Monday, February 3, 2014

Monday, February 3, 2014

Vol. 124, Issue 36

Where they stand BOB MCDONNELL “It is my opinion that the University of Virginia is authorized to provide recreational gym memberships to an adult who is not a spouse and who lives in the household of of an employee or student.” - June 7, 2007

Marshall Bronfin| The Cavalier Daily

2007

2009

1992 2014

“Our own experience and analysis suggest that most of the major national private and public universities with whom we compete when we hire or work to retain top faculty already offer domestic partner health insurance. The ability to offer this benefit is increasingly important now as we attempt to recruit and retain the best faculty and staff in the most challenging economic climate we have seen.” - October 6, 2009

“Having exercised his independent constitutional judgement, consistent with his oath of Office, the Attorney General has concluded that Virginia’s laws denying the right to marry to same-sex couples violate the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution,” – the Office of the Attorney General of Virginia. January 24, 2014

TERRY MCAULIFFE “In the present case, Virginia’s same-sex marriage ban is being vigorously and appropriately defended by the Clerk of Court for the City of Norfolk and the Clerk of Court for Prince William County… Accordingly, I respectfully decline to appoint special counsel in this matter.” - January 27, 2014

Jenna Truong | The Cavalier Daily

2014

ban on benefits Debilitates Faculty & STAff Focus Editor

MARK HERRING

MarshallHerring Bronfin|Campaign The Cavalier Daily Courtesy

UNDER FIRE Michael Drash

JOHN CASTEEN

Courtesy Cavalier Daily

Marriage Amendment

Harsh words and terse documents circled the State Capitol last week following Attorney General Mark Herring’s announcement that he will refuse to defend the Marshall-Newman Amendment, also known as the Marriage Amendment, which is being challenged in District Court.

The amendment defines a valid marriage as “only a union between one man and one woman.”

Such clauses are common to many state constitutions, but the Virginia amendment is unique in that it also forbids the commonwealth and its political subdivisions from “[creating] or [recognizing] a legal status for relationships of unmarried individuals that intends to approximate the design, qualities, significance, or effects of marriage.”

Virginia voters voted 57 percent in favor of the amendment in a 2006 ballot initiative. The bill also passed through the House of Delegates and Senate twice earlier that same year.

Beyond simply prohibiting samesex marriage, such a strict and comprehensive code has prevented the University and other state agencies from extending health care and other benefits to the same-sex partners of employees. Extending these benefits is a common practice at other institutions of higher education, and many say the University’s lack of participation has been a prohibitive factor in hiring and retaining talented lesbian, gay and bisexual faculty and staff.

Legal Representation Crisis Herring changed the official legal position of the commonwealth on Bostic v. Rainey, the case currently being heard in federal district court that is challenging the Marriage Amendment. Herring said the

amendment conflicts with the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

“Having exercised his independent constitutional judgement, consistent with his oath of Office, the Attorney General has concluded that Virginia’s laws denying the right to marry to same-sex couples violate the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution,” the Office of the Attorney General of Virginia said in a document submitted to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

“The Attorney General will not defend the constitutionality of those laws, will argue for their being declared unconstitutional, and will work to ensure that both sides of the issue are responsibly and vigorously briefed and argued.”

Swift response ensued from the House of Delegates. Del. Bob Marshall, R-Manassas, sent a letter cosigned by 31 other delegates to Governor Terry McAuliffe the next day.

The delegates urged McAuliffe to “provide adequate counsel to defend the people of Virginia in their Marriage Amendment to the Virginia Constitution which is now under legal challenge in the Commonwealth.”

A second letter containing the signatures of 22 additional supporting delegates followed.

Del. James Massie, R-Henrico, said he believes Herring is not acting in accordance with his position.

“The Attorney General of Virginia needs to impartially defend the Constitution whether he agrees with that or not,” Massie said.

Massie believes that Herring’s stance is based on political, rather than constitutional, considerations.

“He’s changed his mind on it and I would posit that he’s changed

see AMENDMENT, page 63

N news

Kaelyn Quinn Associate Editor

The sound of chainsaws echoed across the Lawn Thursday, as workers cut down seven Magnolia trees surrounding the Rotunda.

The trees ranged from 60 to close to 100 years old.

The removal is part of the Rotunda's second phase of renovations, which call for significant improvements to the heating, plumbing and other internal systems of the building, University spokesperson McGregor McCance said.

“One of the large components of the second phase of renovations is the installation of a major underground utilities room in the East courtyard, which will house modern mechanical, heating and other equipment,” he said in an email.

The renovations will serve as a key part of "modernizing the Rotunda,” McCance said, and it will also make way for an archeological dig in the courtyards.

“Other work on the exterior that necessitates removal of the trees includes work on the porticos, wings and terraces,” McCance added.

The magnolia trees held an important significance for many on Grounds, said Student Council President Eric McDaniel, a fourthyear College student. “[The trees] are sort of an iconic part of the view of the Rotunda,” he said.

Their removal was an unfortunate necessity, said Third-year

The Cavalier Daily

2

University removes historic magnolias Tree removal to make room for Rotunda rennovation, not caused by poor tree health, McCance says

Council Vice President Blake Griggs, also in the College. "[The trees are] what you think of when you think of the Lawn,” Griggs said. “It’s very sad … [but] there was not very much we could have done to stop it.”

Several of the trees were also in poor health, a contributing factor in the need to take them down, McDaniel and Griggs said.

Two arborists from the National Park Service’s Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation, in Boston, Mass., examined the magnolias in September. They recommended two trees in the west garden be removed, regardless of construction efforts, McCance said.

McCance maintained that the renovations, not the health of the trees, was the primary reason for their removal.

“Removal of the trees was a decision made to allow for the second phase of renovations to proceed, not because of their conditions,” he said.

New trees and flowers will be planted after the Rotunda's surrounding gardens are completed after the renovations, McCance said.

McDaniel said the new gardens will be “more accessible to students.”

The University will also plant a new set of magnolias in separate location, McCance said.

The lumber from the fallen magnolias will be recycled in some fashion, McCance said. “Artists, for example, are among those who have expressed interest [in the wood],” he said.

Marshall Bronfin | The Cavalier Daily

The University removed several magnolia trees Thursday to make room for Phase II of the Rotunda’s rennovation. University spokesperson McGregor McCance said the rennovation was not due to the trees’ health.

NEWS

Monday, February 3, 2014

3

Commerce School attracts 577 applicants, largest pool ever Applicants increase 14 percent, have 3.53 mean GPA, 1304 mean SAT score

Last Monday marked the deadline for second-year College students to apply to the Commerce School. The McIntire Undergraduate Admissions Committee will consider applications and expects to notify students of their decision sometime in midMarch.

In total, 577 students applied this year, marking a 14 percent increase from last year and the largest amount of applicants in the school’s history. The estimated acceptance rate for this year’s applicants is 56 percent.

Applicants to the Commerce School face rigorous competition, with a mean GPA of 3.53 and a mean combined reading and math SAT score of 1390. In 2001, applicants had a mean GPA of 3.22 and a mean SAT score of

1304.

Students completed an application made up of both short essays and a section listing accomplishments.

“It’s not a difficult application,” said second-year College student Tania Ermak, who applied for admission. “It’s a matter of having the most impact.

They’re short essays, so you want to make them good. But as far as the format and the structure, it’s not hard.”

Second-year College student Ryan Vosburgh said the application took him three to four hours to complete. “[It was] not very difficult; three short essays plus your accomplishments and some was filled out already through SIS,” Vosburgh said. “I feel like they take your grades into account a lot more since the essays were pretty short.”

To be considered for admis-

sion into the Commerce School, students must complete extensive pre-requisites during their first two years at the University.

“All this work having to be consolidated in an application was introspective and somewhat anti-climactic,” Ermak said. “It’s relieving to be done, but at the same time it feels surreal because it’s been such a build-up.”

Tim Davis, director of the University Counseling and Psychological Services department, encouraged applicants to take advantage of counseling resources if they are feeling excessive amounts of stress.

“Academic stress is endemic at competitive universities like U.Va.,” Davis said in an email.

“Across the country, anxiety recently surpassed depression as the most frequent presenting concern among college students who request services at university counseling centers.”

Marshall Bronfin| The Cavalier Daily

Applicants to the Commerce School, above, face the largest number of competitors ever, the Commerce School reported. The mean GPA and SAT of applicants has increased since 2001, below.

Change in Mean GPA and SAT Scores (reading + math) of Accepted Students to the McIntire School of Commerce

3.22

GPA

Senior Writer

3.53 1304

SAT SCORES

Meg Gardener

1390 2001 2013

Data courtesy McIntire School of Commerce

Mental Health Task Force recommends additional beds McDonnell-appointed board hopes to improve Virginia mental health infrastructure, suggests increasing allowable custody hours Leopold Spohngellert Associate Editor

The Governor’s Task Force on Improving Mental Health Services and Crisis Response recommended new regulations Tuesday regarding the treatment of emergency mental health patients in Virginia.

Former Gov. Bob McDonnell created the task force in December in response to the death of Gus Deeds, who committed suicide after attacking his father, Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Charlottesville.

The day before his death, Gus, who had bipolar disorder, was involuntarily taken into custody and evaluated by mental health professionals. As mandated by state law for emergency custody orders, he was released after six hours of involuntary custody because no psychiatric bed could be found for him in the area.

“Obviously he needed to be hospitalized,” said task force member Thomas Wise, a psychiatrist at Inova Fairfax Hospital.

“We need to have a system where people that have been judged to be a danger to themselves or others can get proper treatment.”

Deeds has been an outspoken critic of the Virginia mental health services since the fatal incident.

“It’s clear the system failed," Deeds said in a recent 60 Minutes interview. "It’s clear it failed Gus. It killed Gus.” The task force spent hours on Tuesday debating the amount of time a patient should be held involuntarily. The members eventually elected to double the amount of time that mental patients can be held in custody from six hours to 12. Additionally, the task force recommended the current 48hour time limit on temporary detention orders be extended to 72 hours.

If a bed cannot be found in a private psychiatric center, the nearest state mental institution will be required to take the patient in need. Currently, police officers are often tasked with holding patients for several hours, which critics say both prevents officers from returning to duty and prevents the patient from receiving proper help.

“I think that the time that it has taken to get some of these folks where they need to go is unreasonable,” said Goochland

County Sheriff James Agnew, a task force member. “It certainly doesn’t do the patients any good, and it certainly doesn’t do us any good.”

Deeds has promoted the creation of an online bed registry to help connect patients to psychiatric centers. He recently endorsed a bill to create the registry and extend the custody limit even further to 24 hours, rather than the 12-hour limit endorsed by the task force Tuesday.

On top of time extensions, the task force advocated for use and creation of secure assessment centers. These centers could be used to get patients professional help in a timely manner. Officers could safely secure patients in the center and then return to duty.

“It would be nice to have an assessment center where we could take the person in need of treatment [and] leave him in the assessment center,” Agnew said. “I hope that in the next few years more will be funded.”

Virginia has suffered deleterious mental health care cuts since the Virginia Tech shootings in 2007. According to a report by the Treatment Advocacy Center, Virginia lost 15 percent of its psychi-

atric beds between 2005 and 2010.

In 2012, McDonnell proposed a budget that would cut mental health services even further.

If implemented into law, the task force’s recommendations would represent a renewed focus

on mental health in Virginia.

“The bottom line is that our system is not functioning terribly well right now, and there are a lot of things that need to be done to fix it,” Agnew said. “That’s what this task force is about.”

Then-Gov. Bob McDonnell appointed a mental health task force to address the state’s mental health infrastructure after Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Charlottesville, left, was stabbed by his son.

The Cavalier Daily

4

NEWS

The Cavalier Daily

Woodriff gifts University Big Data Institute $10 million University adds $7 million to Commerce School graduate’s donation; Institute attracts 150 cross-disciplinary faculty members, Adams says Owen Robinson Senior Writer

Investor Jaffray Woodriff pledged $10 million toward the creation of an endowment for the University's newly formed Data Science Institute, the University announced Thursday.

The institute was created last year to serve as a hub of research and instruction in data science, said Engineering Prof. Don Brown, founding director of the institute.

Woodriff, who graduated from the Commerce School in 1991, will gift the endowment in stages during the next six years through the Quantitative Foundation, Woodriff ’s private foundation.

Woodriff said he wants to see the University emerge as a leader in the field of big data.

“Data has always been very important,” Woodriff said in an email. “However, the tools to handle the burgeoning size of data in the world are evolving very quickly and I would like to see U.Va leading breakthroughs in data science in the coming years."

The donation, combined with $7 million of the University’s own funds, will provide a key foundation for the organization to expand its national and global presence,

Brown said. “[The University can use this to] leverage current talent and new faculty hiring opportunities to focus research on those intellectual and social challenges where it can have the most impact,’” Senior Vice Provost James Adams said.

A wide range of faculty have already recognized the increasing importance that big data plays across disciplines, Adams said.

“Over 150 faculty members with an interest in this area [have] gathered on several occasions to plan for collaborative research and educational programs,” Adams said.

The institute aims to offer programs in engineering, science, medicine, business, ethics, social science, humanities and computing.

“The possible areas are limited only by our imagination, insightful questions and relevance to world issues,” Adams said.

Brown said he believes this interdisciplinary approach sets the University apart and will keep it competitive in the future.

The institute will open its masters program in the fall, soon followed by an undergraduate minor program. Brown hopes the effort will come to fruition some time next year.

Courtesy Andrew Elliott

Commerce School alumni Jaffrey Woodriff gave $10 million to the University’s Big Data Institute, a cross-disciplinary research institute and education program that plans to open up a masters program in the fall.

Bell introduces ‘Dumler Bill’ Delegate’s rule change allows judges to remove sexual offenders from office Sarah Pritchett Senior Writer

A bill allowing public officials to be removed from office after being convicted of a sex crime passed unanimously in the Virginia House of Delegates earlier this week. Del. Rob Bell, R-Albemarle, introduced the bill in response to the Christopher Dumler case last year.

Dumler, an Albemarle County supervisor who graduated from the Law School in 2009, pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of forcible sodomy in January 2013, but did not resign from the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors until June of that year. “‪Under current law, an elect-

ed official can be removed by the judge upon commission of a felony and certain misdemeanors,” Bell said in an email. This law, however, does not include misdemeanor charges of sexual crimes like the one in Dumler’s case. “‪I added sex crimes misdemeanors to the list that can warrant removal ... prompted by the decision by Mr. Dumler not to resign after he pled guilty to sexual battery and was given a 30-day sentence,” Bell said.

Bell’s bill allows a circuit court judge upon petition to remove a local elected or appointed leader from office for a variety of sexual offenses such as flashing, sexual battery, indecent exposure and peeping, as well as having sexual intercourse with a minor.

The bill also incorporates oth-

er charges on which an elected official may be removed by a circuit court judge including neglect of duty, misuse of office, manufacturing or selling marijuana or being charged with a misdemeanor “hate crime.”

Del. David Toscano, D-Charlottesville, said he did not oppose the bill because it was specific to a particular set of circumstances and allowed due process rights.

“A person still has his or her day in court, because petitioners seeking to remove the elected official will still have to prove that the offense affected the official's ability to do his or her job,” he said.

The Dumler Bill passed unanimously in the House of Delegates Wednesday and will soon be presented in the Senate.

Courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Del. Rob Bell, R-Albemarle, introduced a bill allowing judges to remove convicted sexual offenders from office after Chris Dumler, above, would not step down for five months.

Sign up for The Cavalier Daily’s E-Newsletter!

NEWS

Monday, February 3, 2014

5

Neoantigenics secures Pfizer investment, partnership

University-funded company hopes to produce cancer cure using human egg cell protein markers, predicts 2-3 year timeframe Neoantigenics, a company based on the research of Medicine Prof. John Herr, attracted an investment from Pfizer, who will now offer guidance in the organization’s research. The company hopes to begin clinical trials on a drug to cure certain types of cancer using protein markers found on the surface of human egg cells.

Samantha Josey-Borden Senior Writer

Neoantigenics LLC, an oncology biotechnology company established in 2012 and grown out of University research partners, has secured patents on technology to better target and eliminate certain types of cancer using natural human proteins.

Pfizer Inc., a leading American multinational pharmaceutical corporation, has invested an unknown monetary amount in these developments.

Founding CEO of Neoantigenics Brian Pollock said they have kept the rights to any drugs it develops and all six patents it currently has.

The collaboration will focus on the development of antibodybased therapeutics and diagnostics. Pollock said the company is doing research into certain markers, which are found on both human egg cells and cancer cells. Using the marker, the SAS1B protein, researchers hope to create a drug that can target only cancer cells and leave healthy cells alone.

“One can generate antibodies specific to those proteins,” Pollock said. “It’s like a guided missile.”

Thomas Bynum | The Cavalier Daily

Medicine Prof. John Herr, the scientific founder of Neoantigenics, said the partnership with Pfizer will provide the Neoantigenics team with a group of advisors to influence and track the research.

“Pfizer acts as an investment in cancer research, and in addition they threw a team of advisors who work in order to influence and keep track of the research and the Center for Innovative Technology functions as an investor, too,” Herr said.

Pollock said the company hopes to develop a drug and have it go through the Food and Drug Administration’s approval process in the next two to three years.

“Within the next 15 months, our goal is to have an antibody that has been linked to a drug and to have seen some efficacy in an animal model,” Pollock said. “Once that human model has been shown to work as well, we can go into predevelopment.”

The Pfizer Seed Fund, which aids innovative, early-stage life companies, also invested in Neoantigenics. The Center for Innovative Technology’s GAP Fund and the Commonwealth Research Commercialization Fund gave the company awards.

Head Librarian Wittenborg reappointed to five-year term Twenty-year veteran administrator to lead Alderman reconstruction, improve digital resources, maintain physical text collection Will Marshall Senior Writer

University Librarian Karin Wittenborg was reappointed to another five-year term last Monday.

Wittenborg, who leads the team responsible for 11 onGrounds libraries and a highdensity shelving library offGrounds, has led the library system since 1993.

When Wittenborg first assumed her position, the library’s

endowment stood at $9 million.

Today, a large increase in donorship has brought the total endowment to $56 million. The number of library collections has also grown, thanks to a fundraising partnership with the College that Wittenborg implemented.

With more funding available, Wittenborg was able to jumpstart construction of the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library. Finished in 2004, the Special Collections Library has 12 miles of shelving that hosts rare books and manuscripts dating back to medieval times.

“She's been a champion of students and faculty, even though they sometimes have different needs for the Library,” library spokesperson Charlotte Morford said in an email.

Wittenborg helped to develop an online database for scholarly research known as Libra in an effort to connect professors and students to scholarly work published by University faculty.

Wittenborg also oversaw the remodeling of the McGregor room in 2005 and will focus much of her attention in the upcoming term on the renovation of Alder-

man Library, Morford said.

“Alderman is one of the busiest facilities, with more than 730,000 visits per year,” Morford said.

Morford said the library staff remains committed to maintaining extensive print collections due to both their academic value and for their ability to get students in the correct “frame of mind” for studying.

“Technology is not always the easy answer,” Morford said. “[I]t becomes obsolete quickly, it requires adequate infrastructure, technical support, legal agree-

ments, and bandwidth/power supply to be workable, and, believe it or not, it is a far more fragile format than the printed book.”

Wittenborg previously held positions at UCLA, Stanford and MIT. She received the Elizabeth Zintl Leadership Award from the University's Women’s Center in 2004, and in 2005 the University won the national award for Excellence in Academic Libraries under her leadership.

Wittenborg is out of town until March and was not available for comment.

cavalierdaily.com

6

FOCUS

The Cavalier Daily

AMENDMENT University presidents pressure governor for changes

The Long Battle Though the legal battle about the Marriage Amendment is of more recent popularity, the struggle for state universities to extend employee spousal benefits dates back to the amendment's initial passing.

In 2007, former University President John T. Casteen III requested a legal opinion from then-Attorney General Bob McDonnell on whether or not the University “may provide recreational gym memberships to an adult who is not a spouse and who lives in the household of of an employee or student.”

McDonnell found that the University in fact had the legal standing to extend the gym membership to eligible adults.

It is that legal opinion which Claire Guthrie Gastañaga, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia, believes the University could

This ‘statement of need’ would simply make it clear that today’s needs are even greater than they were in 2009.

such as the University of Michigan, have ‘other qualified adult’ health care policies that are used to extend all spousal benefits to same-sex partners of employees at those institutions despite their state constitutions, Gastañaga said.

“The University could have an otherwise qualified adult policy,” Gastañaga said. “[University] President [Teresa] Sullivan came from [the University of Michigan] and they have been doing that for quite some time.

At the University of Virginia, unlike other state agencies, the health insurance plan is self-insured and isn’t restrained by the state insurance plan.”

The University has made a point to seek legislative and executive approval for benefit extension. In 2009, the presidents of several state universities, including the University, the College of William & Mary and George Mason University, publicly supported then-Governor Tim Kaine’s efforts to allow state higher education institutions to grant domestic partner benefits using an otherwise qualified adult policy.

In a 2009 letter to Kaine, Casteen and other state university presidents claimed that their inability to offer same-sex spousal benefits put them at a disadvantage in a highly competitive economic atmosphere.

“Our own experience and

analysis suggest that most of the major national private and public universities with whom we compete when we hire or work to retain top faculty already offer domestic partner health insurance,” the letter said. “The ability to offer this benefit is increasingly important now as we attempt to recruit and retain the best faculty and staff in the most challenging economic climate we have seen.”

The push, which would have involved regulatory and procedural changes to existing laws, came at the end of Kaine’s administration, however, and was dropped by his successor, McDonnell. “[There were] 600-plus comments in favor of [offering] this ‘otherwise qualified adult’ policy and the McDonnell administration just chose to stop the regulatory process,” Gastañaga said.

University Repercussions

The question of health care benefits may have receded from the spotlight in favor of the discussion of same-sex marriage in general, but benefits have remained at the forefront of agendas for Virginia’s university presidents.

Last summer, then-William & Mary Rector Jeffrey Trammel sent a letter to Virginia Tech President Charles Steger and other members of the Council of Presidents, Rectors and Vice Rectors, including Sullivan, to encourage continuing the discussion of offering domestic partner health care benefits.

“I would urge the Presidents to again unite in our universities’ interest … as expressed by the university presidents in that 2009 letter asking for the flexibility to offer partner benefits,” Trammel wrote. “This ‘statement of need’ would simply make it clear that today’s needs are even greater than they were in 2009.”

The University's lack of samesex spousal benefits has been detrimental to recruiting efforts, said Susan Carkeek, the University's chief human resources officer, acknowledging that Human Resources has received complaints about the policy.

“It has presented problems for the University in recruiting and

retaining faculty and staff,” Carkeek said in an email.

Trammel’s letter included several specific examples — many of which came from the University — of esteemed faculty who have left as a result of the policy.

Among them was a professor in the College whose partner had previously suffered from cancer, preventing her from receiving private health insurance. “The faculty member now teaches at a well-known university in New York, which provides health insurance for her partner,” the letter said.

Claire Kaplan, the Director of Sexual and Domestic Violence Services, has worked at the University since 1991 and said she has seen many colleagues and graduate students leave because their partners could not be insured.

“I have a number of wonderful colleagues that have left U.Va. for this very reason,” Kaplan said.

“I’ve known graduate students that have left, and most graduate students don’t like to leave in the

“

his mind for political reasons,” Massie said, citing Herring’s vote in favor of passing the Marriage Amendment in 2006, when Herring was a state senator. “He’s not willing to defend the constitution of Virginia for political reasons.”

In 2006, Herring was one of six Democrats in favor of the amendment, while 11 Democratic senators voted against it.

Herring has since said he had a change of heart.

McAuliffe denied the merit of the delegates’ concerns Monday.

“In the present case, Virginia’s same-sex marriage ban is being vigorously and appropriately defended by the Clerk of Court for the City of Norfolk and the Clerk of Court for Prince William County," McAullife wrote in a letter to Marshall. "Accordingly, I respectfully decline to appoint special counsel in this matter.”In response, the Republican-controlled House of Delegates has preliminarily approved a bill to allow the House to appoint special counsel to defend the laws and constitution of Virginia when the Attorney General does not. A vote in the House is expected Monday.

use to immediately extend health care and other same-sex partner benefits without waiting for the outcome of the case against the amendment.

“All I would do is encourage [the University] to use [that legal opinion],” Gastañaga said.

Other institutions in states with marriage amendments,

“

Continued from page 1

I have a number of colleagues that have left U.Va for this very reason

middle of their program.”

There are still many affected faculty and staff who have chosen to stay at the University, however.

Meghan Faulkner, chief officer for diversity and equity for programs and projects, has remained at the University despite many extra hurdles for her and her partner.

“My wife and I got married in Washington, D.C. in May of 2011, and she is self-employed,” Faulkner said. “She doesn’t have health insurance … and that’s been amplified since she got pregnant. Its very difficult to find individual health coverage that has good maternity coverage.”

Faulkner said that the University’s policy has affected her fam-

ily’s long-term decisions.

“We’ve [had children] and U.Va.’s policy has influenced how we build out our lives with our kids," Faulkner said. "Unfortunately our kids will not be eligible to be enrolled on U.Va.’s health plan unless I am able to adopt them, which I cannot in the state of Virginia.”

Faulkner cannot legally adopt her partner’s children in the state of Virginia because she is not their biological mother nor is she legally married to the biological mother of the child.

Students React Student support for extended same-sex partner benefits is wide-reaching.

University Democrats President Kat Bailey, a third-year College student, supports Herring’s refusal to defend the amendment in court and supported extending health care coverage to all family members of University employees.

“We would prefer that all families of U.Va. employees and faculty are treated equally regardless of their gender and we hope that the Attorney General’s stance points to U.Va.’s need to change the policy,” Bailey said.

Elizabeth Minneman, a thirdyear College student and chairman of the College Republicans, while not as supportive of Herring's actions, said she also believes action is required by the University on this issue.

“I disagree with Mark Herring,” Minneman said. She added that she only disagreed with his methods, however, and that she supports same-sex marriage.

“We barely receive state funding, so I would support U.Va. taking a pro-helping same-sex couples stance.”

Arni Mapili, a fourth-year in the College and Programs Intern for the LGBTQ Center, reacted positively to Herring’s announcement.

“I was definitely really, really excited about that,” Mapili said.

“Not too long ago… we had one of the most anti-LGBTQ Attorneys General in the nation in Ken Cuccinelli. Now we are seeing a glimmer of hope in Mark Herring’s actions.”

O

opinion

Comment of the day

“This is the worst [piece] I have read on feminism since the Equal Rights Amendment.”

“Frank Biller” responding to Forrest Brown’s Jan. 30 column, “Feminism is for everyone.”

Have an opinion?

Write it down.

Join the Opinion section.

Or send a guest editorial to opinion@ cavalierdaily.com

Monday, February 3, 2014

7

LEAD EDITORIAL

Having your cake and eating it too For universities, paying workers more requires making sacrifices elsewhere President Barack Obama’s call for businesses to raise their minimum wages has already had a tangible effect on institutions of higher education. According to The Chronicle, President of Centenary College of Louisiana David Rowe decided to raise all workers’ wages to at least $10.10 per hour. Mr. Rowe determined that raising the wages of the 25 workers who were previously making less than $10.10 was a “financially responsible thing to do,” and was necessary to fulfill his responsibility to his employees.

Obama’s remarks and Centenary College’s response to them may prompt us to think about the Living Wage Campaign here at the University and the hunger strike that they led almost two years ago to lobby for higher pay for our workers. The Living Wage Campaign was not successful in their 13-day endeavor to convince University President Teresa Sullivan to promise to raise wages. The University’s argument was that its workers actually receive very high wages, considering that they are also given health insurance benefits. But this does not account for contracted workers, who could make as low as $7.25 — the federal minimum wage — and who comprise about 1,100 of the University’s 21,000 employees.

There is a disconnect between the young people who have the privilege of attending some of the most prestigious

institutions in the country and the many employees who work in the same space, living from paycheck to paycheck. They serve us in our dining halls so that we can have the energy to go to class, play sports and go out at night. They clean our dorms so that we can live comfortably. But how comfortably do they live?

They may not have the security of knowing they will have enough money for the rent this month. They may not have the luxury of going out at night because they have to work another job.

Yes, there are low-income students who attend the University who may share many of these concerns for themselves and for their families. Financial aid makes it possible for these students to receive an education worth thousands of dollars. About 28 percent of University students are receiving institutional grant aid and 29 percent are receiving loans. Some students have their tuition covered completely by grants, thanks to AccessUVa. The recent decision to reduce the amount of grant aid low-income students receive through AccessUVa raises questions about where the University’s priorities lie. There are a series of questions with no easy answers. In order to increase funding for AccessUVa, would tuition have to be raised, thereby making it harder for middle income students to pay for college? Would professors’ sala-

ries have to be decreased, thereby making it more difficult for the University to attract prominent faculty?

The same questions can be asked about increasing salaries of University employees. We as students are lucky to receive this education, which has been named by Princeton Review as the third best value in the country among public universities. But if one of the reasons for that value is the refusal to pay employees enough money to cover basic living expenses, is that value worth it?

We have said that a university’s primary mission is to educate. But education is not an isolated process that occurs in underground tunnels completely oblivious to the rest of the world. The wheels of education keep turning thanks to the employees who service us every day. Loretta A. Griffy, who led a committee that endorsed a minimum wage raise at Austin Peay State University in 2011, was quoted in The Chronicle as saying, “We wanted to say to everybody that you’re valuable to the mission of this institution.”

There will always be trade-offs when trying to make any kind of establishment economically sustainable. How University officials respond to Obama’s remarks will depend upon some serious considerations about what this institution truly values — between idealism and realism, figuring out where we fall.

THE CAVALIER DAILY CAVALIER DAILY STAFF Editor-in-chief Rebecca Lim, @rebecca_lim Managing Editor Andrew Elliott, @andrewc_elliott Executive Editor Katherine Ripley, @katherineripley Operations Manager Lianne Provenzano, @lianneprovenz Chief Financial Officer Peter Simonsen, @peetabread Assistant Managing Editors Kelly Kaler, @kelly_kaler Julia Horowitz, @juliakhorowitz (S.A.) Tiffany Huang (S.A.) Mitch Wellman News Editors

Matthew Comey, @matthewcomey Joseph Liss, @joemliss Sports Editors Zack Bartee, @zackbartee Peter Nance, @pnance4 (S.A.) Matthew Morris (S.A.) Ryan Taylor Opinion Editors Russell Bogue, @rcbogue Ashley Spinks, @ASpinks_Opinion (S.A.) Dani Bernstein Focus Editor Michael Drash Life Editors Allison Jensen, @alwaysAllie11 Victoria Moran, @victoriamoran1 Arts & Entertainment Editors

The CD

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

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

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

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

2014 The Cavalier Daily Inc.

James Cassar, @getcerebral Julia Skorcz (S.A.) Jamie Shalvey Health and Science Editor Meg Thornberry Production Editors Sloan Christopher, @sloanEchris Mary Beth Desrosiers, @duhrowsure Sylvia Oe, @sylviaoe16 (S.A.) Thrisha Potluri (S.A.) Caroline Trezza, @seakaytee Photography Editors Marshall Bronfin, @mbronfin Kelsey Grant, @kelcgrant (S.A.) Porter Dickie, @dazeddaydreamer Graphics Editors Emilio Esteban

Have an opinion?

The Cavalier Daily welcomes letters to the editor and guest columns. Writers must provide full name, telephone number and University affiliation, if approrpriate. Letters should not exceed 250 words in length and columns should not exceed 700. The Cavalier Daily does not guarantee publication of submissions and may edit all material for content and grammar.

Submit to opinion@cavalierdaily.com or P.O. Box 400703, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4703

Stephen Rowe (S.A.) Michael Gilbertson Video Editor Drew Precious, @d_presh Online Editor Sally Aul Social Media Manager Jenna Truong, @jennajt21 Ads Manager Kirsten Steuber Marketing Manager Allison Xu, @allisonxuu Business Manager Claire Fenichel, @clairefeni Financial Controller Claire Fenichel, @clairefeni

Questions/Comments

To better serve readers, The Cavalier Daily has a public editor to respond to questions and concerns regarding its practices. The public editor writes a column published every week on the opinion pages based on reader feedback and his independent observations.

He also welcomes queries pertaining to journalism and the newspaper industry in general. The public editor is available at publiceditor@cavalierdaily.com.

8

OPINION

The Cavalier Daily

Starting off with success The Cavalier Daily Managing Board is to be commended for their social media outreach efforts Public Editor

Starting off with successhouldI am encouraged by the first week the newly elected Managing Board of The Cavalier Daily and their staff has had. As I noted last week, I was impressed with the work of the outgoing Board. I offered some suggestions about what the new Board should focus on, but I admitted to being curious about what they would do. I don’t believe that my ideas are the only ones that are worthwhile for The Cavalier Daily, but I am still gratified that those ideas do seem to line up with the initial goals for the new Board.

Beginning with their first lead editorial, the new Board laid out their vision for the coming year, including increased inter-section collaboration, more investigative reporting and more local stories, including state politics. These are all welcome goals and will, in my

estimation, improve the paper for the readers. It felt this past week like the local focus was already evident. All of the news articles were about events going on at the University, in the immediate community or in state-level politics.

All of the stories have been relevant to the University community in direct ways, too. From a report on an oncology biotech company growing out of University research partnering with pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, to an article about a proposed bill in the Virginia state house of delegates that would give students the right to an attorney in many UJC and perhaps some Honor trials, readers of The Cavalier Daily can get a good picture of what’s going on at the University right now.

Beyond just the news stories, social media is springing to life.

The Cavalier Daily News Twitter feed tweeted for the first time in a couple of months late last week.

They hope to tweet daily starting soon, which will be very welcome.

If you’re not looking at the print is- staff has to such things at the Unisue, it can still be difficult to find versity combined with the quick every article online as the website ability to get information to their continues to be refined. Tweeting readers via outlets other than the out links in addition to breaking news will help fill in those gaps.

Twitter remains a particularly good tool for breaking news and events [I]t is clear to me after following the paper and that are ongoassociated digital content closely over the past ing. The removal of the magnolia many months that the Board of this paper will not trees around the lack for ambition and effort going forward.”

Rotunda as a part of the ongoing renovations is an excellent example. Various Twit- print edition. ter feeds from The Cavalier Daily The work also dovetails with — including the photography work being done in other areas of department’s and the main feed the paper and online. Another fan— offered photos and solicited tastic example of what The Cavafeedback. Eventually these were all lier Daily staff can offer online in collected into a Storify thread to their multimedia capacity is their allow readers to get a full picture look at the next phase of the Roof the event. This was a good use tunda renovations. The video by of the access The Cavalier Daily Drew Precious is well-produced

“

Christopher Broom

and informative. This sort of project is precisely the sort of thing that The Cavalier Daily should be doing online.

The newly elected Managing Board of The Cavalier Daily is off to a good start. With several goals, it will be difficult to accomplish all of them well, but the initial efforts are impressive, and it is clear to me after following the paper and associated digital content closely over the past many months that the Managing Board of this paper will not lack for ambition and effort going forward. I look forward to more active Twitter feeds, more informative and interesting multimedia reports and the new focus on local stories affecting our community.

Christopher Broom is The Cavalier Daily’s public editor. He can be reached at publiceditor@ cavalierdaily.com or on Twitter @ CDPublicEditor.

A new cast of characters Disney’s decision to introduce a same-sex couple in its programming should be celebrated Opinion Columnist

This past week Disney made headlines for introducing the firstever gay couple on its channel.

In last Sunday's episode of Good Luck Charlie, Charlie's parents set up a family play date with Charlie’s new friend Taylor. Taylor arrives at the play date with two women who introduce themselves as Taylor’s mom and “other mom.”

Disney made a statement about the episode saying, "This particular story line was developed under the consultancy of child development experts and community advisers. Like all Disney Channel programming, it was developed to be relevant to kids and families around the world and to reflect themes of diversity and inclusiveness."

Despite this statement, the group One Million Moms has turned against Disney, disagreeing with the networks’ decision and calling it “completely uncalled for.”

On its website, One Million Moms describes its goal to “… stand against the immorality, vio-

lence, vulgarity and profanity the entertainment media is throwing at your children.” However, the inclusion of a gay couple on a Disney show is none of those things.

A lesbian couple with a preschool aged child is not immoral, violent, vulgar or profane. It is simply a different type of family; perhaps unconventional, especially on children’s networks, but definitely

Conservative families need to urge Disney to exclude confusing topics that children are far too young to comprehend... This is the last place a parent would expect their children to be confronted with topics that are too complicated for them to understand...”

What exactly does “familyfriendly” mean? Does it mean a show starring a two-parent heterosexual family? That rarely exists on Disney channel. Growing up, my favorite Disney shows were The Suite Life of Zack and A lesbian couple with a preschool aged child is not Cody and HanMontana. immoral, violent, vulgar or profane. It is simply a nah In the Suite Life different type of family; perhaps unconventional, the parents were especially on children’s networks, but definitely not divorced - and not pleasantly, inappropriate.”

I might add.

The father was an unambitious not inappropriate. musician and the mother was a Yet the group One Million hard working single mother with Moms continues to complain, two children to care for. She did saying, “Disney decided to be po- not get along well with her exlitically correct versus providing husband and many episodes dealt family-friendly programming… with the difficulty of having di-

“

Meredith Berger

vorced parents. In Hannah Montana, Hannah’s mother was dead.

We only ever saw her mother in Hannah’s dream sequences, where her mom would come back to give her advice. If that’s not confusing to children, I don’t know what is.

What I do know is that a lesbian couple should not be treated as an anomaly on Disney, considering the other confusing familial situations that are portrayed. Gay parents are just another type of family, and because homosexuality is becoming more prevalent in today’s world, Disney believed it made sense to introduce a samesex couple. And it does. I do not want to hear about how it is “too complicated”, “confusing” or how viewers are “far too young to comprehend.” If a child can comprehend a single family household, a divorce situation and the death of a parent on television, then a child can handle seeing a samesex couple.

One Million Moms seems to vehemently oppose this idea and has asked people to take action: “Please send Disney an email letter requesting they omit the scene in "Good Luck Charlie" featuring two moms… If producers keep

this episode as originally planned, then conservative families will have no choice but to no longer watch Disney Channel Network in their homes so they can avoid the previews, commercials and reruns for this irresponsible episode.”

What is irresponsible is thinking that seeing a gay couple is any more confusing for children than seeing a divorced couple or a widowed parent, which are already very common on the Disney channel. Teaching children about new and different things, such as homosexuality, won’t necessarily cause them to condone it, but it will give them the opportunity to make that choice for themselves.

One Million Moms does not really stand for family values, because if it did it would understand the importance of teaching children about respect, love, acceptance and independent thinking, especially as it relates to the diverse family situations that exist in today’s world.

Meredith Berger is an Opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily.

Her columns run Mondays.

OPINION

Monday, February 3, 2014

9

Revitalize the rivalry

Students should recognize the untapped potential of our rivalry with Virginia Tech Opinion Columnist

I love rivalries. They bring out the best and worst in me, especially in sports.

As a diehard Bostonian, I grew up surrounded by two of the greatest sports rivalries of all time: Red Sox-Yankees and Celtics-Lakers.

When I made the trip down to Virginia, however, I became aware of another intense rivalry: Virginia vs. Virginia Tech. Unfortunately, it has not lived up to my expectations, as the rivalry has lost steam in recent years. Once classified by intense animosity, our relationship with Tech has turned into a more peaceful and dull one.

Last weekend the Cavaliers squared off against the Hokies in a rather uneventful basketball game that ended in a 65-45 victory for the University. I was surprised how routine the game seemed for Cavalier fans, as the game came and went without much acknowledgement and the seats were far from packed. Tech clearly does not have the team talent to compete with

the likes of Harris and Brogden, but that does not mean the game shouldn’t have been treated with significance.

Our rivalry with Virginia Tech, which came to prominence within the last 30 years, lacks intensity.

as a Red Sox fan I know that the Yankees have won well more than their fair share of championships.

Nevertheless, no matter the record of either team, there should be an equal fervor present at every game, and neither rival should ever feel overmatched.

Although college rivalries typically revolve around football, they should extend to all sports. main issue is Rivalries unite students with a common goal to beat The that our rivalry an opponent. They provide a sense of school spirit remains lopsided and pride that is unparalleled in any other school in almost every sport. In the last event.”

10 years, the Virginia men and women’s tennis Football is the prime example; af- and diving teams have never lost ter our 16-6 loss this past Thanks- to the Hokies. Soccer, baseball, lagiving, the Cavaliers have dropped crosse, and women’s basketball are 14 of our last 15 football games also equally dominant in favor of to the Hokies, including a shock- the University. For example, men’s ing 10 straight. Long gone are soccer hasn’t lost to the Hokies the days when Matt Schaub and since 2005, and women’s soccer Heath Miller provided a competi- won their last consecutive five betive spark. This is not to say there fore dropping their most recent can’t be dominance in a rivalry — game in the ACC tournament. Re-

“

Jared Fogel

cently, basketball, softball and volleyball have been the only competitive sports. The lopsided nature of our rivalry across all these sports has caused an overall decline in competitiveness when it comes to rival matchups.

Addressing the situation is tough. There either needs to be a replacement rival, which is highly unlikely because no other Virginia state school can compete at the same level as Tech or the University, or an increase in the success of lower-performing teams. Cavalier football is not solely to blame, as the Hokies lack athletic prowess in numerous sports. A third solution is to make the best of what we have and inject more enthusiasm into rival games no matter the expected outcome. In addition to top 25 matchups, we should look forward to Tech games and pack them with tons of anxious fans.

Rivalry matchups full of anticipation and excitement do more than encourage profanities aimed at another school or team. These matchups unite students with a common goal to beat an opponent.

They provide a sense of school

spirit and pride that is unparalleled in any other school event.

Nowhere else do you see thousands of students come together to cheer on their classmates. The rival games between Tech and the University need to be restored to their once thrilling nature, and the path to a stronger rivalry starts with putting more fans in the seats.

Out-of-state students like myself need to be shown why it is imperative to despise Tech.

Memories such as rushing the field or court after a win give rivalries true meaning. Although it is awesome to rush the court after a top 25 upset like last year’s Duke basketball matchup or the 2012 Georgia Tech football game, it is the sweetest when Tech is the team that falls, as they did in football in 2003. I can’t wait until the day where I cheer against Tech teams as passionately as I do against New York teams.

Jared Fogel is an Opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily. His columns run Fridays.

Taking the extra step

Colleges must learn to take care of students’ mental health needs Opinion Columnist

The University student group Legislators of Tomorrow has received some publicity lately for drafting a bill concerning mental health education at Virginia’s public colleges. The measure proposes the creation of a mandatory online module that would educate and test incoming students on mental health issues. It would also require each college to maintain a website that directs students to the institution’s mental health resources.

House Bill 206 is receiving acclaim as a “bipartisan” solution and has the support of notable democrats and republicans in the Virginia legislature. Though the bill pushes college policy in a helpful direction, its meek provisions are outof-touch given the changing politics of mental health.

Although I see reason to criticize House Bill 206, I also welcome it as a significant advancement for college mental health advocacy.

My involvement with University mental health efforts over the past two years has convinced me that one of our biggest obstacles is the lack of student awareness for the resources offered on Grounds.

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), a well-staffed

subdivision of the Department of Student Health, offers many excellent services that students already pay for (via the Student Health Fee in our tuition). These include individual counseling sessions, group therapy and Student Health Quest, a website that offers a wealth of information about daily mental wellbeing. The University — like most public colleges in Virginia — does not require students to undergo even basic education on mental health. Even the new bill’s brief tutorial has the potential to raise the general education level on this issue.

But despite House Bill 206’s potential for positive impact, it seems rather timid as a piece of legislation. In the wake of the tragedy involving Virginia state Senator Creigh Deeds and his college-aged son, mental health is receiving a new wave of attention. Bolder mental health bills — i.e. ones that will inevitably be more expensive and intrusive — are the most politically feasible they’ve been since the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007. Politicians and interest groups have new leverage for more significant progress on the issue.

New provisions might include increased funds to college counseling centers and the integration of mandatory mental health education for all students.

So why has policy (or even the political atmosphere where the discussion of policy) on mental word “entitlement” is in disrepute health been so lackluster? Perhaps and budget cuts are often pursued the biggest factor is our larger cul- with near-religious zeal. tural neglect of the importance Attitudes against so-called of mental health. This includes “therapeutic entitlement” are not the misinformation and stigma only misguided but dangerous. surrounding the topic, as well as They ignore the importance of prothe tendency to hyper focus on physical health to the exclusion of psychological and neurobiological issues.

But there is another obstacle There are many obstacles to creating a more mental to mental health health-conscious community — stigma, problems of policy that is more unique to treatment, neurobiological mysteries — but political American poli- dysfunction seems a particularly unnecessary one. “ tics: the debate over “therapeutic entitlement.”

A comprehensive 2006 study on viding for the mentally ill — and campus mental health services such neglect is commonly cited as characterizes the dispute: propo- a contributing factor to shootings nents argue that “students with se- and other violent crimes. Morerious mental health problems have over, such views deny the reality the right to demand mental health that American colleges serve as care from the counseling center.” communities, not just degreeOpponents hold that college cen- granting institutions. ters “should primarily focus on Reading the news articles that the educational mission of the col- discuss House Bill 206, one can inlege,” questioning whether schools fer the continuing influence of the should play such a direct role in entitlement debate. Coming from a students’ mental health. Such at- mental health background, I found titudes are easily provoked in an the articles to be rather politically

“

George Knaysi

self-conscious considering the timidity of the proposed policy. For such common sense provisions, there seems to be disproportionate praise for the “bipartisan” involvement in the House of Delegates.

Granted, Legislators of Tomorrow promotes itself as a bipartisan organization, but such self-congratulatory coverage does a disservice to more imperative (albeit controversial) mental health legislation.

Though House Bill 206 introduces only minor changes for mental health awareness on Grounds, small progress is better than none. Though these “reforms” are ones any college could easily adopt, most do not. There are many obstacles to creating a more mental health-conscious community — stigma, problems of treatment, neurobiological mysteries — but political dysfunction seems a particularly unnecessary one. More aggressive policy would not only provide a safety net for the University’s most distressed individuals, but also encourage a more stable and effective student community.

George Knaysi is an Opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily.

His columns run Tuesdays.

G

The Cavalier Daily

THE ADVENTURES OF THE AMAZING <THE> A-MAN

graphics

MOSTLY HARMLESS BY PETER SIMONSEN

NO PUN INTENDED BY CHARLOTTE RASKOVICH

SOLE SURVIVOR

DJANGEO

BY MICHAEL GILBERTSON

BY STEPHEN ROWE

REPETITIVE PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

BY EMILIO ESTEBAN

10

S

sports Redshirt sophomore guard Malcolm Brogdon nailed a 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left on the clock as the Virginia men’s basketball team posted its most important win of the season thus far, a 48-45 nail-biter on the road against No. 18 Pittsburgh.

Brogdon finished with 16 points in the Cavaliers’ first victory against a ranked opponent this season.

The game was close from the opening tip, as neither team was able to do much offensively early on. More than 10 minutes into the game, the teams had combined for just 16 points and were tied at 8-8.

Senior guard Joe Harris was limited in the first half after picking up two fouls — he had just three points at halftime.

Virginia (17-5, 8-1 ACC) shot just 37.5 percent from the field in the first half, but managed to stay in the game with strong rebounding — the team had eight offensive rebounds in the opening half. The Panthers (18-4, 6-3 ACC) were equally mediocre from the field,

Monday, February 3, 2014

11

Virginia tops Pitt in nail-biter, 48-45 shooting an identical 37.5 percent.

Pitt led 23-21 at halftime, capitalizing on a Virginia turnover for a layup with one second remaining.

It was Virginia’s lowest halftime total since scoring 21 points against Northern Iowa Dec. 21.

The teams battled again in the second half, with neither team leading by more than four points in the game. Harris found his shot after the break, scoring eight points on 3-for-7 shooting, though he was just 1-for-4 from the free-throw line. Senior forward Akil Mitchell contributed 10 points and 12 rebounds — his second double-double of the season — as Virginia finished with a slight 33-32 rebounding advantage.

The Cavaliers took a 34-33 lead with 12:07 to play — their first since a 19-17 advantage before halftime — but the teams would trade leads for the remainder of the game. In all, there were seven lead changes in the game.

Harris put Virginia up 41-38 with 8:13 to play, but Pitt would

take a 44-41 lead two minutes later on a wild banked 3-point shot from redshirt junior Cameron Wright as the shot clock expired. Virginia did not make a field goal for more than eight minutes following Harris’s three, but managed to tie the game at 45-45 through free throws.

After a Pitt timeout with 43 seconds to play, the Panthers missed two shots to go ahead, and redshirt sophomore forward Anthony Gill pulled down the ensuing rebound to give Virginia the ball with nine seconds left. Coach Tony Bennett called a timeout to prepare a play, and freshman guard London Perrantes found Brogdon, who made the shot to seal the game.

With the win, Virginia moves to 17-5 overall and 8-1 in the ACC — just a half game behind No. 2 Syracuse for first place in the conference. The Cavaliers return to action Wednesday when they host Boston College at 7 p.m.

— compiled by Michael Eilbacher

Porter Dickie | The Cavalier Daily

Redshirt sophomore Malcolm Brogdon led the Cavaliers with 16 points and scored the gamewinning 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left in Virginia’s 48-45 victory at No. 18 Pitt.

The stop and the score Neither team led by more than four points during the entirety of Sunday’s game in Pittsburgh. The score changed hands seven times and was tied 17 different times.

Yet in a bitter, back-and-forth game, finally it was the Cavaliers who prevailed. Redshirt Sophomore guard Malcolm Brogdon’s game-winning 3-pointer to defeat No. 18 Pitt provided a stark contrast to Virginia’s fortunes against ranked teams earlier this season and an important confidence boost going forward.

“It was a hard fought game, there wasn’t many easy looks out there,” coach Tony Bennett said.

“Each team felt like they had the chance to maybe separate, maybe get up 5 or 6, but then the other team would make a play. It was tight the entire game, we knew it was going to come down to a score or a stop.”

The Cavaliers have missed that stop many times this season .

Tied at 56 against VCU, overtime looked imminent as Virginia’s defense appeared to stifle the Rams’ offense while the clock wound down. But Treveon Graham’s long, contested 3-pointer turned out to be true, and the then-No. 25 Cavaliers suffered the first loss of their supposedly charmed season.

The next month, the team again failed to defeat a ranked team and notch a Tournament-quality victory in a 48-38 loss to a strong

Wisconsin team. The loss to a top10 team was understandable, but shooting 23.4 percent, including 9.1 percent from beyond the arc, was less so. Three days later, Virginia fell in Wisconsin to Green Bay when senior guard Joe Harris missed a 3-pointer with 12 seconds left, down one, and sophomore guard Justin Anderson missed the potential game-tying 3 with two seconds remaining.

In the final game of non-conference play, the Cavaliers hit rock bottom. The team was embarrassed on national television, falling 35-points to an average Tennessee team that just couldn’t seem to miss that night. At 9-4 before even entering ACC play — which was shaping up to be a gauntlet with the addition of Syracuse, Pitt and Notre Dame — the season with so much potential looked to be on the brink of abject disappointment.

But a new year breathed new life into the Cavaliers, who won seven of their next eight games in dominant fashion before heading to Pitt.

Still, something — luck, physics or something greater — was not on Virginia’s side.

After an improbable road comeback that saw the team take a brief lead against Duke, the Cavaliers appeared to make “the stop,” but couldn’t corral a Blue Devil air ball. Instead, Amile Jefferson fed the ball out to Rasheed Sulaimon, whose shot bounced off the rim

and almost went into orbit before falling for three points.

They were right there again, but

ZACK BARTEE Sports Editor

couldn’t finish.

Perhaps it was a psychological leap the team couldn’t overcome.

Virginia was 2-1 against ranked teams last year, holding off thenNo. 19 NC State for a 58-55 win and of course upsetting then-No. 3 Duke, 73-68.

But both of those games were at John Paul Jones Arena, and the team’s miserable reputation on the road — a 20-2 home record doesn’t look as good when you consider the team’s 3-8 road mark — likely factored into the Selection Committee’s decision to leave Virginia

out of the Madness for another year.

This year, whether it was at home or on the road, ranked teams seemed to be the hump Virginia couldn’t overcome.

Until Brogdon flipped the script.

“It was a huge statement for us,” freshman point guard London Perrantes said. “We needed one of those because we haven’t gotten one all season. I feel like if we play the way we should, and the way we did, we can play with anyone at any time, anywhere.”

Ironically, Virginia did just about everything it could to give the game away to the Panthers. Harris hit a 3-pointer to break a 38-38 tie with 8:13 left in the game, and then the Cavaliers failed to score a basket until Brogdon’s bucket with 0.4 seconds remaining on the clock.

Virginia’s free-throw woes resurfaced at the most inopportune time, as the team shot 4-of-8 — including Harris’s mark of 1-of-4 — down the stretch.

And with the game tied for three minutes, Virginia failed to make “the stop” on Pitt’s James Robinson.

Robinson’s 3-pointer missed, but Jamel Artis pulled down the offensive rebound and got a layup off from point-blank range.

This time, however, the ball did not take an anti-Virginia bounce.

Anthony Gill pulled down a tough rebound — holding tightly as if he

was protecting his own child — to make “the stop.” All that was left was “the score.”

After the ensuing timeout, all eyes would have been fixed on Harris one year ago. But this season, focusing too much attention on Harris can prove fatal.

Perrantes brought the ball up and after a series of screens, Harris sprinted towards the top of the arc for a pass. But the senior turned into the lane and Perrantes found Brogdon in Harris’s wake, who pulled the trigger without hesitation.

Finally, the Cavaliers put it all together, “the stop” and “the score.”

“I was so proud of the defensive stand on the late play,” Bennett said.

“It’s funny we run [the final play] a lot in practice, but we never make it in practice. But I would rather make it the game than in practice.

A lot of guys stepped up tonight.”

After 22 games in the season, Virginia finally cleared the hurdle it had stumbled over so many times before. With nine games remaining, the team plays only one more ranked opponent — undefeated conference-newcomer No. 2 Syracuse in the cozy confines of JPJ. And after the Cavaliers proved their merit Sunday on a national stage, March 1 in Charlottesville very well could be the site of a battle for ACC supremacy between a nationally-ranked pair with deep NCAA Tournament ambitions.

12

SPORTS

The Cavalier Daily

No. 13 wrestling edges Maryland, crushes Bucknell Sulzer’s bonus points decide final ACC regular season meeting against rival Terrapins, Sako returns from nearly month-long injury Matthew Wurzburger Associate Editor

No. 13 wrestling edges Maryland, crushes Bucknell Cavs win final ACC regular season match against Terps, No. 9 Sako returns from injuryThe No. 13 Virginia wrestling team, coming off its first ACC loss of the season, captured a pair of home wins against Maryland and Bucknell this weekend. The Cavaliers (15-3, 3-1 ACC) narrowly escaped a late comeback by the Terrapins (5-8, 1-3 ACC) to prevail 16-15 Friday.

Virginia then easily downed the Bison (7-9, 3-2 EIWA) 29-12 Sunday.

The team’s emphasis of the weekend was toughness — Virginia lost its fighting spirit against No. 7 Pittsburgh last Friday and would need to find it again. A gritty win against Maryland in front of a packed house at Memorial Gym showcased that patented Cavalier toughness.

“I saw a lot more fight this weekend,” coach Steve Garland said. “I was absolutely thrilled with our guys’ fight and their commitment.”

In a rivalry characterized by extremely close matches, Friday’s matchup — the final ACC regular season meeting between the two squads — was as competitive as ever. The teams split the 10 weight classes, each winning five bouts.

A major decision victory by No. 2 redshirt junior Nick Sulzer proved to be the decisive factor in Virginia’s favor.

Sophomore Nick Herrmann secured the first win of the evening at the 125-pound weight class. Herrmann scored a takedown with a minute remaining in the first period to take a lead he would not relinquish, eventually prevailing 5-1.

The Terrapins then responded with two consecutive wins. Redshirt sophomore Joseph Martinez dropped a 12-6 decision to freshman Tyler Goodwin at 133 pounds and sophomore Shyheim Brown upset No. 17 redshirt junior Joe Spisak 5-3 at 141 pounds.

Spisak gifted Brown four points due to stall warnings.

Virginia rattled off wins in the next four weight classes. No. 9 redshirt junior Gus Sako won by decision in his return from nearly a month-long injury. Sako rode

a red-hot first period to secure an 8-3 win against senior Frank Goodwin and move to 15-1 on the season.

“Having Sako back is huge for us,” Garland said. “Psychologically

see WRESTLING, page 133

Emily Gorham | The Cavalier Daily

Franklin scores game-high 20 points; all 11 players see time in blowout conference win Matthew Morris Senior Associate Editor

Senior guard Ataira Franklin led all scorers with 20 points Sunday and kicked off a scoring run that paced Virginia to a 28-12 first-half lead.

breaking period after conceding a late point due to stalling to send the match into overtime. Sulzer

After almost a month-long absence due to injury, redshirt junior Gus Sako returned to the mat this weekend, winning an 8-3 decision against Maryland senior Frank Goodwin in the No. 13 Cavaliers’ 16-15 win against the Terrapins.

Women’s basketball wins second straight, dominates Clemson 80-43

Emily Gorham | The Cavalier Daily

we know we have a kid who can not only beat you but beat you badly.”

No. 15 redshirt sophomore Blaise Butler battled his way to a gritty 7-6 decision in the tie-

By Matthew Morris Senior Associate Editor The Virginia women’s basketball team scrapped the suspense early Sunday afternoon against Clemson, reeling off 17 straight points to transform a one-point deficit with 15:19 to play in the first half into a 16-point lead with 11:37 to go. The Cavaliers carried their advantage into the break and then piled on the points in the second half to win 80-43.

With the win, Virginia moves above .500 in ACC play. The team’s 37-point margin of victory was the largest in a conference game since coach Joanne Boyle came to Charlottesville in 2011.

“We really played well on both ends of the floor,” Boyle said. “I think our defense really kind of turned our offense up, because we got some really good stops and got out in some early

transition and scored well.”

Everyone got in on the action for Virginia (12-10, 5-4 ACC), as Boyle mixed in sophomore Jaryn Garner and redshirt-freshman Raeshaun Gaffney — both guards who have played little this season — with more than five minutes to go in the first half. Garner and Gaffney contributed four and five points, respectively.

Their mostly strong play was part of a wider theme for Virginia. Nine Cavaliers logged 12 or more minutes on the afternoon, with five players reaching double-figures in scoring.

“We say we’re 11-strong, and we got to play 11 kids tonight, and just to have everyone contribute in some way is such a great feeling,” senior guard Lexie Gerson said. “It’s just really a good team win.”

Virginia broke the game open when senior guard Ataira Franklin, who finished with a game-high 20 points, pulled up for a jumper from the free-throw line with 15:12 to play. Gerson scored on a reverse lay-up and sophomore guard Faith Randolph finished in transition after picking off a pressure-induced Clemson pass.

Freshman forward Sydney Umeri got a jump hook to fall, and two Gerson buckets and a Franklin three-pointer later, Virginia had a 28-12 lead. Tigers

coach Audra Smith wanted to talk to her team.

“One of the things that coach tells us is, ‘Make the other team’s coach call time-out,’” Franklin said. “So, I think that we really, really wanted to focus on rebounding and getting those easy buckets and getting stops.”

The Cavaliers had a harder time scoring after the breather, putting in only 10 more points before the first-half horn. Freshman guard Tiffany Suarez threw the ball out of bounds, Franklin missed the front end of a oneand-one, and Umeri had her shot blocked on Virginia’s final possession of the half.

Clemson gained slight momentum going into halftime when freshman forward-center Sade Chatman made two free throws with 0.5 seconds to play.

Virginia, however, dispelled any thought of a Tiger comeback early in the second half.

The Cavalier lead ballooned to 30 points with 12:52 to play, and again with 6:58 on the clock. “[It’s] just an exciting win,” Boyle said. “I mean, when you get to play your whole team and you just go from start to finish … you’re just working and things are clicking on all cylinders — you don’t get to be in a

see W BBALL, page 133

SPORTS

Monday, February 3, 2014

13

WRESTLING Sulzer continues to impress, scores two major decisions Continued from page 12 cruised to yet another bonus-point victory, and No. 12 redshirt senior Stephen Doty also won 9-2 by decision for Virginia’s final points of the evening.

But Maryland would rally with the match still up for grabs. Topranked senior Jimmy Sheptock defeated No. 18 redshirt senior Jon Fausey 3-2. Fausey injured his left leg contesting a shot, but finished the match.

Redshirt sophomore Zach Nye dropped his match to No.

13 senior Christian Boley at 197 pounds to give the Terrapins a realistic shot at the victory. Down by four, Maryland required a major decision to send the match to criteria or a technical fall or better to win the match. Redshirt sophomore Ethan Hayes fought hard against No. 8 senior Spencer Myers, losing the contest by just one point to preserve the Cavalier victory.

“We knew Maryland would be a really tough opponent,” Spisak said. “They always scrap really hard, and we ended up gritting out that win.”

Sunday’s opponent, Bucknell,

would prove to be more easily subdued. Virginia utilized four bonus-point victories to cruise past the Bison.

Herrmann dropped the day’s first match at 125 pounds to give Bucknell the early 3-0 lead. Martinez would quickly make up the deficit, however, with a 5-0 decision.

Spisak electrified Memorial Gym with a first-period pin. He secured an aggressive takedown and turned freshman Connor Lapresi within 30 seconds.

Sako then lost a heartbreaking match at 149 pounds, forfeiting a reversal late in the third period

to tie the match at 6-6. Freshman Victor Lopez possessed the riding time advantage, giving him the extra point and the win.

The Cavaliers would pull away for good with three consecutive bonus-point victories. Butler easily handled his opponent to the tune of a 12-3 major decision, recording eight takedowns in his match, while Sulzer continued his dominant season with a 20-8 major decision.

“Sulzer continues to impress everybody,” Spisak said. “He’s been leading our team through some hard-fought battles, and he paves the way to some tough victories.”

Doty tacked an additional six points on the board with another pin near the close of the first period. Filling in at 184 pounds for an injured Fausey, redshirt freshman James Suvak won 4-2. Nye then scored a 6-1 decision at 197 pounds to take a 29-6 lead after nine of 10 bouts.

In a disappointing end to an otherwise positive day, Hayes surrendered a pin to No. 20 junior Joe Stolfi in the final bout to give the Bison six more points.

Virginia closes out its home schedule this Friday against conference opponent North Carolina.

The match begins at 7 p.m.

W BBALL Cavaliers win first two of three-game ‘tournament’ stretch Continued from page 12 lot of games like that — so I enjoyed it.”

The Cavaliers forced 22 Tiger turnovers and manufactured 33

points from those gaffes. Virginia was strong inside and out, scoring 32 points in the paint to Clemson’s 18, while knocking down 7-of-13 three-pointers.

Virginia also won the rebounding battle, 42-29. Junior forward

Sarah Imovbioh corralled nine rebounds, just a touch below her average of 9.5 per game in ACCplay.

The Cavaliers are in the midst of a three-game stretch — which began last Thursday against

Wake Forest — that Boyle has labeled a “tournament” in hopes of spurring the team to consecutive victories and a higher place in the ACC standings. Virginia, currently seventh in the 15-team conference, concludes the week-

long set against Boston College this Thursday at 7 p.m.

“We take one game at a time,” Gerson said. “It’s still one game at a time. We’re 2-for-2 in this mini-tournament, and we’ve just got to bring it home.”

L life

The Cavalier Daily

A Grand

Slam

Kylie G

row |

14

The C

avali

er Da

ily

OpenGrounds event brings poetry to life Kelly Seegers Feature Writer

Students piled into OpenGrounds Thursday for a Valentine’s-themed poetry slam sponsored by University Programs Council and the Collegiate Speech Team. Amid the smell of coffee and the ambiance created by a fireplace on a large TV screen, 14 poets read and performed original five-minute slam poetry pieces.

“The poet not only has to be a writer but an actor as well,” second-year College student and program coordinator Keelin Sweeney said. “So every slam poetry event has its own feel.”

Though members of UPC considered using an application process to screen performers, they ultimately opened up the reading to all poets who pledged the authenticity of their work.

“It was nice to see so many people come out to support the event, especially because many people think poetry is a dying art and few are interested in it anymore,” said first-year College student Kelly Zanotti. “It isn’t really true. People do come and see and listen to what other people are saying.”

The performances were judged

by Assoc. Drama Prof. Kate Burke and voted on by the audience.

With an impassioned performance of his poem “Stethoscope Lovesongs,” second-year College student Karsten Coates swept the audience away and won first place.

He composed the poem during a flight layover over the summer.

Coates will recite the poem at TEDxUVA on Feb. 22.

Inspired by two women he knows, Coates’ work deals with how women struggle with beauty and the role men play in perpetuating what Coates deems unadvisable promiscuous behavior.

“You know she wants some connection to someone but this is the only connection that people are giving her,” Coates rapped.

“And so when she accepts it we still blame her, and not the society that has supported the conquest of women or a society that says it’s acceptable to exchange lust for love or sex for love.”

Though all the poems were loosely related to the night's theme of "love," the performances touched on a wide array of moments including dangerous situations, awkward moments, hurtful relationships and everything in between.

“It’s an awesome platform for

people to be able to talk about their p ro b l e m s , insecurities or anything they are dealing with and express them in a creative way rather than one that could be harmful to themselves or others,” Coates said.

The second place poem, written and performed by second-year College student Claire Constance, was a witty piece from the view of a hopeless romantic who does not believe in love at first sight.

In third place, second-year Nursing student Erika Fernandez used color to illustrate the complicated journey of a love interest.

“I am always excited when I come to these events and students are being so creative,” third-year College student Billy Baker, president of the Collegiate Speech Team said. “[They] do so much better work than I could possibly do.”

FACE AIDS raises awareness Organizations on Grounds come together to raise awareness for HIV, AIDS Jessica Crystal Feature Writer

More than 35 million people in the world are living with HIV, including 1.1 million in the United States and 23.8 million in Africa.

Several student groups at the University aim to combat HIV and AIDS, seeking to raise awareness both in Charlottesville and in the larger national and global community.

Keanan McGonigle, a fourthyear College student and President of FACE AIDS, said her organization works to personalize the disease by associating it with a person.

“Once you see a problem and associate a face with it, you figure out what you can do about it,” McGonigle said.

FACE AIDS hosts several events throughout the year to raise money and awareness.

They sponsor several events for World AIDS week in December, including a speaker panel, trivia night and a condom distribution. All of the organization's fundraising efforts raise money for Partners in Health, an organization that builds health clinics in African communities.

“There’s a whole community of people who are really empowered to make a change and make a difference,” McGonigle said.

“This terrible epidemic is needlessly killing people and people just don’t know about it.”

University chapters of the Peace Corps and Center for Global Health join FACE AIDS in planning events to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS. The groups joined together to host a viewing of “The Carrier,”

a documentary about an HIVpositive Zambian woman trying to prevent her unborn baby from contracting the disease.

“Seeing HIV’s effect on a person in Zambia is much more powerful,” Usnish Majumdar, second-year College student and member of the Center for Global Health said. “This disease has a crippling effect on people.”

Erin Wispelwey, a Peace Corps volunteer, shared her experience with students after the screening of the documentary. Wispelwey worked in a care group in Zambia that visited HIV patients and currently works in the HIV clinic at the University hospital.

“I came back to the States and realized there’s not a lot of awareness,” Wispelwey said.

“We still view [HIV and AIDS] as something ‘other’ people have … HIV affects all of us.”

Students gathered at OpenGrounds Thursday to hear their peers perform slam poetry with topics ranging from awkward moments to hurtful relationships.

Kylie Grow | The Cavalier Daily

35.3 million people are living with HIV

Akash Khungar | The Cavalier Daily

“There’s a whole community of people who are really empowered to make a change and make a difference,” fourth-year College student Keanan McGonigle said.

LIFE

Monday, February 3, 2014

LOVE CONNECTION:

JOE

JOE

JESSICA Different strokes for different folks

Courtesy Joe

Joe and Jessica met at the Rotunda on Thursday at 7 p.m. and went to Sal's Cafe Italia on the Downtown Mall.

Jessica: I'm recently single and I thought [Love Connection] would be fun to try.

Joe: I'm a fourth-year with nothing to lose. I got there 10 minutes early, stood out in the cold and saw the first-years getting ready for rush. I waited about 10 minutes; she showed up at 7 p.m.

Jessica: I have never been on a blind date before. I was expecting that the boys that sign up for this are either really outgoing or they have trouble finding a date. I was expecting the latter, so I didn't expect very much. *Editor's note: We asked Jessica which category Joe fell into and she replied “No comment.”

Joe: She was really cute. I was really surprised how great she looked.

Her outfit — green top, nice dark blue jeans — was a great ensemble.

Jessica: I think in the first three seconds you can decide if there's going to be a connection or not, and in those first three seconds, I decided no.

Joe: We ended up deciding to go to the Downtown Mall for restaurant week. We went to Sal's Cafe Italia.

Jessica: He brought his car, which is nice, because I like that he had a date planned.

Joe: The conversation just flowed from the beginning. I was surprised; it got pretty deep pretty fast. Jessica is passionate about a lot of things, and that made the conversation really great. She's really smart; I guess it's true what they say, smart is sexy.

Year: Fourth School: College Major: Foreign Affairs U.Va. Involvement: StudCo Building and Grounds Committee, U.Va. International Relations Organization Hometown: Charlottesville, Va. Ideal date (physical attributes): Brunette stunner who is tall (so she can get on my level).

Ideal date (personality): Cocky and funny with a dash of boldness.

Ideal date (activity): In an ideal world, we’d scale the tower crane on West Main and watch the sun set over the Blue Ridge Mountains, but I’d settle for an overpriced meal on the Downtown Mall.

Hobbies: Racking up exorbitant hotel bills in Europe, growing prize-winning vegetables, becoming a mixologist and ringing the steeple bell at church.

What makes you a good catch? I’m Bruce Wayne, Tony Stark and James Bond all in one; essentially confidence with a side of textbook narcissism.

What's your favorite pick-up line? Hey girl, you might be an A student, but I’m going to give you your first D. Describe yourself in one sentence: I’m an honorary frat star, aspiring philanthropist, and urban renaissance man with a southern accent.

JESSICA

Alex Stock Love Guru

15

Year: Third School: College Major: Neuroscience U.Va. Involvement: Undergraduate Researcher, Women’s Ultimate Frisbee player, Madison House Volunteer, NuRhoPsi Hometown: Springfield, Va. Ideal date (physical attributes): Joe Harris or Justin Timberlake are both good references.

Ideal date (personality): Great sense of humor, witty, curious, athletic, ambitious but not uptight, caring, conversationalist, reliable.

Describe a typical weekend: Probably attending some sporting event, eating unhealthy food, studying not quite hard enough, and chilling with friends.

What makes you a good catch? I care a lot about people and would try very hard to see them happy. I’m part of the 50 percent of girls that know at least something about sports. I won “Best to Take Home to Parents” in high school.

What's your favorite pick-up line? “I bet you $20 you won’t go on a date with me.”

Describe yourself in one sentence: I’m looking for adventure and maybe someone to share it with.

Courtesy Jessica

Jessica: It flowed well. I think we were talking the whole time. There was flirting, even though I didn't feel a connection, because I wanted to make sure I got a good review at the end.

Joe: We actually didn't have a lot in common. We both did varsity swimming in high school, but we complemented each other very well.

We liked different things and it was exciting learning new stuff.

Jessica: We did not have the same major. He has not taken a math class at U.Va., which was surprising because I [have taken] a lot of math classes at U.Va. We both swam in high

school, but he did different strokes than me so we didn't even have that.

Joe: I was certainly getting my flirt on; I'm not sure about her. From the start we walked arm-in-arm. After dinner, we walked arm-in-arm down the Mall for a short walk.

Jessica: He made me link my arm and that made me uncomfortable, because I don't like being touched, especially by someone I don't really know.

Joe: We both like Coldplay and couldn't remember the name of a particular song, so we took a bet and whoever got the name of the song wrong had to buy the other person

a drink in the future. I got the song wrong, so I owe her one drink and hopefully she collects.

Jessica: I could not see myself going out with him again. I can't see myself accepting the drink I won through the bet.

Joe: I dropped her off at her place [after the date]. She gave me her number and that was it. We hugged it out.

Jessica: I'll rate the date a 5.5.

Joe: I would rate the date an 8.5.

The conversation was great, but I couldn't tell if she was flirting or not.

It was still a really great dinner and the time flew by really fast.

16

LIFE

The Cavalier Daily

Top 10 Olympic Sports

“Why are there brooms involved?”

Courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Annie Mester Feature Writer

1. Snowboarding Snowboarding is a sport I’ll always admire, simply on the principle that it involves doing physical exercise. Outside. In cold weather. Willingly. It’s hard not to like a sport dominated by a lanky ginger nicknamed “The Flying Tomato” doing tricks nicknamed the “Bloody Dracula” and “Swiss Cheese Air.” And yes, trying to picture what those could possibly be in visual form is going to get you absolutely nowhere.

2. Ice Skating If you look up guilty pleasure in the dictionary, you’ll find a picture of me hate-watching a prepubescent Michelle Trachtenberg doing some questionable spins on a fake frozen pond. Or, if you’re anything like my brothers, ice skating calls Will Ferrell’s underrated hit "Blades of Glory" to mind. Watching ice skating is basically a sad trip down memory lane that reminds us we’ll never look as good as these women (and men) in skin-tight sheer dresses.

3. Hockey It is easier to turn down a Cookout milkshake than it is to resist chanting “USA! USA!” alone in your bed watching the Americans beat the Soviets in "Miracle." Plus, hockey guys are fun; the fewer teeth you have, the more engaging you are, right?

Though motivation for the sport is questionable — who really wants to strap sharp blades to their feet and run around on ice? — it’s admirable. These big guys have more balance and coordination than we give them credit for, and being slammed into a wall doesn’t seem like a good time either.

4. Curling I believe curling is more an exercise in brainpower for the viewer than actual exertion on the part of the athlete. How does this sport even work? Why is Googlesearching "how do you play curling" making me even more confused? Why are there brooms involved? What are you sweeping?

The ice seems pretty clean to me. I hate brooms. Why are you wearing such insane outfits? Can I borrow one and wear it for Boy’s Bid Night next year?

Courtesy usa.gov

5. Ski Jumping First of all, who thought it was a totally sane and feasible idea to launch a person off a 430-foot ramp into the air, flip a couple times and land on thin fiberglass things no wider than a particularly large carrot? When I was 8, I took a ski lift up to the top of the Olympic ski-jump at Lake Placid and cried the whole way up. Needless to say I chose to walk back down rather than jump. Every time I watch this event, I find myself doing a silent prayer to Santa and Frosty the Snowman that the snow is soft enough to cushion a potential fall. I lose feeling in my face as I hold my breath through the entire event.

6. Opening Ceremony watching The Olympic Opening Ceremonies are a little bit like a geography lesson. Don’t lie and say you can recognize every country that walks around the arena. Also, countries below the equator, your participation in the Winter Olympics confuses me. Why would you ever want to leave the perpetual warmth of your country to purposely do things in snow? My complaining about the cold may be getting a little out of hand at this point, but once you start me I can’t be stopped. It’s like the Opening Ceremonies: they start, and three hours later they’re still going. And going. And going.

7. Complaining about the weather Seriously, if there was an award for time spent telling people how much I hate the cold I would have 15 of them. News about the polar vortex only rationalizes my inevitable complaints. Sure, the snow on the Rotunda merits an Instagram from every person with an iPhone, but I’d rather be in shorts and a T-shirt admiring it as a #tbt.

8. Making it to class on time We all deserve a medal for making it out of our beds in the morning. One might say this is a full-time job that supplements all the work we have to “do” for our classes. I probably expel more brainpower convincing myself it’s worth it to walk down Wertland in negative twelve-zillion degree weather than I do actually doing my readings. At this point I halfexpect a prize for making it to my seat on time. You’re welcome, Comm School professor, for gracing you with my presence.

Courtesy Wikimedia Commons

9. Hating Valentine’s Day Valentine’s Day, the thing we all hate to love. Alternatively, and more commonly, the thing we love to hate. Some people love love and some people hate hate.

I tend to hate love and love hate — who even cares about emotions anyway? Doesn’t the color red usually symbolize anger? Why are there so many hearts everywhere?

I already eat enough chocolate, so why does covering it in red heartshaped wrappers rationalize eating more of it? Why don’t I have a boyfriend?

10. Binge-watching TV Or, alternatively, the embodiment of “it’s a marathon, not a sprint.” This saying is all too relevant for the lethal pairing of my couch with the realization that there are in fact 15 seasons of Law and Order: SVU. Dun dun. Things that an Olympic sport requires: dedicating hours of your day to the skill (check), an unwavering determination to never give up (check), prioritizing and putting your sport ahead of everything (check), sacrificing nights out and time with friends for practice (double check). I always knew I was an Olympian.