October 17, 2013 by The Cavalier Daily

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Vol. 124, Issue 16 Jenna Truong | The Cavalier Daily

ALDERMAN LIBRARY TURNS 75

Jenna Truong | The Cavalier Daily

University’s favorite library celebrates history of books, brains, big ideas Gaelyn Foster and Jiaer Zhuang Staff Writers

Students, faculty, staff and members of the Charlottesville community gathered Wednesday in the Small Special Collections Library to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Alderman Library. Presented by the Library Student Council, the celebration featured Dean of Students Allen Groves, University History Officer Alexander "Sandy" Gilliam Jr. and University Librarian Karin Wittenborg. Third-year College student Greg Irving, a Library Council member, was one of the organizers of the event. The commemorating presentation was divided into three parts: Alderman’s past, present and future. Gilliam, a 1955 College graduate, spoke at the event of his long history with the library. “When Greg asked me to do this speech, I accepted with alacrity,” Gilliam said. “Because I have to admit to be an Alderman freak. I have been since I was a student.” Named after former University President Edwin Alderman, the library was approved for construction in 1935 as part of

“

I have to admit to be an Alderman freak.... since I was a student.”

President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal. During his time as president, Alderman pressed for the construction of a new library. University President John Lloyd Newcomb’s administration finally developed the plans for Alderman Library and oversaw its construction, beginning in December of 1936. The stacks on the north side were added in 1967, Gilliam said, after existing libraries on Grounds ran out of shelving space. Gilliam entertained the audience with a retelling of the legend of spirits who roam Alderman Library. According to Gilliam, these ghosts are not to be feared, and are mostly thought of as benign. One of the two “ghosts of Alderman” is thought to be Dr. Bennett Wood Green, a Confederate surgeon whose books were donated to the library after his death in 1913. Green's texts were kept in the Rotunda, but when his books moved to Alderman Library, his spirit is said to have “moved” with them. The other ghost is said to be that of Muscoe Russell Hunter Garnett, a member of the Board of Visitors from 1855 to 1859. But a ghost “sighting” has not been reported for about 60 years, Gilliam said. Recalling his time spent in Alderman as a University Law student, Groves said the 300,000 square-foot library serves as a home both for 3 million books and for student life. “I have been lost in Alderman Library, multiple times, and a student had

see LIBRARY, page 43

Jenna Truong | The Cavalier Daily

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news

Jenna Truong | The Cavalier Daily

Did you know..?

Facts hidden in Alderman’s history

The long history of Alderman Library began in 1935 with the approval of construction plans by the second University president, John Lloyd Newcomb. The building was named after Edwin Anderson Alderman, the University's first president. During his time as president, Alderman pressed for the construction of a new library, a neutral space for students to study and engage. After 27 years as president, most of which was spent with recurring bouts of tuberculosis, Alderman passed away. Construction of the new library began in Dec. 1936 and was officially open for use in Oct. 1938. Alderman remained relatively unchanged until the new stacks were added to the north side of the building in 1967 in response to overcrowding.

University students selected the space between Clemons and Alderman Libraries to create a flash mob two years ago, Dean of Students Allen Groves said. Unfortunately, the mob was asked to move away from the libraries to avoid the risk of damaging the ground.

Jenna Truong | The Cavalier Daily

Edwin Anderson Alderman was invited by the Board of Visitors in 1904 to become the University’s first president. Alderman left his position as president of Tulane University to fill the role. Although construction of Alderman Library did not begin until several years after his death in 1931, the creation of the library is largely credited to Alderman’s initiative.

Jenna Truong | The Cavalier Daily

NEWS

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Virginia delegates oppose changes to AccessUVa Krupicka, Lopez, Surovell send letter to Board of Visitors, join effort to reverse summer adjustments to University financial aid program Meg Gardner, Julia Skorcz, and Tiffany Truong Staff Writers

Three members of the Virginia House of Delegates, Rob Krupicka Jr., D-Alexandria, Alfonso Lopez, D-ArlingtonFairfax, and Scott Surovell, DFairfax County, wrote a letter to Board of Visitors Rector George Martin on Oct. 9 to object to cuts to AccessUVa. The Board voted in August to end AccessUVa’s all-grant financial aid to students, replacing portions of that financial aid with subsidized loans. In their letter, delegates ad-

vise the Board to reconsider its decision to include loans in every financial aid package due to the unfair burden it may place on low-income students. “Such a debt load will almost certainly deter some deserving students from attending U.Va. or making it to graduation day; for others it will limit the options available to them upon graduation” the letter reads. Stephanie Montenegro, fourth-year College student and AccessUVa financial aid recipient, echoed the delegates’ concerns, emphasizing the impact the change could have on Virginia’s low-income youth. “[Without AccessUVa,] I would not be in college at all,"

Montenegro said. "I was looking into the Marines, the Air Force; I was ready to go that way … AccessUVa was an opportunity to better myself, my family, [and] my community.” “I Am Not a Loan,” a national campaign of students, parents and graduates across the nation focused on reducing student debt, has gained ground at the University since August and has become the mouthpiece for the petition to restore AccessUVa’s former policies. More than 8,600 people have signed the petition to reinstate all-grant aid to low-income students, and leaders of the organization have met with several University administrators to

voice their concerns. The organizations aims to make the issue salient for the student body, even those who are not directly affected by the change, said Hajar Ahmed, fourth-year College student and participant in “I Am Not a Loan” effort. Krupicka said he believes the preservation of AccessUVa is important for the University and students, saying it helps low-income students graduate which ultimately benefits their families and the state as a whole. He also acknowledged, however, that the financial difficulties the University faces are important. “I certainly support more state funding and the creation of

a state program to help students in other colleges around the commonwealth,” Krupicka said. The changes to the financial aid program are expected to save the University $6 million per year once they take effect with next year’s entering class. But the University’s finances are fully capable of covering the program’s costs, said Mary Nguyen Barry, a 2010 alumna of the University and one of the first advocates for the “I Am Not a Loan” campaign on Grounds. “The portion of the program they are trying to cut from lowincome students is … less than 0.5 percent of the entire [annual] budget,” Barry said. “The Board of Visitors simply isn’t making lowincome students a priority.”

Sabato challenges Kennedy assassination myths Politics professor appears in capital’s Newseum to promote new book, Center for Politics study criticizing government reports, upcoming MOOC Jordan Bower Staff Writer

Politics Prof. Larry Sabato revealed a controversial study Tuesday about the life of President John F. Kennedy, with new insights into his 1963 assassination. Sabato held a press conference at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. to present his findings and to promote his new book, “The Kennedy Half Century.” Though Sabato’s study did not advance any new theories about Kennedy’s assassination, it did critically examine the two official government reports on the assassination, finding flaws with both. The first report, issued by the Warren Commission, concluded that the shooter was a lone gunman named Lee Harvey Oswald who shot Kennedy from a schoolbook depository along the parade route. Sabato’s study

determined that the report “did not conclusively disprove the possibility of a second gunman or other kinds of conspiracy, including collusion with Oswald — and … was seriously defective in fundamental ways.” The second report, produced by a House commission in the late 1970s, indicated the possibility of a second gunman using audio that allegedly contained the sound of more gunshots than Oswald fired. Sabato’s study concluded that the “audio recording does not contain the sound of gunshots, and therefore cannot be used as evidence of a conspiracy.” This investigation of the events surrounding Kennedy’s assassination comprises only a third of Sabato’s book; the other two sections deal with Kennedy’s actual political life and presidency and how his legacy affected his nine successors. “In many ways, President

Kennedy’s life being cut tragically short by an assassin’s bullet only amplified his impact on American politics,” Sabato said in an email. “Both Republican and Democratic successors have used the Kennedy image to promote their own agendas, and a poll we conducted as part of the book project shows that Kennedy remains the most popular and respected of the presidents elected since 1950.” The study comes as part of the Center for Politics’ “Kennedy Legacy Project,” designed to contribute to the public’s understanding of JFK and his impact on American life. A PBS documentary is also set to be released in conjunction with the project. Sabato’s online course on Kennedy’s life and legacy begins Oct. 21 and will be available for free through Coursera and iTunes U.

Thomas Bynum| The Cavalier Daily

“Kennedy’s life being cut tragically short by an assassin’s bullet only amplified his impact on American politics,” Sabato said of the president’s larger-than-life legacy.

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NEWS

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Huffington, Chopra lead mass student mediatation

Contemplative Sciences Center hosts event on Lawn Tuesday to promote mental health, relieve students’ stress during midterm examinations Emily Hutt News Editor

Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington and Deepak Chopra, renowned holistic health doctor and author led several hundred members of the Univer-

sity community in a large-scale public meditation session on the Lawn Tuesday afternoon. The University’s Contemplative Sciences Center, which launched last spring, hosted the event. Huffington is chair and president of the Huffington Post Media Group, and was twice named

to Time Magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Chopra is a global leader in holistic medicine, author of more than 75 books and has taught at Boston University, Tufts and Harvard. Huffington’s appearance on Grounds provoked backlash from

Chopra emphasized the STOP method as a positive way to relieve stress — Stop, Take three breaths, Observe and Proceed with love.

Sanjay Suchak| UVAToday

a few University alumni and faculty prior to the event. The individuals signed a petition claiming Huffington plagiarised former University Prof. Lydia Gasman’s work in 1988 in her piece “Picasso: Creator and Destroyer.” The petition sought 1,000 signatures prior to the event, but was signed online by 67 people. Huffington denied the accusations in a 2008 New Yorker piece. Chopra directed the meditation from the Rotunda steps. He reflected on the prevalence of stress within society and its effects on the human body. “Stress is the number one epidemic of our time,” Chopra said. “It’s indirectly or directly connected to everything we’re doing right now.” Chopra encouraged the audience to release stress through a contemplative process called the STOP formula — Stop, Take three deep breaths, Observe and Proceed with love and compassion. Regular practice of such habits can hardwire the brain to behave with less stress, he said. Through the half-hour session, Chopra guided the audience through activities promoting self awareness, self reflection and transcendence. Huffington then spoke about

what she called “The Third Metric,” a theory that emphasizes focusing on redefining success to include well-being, wisdom, wonder, compassion and giving. “When you tap into it, everything in life takes a new sense of color,” she said. “You move from struggle to grace. Bringing in that sense of grace means we are more connected.” The mantra is particularly relevant for University students in high-stress environments, Huffington said. “Especially for those in college, learning to disconnect is important,” she said. “The key here is to open up the conversation — whatever you are learning in this journey, to share it with others.” David Germano, director of the Contemplative Sciences Center and a professor of religious studies, said he hoped the contemplation event would be the first in a series of similar events. “Over the last year, the University has achieved momentum in making contemplation a part of everyday life,” Germano said. The center hosted the event on one of the University’s Fall Reading Days — a time of high stress for many students — to encourage mindfulness as a stress reduction process.

LIBRARY Secrets, traditions, memories hidden in stacks Continued from page 1 to lead me out,” Groves joked. “In terms of the role it plays at [the

University], it is a remarkable space.” Wittenborg, who first became involved with Alderman in 1993, discussed some more recent renovations to Alderman, including

Alderman Café, the first café to be constructed in a University academic space. She stressed the importance of achieving a varied environment for students to work in, a place where solitary readers

can study and groups can meet to work on projects. Wittenborg said further renovations for Alderman Library are planned to take place within the next two years.

“Most people find the smell of coffee and the comfortable seats very endearing," Wittenborg said. “I want to make Alderman and other University libraries a place where students feel welcome."

The Cavalier Daily

LEAD EDITORIAL

Texting while applying

opinion

Comment of the day “I’m sorry, but I don’t even like football, and I approve of this choice. If Manning is able to give a good speech (and apparently he is a good speaker, not to mention that he has the ability to speak from direct experience on motivation and hard work), then he can prove that athletes are more than just cultural stars. You say that he can’t relate to us, but I don’t find politicians or journalists relatable...but it’s what they are able to say, not what they do as a job, that should determine their merit. Effort, perseverance, teamwork, strategy, practice, and so much more; that’s what Manning can talk about, and I think we all have to do those things in our lives to be successful.” “Kyle” responding to the Conor Kelly’s Oct. 15 column, “The Descent of Manning.”

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A pilot program that uses text messages to disseminate guidance about college preparation meets students where they’re at Applying to college can be a dizzying undertaking even for high school students who are fairly well-off and who have highly educated parents. For first-generation college students or students from low-income backgrounds (the two populations often intersect), the path from high school to college is strewn with hurdles. The application process involves multiple tasks: assembling documents, pleading for recommendation letters, writing personal essays and more. It is a logistical nightmare. But applying to college is intimidating for other reasons as well. College carries a lot of symbolic weight in the U.S. Students from some backgrounds might hesitate to apply because they think they aren’t smart enough, or because they think they aren’t the sort of person who goes to college. The problems don’t end with an admissions letter. The move from high school to college is not assured until the student sets foot on campus. For some students, even if they muster up the courage to apply, translating an admissions offer into a reality of college attendance requires support that they don’t receive from their high schools or their families. A project to support students’ ef-

forts to get into college by disseminating advice and information through text messaging seeks to address these problems. Ben Castleman, acting assistant professor of education at the University’s Center for Education Policy and Workforce Competitiveness, recently received a $225,000 grant for an initiative that delivers collegeplanning information to low-income students via text message. Starting this fall, seniors at 14 participating high schools — all in West Virginia — can opt to receive collegeplanning text messages. These students can also communicate by text with their high school counselor and admissions and financial aid representatives at four participating colleges: Bluefield State College, Concord University, Marshall University and Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College. Local in scope, the project could provide valuable assistance to these West Virginia high school students. It could also tell us whether initiatives of this sort help students transition successfully from high school to college. Using text messages as a way to keep high school students invested in and attentive to the demands of the college application process is a poten-

tially fruitful approach for a few reasons. First, texting offers students the ability to seek one-on-one guidance in a non-intimidating way. Students who are shy about their aspirations to attend college, or who worry that their questions about the application process are “stupid questions,” might hesitate to set up an appointment with their counselor or call the university that interests them. But sending a text is easy and feels shame-free. Second, the fact that admissions officers are taking the time to respond to texts shows these students that adults believe in them and support them. In addition to clarifying the application process, the text-message system validates students’ desires to go to college. Third, texting meets students where they’re at. Rather than leaving students to navigate complicated web pages or draft emails to admissions support, the text-message system delivers regular updates and advice in a medium with which students are comfortable. Though it may seem trivial, the text-message program could help us rethink how colleges interact with and support low-income students. It could make an often-opaque process more approachable.

THE CAVALIER DAILY CAVALIER DAILY STAFF Editor-in-chief Kaz Komolafe, @kazkomolafe Managing Editor Caroline Houck, @carolinehouck Executive Editor Charlie Tyson, @charlietyson1 Operations Manager Meghan Luff, @meghanluff Chief Financial Officer Kiki Bandlow Assistant Managing Editors Matthew Comey, @matthewcomey Andrew Elliott, @andrewc_elliott News Editors Emily Hutt, @emily_hutt Kelly Kaler, @kelly_kaler (S.A.) Joe Liss, @joemliss Sports Editors Fritz Metzinger, @fritzmetzinger Daniel Weltz, @danielweltz3 (S.A.) Zack Bartee, @zackbartee (S.A.) Michael Eilbacher, @mikeeilbacher Opinion Editors Katherine Ripley, @katherineripley Denise Taylor, @deni_tay47 (S.A.) Alex Yohanda Focus Editor Grace Hollis Life Editors Valerie Clemens, @valerietpp

Julia Horowitz, @juliakhorowitz Arts & Entertainment Editors Katie Cole, @katiepcole Conor Sheehey, @mcsheehey13 Health & Science Editor Kamala Ganesh Production Editors Mary Beth Desrosiers, @duhrowsure Rebecca Lim, @rebecca_lim Sylvia Oe, @sylviaoe16 Photography Editors Dillon Harding Jenna Truong, @jennajt21 (S.A.) Marshall Bronfin, @mbronfin Graphics Editors Stephen Rowe Peter Simonsen, @peetabread Multimedia Editor Claire Wang Social Media Manager Greg Lewis, @grglewis Ads Manager Ryan Miller Marketing Manager Anna Xie, @annameliorate (S.A.) Allison Xu Business Manager Matt Ammentorp, @chitownbeardown Claire Fenichel, @clairefeni Financial Controller Tzu-Ting Liao

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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 managing board. Cartoons and columns represent the views of the authors. The managing board of The Cavalier Daily has sole authority over and responsibility for all content. No part of The Cavalier Daily or The Cavalier Daily online edition may be reproduced in any form, in whole or in part, without the written consent of the editor-in-chief. The Cavalier Daily is published Mondays and Thursdays in print and daily online at cavalierdaily.com. It is printed on at least 40 percent recycled paper. 2014 The Cavalier Daily Inc.

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OPINION

The Cavalier Daily

The problem with prohibition High schools that establish zero-tolerance alcohol policies must change their stances to support student safety Alex Yahanda Senior Associate Editor

Here at the University, students may readily access information on how to help intoxicated friends. From the Stall Seat Journal to student organizations such as ADAPT, we can learn how to help friends who may need assistance. Unfortunately, some schools — particularly high schools — do not enable the same kind of support network. Certain cases have shown that sometimes schools encourage their students not to assist intoxicated peers. A story from North Andover High School in Massachusetts has been making news recently as another example showing how poorly conceived “zero tolerance” policies toward alcohol are. Erin Cox, an Andover student, was contacted by a friend who was at a party and too intoxicated to drive. Cox, who was sober, drove to the party and picked the friend up. The police arrived soon after Cox and broke up the party. Cox faced consequences for her willingness to help her class-

mate. Andover removed the senior from her position as captain of the school’s volleyball team and suspended her for five games. As an overall punishment, missing five volleyball games is not medieval. Yet it is ridiculous that Cox is facing any sort of chastisement for doing what should universally be considered the right action. I understand that underage drinking is illegal, and that high schools may want to avoid the legal hassles and negative publicity that may arise from their students consuming alcohol. But punishing students just for being associated with others who are underage drinking is an unnecessary exercise in administrative power. Moreover, Andover is sending the entirely wrong message by pursuing disciplinary action against Cox. The high school is emphasizing that students, if given the opportunity to help an intoxicated friend, should refrain from doing so. They should remember their commitment to abstain from situations involving alcohol and let their intoxicated peers deal with the situation alone. I don’t care if Cox’s friend was

breaking the law by being intoxicated. Students need to be encouraged for helping friends, and actions like Cox’s should be celebrated rather than condemned. One would think that high schools like Andover, which seem to want to govern their students’ lives even outside of school events, would value people like Cox. Student safety, after all, should also be a primary school concern. But as long as zero-tolerance rules remain enacted and excessively enforced, students will be less likely to make the proper decisions. Zero-tolerance policies create an environment in which students are hesitant to assist one another. Underage drinking will still occur whether or not the rules exist. Despite the illegality of underage drinking, schools should seek to maximize student safety if students choose to drink. Students looking out for each other lessens the probability that dangerous alcohol-related events — from drunk driving to alcohol poisoning — will occur. This, however, hinges on students not being unduly punished for coming to a classmate’s aid.

Some students will not want to call parents to diffuse a hazardous situation. So, thanks to zero-tolerance policies, students are left weighing the potential punitive consequences against actually making helpful choices. Calling sober friends, as demonstrated by Cox’s situation, may not be a viable option, because sober students won’t want to be guilty by association. And making particularly public decisions — for instance, calling an ambulance for a friend — will be less likely because students do not want to face disciplinary actions from schools. What transpires, then, is a culture of underground drinking wherein students downplay or ignore the risks of underage drinking. Indeed, the risks are much higher than if high schools were to be reasonable about underage drinking outside of school. The University does not have a zero-tolerance policy, and thankfully so. One could argue — weakly — that alcohol historically plays a much larger role in college life than in high school life, which is why most colleges don’t want to bother upholding zero-tolerance rules. But the ubiquity of alcohol

in college does not change the fact that most first- and second-years are drinking just as illegally as high school students. The truth is that the University does not have a zero-tolerance policy because it recognizes the negative externalities that such policies create. Underage drinking is not an especially pressing threat to the school, and upholding student safety is much more important than ensuring that only those above 21 partake in alcohol consumption. In the end, Cox’s intoxicated friend was luckily of sound enough mind to recognize that she needed help getting home, and Cox was fortunately available to help. Similar situations are less likely to occur, though, the longer zerotolerance rules are upheld. Andover and like-minded high schools need to relax their stances on underage drinking. I hope Cox’s story gets enough publicity to catalyze a meaningful discussion about overturning these unnecessary rules. Alex Yahanda is a senior associate editor for The Cavalier Daily. His columns run Wednesdays.

Not just the city’s problem The University must take a more active role in combatting local homelessness Viewpoint Columnist

We have all seen them hundreds of times. We walk past them on the Corner every day. Sometimes, with a twinge of guilt, we avert our eyes. Growing up in Wilmington, Del., I became accustomed to the presence of a homeless community. But I was surprised to find that Charlottesville harbors its own significant homeless population. The presence of homeless people in Charlottesville is a major problem for the city and also for the University. The fact that the Corner — and Charlottesville as a whole — is home to the homeless is a blemish on the University’s commitment to the Charlottesville area. As an institution of higher education, the University’s mission is to pursue truth and knowledge, and then spearhead efforts to use this truth and knowledge to correct societal ills. The University must work in conjunction with the city to use the vast resources at its disposal to end the prevalence of homelessness in Charlottesville. The presence of the homeless

in Charlottesville is, to an outsider, unexpected. A 2013 study commissioned by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) found that there is a “need for more preventative care for the area’s homeless,” and also found that over 230 children in the area are homeless. It is also important to note that while many of the city’s “homeless” population reside temporarily in shelters, they are still considered homeless because they do not have a permanent home. This means that there is a large homeless population apart from the handful of people we all see on the Corner. The presence of great wealth in Charlottesville, juxtaposed against poverty, accentuates the problem of homelessness. Apart from the University (and all that comes with that, such as a worldclass medical center), Charlottesville is home to a sizable amount of financial firms, a healthy population of lawyers and is a destination for countless well-to-do University alumni. The contrast between great wealth and great poverty and suffering is startling. In my hometown of Wilmington, a Franciscan friar named

Brother Ronald Giannone founded an organization, the Ministry of Caring, to combat homelessness, poverty and disease in the city. The Ministry of Caring, founded in 1978, now operates 19 programs in Wilmington, with a

that 100 percent of the population in Charlottesville believes that homelessness is terrible. And yet, I do not see the outrage about this problem that has led to solutions such as the Ministry of Caring. There are signs of hope. This past spring, the University offered a class titled, “Field Work in Social Enterprise: Reducing Poverty in Charlottesville.” This 12-person class identified three The presence of great wealth in strategies to reduce poverty in CharlottesCharlottesville, juxtaposed against ville: bundling social services to better suppoverty, accentuates the problem of port those in poverty, homelessness. boosting employment via social enterprises and creating communifocus on halfway houses that pro- ty asset growth. Identifying these vide transitional housing between factors is a promising step toward homelessness and everyday resi- a University-supported strategy to dential living. Giannone has made end poverty in Charlottesville. great strides towards ending the The University should fund scourge of homelessness in Wilm- increased student and faculty reington. He famously observed: search into these anti-poverty “you can understand [poverty] strategies. Additionally, antiin Calcutta, but how, in the land poverty efforts could benefit from of plenty…can we allow even one collaboration between the city and person to be homeless?” the University. At the close of the Where is the Brother Ronald “Field Work in Social Enterprise” of Charlottesville? I am confident class, the students presented their

“

John Connolly

work to the Charlottesville City Council. It is important to remember that partnerships between the University and city government have greater potential than actions by either institution alone. The University and the city of Charlottesville also have an opportunity to set an example for the entire United States in the fight against poverty and homelessness. In the 1990s, homelessness was at the forefront of the political and media agendas, but in the tumult following of the early 2000s, with foreign wars and market crashes, the plight of the homeless has largely been relegated to the political background. The situation for the homeless has improved, stimulated by driven individuals such as Brother Ronald, but much more is needed if we as a society are to eradicate homelessness. Because universities are at the forefront of innovation and scholarship, they must also take the lead in solving societal problems. Our University must start taking the problem of homelessness seriously. John Connolly is a Viewpoint columnist for The Cavalier Daily.

OPINION

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Bias and balance

Professors should be open about their biases when relevant to class discussion where our professors stood on certain topics, but rather knew Opinion Columnist their beliefs unequivocally? If both students and professors alike Last week, the managing board were realistic about their own funran an editorial entitled “Politidamentally held convictions, we cal animals, political email-ers” could then strive together to crethat discussed political bias both ate a respectful and productive diin the classroom and on the Inalogue in spite of such differences. ternet. The editorial argued that A community in which our differprofessors should not reveal their ences were openly acknowledged political inclinations to and respected — instead their students. It raised of furtively hidden and several important points, therefore reconstructed the most significant beby suspicious observers ing that a student may feel — would be one in which intimidated or uneasy if it the love of learning didn’t is clear that the professor’s come at the cost of surconvictions are opposite I find it refreshing when I come across a professor rendering one’s convicto those of the student. tions at the door. who is open about his stance on different issues, Students often feel uncomThe first benefit from whether political or religious. On the other hand, fortable sharing their own such an approach is opinions in class for fear of that prejudices would when a professor’s biases are clear despite his upsetting their professors; be more clearly visible, and, whether we like to ad- attempts to hide them, I feel uneasy, on the lookout and therefore more easmit it or not, the specter of for prejudice and unfair treatment. ily confronted. Prejugrades always looms over dice thrives where biases our heads, filtering our are assumed but never comments to the most acceptable the classroom does not mean that voiced, where one suspects anothcommon denominator. a professor’s attitude and actions er’s motives but can never prove I want to suggest a different are not shaped by what he or she them. Shine a light on someone’s way of looking at the problem, believes. biases, and you make it more difone that may prove more producI propose that instead of forc- ficult for them to let prejudice to tive in combatting the very real ising professors to hush up about slip in. A professor who is open sues that arise when students and their beliefs, and then pretending about his liberal politics will know professors disagree. The manag- as though that solves the problem, that his conservative students will ing board may like to think that if we try creating an open dialogue be wary of unfair treatment at his professors are simply quiet about between professors and students. hands. When assigning grades or their biases, then the biases dis- What if our professors admitted reading papers, he will be careappear — but in reality, the lens openly the biases they hold on ful to provide reasonable, conthrough which a person views the certain topics? What if we never structive criticism not founded in world fundamentally affects many had to play the guessing game of mere partisanship. Preventing a

Russell Bogue

aspects of his behavior. For some people, religion provides this lens; for others, politics orients their values. No matter the doctrine, the reality is that we often stand opposed to each other on very critical issues, and these divisions are just as likely to happen between students and professors as they are between different students. Simply imposing a zone of neutrality in

confrontational atmosphere from arising will be the challenge of this approach; however, if we could form a community where we hold each other accountable for unfair treatment while still respecting and applauding our differences in opinion, we will have achieved something spectacular. The second benefit from open recognition of biases between professors and students is that we will have a more fruitful dialogue. Professors should not be silent during a class discussion, merely guiding the students back on track when they veer off into tangents. On the contrary, we all do ourselves a disservice when we silence the opinions of anyone in the room, especially someone knowledgeable about the subject matter. In certain classes, the viewpoints of a professor may be less germane — it is hard to imagine a discussion of welfare policy being pertinent to organic chemistry. However, in many classes, ranging from religious studies to foreign affairs, a professor who willingly volunteers his own opinions would be a boon to class discussion. Professors should never tailor their material to suit a certain viewpoint, limiting the range of exploration available to their students. And they should never allow their own opinions to stifle their ability to teach to a wide variety of students. Yet if, after introducing a broad spectrum of convictions, the professor openly takes a stance and

challenges his students to debate him on that stance, students’ understanding of and involvement with the material will surely increase. I find it refreshing when I come across a professor who is open about his stance on different issues, whether political or religious. On the other hand, when a professor’s biases are clear despite his attempts to hide them, I feel uneasy, on the lookout for prejudice and unfair treatment. It’s high time we recognize that merely silencing an opinion doesn’t kill it, and biases will surface in other ways if they don’t have room to breathe. We should challenge ourselves to be direct with each other about what we believe and why we believe it, and we should have the courage and wisdom to allow our differences to shape our understanding rather than to foment discord and distrust. Carrying on amicable relations with another individual — whether a professor or another student — despite significant differences in opinion is a skill that we should all seek to acquire. Allowing students and professors to be open about their beliefs would force us to grow from, rather than hide behind, our differences. Russell Bogue is an Opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily. His columns run Thursdays.

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Why we shouldn’t have fall break Fall reading days are more trouble than they’re worth Forrest Brown Opinion Columnist

We should get rid of fall break. I know that sounds crazy. I, like most people, celebrated the arrival of break as a chance to recover from the flood of midterms and papers that assault the student body in early October. I spent most of the weeks leading up to break as a nervous, stressed-out wreck, and the chance to forget about that for a few days and go home was a relief. But did it really help? By the time I’d driven four hours home and settled in, I had one full day to enjoy being home before I had to leave again. I didn’t get to relax — I got to adjust to being home,

tell my parents what I’d been doing at school and do a load of laundry. Then I had to drive another four hours back and scramble to get some work done before classes and tests started again. Break was just a temporary reprieve, not the restful opportunity to catch up on work it should have been. So how would removing break make life better? Without the disruption to class schedules and the work-week, professors might not have to cram quite so many major assignments into the time directly before and after break. Having these assignments just a little more spread out could make the stress a little less overwhelming for the whole semester. And several headaches that break brings — transportation home, or what to do in

town if you stay, for example — would no longer be there to add to the pile. Removing fall break would also leave two vacation days to be applied somewhere else, potentially Thanksgiving break. Making Thanksgiving a full week of vacation would effectively add four days to the recess when the weekend is taken into account. This would allow students who live farther from Charlottesville to have an easier time justifying a potentially expensive trip home. Even for students who only live a few hours away, the time spent traveling there and back would be less stressful when it was broken up by over a week at home rather than just five days. It would also allow students to potentially plan

some getaways with friends that first weekend. Thanksgiving is a much more recuperative break than fall reading days, and extending Thanksgiving would increase its beneficial effects. There are fewer major assignments directly before and after Thanksgiving because of its proximity to finals. Personally, I find I’m much more refreshed when I return in late November for this very reason. Extending this therapeutic time would set up students for a strong performance during finals, when it counts. This obviously isn’t a perfect idea: I’m sure a lot of people would feel extremely burned out by the time Thanksgiving break rolled around. But I think removing fall break would allow the midterm

assignments to spread out enough that this burnout would be minimized. And I would rather be stressed out during the semester so that when I did go home, I could actually relax rather than stress out even more about school and travel. This would be just like spring term, but with the break pushed back about three weeks. As you settle back into the semester, ask yourself — did fall break really make your life easier? Would you have been better off just sticking to the routine and having a longer rest in November? I think it’s worth considering. Forrest Brown is an Opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily. His columns run Thursdays.

OPINION

The Cavalier Daily

Guilt by association If Cuccinelli does not distance himself from extreme House Republicans, his campaign will not succeed Viewpoint Columnist

There has been a lot of speculation lately about how the government shutdown will affect midterm elections in the House, but the shutdown will also have an effect on the gubernatorial election here in Virginia. This effect will negatively impact the Republican candidate, Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli — to the point that he will likely lose this election. Cuccinelli is already seen as an extremist, at least socially. His support for anti-sodomy laws and his firmly pro-life stance have hurt him with social liberals and, more significantly for his campaign, with women. Though some might argue that the timing of the Republicandriven shutdown and Cuccinelli’s race (and the association voters will draw between the two) is an unfortunate coincidence, without the polarizing social conservatism he has already displayed, the shutdown wouldn’t be such a blow to his campaign. But even despite the shutdown’s

inevitable negative effect on his campaign, Cuccinelli could be handling the situation better. At the start of the shutdown, Cuccinelli had an opportunity to distance himself from other extreme conservatives; his failure to do so is new ammunition for his competitor, former chairman of the Democratic Party Terry McAuliffe. Cuccinelli has barely commented on the shutdown except to condemn Senate Democrats; he has said, “what has surprised me most of all has been the steadfast refusal on the part of Democrats — led by President Obama and Harry Reid — to even sit at the negotiating table.” This reaction isolates him even more from moderate Virginians, who will likely have the deciding votes in this election, since, as in past elections, they could vote either way. Virginia is not immune to the effects of the shutdown: almost 145,000 Virginians are directly employed by the federal government, and plenty of Virginians rely on federal government services that have been halted. Given the shutdown’s immense effect on

Virginia, simply condemning it, ones. to avoid. If Cuccinelli has any plan especially for Cuccinelli, will not To make matters worse, Cucci- to win this race — which he curbe enough. nelli recently appeared at an event rently is losing — he needs to do A recent POLITICO a better job of distancing poll shows that 62 percent himself from extremists of Virginians oppose the in the party, particularly government shutdown over members like Cruz. It Obamacare, while 31 peris understandable that cent support it. FurtherCuccinelli continues to more, 50 percent of Virgincondemn Obamacare ians blame the shutdown on Given the shutdown’s immense effect on Virginia, and tread lightly beHouse Republicans, while fore condemning other 35 percent blame it on Pres- simply condemning it, especially for Cuccinelli, will fellow Republicans, ident Obama and Senate because it would be a not be enough. Democrats. Cuccinelli has mistake to anger his Tea made statements recently Party base in Virginia. that place the blame for the shut- with Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who But his efforts to save his base are down squarely on Democrats, in spearheaded the massively unpop- costing him the swing votes he an attempt to tie McAuliffe to the ular shutdown. All this has done needs to win. party at fault. But in light of these is create another opportunity for After failing to distinguish polls, this strategy seems more like McAuliffe to attack Cuccinelli as himself from House Republicans a favor to the McAuliffe campaign. a supporter of House Republicans, for this long, it seems like CucAs McAuliffe calls for Cuccinelli to especially since, according to the cinelli will not be able to bounce condemn Republican antics, peo- same POLITICO poll, a plurality back. His loss will be both a side ple who opposed the shutdown in of Virginians disapprove of Cruz. effect of the federal government’s the first place will side more with Forty-five percent of Virginians polarization and his own political McAuliffe, but attempts by Cuc- have an unfavorable opinion of failures. cinelli to group McAuliffe in with Cruz, compared with 26 percent Senate Democrats and the Obama who have a favorable opinion. administration will only appease Appearing with Cruz is an obDani Bernstein is a Viewpoint existing Cuccinelli voters, as op- vious folly, and one that the Cuccicolumnist for The Cavalier Daily. posed to gaining him any new nelli campaign should have known

“

Dani Bernstein

The argument for cousin marriage Marriages between first cousins should be legal throughout the United States Nazar Aljassar Viewpoint Columnist

A Gallup poll confirmed in July that approximately half of all Americans support nationwide legalization of same-sex marriage. With the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, it appears that same-sex marriage across the United States is as inevitable as interracial marriage was prior to the watershed case Loving v. Virginia. An issue that has received far less national attention, however, is the issue of cousin marriage. Marriage between first cousins, like same-sex marriage, faces a flaw inherent to federalism: certain states permit it while others prohibit it. Like same-sex marriage and interracial marriage, cousin marriage involves two adults consenting to enter a marriage contract. Why, then, does marriage between first cousins not receive the same support as same-sex marriage or interracial marriage? I contend that supporting same-sex

marriage or interracial marriage and opposing first cousin marriage are incongruous positions to hold. The primary argument against first cousin marriage is biological. Opponents assert that children of first cousins are more susceptible to birth defects that arise from recessive traits such as genetic disorders. This argument falls apart for various reasons. Several studies demonstrate that the increased risk of defects among children born to consanguineous parents is small. An American research panel assembled by the National Society of Genetic Counselors reported that the increased risk of serious birth defect in children born to related parents is insignificant. British researchers leading the Born in Bradford project corroborated these conclusions, reporting that the risk of birth defects increases from 3 percent to 6 percent for children of related parents.

Meanwhile, mothers over the age of 40 experience significant increases in the likelihood that their offspring will be born with birth defects. Persons with genetic disorders such as achondroplasia, hemophilia, or Huntington’s disease have a 50 percent chance of producing children with their abnormal genes. Compare these high percentages with the marginal increase in risk of birth defects for consanguineous parents. I don’t foresee any United States legislature denying older women the right to marry, or denying persons with the aforementioned genetic disorders the right to enter a marriage with another consenting adult. The argument that first cousin marriage should not be legalized nationwide because of marginal increases in the likelihood of producing children with birth defects is, therefore, untenable. Furthermore, this argument operates under the presumption that the purpose of marriage is

procreation. There are plenty of reasons that two first cousins, as any other adults, would consent to entering a marriage contract outside of procreation. The birth defect argument fallaciously implies that first cousins who choose to marry will produce children. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 40.7 percent of births occur outside of marriage. It appears that the issue that detractors of first cousin marriage have lies with reproduction and not marriage. Again, I don’t foresee any United States legislature denying two consenting adults the right to reproduce. And then there’s the “ick” factor, which has also been used in opposition of interracial marriage and same-sex marriage. The term “incest” is used to marginalize consanguineous couples that mutually consent to marry in the way that “sodomy” is used to marginalize same-sex couples. It’s also a term that carries different meanings in different cultural contexts

and should not be used to disparage first cousin couples. Intrinsically, “incest” carries neither a positive or negative meaning. To defend interracial marriage or same-sex marriage while opposing consanguineous marriage on the basis of the “ick” factor is inconsistent. In a world where there exist countries in which over half of all married couples are cousins, it’s odd that the United States remains the only Western nation wherein laws against first cousin marriage exist. If the “two consenting adults” argument is to be applied to interracial marriage and samesex marriage, then there’s no reason that consanguineous marriage should not be uniformly legal across America. Nazar Aljassar is a Viewpoint columnist for The Cavalier Daily. His columns run Fridays.

OPINION

Thursday, October 17, 2013

The descent of Manning The selection of Peyton Manning as valedictory speaker sends a message that the University does not prioritize academics Conor Kelly

Viewpoint Columnist

“Peyton Manning” — the crowd roared as soon as it heard the name. I take issue with the selection of Peyton Manning as this year’s valedictory speaker. I have no personal qualms with Manning as a person; he is an inspiring man and will likely give a fine address. As a New Jersey native, I may have preferred Eli Manning, but this is beside the point. I am not entirely opposed to the decision. However, to my knowledge, a major sports figure has never been invited to give a valediction address in the University’s history. In this light, this year’s selection seems inconsistent both with the University’s past and with its vision. We have invited academics, governors, senators, poets, journalists, professors — you get the idea — yet not a professional athlete. There has been ample opportunity in the past to invite athletes; the reasons for not doing so, seemingly, were self-evident. These reasons, strangely lost, are worth reconsideration. Choosing a professional sports star to give an academic address

at a premier university creates the wrong impression. To those observing the University from afar, it suggests that the University does not have its priorities set straight. In the long run, sports are inconsequential. The moment of graduation, in a sense, signifies a transition into a new environment, one in which trivial matters such as sports do not play a large role. As such, the valedictory address should recognize this distinct shift. The decision to invite a professional athlete, an individual who ultimately plays a trivial role in society, suggests that the University is not primarily concerned with academics. Surely, this reasoning formed at least part of the deliberations with which previous addresses were considered. A highly visible choice can draw unnecessary attention and potential ire. The University has a celebrated history of valedictory speakers, ranging from such figures as Ted Kennedy and John Warner to last year’s Stephen Colbert. In light of the University’s history, this year’s selection seems inconsistent and rather inappropriate. The prominence of sports in American life has dramatically increased over the

past century. As a result, sporting figures have become social icons. Consequently, Manning himself has become a fixture of American culture. He has publicly demonstrated his integrity, commitment and professionalism throughout his career. In a sense, the selection of Manning is understandable because he is both an admirable and relatable figure. Yet the inflated standing of sports in American society and Manning’s own established steadfastness do not make this an appropriate selection. Despite their embellished standing in society, professional athletes are marginal figures — they exist within a different societal structure, where their expectations and goals are fundamentally different than those of the rest of the public. I fear that this will be a speech remembered for the orator, not the content. Ideally, a valedictory address should be provocative; it should challenge the outgoing class in new ways. This does not require the selection of a popular figure. The selection system, in this case, has failed many students who were hoping for a more academically invigorating speaker — for those seeking to remember the address for its substance. Moreover, I

would argue that the fourth-year trustees made this selection in an attempt to further the excitement surrounding the address generated in the wake of Stephen Colbert’s speech last year. This is an understandable sentiment, but the speech is not a spectacle and should not be treated as one. It is a serious matter and for all of Mr. Colbert’s anticipated satire, his closing remarks on University students as Jefferson’s “intellectual heirs” were quite profound. Though Manning might be capable of providing a profound address, his area of expertise is extremely limited. He may have broad experience with success and defeat, but not in an environment remotely applicable to what most students face upon graduating. Admittedly, the individuals involved in this process face significant pressure over their potential choices. Nevertheless, I think their decision this year is illadvised. The trials of Manning’s career are hardly relatable to a broad audience. The University’s enviable distinction provides it with the ability to attract some of the country’s most noteworthy individuals. Selecting a professional athlete is improper in this regard. A NFL quar-

terback such as Manning possesses many skills, such as a fierce work ethic, but his field of experience is severely limited. Furthermore, inviting an athlete to give the valedictory address conflates the distinction between academia and athletics. In the excitement of requisitioning a speaker of Manning’s stature, the appropriateness of the selection has been overlooked. Imagine, as a parting thought, if Oxford University were to invite Wayne Roone, a premier English soccer star, to give its valedictory address. Rooney, I must admit, is a more controversial figure than Manning, but the fundamental scenario remains the same. I submit that such a scenario would be met with tremendous contention at Oxford. Foreign universities lack the enormous stadiums that are the hallmark of American colleges. Academia is their absolute focus. The University must remain true to its fundamental purpose as an academic institution in all of its affairs; inviting a football player to speak at the final exercises is not a step in the right direction. Conor Kelly is a Viewpoint columnist for The Cavalier Daily.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Manning up Sports figures such as Peyton Manning contribute to society in meaningful ways Isaac Wood Guest Columnist

In his Oct. 16 column, “The descent of Manning,” Conor Kelly objects to Peyton Manning’s serving as the valedictory speaker for the Class of 2014. Kelly argues that “this year’s selection seems inconsistent both with the University’s past and with its vision. We have invited academics, governors, senators, poets, journalists, professors — you get the idea — yet not a professional athlete.” First, Kelly has his facts wrong.

In 2009, the year I graduated from the College, the valedictory speaker was Dawn Staley, a former star in the WNBA just as Manning is in the NFL. Kelly also conveniently omits the profession of last year’s speaker, Stephen Colbert, who is “just” a comedian, after all. Kelly’s errors do not end there. Successful athletes should not be valedictory speakers, Kelly claims, because “[i]n the long run, sports are inconsequential” and athletes like Manning (and Staley) “ultimately play a trivial role in society.”

Far from trivial, sports in fact play a large and valuable role in society. Sports are part of our social fabric, serving as a common ground for building relationships and a meritocracy for disproving prejudices. Visit any basketball court at the University and you will see individuals of different ages, races, and economic backgrounds interacting and forming friendships as they never would without sports. Over the past half-century, athletes played a major role in struggles for racial integration and reconciliation, from Jackie Robinson in the United States to the Spring-

bok rugby team in South Africa. Sports figures, colleagues of Manning and Staley, have brought to light many issues of societal importance, from HIV in 1991 (Magic Johnson) to gay rights today (Jason Collins). Most disturbing is the elitist implication of Kelly’s argument. Should we discount some ideas because of the speaker’s profession? Are the views of individuals in the English Department more valuable than the perspectives of those in the Athletic Department or Facilities Management? As Mr. Jefferson charged, the Uni-

versity “will be based on the illimitable freedom of the human mind, to explore and to expose every subject susceptible of it's [sic] contemplation.” Selecting Manning as the 2014 valedictory speaker reinforces the University’s commitment to exploring “every subject” and to “illimitable” freedom of inquiry. Isaac Wood is a 2009 graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences and a third-year Law student. Wood is a former Opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily.

HU MOR

The Cavalier Daily

Just for wits.

Effective stress management Chris Bauer Humor Columnist

Stress at the University is universal. This is a very demanding school we go to, unless you’re a homeless person who has picked up this newspaper to protect yourself from the bitter mountain rains that sweep down like a merciless mother tigress from the east, which probably isn’t the case since this article is probably only going to be put online, which naturally leads to the question: how did you, a homeless person, get a computer? Shouldn’t you sell your computer and try to rent a room or something? Why do you even have a computer? Where do you plug it in? And come right down to it, why do homeless guys always have dogs? Dogs are expensive. Like that one guy on the Corner who has a pug. Pugs have all these weird medical issues like sometimes their eyeballs pop out if they strain against a collar too much. Google it if you don’t believe me,

Editorial Cartoon by Peter Simonsen

but you’ll be sorry you did. As usual, I’m getting away from my original point, which is that we’re all under a lot of stress all the time at this school. Something is always causing us worry, be it classes, extracurricular activities or disturbingly sexual dreams about your roommate (Philippe, call me). So how do we handle this stress? With alcohol. See you all next time. If you’re one of those people who doesn’t drink (I believe the common vernacular is “weiners”) don’t be afraid. I’m here to help. What follows are my top five tips for effective stress management.

ONE

Take “you time.” This could be anything from taking a nap to getting coffee with a friend to lying on the cool, tiled floor in a bathroom stall in Clemons clutching a textbook to your chest, sobbing gently and whispering “Clarissa….” over and over again as a confused first year knocks on the door and wonders if he should call

someone. What’s important is that you are taking some time to do something you want to do and not letting “the man” dictate your every waking minute. (Teresa Sullivan, in this example, would be “the man,” but this author wants to take the time to let you know he is in fact aware she is a woman, because he cares about the details.)

TWO Prioritize. Do you really

need to go to class today, or could that time be more effectively spent studying for a midterm? You have to decide what’s really important. Here’s an example of prioritizing from my own life. I had two things that absolutely needed doing. The first was writing this article, and the second was going on imdb. com and reading stuff about superhero movies. Obviously, the article was of secondary importance. This decision decreased my stress level no end, and even putting stressreduction benefits aside, if I hadn’t made that decision I never would have found the following incredibly insightful comment left on an

article by one Moayad Almarzook about whether or not Joseph Gordon-Levitt would be playing Antman. Almarzook wrote: “ummm I wonder how the human tourch and captain america would meet u know since they are played by the same guy !!” Moayad Almarzook knows what’s up.

THREE

Don’t overcommit yourself. So you’re staying caught up on all your homework, doing a club or two, and spending time with friends, and your schedule is basically full. But then your friend David catches you on the street one day and tells you he’s trying to start this group and he really wants you to co-found it with him. You know you don’t have the time, but David’s a friend and the group sounds really interesting, so you decide you’ll give it a shot, and the next thing you know your compound is on fire and surrounded by FBI agents, because that was David Koresh and you just helped found the Branch Davidians. You idiot.

FOUR

Make sure you eat, sleep, and practice basic hygiene. It’s easy to let these fall by the wayside. If I had a nickel for every time I had to skip a shower to get to a rehearsal on time, I would have a layer of nickels stuck in my crusty filth-caked skin.

FIVE

Be honest with yourself and others. If you’ve taken on too much and it’s stressing you out, it’s time to cut a few things from your schedule. You’re not a superhero; you can’t do it all. And your sanity and health are far more important than anything else, so if you have to leave some things unfinished, don’t think that that makes you any less of a wor

Chris Bauer is a humor columnist for The Cavalier Daily.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

The Cavalier Daily

THE ADVENTURES OF THE AMAZING <THE> A-MAN

graphics

MOSTLY HARMLESS BY PETER SIMONSEN

(NO SUBJECT)

BY JANE MATTIMOE

SOLE SURVIVOR

BY MICHAEL GILBERTSON

The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 For Release Thursday, October 17, 2013

Crossword ACROSS 1 Atlantic City hot spot, with “the” 4 Line out of N.Y.C. 8 Badge, maybe 13 ___ Nazir (“Homeland” character) 14 Lettuce 16 Black Sea getaway 17 Land on the Black Sea: Abbr. 18 Film lead character featured in a Disney World attraction 20 Dines 22 Put down 23 Pizazz 24 Remark about the end of 18-Across 26 Hamlet’s parts 28 They’re often seen with bows 29 By and by 30 Recoiled (from) 31 Kind of printer for home or office

36 Kit ___ 37 School door sign 38 Mideast inits. 39 Remark about the end of 31-Across 42 1%, say 44 Bucolic settings 45 Short-story writer Munro 46 One that sucks at work? 49 2000 N.L M.V.P. who played for the Giants 52 Kind of jacket 53 Politico Mo 55 Owner of Half.com 56 Remark about the end of 49-Across 59 Saddler’s tool 60 Bar stock 61 “F” accompanier, perhaps 62 Arctic explorer John 63 XX 64 Was attractive 65 Turk. neighbor

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE J A W S

A M A S

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Edited by Will Shortz 1

8 15

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29 31

44 47

No. 0912

52 56

59 62

PUZZLE BY IAN LIVENGOOD

40 Four-time Indy 500 winner 41 Little, in Lille 42 Dobby, e.g., in the Harry Potter books 43 Modern verbal crutch 45 Blazing

46 They may accompany trains

51 Texas city named for a president

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54 Notre-Dame-___Champs (Paris Métro stop)

49 Leto of “My So-Called Life”

57 Ply

50 Hunter who says “Be vewy vewy quiet”

58 Fresh

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BY EMILIO ESTEBAN

Thursday, October 17, 2013

The Cavalier Daily

A&E

Candace Carter Staff Writer

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Oh! Darlins Quirky group rocks out at The Southern

Oh Wow Dang

After Dwight Howard Johnson, the opening act at The Southern this past Thursday night, had played its set and left the stage, there was an obvious alteration in the audience. Previously, the crowd had consisted of a small group of 20- to 50-year-olds standing at the outskirts of the floor, sipping whiskey and Coca-Cola and swaying mildly to the opener’s pop-punk sound. As soon as the lights went down, the crowd more than tripled in size, as hordes of 20-somethings poured into the venue, converging toward the stage to pack the floor in excitement for Those Darlins, the headlining performance of the night. To hoots of adorations and appreciation, the Darlins rocked out for the duration of the evening. Thursday’s show marked the Darlins’ third visit to The Southern, and drummer Linwood Regensburg said the group was “absolutely” glad to be back. Hailing from Nashville, the band had stopped in Charlottesville for the second night of its fall tour promoting its new album, “Blur the Line.” Regensburg’s parents accompanied him and the rest of the band at this stop, seeming as excited and quietly proud as could be. Regensburg and lead singer and guitarist, Jessi Zazu are extremely personable and funny — they’re just normal people with a slightly more sophisticated fashion sense and a great deal more artistic talent. The Darlins’ quirky personality and variety of styles shined throughout the show. Although Regensburg described the Darlins as “rock ‘n’ roll,” others disagreed. Lynchburg native and fan Nate Sullivan characterized the group as “alt-country” with some “indie-

rock” influences, and Charlottesville resident Jacqueline Roper agreed the Darlins exude a country feel and an “earthy” sound. All of the above seems to be true: the sharp, solid guitar solos speak of an interesting fusion of 1950s and 1970s quintessential rock ‘n’ roll that can be heard in tracks such as “In the Wilderness,” and Zazu’s throaty, harsh voice mirrors Joan Jett’s raw, angry vocals. Aspects like the subtle twang of the bass create a hillbilly pluck sound, and the pervasive Tennessee accent of Zazu and Nikki Kvarnes, the Darlins’ other guitar player and singer, define the style as closely related to down-home country tracks in songs such as “Oh God.” Also worth noting on the subject of sound is Regensburg’s impressive drumming talent. While the group’s guitars create a somewhat monotonous, heavy foundation that always gets the audience’s blood pumping, the drums help to break it up and define the rhythm that drives the group’s overall underground feel. Lightening up the vibrating, occasionally overpowering mesh of the guitars and vocals, along with a consistent bass line similar to Weezer’s distinctive melodic style lends a generally relaxed flow to the music. This element matched perfectly with the fans’ gentle swaying and lack of intensity last Thursday. The show was a smashing success. A representative from Charlottesville radio station WNRN Kitten Gilmore exalted the “energetic and engaging” nature of the performance, while others like Roper agreed the style and feel of the show “amped it up.” The venue fit the band perfectly: the dark undertones of the music suited the small, close atmosphere of the open floor. I can only hope the band returns to Charlottesville sooner rather than later.

Menert ‘Lights’ Up The Southern Julia Skorcz Staff Writer

At first glance, The Southern seems the least likely Charlottesville venue to hold an ear-shattering dubstep concert. Settled on First St. right off the Downtown Mall, this small music hall is a hotspot for indie, folk and even hip-hop performances. But last Wednesday night The Southern hosted two popular groups of an eclectic music genre: Michal Menert of Pretty Lights and Odesza. Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight of Odesza first took the stage, performing for no more than 70 already excessively inebriated fans who more than made up in energy what they lacked in numbers. With the flip of a few buttons, the Odesza duo set to work enchanting the crowd, flawlessly manipulating every fluid rhythm, shrill vocal and relentless beat. Before long I found myself immersed in a sea of swaying, sweating bodies and banging heads. The group opened with “Without You,” a track off of its latest album “My Friends Never Die.” The song included soft opening chords behind an echoing rendition of Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know” and expertly incorporated a succession of (comparatively) gentle beat drops. I found myself lost in the frenzy, for a moment even shamelessly raising my fist to (a) flaunt my bright red wristband that practically screamed, “I’m the only one here under

21!” and (b) channel the music from the surrounding atmosphere into my very soul. I only succeeded at the former. One song blurred into the next and Mills' and Knight’s conducting never faltered — though I admit I would not have noticed it had. By the time they wrapped up their performance with “Summer’s Gone,” the two performers had drained their drinks and the members of the audience lucky enough to have green wristbands were lining up to refill their own. Following a speedy transition, Michal Menert took the stage, donning a black fedora over his shoulder-length hair as he forewent traditional introductions and instead blasted heavy beats and spine-tingling drops to liven the crowd. The atmosphere was nothing short of epileptic. What was once a subdued swaying and rocking among audience members turned into spasmodic writhing and I feared that one or more of my neighbors would either pull a muscle or break a spinal cord. Menert’s music is defined by a combination of Eastern and Western elements, a hybrid genre influenced by the artist’s childhood in Kielce, Poland. This motley perspective contributes significantly to the creativity behind his most recent album, “Even If It Isn’t Right.” For the average observer, discerning individual songs was extremely difficult if not impossible. A nearly uninterrupted stream of songs was unleashed in the course of a couple of hours. From “Hi” to “Exodus” to “Sky City,” the pattern was the same: Menert would conduct, step back, mouth the words to the spoken intervals, and madly shake his head. It wasn’t until the third — or was it still the first? — song that I realized these electronic rhythms were accompanied by nearly inaudible drums on stage right. The Pretty Lights artist connected with the audience only once, referring to the poor weather as part of an introduction to “After the Rain.” But his passion for his work shone through regardless, and I left the concert with a ringing in my ears and a newfound respect for the electro music industry. Pretty Lights Music

The Cavalier Daily

Wa rne

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Eugenie Quan Senior Writer

“Life in space is impossible.” These words appear on screen at the start of “Gravity,” the latest effort from A-list director Alfonso Cuarón (“Children of Men,” “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”) This simple sentence sets the tone for the rest of the film, which offers one of the best cinematic thrill rides you’re likely to see in your lifetime. The plot is exceedingly simple; at its heart, “Gravity” is your run-of-the-mill story of survival set among the stars. Its narrative arc is completely predictable, and in typical Hollywood fashion, its characters escape danger at the last possible second. With its opening words, however, the fragility of the human body against a backdrop of a larger universe and our insignificance is something that cannot be forgotten. That the astronauts, with only their space suits to protect them, won’t end up like their colleagues once exposed to an environment devoid of life — frozen, with faces shattered and caved-in — creates a sense of nail-biting suspense and awe that pervades

Gravity: A

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

New Spac

the film. Oddly poignant objects drift past the camera lens at select moments — a Marvin the Martian doll, a ping pong paddle, a single teardrop — against a floating Earth, and it’s these moments that present a strange juxtaposition between humanity and the cosmos. To me, “Gravity” is not a science fiction movie. Unlike so many other science fiction thrillers that happen to take place in space, “Gravity” is not concerned with alien fights and warp speed travel. In fact, the only real threat that propels the film forward is flying space debris. As the film’s true focus, space itself is fascinating and terrifying enough to keep the movie going without threats from extraterrestrial life and the aid of futuristic toys. Auroras travelling across Earth’s surface and the constant orbital rotation of the stars form the background against which the astronauts fight for survival. Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) takes a few moments to admire the sunrise over the Ganges during all this; it’s hard not to wonder at the beauty of the universe through it all and to feel completely insignificant when looking at Earth from afar. Comparisons to Ang Lee’s “Life of Pi” almost can’t be avoided with cinematography as spectacular as that of this film. While “Life of Pi” makes Earth beautiful, Emmanuel Lubezki, Cuarón’s regular cinematographer, makes space breathtaking in its realism. “Gravity” is not without its flaws, however. The script and dialogue are unremarkable at best. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock), a first-time space traveller, is annoyingly helpless without Kowalski at the start of the movie. The side story of the death of Stone’s 4-year-old daughter is completely unnecessary and has clearly been added solely to give an emotional di-

A bangin’ effort:

e Odyssey

mension to Stone’s character. These shortcomings, however, do nothing to dent the movie’s awesomeness — a word well deserved by the film’s truly awe-inspiring and spectacular depiction of the cosmos. It certainly helps that Bullock gives one of the best physical performances I’ve ever seen by delivering essentially a one-woman show during which she twists, turns and swims to suggest a plausible environment that defy the regular laws of physics on Earth through gestures in a studio simulation. After Bullock’s character slips out of her space suit and into a oxygen-filled escape pod, the audience is given a memorable image of a sort of poetic rebirth in the amniotic fluid of our universe. Much of the film’s strength at creating the sense of a floating camera in space lies in its adept camerawork, beginning with one of Cuarón’s trademark unbroken takes at the opening of the film. From start to finish, the shots are executed with such technical precision that shifts in perspective transition smoothly when the camera lens floats from the macroscale, where the astronauts are just miniature specks against the Earth’s horizon, to the microscale, where individual nuts and bolts from the shuttle float past the lens. The film allows the audience to float alongside the astronauts in zero-g, as the stars travel around them. Oscar nominations for best actress, cinematography and direction are to be expected with a masterpiece like “Gravity.” I’m just sad I did not watch the film in IMAX 3D. When the struggle for life in an otherwise terrifying and unknown space of simultaneous nothingness and infiniteness is thrown at us for a solid 90 minutes, I have a newfound appreciation for a world where life is tedious, complicated, sad and comfortable, but entirely possible.

Flo Overfelt

Cyrus’ new album offers catchy tunes, diverse tracks

Audiocastle

I feel no shame in having judged Miley Cyrus harshly for her Video Music Awards performance. That being said, after listening to “Bangerz,” the former Disney Channel star’s latest studio album, I’ve been forced to acknowledge that Miley is far, far more than what she seemed two months ago — so, she’s at least more than a dancing teddy-bear with a lot of hip action. Released Oct. 4, “Bangerz” features the hit singles “We Can’t Stop” and “Wrecking Ball,” each of which topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart when released. Most of the other tracks on the record, however, fail to live up to this standard. The album is by no means consistent. Cyrus, as a 20-year-old pop star with an indefinite future in the industry, is still trying to find her niche, and “Bangerz” seems to reflect this search. From the surprisingly countrified “4x4 (ft. Nelly),” to the heartfelt and passionate ballad “Adore You,” Miley shows off a tremendous range of creativity and talent in her music. She’s out to prove that she’s more than a twerking party girl who engages in ridiculous stunts with married men, and at times she does a superb job. “My Darlin (ft. Future)” is a ‘60s throwback, sampling the King classic “Stand by Me,” while “FU (ft. French Montana)” mixes contemporary rap with a jazzy style. Even dubstep makes an appearance in “Bangerz” with “Drive.” Towering above the rest of the record, however, is previously released single

Staff Writer

“Wrecking Ball,” which stands out for its blend of raw emotion, powerful vocals and sheer catchiness. Cyrus tries a little bit of everything — Keith Urban would be proud — with “Bangerz,” and while this approach makes for an all-inclusive range of styles and themes, it also lends itself to inconsistency. For instance, in “We Can’t Stop” and “SMS (Bangerz) (ft. Britney Spears),” Cyrus celebrates a lifestyle of hard partying and a partying-till-you-twerk-yourself-to-death mindset, whereas “Love, Money, Party (ft. Big Sean),” a much more emotional track, asserts that “partying ain’t nothing but a party, when you party every day.” Lyrically, it becomes impossible to tell whether Cyrus is disavowing her party-girl label or embracing it. Ultimately, the album comes across as a little bit hypocritical. After her VMA performance and “Wrecking Ball” music video, her claims that there’s more to life than partying, money and sex sound laughable at best. She’s solidified herself as a post-Disney party animal, so she may as well commit to her new label. Regardless of the inconsistent messages, “Bangerz” is well worth a listen. It’s emotional, passionate and funny, and it is sure to challenge your expectations. If you have an hour or so to kill, it’s a great wild ride into Miley’s next era of music. She may not be Hannah Montana anymore, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Tom Breihan provokes C’ville audience with blunt talk Will Mullany Associate Editor

It's amazing what credentials can do. Last Tuesday, credentials proved the only way to differentiate between a lengthy diatribe on pop culture from a man on the street and a thought-provoking discussion led by famed media critic Tom Breihan at Open Grounds. Needless to say, it was a good thing they read Breihan's resume before he started talking. Breihan got his start writing for the Baltimore City Paper and doing freelance work, before moving on to the Village Voice as one of the first people ever to be "paid for writing a music blog," as he put it. Eventually, Breihan got a gig at famous — or infamous — internet music criticism slaughterhouse Pitchfork Media. He eventually moved to Charlottesville, leaving Pitchfork for a senior editor position at the website Stereogum. Throughout his hour-long talk, Breihan addressed some current trends in music, the state of the music criticism field in general, and numerous other topics which seemed to

cross his mind at random. "The two best ways to figure out what's actually popular in music and what's moving people are listening to car radio for an extended period of time and going to a wedding," Breihan said, sitting nonchalantly at the front of the room sipping a paper cup of ‘whiskey.’ "And I did both of those things last weekend." Breihan's central claim was that a "need for smoothness and agreeableness" has been dominant in recent pop music, citing the top hits of the summer — “Get Lucky” by Daft Punk, “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke and “Mirrors” by Justin Timberlake — as evidence of "excessively smoothed out," "chill" and "very professional" songs, a trend which has dominated the charts and crossed genres. The "big guy in rap” isn’t Rick Ross, whose "hard street rap" is no longer mainstream-friendly, Breihan said, nor is it JayZ, who is old and makes "bad music," but

rather Drake, whose utter lack of street-cred doesn't seem to be a problem in a genre where "hardness" was previously a dominant trait. He dropped a few lesser known names — HAIM, Darkside and Chvrches — as evidence that independent groups are embracing the smooth, and getting popular for it. Breihan did, however, mention notable exceptions to this trend: Danny Brown's "Old," possibly his "favorite album of the year;" battle-rap duo Run the Jewels; and guitar-based bands Savages and Deafheaven. Kanye West, he said, is also a mainstream exception to the pop culture trend. His album "Yeezus" is "out of step with everything going on in pop music," Breihan said. The biggest exception in Breihan’s eyes, however, is child-star turned celebrity trainwreck Miley Cyrus, whose "entire persona is willfully against the grain." Still, Breihan called Cyrus' "Wrecking Ball" "the best song anybody has made in the year 2013"

and said that he "will fight anybody who says otherwise," drawing more than a few strange looks from those in the audience. He argued that Cyrus' fame was catapulted by television, part of an overall trend highlighting the importance of video production."Television has absolutely and completely superseded music as the thing that people care about and the thing that people like you want to write about," Breihan said, advising aspiring writers to prepare for television-dominated pop culture. The abrasive speaker didn't get away without insulting a few in the audience — notably responding to one question about the decline of indie rock that indie bands faded away when "they started making s****y music." Polarizing though he was, Breihan proved, as a man who spends more time surfing the internet and dissecting popular culture than most of us spend doing anything, hard to refute.

Some kind of wonderful

“Once Upon a Time” spinoff replicates parent series’ ups, downs Robin Yeh Senior Writer

A precocious white rabbit, bewildered smoking caterpillar, and grinning Cheshire cat — these are some of the many fantastical creatures envisioned in Lewis Carroll’s 1865 classic novel, “Alice in Wonderland.” A tale re-imagined countless times in the past century, from Disney’s 1951 animated film to Tim Burton’s 2010 live-action remake, ABC now provides its own twist on the story with its new spinoff series, “Once Upon a Time in a Wonderland.” Set in 19th century London, the show begins with a familiar character — Alice. But Alice (Sophie Lowe) is no longer the innocent girl we know and love; she is strongwilled, courageous and tough. In Wonderland, she falls in love with Cyrus — a handsome and mysterious genie — but is psychologically scarred after the Red Queen kills him. When she returns to London, she enters into an insane asylum and undergoes treatment to erase her memories. After the Knave of Hearts (Michael Socha) informs her that Cyrus is still alive, she breaks out of prison and journeys

back to Wonderland to find her true love and seek revenge on the Red Queen. Like its parent series, “Once Upon a Time,” this spinoff delivers a refreshing take on traditional fairy tales and maintains excitement with various plot twists throughout every episode. Lowe is a strong female lead for the show, playing both sides of the spectrum — a determined, independent woman one minute and a hopeless romantic the next. She and Socha offer genuine on-screen chemistry, foreshadowing the possibility of romance between their characters. The White Rabbit (voiced by John Lithgow), however, is the one to watch. This rabbit is more than untimely; he is humorous and sassy, making him a charming character and an instant favorite. His charisma almost makes up for the distracting CGI effects that surround him. Although the program’s pilot episode has sparked enough curiosity to keep viewers — including myself — interested, signs of it following the same downward spiral

as its parent show are unfortunately already apparent. The main strength of “Once Upon a Time” was its ability to seamlessly incorporate multiple fairytales and fables into the same plot. By the second season, however, the writers had introduced too many characters from disconnected stories, resulting in underdeveloped and shortlived subplots. Its spinoff could face the same fate. The show merges the worlds of “Alice in Wonderland” with Disney’s “Aladdin” — Alice is in love with a genie and the Red Queen is working with Jafar (equipped with a magic carpet, no less). Granted, this is all part of the fantasy genre, but the connection between these two seemingly unrelated realms needs a better explanation than simply “magic.” As a whole, the show seems to have adopted the best and worst of its parent series. Strong leads and plot twists, however, may not be enough to make up for complex and illogical storylines, which risk leading to more holes than just the rabbit’s.

ABC

S sports

The Cavalier Daily

Despite struggles, London stays optimistic Recent offensive improvements, steady defensive effort reassures squad as it prepares for brutal second half schedule

The

SKINNY on football

What: Virginia (2-4, 0-2 ACC) vs. Duke (4-2, 1-1 ACC) Where: Scott Stadium When: Saturday, 12:30 p.m. The Skinny: Junior quarterback Anthony Boone returned for the Blue Devils last week against Navy and was impressive, throwing for 295 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-7 blowout. Duke performed well in his absence, as junior backup Brandon Connette threw for 1022 yards and 11 touchdowns in five games. The Blue Devils rank 42nd in the nation in total offense at 448.8 yards and are 34th in scoring offense at 35.8 points per game. Duke has had a running game by committee so far, as Connette, sophomore Jela Duncan and junior Josh Snead have each tallied more than 200 rushing yards so far this season. Junior Jamison Crowder leads the team in receiving with 618 yards — good enough for 15th in the nation — and has added two touchdowns. The Blue Devils rank 54th in the nation in total defense at 386.5 yards per game and 51st in scoring defense at 24.7 points per game. Senior defensive end Kenny Anunike has been fearsome on defense so far, tallying 7.5 tackles for loss. Sophomore safety Jeremy Cash has six tackles for loss, and has two interceptions and four passes defended.

looking for a consistent identity, but it has only a brief time to find Sports Senior Associate Editor it. The longer the Cavaliers’ losing streak lasts, the harder it will be to turn it around. This is probably not where Vir“I mean, the obvious goal is ginia football coach Mike London to win,” London said. “Whether wanted to be halfway through the you've got older guys, younger guys, whatever it is, the psychology of the results of winning, winning begets winning, and when it's tough and you're losing close games … you have to deal with the psychology of young players when that occurs.” Virginia had 505 yards of offense against Maryland, one week after piling up 459 yards against Ball State. Even though both performances were massive improvements from an anemic 188 yards against Pittsburgh, all three efforts ended the same — in a disappointing loss. The Maryland game was arguably quarterback David Kelsey Grant| The Cavalier Daily Watford’s career best. The Virginia coach Mike London is now 18-23 through three and a half seasons at the helm, with fans growing sophomore finished 27-forincreasingly exasperated with the team’s pedestrian on-field output. 44 for 263 yards and one

Michael Eilbacher

season. His team sits at 2-4 after three straight losses, each more demoralizing than the previous. His overhauled staff and system have shown improvement in some areas, but glaring deficiencies in others. Six games in, Virginia is still

touchdown, and he added 34 yards on the ground on seven rushes. His performances have varied this year — he had games of just 114 and 123 yards passing against Brigham Young and Pittsburgh, respectively — but London sees him headed in the right direction. After allowing quarterback competition in previous years, London thinks his commitment to Watford has been beneficial. “There's a certain maturation process that you have, getting acclimated to what's being called upon as far as the system, not having to feel like he's got to look over his shoulder when a bad throw or something like that is done, and just believing,” London said. “As I said a couple games before, I believe in David. I believe in what we're asking him to do. He's getting better at it, and this was his best college football game to date, and I believe he's got better games ahead of him.” New offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild came into his job prom-

see FOOTBALL, page 183

Unblemished Cavaliers continue road trip Swanson, squad savor Reading Days, tout lowly NC State as a formidable opponent before defending top ranking Jacob Hochberger Staff Writer

The No. 1 Virginia women’s soccer team needed a break. Coming off a hard-fought, 3-2 double overtime win against No. 5 Notre Dame and a 2-0 road victory against No. 11 Wake Forest, the Cavaliers welcomed the rest offered by this week's Reading Days. “The fall break was good for us in more ways than one; both to get caught up academically and to get a little more rest, which is important to us,” coach Steve Swanson said. The Cavaliers (14-0-0, 8-0-0 ACC) will face ACC foe NC State in Raleigh on Thursday, which Swanson said could prove more of a challenge than the stat sheet would suggest. “They’re a difficult opponent for us, especially on the road.” Swanson said. “We played them down there several years ago and they beat us, so we know it’s not an easy venue.” The Wolfpack (6-9-0, 1-8-0 ACC) currently stand second-tolast in the ACC and have dropped

three straight to Virginia. Yet the Cavaliers are preparing for a team they credit with compiling a solid body of work on the field thus far. Four of NC State’s eight conference defeats have come by just one goal, and freshman forward Jackie Stengel’s eight goals evidence her attacking prowess. “They have been very competitive in the ACC in the games that they’ve played,” Swanson said. “We’re going to get their best shot ... We have to be ready to play just like every game in the ACC.” Thursday night’s matchup marks the second stop in a threegame road trip for Virginia. In its first three-game swing away from Charlottesville, which spanned one week and 689 miles in midSeptember, the squad finished 3-0 and solidified its status as a national championship contender. Still, the Cavaliers did not display the same dominance during that stretch as they had in the preceding weeks. After clobbering opponents by an average of 3.57 goals per game in their first seven contests, the Cavaliers had to rally from early deficits in all three games against Boston Col-

lege, Pittsburgh and Duke on the road trip. “You’ve got to play well on the road,” Swanson said. “That’s something that we’ve stressed from the beginning. We showed that we can earlier in the year on a tough road trip, so this is a good chance to find out a little bit more about our team.” Added to the pressures of playing in a hostile environment, Virginia must continue to cope with the pressure wrought by the top national ranking. “In the past when we’ve played a number one team, you do get a little extra excitement out of it, because how cool would it be to say that you knocked off the number one team,” senior midfielder Kate Norbo said. “So I think that because of that, there definitely is a big target on our back.” The game will be Jenna Truong | The Cavalier Daily broadcasted nationally on Senior midfielder Kate Norbo has notched a goal and an ESPN3. assist in 2013 while helping solidify the Cavalier defense.

SPORTS

Thursday, October 17, 2013

A-pathetic state When Drew Storen lumbered off the mound during the Washington Nationals’ Game 5 loss in last season’s NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals — his head bowed, his face strained — I was heartbroken. For hours, I agonized. For weeks, I wondered what could have been. To this day, I think about how things could have gone differently if only the ball had broken our way, if only we had been able to record just one more out. For Nationals fans, that day evoked a feeling that is all too familiar to anyone that has invested his heart and soul into a sports team: crushing disappointment. It is a sensation that occurs when naïve optimism is replaced with unfulfilled emptiness. Moments like those form callouses for sports fans, and turn cocksure cheerleaders into pained cynics. But nights like Oct. 12, 2012 — when the Nationals’ 6-0 lead and fairytale season proved fleeting — do not undermine my sports fandom. Emotions can only be that sharp when the pain is real, when a loss by 25 players that I have never met feels so personal. No, the days that make me question my love of sports are days like Oct. 12, 2013, when the Virginia football team lost 27-26 to Maryland in College Park. On the one-year anniversary of the Nationals’ collapse, junior Alec Vozenilek missed a potential game-winning field goal in the final seconds

to hand the Cavaliers their third pick itself up. He may criticize the straight loss, this time in brutal organization, but he stays engaged fashion. and interested. But eventually, a fan Yet as Vozenilek trudged off the base may become so disillusioned field wearing the same pained look that they stop complaining about that Storen displayed one year ear- failure, chiding the team’s decisionlier, I was not heartbroken. Instead, makers and putting brown paper I felt utter apathy. bags over their head to signify their What started for me as frus- disgust. Instead, they stop paying tration with fixable mistakes and attention. manufactured quarterDisappointment is back controversies has not a death sentence become an expectation for a sports team. But of failure. Now, when apathy is. And apaa punt returner comthy is the most fitting mits a fumble because word to describe most of an inexplicable lack Cavalier fans’ current of focus, I don’t blink. relationship with their When David Watford football team. At this misses a receiver by point, it’s hard to blame five yards, I say noththem. ing. When Vozenilek Since the fall of DANIEL WELTZ SPORTS EDITOR misses a potential 2011, when Virginia game-winning kick in raced out to an 8-3 a conference matchup, start to move within I don’t react. one win of an ACC ChampionMistakes have become so rou- ship appearance, the situation tine that I have lost the emotional in Charlottesville has only gone investment needed to feel disap- south. Beginning with a 38-0 loss pointment with Virginia football. to Virginia Tech in Charlottesville My dispassionate response to Nov. 26, 2011, the Cavaliers have Vozenilek’s miss made me realize lost 14 of 20 games. That stretch that for a sports fan, indifference has included timeout-gate in the is a far worse fate than disappoint- rematch against the Hokies, the ment. That is the moment when Phillip Sims fiasco of 2012 and the the beautiful distraction that is firing of four assistant coaches last sports stops being distracting. offseason. When a diehard fan sees his Through it all, players appear team falter, he spends an offseason to have lost their swagger and any eagerly awaiting the start of the semblance of poise on the field. next season to see if his team can Self-inflicted wounds and appar-

Miami (12th) and Virginia Tech (15th). After leading Virginia in scoring and earning All-ACC First Team recognition in 2013, Harris finished just one vote behind Syracuse's C.J. Fair in ACC Preseason Player of the Year voting. Notre Dame's Jerian Grant and the Duke tandem of Rodney Hood and Jabari Parker join Fair and Harris on the all-conference squad. Parker, a nationally renowned recruit from Chicago, also nabbed the distinction of Preseason ACC Rookie of the Year. The Cavaliers open play Nov. 8 against James Madison. —From staff reports

bother watching, because the result is likely to be the same as it has been the last nine times we have faced the Hokies: defeat. I wrote earlier this year that London should be given until the end of next season before fans and analysts begin speculating about his future. I stand by that sentiment. London has changed the culture of the team in the past three years and attracted some of the nation’s top recruits to sign onto to play at the University. Now is not the time to declare failure and start over, especially with the historic recruiting class of 2014 watching the developments in Charlottesville closely. But there is a growing recognition among fans that the current state of affairs cannot continue indefinitely. Either the team will begin correcting its myriad shortcomings and wins will follow, or drastic changes will occur. The alienation of fans from the marquee sport at the University cannot last, or it will threaten the longterm health of the program. For the next month and a half, players and coaches will continue to give it their all to turn a corner and revive their season. But it is unlikely that many students will come along for the ride. Many of them have turned their attention to other interests. For me, I’ve started asking one question. When do the Nationals start Spring Training?

Quote of the Week

Team, Harris earn preseason accolades A panel of 54 media members pegged Virginia men's basketball to finish fourth in the revamped ACC Wednesday at the conference's Operation Basketball media day event in Charlotte Wednesday. The media also named Cavalier senior guard Joe Harris to the preseason all-ACC team. By virtue of receiving 50 of 54 first-place votes, Duke will enter the 2013-14 season as the ACC favorite, followed by conference debutant Syracuse and stalwart North Carolina. Newcomers Notre Dame and Pittsburgh are slated at fifth and sixth, respectively, just ahead of Maryland, who will abdicate to the Big Ten next autumn. Other notables include defending conference champion

ently institutional incompetence in certain areas — like consistently error-prone special teams units — have steadily eroded my enthusiasm for Saturday afternoons. I am not alone. The attendance at Virginia’s 48-27 loss to Ball State Oct. 5 was just 38,228, the smallest at Scott Stadium since 2010. Sports fans are notoriously fickle, and perhaps a string of impressive wins could reenergize the Cavalier faithful. But for the foreseeable future, with other teams at the University forming more meaningful bonds with their fan bases, it is hard to imagine a scenario that sees fans returning to Scott Stadium in force for the final four home games of the season. On Saturday afternoons for the next three weeks, when University students are deciding whether to go to football games, they will remember. They will remember Ball State, Oregon and Pittsburgh. Bad throws. Turnovers. Penalties. Poor play calling. Poor execution. Those experiences aggregate, eventually sending the message to fans loud and clear: don’t bother. Don’t bother cutting short Thanksgiving break to come see Virginia Tech play in Charlottesville in the season finale Nov. 30. Don’t bother stopping your family vacation when, in the last rendition of the Commonwealth showdown, coach Mike London failed to use his timeouts to stop the clock and give his team a chance. Don’t even

“I was just concerned with getting the yardage. We had run the play before, the End Crash Down and there was nobody there. We ran it again, the End Crash Down, and the mike … whatever linebacker it was, he filled and he kind of ran me down. I probably should have just centered it in the middle and gave Voz a better opportunity to kick the ball from straight up.”

— Virginia sophomore quarterback David Watford on the third down play that preceded junior punter and kicker Alex Vozenilek's game-ending 42-yard field goal miss in Saturday's deflating 27-26 loss to Maryland. Jenna Truong | The Cavalier Daily

Senior guard Joe Harris is the ACC’s leading returning scorer after averaging 16.3 points per game last season.

The Cavalier Daily

A new(er) era of Virginia football: how to preserve the 2013 season

Three years ago I walked into Scott Stadium and received a giant orange shirt. The front read “A New Era of Virginia Football,” an optimistic salute to newly anointed coach Mike London. Well, that first year was hardly a banner year for our dear Cavaliers. My second year was better: a trip to Atlanta for the — admittedly disastrous — Chick-fil-A Bowl highlighted an 8-4 record. And then there was my third year. We may not have reached full-scale Mayan Apocalypse standards, but we came pretty close. The last memory I have of the 2012 season is watching those four, sad seconds of the Virginia Tech debacle ticking away in stunned silence. I was actually probably cursing like a sailor, but my mom reads this column. So far, we have yet to see the promised “new era.” How about this year? Well, the 2013 season began with a very exciting — albeit sloppy – upset of Brigham Young. The next week, to no one’s surprise, brought a clobbering from Oregon and their stupid shiny helmets, and two weeks later the Cavaliers blanked VMI. Sitting at 2-1, our dear team was optimistic entering conference

play … and then the free fall began. I won’t dredge up the specifics of Virginia’s consecutive losses to Pittsburgh, Ball State and Mary-

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land because, frankly, they’re just too frustrating. But I will say this: not one of those teams was of the same caliber as Oregon or even Brigham Young, and not one of those games was out of reach for the Cavaliers. It’s been a frustrating season so far, and with some daunting opponents ahead, it doesn’t promise to get too much better. So now what? How can the Cavaliers salvage the season? Well, everyone — excluding

the women’s soccer team — likes an underdog, and everyone loves beating a rival. So color me delusional, but the best way for the Virginia football team to achieve redemption and to validate London’s “New Era” would be defeating Virginia Tech this season. Obviously, more attainable goals lurk in the near future. The next two weeks pit the Cavaliers against Duke and Georgia Tech, two respectable but eminently beatable teams. And then of course we can look forward to the latest installment of the Oldest — and most infuriating — Rivalry in the South, against a North Carolina team which boasts an even worse record than our own at 1-4. If we don’t win that game, I’ll probably explode. But not one of these three games carries the weight of the season finale against the Hokies, and the Virginia football team needs to go out with a bang. The most important step in beating Tech is pretty obvious. The Virginia offensive unit is like that one friend you have who promises to go to Survivor Hour with you, then bails — four weeks in a row. When six red zone opportunities yield just one measly touchdown,

we have a problem, and it’s time to fix it. The good news is that each week has been a little better than its predecessor — 188 yards against Pitt became 459 against Ball State and then 505 against Maryland — but there’s room for improvement. Before it faces Bud Foster’s nationally acclaimed defense, the Cavalier offense desperately needs to hone its end zone efficiency, ground game and turnover margin — along with basically everything else. As far as Virginia’s defense goes, the best advice I have is one word: cardio. If last year is any example, they’re going to spend a whole lot of time on the field. Luckily, despite its hiccups, the Cavalier defense is undeniably the team’s strongest unit. If they can stop big plays in third-and-long situations and avoid costly penalties, they may be able to grind it out. It helps that Virginia Tech has had its share of offensive problems this season — all two of my sources in Blacksburg tell me that quarterback Logan Thomas is among the most frustrating and unreliable people on “campus,” whatever that is. I’m not saying we should make

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Logan Thomas voodoo dolls or anything, but I just Googled “How to make someone have bad luck,” and the results are promising. The last time Virginia won the Commonwealth Cup was in 2003, when a 35-21 upset sent fullygrown, maroon-clad men literally running to the exits in Scott Stadium. Ten years later, I think it’s about time for an encore. Beating the Hokies will not be easy by any stretch of the imagination, but it is far from impossible. The Cavaliers will need to put in an incredible amount of work to prepare for the game, and even then, odds are they’ll come up short. But the victory should be a major goal for the team. To end the season on such a high note would instill confidence for our very young and inexperienced team’s future, and of course it would grant me and my fellow fourth-years the bragging rights we’ve been dying to have for years now. Most importantly, it would ensure that this season wasn’t just another exercise in mediocrity, and that perhaps this really is a new era of Virginia football. And if not, at least basketball season is only three weeks away.

FOOTBALL Watford, passing game beginning to discover groove Continued from page 16 ising to bring his brand of runheavy, smash-mouth football. Through the early stages of the season, however, the squad's offensive prowess has failed to materialize. Save a 357-yard rushing explosion against FCS foe Virginia Military Institute, the team had rushing outputs of 109, 124 and 65 yards against BYU, Oregon and Pittsburgh, respectively. Since it hit a low point against the Panthers, though, Virginia has shown marked improvement on the ground. The team rushed for 236 yards and three touchdowns against Ball State and 242 yards and one touchdown against Maryland. "Establishing a running game, that can obviously open up the passing lanes for you, and ... [junior tailback] Kevin Parks has

done a nice job of being a hard, tough, physical runner,” London said. “I think the other part is the ability of David [Watford], also, to be able to use his legs, as well. When you're running those read plays or those pistol plays, the ability of the quarterback to run to attack the perimeter is something teams have to be aware [of], and then that sets up the play action passes.” Even with the offensive progress, the team is concerned with the rising number in the loss column. Against Maryland, the team settled for field goals four times in the red zone, and the players know that big yards total mean nothing without touchdowns. “It’s still a loss, we didn’t finish drives, but we’re moving the football,” junior tight end Jake McGee said after the game. “It was good to see that David felt a little more comfortable back there. I tried to

do the best I could. Eventually these losses got to stop. … There’s a point where us players have to capitalize.” On defense, new defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta has brought a blitz-heavy, aggressive scheme, a change that has mostly proven successful. Virginia ranks 39th nationally in total defense and have been particularly effective on third down, holding opponents to a .269 conversion percentage, seventh in the nation. The defense, though, is not without its faults. The Cavaliers gave up 59 points against Oregon, 49 points against Ball State, and had their only shutout against VMI. Big plays doomed Virginia this past Saturday: the Terrapins had six plays of more than 30 yards, and the team’s open-field tackling was lacking. “I believe the overall tackling has to improve for everyone,”

London said. “In football games you're going to have missed tackling, but it's those missed tackles after catches, those missed tackles after initial stops at the line of scrimmage where a runner continuously continues to run. … When you have those opportunities you've got to get the guy down on the ground.” In one respect, Tenuta’s defense has been too aggressive. The team was called for 13 penalties against Ball State, and sophomore defensive end Eli Harold has been flagged for late hits on the quarterback in each of the last two games. London hopes Harold and the defense can curb the penalties without sacrificing too much of the aggression that has fueled their effectiveness. “I wasn't happy with the fact that [Harold] got a penalty, because again, it extended a drive,” London said. “You don't want to

get players hesitant on attacking the quarterback, but you always have to make them aware of the fact that they are going to be protected, and when you make any contact above the neck area that you may be held accountable for that if the referees see you.” The second half of the season seems like a tougher lineup than the Virginia has faced so far. The Cavaliers have three matchups with ranked teams, including No. 3 Clemson, and all of their opponents other than North Carolina have a .500 record or better. For Virginia to make any turnaround, the team will have to turn its advances into wins. “I believe in the progress that we've seen here offensively,” London said. “I believe that defensively with the moves and guys that will be put in position or given the opportunity to compete that they will get better.”

Thursday, October 17, 2013

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