Thursday, October 10, 2019

The Cavalier Daily

Vol. 130, Issue 8

Thursday, October 10, 2019 EMMA KLEIN | THE CAVALIER DAILY COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

2 | www.cavalierdaily.com

The Cavalier Daily

NEWS

This week in-brief CD News Staff

Student Council fails to pass resolution on University’s 'watch list' admission practice During its Oct. 1 meeting, Student Council voted on a resolution in response to The Cavalier Daily’s reporting on newly-obtained email correspondence that ties members of the University’s admissions, advancement and administrative staff to a “watch list” of “high-priority” applicants connected to donors. The representative body failed to pass a resolution that would condemn the practice, with nine representatives voting in favor, eight against and six abstaining.

In the statement issued before the meeting, Student Council’s Executive Board said that this practice goes against the tenets of democracy and equity which, as a public institution, should be central to the University. Executive members of Student Council clarified that they still stand by this state-

ment on the matter, despite the formal resolution not being passed.

“The ability that wealthy donors and alumni have to alter the admissions process runs contrary to that responsibility,” the statement said. “If the University wishes to be both great and good, these practices must end.”

Although the nine votes in favor held a majority over the eight opposed, the significant number of representatives who abstained brought forth the question as to whether abstaining voters were considered either present, and therefore contributing towards the total number of votes cast, or present and voting, in which case their votes did not count toward the total number.

TAIGA KOBAYASHI | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Student Council executive members released a statement condemning the practice, but the formal resolution did not receive a majority vote.

Research funding grows to record $412 million

NAVYA ANNAPAREDDY | THE CAVALIER DAILY

The University’s School of Medicine has received more than $226 million in awards over the past year.

As part of President Jim Ryan’s 10-year strategic plan designed to make U.Va. the best public university by 2030, the University hopes to continually receive funding to expand its research initiatives on-Grounds. In the past five years, research funding has grown from $311 million in 2014-2015 to $412 million in 2018-19, representing a 32.5 percent increase.

New data reveals that the School of Medicine has received more than $226 million in awards over the past year, and the School of Engineering has earned more than $73 million. The College has received more than $50 million, and the Curry School of Education has earned more than $29 million. All other school’s have won a combined $32 million.

The main source of funding is the National In-

stitutes of Health, which has provided $207 million this year. The National Science Foundation has provided $42.5 million in funding, and the Department of Defense has provided $41.8 million in funding.

The University’s strategic plan, approved by the Board of Visitors in June, focuses on five areas for research preeminence that draw on the University’s existing strengths, including democracy, environmental resilience and sustainability, precision medicine, the brain and neuroscience, and digital technology.Charlottesville to appeal state court decision on Civil War monuments’Oct. 15

Charlottesville to appeal state court decision on Civil War monuments The City of Charlottesville authorized its attorney Monday to appeal Judge Richard Moore’s Sept. 13 decision against the removal of the Robert E. Lee statue from Market Street Park and the Stonewall Jackson monument from Court Square Park. To enforce his decision, Moore issued an indefinite injunction against the statues’ removal.

In his decision, Moore also ruled that damages would not be awarded to the plaintiffs suing for the statues’ continued placement. Attorney’s fees would be given to the plaintiffs’ legal counsel.

The case began after Charlottesville’s City Council voted to remove the Lee statue in February 2017, as well as the Jackson statue in September 2017. This decision began the course of events that led to the Unite the Right rallies of August 2017 in Charlottesville, which organizers said was at the center of the rally.

Since the rally, the issue has continued to de-

velop. In late 2017, the City of Charlottesville covered the statue in a black tarp until Judge Moore ordered the tarps removal in April 2018.

After Moore’s most recent decision, the statue was found vandalized with the year ‘1619’ spray painted across its base, a reference to the first year African slaves were brought to North America.

City Council and the University could not be reached for comment as this is an ongoing legal matter. The next hearing in the case is set for Tuesday.

CHRISTINA ANTON | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Judge Richard Moore ruled against the removal of the Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson statues on Sept. 13.

Thursday, October 10, 2019 | 3

NEWS

Reports of sexual assault, dating violence increased in 2018 The University’s annual safety report reveals there were 28 reported rapes in 2018 Nik Popli | News Editor

EMMA KLEIN | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Students can submit a Title IX complaint over the phone or in person at O’Neil Hall or through the University’s online Just Report It system, among other options.

Reported incidents of onGrounds burglary, rape, dating violence, domestic violence and stalking increased from 2017 to 2018, according to an annual safety report released by the University last week. The report, which is required each year under the federal Jeanne Clery Act, includes all crimes reported to the University Police Department, other law enforcement and University officials, including the Office for Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights.

The safety figures state that 28 rapes were reported to University police in 2018, with 20 occurring in student housing — up from 16 reported rapes in 2017. Police also investigated 16 reports of dating violence, 14 reports of domestic violence, 43 reports of stalking, 16 reports of fondling, 16 reports of burglaries and 8 reports of motor vehicle theft — all significantly higher than previous years.

University Spokesperson Wes Hester attributed the rise in reported sexual assault and domestic violence “in part to outreach and education efforts by many University offices.”

The University currently has a variety of different avenues through which students can both report incidents of sexual violence and crimes, such as by submitting a Title IX com-

plaint over the phone or in person at O’Neil Hall or through the University’s online Just Report It system.

For students who do not wish to report an incident of sexual violence, the University also offers safe spaces with trained counselors at the Maxine Platzer Lynn Women’s Center.

Hester stated that the University has also added additional staff to its Office for Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights Title IX team and offers online and in-person Title IX training and prevention programs “to raise awareness of how and where to report, how to prevent such conduct from occurring and the many available support resources."

“We remain committed to making our community members feel empowered to report, and we continue to work to make the reporting process more accessible — such as through Just Report It,” Hester said.

Fourth-year College students Veronica Sirotic and Amelia Wilt, who serve as co-chairs of Take Back the Night at U.Va. — an international event with the ultimate goal of ending sexual assault worldwide — said that it’s almost impossible to pinpoint why more people are coming forward with allegations of sexual violence.

“We are living in a time period

where there has been more publicity and outrage given to survivors of sexual violence which may contribute towards more people reporting their experiences,” Sirotic and Wilt said.

“It’s important to be said that this in no way means that we now live in a space where it is entirely safe to share these experiences; coming forward is still an incredibly difficult and harrowing process and goes into a system that still puts survivors at a disadvantage and lets perpetrators walk free.”

They added that sexual assault disproportionately impacts minority communities, but the traditional narrative usually includes images of young white women getting attacked by a stranger, whereas people are more likely to get assaulted by someone they know.

“The history of this University has sexual violence embedded into its very fabric and construction that influences our discussions on this prevalent issue,” Sirotic and Wilt said. “We don’t see that in our modules or in the other little training we receive from U.Va. There is so much that we are not talking about. Let’s start there.”

Currently, the University requires all incoming students to complete the online Not on Our Grounds module, which is designed to educate students

on the University’s policy on sexual and gender-based harassment and inform students of ways they can prevent sexual violence. Students are required to complete the module every two years.

Hester noted that the reporting of incidents related to the Violence Against Women Act is likely to increase nationally this year, and the University is currently in the process of comparing itself with peer institutions to inform future efforts. In 2017, the #MeToo movement gained attention as victims of sexual assault came forward with stories of harassment and assault against many high-profiled men.

In the coming weeks, the University will be publishing its AAU Sexual Assault Campus Climate Survey results — which the University distributed to students last March concerning sexual assault and sexual misconduct on Grounds. The University will also be releasing updated statistics regarding formal resolutions under Title IX Policy in the past two years, according to Hester.

This summer, the University also created a new LiveSafe safety app that allows students, faculty and staff to report suspicious behavior or emergencies that occur on or off Grounds

and to communicate with police officers via two-way text messages.

The mobile emergency alert system can also be used to report incidents without calling a dispatcher, allowing users to anonymously discuss a safety complaint with a police officer.

The app — which includes links to the Just Report It system — also includes a SafeWalk feature that allows students to alert a friend when they have arrived safely at their destination.

In addition to an increase of reported incidents of sexual assault, more hate crimes were reported at the University in 2018 than in 2017. According to the report, the University investigated one incident of intimidation based on race, two incidents of intimidation based on religion, one incident of intimidation based on sexual orientation and one incident of assault motivated by race. In 2017, three hate crimes were reported, while seven were reported in 2016.

The University also reported a decreased number of arrests for liquor and drug violations in 2018. However, the University also adjudicated 449 referrals for disciplinary action — an increase from 416 in 2017.

4 | www.cavalierdaily.com

NEWS

New committee proposed to replace PACC The Planning and Coordinating Council met Thursday to discuss replacing itself with the Land Use and Environmental Planning Committee Sydney Herzog, Quintin Jepson, Emma Scales, & Jacquelyn Kim | Senior Writer & Staff Writers The Planning and Coordinating Council met Thursday to discuss replacing itself with a new body — the Land Use and Environmental Planning Committee.

Comprised of representatives from the City of Charlottesville, Albemarle County and University, PACC was founded in 1986 and serves as an advisory body for land use issues in critical areas such as Ivy Road, the Bypass and Jefferson Park Avenue where the interests of all three entities intersect.

“This redefinition suggests establishing a working group of professionals to not just include land use and planning but also broaden that … to consider environmental and infrastructure issues,” County Executive Jeff Richardson said.

The successor to PACC, LUEPC, would include not only the three original bodies — the University, Albemarle County and Charlottesville — but also the U.Va. Foundation and the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority.

RWSA provides drinking water and wastewater treatment to the City and County with an emphasis on environmental sustainability. The U.Va. Foun-

dation manages property for the University and provides financial services to U.Va. and 23 associated foundations and organizations.

In addition to an expansion in its primary members, LUEPC would require greater membership from each organization and add staff from City Hall and the County Office. These experts would advise on environmental sustainability and infrastructure alongside land use and planning.

LUEPC, just as PACC, would serve exclusively as an advisory board to the organizations involved and would make no formal decisions.

PACC members noted during the Thursday meeting that the expansion of organizational objectives to include sustainability was necessary in order to better serve the needs of the contemporary community.

According to Senior Vice President for Operations Colette Sheehy, the University worked with the City and the Council on this proposal, and the University supports it.

“After 33 years, it is logical that organizations re-examine whether they are still serving the purpose they were

created for,” Sheehy said. “The new committee will focus the work on the professionals with expertise to collaborate and develop the best solutions.”

Some members of the public in attendance at the Thursday meeting expressed skepticism about the newly proposed body and voiced concerns about losing an important intermediary body. The decision for PACC to dissolve itself was never publicly announced before the Thursday meeting.

While PACC meetings have been open to the public, LUEPC meetings will not, and members of the public present at the meeting expressed concerns about transparency with this fundamental change.

Richardson addressed these questions as to why he felt that it was a “cautionary” measure for LUEPC meetings to occur “out of the public eye”. Richardson pointed to the nature of the body’s meetings in which members present potential — not necessarily real — problems and solutions, and he felt that it may not be “appropriate” timing to include the public in the discussions.

Thursday’s meeting did not con-

JACQUELYN KIM | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Comprised of representatives from the City of Charlottesville, Albemarle County and the University, PACC was founded in 1986 and serves as an advisory body for land use issues in critical areas.

clude with an official recommendation to dissolve PACC. Members of the body will return to their respective organizations for discussion about the proposal, and local officials said the item would be added to county council agendas for a meeting sometime in early November.

“There will be a full discussion of any recommendations with elected

officials from both the City and the County and with the University leadership in a public setting,” Sheehy said.

With local elections coming up and the subsequent transition period with new officials, the earliest LUEPC could potentially become an official body would be early in 2020.

University Democrats host panel on race and activism The panel highlighted faculty and administrators with experience in racial justice and its impact at the University Jenn Brice | News Editor The University Democrats hosted a panel on race and student activism during their meeting Wednesday night, featuring a discussion between Assoc. Dean of Students Tabitha Enoch, Asst. Sociology Prof. Rose Buckelew and Sylvia Chong, an associate professor of English and associate director of American Studies.

The panelists answered questions on the challenges of activism and how to navigate activism as a minority student.

In an email to The Cavalier Daily, Kiera Goddu, a third-year College student and vice president of the Univer-

sity Democrats, said each of the women brings a unique perspective to how race and student activism intersect at the University.

Enoch is focused on supporting students who are first-generation and low-income in her work in the Office of the Dean of Students. Throughout the discussion, Enoch said that it’s important for student activists to know the history of their movement at the University when organizing so that it can progress over generations.

“Changing the University is like trying to turn the ship around — it takes forever and a day,” Enoch said.

JENN BRICE | THE CAVALIER DAILY

The panelists discussed the significance of activism to students of color at the University.

“So I think planting the seeds is always important too. So as long as there's some sort of history, or someone recording what’s happened in the past, then you are planting seeds for other students who come after you.”

The panelists also discussed the extraction of emotional labor that students of color often perform on behalf of their white peers. Buckelew noted that white students have a responsibility to educate themselves on their history and how it impacts the experience of minority students at the University.

“I think you need to know the history of white supremacy at U.Va.,” Buckelew said. “I think that is your responsibility as a student at this school who is going to carry that degree out into the world.”

Chong spoke to her experience in American Studies, which includes U.S. Latinx and Asian Pacific American Studies minors, and said that student activism was crucial to stimulating discussion with administration about departmentalization, which would allow the program to hire its own faculty.

Last fall, the Latinx Student As-

sociation and Asian Leaders Council released joint open letters calling for increased institutional support for minority students, including a more diverse faculty.

Chong also said that it is important for student activists to consistently amplify and support one another, rather than only giving attention to minority causes when convenient for their own organization.

“I think sometimes, especially students of color or people of color, feel used,” Chong said. “Like, ‘you didn’t care about us, you came and mobilized the Asian American vote or the black women vote, and then whenever the elections were over I never saw you.’”

Goddu said that she hopes the panel explains the interaction between racial justice and other advocacy issues, and that there are different ways to demonstrate activism, beyond political involvement.

“I am hoping that UDems members and attendees who are not in our organization see the intersection of every single issue they care about and racial discrimination,” Goddu said. “I also hope that students see how electoral politics is not a stand alone solu-

tion to any of the problems that we face in our community and especially our university.”

For example, Goddu made note of Living Wage at U.Va., which rallied outside of the Board of Visitors meeting last March and called for a $16.84 living wage for University employees.

President Jim Ryan announced the following week that full-time employees eligible for benefits will receive $15 per hour by Jan. 1. In their 2015 mission statement, Living Wage at U.Va. said “the devaluation of black lives is also structural: it is present in the continued denial of economic justice.”

First-year College student Zainab Jaffa said she attends most of the University Democrats’ events but was particularly interested in the panel held at this week’s meeting.

“I think most of the work we've done so far has been about campaigning, and I had yet to go to a meeting that wasn't ethnically sponsored that discussed racial issues,” Jaffa said. “So I was really eager to hear different perspectives on the subject and how it relates to the U.Va. experience as a whole.”

Thursday, October 10, 2019 | 5

NEWS

U.Va. launches campaign to raise $5 billion The public launch is described as “the first step in the transformation of the University into the leading public university in the country” Zach Rosenthal | Senior Writer ‘’The University will launch its “Honor the Future” capital campaign Oct. 12 and 13. The weekend will feature numerous events that are open to the public, including a public address by University President Jim Ryan, which will begin the campaign’s public phase, and a concert on the steps of the Rotunda from 19-time Grammy award winning artist Tony Bennett.

Mark Luelle, the University’s vice president for Advancement, stated that the financing campaign is one of the “most ambitious in the nation among public universities,” with a stated goal of $5 billion.

“The University is planning for thousands of alumni, friends, faculty, staff, students and community members to attend the weekend’s festivities,” Luellen said.

The public phase of the campaign will extend until the spring of 2025, during which time the University will solicit a large number of donations in smaller amounts — as opposed to the “quiet phase” of a capital campaign, in which a few donors give larger gifts leading up to the public launch.

According to the launch weekend’s event page, the mission of the campaign is to launch the University to the status of “a leading public university.”

This fall, the University was ranked as the fourth-best public university in the nation, according to the 2020 list by U.S. News and World Report. Last year, the

KHUYEN DINH | THE CAVALIER DAILY

According to Vice President for Advancement Mark Luellen, the University plans to welcome thousands of members of the University community to the events.

University was ranked third and had been ranked in the top three for 28 consecutive years.

Derrick Wang, a fourth-year College student and the student member of the Board of Visitors, explained that this event will allow donors to choose what parts of Ryan’s “Good and Great” 10year strategic plan will be funded.

“It really depends on exactly what people are interested in

supporting,” Wang said. “There’s a lot of different initiatives that could be supported, for example, scholarships, financial aid and endowed professorships.” and the impact his own background had on his career.Recently, a $7 million donation was made by alumni Robert and Molly Hardie towards the Athletics Master Plan and the new Student Health facility construction project un-

EMMA KLEIN | THE CAVALIER DAILY

The events will feature a concert on the steps of the Rotunda from 19-time Grammy award winning artist Tony Bennett Saturday night.

derway on Brandon Avenue. In January, Ryan announced plans to establish the School of Data Science with a $120 million donation from Jaffray Woodriff of The Quantitative Foundation.

The establishment of the School of Data Science and construction of the Student Health Center are initiatives of the strategic plan initiatives that have already been implemented, along with Ryan’s announcement this past March that the University will begin paying a $15 per hour living wage to benefits eligible employees. The strategic plan states that its next steps will be funded by a combination of the capital campaign’s philanthropy, general operating funds and the University’s Strategic Investment Fund.

Luellen further described many of the goals of the fundraising campaign, such as faculty recruitment and scholarship opportunities for students. “[The] philanthropy will benefit generations of students, opening doors of access through scholarships, creating new opportunities for learning on Grounds and around the world, helping us recruit and retain top faculty through endowed professorships, and enriching the student experience with additional services and world-class facilities, among other university priorities,” Luellen said.

As for the planned weekend events, all of them are being pri-

vately funded.

“The launch of the Honor the Future campaign is a broad effort involving all of the schools and many of the University-Associated Organizations from across the University, including the College Foundation, the Alumni Association, the Darden Foundation, among others,” Luellen said.

“No tuition money or state dollars are being used in support of the Honor the Future campaign launch events,” Luellen said.

The event will feature numerous public panels Oct. 12, including President Ryan’s campaign address. The address is followed by a panel moderated by Liz Magill, executive vice president and provost, and features other “distinguished alumni” including former NFL player Chris Long and Cheryl Mills, the former deputy White House Counsel for President Bill Clinton and Counselor and Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Throughout the day there will also be academic panels led by faculty on topics such as brain science and the University’s autism research and treatment, the future of global democracy and the application of data in improving the future of financial markets.

The weekend events will conclude with a community-wide brunch on the South Lawn.

6 | www.cavalierdaily.com

The Cavalier Daily

LIFE

The Juice Laundry is grounded in self-care and sustainability From cold-pressed juices to smoothie bowls, The Juice Laundry’s products offer “loads” of health benefits Yujin Oh | Food Writer

YUJIN OH | THE CAVALIER DAILY

The Basil Bomb smoothie bowl is a blend of basil, strawberries, banana, dates and The Juice Laundry’s house-made cashew milk.

Imagine a naive first-year’s impulse decision to venture from dorms to the Corner in scorching 96 degree weather. Now, imagine that same first-year 17 minutes later — sweating buckets and seriously considering if figuring out the U.Va. bus system will be worthwhile — in front of The Juice Laundry.

That was me. I’m that first-year.

And let me tell you — what I found inside those doors was worth every one of those dreadful 17 minutes.

As soon as I walked inside, I could tell The Juice Laundry emphasized an importance on the cleansing of our bodies through nutrition. The walls were filled with informative posters and signs — one of which indicated a promise they hold as a company, “We are 100% organic, vegan, non-gmo, gluten-free, peanut-free, soy-free, dairy-free. 100% of the time” — I have never felt so assured by a wooden sign.

As a first-time customer, The Juice Laundry definitely caught my eye. Located on the Corner, it is wheelchair accessible, and it features giant windows, allowing you to peer in and notice comfortable, white hanging chairs.

The store’s ambiance and inte-

rior decoration promoted an environmentally-friendly atmosphere that featured a wide variety of plants and wooden furniture.

In fact, all of their bowls, cups, spoons, straws and other utensils are compostable. They also highlight transparency in pricing and the process of making the smoothies and juices — evident in a visual diagram next to the cashier that breaks down the production and menu price of the smoothies.

For instance, the menu price of the Bradley’s CB&J smoothie is $8.75, tax included. The poster calculates each step of its production and costs for ingredients, labor and packaging — resulting in the actual cost of that smoothie as $7.93.

Through this transparency, The Juice Laundry really does a great job in providing fair service to customers.

The smoothies range from $7.75 to $8.75, depending on its ingredients. There are also many smoothie “booster” add-in options for 50 cents to $1 — such as goji berries and blue majik — that give customers the ability to customize the smoothies to their liking. In addition, the price differs from $3 to $10 for cold-pressed juices, nut milks,

kombucha and energy drinks.

“You can’t go wrong with Juice Laundry,” first-year College student Aaron Mun said. “It’s a good pick me up in the middle of the week, and I know I’m making a difference in the environment through my purchase — I’m all for that.”

With sweet options like smoothies, juice cleanses and açai bowls — as well as savory options like salads and chili — The Juice Laundry makes a distinct effort to provide options for everyone. One of their most popular products is the Coco Verde smoothie for $8.75 — a mouthwatering mixture of kale, spinach, mango, coconut oil, banana, dates and coconut water.

For the small additional fee of $3, customers have the option to transform any of its smoothies into a smoothie bowl with toppings such as their special house granola, banana slices, chia seeds and fresh berries.

My first experience consisted of a beautifully-blended Basil Bomb smoothie bowl for $10.75 — a delicate consistency comprised of basil, strawberries, banana, dates and their house-made cashew milk. My order was ready within minutes — just enough time for me to admire

the different signs hung around the space. My only complaint would be that it didn’t last long enough for me to finish my homework.

Staff member Tori Grover pointed out their featured smoothie called “The Waterboy,” detailing how they are able to contribute to the world from within the store.

“We also have this smoothie … from the Chris Long Foundation,” Grover said. “Part of the proceeds from that goes to the Waterboy foundation and they build wells in other countries for people that need clean drinking water. It’s really cool that we’re making such a big impact on the lives of others.”

The energy of the customers and staff is also a major part of what makes The Juice Laundry unique.

Victor Thorp, a staff member who has been serving customers since 2016, noted this distinction in comparison with his past workplaces.

“It’s the only business in Charlottesville that puts a large portion of its energy and income into being sustainable,'' Thorp said. “I used to work at local restaurants in Charlottesville … the customers here are a lot more friendly and happier … that’s a huge part of why I wanted to work here too.”

Thankfully, The Juice Laundry’s new location at the Aquatic and Fitness Center makes it all the more convenient and accessible for first-years like myself to enjoy these freshly-crafted and fruity creations just minutes away from first-year dorms — and from the gym too, I guess. Did I mention that you can also use your Plus Dollars at The Juice Laundry? You’re welcome — and I apologize in advance for the damage that will be done to your account.

If you’re scoping for a genuinely good smoothie bowl with an incredible mission, The Juice Laundry is definitely one of the next spots you have to check out — health food fanatics and junk food fanatics alike are welcome.

The Juice Laundry on the Corner is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Juice Laundry at the AFC is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Thursday, October 10, 2019 | 7

LIFE

I’m forgetting my mother tongue An unexpected side effect from complete immersion within a different culture Jason Ono | Life Columnist

For every first-year student, the first few weeks of the school year are full of meeting new people — and my experience was no exception. I met countless people in my dorm, in class and in club interest meetings. At the University, I’ve found that students tend to “break the ice” by bringing up school-related topics first. “How are you liking your time here?” and questions about majors and living situation are asked more often than questions like, “Where are you from?”

I’ve rarely been asked this. I suppose it could be because most students seem to be from in-state — especially “NoVa.” This led to incidents weeks later when I wound up surprising people by telling them that I’m not from Virginia — that I’m actually an international student from Japan.

This academic year marks my fifth year studying in the United States and using English in classes. Before the University, I had attended a boarding school in Pennsylvania. Since I had only attended schools in Japan prior to my education in the States, the transition period of learning a new language was challenging at first. At my board-

ing school, I was the only Japanese student in the entire student body.

Unlike many international students at the University, my time in the States has been without a community of students who shared the same cultural and linguistic background — where I could feel “at home.” I had no choice but to try and assimilate myself to these new surroundings. Now, I’m appreciative of what I had once considered a predicament. It allowed me to experience a complete immersion and resolved my language and cultural barrier.

Four years later, I’m achieving my dreams. I attend a very good school and have acquired a decent knowledge of English to the extent that some people cannot tell I am a foreigner. But at the same time, I’m facing a new problem — I’m forgetting my mother tongue.

This became most evident last winter when my parents finally convinced me to write New Year’s cards to my friends for the first time in years. Traditionally, people in Japan send cards only for New Year’s, instead of sending cards for Christmas and New Year’s. I bought about 20 postcards — enough

to send to my friends from middle school in Japan. I positioned my pen above my card to write the most cliché greetings I could think of — but I couldn’t think of any.

This difficulty made me remember how long it had been since I had last written in Japanese. I don’t usually keep a diary, and I always text or email when I want to check in with my friends from home. For the past four years, there was simply no need for me to write in Japanese. Moreover, the use of Chinese characters in the Japanese language makes it even harder for me to restore my fluency with the language — there are literally thousands more Chinese characters you are expected to know when compared to the 26 letters in the Latin alphabet.

I also noticed that coming up with correct Japanese phrases in conversation takes more time. Whenever I go home for breaks, my family teases me about how I unconsciously incorporate the “Uh...” English filler into my Japanese speech. From this point on, the need to do something about my declining ability to use my native language has become a priority for me.

Several of my friends from home — including those who had studied in an American school like I did — tell me that I shouldn’t be too worried. In their experience, their Japanese completely returned after spending time in a school or work environment where they had to use the language. However, there are reasons why I cannot feel totally relieved to hear what they have said.

Throughout the past four years I have spent in this country, I’ve witnessed very little Japanese representation almost everywhere I’ve been — including on the West Coast. It’s been nearly a month since I arrived on Grounds, and I have yet to meet a single full-time student from Japan. The 2010 Census shows that despite a 43.3 percent increase in the overall Asian American population since 2000, Japanese American was one of the only Asian ethnic groups with a decrease in population.

Although education is the primary reason I’m in America, my long-term plan after graduation is unclear. The lack of certainty in when to — and frankly, even whether to — return

home to work makes me particularly anxious about this diminishing part of myself. I think language will always play an important role in my cultural identity, so this issue needed to be addressed.

I’ve been calling my friends from home more often — not only to help restore my fluency with the language, but also to keep up with the many friendships I still cherish. Whenever I have free time, I also try to listen to a Japanese podcast instead of watching Netflix — though I admit sometimes I would rather be re-watching “House of Cards.” I also plan to do more to compensate for my declining familiarity with writing in Japanese. I intend to periodically send hand-written letters to my grandparents, which will make them happy.

I realized that because of my longterm commitment to learning the English language and applying it to my academics, I had nearly forgotten about a part of what makes me who I am. However, this year presents new opportunities for growth and change.

Stay tuned, readers.

AKAdeMIX mixes creative talent with close relationships U.Va. urban dance crew performs on and off Grounds and fosters a community of acceptance, support Isabel Galgano | Feature Writer As the fourth-ranked public college in the country, the University champions rigor and high achievement in the classroom. But for one urban dance crew on Grounds, it’s not all “AKAdeMIX.” University students created AKAdeMIX in 2009 and the dance crew became an official CIO in 2011.

Christine Li, AKAdeMIX director and fourth-year Commerce student, now leads the group.

“We try to incorporate a variety and diversity of styles including hip-hop, lacking, house, modern, all kinds of things,” Li said. “We are called AKAdeMIX, and especially what that was supposed to embody was ‘aka the mix’ so we really try to incorporate a whole mixture and variety of styles.”

Li auditioned for AKAdeMIX in the fall of her first year. Not only did she find students with a passion for dancing, but she discovered close friends and community.

“We try to be a family of dancers and promote dance in the U.Va. community,” Li said.

Melody Chiang, junior artistic director and third-year Engineering student, found that the community pushed her personally as well as creatively. “[AKAdeMIX] really had an impact on me both personally as a dancer, as well as how I interact with large groups in a team setting,” Chiang said.

“It's become like a second home.”

Beyond providing a welcoming atmosphere to its members, AKAdeMIX has found success in competitive urban dance. The team has participated in an urban dance competition series called Prelude for the past four years. The contest consists of mostly hip-hop routines, judged on routine, execution and presentation. In 2018, the group placed first at the Prelude DMV competition, hosted in Richmond.

The team also produces concept videos, which are published on Youtube once a year. On Grounds, AKAdeMIX performs showcases developed by the crew as a whole. The group meets three days a week to prepare for competitions and showcases. They create choreographies intended for smaller groups of four to five for some performances, as well as larger-scale choreographies that the whole team performs at other competitions or showcases.

AKAdeMIX will perform at Movement Showcase, which is hosted by U.Va. dance crew The Mighty, Oct. 20 in Old Cabell Hall.

AKAdeMIX also hosts a friends and family night before competitions like Prelude in November. Usually held in O’Hill Forum or the AFC, the University community can come cheer on the dancers as they host a final dress-rehearsal before the contest.

Kelly Cheung, senior artistic director and fourth-year College student, encourages input from the rest of the crew.

“Generally, all the members have the opportunity to choreograph — we do a showcase at one of our practices and then decide which pieces we'll do for the set,” Cheung said. “We give [the crew] a lot of creative license to figure out what they want to do with that piece and what they want it to look like.”

While general themes, set design and choreography are ultimately produced by the executive board of AKAdeMIX, the group provides opportunities for the entire dance crew to get involved in the creative process.

Performances are created from combined student effort.

“As an executive board we make a lot of decisions together, such as what pieces to perform, which competitions to do, how to organize practices and set a schedule,” Li said. “So I'd say more than just my own duties, I work together with my board a lot.”

AKAdeMIX also encourages relationships with urban dance groups at other universities.

“Urban dance is a lot about building a community both with your team and with all the other teams in the area from other schools like JMU, VCU and Tech,” Chiang said. “I think that being on the team has really encouraged me to develop out of my shell more and interact with people.”

These connections help the dancers find students with similar interests in the wider urban dance community

COURTESY AKADEMIX

AKAdeMIX poses at the 2018 Prelude DMV competition.

outside of AKAdeMIX. The crew also learns from urban dance groups much farther away.

When faced with “choreo-block,” as Cheung calls it, the team watches videos online to find ideas.

“We do draw inspiration from a lot of crews on the west coast, such as GRV or Choreo Cookies,” Li said. “So we watch a lot of their sets and try to absorb those elements and incorporate them.”

For dancers interested in learning more about urban dance and getting involved in a familial dance crew, AKAdeMIX holds auditions in the fall and spring semesters — no previous experience required. Individuals are evaluated based on the performance of two routines taught during audition

workshops, which are hosted the week before auditions.

There is no quota for accepted dancers, and the team currently has 24 members. Member dues are $15 per semester, not including other potential expenses for costumes or lodging at off-Grounds competitions.

This is not just a team with a shared passion for urban dance. According to members, AKAdeMIX provides a community and imbues a sense of family.

“Coming back to school or seeing all these people after a long break really does feel like — ‘Yes, I'm back home and back in my community,’” Chiang said.

8 | www.cavalierdaily.com

LIFE

Thyme & Co. is worth your ‘thyme’ Casual Lebanese restaurant brings another fresh, healthy option to the Corner Sadie Goodman | Food Columnist The newly-opened Thyme & Co. is a wonderful addition to the Corner. Overall, the fast-casual Lebanese cuisine is satisfying and delicious, offering flatbreads and salads that provide unique alternatives to typical Roots orders.

Appeal Thyme & Co. brings a new style of fast-casual Lebanese food to the Corner. The food is well-prepared, fresh and flavorful. I found the staff to be incredibly friendly and helpful as well.

I ordered a chicken shawarma flatbread, which was listed on the chalkboard near the cash register. It came out quickly and was just the right size for lunch. The flatbread was perfectly cooked and just crispy enough along the outside. The chicken was tender and complemented the simple veggies and creamy garlic sauce quite well.

I wanted a little more zing for my wrap, so I asked the workers for hot sauce. The man behind the counter told me they didn’t

have any available, but offered to mix some chili powder with garlic sauce for me. This really brought the meal up a level, and I was impressed with the service.

My friend ordered the flatbread with eggs and bacon and requested that they add some cheese. Her order took a bit longer to come out as they had to wait for the eggs to cook, but it looked incredible and super filling.

Thyme & Co. offers a creamy yogurt labneh dip and a hummus dip if you find yourself craving more than manousheh — flatbread — or a fresh salad. There is also the option to order a Nutella manousheh.

If you want to customize or add to your flatbread, there is an option to add vegetable toppings for $2 more. The possible toppings include fresh mint, tomatoes, olives and cucumbers.

Affordability The menu options will not break your wallet, as the priciest

items are $12, and you can get a half salad or side of hummus and bread for $5.

My chicken shawarma wrap alone was $9, and my friend’s egg and bacon flatbread was $8. This is a little much for just one wrap, especially when compared to options like Roots that offers a lot more food for a similar price.

Though it was a little expensive for the amount of food I recieved, I think it was worth it. You can’t get a delicious and authentic Lebanese wrap like this anywhere else on the Corner.

Accessibility Thyme & Co. is located right next to Arch’s and is wheelchair accessible. If you aren’t on foot, finding free parking can be a little difficult, but there is always the Corner parking garage and the Corner lot. You also may be OK parking in one of the 15-minute spots nearby.

I went Friday afternoon during lunch time, and it wasn’t crowded. I’m sure on a busy

day the food would take a little longer to prepare, since there were only three workers when I stopped in, but I was impressed with the speed and quality of my meal. Their hours are Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Thyme & Co. is also available on GrubHub and accepts the Elevate meal plan. I am certainly going to find myself ordering a wrap or salad to the library on GrubHub. Atmosphere The atmosphere inside is definitely casual. The restaurant’s main attraction is the large basalt rock oven which is visible to customers, and you can see all the flatbreads being freshly baked. I love this feature, and it fills the air with a delicious, spicy aroma.

There is a refrigerator full of sodas, teas and water bottles for drink options. There is also a free water cooler with cups positioned on the far right corner of

the bar.

There are a few large tables for plenty to sit, chat and wait as their food is prepared. There is also a bar facing Asado with lots of stools and a few outdoor hightop tables, so you can enjoy your meal outside on a nice day.

The staff struck up conversations with many of the customers, commenting on the food and asking how their meals tasted.

The excitement from the staff made me even more enthusiastic about eating here.

I’m happy that Thyme & Co. boasts healthy and delicious options with such friendly, helpful staff. Their Lebanese cuisine is definitely worth a try, and I will be eating there again in the near future.

SADIE GOODMAN | THE CAVALIER DAILY

The chicken shawarma flatbread was reasonably priced and well-portioned. The chicken was tender and complemented the simple veggies and creamy garlic sauce quite well.

Thursday, October 10, 2019 | 9

LIFE

Top 10 reasons Lime scooters are great for Charlottesville These electric scooters are wheeling their way into our hearts Zachary Anderson | Top 10 Writer

1. They are fast

Have you ever realized that walking just isn't your mojo? Need to get somewhere quickly? Consider renting an electric scooter — with the main player being the Lime scooters. These beefed-up Razor scooters zoom through the streets with a top speed of 15 mph. Now your walk between classes becomes an adventure of epic proportions as you zip around cars and become a hazard to all pedestrians.

5. They are safe Insanely bright LED headlights? Count me in!

These electric scooters come equipped with nightlights on the front and back of the scooters, ensuring that your epic adventure is safely visible to other vehicles. Additionally, new Limes have status-lights, which indicate whether the battery is running low. The apps even let you leave feedback to ensure a safe and eventful journey for future riders.

6. They are fun

Ever rolled up to a party on a Lime? There is nothing more fun than hitching a ride on one of these bad boys, and you’ll seem super cool if you pull up the driveway on a scooter.

Take a friend for a spin on a tandem Lime!

The more the merrier!

8. They’re eco-friendly Channel your inner eco-warrior by riding Lime scooters. These scooters are powered exclusively by electricity alone, making them zero-emissions vehicles. To the eco-conscious person out there, they really are a great way to travel while having a minimal effect on the environment.

9. You can make money If you decide to become a “Juicer” for Limes, you can make some extra moolah from your dorm room or apartment — if your dorm allows scooters inside, that is. Basically, Lime pays people to charge scooters overnight and place them back outside in the morning. Easy money!

This will also lead to an interesting explanation as to why there is a Lime in your room.

10. They are the

cornerstone of a new social movement

NOAH HOLLOWAY & TYRA KREHBIEL | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Haven’t you heard? Electric scooters are the way to travel these days. Large cities on both the east and west coast have been integrating them into the community over the past couple of years with some success — and some violent opposition. Want to be an example-setter, go-getter and a freaking awesome person? Give a Lime a try.

2. They are convenient

In order to use a Lime, you first need to download their app. The app includes built-in maps, making these awesome sets of wheels extremely easy to find. Whether one is in the O’Hill lobby or snuggled up against the beloved UBikes, it is almost impossible not to have one within reach.

3. They are inexpensive For a small starting payment around $1 — and per-minute charges of less than 25 cents — you can be cruisin’ with the squad on an electric scooter. This will barely hurt your wallet, and you can only pay with a card through the app. Bonus points if you use your parent’s credit card.

4. They are good-looking Limes are real party pleasers. With the scooters’ promise of fast transportation and a good time, they are the center of attention. The distinct color schemes of each scooter evokes a different — and uniquely fun — feeling. The white and lime green color palette of Lime scooters is fun and light. A rider is sure to look awesome while having a great time on their own scooter. Tell me I’m wrong.

EMMA HITCHCOCK | THE CAVALIER DAILY

are powerful 7. They machines Limes are the epitome of durability, and they seem to live very long and exciting lives here on Grounds. Their motors are reliable, and the wheels never fail to deliver the speed you desire. Unless their batteries are low — that’s a different story.

EMMA HITCHCOCK | THE CAVALIER DAILY

10 | www.cavalierdaily.com

The Cavalier Daily

SPORTS

Virginia football has yet to reach its peak Notre Dame exposed size and athletic shortcomings in Virginia’s roster, but improved recruiting will help in the future Thomas O’Farrell | Sports Columnist

EMMA KLEIN | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Better recruiting in the future will help the Cavaliers compete with top program, especially in the trenches.

When Virginia football Coach Bronco Mendenhall took the reins of the team in 2016, he inherited a struggling program that had finished with a losing record in each of the last four seasons. After former Virginia Coach George Welsh’s retirement in 2000, the program struggled to maintain its reputation, and for a decade, the football team was the black sheep of the University’s otherwise outstanding athletic program.

After coaching BYU to a bowl game in each of his 11 seasons in Provo, Utah, expectations were high when Mendenhall arrived in Charlottesville. Now, halfway through his fourth season at the helm, Mendenhall has outperformed even the most optimistic expectations. After a 2-10 record in 2016, his first season, Mendenhall has turned the Cavaliers around at a head-spinning rate, leading the program to its first bowl game victory in 13 years last season.

With senior quarterback Bryce Perkins and other key players returning, Mendenhall and the Vir-

ginia football looked poised for another big year in 2019. After two convincing wins to start the year followed by thrilling victories against Florida State (3-2, 2-1 ACC) and Old Dominion (1-4, 0-1 C-USA), Virginia was ranked No. 18 in the country, entering its highly anticipated matchup against Notre Dame (4-1).

After taking a 17-14 lead at halftime and starting the third quarter off with a successful on-side kick, Cavalier fans couldn’t help daydreaming about how great this team really could be. Was Virginia really good enough to beat Notre Dame, the 10th-ranked team in the country and one of the most storied programs in all of college football?

How far would a 5-0 start and the win in South Bend, Ind. carry us up the rankings?

The second half brought fans back to reality. Notre Dame pulled away for a 15-point victory after a dominant performance to close the game. The result delivered an important message — Virginia is full of skilled, well-coached players, but

the Cavaliers are currently unable to compete with the athletes of elite programs. A telling statistic is the number of four- and five-star recruits on these rosters. Notre Dame had 47 such players and Florida State had 39. For Virginia, it was one player — four-star freshman defensive tackle Jowon Briggs.

The consequences of Virginia’s recruiting shortcomings are most noticeable in its lack of size and athleticism. In the red zone, the Fighting Irish played smash-mouth football, running into the teeth of the Cavalier defense and picking up chunks of yardage nearly every time. Virginia’s running game was stifled by Notre Dame’s imposing defense — the running backs only produced 30 yards on 12 carries. For Virginia, the offensive line is most concerning as the unit allowed eight sacks against Notre Dame and also struggled against Florida State. Perkins was under pressure the whole game, ultimately giving up four turnovers.

While this team is not ready to compete with programs like Notre

Dame yet, future Virginia teams may be in a better position to do so. Recruiting can be difficult when a program lacks a track record of success. However, Mendenhall is quickly establishing a reputation of both team and individual success.

Despite the lack of blue-chip recruits, the program has consistently sent multiple players to the NFL. Recruits are already starting to take notice, as the Cavaliers will have two more four-star recruits coming in next year and have already made offers to several top recruits in the Class of 2021.

Additionally, the University announced its $180 million athletics master plan last year, which will include a brand new football operations center. The center will feature two football practice fields, a locker room, a team meeting room, an equipment room and staff offices, as well as areas dedicated to strength and conditioning, nutrition, medicine and video operations.

“This project will enhance the brand of the institution while signaling to everyone in college athlet-

ics that football matters at Virginia,” Mendenhall said in support of the plan.

Mendenhall also chose to personally donate $500,000 dollars towards the master plan, signaling his commitment to take Virginia football to greater heights.

The development of these new facilities — coupled with Mendenhall’s growing record of success — will put Virginia on the radar of top recruits. While the loss to Notre Dame was an unfortunate reality check, the Cavaliers are still well-positioned to win the ACC Coastal division. Additionally, Virginia will have opportunities going forward to establish its presence as a prominent college football program. This season’s No. 18 ranking was not the peak for Virginia football, but it was merely part of the ascent. Mendenhall is just getting started, and the future of the program has never looked brighter.

Thursday, October 10, 2019 | 11

SPORTS

Field hockey returns to the top with a new identity After a disappointing finish in 2018, the Cavaliers have started the 2019 season playing at a championship level Kushal Patel | Associate Writer Over the past few years, Virginia field hockey has established itself as a powerhouse, fueled by an aggressive playstyle that has earned it respect from many teams. Led

by Coach Michele Madison, who became only the ninth NCAA Division I coach in history to reach 400 career wins, the Cavaliers have become perennial ACC contenders and plan on taking that success to the national stage, seeking their first national championship in program history.

In 2015 and 2016, Virginia enjoyed a wealth of success, going a combined 33-14 and earning an ACC Championship victory in 2016. The team rode a powerful offense that scored 128 goals and a stout defense that allowed just 99 goals over the two years.

However, 2017 was the year where the Cavaliers earned national notice. Virginia outscored its opponents by 56 goals that season — 88 goals scored to 32 goals allowed.

Madison led the team to a 5-1 conference record and an ACC regular season title.

In short, Virginia was on a sharp uphill trajectory. The Cavaliers had improved every year over the previous three years and looked to make noise in the ACC Tournament. They ultimately earned a

date with North Carolina in the ACC Championship, but the Tar Heels shut them out to capture the ACC crown.

Virginia had to quickly turn its attention to the NCAA Tournament. Rather than bounce back from the tough loss, the team suffered a heartbreaking double-overtime defeat to Princeton. In just two games, the momentum the Cavaliers had built over three years came to a screeching halt.

While the ending to the 2017 campaign was disappointing, Virginia believed it could bounce back in 2018. However, the Cavaliers knew the task would not be easy.

Midfielder Tara Vittese and forward Pien Dicke — Virginia’s two leading scorers in 2017 — moved on and the Cavaliers had to desperately replenish their attacking corps for the 2018 season.

To the disappointment of the team, Virginia never got the firepower it needed — the Cavaliers mustered just 29 goals over the course of the season. No player recorded more than four goals during the season. For comparison, Vittese scored 25 the year prior.

While Virginia only allowed 30 goals that year — putting together one of its best defensive seasons under Madison — the offense strug-

gled to the point where the team couldn’t earn wins consistently. The Cavaliers finished the season with a disappointing 9-10 record and only two ACC wins before suffering yet another first-round defeat in the NCAA Tournament.

Many were unsure if or how the team would bounce back in 2019.

However, Madison got off to a good start by putting together a strong recruiting class — she needed freshmen that could make an immediate impact for the team. Accordingly, she recruited the talented pair in striker Laura Janssen and back Cato Geusgens from an unlikely source — the Netherlands. Just ten games into the season, the dynamic duo has been a breath of fresh air, with both players scoring four and three goals, respectively.

Janssen and Geusgens are just two members of the young nucleus Madison has developed to spark Virginia’s turnaround. Out of the 12 players that have recorded a point this season, eight are either freshmen or sophomores.

The biggest breakout player for the Cavaliers has been sophomore midfielder Annie McDonough. After scoring just one goal and registering zero assists in 19 games last year, McDonough already has a goal and six assists in 12 games this

season. McDonough has become a true playmaker in the middle of the field, setting up her teammates for goals and controlling the pace of the game.

Furthermore, the rise of junior striker Makayla Gallen and senior back Anzel Viljoen has been a driving factor of Virginia’s improved offense. Gallen has already netted six goals and Viljoen has four goals and six assists through just 12 games.

Virginia’s goal scoring struggles had to be addressed and Gallen and Viljoen’s production has helped solve the problem in part.

That being said, Madison knows she doesn’t have elite scorers — like national team players Vitesse and Dicke — to rely on in 2019. Since another 88-goal season is unlikely, Madison has instead changed the identity of the team.

With the addition of impact freshman and the emergence of key veterans, Virginia has seen a drastic improvement in its numbers. More importantly, Virginia has finally established a new direction. Madison has adapted to a new defensive mentality and has executed perfectly. The Cavaliers have allowed just 15 goals through 12 games, five of which came against the reigning national champion North Carolina.

Virginia recorded three consecutive

shutouts leading up to the North Carolina loss and have been stifling opponents all season.

Virginia’s personnel fits perfectly with the team’s defensive identity. In addition to shutting down opponents, Viljoen has added an offensive dynamic to her game, producing 14 points in 2019. Additionally, sophomore goalie Lauren Hausheer already has 39 saves and has a 1.06 goals against average. Together, the two players give Madison a critical defensive backbone.

So far in 2019, the Cavaliers have earned a 9-3 record, already tying their number of wins from last season with seven fewer games played.

Their only losses came in a double-overtime thriller and against ranked teams including then-No. 4 ranked Maryland and top-ranked North Carolina.

This 2019 Virginia field hockey team are nothing like the explosive 2017 team. However, Madison understands the talent at her disposal and shifted to a defensive-minded strategy. With a surprisingly strong recruiting class and a lockdown defense, the Cavaliers still have a national title in their sights. The pieces are in place and Madison has her team poised to make a run.

COURTESY VIRGINIA ATHLETICS

Coach Michele Madison has taken field hockey to 11 NCAA tournament appearances, including national semi-finals in 2009 and 2010. After a 9-10 finish last year, Madison has the Cavaliers back on top with a new identity.

12 | www.cavalierdaily.com

The Cavalier Daily

OPINION LEAD EDITORIAL

It’s time for Student Council to step up to the plate The organization’s inability to pass a simple resolution is indicative of broader dysfunction within the organization

F

ollowing recent reporting about the University’s use of a “watch list,” which aids well-connected students with their applications during the admissions cycle, the Student Council Executive Board issued a firm statement condemning the practice.

After the release of this statement, the Student Council representative body considered a resolution based on the Executive Board’s press release. Unfortunately, what followed the introduction of the resolution was several minutes of disagreement and confusion among the representative body. Ultimately, the representative body voted the resolution down due to a high number of abstentions and votes against the statement, with the final vote tally being nine in favor, eight against and six abstaining.

Despite the lack of consensus on the resolution, Student Council President Ellie Brassachio, who ran on a platform of helping

low-income and first generation students, addressed the scandal in the Student Council Newsletter. She “strongly [denounced],” the practice and called for its abolition, saying, “It puts up yet another barrier for first-generation and low-income students to attend the University.” This condemnatory email flies in the face of the results of the representative body’s failure to pass a resolution.

If Brassachio wishes to fulfill her goal in helping low-income and first-generation students at the University, she must generate a consensus on the representative body in condemning this practice. These actions are especially necessary given the Student Council representative’s failure to pass a simple and inconsequential resolution, which solidifies much of the student body’s criticisms that the organization is unable to achieve tangible change.

The Council must do something to begin fulfilling its stated purpose to “protect and improve the

rights, opportunities, and quality of life of every student at the University of Virginia.”

In defense of their position against the resolution, many representatives spoke about wanting to hear from the administration officials directly. However, this assertion is largely nonsensical considering University’s spokesperson Wes Hester confirmed the practice’s existence in The Cavalier Daily’s original reporting.

Aside from that statement, there have been no press releases from the Office of the President published on the subject, indicating the administration’s complacency with the scandal. Given that evidence, it would make sense that an organization tasked with representing all students would want to exert as much pressure as possible to provoke an official response.

It is also important to push back against the assumption that these practices are inevitable.

Catering to the wealthy does happen everywhere, but that

doesn't mean we should accept it and that our representatives shouldn't fight against it. The role of an elected official should not be to simply preserve the status quo, but to actively push for the betterment of all current and prospective students regardless of socioeconomic status — though condemning the “watch list” really is the bare minimum.

Moreover, given the inability of the representative body to step up to the plate and condemn a practice that is contrary to the stated values of the University, we should not be surprised how little the student body seems to care about the organization. Student election turnout has been steadily declining each year, with 2019’s election season resulting in a 12.6 percent turnout for the Student Council presidential race. To put that in perspective, Honor requires 10 percent of the student body to vote in favor of a ballot initiative for it to be considered valid, illustrating that the 2019 election was hardly rep-

resentative of the student body.

This scandal could have been an opportunity for the representative body to institute real change. Though a simple resolution does not achieve this goal, the failure to take this small step indicates an even lesser ability to act decisively in the face of adversity. Students already have so little faith in the organization — it’s time for the representative body to prove them wrong.

THE CAVALIER DAILY EDITORIAL BOARD is composed of the Executive Editor, the Editor-in-Chief, the two Opinion Editors and their Senior Associate.

The board can be reached at eb@ cavalierdaily.com.

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

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

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

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

HAVE AN OPINION? The Cavalier Daily welcomes letters to the editor and guest columns. Writers must provide full name, telephone number and University affiliation, if appropriate. Letters should not exceed 250 words in length and columns should not exceed 700. The Cavalier Daily does not guarantee publication of submissions and may edit all material for content and grammar. Submit to opinion@cavalierdaily.com or P.O. Box 400703, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4703

QUESTIONS/COMMENTS To better serve readers, The Cavalier Daily has a public editor to respond to questions and concerns regarding its practices. The public editor writes a column published every week on the opinion pages based on reader feedback and his independent observations. He also welcomes queries pertaining to journalism and the newspaper industry in general. The public editor is available at publiceditor@cavalierdaily.com.

FOLLOW US @CAVALIERDAILY WWW.CAVALIERDAILY.COM

MANAGING BOARD Editor-in-Chief Gracie Kreth Managing Editor Abby Clukey Executive Editor Jacob Asch Operations Manager Aisha Singh Chief Financial Officer Sonia Gupta EDITORIAL BOARD Jacob Asch Gracie Kreth Audrey Fahlberg Gavin Scott Victoria McKelvey JUNIOR BOARD Assistant Managing Editors Aaron Rose Ashley Botkin (SA) Alec Husted (SA) Abby Sacks (SA) Arsema Asefaw (SA) Emma Bradford (SA) Caroline Daniel

News Editors Nik Popli Jenn Brice (SA) Ali Sullivan Sports Editors Zach Zamoff Vignesh Mulay (SA) Caroline Lund (SA) Akhil Rekulapelli Life Editors Pauline Povitsky Elise Kim Arts & Entertainment Editors Kate Granruth Robin Schwartzkopf (SA) Elliot Van Noy Health & Science Editors Vyshnavi Pendala Zoe Ziff Magazine Editor Meagan O’Rourke Opinion Editors Audrey Fahlberg Gavin Scott (SA) Victoria McKelvey Humor Editor Ben Miller Cartoon Editor Walter Sharon

Production Editors Carolyn Lane Nikita Sivakumar Ankit Agrawal Graphics Editors Lauren Mohan Tyra Krehbiel (SA) Emma Hitchcock Photography Editors Riley Walsh Emma Klein (SA) Sophie Roehse (SA) Ariana Gueranmayeh Video Editors Bailey Vaughn Emily Dhue Social Media Managers Libby Scully Sierra Krug Translation Editors Edward Contreras Sylvia Wang Finance Manager Malcolm Mashig Business Manager Kelly Mays

Thursday, October 10, 2019 | 13

OPINION

OVERHAUL U.VA. ARTS

The current state of U.Va. Arts is not only outdated and insufficient, it’s embarrassing

I

t’s no secret that the University is all about rankings. As the flagship university in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the number four public university in the nation, U.Va. frequently flaunts its high-achieving schools and programs. The rankings list on US News and World Reports is extensive — 7 of the 11 schools are ranked in the top-50, and each boasts numerous ranked programs. However, there is one notable gap — U.Va. Arts.

Examining the program itself, U. Va. Arts offers undergraduate courses in architecture, art history, dance, drama, music and studio art. Major programs are available for architecture (via the School of Architecture), art history, drama and music. One graduate program — creative writing — is also available. Few resources, however, are accessible to students — students in the School of Architecture are required to pay for their own supplies and software, and students in Studio Art classes don’t even have access to a kiln on Grounds. While plans to create a new performing arts center along the Emmett/Ivy Corridor may come to fruition, significantly more investment in a wider variety of artistic fields is necessary to bring U.Va. Arts up to par with fine arts programs at competing

institutions.

For comparison, Virginia Commonwealth University’s art school, VCUarts, barely an hour away and ranked as the top public art school in the nation, offers over a dozen major programs — art education, art history, cinema, communication arts, craft/ material studies, dance and choreography, fashion design and merchandising, graphic design, interior design, kinetic imaging, music, painting and

to state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, including a metal foundry, galleries for the display of student work, and significant investment from the university.

Of course, comparing our art programs to the top public art school in the nation may seem unfair, but there’s no excuse for why U.Va. — the fourth best public university in the country — should be so far behind in such a diverse and fluid field of academia.

we have a new School of Data Science instead of a School of Fine Arts. The existing precedent — that fine arts aren’t academically significant or practically useful — is a relic from an earlier era of higher education. In practice, it translates into a disproportionate amount of resources being directed toward “real” academic fields, and a disregard of the arts.

However, art is inherently academic. It is a field which encompass-

The University must embrace creativity and abstraction if it wants to remain a top-tier institution at the front lines of academia. printmaking, photography and film, sculpture and extended media, and theater. VCUarts boasts 14 academic and studio buildings — covering approximately half of VCU’s main campus — dedicated to its fine arts programs. VCUarts offers private studios for students and numerous fine arts career opportunities through partnerships with local art institutions like the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the recently opened Institute of Contemporary Art. Students also have access

The explanation for this horrific discrepancy is simple — U.Va. only provides sufficient resources to programs which it deems academically significant or practically useful. Our administration prioritizes art history over craft studies because of an outdated precedent in academia that art, unless accompanied by a “true” academic field, is useless and brainless — that studying the people and history of art is more important than actual creativity and abstraction. It’s the same reason

es anthropology, philosophy, politics, sociology, gender and sexuality, race and religion. It is a field which reflects the current injustices of our world, the forces driving change and the evolution of our species. To think otherwise is a stunning reflection of our privilege — to ignore the meaning that arts have in our society and to neglect the contemporary struggles of so many people from around the world.

The University must establish a School of Fine Arts. It must foster an

environment of creativity and abstraction desirable to artists from around the world. It must increase funding to the arts, expand its program offerings, recruit more faculty to ensure a dynamic academic and research environment and offer more tools and resources for arts students and faculty.

The University must embrace creativity and abstraction if it wants to remain a top-tier institution on the front lines of academia. The College of Arts and Sciences already knows this, seeing as a fourth of its groundbreaking New College Curriculum’s core courses are dedicated to art and aesthetics. It’s time to hold the administration to the standard it set for itself in the “Great and Good” Plan — to be a university with a “dynamic arts community” is impossible when the arts programs are so spectacularly undervalued. We cannot let our pride hinder our progress.

We must admit we are behind, and we must work to catch up.

Don’t undervalue the importance of creativity and uniqueness. Don’t underestimate the impact of the arts.

Don’t leave U.Va. Arts behind.

NOAH STRIKE is a Viewpoint Writer for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at opinion@cavalierdaily.com.

PACC SHOULD INCLUDE ELECTED OFFICIALS Community input is integral to land-use planning in Charlottesville

E

arlier this month, the Charlottesville Planning and Coordination Council began discussion concerning the first steps to dissolve and redesign the organization. The group, organized 33 years ago, was created to “encourage collaboration between Charlottesville, Albemarle County and the University of Virginia” on matters pertaining to land-use policies in the community. The newly revamped council, which will be called the Land Use and Environmental Planning Committee, would remove elected officials from the group and replace them with city- and county-appointed staff members.

As it is now, the council is comprised of the city manager, county executive, two members of the Charlottesville City Council and the Board of Supervisors and two University of Virginia administrators. Seven appointed officials from the Charlottesville and Albemarle will replace them if the new plan is approved — this revised group notably features no representatives from the University itself. Additionally, the LUEPC will include the U.Va. Foundation and the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority.

While it is important that experts are providing input on such vital issues, the community should still be able to voice its concerns over how its land

is used and developed. However, this goal is achieved most effectively if elected officials continue to serve on the council.

When discussing the PACC it is essential to note the importance of the organization. The PACC examines a wide range of issues that affect the Charlottesville area. For example, the council has discussed plans to make Charlottesville more pedestrian friendly, to better fund public trans-

that, “the work of the new body will not be subject to open meetings laws.

That means people will not be able to verify the minutes, see agendas in advance, or participate in any meaningful way.”

Therefore, despite any meaningful change that the LUEPC could create, it could still be closed off from Charlottesville residents consider to be their priorities and how they feel about certain projects that the coun-

ble Housing, which is comprised of elected officials in both the City and Albemarle County. Both groups were comprised of council members elected by the public, which signifies a common goal of aiding the Charlottesville constituency. While the creation of low-income housing may be a priority for those who are held accountable by the public, it may not be to staff members. For example, while the growth of off-Grounds student housing in

While it is important that experts are providing input on such vital issues, the community should still be able to voice its concerns over how its land is used and developed. portation and to address local housing issues. Additionally, the University voluntarily submits all of its contrusticion plans to the committee for review.

Therefore, the PACC helps shape the Charlottesville and University areas in ways that are integral for residents to commute and live comfortably.

There has already been some criticisms of the plan to redesign PACC. For example, a local environmentalist group voiced concerns about the transparency of the proposed council.

Specifically, Sean Tubbs of the Piedmont Environmental Council, noted

cil could put forth. Since the development of land is very important for Charlottesville residents in need of more affordable housing, the PACC’s constituency deserves to know when significant issues are being discussed and provide meaningful feedback.

Facing its own housing crisis, how the Charlottesville area uses land is critical for those in need of low-income housing. The planning council has discussed potential solutions to Charlottesville in the past. These discussions revolved around a 2009 report from the Joint Task Force on Afforda-

and around Charlottesville may be lucrative for the City, it significantly contributes to the lack of low-income housing in the area.

Still, current members of the board and the University support the redesign, finding that it can make the council more productive. For example, Supervisor Diantha McKeel supports the dissolution of the current group “to actually have a process that helps us address bigger issues in our community in a public, but more efficient way.”

Nevertheless, the revised council’s reported inability to direct public opin-

ion brings into question the value of its potential efficiency. To guarantee the council is helping those who could be most influenced by its aid, there has to be public input.

At a time in which the University wishes to greatly expand construction, such as the speculated need for new student housing and the Athletics Master Plan, residents of the Charlottesville community deserve to have an influence over the use of their City’s land. As Charlottesville is one of the ten most expensive cities in Virginia and almost one fourth of the city’s population lives in poverty, transparency of and accessibility to government agencies is incredibly important.

For this reason, the City Council must reject any proposal to redesign PACC to exclude input from elected officials.

VICTORIA MCKELVEY is the Senior Associate Opinion Editor for The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at v.mckelvey@cavalierdaily.com.

14 | www.cavalierdaily.com

The Cavalier Daily

HUMOR Here comes Pence!

I have been trying to figure out what to write about for my column this week, but there hasn’t been any real political news to cover recently. Just kidding. That was the worst, most obvious joke I’ve ever made.

Trump might be impeached! This is the biggest piece of news that’s been covered since “Sarah Palin’s Alaska” was canceled by TLC. Trump, the terrible, insane, xenophobic, greedy, racist, homophobic, comb over needing, corrupt politician might be reduced to regular human status, and I am excited. I can’t wait for him to do what every other ex-president has done — get a book contract and go on a lecture tour. I really am looking forward to the day when Trump’s only speaking engagements are at some weird Elk Club or an American Legion in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and not in front of thousands of Ameri-

cans who think he represents the future of our country.

However, I am trying not to be too hopeful. As someone recently told me, optimism is not always a good thing. It will be an uphill battle for the Democrats and Republicans in favor of impeachment proceedings. There are many moving parts that need to align in order for the impeachment to actually happen and it isn’t exactly looking bright. And as we’ve seen during the Mueller report, the Kavanaugh hearings and literally every time Trump opens his mouth, the standards pertaining to manners, integrity and humanity are getting lower and lower and lower. To add some perspective, Andrew Johnson, our country’s 17th president, was impeached because he fired a cabinet member. Trump would have been out of a job eons ago if that was still the

standard.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the whole story. If we, as Americans, are lucky enough to impeach Trump, we will have the great misfortune of welcoming Mike Pence as the next president.

This, my friends, is a double bind.

This is worse than a catch-22, this is a catch-666. I am in no way saying that we should not proceed with the impeachment investigation. Trump must be removed from office. However, you won’t catch me taking a sigh of relief if Pence does take over.

Pence probably stands for everything that I adamantly oppose.

I get it, difference of opinion is important and being able to live with people who don’t agree with all of your opinions is a skill worth gaining.

However, there comes a time when values must be changed and amended in order to be a good human. I don’t

think Pence heard, but being homophobic is no longer in vogue. It’s just not cool to be mean and violent towards the LGBTQ community, but Pence’s political record has shown us time and time again that he is not hip to this. And it doesn’t stop with homophobia.

He actively opposed the implementation of clean energy during his time as the governor of Indiana.

He supports Trump’s conservative immigration stance. He has an A rating from the NRA. And like every great male politician to ever walk this earth, he had a conservative talk radio show back in the 1990s.

The scariest part is that Pence probably has the wherewithal to get stuff done. He actually went to law school, and, unlike Trump, probably didn’t need his dad to help him get in (link most recent article by The Cav-

CARTOON Midterm season Audrey Lewis | Cartoonist

alier Daily on ‘high-priority’ applications here, please). He is respected by his fellow Tea Party members. Most of the Republican National Committee doesn’t pretend to like him, they actually like him, and, like most of us reading this, he was smart enough not to vote for Trump in the primaries, he actually endorsed Ted Cruz.

As we move on from this week I am hoping for three things: 1.

Trump gets fired 2.

Pence steps down 3.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) becomes president prompting a nation-wide rager that lasts for six days.

CATE STREISSGUTH is a Humor Columnist at The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at humor@cavalierdaily. com.

The Cavalier Daily

Thursday, October 10, 2019 | 15

PUZZLES WEEKLY CROSSWORD PUZZLE Dan Goff | Puzzle Master * THE SOLUTION TO THIS PUZZLE CAN BE FOUND IN THE NEXT ISSUE

Across 8 There are five movies in this animated franchise, believe it or not 9 "Yikes! You caught me ___"

1

2

3

4

8

5

6

7

9

10 Literary word for celestial 11 A "blue" one is a famous geothermal Icelandic spa 12 Zebra pattern

10

11

14 Current times 16 Dated term for optometrist 18 Related to hearing 20 Dr. Holstege's email says that you can call this to stop two-down / four-down 23 Rarely 24 Type of action often preceded by heart, shark or surprise

12

13

15

16

17

26 Adverb form of 23-down 27 The second type of action referred to in 24-across may happen while you're ___

14

18

19 20

21

22

28 Dr. Holstege also recommends a local ___ acupuncture (ouch) Down 1 Unplugged set 2 University students got an email from Dr. Christopher P. Holstege about the dangers of this cigarette alternative — ___ pen 3 Highly developed, as a sense

23

24

25

26

27

4 Another way to describe two-down 5 Hangman's hangout spot 6 Excellent tapas place near the Downtown Mall — the official name ends with "!"

7 This is faulty, even the flashbulb type 13 Small arm of a larger body of water 15 Often awkward, four-person romantic outing 17 Holder for a tie or a brooch 19 Unconsciousness resulting from a cerebral hemorrhage or stroke 21 Billy Joel famously tried for this type of girl 22 Flag or standard indicating nationality 23 Adjective form of 26-across ;) 25 Money given to the poor — somewhat dated

CORRECTIONS In the October 3 edition of The Cavalier Daily, the article titled “ASU kicks off its ‘Not A Model Minority Campaign’,” attributed she/her pronouns to second-year College student Zoe Pham, who uses they/them pronouns. The article has been updated online to reflect their correct pronouns.

REGISTER TO VOTE

* SOLUTION FROM SEPT. 19 ISSUE

A C U B

A M B R O S I A

P U E D

R E A D I N G D A Y

A B E R R E C E E U C Z A R Y O

D F R E O L P U E O I L R U E T P A S E B T A E D A N C E I R S S V A O I I N A S S H

I D E O G R A M B E C A M E

P F W O M A N S M U T B I D L K W A Y S I E N I T Y T O L E A R Y R T A T I O N I I I M O S A E E

The Cavalier Daily

16 | www.cavalierdaily.com

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Mastering the art of lingering U.Va. professor brings festival of Indian documentaries to Grounds Kate Granruth | Arts and Entertainment Editor

When Geeta Patel — professor in the departments of Middle Eastern and South Asian Language and Cultures and Women, Gender and Sexuality at the University — introduced Mumbai-based documentarian Avijit Mukul Kishore Wednesday night, she described his work as possessing an “incredible calm.”

The film that was screened in Minor Hall on the first night of “Cinema, Architecture, Art: Envisioning Aesthetics, Politics, Citizenship and Personal Stories,” a festival of documentaries from India that Patel organized.

The film that opened the three night festival, which ran through Friday, was the 2017 documentary “Nostalgia for the Future,” which was co-directed by Kishore and his partner, Rohan Shivkumar. The two men — Shivkumar used Skype to join from India — joined Patel, School of Architecture professor Peter Waldman and University alum and former National Public Radio producer Bilal Quereshi. The central theme of the documentary and the event — which about 80 people attended — both revolved around the intersection between modernity, citizenship and architecture in India.

The film doesn’t necessarily embody calm in the relaxing sense — both directors describe how the inspiration for the film came from a shared anxiety they had as citizens of the nation. Rather, the calm in “Nostalgia for the Future” is in the way the camera is a patient yet active observer of the surrounding world. One of the first shots we see is of a boy blowing bubbles, with the camera following the bubbles as they drift out into the surrounding space.

The film is ripe with these lingering moments, using silence in a masterful way to ratchet up the viewer’s emotions. We see children gathering in grayscale as they pose for the camera and men smiling at the lens as they lean against a fence. Perhaps the spot where the pause was felt most was when the film led viewers on a sort of silent tour through the industrial-style Villa Shodan, a large concrete cube home designed by famed architect Le Corbusier. We move room to room, camera completely stationary, the only movement or change being lights turning on to illuminate the space. The series of frames seems to ask of the audience, “Who lives here?”

Kishore and Shivkumar invert

KATE GRANRUTH | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Bilal Quereshi, Peter Waldman, Avijit Mukal Kishore, Rohan Shivkumar and Geeta Patel participated in the discussion panel following “Nostalgia for the Future.”

common notions of house and home in this film. We think of our homes as things we own, giant hollow objects that we shape into a living space. “Nostalgia for the Future” paints the home as the architect, molding and designing the ideal citizen to inhabit it. In the beginning of the film, Kishore’s voiceover narration melds static and flute music, saying in Hindi, “Homes are machines that we live in” and “We hope to live up to the homes that we dream. We hope that our bodies will be worthy of inhabiting our homes.”

“If you look at ‘Nostalgia for the Future … [the film] is about different ideas of modernity in India as defined through the architecture of the home built over an almost 80 year period,” Kishore said in an interview with Arts and Entertainment prior to the screening. “So, it’s … that home is catering to different ideals of the human body. There is the body as imagined at different points of time by the Indian state, and by different people, by individuals as to what really constitutes a ‘modern’ person. And what is the

kind of house that he or she would inhabit, you know? So it’s almost as if the body has to be worthy of that house, which is coming with a certain ideology.”

This concept of home over inhabitant is obvious in the way the documentary is filmed, with many of the scenes shot in ways that incorporate architectural elements — the camera peeks around corners, frames people in doorways and watches the retreating back of a man from the landing of a split-level staircase. The design of the home demands something of its occupant. One of the most striking examples of this comes when a woman is being filmed in a small kitchen. She reaches for a cabinet above her head, and an abrupt transition to a schematic diagram of a woman in the same position occurs. The kitchen, the heights of cabinets, the dimensions were all designed to fit the female form almost exclusively, illuminating the gendered construction of certain areas of the home.

This film is an exploration of the physical products of ideology

throughout India’s history. From the historical perspective, audiences see how the concept of the home changed post-independence from Great Britain, and how the need for India to be seen as a progressing modern nation became paramount. This wanting to be seen as something different than the truth is apparent when examining the inherent queerness of the film, which goes beyond its being produced by men in a same-sex partnership.

“Especially when you watch [“Nostalgia for the Future”] ... there’s so much about performance and wanting to be somebody else,” Kishore said. “So, if it’s you wanting to deserve your house or wanting to be a certain way that you’re not, in many ways those are reflections on queer identity. So, it’s queer through performativity that the film ends up using. That way, I consider a more — in many ways — complex performance of queer identity, or acknowledgment of queer identity that just using the label based on subject.”

When asked what audiences ideally would take away from the

screening at the University, Kishore had an almost immediate answer.

“Questions,” he said. “More than answers. Thoughts, experiences that stay with you.” Every part of the documentary was intentional, from the crackle of celluloid film to the rushing of string to the use of found footage and audio bits all melting together. The end result is something poignant, something that makes its viewers think and pause for just a beat before bursting into applause.

Thursday, October 10, 2019 | 17

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Climate change is front and center in ‘Lungs’ Drama Department production grapples with an uncertain future Caitlin Woodford | Staff Writer

COURTESY MARTYN KYLE

“Lungs” runs at the Helms Theatre Oct. 10-12. The show features three different casts and deals with the realities of climate change for one couple.

With global temperatures on the rise and the effects of climate change already taking hold in many different parts of the world, there seems to be an urgent responsibility across generations to take action against the continuation of these issues. This is a difficult reality to grasp, however, and the complications and ethical questions of how to live in a sustainable way is often hard to reconcile with the accustomed standard of living.

“Lungs,” the most recent production from the University’s Drama Department, attempts to tackle these questions and more through the lens of a young couple trying to decide whether or not they are ready — or if it is even morally responsible — to have a child. The show, which was performed on an entirely bare stage by a cast of two, moves across time and space as they attempt to work through the anxieties of being young and unsure, while simultaneously bearing

witness to the gradual collapse of the earth as they know it. Climate change is the unseen third character alongside the cast of two, although the play is about much more than just that particular issue. There are questions of love and loss, and a feeling of grief for themselves, for each other, and for the world, which permeates every bit of dialogue and segment of blocking.

The Friday production itself was modest in its presentation — as specified by the playwright, the show takes place with no indication of place or time other than the context of the dialogue. There was no miming, no costume changes, no set or sound effects. This understated structure was incredibly effective in the compelling nature of the piece — it shifted all of the focus from the external environment to the internal aspect of the dialogue and physicality from the actors. This especially highlighted the depth of the text — its complexities and stagger-

ing relatability. The piece, which is both fast paced and urgent as well as thoughtful and quiet, flows with almost stammering truthfulness.

The dialogue feels theatrical, certainly, but also touches upon some shared understanding of fear and uncertainty. The cast, though small, brings this nuanced, dynamic piece to life with care and enthusiasm, playing with many different levels of emotion and drawing in the small, closely seated audience with delicate captivation.

The vision of director Dave Dalton, an assistant professor in the Department of Drama, catalyzed this effect, as he worked with student assistant directors Jakob Cansler, a third-year in the College, and Savannah Maive, a fourthyear in the College, to produce the show. “Lungs” notably features three different casts, each of which performs on different nights of the run. For Dalton, the show’s unique technical constraints were part of

its appeal.

“I was interested in the challenges of a two person show without costume changes or sets,” Dalton said. The unique nature of this piece certainly created challenges for the production team, as each of the three casts received less overall time with the primary director.

The solution to this came in the form of the assistant directors, who worked with each cast to elaborate and solidify Dalton’s vision when he was not directly working with them. This system of division and collaboration helped each cast to think creatively about their own interpretation of the text, as well as emphasizing the complexity of the piece in the fact that each cast could bring their own ideas and character angles to the table without compromising the underlying meaning of the play.

Third-year College student Charles Hurt and Madeline Walker, a fourth-year in the College

— one of the three casts — gave compelling performances in their opening night Friday, particularly in their very realistic portrayal of the couple. Walker’s impressive expressive range and intensity was well-balanced with Hurt’s more relaxed ease and rhythm — both of which formed a nuanced and intimate chemistry that never broke throughout the 80-minute runtime.

The strength of these actors built the foundation for the entire show.

When added to the subtle but beautiful use of lights placed along the far wall to only vaguely indicate time, it culminated in an innovative performance which spoke to the value and flexibility of the theater and brought forward a unique artistic standpoint to the issue of climate change.

Lungs will be performed in the Helms Theatre through Oct. 12.

18 | www.cavalierdaily.com

The Cavalier Daily

HEALTH & SCIENCE U.Va. program expands treatment through telemedicine The initiative offers clinics training and additional resources to treat hepatitis C effectively, particularly in rural areas Brightney Varghese & Cecily Wolfe | Staff Writer & Senior Writer The Virginia Hepatitis Education and Patient Connection program has partnered with Medicaid, Virginia’s Department of Health and Department of Corrections to offer telemedicine services and intensive day-long training sessions for medical personnel throughout Virginia, especially those in rural areas. Rebecca Dillingham, associate professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases and Internal Health, and Terry Kemp-Knick, hepatitis C coordinator and clinical research manager of the University Health System, created this initiative to instruct clinical providers on proper hepatitis C treatment methods.

The expectation is that education and expansion of telemedicine to underserved populations in Virginia will significantly reduce, if not ultimately eradicate, hepatitis C. Dillingham said that a similar program between the University Health System and the Virginia Department of Health focused on providing assistance to those impacted by HIV in southwest Virginia. Upon realizing the prevalence of hepatitis C in these locations, the University, in collaboration with the Virginia Department of Health, decided to augment the telemedicine program to include hepatitis C patients beginning in June 2018.

“In creating that program, we prioritized partnerships with organizations that provide care for people struggling with opioid addiction,” Dillingham said. “This could be people who provide medication assisted treatment for opioid use disorder or other comprehensive harm reduction services.”

Training sessions first launched a year later in June 2019 and are now held once every three months. These workshops allow doctors, physicians assistants and nurse practitioners to learn best practices for the entire process of patient care, beginning with screening for hepatitis C and ending with curing the disease. Educational objectives include identification and diagnosis of patients with hepatitis C, potential medication side effects and interactions with other drugs and plans of action in the event of minor to severe internal organ damage.

“We look forward to expanding the number of locations where [hepatitis C virus] care is provided both through additional telemedicine partnerships and through training of new providers who can than provide access to HCV care in their own communities,” Dillingham wrote.

The hepatitis C virus infects the liver and causes inflammation. Those

that suffer from acute hepatitis C experience symptoms including fatigue, loss of appetite, jaundice, hives and vomiting within the first few months following exposure. Chronic hepatitis C can develop decades later if the acute version is not treated, as is often the case, since many individuals do not develop symptoms early in the disease progression. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 75 to 85 percent of patients develop chronic infections while a mere 15 to 25 percent clear the infection without treatment. Long-term viral attacks on the liver can cause scarring, liver cancer and failure. The CDC states that hepatitis C is one of the most common reasons for liver transplantation in the United States.

Transmission occurs through contact with the blood of a hepatitis C victim, and this commonly occurs when people share needles or other drug-use equipment. Personal hygiene items, sexual interactions and unsanitary instruments for tattoos and piercings contaminated with infected blood can spread the illness as well. Hepatitis C may also pass from mother to fetus.

One of the most important developments during the past few years that the Virginia HEPC emphasizes is making drugs that treat chronic hepatitis C available. Some of these treatments have up to a 95 percent cure rate. Dillingham mentioned, though, that many clinicians hesitate to prescribe these medications, as they doubt their effectiveness.

“The new medications that are being used are available nationwide — but there is an enormous lack of people who feel qualified to prescribe them — so they are not getting to the people who need them,” Dillingham said.

To further ensure everyone receives necessary medications, the Virginia HEPC details procedures for acquiring prescriptions for the insured and uninsured. Recently developed drugs may cost thousands of dollars, but according to KempKnick, patients with Medicaid pay very little if anything out of pocket.

Treating people in the early stages of the disease may financially aid healthcare professionals as well. The Virginia HEPC program claimed clinics and hospitals will benefit from prescribing these medications and supporting patients throughout the regimen because they would save approximately $16.7 million in transplant costs.

Moreover, the course addresses social considerations in hepatitis C

COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Telemedicine allows an affordable and convenient way for the underserved populations in rural areas to receive the care needed to combat long-term debilitating illnesses such as hepatitis C.

cases, such as the correlation between opioid and hepatitis C epidemics.

According to Kemp-Knick, certain doctors and nurses refuse to accept patients that continue to use opioids or intravenously inject drugs. However, the Virginia HEPC encourages providers to tend to anyone who is hepatitis C positive.

“There are many people still using substances that have hepatitis C, and there is pushback from some doctors who do not want to see those people,” Kemp-Knick said. “We instruct them to treat everyone, though. We do not want people excluded because they consume drugs and alcohol.”

Implementing the policy to assist every hepatitis C victim becomes particularly critical in southwestern Virginia, Kemp-Knick said. According to data collected by the CDC, certain counties in southwest Virginia are disproportionately affected by the opioid epidemic compared to the rest of Virginia. In 2018, the CDC released a list of counties in the United States most vulnerable to HIV and/ or hepatitis C outbreaks as a direct consequence of increased opioid use.

Of the 220 counties listed, eight of them are located in Virginia, and all of them cluster near the southwestern tip of the state.

Not only does the Virginia HEPC aim to educate medical personnel, but they also look to create a network of providers. Rural areas often lack specialists equipped to manage disease complications. The hope is that fostering connections between remote counties with limited resources and medical experts will improve hepatitis C treatment across the state.

“We welcome the providers’ emails or their calls for advice and formal consultations,” Kemp-Knick said. “If they have a patient and have questions about how to treat them, we can help them, or if they have administrative questions, we can put them in touch with a nurse to help with that.”

As part of those efforts, KempKnick mentioned that nine clinics in Virginia incorporated telemedicine into their treatment protocols.

The Virginia HEPC program seeks to expand this infrastructure to new clinics statewide, in order to offer

assistance to those who cannot easily reach doctors. This referral system extends to opioid doctors and primary care physicians, Kemp-Knick said, who can care for people with other health concerns.

“There are currently people traveling three to four hours to get treatment,” Kemp-Knick said. “We want everyone in Virginia, once they realize that there is available treatment for Hepatitis C, they can access that treatment locally.”

Kemp-Knick cited that the Virginia HEPC program has trained 36 providers, one of whom is currently practicing and another who will start shortly. Moving forward, Kemp-Knick and Dillingham intend to equip more clinics statewide with the resources to cure hepatitis C, and that, eventually, the disease will be eliminated from Virginia.

Thursday, October 10, 2019 | 19

HEALTH & SCIENCE

U.Va. researchers analyze disparities in autism diagnoses STAR initiative to develop new assessment tools to diagnose autism spectrum disorders Divya Shan | Staff Writer

VYSHNAVI PENDALA | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Both boys and girls diagnosed with autism show underdeveloped neural activity in certain areas of the brain.

Researchers at the University are working to tackle the question of why boys get diagnosed with autism four times as much as girls.

A pan-university project — Supporting Transformative Autism Research — coordinates several research projects on autism and innovative models for intervention at the University to address issues similar to this and create better diagnostic tools to provide proper care for both genders.

These studies involve researchers from various fields such as the neurology department, Data Science Institute and the psychology department. The STAR initiative is encouraging collaborations between researchers of various areas to tackle different aspects of the problem and establish the University as a powerhouse for autism research.

One particular project led by Kevin Pelphrey, Harrison-Wood Jefferson Scholars professor of neurology, is trying to understand the differences between the development and structures of brains of female and male children with autism.

Funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, this project is a part of the National Institute of Health’s Autism Centers of Excellence Program. It bridges researchers across

several universities — such as the University of Virginia, the University of California, Los Angeles and the Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C. Since the beginning of the formal diagnosis of autism by Dr. Leo Konner at Johns Hopkins University, it has been noted that boys are more likely to develop autism than girls. Although boys are generally at a greater risk for brain disorders, Pelphrey said that this reasoning is not sufficient to explain the wide disparity in autism diagnosis. The lack of information about autism’s manifestation in girls means that many are never diagnosed and miss out on beneficial interventions.

One of the factors to consider for this disparity are the biological differences in hormones and genes between different genders. This is a plausible explanation because researchers currently have identified around 70 genes linked to autism, according to Pelphrey, and autism tends to run strongly in families.

Another factor to consider is that the diagnostic procedures for autism itself might be gender specific and faulty when diagnosing girls since the procedures were developed with boys.

Pelphrey believes that the gender disparity in autism diagnosis is

most likely a mix of both biological and diagnostic factors and hopes to better understand why these differences occur. “We want to start developing measures targeted towards girls because they have been understudied and under resourced in terms of what is available for them [girls],” Pelphrey said.

With a network of universities collecting neuroimaging data, there is a growing importance of data science for processing the large amounts of data in research projects such as these. John Darrell Van Horn, professor of psychology and data science, contributes to the computational aspects of this research project.

“Technology is always rapidly advancing to be able to get more data in space and in time and that has some very important computational implications for how you deal with that data,” Van Horn said.

Van Horn also collects data on demographics and neurophysical measurements to perform massive joint analysis in order to understand how the brain in autism may be functioning. A copy of the data the lab at the University collects and processes is sent to the National Database for Autism Research at NIH in Bethesda, Md. Van Horn hopes to use this data to better un-

derstand why boys get diagnosed with autism almost four times more than girls and re-standardize the autism diagnostic process for girls.

Current methods to diagnose autism include observing the child’s behavior, performing cognitive assessments to learn about the child’s problem solving and language skills and interviewing the caregiver of the individual with a focus on social communication skills and repetitive behaviors. Pelphrey hopes to find a biological marker of autism and add brain-based measurements to this assessment to make it more accurate.

The STAR initiative also supports several other research projects to develop new assessment tools to diagnose and assess the symptoms of autism. Micah Mazurek, director of the STAR initiative, associate professor of education and clinical psychologist, is currently working on a project to validate a measure that has been developed to diagnose autism using eye tracking.

Additionally, Mazurek said her team is building a “model called ECHO to train community-based providers in being able to recognize symptoms of autism and provide best practice care for children with autism and their families.”

Overall, the STAR initiative has

funded 11 pilot studies over the past year and hopes to continue fostering research studies focused on autism.

The end goal of this research is to make recommendations to clinicians about how to diagnose more accurately and tailor their treatments and therapies to autism more appropriately, said Van Horn.

“In general, we want to develop U.Va. as a go-to place where people look for information about brain development, autism and how best to move kids on a path towards optimizing their outcomes and abilities” Pelphrey said.

20 | www.cavalierdaily.com

ADVERTISEMENT

Dorm Rooms.

Good for: - Studying - Partying

- Voting.

With eAbsentee, voting is easier than ever -- just apply online and ďŹ ll out your ballot when it is mailed to you!

Make your voice heard this November. If you are a Virginia resident,

Request your Virginia absentee ballot at:

www.eAbsentee.org/group/UVAnews Paid for and authorized by Vote Absentee Virginia.