Thursday, April 25, 2019

The Cavalier Daily

Vol. 129, Issue 28

Thursday, April 25, 2019

EMMA KLEIN & MAX PATTEN | THE CAVALIER DAILY

THE CAVALIER DAILY

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This week in-brief

NEWS

CD News Staff

Alderman Library to close May 2020, reopen spring 2023 John Unsworth, the University’s Dean of Libraries and an English professor, sent an email to the University community Wednesday afternoon regarding the continuation of the Alderman Library renovations. The email stated that Gov. Ralph Northam (D-Va.) recently approved construction funding without alteration, allowing the University to move forward with the renovation project.

Alderman will be fully closed in May 2020 and is expected to reopen by spring of 2023. Unsworth added that library materials will be moved from Alderman to Clemons Library and Ivy Stacks starting in May 2019 as construction activity begins on a small scale. No materials are being removed from circulation.

The $160 million renovation plans were approved by the Board of Visitors in June 2018 and

will include the demolition of both the old and new stacks of the library, which were built in 1938 and 1967, respectively. A larger new addition will be created with student study spaces replacing many of the stacks and new terraces on the north side of Alderman, providing views out onto University Avenue. Preliminary construction work will begin in the Alderman stacks in January 2020.

“We look forward to working with you during this transitional time to make the renovated Alderman a library that welcomes all who enter and inspires them in their scholarly and academic pursuits,” Unsworth wrote in his email.

According to their website, the University library system is currently collaborating with other spaces on Grounds to help students find useful places to work while Alderman is closed.

KELSEY GRANT | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Preliminary construction work will begin in the Alderman stacks in January 2020.

Sally Hudson, Kathy Galvin debate at UDems meeting

MAX PATTEN | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Democratic candidates for the 57th seat Kathy Galvin (left) and Sally Hudson (right) debate ahead of the primary election, which is scheduled for June 11.

The University Democrats hosted a debate between House of Delegates Democratic candidates Sally Hudson and Kathy Galvin in Nau Hall Monday evening. The primary election for the 57th District seat is scheduled for June 11, but early voting opens April 28, providing students with the ability to vote before they leave Grounds.

Galvin has served on the Charlottesville City Council since 2012 and is also a lecturer at the University's School of Architecture. Hudson is an assistant professor of public policy, statistics and economics at the Batten School. Both candidates answered questions sent in from the University community addressing climate change, campaign contributions and racial inequality.

Galvin said she has focussed on addressing poverty in Charlottesville through increasing affordable housing resources and stimulating the City’s economy as a City Councilor. She intends to support sustainability initiatives, increase pre-kindergarten education, push for gun reform and legalize marijuana, if elected.

In 2017, Hudson launched FairVote Virginia, an organization working to introduce ranked choice voting to the state — which would allow voters to rank candidates in order of preference. During the debate, she said that her top campaign priorities are addressing the rising cost of healthcare, climate change and inequitable voting laws as Virginia’s most immediate problems.

Student Council passes summer budget Student Council approved a budget for the summer during its general body meeting Tuesday night. The total budget allocates $21,593.33 — $453.31 less than last year’s summer budget. The budget makes use of both Student Activities Fees-related funding and funds that are not pertinent to the SAF. SAF funds come from a semesterly fee that students pay to support Student Council’s funding of Contracted Independent Organizations on Grounds. Non-SAF funds are raised by Student Council through a variety of sources including the Student Activities Fair, various fundraisers and their endowment.

The summer budget allocates $10,533.33 in SAF funds and $11,060 in non-SAF funds.

The funds will be divided between the var-

ious committees of Student Council, based on their needs. The Arts Committee and the Buildings and Grounds Committee both received no funding.

The committees that received the most funding were the Student Life Committee and the Academic Affairs Committee, with summer budgets of $4,560 and $3,000, respectively. The funding will be applied to a variety of programs, including the Fall Academic Resource Fair, which falls under the Academic Affairs Committee, and U.Va. Airbus — a system of bus transportation providing students with subsidized transportation costs to regional airports in Richmond and Washington, D.C. — which falls under the Student Life Committee.

GEREMIA DI MARO | THE CAVALIER DAILY

The total amount of money allocated to Student Council this summer is $21,593.33

www.cavalierdaily.com • NEWS

THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2019

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Impact of Trump budget cut proposals on U.Va. This proposal marks the third time in which the Trump administration has called for the agencies’ elimination Ali Sullivan | Senior Writer The Trump administration’s 2020 budget proposal calls for the elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities, and the University currently stands out as the number one recipient of funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities among 900 hundred colleges and universities in the U.S. NEH and NEA are federal agencies which provide grants to support research, education, preservation and public programs in the arts and humanities.

This proposal marks the third time in which the administration has called for the endowments’ elimination — similar proposals to cut funding to the two agencies in fiscal years 2018 and 2019 were ignored by Congress. Congress has yet to come to a resolution

on its budget for the fiscal year 2020, but John Unsworth, Dean of Libraries, finds the elimination of the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts unlikely.

“I would say there's zero chance that the NEH will be eliminated, actually,” Unsworth said. “I think it's important to understand presidential budgets for what they are — they're an opening gambit in a process. They are usually more of a rhetorical move than a real fiscal proposal.”

University spokesperson Anthony de Bruyn explained that in fiscal years 2017, 2018 and 2019, the University received $5.97 million in funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities and National Endowments for the Arts.

A significant portion of that funding went to the Virginia Humanities, a state humanities council headquartered at the University that aims to connect Virginians with their history and culture. In 2016, the Virginia Humanities received 21 percent of its $6.2 million budget from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The agencies provide significant monetary support to the University — however, funding to the two agencies comprised less than one percent of of the government’s 2019 budget.

“One must question the motives behind such an announcement as these cuts would in no way significantly impact the Federal budget,” said Matthew McLendon, director of the Fralin Museum of Art, in an email to The Cavalier Daily. “They will, how-

ever, significantly impact the arts in communities across the nation.”

At the University, funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts has historically supported programs such as the Presidential Papers projects, the Virginia Quarterly Review, the Architectural History department and the Fralin Museum of Art. In 2018, grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities funded a three projects at the University.

One of the projects explores the 1979 Greensboro Massacre — which resulted in the deaths of five labor and racial justice organizers and the ensuing trials of the white supremacists who shot them in Greensboro, North Carolina. Another project studies how

U.S. technology companies and the Chinese government produce global effects. The final project works to digitize Bernard Narokobi's "History of Wautogik Village" manuscript.

In the fiscal year 2019, the two grant programs were each allocated a budget of $155 million after Congress rejected Trump’s initiative to end federal support for the agencies — an increase from the agencies’ $152.8 million budget in 2018. This year, the White House proposes the allocation of $38 million to the National Endowment for the Humanities and $29 million to the National Endowment for the Arts for the agencies’ closure over the next two years. Trump has stated that he does not consider the activities of the two agencies “to be core federal responsibilities.”

ALC, LSA host symposium on future of ethnic studies The discussion featured faculty, student and administrative visions of what a future ethnic studies program would look like Jennifer Brice | Senior Writer Students, faculty and administrators met Tuesday evening in Alumni Hall to discuss the future of ethnic studies at the University during a symposium hosted by the Asian Leaders Council and Latinx Student Alliance.

The symposium, titled “We Are Not Invisible: A Case For Ethnic Studies” fostered discussion among approximately 50 attendees about scholarship on topics such as race, ethnicity and the experience of indigenous populations.

Third-year College students Vilas Annavarapu and Kayla Dunn, who serve as ALC chair and former LSA president, respectively, were organizers of the event and have been engaged in discussion about the topic of ethnic studies in the University setting since last October.

In October 2018, the ALC released a report entitled “We Are Not Invisible: A Report for Academic Reform,” which discussed the lack of Asian-American representation in faculty and academic programs at the University. The report says that Asian-Americans and Pacific Islander-Americans have not experienced any progress since the University implemented the Asian/Pacific Islander American minor 13 years ago. Suggested in the report are solutions including hiring more faculty of color, providing more multicultural course offerings and creating an official department dedicated to American Studies.

The ALC report also referenced an open letter that had been released by LSA earlier in the same week, under the title “We are 6%” — in reference to

Latinx representation within the demographic breakdown of the student population. The LSA letter described the University’s insufficient visibility and support of the Latinx community on Grounds, noting the lack of Spanish-translated resources and Latinx recruitment efforts, as well as the underrepresentation in Latinx faculty members and course matter. The letter also proposed a Latinx Studies major. A Latinx Studies minor currently exists within the American Studies program, but the ALC and LSA hope departmentalization of American Studies would bolster the future for ethnic studies.

“It's about shifting the culture here at U.Va.,” Dunn said. “You can't just create a department and hope it becomes sustainable — you have to make sure that the faculty and staff of that department are supported, and even outside of a single department, you want to make sure that multiculturalism and diversity is a staple in cornerstone of all of the University's departments.”

Tuesday’s event brought fellow students, faculty members and University administrators together to expand the dialogue into discussion about the realization of academic ethnic studies at the University. The symposium included a speaker panel that broke out into small group discussions between student and faculty attendees.

Second-year College student Jasmine Mao was also an organizer of the event and moderated the speaker panel, which featured University professors Sylvia Chong and Camilla

Fojas, along with William and Mary professor Francis Tanglao Aguas and William and Mary juniors Patrick Canteros and Maggie Chu. The panelists spoke on issues including the importance of ethnic studies and the need for faculty of color.

The visiting students advocated for their model of ethnic studies, saying that not only has the APIA program supplemented their other coursework as double-majors, but that it has applied to their understandings of self and society.

“Ethnic studies, it gives you that sort of language, and it's sort of like foundation that validates like your existence,” Canteros said. “I think without it, I wouldn't be comfortable in my own skin, if I didn't have ethnic studies, because I just wouldn't feel like I belong.”

Chu said that ethnic studies was meaningful to her in providing her with real world solutions to social problems of race and injustice in minority communities.

“At the end of the day, ethnic studies is not just any goal,” Chu added.

“I think the main goal is creating dialogue and discourse about how do we get rid of structural injustice? How do we support marginalized communities? And how do we continue on in this world without, you know, burning out? How do we sustain ourselves and sustain our communities?”

First-year College student Isabella Ashton attended the symposium after hearing about it from a classmate earlier Tuesday, saying she was curious to see what the event would include.

“I think this was a good learning experience, opportunity to speak with other students from different backgrounds and professors who have far more experience in the world and in the realm of education than I do — and being able to collaborate and share ideas and expand upon our own knowledge,” Ashton said.

Mao said she believes that the responsibility and initiative in voicing these concerns and organizing the discourse in issues regarding ethnic studies ultimately falls largely on students without much institutional support in the planning and production of the event. The event was organized by the student leaders of ALC and LSA. “What we're talking about, this could open up a whole can of worms about student self-governance and

how that is a system that relies on unpaid student labor,” Mao said. “For something like this to be put on, this has often felt like the main priority, and academics was always pushed to the side.”

Chong said during the panel that she hoped prioritizing ethnic studies within the potential American Studies department would lead to improvements such as hiring more faculty of color who are equipped to teach such topics and mentor a diverse student body, as well more universal awareness of the topics throughout the student body.

“This is sort of what happens to ethnic studies — that it's acknowledged as somewhat important, but it gets pushed down the priority list,” Chong said.

STRATTON MARSH | THE CAVALIER DAILY

University students, faculty and administrators gathered in Alumni Hall to discuss the future of establishing an ethnic studies program at the University.

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THE CAVALIER DAILY

NEWS • www.cavalierdaily.com

BOV approves in-state tuition freeze for 2019-2020 The tuition freeze was approved as a result of increased state funding from the General Assembly Geremia Di Maro | Senior Writer For the first time in the University’s history, the Executive Committee of the Board of Visitors unanimously approved Friday to freeze in-state tuition at 2018-2019 rates for the 2019-2020 academic year in exchange for $5.52 million in additional state funding from the General Assembly.

The measure reverses a December Board of Visitors decision to increase base tuition for in-state undergraduate students in the College by 2.9 percent from $13,682 to $14,078 for the 2019-2020 academic year. However, out-of-state students will still see a base increase of 3.5 percent, from $44,724 to $46,289.

As a result, every in-state undergraduate student across all schools of enrollment will pay the 2018-2019 academic year tuition rate this fall. The average saving per in-state student will be $400 as a result of the freeze, according to according to J.J. Davis, the University’s executive vice president and chief operating officer.

Already-awarded financial aid packages for the upcoming academic year may be decreased slightly to accommodate the freeze, although financial need is still expected to be met for all students, according to University President Jim Ryan.

However, upper-division undergraduate tuition rates for all third and fourth-year students in the College, approved by the Board in March, will still be implemented in 2021 as planned.

Third-year College students will be subject to a rate that is $2,700 higher than the University’s base tuition rate in 2021. In 2022 and every year thereafter, both third and fourth-years will pay the extra fee, generating $12 million annually for the University.

The decision to freeze undergraduate in-state tuition rates comes as a direct response to an allocation of $52.5 million by the General Assembly during its 2019 legislative session for an “In-State Undergraduate Moderation” fund to incentivize public universities in Virginia to hold tuition rates for one year in exchange for increased state funds.

The University will now receive $5.52 million of these funds, while the College at Wise will be allocated $235,000.

Among the allocations apportioned by the General Assembly as part of the fund, the University has the fifth highest amount.

Virginia Commonwealth University has the highest proposed

GEREMIA DI MARO | THE CAVALIER DAILY

University President Jim Ryan said it was important for the Board to accept the General Assembly’s proposal as it represented a rare acknowledgement by the legislative body of the relationship between tuition and state funding.

allocation at $6,797,000, George Mason University is second at $6,524,000, followed by Virginia Tech at $6,306,000 and James Madison University at $6,100,000.

Each of these schools has already taken or has announced their intention to accept the funds in exchange for freezing in-state tuition rates.

Davis said no public institution being offered funding from the General Assembly has already declined the offer, but added that VCU leadership strongly considered doing so. Based on her discussions with members of the General Assembly in recent weeks, Davis added that the fund is likely to be a one-time appropriation as there are no current plans for extending it.

Before the committee voted on the tuition freeze, Ryan outlined the pros and cons of approving the measure but said University leadership ultimately recommended its approval.

“The legislature, in offering this funding, has explicitly recognized the link between state funding and tuition,” Ryan said.

“That is a really important point for us to keep visible because if you look over the long term trend, the amount of funding that we have available for students today based on a combination of state funding and in-state

tuition is actually less than it was in 1989.”

Ryan said the University’s increase of in-state tuition rates during the last few decades have been insufficient to offset declining funding from the General Assembly, adding that the creation of the in-state undergraduate moderation fund shows that the legislature is acknowledging and attempting to address the issue.

He further said that it would be in the University’s best interest to accept the deal as the General Assembly also approved a “very necessary” allocation of funds during the 2019 legislative session for the $160 million renovation of Alderman Library which is expected to commence in 2020.

However, Ryan said that while the increased state funding will temporarily offset any loss by foregoing the tuition increase, the freeze will still result in a decrease in funding collected from the compounding effect of tuition increases by 2030.

“Over the long haul, if you hold all else equal, this is a losing proposition for us financially,” Ryan said. “The fact that we are not raising tuition this year means that any increase is going to be on a smaller base.”

The combined increases would have generated $13.3 mil-

lion in additional annual revenue, and in 2017, the University’s financial report said the school brought in over $545 million in tuition and fees.

Ryan added that this long term loss in funding could be problematic if state funding to the University were to suddenly decrease in the coming years.

The current General Assembly budget for the 2019 and 2020 fiscal years includes nearly $3 billion in funds from the State Council of Higher Education for the University, not including the College at Wise or the U.Va. Medical Center. About $130 million of these funds are allocated for student financial assistance.

“If there is an economic downturn, and the state decreases state funding to U.Va., we may find ourselves in the position of having to increase our tuition and increase it fairly dramatically which is going to be fairly difficult politically,” Ryan said.

Many other board members also lamented the uncertainty and risk associated with the proposal but still chose to support it nonetheless.

University Rector Frank M. Conner III said his primary motivation for supporting the proposal was for the ability of the University to claim that it is doing all it can to keep tuition costs

low, adding that it would difficult to make such a claim if the proposal were rejected. However, Conner also expressed concern about the financial ability of the General Assembly to provide similar funding incentives in the future, as he said the state has an unusually large budget this year due to federal tax cuts in recent months.

The General Assembly's 2019 and 2020 budget includes more than $123 billion in expenses in comparison to the 2017 and 2018 cycle which contained roughly $105 billion.

Vice Rector James B. Murray Jr. said the University has the lowest tuition rate increase of any public institution in Virginia and one of the lowest in the United States, adding that increases in expenses have outpaced tuition hikes. However, Ryan later noted that the University’s expenses do not exceed its revenues, adding that the budget does not operate at a deficit.

“The University of Virginia is not motivated by profit,” Murray said. “We’re motivated by educating as inexpensively as we possibly can.”

www.cavalierdaily.com • NEWS

THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2019

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Female faculty earn $33,939 less than male faculty, on average Six female faculty members are among the top 20 earners at the University Eliza Wilson | Staff Writer Faculty and administration salaries for the 2018-2019 academic year show that the number of women across all divisions in the top 20 earners at the University has increased from two in the 2015-2016 academic year to six women this year. Data obtained by The Cavalier Daily through a Freedom of Information Act request regarding the gender breakdown of average faculty salary for the Oct. 25, 2018 census file showed that women faculty members across all schools at the University earned $33,939 less than men.

Among the six women in the top 20 earners are Martha Zeiger, chair of the department of surgery at the School of Medicine; Teresa Sullivan, former University president and sociology professor; Carla Williams, director of intercollegiate athletic programs; Jennifer “J.J.” Wagner, executive vice president and chief operating officer; Risa Goluboff, first female dean of the Law School; and Katherine Peck, chief operating officer of the School of Medicine.

Zeiger — whose salary is $629,000 — is the third highest paid faculty or administration member at the University, after Richard P. Shannon, the executive vice president for Health Affairs of the the Medical School, and President Jim Ryan — who make $795,500 and

$750,000, respectively.

The Law School saw the largest discrepancy in faculty salary, with men on average earning $54,100 more than women. By school, male faculty in the College earns an average of $30,610 more than female faculty, $21,243 for Engineering, $18,787 for Commerce, $17,678 for Curry, $16,596 for Continuing & Professional Studies, $11,592 for Darden, $9,582 for Batten, $8,938 for Nursing, $6,130 for Medicine and $4,643 for Architecture The data also revealed that male professors at the University are paid an average of $23,559 more than female professors, earning $180,470 and $156,911, respectively.

By academic rank, male associate professors earn $7,451 more than female associate professors, male assistant professors earn $15,418 more than female assistant professors and male lecturers earn $14,131 more than female lecturers, who deliver instruction primarily to a class or group.

Female faculty earned more than male faculty in only one academic rank — instructor, which includes positions that deliver instruction primarily to individual students, including clinical supervision and musical instruction. Female instructors earn an average salary of $68,955 — $14,855 more than male instructors.

In an email to The Cavalier Daily, University spokesperson Anthony de Bruyn addressed the complex nature of determining gender inequity in his email, stating that in order to properly address the apparent gender gap, one would need to account for many different factors like education and tenure that the FOIA doesn’t necessarily take into consideration. He also stressed that it is challenging to accurately compare male and female salaries at the University because of the number of factors that go into determining it.

“Assessing the multifaceted performance of a diverse faculty of independent scholars is not a process readily quantifiable by a simple numerical scale or institutional average salary data,” de Bruyn wrote.

He also emphasized that “pay equity or salary fairness among faculty is a constant process considered within the UVa compensation system and informed by federal law.”

Faculty compensation is determined at the school level and takes into account many different factors, such as faculty classification, performance, honors and recognition in teaching, professorial rank, years in rank, market forces and administrative responsibilities like serving as a chair.

De Bruyn added that the Uni-

versity tries to maintain an average salary per discipline that is competitive with salary averages published by its peer institutions.

“The University’s compensation philosophy supports UVA’s goal to attract, develop, and retain employees using market-based salary ranges and pay practices that reward performance and development,” de Bruyn wrote.

In 2014, the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost’s Faculty Salary Study Task Force issued its first detailed salary study of tenured and tenure track faculty.

The task force was given confidential access to extensive quantitative information regarding tenured and tenure-track faculty in all of the schools except Medicine for 2003, 2007, 2012 and 2013.

Although there were many important variables, such as rank, school or department and tenure, the task force determined that on average, for the 2013 salary data, male faculty members earned 2.7 percent more than female faculty members — averaging an annual difference of $3,638. It was noted in the report summary that the task force did not incorporate qualitative factors that may affect salaries in individual cases, such as education and tenure.

The gender gap in the 2013 data was larger at the associate and full

JACOB DEANE, PAIGE HILLMAN & TYRA KREHBIEL | THE CAVALIER DAILY

professor ranks and reversed at the assistant professor rank. The mean salary for male full professors was $154,405, while $139,261 for female professors.

The report also noted that “[m] en not only constituted a large majority of the faculty (about 71%), but they also have been at the University for a longer period of time.” Men on average had been at the University for 18.5 years, versus 12.4 years for women.

Field of specialization also played a substantial role in determining compensation among faculty. The report noted that although women’s share of engineering doctorates had increased from 0.46% in 1970, the year the University became coeducational, the University still “faces a market supply of potential faculty candidates that tends to reinforce existing gender disparities in representation between higher-paying and lower-paying schools and departments.

In fall 2017, the University had 906 male faculty members and 578 female faculty members in 2017. By academic rank, this includes 431 male professors and 135 female professors, 219 male associate professors and 161 female associate professors, 208 male assistant professors and 213 female associate professors, and 46 male lecturers and 66 female lecturers. The University had two male instructors and three female instructors.

De Bruyn emphasized that the University “remains committed to equitable compensation for all of its employees and will continue to assess its practices to ensure that commitment moving forward.”

Abby Palko, director of the Maxine Platzer Lynn Women’s Center, also touched upon the various factors and the difficulties of parsing out why the pay gap exists in the United States. “[The wage gap] is not a U.Va. specific thing — it’s a U.S. society thing,” Palko said. “The assumptions that go with gender run really, really deep.”

According to a March 2019 national study by the Pew Research Center, women earned 85 percent of what men earned in 2018.

“The best curated research shows that you can account for some of it by choice of profession and some of it by parental status, but not all of it,” Palko said. “Some of it can only be explained by gender.”

www.cavalierdaily.com • PUZZLES

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WEEKLY CROSSWORD PUZZLE Dan Goff | Puzzle Master

PUZZLES

* THE SOLUTION TO THIS PUZZLE CAN BE FOUND IN THE NEXT ISSUE

Across

Down

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* SOLUTION FROM LAST ISSUE

the suns

e! hin

1 Avoid doing something that

you should do — two words 2 Hyphenated type of constru-

ction material 3 15-across advocates for this

type of denim 4 African bloodsucking fly

whose bite induces sleep 5 Not pertaining to the matter

at hand 6 Hinder, prevent 8 Liquor on the top ___ is usu-

ally the most expensive 13 A being that can see and un-

derstand all is ___ 15 Two-word cutting tool that

comes in many widths and is

usually in spiral form 16 Type of art created by cu-

tting and pasting together

multiple images 17 Recurring with regularity —

seven times a week, in fact 19 The Confederacy once tried

to do this from the rest of the country 21 Part of the stamen that con-

tains pollen 23 Last year's nine-across pe-

rformer was Anderson ___ —

weird period not included

1

Enjoy

7 Two-word term for people in authority 9 UPC -fest at which 15-across

will be performing 10 If you do this crossword on

the morning it comes out,

there will still be ___ full

days left of the semester 11 Drug-induced state of one's

body during surgery 12 Serving no practical purpose 14 Fast, energetic 15 This musician will grace the

Amphitheatre with his pres-

ence Friday night — two words 18 "I am at your ___" 20 Catch or deceive someone or something 22 Government by the wealthy 23 Bread pocket 24 Affixed to a board, say, or

pushed to the floor in wres- tling 25 Spread from a source

I C H V E R S U B K I C

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A F P L A T I I E T R A C E

U A G C L L R N I C A E D E R P L A E E V I I S C E N S T T N O E N R R T I O N A

C A R D I N A L I N D I U M

U S S E S U I A R I N G P G S R I C H E N O L O N D A Y T X E R M I C A N N C A G E T

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U.Va. climbing team wins regional title Beyond the team’s success, members highlight the welcoming and supportive climbing environment Anna Grace Chang | Feature Writer

It takes a dedicated student to drive to Richmond every Thursday night, and members of the University’s climbing team do just that. In addition to a practice on Monday nights at Charlottesville’s Rocky Top gym, the climbing team carpools to Richmond for practices on Thursday nights, often not returning to Grounds until midnight.

However, the team’s hard work has certainly paid off — the team won the bouldering category at the USA Climbing Collegiate Regionals Competition in Radnor, Pa., March 30. An individual can compete in three disciplines at a climbing competition — sport climbing, bouldering and speed climbing.

Sport climbing is roped climbing on tall walls, while bouldering involves climbing a shorter wall — usually under 20 feet — without gear. Competitors earn a greater number of points if they climb more difficult routes to the top in sport climbing. Bouldering typically involves a short series of difficult movements to get to the top.

In contrast, competitors in the speed climbing discipline attempt to reach the top of the wall as fast as possible.

The team’s members, including all students who competed at region-

als, collectively had the highest scores out of all the teams for the bouldering discipline. This means that the University’s competitors scored the most points in bouldering by climbing the hardest routes, so they return with their regionals banner held high. In addition to winning the regional title, 10 members of the climbing team will be heading to Nationals in Murfreesboro, Tenn., April 26.

Will Schaefermier, third-year Engineering student and Climbing Team co-president, expressed great joy at the team’s success at regionals, noting that unlike other schools, the University’s climbing team is a Contracted Independent Organization and thus does not have coaches. The students on the team train themselves and come up with their own workouts.

“We’re going against these 40-man teams from like University of Boulder and [University of] Utah that have monogrammed backpacks and all these coaches and assistant coaches and waterboys and stuff, and we’re just 10 people that roll up … and some of us still manage to place in finals,” Schaefermier said.

Third-year College student Jamie Wertz was similarly enthusiastic about the win, saying that she loved the way

it brought people’s attention to the team. Wertz said many people do not know that the University has a climbing team, and she felt that the regional title provided her with an opportunity to tell others about her sport.

“I’m super excited that we won the basketball national championship, but it’s also cool to see that we do perform well in other disciplines as well,” Wertz said. “[It’s] cool to explain because a lot of people don’t know about climbing as a sport in general, and after regionals, people seemed more interested.”

Climbing at the University is about more than traveling to nationals and winning banners, however.

First-year College student Olivia Little, who has been climbing since the seventh grade, feels that the climbing team allowed her to find her niche at the University.

“Wherever you go, the climbing community is always so welcoming and so supportive, even at competitions,” Little said, “Girls in my own category are cheering me on, and I cheer them on, and it’s always been really supportive even though we are directly competing against each other.”

Schaefermier was similarly grateful for the community provided by climbing, noting that this year team mem-

bers started an official climbing house so that they can continue to grow their relationships outside of practice.

The team members are close, and according to Schaefermier, they spend a great deal of time together outside of climbing, having trivia nights or just hanging out.

Schaefermier also noted that being part of the climbing team provides members with unique opportunities, such as the ability to travel across the country to national competitions. Nationals moves every year. For example, nationals took place in San Diego during Schaefermier’s first year.

“StudCo gives us a lot of funding, and so we have a lot of opportunities to do these really cool trips as a group that I never would have been able to get into and go on on my own,” Schaefermier said.

Though the team members are passionate about climbing and about spending time with each other, the sport can also be extremely difficult.

“As a sport it’s very mental, so it’s easy to get in your head and discourage yourself from climbing and trying hard,” Little said. “That’s something that’s especially important when it comes to climbing competitions … when you’re on a route and you’re like,

‘I’m going to fall’ and you keep telling yourself you’re going to fall, then you’re going to fall.”

Though challenging, the mental work of climbing can also provide a respite for some students. As Wertz noted, climbing can be more stimulating than other physical activities.

“It’s more interactive — you can collaborate with other people,” Wertz said. “It’s sort of like problem solving, and it definitely helps me balance work and other responsibilities I have during the day.”

The climbing team currently has about 30 active members, but they welcome new members to join their community at any time. No tryouts are necessary to join the team, and participation is largely what you make of it. Members pay 50 dollars in dues each semester that covers the costs of gym membership, USA climbing membership and traveling. Additionally, the climbing team has gear students can borrow if they do not want to purchase their own.

“Anyone is welcome,” Little said.

“All age ranges, all skill levels — we even have grad students who are on the team. And you don’t have to compete, it can be completely recreational if that’s what you want to do.”

This lemon and kale salad recipe will make you love salad This kale salad rivals a Roots bowl Sadie Goodman | Food Columnist My uncle Jeff’s friend and gardening buddy Miles taught him the most amazing kale salad recipe.

Every time my family visited Uncle Jeff, we looked forward to making and eating this salad. My dad learned the recipe on one of our trips to Jeff’s house, and we’ve been making it for every family dinner and get-together since.

This salad is so delicious — it doesn’t even taste “healthy.” I’ve been enjoying this recipe for years before I even knew what Roots was.

I finally learned how to make it by myself about two years ago.

I make this for my roommates and friends all the time. This salad is the perfect dish to bring to potlucks, make for your friends or even eat alone in your house. It’s easy, fast to prepare and each bite adds a tangy flavor from the lemon.

As an optional addition, feel free to add some protein. I picked up some cold grilled chicken breast from Trader Joe’s and heated it on medium heat in a saucepan with some olive oil and lemon juice. I sliced the chicken into bite-sized

pieces and added them onto my salad.

This salad would be a great base to play around with and easy to spice up with some other flavors. I suggest adding chopped cherry tomatoes, nuts or cranberries. Adding some brown rice or quinoa could also make this salad seem more like a filling Roots bowl and less like an appetizer.

This salad keeps well in the fridge for a few days, but it’s also easy to eat it all at once. If you do store the leftovers in a fridge, I recommend keeping it in a big salad bowl and covering the top with tin foil or saran wrap. The recipe makes more than enough for one person, especially with a filling topping like chicken.

Enjoy this easy, healthy and family favorite recipe!

Ingredients: • One bushel or bag of kale • Half of a small red onion • Olive oil • Salt • Pepper • Two lemons

1.

EMMA KELLER | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Directions:

Start by rinsing your kale. Even if you buy organic, pre-washed kale I recommend rinsing it and checking for any dead leaves or mischievous bugs. Once the kale is rinsed, pull the leaves from the stems and pat the kale dry with a paper towel. This step is optional but it allows the olive oil to stick to the leaves better and makes the salad less soggy.

2. After you dry the leaves, slice them into roughly one inch wide pieces. Chopping the kale can be quite a laborious process, but it makes the texture of the salad so much better.

3. Toss all the chopped kale into a large salad or mixing bowl. It may seem like too much kale, but it will shrink down once it is dressed and massaged. To the chopped kale mixture add five tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and massage it well. Massaging the kale is important because it helps break down the tough structure of the leaves and make the texture and flavor gentler and more appealing to your palate.

4. Once the kale has lost some of its volume, squeeze the juice of one lemon into the bowl. I like squeezing the lemon through a coffee filter to keep the seeds and pulp from the salad. If you don’t have a coffee filter or strainer, you can also squeeze the juice into your hand and let it run through your fingers for the same effect.

5. Add salt and pepper to taste and massage the salad again. This time you’ll see an even better texture as the lemon causes the kale to break down even more. Once you feel a slick texture on the leaves of the kale and see about a third less kale than you started with, you can stop massaging.

6. To top it off, dice half of a small red onion into pieces about the size of your thumbnail and stir it into the salad.

8

THE CAVALIER DAILY

LIFE • www.cavalierdaily.com

Top 10 ways to handle finals Life is short, but somehow finals makes it feel so long Grace Breiner | Top 10 Writer

1

ANGELA CHAN AND PAIGE HILLMAN | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Sleep through it

Once classes are over, there will be nothing to yank my body out of bed in the morning. I’m ready for my sleep schedule to get real weird, real quick. Hopefully my roommate keeps me somewhat on track, but if I end up sleeping for 14 hours and then not at all, I won’t even be surprised. To my body — why are you so needy?

2

Don’t sleep at all

To everyone in Clem at 2 a.m. on Monday morning — I see you, I am you and I feel your pain. The fluorescent lighting really serves to highlight all of the vast mistakes I must have made to end up grinding this late. I even had to miss “Game of Thrones.”

Luckily, I heard it was another filler episode. If there had been a major death, there would have been a riot in this library.

3 Denial

Finals? Never heard of her. As far as I’m concerned, those points are freely given, right? I mean, everyone I know has been working non-stop all semester.

Surely, we’ve earned our grades by now. As someone who has memorized the entire human metabolic system, my only question is, “You want me to memorize more?” There must have been a miscommunication as to how much information my brain can hold. I can feel it getting heavier already.

4 Listen to Broadway music Feel free to skip this one if you don’t like musicals. Now that those people have stopped reading, who in their right mind doesn’t like musicals? Like, are they okay?

Here’s my top bops at the moment — “Defying Gravity,” “Bound to You” and the entire “Hamilton” album. All musicals are crazy inspirational in my opinion. If Alexander Hamilton can create a nation, maybe I can pass my classes. That’s about the same level of achievement, right?

5 Micromanage your own life I’m loving that everyone has individually come to the conclusion that we should all make study schedules. My study schedule is stored in my Notes app, along with my daily to-do lists, a list of major assignments I have left and a list of happy things to balance out the negative energy. Though, to be honest, my notes are still heavily anxiety-ridden. Maybe I need to add a list of the cutest animals I’ve seen so far or the number of times my friends and I make eye contact in class and mouth “help” to make the distribution more equal.

6

Almost nauseating optimism

This is the only thing that has gotten me through past finals, and I’m expecting it to kick in again at any moment. Of course, there is a fine line between optimism and delusion. If anyone finds that line, please let me know. It’s possible I’m so far on the side of delusion, the line is just a dot to me now. I was never much a fan of reality anyways.

7

Coffee

If you don’t already know this, I can’t even imagine how you’ve survived the semester thus far. I just realized I had six shots of espresso today. Maybe I shouldn’t be encouraging this behavior in others. But who am I kidding? Please join me on this caffeine-fueled adventure.

8 Rely on your friends

We’re all struggling. We all feel this heavy burden that is simultaneously trying to do well on your finals and still somehow survive until the summer. If your friend is struggling in the chair next to you, at least you know you’re not the only one that is bad at managing stress. Midnight Insomnia Cookies, anyone?

9

Distractions

Last semester, I watched dozens of David Dobrik videos on YouTube. This semester, my entire life is already a distraction. I would say my most frequent reaction this semester has been, “Wait, did that just happen?” And the answer is always a resounding “Yes.” Netflix also works. I love seeing “Friends” playing on all of the laptop screens in the library. Me too, friends. Me too.

10 Remember there is a world outside of finals

There is a time in the near future when we all will be tanning and happily forgetting all of the information we just crammed into our brains. Finals are important, but so are a lot of other things. Being happy is important. My cat is important. Dismantling the patriarchy is important. Let’s put this in perspective. One day, we’ll all be real adults that don’t live like reality TV show stars, and we’ll say “I’m so happy I studied and was successful, but past me was definitely a hot mess.” Or at least, that is what I will say. If you’re having a breakdown about a particular grade, remember that your dreams aren’t made of glass — they won’t break if you drop them a bit. I’m pretty sure the five second rule still applies. Pick your dreams up, dust them off and move on. We’re all rooting for you!

THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2019

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SPORTS • www.cavalierdaily.com

Baseball wins two midweek clashes Cavaliers surrender only three hits to James Madison Colin Cantwell | Sports Editor The Virginia baseball team (2518, 9-12 ACC) won two midweek games, Tuesday over Liberty and Wednesday over James Madison.

Virginia - 6, Liberty - 3 The Virginia baseball team beat Liberty (29-11, 9-3 Atlantic Sun) 6-3 at home Tuesday evening. The Cavaliers had previously lost to the Flames 14-5 on the road March 13.

Sophomore left-hander Andrew Abbott started on the mound for Virginia. He opened the game with two 1-2-3 innings before surrendering a solo homer to Liberty junior designated hitter Ben Highfill in the third to put the Flames ahead 1-0.

The home run by Highfill was the only hit Abbott allowed in four innings of work, striking out six Liberty batters in the process. Senior right-hander Chesdin Harrington came in to relieve him and got the win, giving up two runs in three innings.

Virginia tied the score up in the bottom of the fourth. Sophomore designated hitter Brendan Rivo-

li doubled then scored on an RBI groundout by senior first baseman Nate Eikhoff.

However, in the top of the fifth, Liberty junior catcher Jonathan Embry hit a two-run homer off Harrington, putting the Flames up 3-1.

The Cavaliers struck back in the bottom of the fifth and made it 3-3 when freshman second baseman Nic Kent hit a two-run homer of his own to left. The home run was Kent’s third of the season and gave him a team-high 35 RBI’s.

Rivoli then hit an RBI double to right, scoring freshman third baseman Zack Gelof and putting Virginia ahead. Rivoli would score on a Liberty error after senior center fielder Cameron Simmons hit an infield single. Eikhoff hit an RBI double to left-center to score Simmons and finish the Cavaliers’ scoring for the inning.

By the end of the fifth, Virginia had scored five runs and led 6-3, the eventual final score of the game.

Sophomore right-hander Kyle

Whitten pitched the ninth inning and earned the save.

Virginia - 2, James Madison - 1 Virginia defeated James Madison (23-18, 4-8 CAA) 2-1 at home Wednesday night. The Cavaliers surrendered only three hits in the contest.

Freshman left-hander Billy Price got the start on the hill for Virginia and went 1.2 innings, giving up James Madison’s only run on a single hit.

The Dukes took a 1-0 lead off Price in the top of the second and held that advantage until the bottom of the fifth.

Virginia sophomore right-hander Devin Ortiz pitched 4.1 innings of no-hit baseball in relief of Price and went on to earn the win for the Cavaliers.

In the bottom of the fifth, Rivoli hit a sacrifice fly to drive in sophomore right fielder Alex Tappen to tie the game, then senior center fielder Cameron Simmons walked with the bases loaded to put Virginia ahead.

RILEY WALSH | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Freshman second baseman Nic Kent hit his third home run of the season against Liberty.

Junior right-hander Paul Kosanovich and Whitten pitched the final three innings for the Cavaliers and kept the score 2-1, with Whitten earning his eighth save of the season.

Virginia next plays in a three-

game weekend series at No. 15 North Carolina. First pitches are scheduled for 6 p.m Friday, 3 p.m.

Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday at Boshamer Stadium.

Virginia loses matchups against No. 20 James Madison Smith sets Virginia single-season record with 14th home run Caroline Lund | Staff Writer Virginia (17-30, 5-16 ACC) traveled to Harrisonburg to play a double-header against No. 20 James Madison (38-7, 14-1 CAA) Tuesday evening. The Cavaliers lost both games, allowing the Dukes to rack up a combined 17 runs for the day.

Senior infielder Lacy Smith set a Virginia single-season record with her 14th home run of the season and accounted for all of Virginia’s runs against the Dukes.

Game 1: Virginia - 3, James Madison - 14 The Dukes beat Virginia 14-3 after establishing a seven-run lead on just two hits in the bottom of the first inning.

Senior pitcher Allyson Frei started on the mound for Virginia and allowed four consecutive walks to give up the first run of the game. Two more runs scored in the next at-bat on a fielder’s choice that resulted in a throwing error.

After giving up one more run, Frei was replaced by senior pitcher Tabby Dabney. Dabney allowed four runs to score on a single and a double before the end of the inning.

A lead-off home run in the second inning by senior pitcher Megan Good scored another run for James Madison. A pair of singles followed by a fielder’s choice allowed one more to give the Dukes a 9-0 lead going into the third.

Smith drove in the team’s three runs with a home run to left center in the third inning. Smith’s home run was her 14th for the season, breaking the Virginia record for single season home runs that was set in 2002 by Kristen Dennis.

Freshman outfielder Tori Gilbert went 2-for-3 at the plate with two singles. Sophomore infielder Hayley Busby and junior infielder Ashlee Davis each singled to add to Virginia’s five hits in the game.

In the third and fourth innings, James Madison added five runs to lead to earn a run-rule victory in the fifth. Good tripled to right field in the third and junior utility player Kate Gordon produced a two-run home run in the fourth inning. The Dukes recorded 10 hits to account for their 14 runs for the game.

Game 2: Virginia - 1, James Madison - 3 James Madison won a narrow

DOROTHY WANG | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Senior infielder Lacy Smith has a Virginia single-season record 14 home runs and accounted for all of the Cavaliers’ runs against JMU.

3-1 victory in the second game of the doubleheader.

Both teams remained scoreless until the third. Busby tripled to right field in the second at-bat of the third inning. Smith followed up with a double down the right field line to score Busby and put Virginia on the board first.

The Cavaliers held the Dukes at bay until the bottom of the fifth inning when Good and junior pitcher Odicci Alexander hit back-to-back home runs to bring in a combined three runs.

Virginia loaded the bases in the final inning but Good worked one last strikeout to secure the

win for the Dukes.

The Cavaliers will travel to North Carolina State over the weekend to round out ACC play for the regular season. The first game is set to begin Friday at 6 p.m.

www.cavalierdaily.com • SPORTS

THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2019

13

No. 6 men’s lacrosse’s road to the ACC Championship Cavaliers enter the ACC Tournament as the No. 1 seed Vignesh Mulay | Senior Associate

COURTESY VIRGINIA ATHLETICS

Sophomore attackman Matt Moore has 34 goals and 25 assists this season, a crucial part of the Cavaliers’ deadly attacking trio that consists of him, sophomore attackman Ian Laviano and junior attackman Michael Kraus.

The No. 6 Virginia men’s lacrosse team will play in the ACC Tournament this weekend. The Cavaliers are the top seed and will start off play in the semifinal game Saturday in Chapel Hill, N.C. Virginia (11-3, 3-1 ACC) enters the tournament in good form, winning nine of its last 10 games. With an excellent combination of experience, youth and star power, the Cavaliers will look to prove their legitimacy against the ACC’s elite.

As the No. 1 seed, the Cavaliers will play the winner of No. 4 Syracuse and No. 5 North Carolina — who face off Thursday — in the semifinals. If Virginia wins Saturday, the team will face either No. 2 Duke or No. 3 Notre Dame in the ACC finals.

Let’s take a deeper look at the teams Virginia might face on its road to a seventh conference tournament championship.

No. 5 seed North Carolina (76, 1-3 ACC) North Carolina has had its fair share of struggles this season, including finishing the regular season on a three-game losing streak.

That said, the Tar Heels’ trio of ACC losses were by a combined margin of just six goals.

Moreover, North Carolina impressed with a statement victory over Duke — the third-ranked team in the whole country — in late March.

The Tar Heels have a tendency of keeping games close, even against more talented teams, which means they are always an

upset threat.

Key Player: Senior attackman Timmy Kelly has been a pivotal player for North Carolina all season, leading the team with 20 goals. While Kelly has struggled at times against strong defensive teams, if the Tar Heels’ chief playmaker gets hot at the right time, North Carolina could string together a few wins in the tournament.

How to Beat Them: It’s no secret that North Carolina isn’t the most dynamic team on offense. The Tar Heels have never scored more than 10 goals in conference play this season, while the Cavaliers have done so three times. If Virginia controls the tempo of the game and pushes the pace, North Carolina will have a hard time keeping up.

No. 4 seed Syracuse (9-3, 2-2 ACC) While Syracuse may be the No. 4 seed in the upcoming ACC Tournament, the Orange are unlucky to be seeded so low, considering they share the same conference record as Duke and Notre Dame.

On offense, Syracuse is a highly accurate shooting team, leading the ACC with 26.5 shots on goal per game, while also scoring 12 goals per game — second only to Virginia. Led by senior attackmen Bradley Voigt and Nate Solomon, the Orange want to push the pace and take a lot of shots, which could be lethal if they convert at a high rate.

Defensively, Syracuse has allowed just 107 goals — least in the ACC — all season thanks to a

combination of strong defending and excellent goalkeeping.

Key Player: Junior goalkeeper Drake Porter has been excellent in cage for the Orange this season. He leads the conference with 12.36 saves per game and can single-handedly stop the opposing team’s attack. If Porter is playing phenomenally, Syracuse can beat any team in the conference.

How to Beat Them: Virginia has struggled at times with shooting accuracy and against a good defensive team like Syracuse, bad shots could be fatal. If Virginia meets Syracuse, the Cavaliers will need junior attackman Michael Kraus and sophomore attackman Ian Laviano to be clinical on offense and not waste any scoring opportunities.

No. 3 seed Notre Dame (7-5, 2-2 ACC) With a victory over North Carolina in its regular season finale, Notre Dame leapfrogged into third place in the ACC standings.

Notre Dame is one of the least productive ACC teams offensively, ranking last in the conference in goals and shots per game.

However, the Fighting Irish have the ability to be more explosive, as proven by their 11-goal first half against Syracuse earlier in the year.

The biggest concern for Notre Dame is inconsistency. The Fighting Irish haven’t won backto-back games since early March, meaning they’ll have to do so for the first time in nearly two

months to win the ACC Tournament.

Key Player: Junior midfielder Charles Leonard leads the ACC with 162 faceoff wins and is third in the conference with a 59.1 percent winning percentage. Virginia freshman midfielder Petey LaSalla will have his work cut out for him to secure Virginia more possessions.

How to Beat Them: One of Notre Dame’s most troubling weaknesses is its turnover rate. The Fighting Irish lead the ACC in turnovers with 17.08 per game and tend to give up the ball often, especially when under pressure. Virginia, on the other hand, leads the conference in caused turnovers with 9.64 per game, which will be important to limit Notre Dame’s maligned attack. If Virginia dominates the turnover battle, Notre Dame will have a difficult time keeping up with the Cavaliers’ offense.

No. 2 seed Duke (11-3, 2-2 ACC) While Duke is only the second seed, the Blue Devils may be the best team in the conference, if not the country. Top to bottom, Duke has an incredible amount of talent and will look to rely on that in its pursuit of ACC glory.

On offense, Duke has one of the highest shooting percentage at 0.313 in the conference, scoring on nearly a third of its shots.

Sophomore attackman Joe Robertson is the Blue Devils’ leader in attack and ranks in the top 10 in the ACC in virtually every offensive statistical category.

On defense, Duke has an ACC-best goals against average of 8.79 due, in large part, to senior goalkeeper Turner Uppgren, who has a saves percentage of 51.7 percent.

Key Player: As important as Robertson is to Duke’s offense, senior midfielder Brad Smith is the more well-rounded playmaker. Second on the team in goals with 22 and first in assists with 21, Smith is the player that Virginia will need to keep under control should the Cavaliers meet the Blue Devils in the championship game.

How to Beat Them: When Duke handed Virginia its only ACC loss of the season, the Blue Devils used a 7-2 second-half surge to secure a comfortable win. Duke outshot the Cavaliers 21-10 in the final 30 minutes of that game. The Cavaliers’ attacking quartet — Kraus, Laviano, sophomore midfielder Matt Moore and junior midfielder Dox Aitken — cannot let Virginia fall into a scoring slump against Duke. In losses to High Point, Syracuse and North Carolina, Duke has demonstrated its vulnerability to high-scoring teams. The Cavaliers, who lead the ACC in goals per game, just need to score like they usually do to win.

Virginia will play either North Carolina or Syracuse Saturday in Chapel Hill, N.C. If the Cavaliers win the semifinal game, they will return home to Klӧckner Stadium to host the ACC Championship game Saturday May 4.

THE CAVALIER DAILY

O

LEAD EDITORIAL

Stop politicizing U.Va. men’s basketball

OPINION

A

14

Players should decide for themselves whether or not to accept a potential White House invitation

fter the historic win by the Virginia men’s basketball team, Lacey Kohlmoos — an alumna of the University — created an online petition calling for the team to refuse the traditional White House invitation should it be sent. The petition specifically says President Donald Trump has “turned a blind eye or outright supported racists,” and that “by accepting a White House invitation, the team would be condoning the president’s reprehensible and divisive behavior, which is unacceptable.”

In creating this petition — which currently has over 13,000 supporters — Kohlmoos is attempting to politicize a spectacular moment in Virginia men’s basketball history by shaming the team into conforming with poli-

tics they may not agree with. Although, the White House has yet to send an invitation to the team, if it does, the individual players on the team should not take this petition into consideration when making their decision on whether or not they attend. The Virginia men’s basketball team should have the freedom to deny or accept said invitation for their own reasons without capitulating under the pressure of partisan activists. This is especially important when considering America’s history of having sports teams visit the White House.

Inviting sports teams to visit the White House following significant victories is a longstanding tradition that can be traced back to 1865 with two baseball teams during Andrew Johnson’s presidency. The invitation hon-

ors the team’s hard work and achievement during the season.

However, in recent years, it has become less of an honored tradition and more of a political spectacle, which has affected both the administration extending the invitation and the sports teams.

Unlike President Barack Obama, who hosted several basketball national champions, Trump has yet to host a winning basketball team since taking office. However, several teams and individual players — in various sports aside from basketball — have also declined to visit the White House upon receiving an invitation for political reasons. These individual players — such as those from the New England Patriots who refused to visit the White House following their 2019 Super Bowl win — were heavily criticized for

their decision by some and supported by others. However, being invited to the White House after a sports win should stay relatively non-partisan as the players likely span different parts of the ideological spectrum and should instead be perceived as an honor.

Additionally, if the basketball team should decide to accept an invitation from the White House — or even if only a select number of individuals should do so — they would not be condoning or disregarding Trump’s behavior. The team would simply be accepting another accolade for their outstanding effort and achievements this season. Thus, no one should attempt to prevent the team from accepting said honor if it is their desire to do so. Certainly individual players retain the right to decline the

invitation if they so choose. But it should remain their decision, not that of individuals outside of the team who wish to turn their hard-earned win into a political statement.

As exciting as this monumental win was for Virginia fans across the country, it is important to recognize this moment is for the men that worked hard to bring such an historic victory to the University. Let’s keep it that way, instead of allowing yet another part of our society succumb to toxic partisanship.

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www.cavalierdaily.com • OPINION

THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2019

15

U.VA. SHOULD CREATE A MEMORIAL TO R.F.K. Fifty years after his assassination, Grounds still remains without a permanent memorial to this alumnus who left an indelible mark on politics and civil rights

T

he Board of Visitors earlier this year approved a measure to dedicate the new upper-class student residence hall on Brandon Avenue after the late Julian Bond, a history professor at the University and one of the most prominent figures within the civil rights movement. In many ways this decision is reflective of a much larger effort by the University over the past several years to highlight a greater share of its history in the memorials and structures dedicated across Grounds.

And yet in spite of this progress, one name in particular that has yet to be honored is Robert F. Kennedy, who was a graduate of the University’s school of law. Although Kennedy’s career in public service was tragically cut short, it undoubtedly left a lasting impact on American politics and society a whole, particularly in relation to the advancement of the civil rights movement, the response to the War in Vietnam and the enactment of anti-poverty measures. Furthermore, Kennedy is also remembered for the courage which he demonstrated in picking up the torch of his slain brother, President John F. Kennedy, while also working to forge a sense of unity in a country that by the late

1960s was increasingly fragmented.

In short, this legacy and call to public service are things which every member of the University community should seek to emulate and should be proudly celebrated across Grounds. In an era of increased polarization and civil unrest, as was illustrated by the violence that took place in this community in August of 2017, it is imperative that we look at similar

his own party and even with President Lyndon B. Johnson on a host of issues earned him the admiration and respect of many segments of the country which had previously been alienated from the political process for generations.

Likewise, Kennedy’s political and moral beliefs, which were heavily influenced by his devout Catholic faith, enabled him to make common cause with civil

midst of political and social upheaval have since gone on to inspire countless generations of leaders and public officials alike, including former Vice President Joe Biden, civil rights leader and Congressman John Lewis (D-Ga.) and even the University’s current Dean of Students Allen Groves.

In light of Kennedy’s impact and enduring level of inspiration to others, it seems only fitting that

In light of Kennedy’s impact and enduring level of inspiration to others, it seems only fitting that the University should provide him with a permanent memorial.

struggles in our nation's history, such as the era through which Kennedy lived, in order to move forward as a society.

In today’s collective memory, Kennedy is oftentimes remembered for the sense of hope he imparted in millions of Americans who envisioned a different nation, one which transcended beyond the racial division and social unrest that had become mainstream by the late 1960s. Furthermore, Kennedy’s passion and zeal coupled with his willingness to break with members of

rights and social leaders such as Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Cesar Chavez. From this, Kennedy was able to assemble a broad coalition of supporters both during his time in office as well as in his 1968 campaign for the presidency due to the appeal of his message with religious and ethnic minorities, poor and working-class Americans and young voters.

Ultimately, while his campaign would be woefully cut short by an assassin’s bullet in June of 1968, his calls for unity and resilience in the

the University should provide this alumnus with a permanent memorial here on Grounds. As of right now, the only tributes which the University has made to Kennedy’s legacy are in the form of programs and awards given to graduates from the Law School, the most notable of which are the Robert F. Kennedy ’51 Public Service Fellowships and the Robert F. Kennedy Award for Public Service.

These awards, while seeking to encourage students to live up to the ideals and beliefs that Kennedy

himself imparted, fail to be inclusive of the entire University community. Likewise, across Grounds, there are still several buildings which bear the names of individuals connected with troubling aspects of this nation’s history, including eugenics and white supremacy. For these reasons in particular, it is even more imperative that the University should seek to dedicate a lasting memorial to Kennedy as his legacy is one that can be celebrated by all members of our community.

Ultimately, if the events of the past several years have demonstrated nothing else, it is that Kennedy’s vision for a better America still remain largely unfinished. A permanent memorial to this Wahoo would not only seek to honor his inspiring legacy but also challenge present and future generations of this University to live up to the ideals for which he stood.

THOMAS DRISCOLL is an Opinion Columnist for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at opinion@ cavalierdaily.com.

DO MORE TO PREVENT TUITION HIKES The University needs to deal with rising costs if it truly wants to be welcoming and affordable to all students

T

he cost of higher education in the United States has been steadily increasing over the past few decades, and U.Va. is no exception.

In fact, the University is the most expensive public school in the nation for out-of-state students — and its in-state price tag is one of the highest in the Commonwealth. When all is said and done, the total cost of attendance for students in the College comes out to be around $33,000 for in-state students and $64,000 for out-of-state students — both of which are significantly above the average national total cost.

Recently, the Board of Visitors unanimously approved an in-state tuition freeze for the first time in the University’s history due to extra funding granted from the General Assembly. While this may sound promising, the freeze only lasts for one year, and it does not halt the 3.5 percent increase on out-of-state tuition. Looking at historical trends, there is little chance that an additional $5.52 million will be granted to the University anytime soon.

Over the past 19 years, tuition and fees alone have increased by over 165 percent, and it does not appear to be slowing down.

While prices have been rising, that does not necessarily mean the University has been ignoring this issue. The University has started programs such as Access UVA and claims to match 100 percent of all demonstrated financial need — but the problem is that “demonstrated

America have been seeing tuition rise exponentially over the last 20 years, but most have not risen as fast or as significantly as U.Va. State funds also make up a very small fraction of the University’s budget, giving reason for potential tuition increases. These reasons may make

will be too high for many to justify the cost of attending this institution.

Growing and expanding is imperative to the continued excellence of the University, but it must be done in a way that is sustainable for all who are driven to attend.

When dedicating resources to

While the University may have external forces causing it to repeatedly raise tuition year after year, it must take steps to end this behavior and stay true to its mission.

financial need” is different for everyone. Some people may have little help from parents in paying for their education, while a few tax forms may not accurately describe the entire financial situation for others. A financial aid package award of loans and an optional work-study may also not be enough or the right option for many students entering the University.

The problems causing these hikes in tuition are not just purely a University issue — they are also closely related to national trends and state funding. Public universities in

recent tuition increases sound just, but they do no fully let the University off the hook.

The mission statement of the University states that it is defined by a “universal dedication to excellence and affordable access.” While the University may have external forces causing it to repeatedly raise tuition year after year, it must take steps to end this behavior and stay true to its mission. Maintaining academic prowess and the University’s position as a top public institution is important, but there will eventually come a time when the price tag

new programs — such as a new School of Data Science — and raising tuition during student’s third and fourth year, the BOV and other administration officials must recognize that every rise in price potentially dissuades potential applicants.

This dynamic can only strengthen toxic elitism throughout the student body and hurt first-generation and low-income students. Even if more state support for higher education could ease or stop increases, it falls on the University to find ways to become more affordable while still lobbying state and federal govern-

ment to support students financially and academically.

Out-of-state tuition must and should be higher than the in-state price — but being almost double the cost of in-state tuition is sky high compared to the majority of schools across the nation. The Commonwealth and University must work together to keep the price lower for residents, but lower the cost for everyone in the process of doing so.

If the University actually wants to foster a community composed of individuals from across the world and from all socioeconomic backgrounds, it must actively be searching for solutions to end tuition increases and potentially lowering the cost of attendance. If it does not, then the University will be doing a disservice to itself by barring many potential students from U.Va., which will only feed into the hierarchical and exclusive nature of higher education in the U.S.

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

THE CAVALIER DAILY

H

HUMOR We fake phone calls because of them. We put our headphones on to protect ourselves from them. We take the long way to class just to avoid them. They are dangerous and unpredictable. They can smell you from a mile away. You know what I’m talking about. The chaos that ensues on the South Lawn like clockwork every sunny day? The flood of flyers being shoved in front of your face outside of Fresh Food & Co? The Illuminati triangle of cheap plastic tables near the Whispering Wall?

If you guessed tablers, you’re right.

They’re a part of any normal day on Grounds. They’re a member of the outdoors community at our school, along with the fearless squirrels and occasional bunny. After spending two years avoiding their weirdly tiny papers and loud pop music, I have

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CARTOON

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A study of U.Va. tablers realized they are a unique kind. Not only are tablers unique as a whole, but they have many different subspecies. Here are some of the species I have come across.

1) The Loud Ones. The Loud tablers are often the dominant tablers. They stand in the middle of their habitat — the table — and they shout with force. They shout almost always in statements. For example, “Come to our concert this Friday!” or “Free coffee!” I believe The Loud Ones rely on their strong voices to overwhelm pedestrians. They want their words to be your thoughts. At times, their volume is used as a scare tactic to force individuals to take a flyer or sign a petition. Beware of The Loud Ones, they are often the leaders.

2) The Logical Ones. The Logical tablers try to use reason to get you.

They reel you in with simple questions. For example, they will ask you, “What are you doing this weekend?”

or “Do you like comedy?” and before you know it, you are taking a flyer for a stand-up show. They capitalize on your kindness and then bite, forcing you to take a flyer because you have a soft spot for puppies or showtunes. Their main tactic is to use your guilt. You just said you were a fan of amateur photography, so why wouldn’t you go to a photography exhibit at the Fralin? Good question.

Beware of The Logical Ones — they are often the brains.

3) The Apathetic Ones. The Apathetic tablers are the most friendly of all tablers. If you come across an Apathetic tabler, do not be afraid.

This species normally prefers to look at their iPhones or to talk to fellow Apathetic friends. These tablers may be doing something more important, like writing a Collab assignment due next class. The Apathetics are normally not enthusiastic about their cause, and it is most likely that they were forced to be tablers. Do

not beware of the Apathetic ones — they are the weakest.

4) The Religious Ones. The Religious ones are very philosophical.

While they are not the most forceful ones, they are still dangerous. They reel you in with absurd ideas that have never crossed anyone’s mind.

But, their strategy seems to work.

People try to ignore them like any other tablers, but you sometimes end up passing their table while also contemplating religion. Then, a little part of you wants to go back and answer their poll. After I personally pass their large whiteboards with their grand questions about God’s gender, I really do wonder. Could God be a woman? I mean, maybe.

Beware of The Religious Ones, they are the most cunning.

5) The Musical Ones. The Musical Ones play their own music. Somehow, they can afford to produce their own music and put it on Spotify? Please let me know how that

Differing perspectives Sam Dulin | Cartoonist

works. They also have the biggest speakers to drown out other tablers’ mainstream music with their sick tracks. They don’t care if you have already heard an acapella group cover Rolling in the Deep — their cover is definitely better, and they will play it at the highest volume available.

Beware of The Musical Ones, they really like to sing.

These are the main tablers I have encountered thus far on Grounds.

Please be wary of all species and approach them with caution. If you cannot avoid them, just try your best to be invisible. That may be difficult, but it’s better than being awkwardly stuck with a flyer in your hand for the rest of your walk to class.

JUSTINE BAIRD is a Humor Columnist for The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at humor@cavalierdaily. com.

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A& E ARTS AND

Promoting a greener conversation Students, professor and professional artist unveil public artwork to fight climate change

ENTERTAINMENT Climate change has long been framed in national and local media as a political matter, with occasional surges of passionate interest that have never amounted to substantial legislative action. At the University, environmental science Prof. Deborah Lawrence and her students have been working to change that, using scientific evidence and activism through writing to spur green conversation and a sustainability mindset on Grounds.

It wasn’t until the professor read “The Constitution, By Hand,” a New York Times article by Morgan O’Hara, a Los Angeles-based conceptual artist who began collaboratively writing down the Constitution in the New York Public Library, that Lawrence realized the missing ingredient in climate activism — the power of demonstration and art.

“I found a different way to tell the climate story,” Lawrence said. Since then, Lawrence has been offering a Write Climate course at the University where students “scoured [scientific] papers for the words and the phrases and the paragraphs that meant something to them that really distilled the ideas.”

What surprised Lawrence was just how dedicated her students were, so much so that they wanted to be more involved after the class was over. “We created the club this semester because some of the things that the course did were sort of limited in scope,” said third-year College student Brian Hnat, Write Climate’s president. He says the club exists to help involved students engage in “more politically active things.”

“I was not terribly comfortable having the class do anything that was overtly political,” Lawrence said, mentioning her unease at bringing politics into the classroom. “There was a notion that we had unfinished work.” She said the club provided her students a more appropriate outlet for directly-involved activism.

Since its founding, the class and corresponding club have marketed themselves by painting Beta Bridge, attending a climate rally and writing letters to Congress advocating support for the Green New Deal, an ambitious Democratic resolution meant to provoke a climate conversation in American government.

Lawrence, her students and several performers and artists gathered outside Peabody Hall Monday to display a climate change installation constructed out of plastic bottles, a public art collaboration with Charlottesville artist Amanda Nelsen. Arts and Entertainment spoke with the professor, her students — who formed a club based off her class — and the artist responsible for the public piece to understand how these local groups came to this moment for Earth Day 2019.

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Max Patten | Senior Writer

MAX PATTEN | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Prof. Deborah Lawrence, her students and the Write Climate, Right Climate organization worked with local artist Amanda Nelsen to create public art calling for action on climate change.

For those skeptical of climate change, Lawrence also mentioned the benefit of tabling efforts her students did across Grounds. “Because we were out there randomly placed and not just talking to people who want to listen to us, I think we actually expanded the conversation to people who hadn't really thought about climate change very much.”

Lawrence’s students were eager to work on both an individual and broad level. Hnat mentioned “effecting change from an individual student level to trying to convince the [Ryan] administration to incorporate sustainability into their overall master plan.”

A class grader and second-year College student Jasmyn Noel said the club activities were a “stepping stone for us to go above and beyond and make [sustainability] a culture throughout U.Va.” Working with Charlottesville artist and teacher Amanda Nelsen was invaluable for giving the group’s idealistic message an artistic cohesion.

“It's been good to have someone who shares the same vision as us,” Noel said. “[She] believes in what we're doing, and she actually helps us … with the artistic part.” The club’s secretary, second-year College student Satori Greene was also happy to work with Nelsen to combine scientific and artis-

tic talent. “You don't see that crossover a lot,” Greene said. “I absolutely loved it.”

Arts and Entertainment interviewed Nelsen to get the artist’s perspective on the piece. Nelsen connected with Lawrence at a grant reception for the Write Climate project. “I used to be a high school art teacher,” said Nelsen. “I love teaching in a space where there are so many different perspectives so the students can come from a myriad of departments and majors.”

Nelsen said she gained inspiration for the piece when visiting the University’s recycling center, where materials are sorted manually by workers. “I just found that really kind of alarming, or you know, just really humbling,” she said. The experience inspired the piece to be made out of bottles. “I just had not known that that was a hand process and that those staff members actually were integral in our process because they were able to isolate the bottles that we needed.”

For Nelsen, the goal of the piece is to attract attention. In it, plastic bottles are arranged, dyed yellow on one side and blue on the other. On the yellow side contrasting black bottles read “Unless”, and on the blue side “2030”.

“I want it to be … a visual reminder of the importance and urgency of ad-

dressing climate change,” Nelsen said.

Within each bottle is a piece of paper from responses the club gathered while tabling. “It's just an incredible experience I think that's all wrapped up in each one of those bottles,” Lawrence said. “The bottles of course come together — almost 1,300 bottles to make a bigger whole.”

Nelsen wanted the work to alarm, but not be overly pessimistic — a sentiment she emphasized when speaking Monday.

“What I hope is that this work is striking enough and provocative enough in some ways but also uplifting enough,” she said. “Because it needs to be something that we collectively believe as is possible and that we can commit to working towards.”

While the words were revealed on Monday, the club displayed the installation in a preview capacity since the previous Wednesday night.

“Just having our project already out there like, sparks that curiosity and conversation which we're trying to do through art in the first place,” said Greene. Noel added the significance of the timing. “During Days on the Lawn … a lot of parents, future students were coming up saying ‘Oh, what's this?’” Noel said.

Having the work be so public is something Nelsen, Lawrence and the

students all hope will help rewrite the perception that the University is not a leader in sustainability. “Changing that culture would be the greatest reward that we could get from something like this,” Hnat said.

All shared similar sentiments when discussing the future of the installation . “We only have a permit for a week,” Lawrence said. “We are looking for a second home for that piece.” Lawrence hopes that could be somewhere where it is seen and talked about, like Route 250. “5,000 vehicles drive on 250 every day,” she said. “I would love to get our piece installed somewhere where lots of people would see it.”

Nelsen foresees the piece having a long life of travel. “It could move around Grounds, it could move around the city, it could move into different cities,” Nelsen said. Lawrence’s students would ultimately like to see the work’s influence spread as well.

“The goal was to spread this around to other schools,” said Hnat. “To have other schools follow in our lead in a project like this.”

Write Climate’s installation will be on display outside of Peabody Hall through Friday.

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Making children’s extracurriculars worth watching Eccentricities in U.Va Drama production of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” make it magical Ananya Suram | Staff Writer “I really tried to center the production around the idea ... of spelling bee magic,” director Dave Dalton said of the drama department’s latest production, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” A musical comedy that invites audience participation, the play follows six quirky students on their journey through the most cutthroat competition in town. During their pursuit of first prize, the children reveal the trials and tribulations associated with being the best, all while balancing their own personal complications.

The outstanding feature of the U.Va. Drama production — which began its run at Culbreth Theatre April 18 — was the ability of the ensemble cast to express the eccentricities of their respective characters. From the absurdity of Barfée’s “magic foot” method of spelling to the ill-timed nature of Tolentino’s “uncomfortable protuberance” after catching the eye of a fellow competitor’s sister, the entire play felt like an extended “Saturday Night Live” skit — barely realistic but completely entertaining. The role of Leaf Co-

neybear was portrayed brilliantly as well, especially during moments when the character channeled a primordial spirit that knew how to spell the names of various South American rodents.

The less brazen touches, such as second-year College student Veronica Seguin’s lisp in her portrayal of Logainne SchwartzandGrubenierre, provided the audience with subtle reminders of the youthfulness of otherwise mature characters. Although third-year College student Jack Dunkenberger’s portrayal of Official Comfort Counselor Mitch Mahoney was uneven, he redeemed himself in the role of SchwartzandGrubenniere’s father, Dan — particularly through snarky quips at his husband, Carl. “[I was looking for] a sense of humor and a willingness to play around in auditions, and then obviously the ability to sing — it’s a deceptively difficult musical to sing,” Dalton said about the casting process.

The inclusion of audience participants also enhanced the utter ridiculousness of the production.

Recruited prior to the show, guests

were able to join the cast onstage in the spelling madness, being introduced with strange facts vaguely related to a list of hobbies they provided. The audience recruits were given words ranging in difficulty from “cow” to “vigintillion.”

“It was great to finally see [the play] with an audience and see how the audience responds to volunteer spellers,” Dalton said.

However, the play includes predetermined rules designed to eliminate all volunteer spellers before the intermission. While such moments were made clear to the audience, this information did not alleviate the pain of seeing the last volunteer speller eliminated on opening night — their forced loss was just as tragic as that of any actual cast member.

The staging of the show allowed Dalton to bring the interplay between fantasy and reality to the forefront of the production. A “stagewithin-a-stage” in Culbreth Theatre permitted characters’ memories to be shown concurrently with their present situations. Additionally, in a deviation from the script, the “Pandemonium” number was inspired by

COURTESY MARTYN KYLE, PERNMOOT PHOTOGRAPHY

“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” is vibrant and odd in the best way.

the etymology of the word itself.

“I looked up the word ‘pandemonium’ and found that it was coined

by Milton in ‘Paradise Lost’ to describe the capital of Hell,” Dalton said. “And so I thought if we’re doing this whole fantasy thing anyway … it would be great to have a kid’s version of Hell.”

“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” proved fun for all viewers, whether invited to participate in the insanity or not. The hi-

larity that ensued at every moment in the production was balanced well by the emotionally complex backstories detailing how each participant reached this level of competition. With topical references to current events and sexual innuendos to spare, this is one spelling bee that must not be missed.

“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” is showing at Culbreth Theatre until April 27.

Indio draws in Instagram influencers

The modern Coachella festival is an indie-esque fashion show with popular culture’s best soundtrack to match Sarah Howorth | Staff Writer Every year, Indio, California becomes an epicenter for music-lovers who brave glamourous hour-long shower lines and mud-bogged fields in order to see their favorite musicians dominate the famous Coachella stages live. The valley becomes riddled with star-studded and rhinestone-laced concertgoers, filling the venue with glitter space buns as far as the eye can see. Coachella is one of the most famous music festivals in our popular culture, and as such, it has drawn in the most prominent figures of online popularity. Hundreds of self-proclaimed Instagram influencers like Indy Blue and Emma Chamberlain often attend Coachella, decked out in the most fashionable festival wear money can buy — or sponsors can provide. Influencers who attend the festival are the epitome of today’s so-called indie couture and look like the poster children for the ultimate Urban Outfitters ad.

When walking around the festival grounds, seeing countless mini photoshoots occurring at every turn is inevitable. After paying such a large amount

of money and securing the most fashion forward outfit possible, the protocol is surely “pics or it didn’t happen.” But have you ever imagined a music festival without any personal music coverage?

Attendees certainly take endless photos and videos of their favorite artists, but all we tend to see on social media is concertgoers posing in the gardens. Today’s all-consuming social media presence is likely diminishing the focus on Coachella’s music acts and putting more of an emphasis on its fashion. These photoshoots we see scattered across our feeds are a representation of the continuously shifting values of festival-goers.

On the rare occasion we do see music-based coverage, it is often to expose an artist’s onstage mishap. Country music superstar and social media sweetheart Kacey Musgraves received a large amount of coverage due to her failed attempt at a “yee-haw” call-and-response, and more specifically her laughable reaction to the audience’s confusion.

However, what we did not see was the massive disco ball adorn-

ing the stage behind her as she performed a raw version of “Slow Burn,” creating an acoustic, sonic dreamscape at golden hour. In favor of her yelling at the audience, we lost the gorgeous aesthetic of her layered and whispery vocals.

Coachella is a concentrated example of society’s current values and our diminished attachment to the music we consume.

There can often be less of an interest in music due to our detached — and predominantly digital — listening methods. Not to say this observation applies to all individuals who attend Coachella today, but the influencers we often see on social media shape our perception of the proper festival experience. Crocheted crop tops and knee-high latex boots are a more common social media sighting than eye-catching sets and artists on the rise.

An amalgamation of all these superficial occurrences detracts from the artistic, musical history being made onstage and the actual goal of Coachella itself — to showcase the most promising and progressive artists of today.

However, any kind of excite-

LAUREN MOHAN AND AKHILA DANAM | THE CAVALIER DAILY

ment surrounding this annual music-centric event is certainly

a positive, whether it be purely fashion or music-based in nature.

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Engineering team launches satellite into space Satellite created by capstone design course students plans to measure the effect of atmospheric drag on spacecrafts Lucie Rutherford | Senior Writer

As the moon landing’s 50th anniversary approaches, an aerospace engineering team at the University has made their own history. Not only has the team developed the University’s first spacecraft, the feat was accomplished by undergraduate students. Three years of engineering collaboration between the University, Old Dominion University, Hampton University and Virginia Tech culminated in the launch of three CubeSats — or miniaturized satellites used for space research — to the International Space Station via the Antares Rocket. The resupply mission was launched April 17 from the NASA Wallops Flight Facility located on Virginia’s coast.

The goal of the project, which was granted about $60,000 by the Virginia Space Grant Consortium and NASA, is focused on predicting and relieving atmospheric drag for future spacecrafts. To do this, the University, Old Dominion and Virginia Tech each engineered a 64-cubic-inch satellite, which will fly in a constellation together to measure atmospheric drag. Though Hampton University did not develop their own CubeSat, the team contributed by analyzing science data on orbital circulations. According to Chris Goyne, associate professor

of mechanical and aerospace engineering, resistance from the air and surroundings can slow down spacecraft to the point where it burns up when re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere. This research will allow for fuel consumption predictions and calculations to ensure safe returns to Earth.

“The idea is to take measurements of the atmospheric drag that the [CubeSats] will experience as they're orbiting the earth and try to use that information to predict how other spacecraft will be affected by the earth's atmosphere,” Goyne said.

Accompanying the CubeSats on the Antares Rocket were scientific instruments and experiments for the astronauts, as well as food. After the 36-hour journey, the CubeSats now await deployment until mid-July, at which point they will be sent out through an airlock on the space station to begin data collection.

This data collection will last for approximately one year before the CubeSats burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere.

Fourth-year aerospace Engineering student Erin Puckette is the student lead for the entire project, managing all 30-some students across all of the universities. Puckette ensured that the institutions were communicating

and moving in the right direction and mitigated issues that arose throughout the engineering process.

"The project had a lot of highs, and it had a lot of lows,” Puckette said. “Some of the exciting parts were seeing when we'd recover from the lows, when we'd be thrown something that [made us think], ‘There's no way that we're going to recover from this, this is going to take the mission out, this isn't going to space, everybody should just call it quits,’ but then we'd find a work-around, or there'd be a breakthrough.”

Challenges faced by the engineering team included incompatible components, or parts susceptible to damage, as well as legal and safety requirements.

One such legal requirement arose due to the presence of a radio onboard the CubeSat, which required a Federal Communications Commission license in order to transmit collected data.

This component required communication with the federal government, making it difficult to get a license in time for launch.

“The legal and safety compliance perspectives were challenges that I think the students had not encountered before in the types of designs that they may have done,” Goyne said. “There

were a lot of practicalities to operating the spacecraft on the space station."

After completing the satellites, Puckette flew with the CubeSats down to the NanoRacks integration facility in Houston, Texas. At the facility, the satellites were placed into the deployer, packaged up further and loaded and shipped back to Virginia for launching.

On the day of launch, Puckette, Goyne and the rest of the teams reconvened near Chincoteague, Va., to watch the take-off.

"That was sort of my big goodbye to them when I saw them screwed into their final canister,” Puckette said. “It was weird to think that something that I had built was on a rocket headed to space. As an aerospace engineer, it's sort of what you dream of to get to see it, and you get to feel it too because of the shock waves.”

In order to reach the ISS, the resupply spacecraft separated from Antares after launch. Once docked, astronauts opened up a hatch to the spaceship, bringing bags and cargo back onto the space station, including the CubeSats.

At this point, the next step for the engineering team is to establish radio communication with the CubeSat once it flies

over Charlottesville in July after deployment. During this fly-over, an antenna located on the roof of the Mechanical Engineering Building will be pointed towards the satellite, allowing the team to listen to data transmitted from the CubeSat. “We've had a lot of success to date with the mission because we've been able to expose our students to a practical spacecraft design, build and flight mission, but we're looking forward to a milestone of establishing radio communications with the spacecraft,” Goyne said.

According to Goyne and Puckette, a main aspect that makes this project so unique is the opportunity it provides for undergraduate students to get such invaluable experience within the field of aerospace engineering.

“Unlike a lot of CubeSat programs around the U.S. and around the world, we had our undergraduate students actually designing the CubeSat, building it and testing it,” Goyne said.

“The success we've had to date on this mission is a testament to the tenacity and the abilities of our undergraduate students.”

Kucenas Lab studies the rehabilitation of PNS Researchers work with zebrafish to understand how the peripheral nervous system can heal after injury Elise Fisher | Staff Writer An April 2019 study by the lab of University Assoc. Biology Prof. Sarah Kucenas has recently discovered a novel way that cells of the peripheral nervous system can be repaired following damage. Post-doctoral fellow Laura Fontenas and fourth-year College student Melanie Piller collaborated with Kucenas on this study.

This project was already being researched when Piller and Fontenas joined the lab in 2015 and 2016. The lab team ultimately discovered that damaged PNS cells can be restored with the help of a type of cell that usually resides in the central nervous system, an oligodendrocyte.

Oligodendrocytes are a type of cell in the central nervous system, found mainly in the spinal cord. Their main job is to form myelin, a protective and insulating layer that increases the speed of electrical impulses along neurons.

When the myelin layer breaks down — due to reasons such as genetic mutations or disease — the speed at which the body’s nerve cells can communicate with each other severely slows. This can eventually cause pain, much slower movement and function, muscle atrophy and loss of fine motor skills. When this happens in the body, diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease or Guillain-Barre syndrome can result.

However, the oligodendrocytes typically remain in the central nervous system and do not migrate to the periphery. This causes a dilemma when the myelin of cells in the extremities becomes damaged.

The lab approached the problem of myelin decay in the human PNS with a focus on the physiology of another organism. Piller explained that the lab chose zebrafish for a of couple reasons — its body is transparent

during development and a majority of genes causing disease in humans have a counterpart of similar function in fish.

Both of these aspects of the zebrafish contribute to an easier experimental design.

“We can use fluorescent markers and microscopes to watch development at the cellular level,” Piller said.

A specific advantage in research also stemmed from the transparency of the fish, which allows researchers to see the movement of cells around the motor exit point, or the boundary between the central and peripheral nervous systems. CNS oligodendrocytes had previously been thought to not migrate to the other side.

“And because of their small size, we can image both the central and peripheral nervous systems at the same time and observe glial cells cross the MEP transition zone in real time,” Fontenas said.

The unusual movement is caused by a compound that disturbs normal nervous system functions so as to pull oligodendrocytes into the peripheral region. This was performed on zebrafish that had been genetically modified to show symptoms of diseases that deal with the breakdown of myelin.

This way, researchers could study the effect of oligodendrocyte movement across the transition zone and see how the cells repaired myelin layers outside of their normal region.

The study has brought to light a mechanism that was previously thought to be highly unusual if it occurred at all.

“We showed that oligodendrocytes can exit the spinal cord to reach the peripheral nervous system and that they are able to myelinate motor nerve axons in a hypomyelination model,” said Fontenas. “These results are encouraging cause we now know that

oligodendrocytes can migrate to and function in the peripheral nervous system.”

This research has changed the idea of oligodendrocytes as strictly CNS cells, widening both the understanding of their function and possible opportunities for their use.

Their findings may have important implications in how diseases affecting the myelin sheath are approached in future treatments.

“Currently, our knowledge of these processes is limited, but I hope our findings will help further the research in the field,” Piller said. “Eventually, this type of research could lead to new therapies for demyelinating diseases like Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease and Multiple Sclerosis.”

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5/18/19

READY OR NOT, HERE IT COMES. go.wfu.edu/518Ready UVA-ReadyOrNot-10x12.indd 1

4/5/19 2:31 PM