new design and the fact that we’ve kept it as the central point of the University.

TOP 10

5. The clubs There are clubs for everything at the University, including tater tots and spotting dogs. There seems to be a million different a cappella groups. Would Jefferson like them or would he think they were overdone? Would he attend Rotunda Sing? I’m no expert on his singing quality, but maybe he would even audition for an a cappella group himself. I can imagine TJ as a Hullabahoo or a Virginia Gentleman doing the dances and snapping along to the music.

6. Buses When Jefferson was alive, the main mode of transportation was a carriage. Now we have giant moving boxes with seats inside that take the same route every day and are trackable on our personal magic screens. Can you imagine how many horses it would have taken to pull a carriage as big as a UTS bus? It’s better this way without all the poop in the streets, but wait until Jefferson learns about global warming.

9. The size

7. Sports Considering many of the sports the University is known for weren’t invented when Jefferson was alive, I think he’d be more than a little confused. I’m someone who grew up with a dad who watched football every Sunday, and I still get confused. Taking TJ up to North Grounds to see U Hall, John Paul Jones Arena and Klöckner Stadium would be a whole new world. Maybe he could even try his hand at a little basketball or football while he’s visiting.

8.

The Corner

Depending on the time Jefferson visited the Corner, I don’t think it would be absolutely foreign to him.

In fact, he might be more used to the Corner on a Friday night with drunk college students stumbling around than he would be during the day with juiceries, yoga and pizzerias. Back in the day, there were so many drunken brawls and duels on the Lawn that the clock on the Rotunda had to be protected by bulletproof glass and the Honor System was created.

Things were a little crazier back then.

The University is so freaking big. The walk from North Grounds to Central Grounds is literally 30 minutes. A walk from Old Dorms to the Nursing School is almost 20 minutes. If you can’t tell, I’m not very fond of walking. We’re lucky to have buses, but can you imagine how easy it’d be to get to classes if everything were still located on the Lawn? Also, wasn’t the Lawn supposed to remain the center of the University? Unfortunately, we wouldn’t have the wide array of classes like we do now if we stuck to the small size of the Lawn, but a girl’s feet can dream, can’t they?

10. Modern amenities

When the Lawn was originally built, there was no heating, electricity, indoor plumbing or gas. Now the bathrooms for Lawnies are actually pretty nice, and the Pavilions usually have renovations completed every 20 to 30 years. TJ would probably be pretty impressed by all the plumbing, but I won’t be satisfied until there are more bathrooms and residents don’t have to pee in their sinks in the middle of the night.

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AISHA SINGH, MATT GILLAM AND XHOSA SCOTT | THE CAVALIER DAILY

THINGS THOMAS JEFFERSON WOULD FIND SUPRISING ABOUT U.VA. TODAY

Hide the lattes, females and New Cabell hall Ashley Botkin | Top Ten Writer

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www.cavalierdaily.com • LIFE

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2017

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Gus Blagden room celebrates 50 years of Good Guys A look into the selection of a special Lawn room Katie Nicholson | Feature Writer For the last 50 years, current fourth-year students have selected an upstanding rising fourth-year to live in West Lawn Room 15 — commonly called the “Good Guy” Lawn room after Class of 1963 alumnus Gus Blagden.

Blagden was known as an allaround good guy when he attended the University from 1959 to 1963. He was a respected, hard working student both inside and out of the classroom, having been voted co-captain of the lacrosse team despite being described as a “mediocre athlete, at best” by former Athletics Director Gene Corrigan. Stories from his life reveal how thoughtful and kind he was.

Blagden and Fred Scott were firstyear roommates and good friends during their time at the University.

When Blagden passed away in 1966, Scott was devastated and wanted to do something to remember him. Two years later, the Scott family — of Scott Stadium — endowed the room in his honor. However, Blagden actually never lived on the lawn.

“He didn’t have a lot of leadership roles on Grounds, wasn’t the best student, but he was the guy that everyone on the team, that everyone looked up to,” Conor Kelly, committee member and Class of 2017 alumnus, said. “He was just selflessly and naturally someone people gravitated towards, someone who would help people do the right thing.”

The selection process begins in February when a committee made up of approximately 10 people solicit nominations for the next Good Guy Room recipient through social media, posting flyers and reaching out to ListServs. The selection committee includes Dean of Students Allen Groves, the current Good Guy Room recipient, a representative from the IMPs, president of student athletes, resident staff co-chairs and representatives of the four Greek councils — the Inter-Fraternity Council, Inter Sorority Council, National Panhellenic Council and the Multicultural Greek Council.

In 250 to 500 words, people are asked to explain how the person they nominate “selflessly commits their time to serving the University community; maintains good moral character; conducts themselves according to a high standard; displays genuine concern and care for fellow students; may be distinguished by academic merit (but not need be); may be in a recognized position of leadership (but not need be); and carries these fine qualities with the utmost humility,” according to a letter distributed by the selection committee.

“Reading all 400 to 500 submissions was honestly heartwarming,” Lauren Truwit, Class of 2017 Curry alumna, chair of last year’s selection

committee and 2016-17 Gus Blagden room resident said. “You would hear so many great things about what people were doing on Grounds but no one knows about so it was kind of cool.”

After reading all of the nominations over spring break, the committee returns to discuss their top picks — with each person selecting their top eight to 10 people. While some students received nominations numbering in double digits, Groves said the quality of the nominee is what matters.

“One of the ones that sticks out in

my mind was the person who offered a kidney to a complete stranger,” Groves said.

The committee then narrows the final pool down to about 10 people. In teams, the committee members interview people who know the nominees well.

“Interviewing people about their friends was also really fun because you get to see the passion of people’s friends — of this is why they’re so great and how they’ve cared for me,” Truwit said.

The committee then reconvenes

and after much conversation and deliberation, makes a selection and picks a creative way to surprise the recipient with the news.

“That’s actually the coolest part,” Kelly said.

Around late March, a committee member invited this year’s resident, Henry Crochiere, to get coffee on the Lawn where the whole committee then surprised him with the news and celebrated in Lawn Room 15 with champagne and candles.

“When we opened the door, there were about 30 people there, his friends

and his family. At that point, he really started crying a bit,” Kelly said. “That was just incredible. It was a great way to cap off the entire process.”

Crochiere, a fourth-year College student, IFC president and co-chair of Pancakes for Parkinson’s, was completely clueless that he was going to be the recipient.

“I really don’t know how I ended up here but I’m super thankful for it.

I think I’m the luckiest person ever,” Crochiere said.

GRACIE KRETH | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Current occupant of the “Good Guy” Lawn room, Henry Cochiere was surprised by his friends with a party after he learned he was selected to live in the room his fourth-year.

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LIFE • www.cavalierdaily.com

A first-year’s date with history Dome Room dinners welcome students to U.Va. Ally Donberger | Food Columnist The first few weeks of first year are full of countless opportunities. It can be a little overwhelming, but the one experience that will always stick out to me is the Rotunda Dome Room Dinner each first-year dorm has the opportunity to attend.

After weeks of dining hall food, the prospect of a formally prepared meal was too tempting to pass up. The promise of salmon and cornbread stuffed chicken had me daydreaming all day in my classes about finally eating a deliciously cooked meal. The venue of the dinner offered an equal amount of excitement.

The dinner was a formal event, and the sight of everyone from my dorm all dressed up was a change of pace from the usual jeans and t-

shirt college student uniform. The Rotunda’s Dome Room was transformed into a formal dining area with tables dressed just as nicely as the students sitting at them.

Off to the edge of the room, the tantalizing aroma of the feast emanated from under the buffet lids.

At promptly 6:30 p.m., the buffet trays were lifted and the food underneath looked just as good as the scent smelled. After getting as much delicious food as my plate could hold, it was time to dig in.

I had gotten the salmon, cooked vegetables, salad and rolls.

The salmon was cooked to perfection with a citrus lime sauce that added even more flavor to the fish. The cooked vegetables included zucchini and yellow

squash that paired nicely with the salmon. The salad was comprised of mixed greens, pears and the best sugar-coated pecans I have ever tasted. The main event of the dinner, however, was the rolls.

Warm and soft, with little butter balls, the rolls were a delicacy not found anywhere else on Grounds.

After finishing the delicious meal and feeling stuffed to the brim with rolls, the dessert trays were opened revealing a Bananas Foster brownie sundae. The smell of the cinnamon-coated bananas and warm brownies was even more enticing than the meal before. Somehow finding space in my stomach, I cleaned my plate and was ready for more. I don’t typically like cooked bananas, but the warm cinnamon syrup coating

them paired with melty vanilla ice cream and a dense chocolate brownie could not have made a better combination.

The experience of eating in the Rotunda is one that should not be missed. The atmosphere of the dinner was one of welcome and tradition. Eating tasty food and chatting with other residents of my dorm was a great way to foster new friendships. There were also many different guest speakers — including then Student Council President Emily Lodge and our Senior Resident Kathryn Johnson — who welcomed us into the University’s fold. The a cappella group “Hoos in the Stairwell” also gave a performance to enjoy while we ate.

The Rotunda is one of the

most iconic and traditional buildings at the University. The experience of getting to eat a formal meal with my peers at this historic site is unlikely to come again, and made me feel a part of the history and traditions most valued at the University. It was a great way to start off my first year, and the food provided did not disappoint.

Other dorms or groups that have the chance to attend should not pass up this opportunity.

The White Spot serves decades of greasy goodness The Gus Burger and Grillswith remain Corner classics Molly Wright | Food Columnist It’s 1 a.m. on a Friday night turned Saturday morning. You’re walking down the Corner after coming from the disaster that is Trin 3 or from dancing on a table at Coupes. Your feet are aching from party-hopping and dancing, but you and your friends aren’t quite sure you want the night to end just yet. And that’s when you see it — that gleaming 1950s-looking sign with the words “The White Spot” calls to you from down the Corner, and you know you can’t possibly go back to your apartment until you’ve had a Gus Burger and a Grillswith.

With a typical diner feel, The White Spot has remained one of the most popular latenight weekend spots for students through the years — although it is open daily from 8 a.m. until 3 a.m. closing. The White Spot, along with The Virginian, is one of the oldest restaurants on the Corner. Students cram into every inch of the small diner until 3 a.m. waiting for a grilled cheese, french fries, a Gus Burger or the heavenly Grillswith.

One of the only places to sit in the restaurant are the 11 diner stools directly facing the grill, which gives diners quite an intimate view of the individuals making your food. One trend among University students today is to convince the workers at The White Spot to let you flip your

own burger. Checking this off your bucket list might require a little convincing of the fry cook, but let me tell you from personal experience, getting behind the counter and flipping that patty over on the grill is quite rewarding.

For the few who have never made a stop into The White Spot late at night, here are a few of their signature dishes that are sure to fulfill your midnight snack cravings. The most famous item on the menu is the Gus Burger, which is a cheeseburger with a fried egg on top. The meal was created long time ago by Dr. Gus, who used to come to The White Spot from the University Hospital every day and order the burger for lunch. The Gus Burger is the perfect greasy, savory snack after a night of partying, and the University’s annual Springfest also honors the meal by having a Gus Burger eating contest to see who can stuff their face with the most meat, egg and cheese.

If you’re looking for something a little sweeter to end your night, look no further than the famed Grillswith. This dessert has been fulfilling University students’ sweet tooth since at least the 1950s when the University Diner — formerly in the spot now occupied by Fig Bistro on the Corner — first put ice cream on top of grilled donuts. The University Diner was owned by

William and Alma Shiflett until it closed in 1985.

While Fig Bistro serves a version of the University Diner’s Grillswith with doughnuts, ice cream, melted chocolate, cinnamon and powdered sugar, The White Spot serves this dessert the old-fashioned way. Putting two Krispy Kreme doughnuts on the grill until they get just a little gooey and melted and then scooping some vanilla ice cream on top, “the Grills with ice cream,” as The White Spot calls it, is not to be missed.

This dessert is famous in my own family, as my grandfather told stories of how he and his fraternity brothers would make late night — or as he liked to say “very, very early morning” — trips to the University Diner in the 1960s for a Grillswith.

So whether in the ‘60s or in 2017, some things never change among University students — we all like to end our late nights with a sweet fix of doughnuts and ice cream or a delicious burger and The White Spot provides us with just that. The restaurant has been a staple of the Corner for many years and with its savory Gus Burger and sweet Grillswith, it’ll be bustling nightly until 3 a.m. for many years to come.

MOLLY WRIGHT | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Food columnist Molly Wright gets a chance to flip patties at the White Spot, checking off a box on her U.Va. bucketlist.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2017

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SPORTS

2012-13 Men’s Tennis There have been some incredible Virginia sports teams throughout the years, but it’s hard to argue against the 2012-13 men’s tennis team as the cream of the crop. That year, Virginia went undefeated throughout the entire season, compiling an unbelievable 30-0 record, dominating teams en route to an ITA National Team Indoor Championship, ACC Tournament Championship and NCAA Men’s Tennis Championship. To make it even sweeter, it was the program’s first national championship ever, and has spawned a golden era of men’s tennis for the Cavaliers, as they have won three of the last four national championships. The Cavaliers dominated their opponents, winning more than half of their matches — 16 of them — in 2012-13 by scores of 9-0, 7-0 or 4-0. To cap off their special season, Virginia saw two of its players — then-senior Jarmere Jenkins and then-freshman Mac Styslinger — win the NCAA Men’s Doubles Cham-

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pionship. It was an extraordinary year for the Cavaliers, firmly cementing them as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, team in Virginia’s illustrious sports history.

2006 Men’s Lacrosse The 2006 Virginia men’s lacrosse team is widely regarded as potentially the best collegiate lacrosse team of all time. Led by former-coach Dom Starsia, the 2006 squad went undefeated and won the 2006 NCAA Championship trophy. The team beat Princeton by one goal early in the season, but all subsequent opponents trailed by at least four goals as the Cavaliers strutted their way to a 17-0 record. The Cavaliers were unstoppable throughout — finishing with an average winning margin of 8.2 goals. Virginia kicked off the season as No. 1 and ended as No. 1, knocking off Massachusetts in the NCAA Championship final to capture Starsia’s third NCAA Title.

Starsia had incredible talent to work with in 2006 — the team included three First-Team All-Americans, including Tewaaraton trophy winner Matt Ward, Michael Culver and Kyle Dixon. The team also boasted three second-team All-Americans and two third-team members.

A look at some of Virginia’s greatest sports teams

By CD Sports Staff

There is no shortage of accolades to describe the success that Virginia sports teams have achieved throughout the years. With numerous NCAA Titles, ACC Championships and impressive regular season records, the Cavaliers have produced some very special teams over the years. This week, the CD Sports staff makes its picks for the greatest Virginia sports team of all time.

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1991 Men’s Soccer Few dynasties in Virginia sports history compare to the dominance of late ‘80s and early ‘90s men’s soccer teams, who won five national titles in six years under legendary Coach Bruce Arena. The 1991 Cavaliers (19-1-2) get the nod as best team because they only lost once,

and their performance launched four straight titles for the program. Virginia’s only loss came early in the season to Wake Forest, but the team avenged themselves by besting the Demon Deacons 3-1 in the ACC Title Game. In the Final Four game against St. Louis, the Cavaliers overcame a 2-1 deficit late in the game, sending the match into overtime with an equalizer and winning on a header in the 121st minute. The Cavaliers squared off against Santa Clara in the final — who they tied with for the title in the 1989 finals — and defeated them in a thrilling penalty kick shootout to capture their first outright title in school history. Arena’s legacy as one of the best coaches in Virginia history began as the Cavaliers launched a dynasty. Then-freshman defender Claudio Reyna — future USMNT captain and current director of operations for New York City FC — earned his first of three consecutive All-American honors.

1980-81 Men’s Basketball While they fell short of the NCAA title, no Virginia team has matched the success 1980-81 men’s basketball team. The Cavaliers were led by consensus National Player of the Year, future Basketball Hall of Famer and arguably the greatest athlete in Cavalier history, Ralph Sampson in the frontcourt and by captain and future first round pick Jeff Lamp in the backcourt. The assistants on the coaching staff included current Virginia Athletics Director Craig Littlepage and University of Miami Coach Jim Larrañaga. The Cavaliers jumped out to an impressive start to the season — winning their first 23 games — but stuttered towards the end, losing three of their last five games and bowing out in the semi-finals of the ACC tournament. Thankfully, the NCAA tournament went much better for the Cavaliers, as they advanced all the way to the Final Four — the first Virginia team in history to do so — before bowing out to James Worthy’s North Carolina team. The Cavaliers ended the season in third place, the best finish of any Cavalier basketball team.

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THE CAVALIER DAILY

SPORTS • www.cavalierdaily.com

Players to Watch #53 and #37 #14

The Keys

Inside linebackers Micah Kiser and Jordan Mack

Senior wide receiver Andre Levrone

Duke relies heavily on its versatile run game to keep its offense in sync. Specifically, the team runs a zone read attack that features many runs up the middle from its bruising backs — senior Shaun Wilson and redshirt freshman Brittain Brown lead the team with 430 and 386 yards, respectively.

The Blue Devils also like to run read options on the outside, and sophomore quarterback Daniel Jones often keeps the ball — he has good mobility himself with 274 rushing yards on the year.

Kiser and Mack will need to be vigilant so they can see through Duke’s deception and stuff the run on the inside and out. Miami routed Duke 31-6 last week by locking down Wilson and Brown fairly well, forcing Jones to throw the ball into the Miami secondary’s tight coverage on many drives. The Virginia linebackers have not been as strong against mobile quarterbacks, though in general they have played the run very well. If Kiser and Mack can learn to anticipate Duke’s rushing attack as the game goes on and make plays accordingly, the Blue Devils will once again struggle to score points.

After two mediocre performances to start the season, Levrone has been on fire in Virginia’s last two games. Against Connecticut, he accumulated 127 yards and a touchdown on four receptions. In Virginia’s upset over Boise State, he added 141 yards and two touchdowns on five receptions. He has emerged as a reliable passing target for senior quarterback Kurt Benkert not only when the offense is driving down the field, but also in the redzone, as evident with his four touchdowns a third of the way into the season. After Virginia struggled with the deep ball in their first two games of the season, Levrone has been a huge catalyst for a more balanced offense the last two games, which has seen Virginia’s deep ball offense electrified. Levrone has led the way, recording 73 and 64 yard receptions in their last two games, respectively. Both receptions went for touchdowns.

It will be interesting to see if Levrone can continue to be a deep threat and touchdown machine against Duke this weekend in Virginia’s ACC opener.

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ARUSHI KUMAR AND AISHA SINGH | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Virginia versus Duke — a breakdown

By CD Sports Staff Coming off of a bye week with a 3-1 record and a 42-23 beatdown of Boise State on the road, Virginia is looking to continue its strong start to the season. With Duke coming into town with a 4-1 record this weekend for Virginia’s ACC opener, it is sure to be an exciting matchup between the two rivals. Both teams are sporting winning records and it will be interesting to see which team can gain an edge. This week, the CD Sports staff takes a look at some players and keys to watch out for this Saturday.

MARIANA FRASER | THE CAVALIER DAILY

RICHARD DIZON | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Trap game

Taking care of the ball

Virginia has a lot of things going in its favor right now. With a strong 3-1 start and a recent upset victory over Boise State — in which they dominated — there was a lot to feel good about heading into the bye week. For a team that hasn’t had much success in recent years, this weekend’s game against Duke can serve as a prime example of a trap game — one in which Virginia comes out of the gates slowly and suffers a letdown. With the Cavaliers facing expectations to reach a bowl game for the first time in a while, they will have to focus in on their game against Duke and continue to play the way they have been playing the last couple of weeks. It will be interesting to see if the bye week set Virginia up for a trap game or if they will be able to carry the momentum they’ve been gaining into this weekend and pull out a win.

The Virginia offense has done a great job of limiting turnovers this year — Benkert has only thrown one interception and the team has recovered all of its fumbles. However, the Cavaliers have yet to face a ball-hawking defense like that of Duke. The Blue Devils rank tied for fourth in the FBS with eight passes intercepted and have returned three for a touchdown. Duke senior cornerback Bryon Fields Jr. has picked off three passes to lead the team, while fellow starting cornerback Mark Gilbert has intercepted two.

Although Benkert has done exceptionally well with taking care of the ball this year, he has gotten lucky with some mistakes. Against a Duke front seven that only allows 80 rushing yards per game, he will have to make some plays through the air to move downfield, but he must exercise great care against the opportunistic secondary. Furthermore, the entire Cavalier offense will have to play mistake-free football to put up points against a formidable Blue Devils defense.

Football opens conference play against Duke Virginia brings high morale as it comes out of bye week, 3-1 Alec Dougherty | Senior Associate As the University celebrates its Bicentennial Launch this weekend, students and alumni have more than their school’s rich history to be excited about — their football team is off to its best start in years. Virginia comes out of its bye week with great momentum after a road rout of Boise State, and the prospect of bowl eligibility looms large. The Cavaliers (3-1, 0-0 ACC) will look to ignite what will be a raucous home crowd at Scott Stadium when they take on Duke in their ACC opener.

Much like Virginia, Duke (4-1, 1-1 ACC) is resurging after a disappointing 4-8 season in 2016, and Coach David Cutcliffe has a lot of talent to work with on both sides of the ball. Virginia will have its hands full coming out of the bye week — when many teams are often lackadaisical — but Coach Bronco Mendenhall believes his team’s mentality has not been lost.

“They worked very hard. I haven't seen or sensed any lulls,” Mendenhall said. “The behavior has been really good. Sometimes [in] the college game, especially, on bye weeks play-

ers have a tendency to drift a little bit in terms of social conduct. I've seen none of that.”

Staying focused during breaks in the season often requires veteran leadership, and Mendenhall seems to have found that in senior quarterback Kurt Benkert. The talent has always been present for the senior, but with more command of the offense and confidence in his game, he gives Virginia reliability in a critically important position.

Mendenhall has taken notice of his quarterback’s growth.

“It's fun to see [Benkert] leading with confidence,” Mendenhall said.

“It's fun to see him smiling. It's fun to see his poise and experience, but his leadership [is] coming out … The coaches are having to coach less and he's coaching more.”

Benkert has another great asset developing for him in his rapport with senior wide receiver Andre Levrone. Much like Benkert, Levrone dealt with injuries and inconsistencies after breaking onto the scene with impressive play as a freshman in 2014. Looking to change

the narrative of his career, the senior put in work and has become one of Benkert’s most reliable receivers.

“From the minute [the last] season ended, through the offseason and through spring and through fall, I've seen only durability and consistency and productivity [from Levrone],” Mendenhall said. “He's been as consistent in the games as he has been in practice. And I anticipate that continuing.”

Last week against Boise State, Levrone earned ACC Receiver of the Week honors for his 141 yard, two touchdown performance. He currently leads Cavalier receivers with 348 yards and four touchdowns on only 13 receptions.

Benkert and Levrone may have their toughest assignment thus far against a Duke team led by an opportunistic defense. The Blue Devils stand at 4-1 after beating two Power Five foes — Northwestern and Baylor — as well as ACC archrival North Carolina on the road, before suffering its first loss of the season in a rough 31-6 home rout to Miami last week.

Duke’s defense is aggressive and has a penchant for big takeaways.

The defense ranks fourth in the FBS in interceptions with eight and ninth in sacks with 18. Mistakes from Benkert or his offensive line on Saturday could easily lead to turnovers or momentum-killing sacks.

“They're pretty elaborate, very aggressive – [their] scheme is very well designed,” Mendenhall said.

“They're sending four [pass rushers] and they're not afraid to send six or give the appearance of six from multiple fronts and different angles. So they're very aggressive.”

Offensively, Cutcliffe employs a versatile running game to deceive opponents. Virginia will see a lot of read option from sophomore quarterback Daniel Jones and senior running back Shaun Wilson.

Wilson is a bruising runner up the middle and Jones is not afraid to pull the ball and run outside — he is third on the team with 274 rushing yards. Miami was able to stop Duke’s rushing attack on early downs and force Jones to throw deep, where he could not fit passes in against the

tight Miami secondary. Virginia’s front seven will have to sniff out read options to stop Duke’s rushing attack and force Jones to be uncomfortable, much as it did against Boise State. The Cavalier defense intercepted Jones five times in a 34-20 win at Duke last season.

A Duke team on the rise will be a big test for Virginia on Bicentennial Weekend, but the Cavaliers will have a key weapon they haven’t gotten to wield in some time — fan morale. Mendenhall recounted the praise he got from Virginia fans at a high school football game on Friday.

“It was just the number of people that basically said how appreciative they are and how exciting it is and the possibilities,” Mendendall said. “They really want to be believing that this is going to work. And they're hopeful and optimistic and thankful.”

Virginia’s first conference showdown of the season against Duke is set to kick off at 12:20 p.m. Saturday at Scott Stadium.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2017

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U.Va. shouldn’t undo Title IX progress

OPINION

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Changes to Title IX provide U.Va. administration with an opportunity to reaffirm its commitment to address reports of sexual violence

n Sept. 22, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights scrapped a 2011 "Dear Colleague" letter, which spelled out to colleges their obligation to effectively address reports of sexual violence.

The letter, which emphasized that the federal government would aggressively police that responsibility, signaled a new era of strict enforcement throughout U.S. college campuses. The department also axed a 2014 question-and-answer document which outlined how colleges

should bring their policies into compliance with Title IX. These two documents encouraged universities to take sexual assault more seriously, and their retraction presents our University an opportunity to emphasize its commitment to protecting the progress of the last several years.

For now, the department has released temporary guidance which will eventually be followed by official regulations. Overall, the nature of the temporary guidance is significantly more lax than that of its predecessors.

For example, the guidance now allows colleges to choose which standard to employ when deal-

ing with sexual-assault cases: the standard which the 2011 letter instructed colleges to use, the preponderance of the evidence or clear and convincing evidence (a higher standard). This might eventually prove to be confusing and inconsistent at the national level, with different institutions having different protections for students. On Grounds, it is essential that the University administration determines the best approach for the community, while maintaining the current protective standard of adjudication.

Despite its shortcomings, the new guidance presents a notably

positive change. Under the new document, colleges no longer have 60 days from when a report is filed to resolve sexual-assault cases. Hopefully, the removal of the 60-day rule will provide investigators an opportunity to take their time when dealing with complex sexual-assault cases without the need of a requested extension. This change will allow for fairer investigation processes for cases at our University, which would otherwise — by not qualifying for an extension — have to expedite their proceedings in order to meet the 60-day rule.

This isn't to say that the University should immediately over-

haul its Title IX policies. Given that most of the student body has already been taught about University procedures for responding to sexual-violence reports, it would be unnecessarily confusing and disruptive to suddenly backtrack on these policies. Nevertheless, when the time comes, the University should take the opportunity to re-up their commitment to maintaining a fair, safe and effective reporting system for instances of sexual violence.

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THE REVERBERATING LAWN The Bicentennial provides a unique opportunity to reflect on U.Va.’s past, present and future by listening

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hile serving as a Kenan Fellow of the Academical Village this past summer, I researched the sonic history of the University. I discovered a common narrative of our University’s past — an early period dominated by “noise,” riots and protest, followed by a “quiet” era that continues into the present.

This is a fanciful narrative that unfortunately predominates today. It troubles our own ideas both of what the meaning of ‘noise’ is and of how political the University has always been. With the Bicentennial upon us, it is important that we recognize the breadth of this noisy past, and listen to what it has to teach us as we enter a new chapter in our University’s history.

On May 6, 1810, Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter to Trustees of the East Tennessee College, describing his thoughts on the ideal learning environment. He envisioned a university with lodges for both students and professors — “the whole of these arranged around an open square of grass & trees would make it, what it would be in fact, an academical village, instead of a large & common den of noise, of filth, & of fetid air. it would afford that quiet retirement so friendly to study.”

This letter went largely unnoticed until a professor at Van-

derbilt University sent it to President Edwin Alderman in 1923 — it has since become part of the lore of the University’s founding.

However, in spite of Jefferson’s vision, student displays of disorderly, riotous and noisy behavior almost jeopardized the future of the University. In an infamous letter from 1825, for example, George Pierson describes the University as a “nursery of bad principles,” and relays a story of students leading an ox to the top floor of the Rotunda, where it was “left to amuse the students … by its noisy bellowings.” The subsequent period of bad behavior, as the usual story goes, culminated with the shooting of Professor John A. G. Davis in 1840, a turning point in the University’s history that led to a more disciplined student body and the institution of the Honor System.

Yet, my research shows that this narrative is not borne out by the evidence. Moreover, it clouds our understanding of recent events and their supposedly “unprecedented” character.

The Unite the Right Rally was not the first time the University and the larger Charlottesville community was terrorized by a group of white supremacists.

Philena Carkin, a teacher of the Charlottesville freedmen during Reconstruction, writes of the “Calithump,” a kind of noisy

parade —”Woe to the unfortunate individual… who in any way gained the ill will of one of these students. With faces masked, and torches made of brooms dipped in tar and lighted they would

edge and respond appropriately to its political environment. Following the Kent State shootings in May 1970, University students occupied Maury Hall, surrounded Carr’s Hill and blocked the in-

When we hear of recent events in Charlottesville as being “unprecedented,” we should instead see how familiar they are to the neighborhood, how familiar the history of white supremacy is to the University and the nation at large. march to his house to the music of tin horns, and surrounding the building make night hideous as only yelling demons can.”

These University students, according to Carkin, often terrorized her and the local black community, leaving behind KKK symbols and breaking window panes. When we hear of recent events in Charlottesville as being “unprecedented,” we should instead see how familiar they are to the neighborhood, how familiar the history of white supremacy is to the University and the nation at large.

The noise and violence of August 11 and 12 also showed a University administration repeating its own past without recognizing it, ultimately failing to acknowl-

tersection at University Avenue and Rugby Road. Their demands were for an end to the war in Vietnam and Cambodia, for a living wage for staff, for a more diverse and representative student body and faculty and for a more engaged and politically aware University administration — demands strikingly similar to more recent demands from the student body. These events were also described as “unprecedented” by the University administration, which found itself unprepared because of an “It can’t happen here” attitude.

What all of these and many more events tell us is that the University has always been saturated with noisy protests, violence and unrest. Noise can be

a sign of political upheaval, of cultural dynamics and of a failure to reconcile the past with the present. It is odd that Jefferson believed in the noise of revolution and democracy, and yet envisioned his University as a quiet and detached utopia. We must dispel this myth and recognize the truly political nature of the University. Our Academical Village is profoundly intertwined with events of local, national and global significance. And as we heard after August 11 and 12, the world is now profoundly affected by what takes place here on Grounds. If we willingly deafen ourselves to our University’s noisy history, we will make the same mistakes over and over again, and will fail not only our community, but ourselves as well. Only after addressing this reality can we confidently enter a new century for the University.

KYLE CHATTLETON is a PhD Candidate at the University of Virginia working on a dissertation concerning the role of sound in contemporary American protests.

STUDENTS SHOULD ENGAGE IN THE BICENTENNIAL The Bicentennial provides an opportunity for an honest look at U.Va.’s history

U

.Va.As a generally active and engaged student of the University, I’m usually aware of important happenings surrounding the University and I try to be engaged with the surrounding community. Witnessing the tragic events of Aug. 11 and 12 broke my heart, and I, like so many others, was thankful for the outpouring of support from the rest of the nation. The awful actions of Aug. 11 and 12 pushed the conversation of the University’s unsatisfactory history of race relations to the forefront.

In many cases, students took the lead in responding to these terrible events, ultimately driving the rhetoric. Students possess another incredible opportunity to shape the narrative surrounding the University’s history — this time driven by the calendar, and not by a few bad actors. The University’s Bicentennial Celebration is kicking off on Oct. 5, and will continue for the next two years. Students should get

involved with the celebration to better understand the University’s history and shape its future.

From my admittedly limited vantage point, the Bicentennial has received remarkably little student attention. As I write

ing the events of Aug. 11 and 12.

To be clear, I am not saying that this is a bad phenomenon, for the events must be addressed now.

However, there is no reason that the Bicentennial cannot be used as a platform for a discussion of

The community needs a correct view of the past now more than ever, and the Bicentennial seeks to provide that.

this, I am not aware of any of my friends who have tickets to this Friday’s kickoff, much less any that are extremely excited.

The Cavalier Daily — an imperfect but informative indicator of student’s interest in an event — has featured only 11 articles with Bicentennial in the title. This is a fraction of the number of articles addressing issues surround-

the University’s whole history.

The dark, hate-filled march on the Lawn is now a part of the University’s history, and it ought to be treated as such.

The Bicentennial Programming includes events meant to contextualize the University’s history —to view it both from the lens of the past and the future. It discusses the role of the

University in today’s world and addresses its successes along with its failures. This is occurring concurrently with the selection of a new president, who has vowed to focus on listening to the community before starting his term. It provides a platform to honor what is true, noble, right, pure and admirable about the University — and there is much to appreciate. It also brings an opportunity to examine the long-overlooked relationship between the University and slavery.

In a student body so recently incited to action on these issues, the silence surrounding the Bicentennial is deafening.

The vision of the Bicentennial is a “celebration of UVA’s achievements, a recognition of the imperfections of its past, and a visualization of its future.”

The community needs a correct view of the past now more than ever, and the Bicentennial seeks to provide that. Students should be involved in celebrating the

genius of the University while condemning its shortcomings, appreciating its past while understanding its weaknesses. If the Bicentennial is to prepare the University to survive another 200 years, students must participate in the conversation. This platform for appreciation and recognition of the University’s past comes at a unique time, and the students cannot miss out. The University is actively seeking participation — will students answer the call?

CONNOR FITZPATRICK is an Opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at opinion@cavalierdaily.com.

www.cavalierdaily.com • OPINION

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2017

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RYAN SHOULD MAKE STUDENT ENGAGEMENT A PRIORITY A healthy student-administration relationship will positively affect the community

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resident-elect James E. Ryan is deeply ingrained in the University community. He developed relationships with both students and his fellow faculty and — as he mentioned in his opening address — Ryan has maintained friendships with many of those who have stayed involved in the community. Such strong ties to the University positions Ryan to develop a relationship of mutual care with the student body, a currently underutilized facet of the presidency.

Next October, Ryan will return to a community which has clearly played an integral role in his life. Just six years after graduating from the Law School, he joined the faculty as the Matheson and Morgenthau Distinguished Professor of Law and as an associate dean. Ryan’s popular classes and his establishment of the Program in Law and Public Service — which develops advocacy skills in students preparing for careers in public service — illustrate how highly he values student-faculty relationships. As president, Ryan should seek to further those partnerships through tangible interaction and engagement with students.

President Teresa Sullivan has worked hard to bridge the gap between the administration and the student body. In recognition of its bicentennial, the University has developed the Cornerstone Plan, which lays out

goals for University growth in culture, research, engagement and accessibility.

Implementation of these overarching goals has already begun with the establishment of the Data Science Institute, a new major in Global Studies and several other initiatives. Sullivan

Students generally feel a disconnect between themselves and the administration, which inhibits the University’s ability to accomplish its goals. If Sullivan had developed a more public profile during her tenure, students may have had a more positive outlook on

By developing personal relationships and a general relationship with the student body, Ryan will set himself apart from the current administration.

has striven to include many different groups of University stakeholders in the planning — including students — stating that “more than 10,000 students, alumni, staff, faculty, donors, parents, and community members” have contributed to the development of the plan. Although policy has been crafted in accordance with student input, the current administration lacks the visibility which could ultimately characterize the success of its work.

Other than class-wide events such as Convocation and Final Exercises, and occasional emails and promotional videos, the administration has a limited presence around Grounds.

her administration’s policies. Ryan has the opportunity to build on Sullivan’s legacy by adding a tangible presence around Grounds to his administration. By developing personal relationships and a general relationship with the student body, Ryan will set himself apart from the current administration.

With the current infrastructure of the University community, Ryan has several powerful avenues to connect with the student body. Ryan could — for example — hold weekly video conferences where he takes questions from students online, and responds to them in real-time. The most important element of this suggestion is the real-time

response. For a University president to respond immediately to students’ questions would show a vested interest in their well-being, as opposed to current models of student-administration interaction which fail to recognize the importance of personalized interaction. In addition, Ryan could simply take walks around Grounds where students would have the opportunity to see and talk with him. This kind of visibility would help Ryan demonstrate his care for each individual student, and offer him the chance to hear student opinion firsthand, which could better inform his policy decisions. Regardless of specific policies, Ryan should ensure that his presidency is characterized by close, personal interaction with students. Such a relationship with the body of the University community most impacted by his administration’s policies will aid in the success of his tenure.

In addition to serving as the highest ranking administrative official whose oversight permeates every department and program, the president must lead the University community in times of crisis. In these moments, the president must offer guidance and support, and bring the community together and provide solace to those who need it. The events of Aug. 11 and 12 have left a lasting mark on the University community. Short-term effects

are widespread, and long-term effects will influence the University for years to come. For Ryan, this means engaging with students at a personal level; it means listening to their concerns and then making necessary changes. Serving as a visible, accessible resource to students is vital to the success of his term as president.

If Ryan can engage with the student body effectively, the University will see incredible accomplishments during his tenure. During his speech on Sept. 15, Ryan stated his desire for community involvement during his tenure “in an effort to set a clear and compelling path for the next chapter in the life of this wonderful place.”

Through active and personal engagement with students, Ryan will help the University grow as both an academic institution and a unified community.

JAKE LICHTENSTEIN is a Viewpoint writer for The Cavalier Daily. He may be reached at j.lichtenstein@cavalierdaily.com.

THE BENEFITS OF GENTRIFICATION Myths portraying gentrification as a form of systemic oppression don’t accurately represent the positive effects of urban renewal

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entrification remains one of the most controversial issues related to urban development and revitalization, in part because of the perception that it is a form of oppression against inner-city minority populations. However, the perception that the forces of gentrification work against the majority of disadvantaged inner-city populations is just that — an impression. According to John Buntin, staff correspondent for “Governing” magazine, “That gentrification displaces poor people of color by well-off white people is a claim so commonplace that most people accept it as a widespread fact of urban life. It’s not. Gentrification of this sort is actually exceedingly rare.

The socio-economic status of most neighborhoods is strikingly stable over time.” The arguments against gentrification are misguided, and overall it serves as a positive force in cities that benefits neighborhood's, original residents, and new residents.

Opponents of gentrification also claim that gentrification causes a disproportionate amount of the original residents of neighborhoods to be displaced. A 1983

study showed that residents in Boston, Cincinnati, Denver, Richmond, and Seattle found that almost a quarter of residents in urban neighborhoods in those areas were displaced because of eviction, increases in rent, or the selling of previously rented homes. However, assigning gentrification as the sole cause that lower-income residents leave neighborhoods ignores the many other forces that are at work in cities and cause shifts in populations. However, Buntin noted that “Poor people often move away from non-gentrifying neighborhoods” compared to displacement in gentrifying neighborhoods. Additionally, University of Washington economist Jacob Vigdor found that poor people moved out of gentrifying neighborhoods at a lower rate than non-gentrifying neighborhoods. Lance Freeman of Columbia University and Frank Braconi also found similar trends in New York City. Despite the fact that a rise in rent rates often coincides with gentrification, Freeman and Braconi study found that residents were less likely to move when rent increased.

Another arguments opponents of gentrification use to claim it is a

form of oppression against minority communities is the fact that racial and ethnic demographic often change when low-income black neighborhoods gentrify. However, Buntin explains that “it’s typically

Opportunity in partnership with New York University’s Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy found that public housing residents in higher-income neighborhoods have a higher quality of

The arguments against gentrification are misguided, and overall it serves as a positive force in cities.

because Latinos and other immigrants move into a neighborhood.”

One of the most contradictory aspects of arguments against gentrification is that they are often prefaced with a list of positive outcomes of gentrification, such as decreased crime rates, increases in home values, and better schools.

However, these benefits alone make neighborhoods better for all residents and serve as a case in favor of gentrification in and of themselves.

A study conducted by the New York City Center for Economic

life than residents of exclusively poor neighborhoods.

Economist Raj Chetty of Stanford University and his colleagues conducted a study finding a connection between economic integration and economic mobility. However, these findings are often used in arguments in favor of lower-income residents moving into higher-income areas. Joe Cortright, director of City Observatory, argues that the same argument could be used to advocate for higher-income residents moving into traditionally

lower-income areas.

It is likely that gentrification is going to remain a relevant trend in urban development and renewal.

According to Pete Saunders, contributor to “Forbes” magazine, data from the U.S. Census American Community Survey indicates that college-educated millennials are increasingly moving into cities and a slightly higher rate than outlying suburban areas.

The evidence in favor of gentrification has been growing. Numerous studies, such as Vigdor’s and Freeman’s, discount the myth that gentrification leads to original residents being displaced on a macro level. Other studies have positively concluded that the revitalization of neighborhoods brings tangible economic benefit to residents.

THOMAS FERGUSON is a Viewpoint Writer. He can be reached at opinion@cavalierdaily.com.

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HUMOR ‘’In lieu of Twitter recently unveiling its plan to offer users twice the number of characters to use in order to alienate all remaining friends and family, many have found themselves in need of new topics to yell about.

Some have recently fallen upon a centuries-old dispute among the Pilgrims of Plymouth Plantation in Plymouth, Mass. As it turns out, the widespread debate across this country about the second amendment in the Constitution, or the “Right to Bear Arms” has grabbed national attention, but the unequivocally divisive squabble over the “Right to Bare Arms” seems to

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WALTER SHARON | THE CAVALIER DAILY

CARTOON

THE CAVALIER DAILY

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Pilgrims protest the ‘Right to Bare Arms’ have been historically brushed off.

The residents of the minute Puritan society in the Pilgrims’ landing site of 1620 have found a certain bee in their bonnet over the present amount of uncovered skin that many tend to display.

“You take your barrel to the stream to collect water for the week,” noted William Bradford, Governor of the colony, “and Good Morrow! There they preside, as widespread and devastating as the Black Plague: all the ungodly arms!”

A recent poll reveals that very few people are aware that this colony of Puritan Englishmen even exists in 2017, but in fact they have been able to survive and even thrive over the past 400 years, maintaining relevance in their own way.

At the height of the Civil War in the 1860s, the Pilgrims were steeped in their own dividing conflict noted as the “Shrivel War,” understood to be an argument as to whether or not Sarah Heaton stole Agnes Tilley’s ears of dried corn. In the late 1960s, when

thousands of hippies flocked to upstate New York for the historic Woodstock festival, the neo-Pilgrims held a “Beef Stock” festival, a celebration of the many uses of the broth, shared between Puritans and the few remaining natives in the area. In the same year that the United States sent the first man to the moon, the nation’s favorite settlers announced that Edward Doty was the “first man in Maroon,” as their shipment of the necessary dye had just arrived from the Motherland.

In more recent times, when Apple released its first iPhone in 2007, the Pilgrims invented the “Eye-Stone,” a device used for the punishment of children who did not memorize their Bible verses.

As the centuries have passed and sleeve length has receded farther than religious separatist William Brewster’s hairline, the outrage of the early settlers has only grown. This hotly debated topic has been in fact the recurring headline of their original publication, “Pilgrims Progressing.” In this biweekly newspaper scribed on parch-

ment, the Puritans have advocated for longer sleeves for centuries. “We are as famous a newspaper as any other,” claims editor-in-chief John Crackstone, noting that as the Washington Post investigated Nixon and the Watergate scandal, the Pilgrims Progressing staff dug into the “Gate” scandal, in which Moses Fletcher knocked down Edward Tilley’s front gate and denied the whole thing.

Historically, Plymouth town officials have had their fair share of trouble with the rabble-rousing Puritans, and Town Selectman Ken Mayflower has often received the brunt. “We definitely receive a decent amount of angry scrolls about public legislature,” says Mayflower, “but the trick is to keep all of their complaints at a wellclothed arm’s length.”

Despite a significant lack of public attention over the last few centuries, the Puritans are confident in their argument and show no signs of backing down. In completely unrelated news, residents of Deadhorse, Alaska find themselves approaching a vote

over the “Right to Bear Arms,” a bill regarding whether or not the local grizzly bear population would better contribute to society (grizzlies make up 48 percent of the Deadhorse population) if they did not have the use of their arms.

WALTER SHARON is a Humor columnist for The Cavalier Daily.

He can be reached at humor@cavalierdaily.com.

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WEEKLY CROSSWORD PUZZLE

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44. With -pus, a strange duck-billed mammal 46. Popular flavor of Bud Light or tortilla chips 47. A midterm is one 49. Irish for "Ireland" 50. Quickly 2 words 52. Prophesizing priests

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36. Opening in t-shirt 37. British term for molasses 39. Spider-man villain portrayed by Jamie Foxx 40. Affixing with 23across 41. 1973 Scorsese film "Mean ___" 42. Goodyear is an example of one 45. Affirmative 48. EZ-Pass is a quick way through one of these 51. Water- or garden are examples 53. Great Barrier is an example (RIP) 54. From ___ (not close)

*SOLUTION FROM LAST WEEK’S PUZZLE IS TO THE LEFT

THE CAVALIER DAILY

A& E ARTS &

U.Va. celebrates history, future Performers to include Andra Day, Leslie Odom Jr., Goo Goo Dolls

ENTERTAINMENT

The persistence of any institution for two centuries is something worth celebrating. When the institution in question is a place of learning as prestigious and hallowed as the University of Virginia, the celebration is guaranteed to be bountiful and continuous.

The University has taken this philosophy to an impressive maximum, technically starting off Bicentennial festivities two years early on the school’s 198th birthday. To be fair, there is logic behind this. Friday, Oct. 6 marks the 200th anniversary of the laying of the University’s cornerstone, and with this anniversary comes an abundance of special performers and speakers.

Chief among these are performances by The Goo Goo Dolls, Leslie Odom Jr. and Andra Day. Day is an R&B performer who has enjoyed an impressively quick rise to fame with her 2015 debut album “Cheers to the Fall” and its tour de force single, “Rise Up,” an inspiring ode to overcoming adversity. Both the album and single received Grammy nominations that year.

Day’s ascension to fame was partially initiated when she was discovered by Stevie Wonder, another recent visitor to the University as a special guest at the Concert for Charlottesville.

The two have since collaborated multiple times, with Day citing Wonder as one of the contributors to “Cheers to the Fall” and the duo appearing on an Apple TV Christmas ad.

Day’s recent work has been more politically charged. The R&B musician covered Billie Holiday classic “Strange Fruit” in a powerful video as part of a collaboration with the Equal Justice Initiative. The collaboration is described on Day’s site as a means of spreading awareness about the “legacy of lynching.”

In past interviews, Day has cited musicians Holiday and Nina Simone as major influences of hers, calling them “big voices.”

Day herself has an enormously powerful voice, both literally and figuratively. Though the details of her performance at the Bicentennial kickoff are still largely unknown, it is safe to say that her presence will be a welcome, needed one, both to address the University’s troubled past and usher in its bright future.

Odom Jr. has a claim to fame in a different realm of the arts world, as the famous — some might say infamous — Aar-

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Dan Goff | Arts and Entertainment Editor on Burr in celebrated musical “Hamilton.” The musical, as it is hardly necessary to mention, has been hugely successful, with unprecedented Tony nominations, equally unmatched box office sales in its preliminary run and a film adaptation in the works.

As Burr, Odom Jr. played a principal role in the story, acting as antagonist and eventual killer of Hamilton, not to mention vice president to Thomas Jefferson during Jefferson’s first term.

The rich history implicated in this role suggests at least limited discussion of such history during Odom Jr.’s performance Friday night.

Though Odom Jr. said in an interview that the part in “Hamilton” might be the “greatest role” of his life, he also has a thriving solo music career and a part in upcoming film “Murder on the Orient Express.” Such a range of artistic talent will doubtless provide an entertaining presence on stage for the Bicentennial kickoff.

As the most recently announced of the three, slated performance of alt-rock band The Goo Goo Dolls comes as somewhat of a surprise. The group has been in existence since 1985 and have created 11 albums, perhaps most notably 1998’s “Dizzy Up the Girl,” which featured hits such as “Iris” and “Slide.”

It is unclear what purpose the band’s presence will serve at the kickoff event, as they have no clear ties to the University and their musical popularity arguably peaked years ago. Following up the politically relevant, powerhouse acts of Day and Odom Jr., The Goo Goo Dolls may be an anticlimax.

Forty-eight years ago, the University hosted a Sesquicentennial event of a similar nature, intended to celebrate the school’s then-150 years of existence. The visiting band that night was Sly and the Family Stone, whose music — often straying toward protest and rebellion — was surely more controversial in that time than a similar choice would be now.

Though The Goo Goo Dolls may mostly fulfill a placating presence at the event, Day and Odom Jr. should be extraordinary. Considering Friday's kickoff event is only the start of the University’s year-long celebrations, one can only wonder what else is in store.

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA

The Bicentennial kickoff event will feature such performers as Andra Day, Leslie Odom Jr. and The Goo Goo Dolls.

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2017

H&S HEALTH & SCIENCE

Founded to improve the quality of education for University medical students, the University Hospital and Health System have been on the forefront of the growth of modern medicine and more recent research and discoveries.

From the start, the University Health System has continually increased the number of beds it can hold to better serve the population — both from local communities and statewide.

“As an academic health system, our three main priorities are providing the highest-quality patient care, making research breakthroughs that improve the human condition and training the next generation of healthcare workers,” Eric Swensen, a spokesperson for the University’s Health System, said in an email to The Cavalier Daily.

Currently, the University’s Health System consists of the School of Medicine, School of Nursing, Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, Medical Center and the University Physicians Group.

The Health System also includes the Faculty and Employee Assistance Program, which serves both the University and other employers in the community, Swensen said.

According to Swensen, though some care is provided for students through the Medical Center, such as emergency treatment, Student Health is mostly separate from the Health System.

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Medical Center sees 116 years of expansions Ever-growing U.Va. Hospital System continues to search for ways to increase quality of care Catherine Wiedmann | Senior Writer Though it was always a statewide hospital, the University Health System had humble beginnings and a rocky start.

In 1825, Thomas Jefferson began the medical education and patient care program at the University.

“They had a student infirmary starting in the 1850s. By 1901, the members of the medical faculty did rotations as the university physician,” said Dan Cavanaugh, curator of Historical Collections at the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library.

However, a dispensary and surgery center was not built until 1895.

It eventually served outpatient care for 21 years. This was done to improve medical education at the University, and to give students more than just lectures to learn from, according to Cavanaugh.

Hospitals at that time had a stigma. Physicians would regularly visit patient homes — if they could afford medical care — and going to a hospital implied that someone could not provide for themselves or their family.

“Hospitals were considered among the general population as places only the most disadvantaged citizens would come to,” Cavanaugh said. “They weren’t places to get advanced medical care or advanced treatment.”

The rise of modern medicine at the turn of the century, with advancements in fields like surgery and antiseptics, began to convince the general population that hospitals were good

COURTESY HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS AND SERVICES, CLAUDE MOORE HEALTH SCIENES LIBRAY U.VA.

The University Health System, a statewide hospital, began as a student infirmary in the 1850s.

COURTESY DAVID MOYER

The University Health System is currently planning expansions in many areas, including bed space and facilities.

places to access health care.

The Commonwealth originally did not want to build a hospital in Charlottesville, but the University wanted to provide more than just lectures to medical students.

After much lobbying by the University, the second state-funded general hospital in Virginia was built in Charlottesville, to serve patients who could not afford care otherwise.

The hospital opened in 1901 with 25 beds. According to the history page of the University Health System’s website, increased funding helped the hospital expand to over 200 beds.

“In 1923 [the state] almost shut [the hospital] down and consolidated it with Richmond,” Cavanaugh said.

In spite of this, because of continuous overcrowding, several more expansions were done over the next decades, with a bed count of 485 by 1941.

Other reasons for expansions were advancements in the study of medicine and available technologies.

“Year to year — there are complete changes in how medicine is practiced,” Cavanaugh said. “What’s going to occur is they’re always going to need new facilities for new technologies … they’re going to need new types of wards.”

The West Complex building’s numerous add-ons show the changes the hospital underwent between opening and 1989. The University relied on the state and philanthropists for funding.

“There’s this constant kind of struggle to keep up with the demands and keep up with the changes in technol-

ogy and changes in the practices of medicine,” Cavanaugh said.

In the hospital, there were private rooms for those who had the money, and public wards where patients were kept in large common rooms.

“If patients couldn’t pay then they would be admitted and the cost would be taken up by the University and then hopefully reimbursed by the state,” Cavanaugh said. “There were times where the University was trying to take as many patients as possible and where there was difficulties in trying to find funds … they didn’t want to turn people away.”

By the late 1970s, expansions had crossed Jefferson Park Avenue. In 1984, construction began on the new University Hospital building — the complex that patients are treated in today.

“Outpatient clinics, offices and research labs are now in what was the old hospital, the West Complex,” Cavanaugh said.

More than 100 years after opening, the 2017-18 U.S. News & World Report “Best Hospitals” guide ranked the University Medical Center as the best in Virginia, with treatment for several specialties ranking in the top 50 nationwide.

The Health System’s website cites operating costs for 2016 as $1,442,141,973. Employed last year were 890 full-time faculty, 709 residents or fellows and 2,164 professional nurses. Eight hundred ninety-four volunteers also logged 84,894 hours in the hospital.

As of today, the hospital is working on new expansions — in bed space and facilities and in connections with health care systems throughout Virginia.

Cavanaugh says that the Health System is building a “larger, wider network” with other medical centers in the state.

“We have formed a comprehensive research and education partnership with Inova Health that will include a research institute and regional campus of the U.Va. School of Medicine,” Swensen said. “We are also looking to extend the reach of both our patient care and research through an array of other partnerships.”

Within the hospital, the Health System is upgrading and expanding their Emergency Department with more beds, more room for mental health services and additional space for assessing patient status.

The Health System is also working on expanding interventional services for patients, as well as building a six-story tower on top of the Emergency Department for patients who need a lot of equipment or private, isolated rooms, Swensen said. The expansions will be completed by the end of 2019.

According to Swensen, those updates are just a few of many changes “to best serve our patients, students and researchers” in the future.

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THE CAVALIER DAILY

HEALTH & SCIENCE • www.cavalierdaily.com

Grave robbing to soft-embalming: Anatomy at U.Va. Body procurement and curriculum for anatomy and physiology at the Medical School has changed drastically since the 1800s Jessica Chandrasekhar and Nikki Pope | Health & Science Editor and Staff Writer Walking into the anatomy lab in Pinn Hall, the smell of formaldehyde penetrates the air.

The voice of Amy Winehouse plays softly in the background, weaving in and out around the sound of metallic tools. Three, then four, Medical students in green surgical gowns lean with lab glasses and gloves over three deceased human bodies — “cadavers.” Their task for the day?

To remove the brains, allowing for an identification of the local structures and associated vessels and nerves.

David Moyer, assistant professor of medical education and director of Gross Anatomy Education at the School of Medicine, introduces the students and gives a brief tour of the anatomy-dedicated laboratory spaces while they get to work on their cadavers.

These days, the University purchases cadavers from the Virginia State Anatomical Program, which supplies the donated bodies to medical and academic centers throughout Virginia for medical research and anatomical studies. The program was established about a century ago, in 1919. Before this, largely throughout the entirety of the 19th century, medical centers chose to partake in grave robbing to facilitate such studies.

19th-century anatomy

In the early years of the University, Thomas Jefferson started the anatomy program in an attempt to take the European Enlightenment model of education and move it forward into the realm of modern scientific studies, said Kirt von Daacke, an assistant dean and history professor. One of the core hypotheses when founding the program was that there would be a clear difference, upon investigation, between the anatomy of black bodies and the anatomy of white bodies.

Such anatomical investigations would require human subjects, so — since there was no way to embalm bodies in the early- and mid-19th century — grave robbing became a standard practice in medical schools across the United States, according to von Daacke.

“This is going on in Richmond, in Alexandria, in Baltimore, in New York, Norfolk — [grave robbing is] going on anywhere and everywhere,” von Daacke said. “It’s serving medical schools wherever they exist.”

The rich would build mortsafes — cages that extended

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University medical students pose with specimens from Anatomical Hall, 1900

into the ground and connected to or reached under the casket — over the graves of their deceased to keep grave robbers out, or have someone guard the grave for three to four days until the body putrefied and was no longer desirable for anatomy studies.

Because poor and enslaved communities did not have the money to afford mortsafes and could not spare the time to guard the graves of their loved ones, these communities were disproportionately victims of the frequent grave robberies of this time period, according to Von Daacke.

“If you are poor, or you are a member of a dominated or subjugated class — the enslaved, free people of color, poor whites, orphans, anyone in an urban area who is property-less — you’re buried in a potter’s field or you don’t have the money [to prevent grave robbing],” von Daacke said.

At the Medical College of Georgia, where the anatomy department kept a tight record of information on their cadavers, upwards of 80 percent of cadavers used were African-American.

According to von Daacke, these rates were likely mirrored in the bodies obtained by the University Medical School at the time.

Through the late 1800s, the University viewed grave robbing in the context of anatomical

studies as a normal occurrence, something not worthy of punishment, von Daacke said.

In 1835, there was a case where the owner of a local plot of land, James Oldham, shot a University student who was trespassing and grave robbing on his property. The University’s response to the matter was that the state should prosecute Oldham — that the students had done nothing wrong.

Although the landowner was eventually acquitted, the University made clear its position on grave robbing. As von Daacke put it, the University found the grave robbing practices acceptable because they were carried out in the name of science.

Even as laws emerged concerning grave robbing, the University continued the practice — using pseudonyms in correspondence about cadaver sourcing and working with organizations of professional grave robbers and with the railroad companies that would deliver the bodies to ensure that their activities remained confidential.

According to von Daacke, the practice of medical centers using grave robbing to obtain cadavers continued throughout the 19th century.

“Everybody is kind of in on this, and at one point they are

talking about wanting to get 100 bodies a year,” von Daacke said.

“This is a practice that continues after the Civil War, here and elsewhere.”

21st-century anatomy

The current anatomy spaces at the University Medical Center enforce rigid protocols and restrictions. All bodies studied at the University, these days, come from the Virginia State Anatomical Center and are willingly donated by individuals while they are alive. Further demonstrating the movement away from those 19th-century attitudes surrounding human dissection, Moyer emphasized the importance of sensitivities towards both the cadavers and the families of the deceased.

Beyond the cadavers themselves, though, the anatomy curriculum also has changed drastically since its introduction. Besides the formaldehyde-embalmed, more traditional cadavers often used in the lab, “soft-embalmed” cadavers are also utilized.

“These [soft-embalmed] cadavers are the game changers,” Moyer said. “This type of embalming is changing the face of anatomy.”

These cadavers — which are “pliable” and “mobile,” according to Moyer — facilitate the study

of not only traditional anatomy, but also clinical procedures.

Originally designed to be a “fresh,” or frozen, cadaver lab, the Surgical Skills Training Center, only a few steps away from the gross anatomy lab in Pinn Hall, was converted by Orthopedics Chair Bobby Chhabra and others into a learning environment for medical students, residents and fellows. The space uses soft-embalmed cadavers — and less often, fresh cadavers — to facilitate practice with performing clinical procedures like ACL reconstruction, intubations and tracheostomies, and with using scopes — or cameras — to look at the gastrointestinal tract, knee and other places.

While similar spaces are not uncommon at other medical centers, oftentimes their availability to medical students are largely limited.

“There are schools who have this, but I think what’s happening, more so, is the first-through fourth-year students aren’t getting the chance to do these things — it’s residents and fellows who have the chance,” Moyer said.

“I’m trying to give them opportunities that they wouldn’t normally have until residency.”

In addition, generally such spaces are not located so proximally to the gross anatomy lab.

Moyer emphasized the importance of this proximity with respect to the “Next Generation” curriculum adopted in 2010, which focuses primarily on a system-based approach.

“So we have a system called the Musculoskeletal System and Integument, and so [the students] are out there dissecting the knee on their cadaver,” Moyer said. “And the same day they’re doing that, they’re coming in here in small groups. We had two cadavers set up with residents here, with orthopedic residents, and they were helping the students drive the camera into the knee joint.”

Moving forward, Moyer hopes to further incorporate soft-embalmed cadavers, and more activities in the Surgical Skills Training Center, into the Medical School’s anatomy curriculum.

“That’s the future,” Moyer said. “Seeing the anatomy laid open is one thing, but seeing it through the camera — when you don’t know if you’re up, down, left, right, backwards — it’s totally different.”

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3 0 1 1 5 t h Str e e t N W | C ha r lo tte s v ille, VA 2 2 90 3 | P 43 4.293 .5 78 7

RESORT STYLE POOL

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Luxurious Pool • Relaxing Spa Covered Parking • Resident Lounge Pet Friendly • Study Rooms • Cyber Cafe Fire Pits • Fitness Center

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