Thursday, December 6, 2018

Vol. 129, Issue 14

Thursday, December 6, 2018

Aisha Singh & CD Photo Staff | The Cavalier Daily

THE CAVALIER DAILY

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This Semester In Brief

NEWS

CD News Staff

On Aug. 11-12 anniversary, activists decried police presence One year after the white supremacist tiki-torch rally at U.Va., hundreds of people joined student activist group U.Va. Students United this past August to protest white supremacy and the heavy police presence in Charlottesville on the anniversary weekend of last summer’s violent rallies.

University Police Department officers and other law enforcement personnel had a significant presence at an on-Grounds demonstration held by U.Va. Students United. The rally was initially slated to take place on the North Plaza of the Rotunda — where torch-carrying white supremacists encircled and attacked students and activists the year before — but the group, frustrated with the heavy police presence, moved the protest to Brooks Hall, then eventually to Lambeth Field.

Before the demonstration officially began, Students United organizers passed around fliers condemning the heavy police presence in the area, which included state law enforcement personnel in full riot gear. The fliers also listed the group’s demands of the University for justice, a year after the deadly Unite the Right rally.

The group is demanding that the University pays or waives

all outstanding medical bills of those injured at the white supremacist rallies last August, the University denounces white supremacy by issuing lifelong no trespassing bans for all white supremacists involved in the torchlit rally last August and the University disclose any profits raised at the Concert for Charlottesville.

Well over a thousand law enforcement personnel were in the Charlottesville area for the anniversary, including 700 Virginia State Troopers and 300 National Guard personnel.

The strong showing of a variety of state, local and regional law enforcement agencies was protested during several of the anti-racist demonstrations which took place during the weekend.

Even though the demonstrations remained largely peaceful, a handful of arrests were made throughout the weekend and a number of scuffles occurred between demonstrators and law enforcement personnel.

The City of Charlottesville spent approximately $921,000 on rally preparation. The University spent $422,000 and Virginia State Police spent $3.1 million.

RILEY WALSH | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Police officers gather near the Downtown Mall Aug. 12, 2018.

U.Va. welcomes largest, most diverse first-year class

CHRISTINA ANTON | THE CAVALIER DAILY

At Convocation, first-year students sat on the Lawn to hear a number of speakers.

Students of the Class of 2022 started their year at the University this semester as the largest and most diverse class in University history.

“Each class is unique in its own way,” Dean of Undergraduate Admission Gregory Roberts said in an email to The Cavalier Daily. “This certainly seems to be one of our most impressive groups in terms of diversity, academic accomplishments, and community engagement.”

The 3,837 first-year students — the largest class size in University history — exceeded classes that had matriculated before them in qualifications with an increase in academic strength and students accepting offers from the University.

Academically, the class boasts an average SAT score of 1397, up 10 points from the average in 2017 for the class of 2021. The majority of the class hails from Virginia, with 65 percent of the students coming from in-state. Over half of the class self-identifies as female.

The target enrollment for the year was 3,725 according to Roberts, but there was a higher level of acceptances

than anticipated — the Class of 2021 had 37 percent of its offers accepted, while the Class of 2022 had a 40 percent yield rate.

“The yield this year was higher than we anticipated so the class was larger than planned,” Roberts said. “In other words, more students accepted our admission offer than we predicted, so the class will wind up at about 3,821 by census in October.”

Of the 3,837 first years, 1,310 of them are minority students — which is a 35 percent increase since 2013. First-generation students compose over 11 percent of the cohort.

“We have a record number of African-American students enrolled in this class, and racial diversity is at 34 percent, which is a record high,” University Spokesperson Anthony P. de Bruyn said in an email to The Cavalier Daily, making the University slightly more diverse than its surrounding state. In the 2010 Census, the Commonwealth of Virginia was 32 percent non-white.

Ryan makes inaugural tuition announcement In-state students from low- and medium-income families will be able to attend U.Va. at significantly-reduced costs, University President Jim Ryan announced in his inaugural address Oct. 19.

Students from Virginia families earning less than $80,000 a year and have “typical assets” will be able to attend U.Va. tuition-free, Ryan told the crowd. Students whose families earn less than $30,000 a year with typical assets will be eligible for free room and board on top of the free tuition.

Just under 12 percent of U.Va.’s approximately 16,000 undergraduate students will qualify for the newly-announced policy to allow low- and medium-income families from around Virginia to attend the University at reduced costs, according to data from Student Financial Services.

University Spokesperson Anthony de Bruyn said in an email to The Cavalier Daily that 600 currently-enrolled in-state students fall under the $30,000 annual income threshold, and 1,300 currently-enrolled in-state students fall within the $30,000 and $80,000 threshold.

“While current UVA financial aid essentially meets this commitment, we believe it’s important to make an explicit promise that this is what we are going to do going forward as part of UVA's commitment to Virginia's low- and middle-income families,” University Spokesperson Anthony de Bruyn told The Cavalier Daily in an email.

U.Va. has said it meets 100 percent of students’ demonstrated financial need, although financial aid packages can include work-study and need-based loans in addition to scholarships and grants.

“I see a community that opens wide the door to opportunity for first-generation, low- and middle-income students,” Ryan said while outlining the policy. “There is more work to be done in this space, but we might as well get started.”

ANDREW WALSH | THE CAVALIER DAILY

University President Jim Ryan made his tuition announcement at his Oct. 19 inauguration.

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2018

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Latinx students, organizations pen open letter

COURTESY OF LATINX STUDENT ALLIANCE

Latinx students and organizations released their demands in a letter in midOctober.

Latinx students and organizations published an open letter to the University community Oct. 15 — the last day of Hispanic Heritage Month — on behalf of Hispanic/Latinx students on Grounds, calling attention to issues of institutional support and inclusion at U.Va. The letter calls for increased recruitment of Hispanic/ Latinx faculty, the availability of Spanish-translated documents for parents and students and tours in Spanish and

Portuguese for potential applicants and their families.

The open letter had over 70 signing organizations.

Titled “We are 6%” — representing the percentage of undergraduate students at the University who are Hispanic/Latinx — the letter addresses the enhanced diversity within the class of 2022 but noted persistent daily struggles for Hispanic/Latinx students.

“UVA cannot celebrate this when many minoritized students at the University feel underserved, underrepresented, and isolated,” the letter reads.

Kayla Dunn, a third-year College student and president of the Latinx Student Alliance, said the open letter was the culmination of long-term conversations about challenges for Latinx students.

“A lot of the sentiments that we said in the letter are not new whatsoever, they’re things that not only we have gone through … but past alumni that are Hispanic and Latinx have gone through,” Dunn said.

The letter is intended to represent the Hispanic/Latinx community at large. The campaign also employs the hashtag #OursToShape, the slogan for the University’s Bicentennial celebration.

In particular, the letter called for expanded support

staff within Multicultural Student Services, an organization under the Office of the Dean of Students which works to promote inclusion for historically underrepresented students. MSS employs three professional staff members, with two specifically focused on programming for multicultural students.

The open letter also calls for more inclusive recruitment efforts, including Spanish-language documents for parents and students, Spanish and Portuguese admissions tours and outreach to Latinx communities.

The letter also highlighted a lack of Hispanic/Latinx representation among faculty. According to the University’s 2017 diversity data, there are 24 total Latinx faculty members in the College, including language departments.

This total consists of approximately 2.8 percent of the faculty at large. According to the letter, there are fewer than 10 Hispanic/Latinx professors in the College outside the language departments.

The University recently announced initiatives to translate key documents and increase student involvement in the faculty recruitment process.

Asian Leaders Council releases academic reform report The Asian Leaders Council released a report Oct. 25 on academic reform at U.Va., calling for increased representation of both faculty and the academic programs the University offers focused on Asian/Asian Pacific Americans.

The ALC is an umbrella organization with 14 Asian/Asian Pacific American constituent organizations.

The report — entitled “We Are Not Invisible: A Report for Academic Reform” — is divided into four main sections. The first section details the ALC’s motivations for writing the report, alluding to a recent open letter to the University administration from Hispanic and Latinx students, saying they “echo many of the same frustrations.”

In their open letter and a subsequent document with several policy proposals, Hispanic and Latinx students detailed what they have seen as inaccessibility at the University and a lack of resources to improve their underrepresented presence at the University.

The second section, titled “A Path Forward,” details discrimination faced by Asian-American/Pacific Islander-Americans at U.Va., then argues for creating an American Studies department — currently, American Studies is housed in a program.

The third section discusses how the University can incorporate Asian-American student voices into its curriculum, using anecdotes from two students.

The fourth section focuses on institutional support Asian-Americans and Pacific Islander-Americans receive from

other higher education institutions around the country, such as Harvard University, the College of William and Mary and George Washington University. According to the report, William and Mary offers at least 14 different courses related to the Asian American identity for its students, including courses such as “Acting Asian American” and “Asian Pacific American History.”

The University has received the report and wants to work with various student leaders, Tom Katsouleas, executive vice president and provost, said in an email to The Cavalier Daily. “[We hope to] address common interests as we promote inclusion and scholarship in important areas, such as curriculum, admissions, and others,” Katsouleas said.

The report is prefaced with information on the creation of the Asian-American/Pacific Islander-American Studies minor 13 years ago. Since then, the report says, no substantial progress has been made in improving the program.

“After thirteen years, there has been no curricular progress,” the report says. “We have only regressed. This proposal highlights the need for hiring faculty of color, diverse course offerings, and the departmentalization of the American Studies programs. It offers clear solutions to accomplish these goals. It is time for the University of Virginia to act.”

The report says 14 percent of the student population in the College identifies as Asian, but 8.46 percent of the faculty identifies as Asian.

COURTESY ASIAN LEADERS COUNCIL

The “We Are Not Invisible” report was released online Oct. 25.

Kaine, Riggleman win in U.S. Senate, U.S. House

RICHARD DIZON & RILEY WALSH | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Sen. Tim Kaine (left) and Rep.-elect Denver Riggleman were elected Nov. 6.

Republican candidate Denver Riggleman defeated Democratic candidate Leslie Cockburn in the U.S. congressional race for Virginia’s Fifth District seat Nov. 6. Riggleman won approximately 54 percent of the total vote, while Cockburn earned about 46 percent of the vote in the Fifth

District.

The Fifth Congressional District encompasses the cities of Charlottesville and Danville, and includes Albemarle, Buckingham, Fluvanna, Prince Edward and Rappahannock counties.

“Right now in the Fifth District, this is the ‘Fighting Fifth,’” Riggleman said Tuesday evening. “Liberty lives here.”

Riggleman will represent the largest district in Virginia.

Trump won the Fifth District by 11 points in the 2016 presidential election, even as Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton took the state by more than five points. Republican gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie won the district in 2017 by nine points, even though Democrat Ralph Northam won Virginia overall by a nine-point margin.

Riggleman, a University alumnus, former Air Force intelligence officer and current craft distillery owner, and Cockburn, a former “60 Minutes” producer and investigative journalist, were both political newcomers vying for the seat previously held by Rep. Tom Garrett (R-Va.), who

announced in May he would not run for reelection for a second term.

At the state level, Democratic Senator and incumbent Tim Kaine won his re-election bid by securing 56 percent of the vote over Republican challenger Corey Stewart.

“THANK YOU, VIRGINIA!” Kaine tweeted after exit polls indicated a clear victory. “In the Senate, I'll always listen to you. I'll take your ideas and values to Washington, and keep fighting to solve your problems. We have to keep Virginia moving forward and put our country back on the right track. That starts now!”

Kaine has had an extensive career in Virginia politics, beginning with his election to the Richmond City Council in 1994 where he served four terms, including two as mayor between 1998 and 2001. Kaine later served as lieutenant governor from 2002 to 2006, then won the governorship.

He was succeeded in 2010 by Republican governor Bob McDonnell.

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THE CAVALIER DAILY

NEWS • www.cavalierdaily.com

UJC chair reflects on 2018 term University Judiciary Committee hopes to build greater recognition among students Nik Popli | Senior Writer Chaired by fourth-year Engineering student Kevin Warshaw, the University Judiciary Committee undertook several initiatives during its Fall 2018 term in hopes of making the system more fair and inclusive. The initiatives included revisions of its application format, enforcing mandatory bias and Green Dot training, creating a Diversity and Engagement Committee and releasing the results of its internal demographic survey.

The 97-member Committee is responsible for investigating and trying potential violations to the University’s Standards of Conduct which address behavior such as the damage of or unlawful entry onto University property, disorderly conduct on University property or the violation of state or federal laws. To apply to be a representative for UJC — which was last chaired by School of Law alumnus Peter Bautz — an undergraduate student must have been at the University for at least three semesters.

In addition to the Executive Committee, the UJC cohort consists of 25 representatives from the 12 schools of the University who serve as judges during trials, counselors who are assigned to educate and represent the complainant and accused during a trial, educators who lead outreach efforts and obtain feedback, investigators who interview all parties involved in a case and members of the First Year Judiciary Committee — an autonomous subcommittee of the UJC which hears all cases of alleged offenses by firstyear students.

Essay-Based Application Format Starting this year, the University Judiciary Committee no longer required applicants to take a preliminary multiple choice and short answer exam to become a member. UJC announced this summer that it would be reforming its application process so that students could apply for appointed positions.

More specifically, the counselor pool, investigator pool and FYJC body were selected through an online essay-based application, followed by one group interview and one individual interview.

Warshaw said the previously-used 40-question test included multiple choice questions related to UJC history and practical scenarios of violations of the Standards of the Conduct, which students had to identify. At the end of the test, students were asked to briefly write about themselves and what motivated them to pursue a position with the UJC. Performance on the exam was then used to determine which students would advance to the interview process.

The updated essay-based application — made up of three short answer questions — allowed students to demonstrate in writing why they

would be a good fit to join the committee, as well share any past experiences that would be relevant to the positions they seek.

“I feel like that gave students the ability to express themselves more,” Warshaw said. “It’s less based on what you can memorize in the first week you come to school and it’s more based on who you are as a person and what you can bring to our organization.”

“We actually didn’t see a drop in application numbers so I think that demonstrates a positive outreach effort on our part,” he added. “We were able to hold steady even with a higher burden on the applicant.”

First-year College student Nijat Khanbabayev and first-year Engineering student Gustavo Moreira were the first applicants selected to serve as FYJC chair and vice chair under the revised essay-based application format.

Although a subsidiary of the UJC, the FYJC is granted the same sanctioning authority as the UJC and operates under the same by-laws and trial procedures.

If guilt is established during a trial, the FYJC then holds a separate trial for sanction to determine a fair and reasonable punishment. Khanbabayev and Moreira agreed that attempts to correct student violations should be rehabilitative and educational in nature.

“The point of it — I feel for both of us — is not to punish people for doing wrong, but to maintain a positive community,” Moreira said in an interview in October.

Khanbabayev added that the FYJC will rarely expel or suspend a first-year student for violating the Standards of Conduct — barring extreme circumstances. Rather, the committee is more interested in assigning reflective essays and community service. Community service sanctions are typically assigned to Facilities Management, Gordie Center, Parking and Transportation or Recycling.

Mandatory Training Warshaw also reinstated requirements for all members of UJC to participate in mandatory training seminars — including events centered on bias and Green Dot training, which focuses on personal violence training.

“In the past we used to require that all members attend some of amount of external trainings,” Warshaw said. “We didn’t do it last year, but we’re bringing it back this year and I think it’s so far really effective at rounding our community members’ perspectives.”

History Committee During its first general body meeting of the semester, the UJC announced its plan to create a committee tasked with analyzing and publishing historical UJC documents on its website in an effort to provide access to

CHRISTINA ANTON | THE CAVALIER DAILY

UJC Chair and fourth-year Engineering student Kevin Warshaw (right) sits with members of the committee.

the materials for students. The materials are expected to be released by next semester.

Last year, Bautz informed the other members of the committee of his idea to compile a collection of documents — such as the original UJC constitution — that can be shared with the University community in an online history of the UJC. The new history committee will be led by fourth-year College student Jordan Arnold, who also serves as UJC’s vice chair for sanctions.

UJC members who volunteer will read through the primary source documents, which are housed in the UJC office, and prepare a short analysis and report. By early 2019, Arnold hopes to create a digital record and timeline of the UJC from its founding that will be published as a new tab on its website.

Internal Demographics In the UJC’s last meeting of the semester Sunday, Warshaw discussed the results of UJC’s internal diversity survey for the Fall 2018 term and compared its findings to the University’s overall demographic makeup.

The survey data — with a response rate of 77.3 percent — shows slight underrepresentation of some groups in the committee when compared to the University’s population, including Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, Pacific Islanders and international students.

The demographics do not cover the entirety of the Committee — only 75 out of its 97 members chose to respond to the survey — according to Warshaw. Despite the incomplete response rate for the survey, Warshaw

said the effort was a step in the right direction for compiling more comprehensive demographic data for the committee.

This year, Warshaw formed a Diversity and Engagement Committee aimed at building relationships with students across Grounds representing students from diverse backgrounds.

“I think that has provided some very meaningful input on not just the UJC as an organization but also our process and ways that we can be a more supportive body for students at U.Va., so I feel like we’re heading in the right direction in terms of gauging students perspectives of us,” Warshaw said. “But given the scale of U.Va. it can be hard to reach every individual student and that’s just something that we’ll have to keep working on.”

The UJC recently updated its internal data system so that information such as demographic data can be pulled directly from the Student Information Services.

“We’re hoping that will allow us to better monitor who’s coming to the UJC, who’s being reported to us, which will hopefully allow us to monitor that trend over time,” Warshaw said in an interview in November.

Future Plans Entering next semester, UJC has discussed plans to submit a University referendum to formally revise the language of its constitution to make it more inclusive to students.

“We’re going to be looking into making our constitution gender-neutral which I think is a very positive step for our organization,” Warshaw said.

He added that the UJC also plans to clarify the statute of limitations that any individual or group has to comply with when filing complaints in an effort to help the committee respond to complaints more efficiently.

Warshaw would also like to build a wider recognition among students.

“A lot of students get confused about where the line is drawn between Honor and UJC,” Warshaw said. “In terms of how we can dispel that confusion I think that...comes down to how well we can perform outreach, potentially doing outreach alongside Honor so that students can see the two contrasted among one another.”

Currently, plaques listing the University’s 12 Standards of Conduct are placed in various first-year dorms to keep students mindful as they transition into a new environment. UJC also spoke to the entire first-year class and transfer students at Convocation in August, as opposed to previous years when they spoke at John Paul Jones Arena.

“If you address first-years, then that’s something that they would hopefully carry with them throughout their college career,” Warshaw said. “I think first-year outreach has to be our number one priority in that sense.”

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2018

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Honor Committee chair reflects on 2018 term The Committee adopted new guidelines regarding its Contributory Health Impairment policy, debated proportional representation this past semester Erica Sprott and Riley Walsh | Staff Writers The Honor Committee met on Sunday for the last time this semester.

This Fall, the Committee met 11 times over the course of the Fall, making significant changes to its own bylaws and preparing for developments to come in the spring semester.

In an interview with The Cavalier Daily, Ory Streeter, Medical student and Honor Committee Chair, assessed the development of a number of Honor Committee proposals and amendments which were implemented throughout the fall semester.

When asked about the highlights of this semester, Streeter named three major projects as the main focus of the Honor Committee’s efforts — the transition from the Contributory Mental Disorder policy to the Contributory Health Impairment policy, the maturing Bicentennial report and internal changes to Honor’s structure at the University.

In its last meeting of the semester, the committee members discussed the possible implementation of a University-wide poll to elicit student feedback on potential changes to the single sanction policy. The single sanction policy has faced criticism in recent years from the student body for its perceived harshness. In order to gauge student opinion, the Committee is considering to pose a non-binding poll to the community through the next University Board of Elections election in early spring 2019.

Batten graduate student Stearns Swetnam, the co-chair of the alternative sanction working group, noted that his group is still in the process of developing these three options. In an email to The Cavalier Daily on Sunday, Streeter said the Committee was not ready to discuss the proposed options at this time as they are still being developed.

CHI Reforms The CHI is a procedure that allows students to request a health evaluation prior to moving through Honor proceedings to determine if a mental health condition contributed to the commission of the offense, which is typically overseen by the Office of the Dean of Students and conducted

by Student Health or the University’s Counseling and Psychological Services.

A variety of reforms have been made to the CHI policy within the past couple of months — including changing the name of the policy from the Contributory Mental Disorder process into the Contributory Health Impairment process to make it more inclusive by acknowledging that the current policy also allows for conditions that are not explicitly mental — such as a brain tumor, an example used by Streeter — but could still contribute to committing Honor offenses.

“I would say probably our big-

gest accomplishment so far has been changes to the old contributory mental disorder process,” Streeter said. “What you're seeing is the result of several years of work by multiple committees as well as our legal team to come together and to get some legislation passed that I think leads to a more fair process for our students who are attempting to reclaim a contributory health impairment while going through our system, which ultimately is good for everybody. We're really proud that we've made that progress.”

Bicentennial Report In addition to CHI changes, the Honor Committee has been developing its long-awaited Bicentennial report — a summary and analysis of Honor cases, major constitutional amendments and the impact of Honor on the University.

With plans for its release in Spring of 2019, the compilation of the Bicentennial report constituted a significant part of the Honor Committee’s efforts this fall.

“We're also making strides towards our Bicentennial report, which we are hoping release in January,” Streeter said. “I think what's gonna have the biggest impact on the student body is this data that we've sort of mined from our records. We've got 100 years of guilty verdicts and all the demographic data attached to that that we're analyzing, as well as the last 35 years of pretty much all the reports we've gotten that we're analyzing, and we're doing a five year review on the informed retraction. And so that data that large of an amount of data and analysis of

that has not been attempted by a previous committee to our awareness.”

Support officers Streeter also noted important structural changes among the Honor Committee.

“The third thing I would say is — no one would know this, but we've made a couple of changes internally that had been very, very effective for our organization,” Streeter said. “We created this support officer member at large to bridge the gap between our support officer pool and the Honor committee itself.”

Meghan Wingert, a third-year Batten student and Honor support officer at large, attends Honor Committee meetings to serve as a connection between the support officers and the Committee itself. Streeter emphasized the support officer-at-large’s role in keeping the Committee executives tuned into the activities of the majority of the Honor system’s workers.

This semester, the Honor Committee selected 54 new support officers.

The support officer demographics show slight underrepresentation of some groups in the support officer pool when compared to the University’s total demographics.

“The Honor committee selects and is charged with the training and maintaining of our support officer pool that actually investigates our cases — they represent students at hearings and a whole variety of other functions.

They really do the day-to-day work of the committee,” Streeter said. “Their voice was not represented necessarily during our committee meetings, so

now we have a student — who is a support officer — who actually has a voice around table during our committee meetings. We're really happy with that.

That position has enabled us to set up a stronger accountability structure within our support officer pool.”

Streeter mentioned education as a ongoing goal and an area for the Committee to improve next semester, saying that the Committee “had a couple of education initiatives that we were really hoping to get underway and we just didn't, so we're going to look to double down on those efforts in the spring semester.”

Discussion around adding new representatives Near the end of the semester, fourth-year Engineering representatives Peyton Sandroni and Julia Batts proposed adding a third Engineering school representative to the Honor Committee, sparking debate over the system of representation which the Committee uses with respect to each of the University’s school.

Under the current representation system, each school at the University — both graduate and undergraduate — has two representatives on the Honor Committee, except for the College of Arts and Sciences which has five. According to data collected by the Honor Committee, the Engineering School produced 27.5 percent of Honor cases up to Nov 8, 2018, while the school only makes up 15.6 percent of the University’s enrollment.

Changing the number of representatives a school receives on the Honor Committee would necessitate

a change to the Committee’s constitution, which would require approval by the student body through a referendum, typically held during University wide elections in the early spring.

“I'm interested to see where that conversation goes,” Streeter said of the representation debate. “They [Sandroni and Batts] make a compelling argument in terms of the numbers based on both the types of cases we receive and the the growth of the engineering school in and of itself. It's almost a philosophical question because currently the only school that has more than two representatives is the College, and it's been that way for a while.

So by increasing a another schools representation, it marks a shift in how the Honor Committee has been run for a couple of years.”

The future of the proposal is still uncertain, however, as there are still a few steps to go before the student body would be able to vote on the change.

“I don't know how it's going to go honestly,” Streeter said. “The committee's 27 people will cast votes, and then if we pass it we'll put the referendum on the ballot for the spring and let the student body decide. I don't know, I'm excited to see what happens.”

RILEY WALSH | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Honor Committee Chair and Medical student Ory Streeter (right) reflected on the committee’s progress for the fall 2018 semester.

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Preparing for a bittersweet end As exchange students get ready to journey home, they reflect on the lives they have made in Charlottesville Carolyn Lane | Staff Writer

COURTESY WIKIMEDIA & MADDY SITA | THE CAVALIER DAILY

There are currently 93 exchange students studying at the University from 34 different institutions and 17 countries, 33 of whom will be staying for another semester.

As University students begin the process of studying for and taking a plethora of finals these next two weeks, there are some students preparing for an additional reality — saying their final goodbyes to a life in Charlottesville they have spent five months forming and now must leave behind.

This semester, this group is composed of 60 exchange students, who came from college and universities around the world to learn from our professors and experience American culture but now must prepare to go back to their home universities as their semester-long exchange draws to a close.

Exchange at the University Throughout its history, the University has worked to build relationships with partner institutions around the world to cultivate a dynamic learning environment on Grounds. As a result, the International Studies Office now works with 74 partner institutions — including universities in Germany, Japan, Brazil and Australia, among others — to connect the University to the broader world.

The International Students and Scholars Program, which has a staff of four people, oversees the exchange student process.

According to Linda Callihan, an International Student and Scholar advisor who assists exchange students both before and during their time here, there are currently 93 exchanges students from 34 different institutions and 17 countries across the globe, 33 of whom will continue studying here next semester as well.

In order to qualify for this opportunity, many partners institutions first require their students to complete and submit an application for the exchange program within their respective universities. Once all applications are reviewed, the partner will select a limited number of students to nominate for its exchange program, a group whose applications will then be sent to the ISO for approval.

It is only at this point that they begin to prepare for their adventures abroad, obtaining student visas through the ISO, booking flights, finding housing and preparing for a potentially life-changing opportunity.

It costs a minimum of $8,825 per semester to attend UVA as an exchange student, not including travel costs or extra expenses.

This figure includes meals, housing, books and other school supplies.

At the University, exchange students can live on grounds in the International Residence College and in other residence halls such as Lambeth and Rice, or in an apartment off-grounds.

Callihan works with students to ensure that they have access to housing and assists them with necessary applications if needed.

Adjusting to the culture For many of these exchange students, arriving in August can feel overwhelming. Because of this, the ISO provides a crashcourse introduction to Grounds upon their arrival, which Callihan believes helps them receive the full benefits of this community during their short time here.

“Once they arrive here, we do an orientation program for them to help them understand the resources that are available to them, all of the basic academic issues that they need to be aware of,” Callihan said. “They have to

be integrated pretty quickly so that they can feel comfortable and hit the road running.”

Beyond the ISO, full-time University students have also taken the initiative to help integrate these students into our community through the International Buddy Program, a group that matches exchange students with University students to help provide a touchpoint on-Grounds during their exchange here.

IBP President Victoria Spiotto hopes that the program can help foster a sense of community for these exchange students who often do not know anyone when they arrive.

“One of my favorite things about [IBP] is that I wanted to make all exchange students feel like they were part of the community together,” Spiotto said.

“I planned a lot of events that would allow everyone to be together, and also would encourage the buddies to come because usually it’s hard to make that happen [as] U.Va. students have their own lives.”

This semester, these events included organizing tailgates before football games, planning hikes to

Humpback Rock and bookings trips to Monticello. To facilitate the organization of these events, a Whatsapp group with all the exchange students and their buddies was also formed for the first time this year.

But despite these resources, for many students — including Lodovico Galli, an exchange student in the McIntire School of Commerce from Bocconi University in Milan, Italy — the transition can still be difficult and trying to make friends can seem daunting.

“When I arrived, I was alone in a sense because I didn’t know anyone,” Galli said. “That was pretty hard because you have to behave like super nicely maybe when you don’t want to all the time, but you have to to make friends or you won’t meet anyone else.”

To help overcome his original worries, Galli attended many events and dinners hosted by the McIntire School, which brought together University students who went abroad and incoming exchange students.

“It was pretty nice to meet people like that, and that’s how I met some of my friends —

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2018 through these kind of things,” Galli said.

Beyond just adapting to a new school, the transition can involve adapting to cultural differences between countries.

“I think some of the biggest changes were small cultural things, like having lunch at 12.

That is way too early,” said Andres Diaz Gonzalez, a fourth-year exchange student in McIntire from ESADE University in Barcelona. “In Spain you would have lunch at 1:30 [p.m.] at the earliest time. When people tell me they have a 12 o’clock class and they’ve already eaten lunch, it’s impossible — I can’t eat at that time.

I’m not hungry yet … That’s one of the aspects that’s hit me the most because I’m a very big food person.”

Gonzalez has also recognized that the American cultural view of eating is much different than in countries like Spain.

“Something I’ve also noticed is that, people here, they see food as more of a chore, like something you have to get out of the way and it’s just to fill you up,” Gonzalez said. “Whereas in Spain, there’s a lot more culture like, ‘Okay guys, let’s get together. We’ve going to sit down and share a meal.’ Even if it’s the University cafeteria … it’s like a social moment where you have an interaction with your friends.”

As students work to adjust to these cultural and social differences, Callihan believes joining clubs and becoming involved with various groups on campus can help. “[Joining clubs is] something that we encourage. It is a way to feel comfortable and at home when you become involved in things, but it also enhances your

experience and understanding of the culture if you’re involved in activities and start to get to know people that way,” Callihan said.

“We don’t want people just to come here, go to class, and that’s it. Exchange is more than that.

Exchange is experiencing life and all those social and cultural activities that are available here.”

Both Galli and Gonzalez became involved outside the classroom to help during this adjustment period, joining a McIntire consulting club and working with UNICEF, respectively.

Tackling the academic environment Some exchange students said that as a top-tier academic institution in the United States, the University’s academic demands and structure took some time to adjust to.

Galli has noticed the greatest difference between Italy and the University in the way that classes are structured and how students approach studying. For example, he believes the academic culture at Bocconi is more individualistic as most students tend to study alone and many do not view attending class as very important. As a result, the two biggest changes Galli has seen have been the class-attendance requirement in most classes and closer teacher-student interactions.

“Here … I could go to class and interact with the professors because there were only 20-25 students in the classroom in most of my classes,” Galli said. “I really like this part and the possibility that the teacher’s were always available for you in any chance.

Yeah, they were always at your disposal if you needed them.”

Galli has also found that American teachers let students

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COURTESY VICTORIA SPIOTTO

The International Buddy Program, composed of University students from around the globe, visited Monticello earlier this fall.

participate more actively in classes — a reality he knows he will miss most when he returns to Bocconi.

Gonzalez is also sad to be leaving the dynamic and multi-faceted academic environment the school provides. ESADE University, where he attends, only runs two university schools — one in business and the other in law. For that reason, his experiences here have allowed him to engage with people who have different academic interests than himself, an opportunity his school does not provide as robustly.

“For example for me, my university only does business and law, so meeting people from oth-

COURTESY VICTORIA SPIOTTO

Events like hiking Humpback Rock are planned by the IBP to foster a sense of community when exchange students arrive.

er majors, such as Media Studies or International Relations and Russian, doesn’t happen at my university,” Gonzalez said. “I just want to keep discovering these different perspectives that I don’t get at home.”

The disappointing yet exciting farewell While classes are important for any student, whether exchange or not, some say that the learning that has taken place outside of the classroom has been even more meaningful. During his exchange, Gonzalez’s perspective of America has shifted, as have his perceptions of Charlottesville in the wake of the events of Aug. 11 and 12, 2017, when white supremacists marched down the Lawn and held a “Unite the Right” rally that turned deadly on the Downtown Mall.

“The biggest [takeaway] I’ve had is maybe taking away some of the prejudice I’ve had against Americans, especially in the wake of coming here after what happened in Charlottesville last year,” Gonzalez said. “You come to the South, you have this certain idea of what American-ness is and so one of the biggest takeaways is — especially in University students — [that] people at U.Va. break the mold in terms of what you expect someone from Virginia, living in Charlottesville, to be.”

To him, there has been a stereotype of how southerners talk and what their beliefs are, but his exchange has given him the opportunity to see through this and see that many students here are much more open that he thought they would be.

For Galli, knowing he will be leaving this community — one that has began to feel like home now — after these final weeks of

classes and exams is upsetting.

“At the beginning, I was like, ‘There’s not much to do in Charlottesville. There’s Trin and Boylan, if you want to party and stuff,’ but now, the people I met, those I think I will miss the most,” Galli said. “I’m happy to see my family again for sure and it’s Christmas, so that’s a good feeling but at the same time it’s a one-time experience — just knowing that it probably won’t happen again makes me sad.”

Much like Galli, exchanging the Charlottesville community for his home university later this month brings about mixed emotions for Gonzalez. He is extremely excited to see Barcelona once again but also wants to continue to build these relationships.

“It’s very bittersweet because obviously I miss what I’m accustomed to in Spain but at the same time, a semester is such a short time,” Gonzalez said. “It’s long enough for you to build some sort of meaningful connection or relationships with other people, but it’s not fully possible to build a more intimate relationship …

You want to keep meeting people, keep seeing these people and learning what they’re about.”

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THE CAVALIER DAILY

Aspiring CIO ‘Taste of Home’ hosts pop-up meals Refugees bring their native food to a new community

LIFE It seems everywhere you look in Charlottesville, restaurants offer countless meals — most Corner eateries serve up bar food, while the Downtown Mall hosts everything from sushi to burgers, and the Belmont area is where you take your visiting parents for a slightly more upscale meal.

The Charlottesville community is known for its abundance of restaurants — in 2013, the town was ranked 14th for most restaurants per capita.

Quality is also heavily lauded, with some establishments boasting locally-sourced foods and natural ingredients. But what about food known for both its authenticity and social purpose? “Taste of Home: Charlottesville” seeks to fill this niche in the Charlottesville community.

While still working to obtain contracted independent organization status at the University, Taste of Home uses food to promote inclusivity and diversity within the community. It organizes pop-up dining experiences at Charlottesville restau-

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Maya Das | Feature Writer rants that showcase the food of local refugee chefs who benefit from 100 percent of the proceeds. Pop-up dining attendees purchase tickets online or through social media avenues such as Facebook, and the refugee chefs get to keep the profits from the night.

Currently, the organization consists of six women, many of whom have parents who immigrated to the U.S. Mayan Braude, founder of Taste of Home and a class of 2018 University alumna, felt a call to serve the Charlottesville community following the August 2017 white supremacist protests. She was home in Hong Kong on summer break when she learned of the protests. Braude said she felt afraid to return to Grounds, concerned for her personal safety and the worrisome environment at the University and in Charlottesville.

Following the protests, Braude began researching xenophobia and found out Charlottesville is a popular resettlement site for many refugees.

The idea of Taste of Home came to fruition when she connected xenophobia with the cultural and language barriers that exist in the United States for many immigrants and

refugees. Braude realized that one commonality among individuals was an appreciation for good food — especially in a foodie town like Charlottesville — and believed she could use this as a tool for communication and cultural exchange.

“The ultimate goal behind Taste of Home: Charlottesville is to foster cultural exchange in our community,” Braude said in an email. “But the impact of this initiative is two pronged, as it empowers the refugee chefs we work with, while also celebrating diversity in Charlottesville.”

Braude worked with the International Rescue Committee in Charlottesville, where she found refugees interested in participating.

“Caseworkers helped me learn the realities of the refugee situation and the various war-torn countries they hailed from,” Braude said. “My internet research paled in comparison to hearing first person accounts.”

Taste of Home debuted with its first pop-up in May 2018 at The Southern Crescent Gallery and Bar where two Syrian refugee chefs, Nsreen and Heba Ghazoul, prepared traditional Syrian dishes for the local

community, University students and even faculty members.

One of the challenges in creating the first pop-up was communication between Braude and the Ghazouls.

The group used photographs, Google Translate and Nsreen’s daughter to converse.

The second pop-up took place this fall when two sisters, Jamileh Amiri and Khadijah Emmati prepared an Afghani dinner for local community members which provided them with the opportunity to share their culture with Charlottesville. They both grew up in Iran and introduced the traditional dishes typically cooked at home in their culture. For them, cooking represents an everyday activity that brings people closer together.

“I really enjoyed this, and I love this kind of organization for new people in this country,” Amiri said. “It was so interesting to see how American people reacted to the food.”

While Taste of Home currently has only a few members, everyone involved is deeply passionate about the cause and determined to make an impact on the Charlottesville community. The group is looking to find

others passionate about the cause to further develop the organization and obtain CIO status.

The past two pop-ups successfully introduced local Charlottesville residents to global cuisines they might not otherwise have had the opportunity to sample. Sarah Corning, co-director of Taste of Home, emphasized the number of repeat customers and positive feedback she received after these events with one attendee.

Going forward, Braude hopes to expand this organization across the United States and even beyond.

The passing of Anthony Bourdain, a world-renowned traveler and chef, greatly affected both Braude and Corning, and they hope to carry on his legacy through Taste of Home.

As a culinary expert and travel documentarian, he used food to immerse himself into cultures around the globe.

“My family watched his show religiously, and [Bourdain’s] mission is very prevalent in how we continue as an organization,” Corning said.

Stay tuned for the next pop-up coming Spring 2019.

Commerce students breathe new life into ‘Hot Air’ Despite initial performance woes, filmmakers turn to Entertainment Marketing class for strategic re-launch solutions Cady Rombach | Feature Writer The struggles of indie filmmaking have long existed, as filmmakers Jeremy Goldstein and Derek Sieg experienced first hand with the initial release of their independent film “Hot Air.” But with the help of Commerce students in Assoc. Commerce Prof.

Natasha Foutz’s Entertainment Marketing course, Goldstein and Sieg hope to change this narrative.

After Sieg and Goldstein won the Jury Award at the 2016 Austin Film Festival, “Hot Air” struggled to obtain the viewership and distribution offers that the filmmakers were hoping for.

“The offers were pretty low and not very promising to make any money back,” Goldstein said. “We’ve done those deals before on previous films and just kind of came out disappointed ... so we wanted to take it into our own hands.”

Sieg is an alum of the University and owns the social club Commonhouse, while Goldstein, who has guest lectured at University marketing classes and been involved with the Virginia Film Festival, owns North American Sake Brewery — both businesses are in Charlottesville.

While working for Sieg at Commonhouse last spring, Foutz’s former student Yash Tekriwal proposed a partnership between the filmmakers

and Foutz to re-launch “Hot Air” — potentially on a streaming platform — and hopefully attain greater success. Specifically, this collaboration involved students in Foutz’s Entertainment Marketing course.

Foutz — who is renowned for her research into data analytics in entertainment media decision-making — said collaboration with real businesses is typical of the course. Past class projects have ranged from transitioning a Richmond-area golf course into a multifunctional center to working with the NBA. This is the first time, however, that the course worked with filmmakers directly.

“We have a collaboration with a number of local, national and global media entertainment firms to produce final projects, because I’m a big believer of project-based learning,” Foutz said.

Foutz feels positively about collaborating with Sieg and Goldstein.

“It’s a perfect final project, a perfect fit for this class,” Foutz said.

This sense of optimism for the future of the film is mutual, according to Goldstein, who said he and Sieg appreciate the additional marketing ideas students offer.

“We’re only two people,” Goldstein said. “And so the opportunity to have 30 plus students, really bright

students of the McIntire School, get involved — we thought would be fun and very unique.”

The class is divided into eight groups of three or four students with each group focusing on a specific aspect concerning re-launch marketing or media presence. These subjects cover a wide range, from brand assets to attracting indie film fans to even niche categories — like vegans and hot air balloon enthusiasts — who would enjoy “Hot Air” for its incorporation of certain topics they like.

Fourth-year Commerce student Madeline Coder is a member of the brand assets team and said her group has worked on film posters, a trailer and “Hot Air”’s website as ways to entice more consumers to watch the movie.

“Both the director and the producer kind of made everything and they don’t really come from a business background,” Coder said. “So they wanted the perspective of business students to help them market the movie when they relaunch it.”

Fourth-year Commerce student Elizabeth Pringle — whose team is focused on marketing to the Charlottesville and Austin audiences — points to the presence of Matthew Gray Gubler as another point of attraction for the film. Gubler, an actor

known primarily for his work on the TV crime show “Criminal Minds,” plays the main character in “Hot Air.” “I think Matthew Gray Gubler being in the movie would greatly appeal to the University students, which is why we’re also really excited to have the Charlottesville market as one of our main topics for the project,” Pringle said.

Pringle mentioned other notable actors of the film such as Jere Burns, Gary Cole and 2006 University graduate Schuyler Fisk as further points of appeal.

With business and family obligations, Sieg and Goldstein admittedly struggle to meet the demanding time commitments that producing a film requires.

“Typically, if you work with a big distributor or a big studio, you have an entire team of people,” Goldstein said. “We both have full careers … [collaborating] with Professor Foutz and the entertainment marketing class [has] taken a lot of burden off of us.”

Though Charlottesville isn’t concentrated with big film production companies like Hollywood, Goldstein is excited for what’s in store for both the film and the students.

“It’s like what you would go through sort of in a Hollywood sys-

tem, just at the student level,” Goldstein said. “All of these students are graduating soon and if they’re interested in this type of work, this is what they’ll be doing at the next level.”

Foutz echoes this statement of real world applicability and said students have expressed similar sentiments.

“Students have worked on it the whole time very closely with the producers … They’re very excited,” Foutz said. “Before the students graduate they probably will witness ... the results … They feel like they own it, and they made an impact on something real.”

Fourth-year Commerce student Sherman Tabor attests to this tangibility of results. Tabor said he has worked with businesses before in the Commerce school, but most don’t usually enact student proposals.

“Since this film is on such a small scale, they actually have said that they will use the things that we’ve pitched to them,” Tabor said.

The exact date of the film’s re-release is still under consideration. Students have proposed dates such as January and Valentine’s Day in 2019, but according to Goldstein, “Hot Air” is loosely scheduled for re-release in early 2019.

www.cavalierdaily.com • LIFE

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2018

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Six ways to shake up your hot cocoa Creative twists on hot chocolate perfect for the holidays Ally Donberger | Food Columnist Winter break is just in sight, and nothing beats a nice warm cup of hot chocolate to get me in the holiday spirit. While a regular cup of cocoa never fails to hit the spot, I decided to try a variety of different combinations to spice up my hot chocolate drinking experience. All of the different recipes can be thrown together with simple ingredients and a microwave. They are fast, easy and taste delicious.

The basic ingredients needed for each cup of cocoa are milk — I used 2 percent — and the hot chocolate mix of your choice. You will also need access to a microwave. Spoons to distribute the hot chocolate and stir are also needed, and your favorite mug for serving. I recommend using a medium sized mug that would hold approximately a cup and a half of milk.

Peppermint Hot Chocolate Extra Ingredients: ● Mini candy canes ● Whipped cream Directions: 1. Heat the milk in the microwave for two minutes, or until your desired temperature is reached.

II. Place one mini candy cane in the milk and stir until completely dissolved.

III. After the candy cane is mixed, stir in two heaping spoonfuls of hot chocolate.

IV. Top it all off with a generous dollop of whipped cream and crushed candy cane bits. Add a single mini candy cane for additional decoration

and to stir with.

Peppermint hot chocolate is a great option for a warm festive treat.

The peppermint flavor is subtle — adds a nice hint of a sweet minty flavor with each sip. The crushed candy cane bits from the top add a pleasant crunch and the whipped cream acts almost like marshmallows with its light, fluffy texture and slightly sweet taste.

Caramel Hot Chocolate Extra Ingredients: ● Hershey’s Caramel Syrup ● Whipped cream Directions: I. Heat the milk in the microwave first for two minutes just like the peppermint cocoa.

II. After it’s heated, stir in two squirts of the caramel syrup.

III. Mix until completely combined before adding two heaping spoonfuls of the hot chocolate mix.

IV. Once mixed in completely, top with whipped cream and a drizzle of the caramel sauce.

The classic combination of caramel and chocolate pairs well in this recipe, and it’s the perfect variation of hot chocolate for caramel lovers. The caramel adds a distinct sweetness to the hot chocolate without being too overpowering. You can add as much or as little of the caramel syrup depending on the level of sweetness that you want.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate

Extra Ingredients: ● Two Reese’s chocolate peanut butter cups ● Peanut butter ● Whipped cream Directions: I. In a small bowl, melt three heaping spoonfuls of peanut butter in the microwave until the consistency is runny. Heat the milk for two minutes like the previous recipes.

II. Add one spoonful of the melted peanut butter to the heated milk and stir until completely combined. The other two spoonfuls will be used for the drizzle.

III. Once mixed, add and dissolve one Reese’s peanut butter cup to the milk mixture.

IV. Add two heaping spoonfuls of the hot chocolate mix and stir well.

V. Add whipped cream, peanut butter drizzle and half of a peanut butter cup to top it off.

I love chocolate peanut butter everything, so I was very excited try this combination. This recipe was full of the peanut butter flavor, but balanced well with the chocolate. The peanut butter cups also add a familiar taste against the cocoa.

S’mores Hot Chocolate Extra Ingredients: ● Graham crackers ● One regular Hershey’s chocolate bar ● Mini marshmallows Directions: I. Heat the milk for two minutes in

the microwave.

II. Stir in three rectangles of the Hershey’s chocolate bar into the hot milk. Mix until combined.

III. Add two heaping spoonfuls of hot chocolate mix. and stir to dissolve.

IV. Garnish with a handful of mini marshmallows, graham crackers, Hershey’s rectangles and crushed graham crackers.

This recipe is fun to make and to eat. S’mores are a classic summer treat and this a great recipe to enjoy the flavor without venturing out to a bonfire in the cold winter weather.

The heat from the drink melts the garnish of chocolate and marshmallows — making it perfect to use the graham crackers to enjoy a mini s’more before drinking the hot chocolate.

Cookies and Cream Hot Chocolate Extra Ingredients: ● Mini Oreos ● One regular Hershey’s Cookies ‘n Creme bar Directions: I. Heat the milk in the microwave for two minutes.

II. Crush five mini oreos with your hands in a plastic bag, and stir in to the milk.

III. Add in three rectangles of the Hershey’s Cookies ‘n Creme bar, and stir until melted.

IV. Add the two spoonfuls of hot cocoa, and combine.

V. Top it off with whipped cream, mini oreos, Hershey’s Cookies ‘n

Creme bar and crushed Oreos.

Cookies and cream makes a great ice cream flavor, so I was curious to try it in hot chocolate — it did not disappoint. The crushed Oreos in the hot chocolate make a chunky texture, but it’s still delicious. The melted Hershey’s bar adds a hint of white chocolate flavor to the cocoa, and the Oreos on top are fun to eat.

Hot Chocolate Float Extra Ingredients: ● Vanilla ice cream — I prefer Turkey Hill’s Vanilla Bean, however any brand will work ● Whipped cream ● Hershey’s chocolate sauce Directions: I. Heat the milk in the microwave for two minutes II. Add in two spoonfuls of cocoa.

Stir until dissolved.

III. Place one scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of the cocoa.

IV. Finish it off with whipped cream and a chocolate syrup drizzle.

This recipe is one of my favorites of the six. It is a fun twist on a classic dessert and is the perfect addition if you want to turn your cup of cocoa into a dessert. The ice cream was a nice contrast to the hot chocolate. It partially melted into the cocoa, adding a sweet and creamy vanilla flavor. The float is best enjoyed with a spoon and I recommend eating it quickly before all of the ice cream melts.

Your favorite snacks that go festive in the holiday season That nostalgic bite, re-envisioned for the winter Elise Kim | Food Columnist With finals right around the corner, most people would expect an article detailing the newest health craze snacks or the best homemade nut mix for that crunch you crave when your textbook glares up at you dauntingly — but I digress. There is nothing that screams “holiday” more than your favorite munchies celebrating the festivities of winter.

I’ve taken the liberty of compiling into a list some of the most popular snacks that released holiday flavors this December, both old and new — but ranked in no particular order. You can’t discriminate against any of these spirited snacks by trying to rank them — that’s just rude.

Let’s start off with a classic.

Rold Gold is back with their White Fudge Peppermint Dipped pretzels this season — a definite necessity for all you pretzel-lovers out there.

The winter feels are real with this snowflake-shaped, peppermint-flavored dipped pretzel. Since its release in 2011, this timeless classic has been

an essential for me during the holiday season.

Its competitive counterpart, Snack Factory’s White Chocolate Peppermint Pretzel Crisps and Dark Chocolate Peppermint Pretzel Crisps are another holiday favorite for me. These taste about the same as the Rold Gold pretzels, but with a more pronounced peppermint flavor because of the real peppermint pieces layered generously on each pretzel. One of my holiday necessities, for sure.

Though it may not necessarily constitute a “snack,” this release is still worth mentioning. For the first time in 10 years, Hershey’s has decided to release a new flavor. Of course, what better way to kick off the season’s warm and cozy vibes than with the Hot Cocoa Kiss? The two components to hot chocolate come together in this classic Hershey’s Kiss filled with a delectable marshmallow-flavored crème.

Next on this festive list is none other than Pepperidge Farm’s Gold-

fish — their Hot Cocoa Goldfish is a clear win over here. Coming in hot and brand new this holiday season, these chocolate grahams and marshmallow fish-shaped pieces bring me back to my childhood and are perfect for when the sweet snack munchies hit. I’m starting to see a trend with hot cocoa this winter.

As a brief break from the artificial sweets, this intermission takes us to a hidden gem. Planters has a Winter Spiced Nuts Mix that is absolutely to die for. Featuring honey roasted peanuts, sesame sticks, almonds, cashews and pecans, this mix is perfect for packing in a Ziploc bag to accompany your studies at the library. But let’s be real, the whole can is coming along for the ride — it’s that good.

For a lighter snack option, try out Utz’s White Cheddar Snow Balls. No, these are not your ordinary cheese balls — they actually look like snowballs and what better way to reminisce on past snow days or the first winter snow than by munching

on these deliciously savory, cheesy snowballs?

Returning to the tirade of sweets, we have the return of the well-known Winter Oreo. The classic Oreo gets a red makeover, but the flavor profile stays the same with this festive classic.

I must admit, though, I am slightly disappointed that they removed the winter shapes on the cookies. However, to compensate for this, Oreo released a new limited edition flavor this winter with their Peppermint Bark rendition. The classic cocoa cookie sandwiches a generous layer of peppermint-flavored crème and crunchy sugar crystals in this ambitious take on a winter classic.

A slightly less sweet, but still festive option is Angie’s Boomchickapop Holiday collection. The four flavors, though a little less prevalent in stores, is a blessing to our taste buds. Boomchickapop markets festive, low-calorie popcorn for easy go-to snacks to satisfy our sweet cravings without feeling full to bursting from a holiday

sugar rush. Hot Cocoa Marshmallow, White Chocolate and Peppermint, Dark Chocolaty Drizzled Sea Salt and Frosted Sugar Cookie range from 110 to 120 calories a cup for some festive goodness.

If we’re all being honest though, finals season usually constitutes rushing out with barely enough time to pack snacks. What better substitute for a grab-n-go than a Clif Bar? They’re back with their holiday flavors — Iced Gingerbread and Peppermint Bark.

These are not only versatile snack options to fill you up, but they’re obviously delicious. Iced Gingerbread?

Yes, please!

And for the best news — these snacks are also all conveniently located at the local Charlottesville Target. Easy access for the yummiest snacks this season? A win-win. You’re welcome.

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LIFE • www.cavalierdaily.com

Top 10 moments to remember The semester in review

Grace Breiner | Top 10 Writer

1 When the semester started

Arriving back on Grounds after summer is pretty exciting. Not so much the beginning of classes, but those first few days when our only responsibility is trying to squeeze all of our possessions into incredibly small rooms and catching up with as many people as possible. It feels a bit like coming home, only with the amplified energy of thousands of homecomings happening at once.

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When a football game was actually fun

For context, I don’t go to a lot of football games. In fact, I’ve been to exactly two. Then my mom, whose Wahoo spirit rivals my own, suggested going to a football game. Three hours of watching people tackle each other over a ball — why, Mom, why?

But despite my lack of love for sports, I actually enjoyed the game. It’s easy to dismiss sports when all you hear are scores and a lot of references you don’t understand or really care about. It’s entirely different to be in the stadium and feel the energy of everyone rooting for our team and school. Plus, anything you put on a jumbo screen is pretty much bound to be hilarious.

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When there was a hurricane

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When expectations were extremely high

Fresh from summer vacation and ready to take on the world, I was idealistic verging on delusional. I was ready to have a fully balanced life, get more involved, study hard and exercise regularly — definitely delusional. It worked out moderately well. I even went jogging upwards of three times — but it could not last.

Still, every so often I get a rush of that motivation that was hanging around the air the first few weeks of this semester, and I’ll go to the gym or eat a random vegetable. Sporadic health is better than none at all, right?

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Anyone that I spoke to at the beginning of this semester can attest to the fact that I was looking forward to fall a great deal. A singular orange leaf was all it took for me to launch into a 10-minute monologue about it. Many drizzly weeks later, there was still no sign of fall, and I was left clutching my salted caramel mocha in the rain — wondering if I loved fall so much that I scared it away. Then one Friday in mid-October, when I least expected it, I walked outside to the beautiful surprise of crisp air and golden leaves. Fall kept us all waiting, but when it showed up it really showed up.

Trick or Treating on the Lawn is definitely one of the most iconic University traditions. Even though it was right in the middle of the week, ordinary life took a backseat, and Halloween spirit poured onto the lawn in the form of adorable children, hilarious dog costumes and lots and lots of candy. You may wake up bleary-eyed, with a sugar hangover and a little behind on work the next day, but if Halloween is not an excuse to shirk responsibility, then what is?

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When Friday night finally came around

Anticipation for Friday night frequently began on Monday. Still, I would suppress it until it began to bubble out mid-week, and I couldn’t help asking people in casual conversation what their plans for that weekend are. What I love is the broad range of answers I’ll get in response to that question. They range from going to the symphony to seeing their friend’s play to having a movie night to of course, the wonderfully vague answer that everyone knows the exact meaning of — “I’m going out.” Unfortunately, Friday nights can’t last forever, though the shameful memories of the night before and vague pieces of “Mo Bamba” haunting the back of your mind seem to.

When Friday night was followed all too closely

by Monday morning

Waking up for my 8 a.m. class became such a dreaded event that I would stay up later and later just to delay going to sleep, even though I knew I would eventually have to wake up. The only bright side of this was the latenight hours that I would spend lying in bed talking to my roommate. Having someone to struggle with through the hardest nights of the week changed these moments from mundane to memorable. Besides, pretty much any meme you show me is going to be crazy hilarious when it’s 2 a.m. and I’m right on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

When the leaves changed colors

When everyone went wild for Halloween

It honestly seems like forever ago that Hurricane Florence came into our lives. Tragically, we all know the end to that story was an email reminding us that our schedules would continue uninterrupted. I know that it ended up only drizzling here, but after all of the anticipation, all the hurricane snacks eaten and rebought, didn’t we deserve a little bit more than just being slightly dampened, both physically and in spirits?

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When someday became today

There are a lot of things I tell myself I’ll do. It’s the follow through I struggle with. When it actually happens, it’s almost always a lot messier than it appeared on my perfectly color-coded planner. So when “climb a mountain” showed up on my to do list, naturally it seemed doomed for failure. But disaster-prone or not, every University student at one point or another feels inexplicably driven to go on a hike.

So, I got up at 5 a.m., picked up my half-asleep friend to go on a hike. And guess what I’m not great at, folks — hiking. In my defense, it was very dark and who knew that there were so many loose rocks everywhere. Still scuffed up, there’s nothing quite like reaching the top.

When the semester ended

Throughout this semester, it has become terribly apparent that there are highs and lows to life no matter how old or how emotionally stable you think you are. But when things do calm down, just for a minute, just enough to see the person you’re becoming with every moment that passes, it kind of makes it worth it. As the semester comes to an end, we’ll all have that chance to think about what we’ve done and what we’d like to do. But at the moment, thinking about what I’ve done gives me anxiety and all I’d like to do is pass my finals. One step at a time, right?

Graphics by Jie Ying Huang, Nikita Sivakumar, Grace Codella, and Tyra Krehbiel

THE CAVALIER DAILY

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Recapping the fall sports cycle A review of men’s soccer, women’s soccer and volleyball seasons

SPORTS

CD Sports Staff

Men’s soccer The Virginia men’s soccer team (10-4-3, 3-2-2 ACC) was eliminated

by Notre Dame (11-7-3, 4-3-1 ACC) 1-0 in overtime in the third round of the NCAA Tournament Nov. 25.

The Cavaliers finished their season with a 10-4-3 record, going 3-2-2 in regular-season ACC play.

Virginia had earned the 10th-overall seed and a first-round bye in the NCAA Tournament, then defeated Furman 2-0 in the second round behind two late goals from sophomore winger Nathaniel Crofts. Crofts finished the season third on the team with four goals and led the team in assists with six.

Freshman forwards Daryl Dike and Cabrel Happi Kamseu were tied for the team lead with five goals apiece, but Dike scored his final goal of the season on Oct. 16 and Happi Kamseu scored his on Oct. 12, as the Cavaliers only scored 24 goals over the course of the full season.

However, the Cavalier defense only let in 12 goals throughout the season. Virginia sophomore goalkeeper Colin Shutler and junior goalkeeper Marcel Dasilva posted a combined goals against average of 0.68. Shutler started every regular season game in goal for Virginia, but missed both NCAA Tournament matches with an injury.

— compiled by Colin Cantwell Women’s soccer The Cavaliers (16-5-1, 7-3 ACC) ended their season in the third round of the NCAA tournament with a loss against No. 2 Baylor (20-6, 8-1 Big 12). With high hopes for a deep run in the playoffs, Virginia’s early departure leaves a feeling of disappointment. However, their lackluster performances in the ACC and NCAA tournaments do not represent their accomplishments and elite level of play over the course of the entire season in one of the toughest divisions in the country.

ANDREW WALSH | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Freshman Cabrel Happi Kamseu tied for the team lead with five goals this season thanks to strong early season output.

This year’s squad’s tremendous depth of talent performed at an extraordinarily high level in the regular season, reaching No. 4 in the country overall. Spreading their minutes around, 19 Cavaliers have

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played at least five hundred minutes each this season, and only eight of them have accumulated as many as one thousand minutes.

“It's something that every year is a little different. We've always had good depth on our team, but we haven't been this deep,” Virginia Coach Steve Swanson said. “We can put two good lineups out there and still not lose anything.”

Within the myriad of talent, a few individuals separated themselves from the bunch through a number of key performances and consistent contributions. Freshman Alexa Spaanstra leads the Wahoos with 24 points, on nine goals and six assists as well as receiving numerous All-ACC honors. With 19 points on nine goals, junior Meghan McCool is next, followed by freshman Rebecca Jarrett, who has 14 points on six goals and two assists.

As shown by the statistics above, another hallmark to the Cavalier’s success has been their strong attack. A testament to their offensive balance, 11 players have at least two goals apiece and 12 players have at least two assists each.

Among notable accomplishments such as their seven game win streak and five Cavaliers winning All-ACC honors, Swanson earning his 400th career win has to be the most precious moment of the season. He is only the eleventh coach all-time in NCAA DI history to hit the 400-win mark.

With a season full of record book accomplishments and performances, the Cavaliers ultimately fell short in the postseason. Looking ahead to next season, Virginia will need to find a way to perform more consistently down the stretch in order to achieve their ultimate goal of a national title.

— compiled by Alex Maniatis

Volleyball The Virginia volleyball team, after picking up wins sporadically throughout the season, ended its year with three-straight losses including a sweep by Boston College in the regular season finale. The poor finish capped off a difficult season for the Cavaliers who ended with an overall record of 8-20 and an ACC record of 4-14. Accordingly, Virginia finished last in the conference with plenty of room for improvement.

Despite the disappointing finish, the Cavaliers’ season had plenty of bright spots. Their well-rounded win against North Carolina was enlightening. Their 13-block defensive dominance against Wake Forest was masterful. Finally, of course, their toppling of fierce rival Virginia Tech in a five-set thriller was exhilarating.

While the Cavaliers weren’t an ACC contender this year, the team’s abundant youth is a sign of hope. The only two players Virginia will be graduating this year are redshirt junior middle blocker Kat Young and senior libero Olivia Wolodkewitsch. The rest of the team is highlighted by outstanding underclassmen. Sophomore outside hitter Sarah Billiard led the team in kills with 368 and sophomore setter Megan Wilson recorded a team-leading 706 assists. On the defensive side, freshman middle blocker Milla Ciprian is leads the Cavaliers in blocking with 105 over the course of the season. In addition, versatile freshman outside hitter Grace Turner ranks inside the top 3 on the team in three different categories — kills, digs, and service aces. As Virginia head coach Aaron Smith looks towards the future, he’ll be happy to know that he has a solid, young foundation to build on.

— compiled by Vignesh Mulay

www.cavalierdaily.com • SPORTS

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2018

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Football selected to Belk Bowl, will face South Carolina The Cavaliers are set for a return to Charlotte, where they’ve historically found success Zach Zamoff | Senior Associate Editor Virginia (7-5) was selected to the Belk Bowl in Charlotte, where they will face South Carolina (7-5) on December 29th.

The Cavaliers were selected to a bowl game for the second consecutive season after losing to Navy in the Military Bowl last year.

It has been 15 years since Virginia last played in the Belk Bowl.

The Cavaliers have significant history with the Belk Bowl, which has changed sponsors since the bowl game was first played in Charlotte in 2002. In fact, Virginia won the first ever bowl game in Charlotte (then called the Continental Tire Bowl) against West

Virginia, 48-22. The Cavaliers then returned to the Continental Tire Bowl the following season and beat Pittsburgh, 23-16.

South Carolina, headed to its third consecutive bowl game under Coach Will Muschamp, have never played in the Belk Bowl.

The Cavaliers had an impressive season in Coach Bronco Mendenhall’s third year. They performed well in ACC play, and would be 9-3 if not for two close overtime losses at the end of the year against Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech.

The selection to the Belk Bowl, a Tier I bowl game, is a testament to the Cavaliers’ im-

provement this season.

Beyond the team’s success, a number of outstanding individual players have stood out. Three Virginia players were selected to the all-ACC first team: senior wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus, who holds Virginia’s alltime record for receptions, was named to the first team offense, and senior safety Juan Thornhill and junior cornerback Bryce Hall were named to the first team defense. Thornhill led the Cavaliers in tackles (92) and in interceptions (5), and Hall led the nation in pass breakups.

Virginia also had players on the all-ACC third team and play-

ers receiving honorable mention: senior linebacker Chris Peace and junior wide receiver Joe Reed made the third team, and junior transfer quarterback Bryce Perkins, senior running back Jordan Ellis, and senior tight end Evan Butts received honorable mention accolades.

Perkins took Virginia’s offense to new heights this season, and should be critical in Virginia’s matchup against South Carolina.

The dual-threat quarterback had a record-breaking year, setting a Virginia single-season record with 3,314 yards of total offense and a single-season record for touchdowns responsible for with

31 touchdowns this year.

Virginia is poised to face a strong South Carolina football team in Charlotte. The Gamecocks played a difficult SEC schedule, and should be a challenging opponent for the Cavaliers. They are led by junior quarterback Jake Bentley on offense, who threw for over 500 yards and five touchdowns in a loss against Clemson this year.

A win in the game would be a big step in the direction of Coach Mendenhall’s New Standard. Virginia has won just one bowl game since last playing in the Belk Bowl in 2003.

MEN’S BASKETBALL’S EARLY SEASON RISERS With the Cavaliers off to a blistering hot start, it’s time we recognize some of the best performers so far With the out-of-conference schedule almost completed, the No. 4 Virginia men’s basketball team (8-0, 0-0 ACC) has exceeded preseason expectations thus far. The Cavaliers already have two Top 25 wins against thenNo. 25 Wisconsin (7-1, 1-0 Big Ten) and No. 24 Maryland (7-1, 1-0 Big Ten), both of which have continued to climb despite losing to Virginia. Another impressive win came against Dayton (4-3, 0-0 A10), which provided a spirited second half challenge during the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament last month.

Virginia’s record should not be surprising, the team lost only three games during the entirety of last season. However, the increase in offensive efficiency has been notable, as the Cavaliers have increased their average points scored from 67.1 last season to 74.8 this season.

This offensive uptick comes despite the graduation of guard Devon Hall, who was the second-leading scorer last season.

This, in my opinion, is due to the development of a few key pieces of Virginia’s mover-blocker offense — three of whom I’ll analyze below as some as the most valuable players of the preseason.

De’Andre Hunter The sophomore forward hailing from Philadelphia is one of the most athletically-gifted players ever to play under Coach Tony Bennett, and returned for a second playing year at Virginia instead of declaring for the 2018 NBA Draft. Hunter took

a large step in efficiency at the start of ACC play last season and became a vital for the Cavaliers record-breaking regular season campaign.

Hunter missed the postseason with a wrist injury, but seems to have taken another step forward in both his playmaking and shooting ability. He’s always had an outside shot, but has been a genuine threat from beyond the arc this season — shooting at a .444 clip at around two and a half attempts per game.

More impressively, Hunter’s ability to drive and get buckets at will has changed the nature of Virginia’s offense. The 6-foot-7 forward is too quick for most power forwards and too big for most small forwards, which means that he is a matchup nightmare that other team are forced to account for when he’s on the floor. When the shots of junior guards Ty Jerome and Kyle Guy aren’t falling, Hunter has a tendency to take things into his own hands. This makes him an ideal weapon for an offense that still can appear lifeless at times.

Kihei Clark Freshman point guard Kihei Clark has emerged as one of the most shockingly aggressive players in the country. The 5-foot-9 true freshman was expected to provide meaningful but limited minutes off the bench, but has so far logged nearly 30 minutes per game, more than any player outside of Virginia’s big three of Hunter, Guy and Jerome.

He’s been a revelation for a

ANDREW WALSH | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Freshman guard Kihei Clark has played more than expected for Virginia in the early part of the season, averaging 5.4 points and 3 assists per game. However, his true impact as been on the defensive end of the floor.

program that’s lost a step on defense a season after graduating two of it’s best defenders, forward Isaiah Wilkins and Hall.

His on-ball defense is incredibly developed for someone his age, and he has the ability to lock down the smaller, quicker guards that have been the bane of the Pack Line in the past.

Offensively, Clark is well on the way to becoming an elite distributor. He can shoot from the outside respectably enough and has can duck and weave amongst the trees to get to the rim, but only averages around 5.4 points per game with moderate efficiency. However, he’s an exceptional floor general and averages around three assists per game,

some of which display on court vision well beyond his years.

Ty Jerome Jerome has emerged as a leader for Virginia and one of the best two way point guards in college basketball. He is averaging over 14 points, 4 assists and nearly 2 steals in only 30 minutes per game. Jerome is shooting threes at .459 clip, which would be the highest percentage of his career by a wide margin should carry through the rest of the season.

Jerome received attention from NBA scouts this summer at the CP3 camp for point guards, where his vision and generalship on court propelled him into conversations about a potential first round departure after this sea-

son. Jerome’s turnover percentage is slightly down from last year while his assist percentage is slightly up. He has the ability to run isolation plays in the clutch, but can also has the playmaking ability to pass back out to other open shooters.

LUKE BEASEY is a Sports Columnist for The Cavalier Daily.

He can be reached at ldb2cj@virginia.edu or followed on Twitter @ luke_beasey.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2018

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EDITORIAL: We must shape what is ours Active student participation is essential for a well-rounded vision of the University’s future

OPINION When University President Jim Ryan outlined the goals for his administration, he highlighted the “Ours to Shape” initiative to collect community input on ways to strengthen cultures of community, discovery and service at the University. Student, faculty, staff and other members of the University have contributed their suggestions through online essay submissions and through attendance at several events throughout the year. President Ryan and the University administration must continue to solicit input from the University community — and students must

take their own initiative — to address areas of needed change to make such changes as effective as possible.

In keeping with the University tradition of student self-governance, students must take advantage of the opportunity to voice their concerns and suggestions to improve the University community as a whole. President Ryan and the University administration must prioritize student input in this process. Given recent concerns students have expressed regarding the proposed increases in tuition and other decisions made by the administration, it is important that students, President Ryan, and the rest of the University administration maintain open channels of communi-

cation to ensure that a large and inclusive group of community members take part in shaping the University’s future as it heads into its third century.

Tabitha Enoch, an assistant dean and director of orientation and new student programs, summarized the purpose of “Ours to Shape.” “It’s not about knowing all of the answers, but asking the right questions.” Determining the goals and interests of the student body is pressing because students are the very ones who are most affected by the administration’s decisions. Rising costs in tuition represent challenges for students and their families, and the allocation of resources influences the University’s academic offerings and other areas of student life,

such as the accessibility of health and counseling services.

In order to better include students in the “Ours to Shape” initiative, the University administration should hold more events such as the one on Nov. 27 and continue to collect input through online essay submissions. Maintaining transparency in decision-making and developments in the initiative are also important in ensuring that the administration’s efforts to include students in shaping our community are being implemented.

Students are the ultimate stakeholders in the University experience. When they graduate, they carry their University affiliation with them for the rest of their lives, and the years spent

WA N T T O R E S P O N D ?

as an undergraduate or graduate here influence their careers, beliefs and intellectual development. In order to help the University fulfill its mission of developing responsible, students and the administration — along with other members of the University community — must work together to foster the best experience and community here possible.

THE CAVALIER DAILY EDITORIAL BOARD is composed of the executive editor, the editor in chief and three at-large members of the paper. The board can be reached at eb@cavalierdaily.com.

@cavalierdaily

s u b m i t a l e t t e r t o t h e e d i t o r a t @ c av a l i e rd a i l y . c o m

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

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

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

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

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

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

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MANAGING BOARD Editor-in-Chief Tim Dodson Managing Editor Ben Tobin Executive Editor Jake Lichtenstein Operations Manager Sonia Gupta Chief Financial Officer Nate Bolon EDITORIAL BOARD Jake Lichtenstein Tim Dodson Audrey Fahlberg Tom Ferguson Katherine Smith

JUNIOR BOARD Assistant Managing Editors Alexis Gravely Gracie Kreth (SA) Alec Husted (SA) Alix Nguyen (SA) Aaron Rose (SA) Anne Whitney (SA) Hannah Boehlert

News Editors Jake Gold Maggie Servais (SA) Kate Bellows (SA) Geremia Di Maro Sports Editors Alec Dougherty Jake Blank (SA) Emma D’arpino (SA) Zach Zamoff Life Editors Julie Bond Natalie Seo Arts & Entertainment Editors Dan Goff Thomas Roades (SA) Darby Delaney (SA) Ben Hitchcock Health & Science Editors Tina Chai Ruhee Shah Focus Editor Abby Clukey Opinion Editors Brendan Novak Jacob Asch (SA) Gavin Scott Humor Editor Veronica Sirotic (SA) Ben Miller Cartoon Editor Mira du Plessis (SA) Gabby Fuller

Production Editors Mark Felice Zach Beim Elizabeth Lee Print Graphics Editor Aisha Singh Maddy Sita Photography Editors Christina Anton Andrew Walsh (SA) Chandler Collins Video Editor Raymundo Mora Engineering Manager Leo Dominguez Social Media Managers Ashley Botkin Libby Scully Translation Editors Yuqi Cheng Natalia Chavez (SA) Felipe Buitrago Marketing & Advertising Managers Avantika Mehra Sales Representivies Lydia Kim Abhi Opesh Business Manager Kelly Mays

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OPINION • www.cavalierdaily.com

THE CAVALIER DAILY

DUA: WHAT’S SO SPECIAL ABOUT THE JUUL? New FDA regulations seem fruitless and may end up causing more harm than good

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t’s hard to overstate the transformative effect the Juul has had on modern culture. People all over the country have become smitten with the e-cigarette and it’s easy to see why — Juuls are cool. They’re sleek, they fit in your pocket and they come in a variety of appealing flavors. But that really doesn’t tell the whole story — Juuls are a staple of younger society, the University included. Whether it’s at bars, house parties, libraries or even in large lecture halls, it’s not uncommon to see one or more people “Juuling.”

A few months ago, the Food and Drug Administration declared the underage use of e-cigarettes to be “an epidemic” in response to growing number of high school and university students using Juuls and related devices and consequently released a foreboding message to Juul and several other e-cigarette companies — prove you’re able to control the underage usage of e-cigarettes within 60 days or face civil and criminal prosecution.

60 days came and went to no avail, and so the FDA has recently moved to ban the sale of all fruity, or “kid-friendly” flavors of e-liquid at all physical stores that aren’t explicitly “adult only,” like vape shops. Convenience stores and gas stations, which are some of the most common places to buy

Juuls, will be specifically affect- their product being functionally to imagine that some will turn to ed by the restriction. Juul acted identical to countless others. cigarettes seeing as they are the slightly prior to the ban in order Clearly the reason behind the most readily available substitute. to spin the decision as “voluntary” FDA’s focus on Juul is its populari- Anyone old enough to purchase and have already began halting re- ty — however that alone shouldn’t a Juul is also old enough to buy a tail distribution of a majority of its justify the actions the FDA has pack of cigarettes, meaning this flavors. The FDA has struck back taken. It’s no secret that vices like really could occur. It is possible at Juul in an unprecedented way, alcohol and tobacco regularly fall the FDA has allowed their distaste but it begs the question, what’s so into underage hands, but where for vaping to indirectly promote special about Juul that it demands are the debilitating restrictions for smoking, which is a shame, espesuch drastic cially given that, action? as the FDA has In truth, pointed out, many very little. of the young peoThe one aspect of Juul that truly makes it unique is The Juul ple that use Juuls operates have never smoked its popularity — no other device has penetrated the the same as before. The FDA vaporizer market with as much vigor as Juul. many othunderstands the ers on the addictive qualmarket, and ity of nicotine, the product as demonstrated can be easily in their actions replicated with countless others in Corona, Heineken or Marlboro? against Juul, but seemingly fails to a vape shop. The one aspect of Juul It’s a poor reflection of the FDA’s account for the lengths those adthat truly makes it unique is its priorities that the popularity of a dicted to nicotine will go to get the popularity — no other device has device merits a ban more so than chemical. penetrated the vaporizer market the health concerns associated While the concern of nonwith as much vigor as Juul. Con- with it, especially relative to other smokers using Juul is a valid one, venience stores all over the country seemingly obvious candidates for it often overshadows the fact that have Juuls in their inventory, mak- such punitive treatment.

Juul gives actual cigarette smokers ing it one of the most widely availThe FDA might actually do a healthier alternative that both able vaporizers of its kind. Juul has more damage by restricting vapor- adequately satisfies their desire for come under fire for fundamentally izers than the so-called “epidemic” nicotine and is widely available. being a successful business. With- was wreaking on its own. Juul pods A simple web search will reveal in three years of its introduction, contains up to two packs’ worth of that there are real smokers, with the company has grown to have a nicotine, and with so many people real stories, who have been able to more than 70 percent market share now unable to purchase their Juul drop the habit due to the ubiquity, of the e-cigarette industry, despite pods of choice, it’s not a stretch simplicity, and quality of the Juul.

The late Prof. Michael Russell, one of the early champions for tobacco harm reduction, was often quoted saying, “People smoke for nicotine but they die from the tar.”

Let’s be clear, I do not believe e-cigarettes should be used by those without a pre-existing dependency on real cigarettes. While it is possible vaporizers do not have the same health detriments as cigarettes and alcohol, they don’t have the same breadth of longterm research behind them either.

The issue lies in the way the FDA decided to approach the regulation of e-cigarettes. The ultimate goal of tobacco harm reduction should be to save lives. The FDA felt there were too many underage kids using vaporizers, but rather than take a look at the shortcomings of the current age verification method, the same method used to limit the sale of alcohol and cigarettes to minors, they chose to carelessly handout restrictions that could have devastating consequences, as well as hurt the businesses who sell them.

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

STUDENTS SHOULD HAVE INPUT IN FACULTY HIRINGS Currently, there is no standard process for students to provide input into the hiring process, which impacts the diversity of courses offered at the University

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he University gives high importance to self-governance — the principle that students have the power to govern themselves. Students are able to serve on the Honor Council, the University Judiciary Committee and Student Council, which all have the power to make an impact at the University. However, there is one area in which students do not have a formal role, and that is in the faculty hiring process. Since many departments are opening up searches for faculty this fall, this issue is becoming increasingly relevant. We, as students, must have a voice in the search process because faculty hiring directly impacts our lives.

The structure of the faculty hiring process from search to hiring can be complicated, but I, along with other Student Council leaders, met with the Vice Provosts for Academic and Faculty Affairs in the Provost’s office who explained the process. It begins with the identification of a need for a faculty member in a program or department. Then a request is sent from the school to the leadership for approval. Once the request is

approved, a search committee is given the chance to fill out many at the University-level instead of formed which seeks candidates for surveys, attend meetings and proat the department level about a the open faculty position. Applivide our opinions to the adminisstudent’s position in the search cants that fit the criteria in the job tration before the search committee process. These standards should opening will apply for the position, began meeting. By giving students include whether students have any and the committee will meet to nar- a chance to share our thoughts, the voting rights. There should also row down the applicants and select University empowered us to think be a transparent process on how the new faculty member. more about what we want from a students are selected to be on the Students have the greatest abilUniversity leader. search committee, so students feel ity to make that they are being a difference properly reprein the faculty sented. hiring proRecently, many If students had greater input in the faculty selection cess before students have been process, they would be able to formally advise on the the job openadvocating for the ing is posted. creation of more courses and professors they would like to see at this Specifically, Latinx and Asian University. students American Studies should be courses in order able to to ensure that the impact what history of these qualifications the applicants must This is the type of input that minoritized groups are accurately have and what subject matter the students need to have in the faculty recorded, represented and taught. potential new faculty should be able hiring process. When a search for There are currently not enough to teach. One example of how stua new faculty member opens, professors at the University who dent input could benefit the faculty students should be notified and teach courses in these disciplines, hiring process was last year when given an opportunity to provide which, in turn, decreases the course there was a search for a new Unisuggestions about course offerings. offerings in these areas. Students versity president. Students received This could be accomplished through who are interested are not able to numerous opportunities to provide formal meetings, surveys or focus effectively voice their interest and input on what they wanted to see in groups. Once this protocol is in need for these classes because there the University president. We were place, there should be set standards is no formalized process for submit-

ting student input for the faculty hiring process. If students had greater input in the faculty selection process, they would be able to formally advise on the courses and professors they would like to see at this University. As a result, this would likely increase the breadth of Hispanic/Latinx and Asian American course offerings.

Involving students in the faculty hiring process through the search and selection operations will diversify perspectives in faculty hiring, empower students to speak up, improve the transparency at the University and enhance the integrity of faculty hiring. This is why the University must take steps to institutionalize student input in the faculty hiring process.

MEGHA KARTHIKEYAN is a third-year in the McIntire School of Commerce and the College and is chair of Student Council’s Academic Affairs Committee.

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HUMOR As a newly minted member of the University Guide Service, I have a certain responsibility to tell prospective students the truth. The first truth is that most University students gagged on that pretentious first sentence, balking at the thought of another preachy humor article that blurs the line between an intricately-detailed cry for help and a capitalization on whatever rockin’ slang teens use these days. Anyway, as trumpeters of the world’s okayest sweatshirt, Guides are taught to be honest, to give students the unfiltered truth of the University experience. We have the right to speak freely without worry of censorship from the administration.

They’d have to pay us to do that.

So, I’m going to get real with you by telling you things you already know. Because isn’t that what art is? Just replicating common human experience through various creative media? Are you gagging yet?

I don’t really lie directly to

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2018

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The lies I tell my tourists my tourists. I’m not here trying to sneak extra people into U.Va. Don’t you think if I could reduce this undergraduate population, I would? I already can’t park my car or my butt in any open spaces on Grounds, so some of y’all need to take to the hills because I’ve had enough. I just feel obligated to conceal the problematic pimples that pop up on U.Va.’s pristine complexion from time to time, but like any real concealer, it’s still obvious they’re under there anyway. Please examine my lower chin for evidence.

“I’d like to think people at U. Va. don’t succumb to any silly social norms.”

I’ll make a list: 1.

Always sit one seat away.

That’s the rule of the lecture hall.

If you don’t know someone, leave a buffer. It’s polite, it’s comfortable — don’t get offended, because it’s not personal.

2.

If you see a friend on the way to class, train your gaze so that at the last second you make eye contact, say hello and slip past without any open space for conversation.

3.

Show up at least 30 minutes late to any party — scroll through your phone at home

while you wait for an arrival time that will imply you had other plans. If you’re planning the party, dupe those fools into coming on time by scheduling it 30 minutes earlier than planned. Works like a charm.

“The University doesn’t have any particular unofficial dress code.”

Au contraire. I would refer you to any Anthropologie or L.L. Bean catalog, but odds are you’re already rocking their fall collection. Now to be fair, as far as colleges go, we’ve got a decent variety of style. I visited Auburn University over fall break, and it’s just little loaves of Wonder Bread shuffling around in khakis.

Seriously.

“You really just need to take the initiative to thrive at this school.”

Well, sometimes you take the initiative, but the initiative really doesn’t take you. Every single student here has an organization for which they hold a bitter, nonsensical hatred based on past rejection. If Maddie on your hall seems really pissy about the upcoming Sil’hooettes concert, or Brandon refuses to walk past Jeff Soc and its satanic circle of

fancy chairs, then bada bing, bada boom — rejection. Even the most “involved” of students are salty about something, like getting tapped by the wrong secret society or not making President Jim Ryan’s suspiciously cute Instagram. We all have our faults.

“We get all four seasons here in Charlottesville.”

I only know two. First, it’s the Sahara outside and the tundra inside, and then the Ice Age is upon us, and it’s Satan’s armpit indoors. So the answer is, you’re sweaty every month out of the year. That’s why people run so much here — they’re cloaking their sweatiness with exercise.

I obviously don’t run because I embrace honesty and being real.

You’re welcome.

Honorable Mentions: “Yeah, finding an apartment offGrounds is easy,” “We’re a football school now” and “Sure, Corner Juice hires brunettes!”

But the biggest lie of them all is: “You’ll be just as happy somewhere else.”

No, you won’t. Not like here.

I can’t describe that moment — that moment that everyone has at least once in their time here at

‘Tis the season Gabby Fuller | Cartoonist

Thomas Jefferson’s Wonderland of Problematic Legacies because each one is different, but the feeling is the same. Whether you’re screaming along to your millionth addition of “Mr. Brightside” on Trin 3 or you’re watching the sunrise on Humpback Rock a couple hours later, you still get that feeling. That “F—k, I love this place” feeling. You might get it stepping into your Lawn room or streaking past someone else’s, but it comes all the same.

It might come after semesters of tears and forced smiles, but by the time you get into a cap and gown, you’ll realize those lies your tour guide told you meant nothing. Because you made this school your own, learned your own truths and probably told a couple fibs along the way. Because this school sure isn’t perfect, but it’s worth it. And I ask you to find the lie in that.

EMILY SUMLIN is a Humor columnist for The Cavalier Daily.

She can be reached at humor@cavalierdaily.com.

THE CAVALIER DAILY

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WEEKLY CROSSWORD PUZZLE Dan Goff | Arts and Entertainment Editor *THE SOLUTION TO THIS PUZZLE CAN BE FOUND IN THE NEXT ISSUE

PUZZLES Across

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47. Another thing we can do over winter break

6. Saxon chiefs or leaders

48. Phenyl and naphthyl are examples

12. Bridget Riley is a famous member of this two-word, visual movement 13. Deserving of affection 15. Bates or Rockwell 17. Seed used in cooking and herbal medicine 18. Two-word phrase meaning not late 19. In a popular expression, what people leave when they start college 20. "Ebony and Ivory" is a famous example 23. Once more, again 24. Retrovirus that causes AIDS 26. Ancient Egyptian symbol of life 27. Not a lady, but a ___

42. Starkist is a popular brand 43. British term for stylish, soulful people in the 1960s

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59. ___ Aviv — city in Israel

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60. Nods, uh-huhs

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2. Rich, luxurious

9. Stoats

3. Protein found in the dermis of the skin

10. Male fertilizing organs of flowers

4. Major river of central Europe

11. Course of action 14. Old Norse term attributed to ancient texts

5. Wood- or dog-

16. A character in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" purportedly gets turned into this creature

6. Two-word activity to be performed over break 7. Formal term for on

21. Awkward

8. Transporting something in a certain type of vehicle

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22. With "out," managed to make a living with difficulty 25. By means of, through 29. Ancient age, spelled in an ancient way 31. Browse a book 33. Two-word term meaning chronological 34. Mixture of cereal, dried fruit and nuts 35. Not wearing shoes 36. Collection of related information to be manipulated by a computer

* SOLUTION FROM LAST ISSUE

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57. Found on some motorcycles

A national public interest law firm is considering filing a sex discrimination complaint against the University of Virginia with the federal Office for Civil Rights.

We are currently compiling examples of sex discrimination against men, such as female-only scholarships or programs that create a hostile environment for male students. Please send particulars to the SAVE Title IX Equity Project at EquityProject@ saveservices.org. All responses will be treated as confidential.

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MEN: ARE YOU A VICTIM OF SEX DISCRIMINATION?

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55. Speech sound that denotes a consonant

1. Gave out bright light

38. Sounds of surprise

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52. Simple form of protein found in egg whites

30. Woman inheriting and continuing the legacy of another

37. Regency is a popular type

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50. Embarrassed or guilty because of one's actions

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34. 2012 crime drama starring Matthew McConaughey

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49. Informal term for five identical or fraternal people

28. Campy TV drama "___ Tuck"

32. Greek figure who helped Theseus escape the labyrinth

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45. India's capital territory

1. What we get to do over winter break 11. Images which invoke a certain male body part

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39. They make clothing sparkly T R E N T

40. Bird's feathers 41. Adherent of a certain type of Islam 42. They can be booby or sand44. Member of group of peoples in central and eastern Europe 46. Part of the ear that has the cochlea

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51. Dor- and kangaroo are variants of these animals 53. You're allowed to be this over winter break 54. "GLOW" star Alison ___

A& E ARTS &

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2018

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‘Tartuffe’ is surprisingly fresh, lively Drama department brings modern energy to classic play

ENTERTAINMENT

Caitlin Woodford | Staff Writer In the nearly 400 years since its publication, “Tartuffe,” by French playwright Molière, has been performed countless times. Its enduring appeal has caught the eye of many ambitious directors and casts, earning it a place as a classic work of theater. This past weekend, the University Drama Department opened its own production of “Tartuffe,” a surprisingly energetic and refreshing rendition that, if not for the period dialogue and costumes, could just as easily have been a modern piece.

Deviating from a traditional set, this production of “Tartuffe” adopted a more minimalistic approach, using a small, square stage raised several feet off the ground in the Ruth Caplin Theatre. Its only permanent set piece was an ornate depiction of Jesus on the cross, raised above the stage as if watching over the characters as the events unfolded. This metaphor was not lost during the performance, as actors raising their heads when referencing heaven were forced to look straight into the eyes of God — an especially striking detail, since the characters acted in ways that contradicted their claims of piety and honor.

Each piece of the production seemed to reflect these overarching themes of superficiality and false pretenses. The costumes especially accomplished this idea, as they reflected the dress of the period, but were extravagant in their sparkle and bright colors. This slight deviation from strict realism allowed the play to almost transcend its limitations of antiquated setting, giving it a new flair that drew the eyes of the audience.

The understated set of “Tartuffe” was effective largely because it focused the attention of the audience on the most significant source of revitalizing spirit in the play — the actors themselves. In a play so old and formal, it would be easy to lose track if even one character was not wholly invested and engaging. Luckily, this was not the case, as the entire ensemble of actors was strong and bold in their performances.

Each character was approached with lively energy and excitement, which kept the occasionally drawnout scenes interesting to watch throughout the entire two-hour show. The actors also succeeded in integrating modern tones into the

story. Instead of being caught up in the formality of the dialogue and acting to reflect that, the actors used a remarkable range of expression and movement which made the characters feel immensely real and current.

The stakes seemed high, and their struggles seemed immediate, lending to an easily maintained audience investment.

Notable performances abounded, including graduate College student Priyanka Shetty as Dorine, the housemaid, whose interjections of brassy commentary imbued the play with a fresh sense of comedy. Fellow graduate College student Michael Miranda also shone as the titular character, bringing a delightful creepiness to the character that fully lived up to the gradual buildup to his entrance. His dynamic interactions with the central family made his character immensely easy and fun to hate, drawing the audience in and allowing them to genuinely empathize with the other characters.

It is no small task to undertake a classical piece in its original form.

Dated language and plot has the capability to isolate audiences who are

COURTESY UVA DRAMA DEPARTMENT

The University Drama Department’s production of “Tartuffe” is an exciting take on the classic play, one which makes new use of its classic elements instead of abandoning them.

not familiar with the story, and for this reason many plays such as “Tartuffe” fly under the radar. However, the Drama Department’s production should not be cast aside in this way.

Instead of being innovative with its setting, as so many directors of classic plays attempt to do, this production of “Tartuffe” was innovative

in its ability to embrace the original form and setting of the story and fully transport the audience into that world. “Tartuffe” was bold and exciting not despite its classical nature, but because of it.

The forget-me-not and forgettable films of 2018 This was a year of diverse milestones, but also immense failures Mark Felice | Production Editor Every year during awards season, utterances of “the best year for film” or “a year of new and complex stories” are commonly spoken by celebrities and critics alike. This year will most likely be no different, as a gargantuan number of films moved the medium forward.

Many of them pushed boundaries, defied expectations and gave minority groups something to call their own.

However, there are always the films that try to tear down that notion of a great year in film. Many of those films were controversial, derogatory or just plain boring from a storytelling perspective.

In my opinion, these are the top five films of 2018 that should be remembered by audiences and — conversely — the top five films that are better off being forgotten.

Should not be forgotten: 1. “Black Panther” “Black Panther” captivated the world in 2018. Not only did it become the first and only major blockbuster to star an African-American as a superhero, but it also featured a predominantly black cast. But the

film was not just diverse in its casting — it showed costume design, writing and music that all represented complex elements of black culture.

Rapper Kendrick Lamar produced a dynamite soundtrack with lyrics and music videos that unapologetically expressed black roots. This film proved to an industry that movies about minorities can be successful commercially and critically.

2. “Love, Simon” In the same vein as director John Hughes’ heterosexual love stories, Greg Berlanti’s romantic teen dramedy focused on a closeted teen’s experience with coming out. Tackling difficult topics like the moment someone comes out to a parent or their first friend, this film was something that made the LGBTQ community proud.

There’s still a long way to go, but this film represents a step further to reaching equality for the LGBTQ community.

3. “A Quiet Place” Never has the silence of a movie theater been used against the audience before, but John Krasinski changed that when he directed, wrote

and starred in horror masterpiece “A Quiet Place” — the perfect movie for a dark theater. Despite Krasinski’s credits here, the real star of this film is Emily Blunt with her chemistry with her real-life husband, her acting range in the horror genre and her ability to hold a scream until the very last second. “A Quiet Place” should go down in history as on of the best horror movies of this generation.

4. “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” Melissa McCarthy is known to audiences as a comedian who uses her physique and wit to provoke laughs in any setting. However, McCarthy takes a dramatic turn in this true story about a writer down on her luck in 1990s New York City. A rare performance, viewers experience loneliness through the perspective of McCarthy’s character. For those wanting to see some iconic comedic chops, there’s plenty of those as well. Ultimately, though, the film is an affecting depiction of a recluse who spent years being dishonest with herself.

5. “Annihilation” Alex Garland’s newest film since “Ex Machina” did not disappoint.

“Annihilation” combined the writer’s science fiction, horror and suspense with a cast of leading ladies trying to explore a disturbing scientific anomaly. It was a rare film with rare circumstances, making for an enjoyable time.

Should be forgotten: 1. “Suspiria” (2018) This remake of the original 1977 horror classic, might make viewers feel sick, but not for the reasons a bloody flick normally would. Put simply, it’s a disgrace to Dario Argento’s legacy. The sliver of great stylistic choices was drowned out by over-explanation and a horrible ending.

2. “The Happytime Murders” Who actually saw this? Is it already forgotten? Melissa McCarthy should hope so, if she wants the Academy to consider her for an Oscar in “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” 3. “Mission: Impossible — Fallout” Tom Cruise needs to stop making these movies, or he’s going to severely injure himself — again. No reasonable franchise has their best movie on the sixth try. Also, Henry Cavill has yet to prove that he makes anything

better on screen.

4. “Crazy Rich Asians” This film should not be on this list — it was a great win for representation on the big screen. However, as time passes, this film will be remembered for portraying Asian culture as only crazy and rich, as it lacks real substance. If these traits were all that the book portrayed, then this story should not have been one of the first mainstream movies with an all-Asian cast. So much promise gave so much disappointment.

5. “A Star is Born” (2018) Lady Gaga defined herself as a acting powerhouse in this film. Despite this, the film was cookie-cutter and will be forgotten — like all the other iterations before it. Can many people honestly say that they remembered “A Star Is Born” before the details about this remake was announced? If so, bravo! But, for good or for bad, this film will be forgotten.

H&S HEALTH & SCIENCE

Pre-Health Advising, a part of the University’s Career Center, holds weekly advising hours for pre-health students who are in need of advice either on coursework, pre-health application processes or pre-health professions.

With only one year of data, it has been found that the students who met with pre-health advisors had a higher success rate for admission than students who never attended advising hours.

Kim Sauerwein, director of Pre-Health and Law Advising, said that Pre-Health Advising supports students interested in nine different pre-health professions — dentistry, medicine, occupational therapy, optometry, pharmacy, physical therapy, physician assistant, podiatry and veterinary medicine. According to data provided by Sauerwein, the national acceptance rate to allopathic medical schools — medical schools offering an M.D. — was 42 percent in the 2016-17 cycle while U.Va. applicants had an acceptance rate of

THE CAVALIER DAILY

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Advising boosts M.D. admissions, data shows University medical school applicants who consistently visit Pre-Health Advising have had a success rate of 73 percent Pumoli Malapati | Senior Writer 60 percent in the same cycle.

Sauerwein explained that while the University’s allopathic medical school acceptance rate is 60 percent, their success rate is also dependent on whether or not they met with a pre-health advisor. For example, U.Va. applicants who have never met with a pre-health advisor had a success rate of 32 percent while U.Va. applicants who met at least once had a success rate of 63 percent. University applicants who have met them continuously, for example five or six times, have had a success rate of 73 percent.

Sauerwein accounted for these statistics by noting that staying informed throughout the planning and application process typically leads to higher success rates.

According to Sauerwein, advising sessions are individualized.

Some students come in for help with planning their courses while others need assistance finding clinical opportunities. Pre-Health Advising often uses the Pre-Health Candidacy assessment — which

consists of three important components of preparation — during their advising sessions to convey to students that academic, career and personal pillars development are all important for the application process. Career pillars focus on clinical experiences, while personal pillars focus on non-quantifiable aspects such as maturity, personal background or work ethic.

“Academic is just one pillar of three pillars that focus on a student’s candidacy,” Sauerwein said.

“They need to be able to demonstrate that they have the academic ability to succeed in medical school, or dental school, or PA school but GPA is not everything.”

Sarah Bessey, Pre-Health and Law advisor, said some “career-based” activities that students can engage in include trying to shadow alongside a physician, volunteering at a hospital, volunteering as an emergency medical technician or medical scribing.

The timeline of these activities can depend on the student’s interests.

According to Bessey, she uses the phrase “breadth and a depth of an experience,” which she learned from Sauerwein, when students ask what clinical experience they should engage in or which one would look better on an application. By “breadth,” she means having diverse experiences in different types of settings and specialties as a means of broadening one’s perspective. “Depth” can be achieved by spending a “significant amount of time in one setting” to gain a deeper understanding of a particular topic or experience.

Fourth-year College student Nandan Srinivasa, a member-atlarge on the Pre-Health Student Leadership Advisory Board, works with pre-health students to help address their concerns. The board collaborates with the pre-health advising office to work with prehealth peers to provide guidance for students who are pursuing admissions to pre-health professions.

Srinivasa says that pre-health advising was helpful for him per-

sonally. He said the advising office provided him with guidance for his medical scribe application.

“I do remember speaking with the pre-health advising office and telling them about my intentions to apply to work towards a medical scribe,” Srinivasa said. “They did provide very strong guidance and I believe this guidance helped bolster the application and ultimately allowed me to work in the program.”

According to Bessey, the main goal of Pre-Health Advising is to help individuals make the most informed decisions for themselves.

Students can schedule meetings with pre-health advisors through Handshake, or meet with them during walk-in office hours on the second floor of Clemons Library each week 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Monday through Thursday.

Strangulation research hopes to prevent future lethality Nursing professor plans to use statistics to prove the occurrence of strangulation in relationship violence Lucie Rutherford | Staff Writer Due to shows such as CSI and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, there are huge misconceptions around strangulation.

Many believe that bruising and fingerprint marks after strangulation are common. In reality the signs of strangulation can be much more subtle, leading to a lack of evidence in court. Kathryn Laughon, nursing associate professor and forensic nurse, is now conducting research to change that.

“Under assault statutes, to have something more than a misdemeanor or assault and battery, you need to have serious bodily injury,” Laughon said. “Women who are strangled may experience traumatic brain injury, may go on to have chorota dissections, a form of a stroke … and they are more likely to have serious PTSD compared to all other kinds of violence.”

Due to a $726,000 grant funded by the Department of Justice, Laughon is getting ready to begin a three-year research project aiming to create a statistical method to identify strangulation.

Ideally, this method will bring

strong, prosecuting evidence to the courtroom.

“Right now… I can’t really provide a degree of certainty that [certain pieces of evidence] are related to strangulation,” Laughon said. “All of the things that you see in strangulation are what I would call non-specific findings — there are a whole bunch of reasons they can occur, but it’s the cluster of them together with the story of being strangled that is important.”

In addition to the misconception about visible effects of strangulation, Laughon and Claire Kaplan, director of the Gender Violence and Social Change program, both want to emphasize the statistically significant possibility of death that comes with it. According to strangulation research, a woman who is strangled by her partner is about seven times more likely than abused women who aren’t strangled to be murdered by that same partner in the future.

“We know there is a connection between … a prior history of strangulation [and] a higher likelihood of lethality after that,”

Kaplan said. “We’ve had a painful experience of that right here at U.Va. with the murder of Yeardley Love. A few weeks before George Huguely killed her, he strangled her.”

This is a big factor in Laughon’s upcoming research — properly convicting offenders of strangulation and preventing future lethality.

“Since these guys are more dangerous, they’re really the ones we want to prosecute,” Laughon said. “In Virginia, we have a specific statute for strangulation that makes it a felony, which is great. Now we have to get people to actually use it, and to do that you need to have the evidence.”

Within her research, Laughon plans on comparing women who have been strangled to those who haven’t, keeping an eye on all strangulation signs. With the help of Department of Statistics Chair Karen Kafadar, who is currently looking into pattern evidence in forensic science, the hope is to create a statistical model and research database of medical records.

“What you want is statistical

probability that [strangulation findings are] a match, like you get with DNA,” Laughon said. “I don’t think we can get that exact thing with strangulation, but I want to be able to provide some statistical parameters … It just increases the science of testimony in court.”

In response to this issue, Kaplan and Laughon want to make sure students know about resources available to them, including the Shelter for Help in Emergency and the University’s Women’s Center. Charlottesville’s local police force has also implemented the Lethality Assessment Protocol, where police officers are trained in identifying strangulation in domestic abuse cases and taking the necessary steps for the victim.

In addition to the resources around the community, students can also get help right from their phones. Laughon recommended the app MyPlan, which specifically provides college students with needed information, decision making and safety planning if found in an abusive relationship.

“It’s a way to get totally confidential information, [and] it has safeguards in it so one’s abuser can’t see what you’ve put into it,” Laughon said. “I think U.Va. students ought to just download it because you never know. [Strangulation] is so common, unfortunately. Even if it doesn’t happen to one of us, we will certainly know someone.”

Laughon’s research is set to begin after the start of the new year, and by the end, she will have hopefully created a database that is able to answer future health questions.

“Who are the women that need to be held in the hospital for a day for observation to make sure they’re not going to have these late affects?” Laughon said.

“We don’t want to make everyone do that, it’s expensive and it’s a pain, but we’d like to be able to identify those women with some specificity… We may be able to start answering those questions with this database.”

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2018

www.cavalierdaily.com • HEALTH & SCIENCE

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Student Health looking to expand violence prevention staff The Office of Health Promotion is expanding its staff by creating a position intended to increase male involvement in violence prevention Kirsta Hackmeier | Staff Writer

SARAH LINDAMOOD | THE CAVALIER DAILY

The new employee will be expected to develop new programs targeted at all-male groups such as athletic teams and fraternities, support prevention groups like “One in Four” and serve as a resource for male survivors and allies.

The Office of Health Promotion is in the process of hiring a second health promotion specialist to address issues of sexual violence and hazing on Grounds. While the University has one other health promotion specialist at the moment — Program Coordinator of Prevention Rachel Kiliany — this new position is unique in that it will work specifically with men.

According to Kiliany, this is an opportunity to expand the work she is already doing on violence prevention by bringing in male perspectives and encouraging men to become a larger part of the conversation around sexual assault.

“Right now we are struggling, not just at U.Va. but nationally,” Kiliany said. “For a lot for a lot of folks it still feels like a women's issue, even though it's a human issue and it's also a human solution.”

The new employee will be expected to develop new programs targeted at all-male groups such as athletics teams and fraternities, support prevention groups like One in Four and serve as a resource for male survivors and allies. However, Kiliany notes that the specific tasks of the specialist have been left intentionally vague. Citing public health techniques that

encourage community participation in the development of interventions, Kiliany says that the specialist will work with stakeholders to learn what their most pressing concerns are and brainstorm possible solutions.

Alexa Iandrola, Batten student and president of the sexual assault education and advocacy group One Less, is “tremendously thankful” that the administration has actively encouraged student participation in the creation of this position and the recruitment process.

Members of various student organizations, including One Less and One in Four, have had the opportunity to meet with prospective candidates in order to ask them questions and hear simulated presentations.

Claire Raymond — a lecturer in the art history and sociology departments who formerly taught classes on gender and violence in the Department of Women, Gender and Sexuality — is also hopeful about the new position. According to Raymond, continuing to teach women how to avoid violence is ineffective and nonsensical. Instead, she thinks programs such as this one, that addresses the experiences of young men and can help them think through issues of masculinity will be

much more impactful.

Raymond noted that while violence is not inherent to masculinity, culturally constructed codes of masculinity can promulgate violence. She gave as examples competitiveness, never showing weakness and viewing women as separate and inferior.

This fall Raymond published an article in Feminist Studies with her co-author Assoc. Prof.

Sarah Corse about the experiences of female sexual assault survivors at U.Va. The piece concluded that many aspects of the University are characterized by “patterns of masculine domination.” As one survivor put it, “this is still very much a school for boys.”

There have been an array of studies evaluating the efficacy of male-oriented sexual assault prevention programs. While some have found statistically significant evidence that these interventions can reduce rates of sexual violence, most report mixed results and the need for more robust data.

Other schools that have tried to create programs targeting men and masculinity have faced some push-back. After receiving criticism from several conservative media outlets, the University of Texas at Austin shelved their MasculinUT pro-

gram for five months. The program — which according to UT Austin's website is intended to “help reduce sexual assault and interpersonal violence, with strategies specifically tailored to men” — is back but has been moved out of the Counseling and Mental Health Center and to the Office of the Dean of Students.

Kiliany says that no one at the University has approached her with concerns about the position. Hiring a second health promotion specialist will double the number of staff members working on violence prevention and significantly increase how many projects they are able to take on.

Currently, Kiliany runs Green Dot, Hoos Got Your Back and Hoos Against Hazing. She envisions one day being able to create a system like the one in place for Peer Health Educators, who have a dedicated staff member that teaches a class for PHEs and acts as a liaison between the administration and the student-educators. She said she thinks students working in violence prevention should also be receiving school credit for the peer education and outreach that they are doing.

This is just one of the first steps in the general expansion

of Student Health and the departments within it. When the new Student Health building is finished, the Office of Health Promotion expects to quadruple its staff, from five to around 20.

Raymond is encouraged by this new position’s potential to create change.

“Hopefully it’s a long term process,” Raymond said. “Hopefully it’s something that stays with the University for 100 years.”

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