Wednesday, May 13, 2015

GRADUATION EDITION Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Vol. 125, Issue 56 All photos by Marshall Bronfin | The Cavalier Daily

THE GRADUATION EDITON

NEWS, page 2 • SPORTS, page

7 • LIFE, page 16

The Cavalier Daily

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Rotunda Reconstruction

Marshall Bronfin| The Cavalier Daily

news

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Project still on track for building to be fully operational by Fall 2016 Kayla Eanes

Senior Associate Editor

Renovation of the Rotunda will continue into the summer with many exterior and interior projects planned for the upcoming months.

Acting Rotunda Project Manager James Zehmer detailed the exterior projects for the Rotunda Renovation over the upcoming summer.

“We will be installing the north portico column capitals which right now tentatively is scheduled to start the week of June 8,” Zehmer said. “We’ll be doing some more utility work, part of which will install a fire hydrant and water line to that on the left side of the Rotunda.”

Zehmer said the construction team is in the midst of putting the concrete lid on the underground vault in the east courtyard and will fill in the east courtyard once the lid is installed.

They will also install scaffolding in the east courtyard in order to make repairs to the top of the Rotunda and will be working to replace the roofs of the two porticos, Zehmer said, along with a substantial amount of work going on inside of the Rotunda and the wings.

Senior Preservation Planner Brian Hogg said the capitals on the north portico will be replaced in June, along with the removal of the two cornices at the top of the building — which will be repainted and reinstalled after repairing the copper.

“The walking surfaces of the terraces will be replaced and the drainage for the terraces will be substantially improved,” Hogg said in an email. “The marble balustrades will be cleaned and repaired. Later on, work will be-

gin on the new landscape designs for the two courtyards and the north plaza.”

Hogg also said the utility work on the north side of the Rotunda will continue, work will begin on a new elevator on the east side of the building, the north stairs will be rebuilt, masonry repairs will be done on the wings, and the windows in the wings will be restored.

For the interior, Hogg said they will build scaffolding to remove the metal panels which line the dome to allow the installation of an acoustical plaster ceiling.

“Work will be underway on a new stair that will connect the main floor of the Dome Room with the First Gallery, and which will allow the First Gallery to be used regularly when the building reopens,” Hogg said. “All through the building, work will proceed on new electrical, plumbing, data, fire safety, and heating and air conditioning systems.”

The new wooden capitals for the Dome Room, which are already being modeled, are designed from and based on research uncovered from this year’s restoration efforts, Zehmer said. Both Hogg and Zehmer said much was discovered during this year’s construction — such as the Chemistry Hearth in the Lower East Oval Room and physical and textual evidence of structural changes within the Rotunda — which has led the architects to do more research into the how the Rotunda may have originally functioned.

“We’re going to have some touch screen monitors in the Rotunda once the construction is complete that will help to tell the story of what we have discovered,” Zehmer said.

see ROTUNDA, page 3

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MANAGING BOARD Editor-in-Chief Julia Horowitz Managing Editor Chloe Heskett Executive Editor Dani Bernstein Operations Manager Lianne Provenzano Chief Financial Officer Allison Xu JUNIOR BOARD Assistant Managing Editors Thrisha Potluri Mitchell Wellman (SA) Harper Dodd (SA) Kathryn Fink (SA) Courtney Stith (SA) Jane Diamond (SA) Michael Reingold News Editors Owen Robinson Katherine Wilkin (SA) Ella Shoup

(SA) Kayla Eanes Sports Editors Matt Morris Ryan Taylor (SA) Robert Elder (SA) Matthew Wurzburger Opinion Editors Conor Kelly Gray Whisnant (SA) Mary Russo Focus Editor Sara Rourke Life Editors Allie Jensen Victoria Moran Arts & Entertainment Editors James Cassar Candace Carter (SA) Noah Zeidman (SA) Flo Overfelt Health and Science Editor Meg Thornberry (SA) Vanessa Braganza Production Editors Sloan Christopher

Jasmine Oo Mark Duda (Graphics) Anne Owen (SA) Caity Freud (SA) Sean Cassar Photography Editors Marshall Bronfin Porter Dickie (SA) Akash Khungar Video Editor Porter Dickie Online Manager Anna Sanfilippo (SA) Ellie Beahm Social Media Managers Manali Sontakke Dallas Simms Ads Manager Kirsten Steuber (Student Manager) Sascha Oswald Marketing Manager Jess Godt Business Managers Alex Rein Kay Agoglia

NEWS

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

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Marshall Bronfin| The Cavalier Daily

Renda, students discuss what it was like to be interviewed by Erdely, weigh in on decisions made in article’s aftermath Katherine Wilkin and Katie Grimesey News Writers

Rolling Stone’s Nov. 19 article titled “A Rape on Campus” — now retracted — depicted a violent sexual assault which allegedly took place at the University chapter of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. Six months after author Sabrina Erdely’s now-infamous piece was published, student leaders and some of her sources reflect with The Cavalier Daily on the implications of the article, and how they, and the University, were represented — or often, misrepresented.

The article describes how a University student, referred to as “Jackie,” was assaulted and the University administration’s subsequent response upon hearing Jackie’s report. Following the publication of the article, University students demonstrated myriad responses — among them protests against Phi Kappa Psi, the University’s Greek community as a whole and the University administration.

On Nov. 20 — the day following the article’s release — anonymous students vandalized the Phi Kappa Psi house, breaking windows and spray painting the words “SUSPEND US” and “UVA Center for Rape Studies.” The vandals also issued a letter criticizing the community’s inaction toward sexual assault and demanding certain reforms.

"We applaud the bravery of those who have shared their stories, and we promise that their bravery will not be in vain," the letter read. "This situation is just beginning. We will escalate and we will provoke until justice is achieved for the countless victims of rampant sexual violence at this University and around the nation."

Community members also reacted to the article by holding a rally against sexual assault in the Amphitheatre Nov. 20. Students hosted a “Slutwalk” rally Nov. 21 to protest rape culture and the notion that rape can be avoided if women refrain from dressing provocatively.

Another rally outside the Phi Kappa Psi house Nov. 22 ended in the arrests of four protesters who refused police requests to

leave the stairs leading up to the house. University faculty held a “Take Back the Party: End Rape Now!” rally during the evening of Nov. 22, calling for the reform of sexual assault culture at the University and its relevant adjudication policies.

Student Council President Abraham Axler, a second-year College student, said the initial reactions to the article were due to the community’s heightened emotions.

“I think that the sensational elements of the article raised everybody’s level of emotion,” Axler said. “I think that it is harder to think cogently and to think sustainably when emotions are very, very high.”

Axler also said due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, the University administration was unable to provide the answers the community demanded.

“I think that dissonance between what students knew and what administrators knew because of federal law made things more challenging and, I think, raised the level of emotion,” Axler said.

Regarding the vandalism of the Phi Kappa Psi house and the subsequent letter of demands, Axler said he believes the act was one of punishment and not an attempt to resolve the issues brought forth in the article.

“That kind of collective, ad hoc kind of community punishment was not particularly productive,” Axler said. “It really would have been much better if we could find that strength and confidence, sort of, in our justice system — that it was going to eventually resolve — in ourselves. And that is very, very hard to do, and I think that why that was so hard to do was because of how sensational the article was.”

The University’s chapter of Phi Kappa Psi released a statement Nov. 20 stating it was voluntarily suspending its Fraternal Organization Agreement with the University and expressed its compliance with the forthcoming investigation. The chapter also voiced its disgust at the article’s allegations.

University President Teresa Sullivan announced in an email to the University community Nov. 22 that all fraternity organizations, and their social activities, would be suspended until Jan. 9, 2015.

Sullivan said in the email that the suspension would allow the administration to “assemble groups of students, faculty, alumni and other concerned parties to discuss our next steps in preventing sexual assault and sexual violence on Grounds.”

Third-year Commerce student Cameron Thum — the Inter-Fraternity Council community service chair at the time of the Rolling Stone article’s release — said reactions to the suspension varied across the Greek community, but many felt that Sullivan’s decision was overly reactionary.

“At that time it was really complicated,” Thum said. “I can’t imagine how difficult of a policy decision that must have been for President Sullivan. I think that general [feeling] that students in Greek life felt was likely, ‘This doesn’t really make sense, this doesn’t create a long-term solution and this is just sort of accusing — it’s putting blame on the easiest party to blame.’”

Thum said that upon reflection, members of the Greek community probably understood Sullivan’s predicament at the time and realized the suspension was made with the University community’s best interest in mind.

“I think it was really necessary for students at U.Va. and individuals in Greek life to have that opportunity to step back and sort of reflect upon what we want this system to be known for and how we want this system to be governed — so that our social functions are safe for all guests, that individuals don’t feel threatened or out of place when they’re there but that rather they feel that it’s just as safe as anywhere on Grounds,” Thum said. “It’s kind of dual-edged in that regard.”

Axler said he did not have an issue with Sullivan’s decision to suspend Greek life, but was not in support of the speed at which she came to the decision.

“What I think that I — and a lot of other students — criticized her for was that she did not, I think, adequately meet with Greek students leaders before making that decision,” Axler said. “It was her decision to make, but I would have liked to see her consult with the relevant students before making that decision.”

Thum said the IFC had heard rumors about the release of the article but knew nothing about the gruesome details of the alleged assault.

“We knew that it was likely going to portray the fraternity in a bad light, but, like, really that was sort of the cap of our knowledge,” Thum said. “So when the article came out, we shared the same sentiments [as] all of the student body, all of the alumni, all of the administration — we were just sort of shocked by this, and terrified that this could happen, not only at our University but within this system that we care about.”

Thum said fourth-year College student Tommy Reid — IFC president at the time of the article’s release — remained level-headed during the events after the article, and approached the situation with an understanding of its significance and severity.

“I think that what [Reid] was really able to do for us was let us realize the significance of this, but then also frame it not just as ‘It’s this one story that we need to focus on,’” Thum said. “He encouraged us to, more, look at this story in the Rolling Stone as emblematic of bigger issues that a lot of us know exist at this school.”

Many members of the IFC governing board at the time of the article’s release were also members of the all-male sexual assault prevention group One in Four. Thum said that in part because of this, the group had a level of preexisting awareness about issues of sexual assault. Even prior to the article, the IFC had begun to consider measures it could take to prevent sexual assault within and perpetrated by members of the Greek community.

“What Tommy did and what we tried to do as a governing board was to frame the story as issue-based as opposed to events-based, so that the policies which we tried to put in place, which we already had been considering prior to the article, were not seen as reactionary,” Thum said. “We wanted to work on our governing abilities through the IFC to address these issues already, but once this ar-

see ROLLING STONE, page 4

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NEWS

The Cavalier Daily

ROLLING STONE Renda expresses discomfort with Erdely’s reporting Continued from page 3 ticle came out it just sort of bumped that up.”

The University administration also implemented new sexual assault prevention and awareness programs following the article’s publication. University alumna Emily Renda, project coordinator in the Office of the Vice President of Student Affairs, said the administration’s quick implementation of sexual assault prevention programs appeared reactionary, but that, in reality, many of the programs were being considered long before Rolling Stone.

“From my perspective as a staff member, there were things that we had been working on for months and even years that now were bound to appear as reactionary and responsive, and the urgency with which they were hustled out to show that we were responding made them look even more so, which was frustrating,” Renda said.

Renda referenced Green Dot as an example of a program which may have appeared to be a direct reaction to Rolling Stone, but was in fact planned for release long before the events of November unfolded. Green Dot is a program emphasizing bystander intervention as a means of preventing sexual assault, and Renda said it is “one of the very few research-based, evidence-based prevention programs that exist.” She said the administration — particularly Associate Dean of Students Nicole Eramo — worked with Dorothy Edwards, head of Green Dot, for several years to implement the program at the University before its rollout this March.

“We’ve been trying to bring them in slowly,” Renda said. “We hadn’t negotiated a contract because initially Green Dot operated under a model in which there were no student peer educators involved — it was all faculty and staff. And at U.Va. we know that we like to maintain a certain level of student involvement and student self-governance in the things that we do and implement, and things don’t go over well here if they have a top-

down feel to them. I think we can all kind of resonate with that.”

Renda said the administration resolved to implement the program following the release of its adjusted version — “2.0” — which includes student peer educators in the planning and execution of student education about bystander intervention and sexual assault prevention.

“We’ve been planning that January initial training, that had about 150 faculty, staff and students, since July or August, and it’s hard because of its proximity to the article,” Renda said. “It looks like all of a sudden we just called in Green Dot, but it had been negotiated over a longer period of time. We also didn’t necessarily have the evidence to back up the program — that was only sent out for peer review recently — so I think that’s the prime example of people kind of felt like it was a direct response when in reality it’s something that took a lot more logistical operation and setup.”

The University also released an interim sexual assault policy Mar. 30 after an open feedback period from the University community.

Renda said the administration received hundreds of comments from students, alumni and community members, all of which were read by teams of eight staff members.

“It was very funny in a very sad way, reading some comments, and you get to the end and they say, ‘I doubt anyone is even reading this,’ and I’m sitting there at 11 o’clock at night with a cup of coffee in my bed like, ‘Yep, that’s me. I am reading it,’” Renda said. “I can promise you they were read and catalogued, thematically coded and all sorts of things.”

Following Rolling Stone’s publication and subsequent apology for the article, the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism conducted a review of the article itself and the surrounding reporting practices, the findings of which were published Apr. 5. With the release of this report,Rolling Stone fully retracted “A Rape on Campus.”

Two of the Columbia Journalism report’s authors — Steve Coll, dean of the School of Journalism at Columbia University, and Sheila

Coronel, dean of academic affairs at the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University — led a press conference on Apr. 6 to discuss the findings of the investigation.

Coll and Coronel said the report was not intended to blame Jackie, but rather lay fault with Erdely and shoddy journalistic practices by Rolling Stone.

“What Sabrina Erdely told us about that was she believed the fraternity had already been informed about the details she had possessed by the University of Virginia,” Coll said. “Now, that turned out to be a misunderstanding, and it’s not a reason not to provide the full load of details at that moment.”

Coll also said covering rape cases journalistically is difficult, as journalists have no authority to adjudicate blame on the behalf of an institution.

“Usually you’re not in a position to, as a journalist in an unadjudicated case, make some definite finding about guilt or innocence in a sexual assault matter,” Coll said. “But what you can report on [is] institutional response, and that’s a place to bring people into the public square.”

The authors of the report also reprimanded Rolling Stone’s apology letter, which essentially placed the blame of the article on Jackie, saying the magazine’s trust in her had been “misplaced.”

“Placing so much of the weight of the story on a single source, I wouldn't think of it as a matter of ethics as a matter of practice,” Coll said. “It’s just bad practice.”

Since the publication of the article, several of Erdely’s sources have said they felt the article did not accurately represent what was said in interviews. Renda said she was contacted by Erdely in reference to Jackie’s account, and Renda said she was under the impression Erdely had contacted other universities as well.

“It was my understanding that she was reaching out to a large number of people at a bunch of different universities.” Renda said.

“She found my contact information through a Washington Post article that I had written in April. So she was kind of putting out feelers in a

bunch of different directions trying to get ahold of people.”

Renda also expressed discomfort with Erdely’s reporting tactics, though she said they did not speak at length. She said she had concerns about the manner with which Erdely was interacting with Jackie.

These concerns were reiterated by third-year College student Sara Surface, external chair of the Sexual Violence Prevention Coalition, and third-year College student Alex Pinkleton, incoming president of One Less.

“We did not speak very much, and I remember feeling very frustrated about the way it seemed like [Jackie] was being pushed and pulled about her participation and where she was wavering about her own well being in participating, but Sabrina appeared — at least from that kind of secondhand experience of mine — a little coercive,” Renda said.

However, Renda said that her view of Erdely’s practices are influenced by her own biases as an advocate and survivor.

“I’m sure a certain degree of persistence and pestering is normal and expected and probably a part of good journalism, but to me it smelled coercive and badgering because of the work that I do and the attention to coercion that I pay in most relational respects, especially when someone involved is going to be more sensitive to it because of the former sexual assault,” she said.

“That’s from my bias, but I’m sure someone knows more about the journalistic practices and would be able to say more.”

Pinkleton — also a survivor and an advocate — said she was interviewed at length by Erdely for the article, but felt misrepresented by the resulting article.

“She expressed her approval at the hard [advocacy] work we have been doing here and then wrote an article without including the titles of any of the advocates and instead portrayed us as random students making comments about culture on Grounds,” Pinkleton said in an email. “In other words, she was determined to write a slanted story regardless of who she interviewed or what we said.”

Renda also said she felt her comments to Erdely were taken out of context in the article and didn’t accurately reflect her actions following her sexual assault.

“From my perspective, what I was trying to communicate about my openness and about struggles with substance abuse were then turned into somehow that I was opting to drink intentionally to try to partake in U.Va. culture, and then trying to turn my back on what had happened, which I felt was a completely inaccurate presentation of me and what I do,” Renda said. “It made it sound like I don’t share my story because I’m ashamed, which anyone who knows me would say, ‘That’s ridiculous.’”

Renda said the language of the article stood out to her and contributed to the article’s faults, particularly in reference to quotes from Pinkleton, Surface and fourth-year Commerce student Brian Head, former president of One in Four.

“Especially in their advocacy context, they were taken to look as though they were just individual students who had no kind of active role in prevention or active role in changing response, and opinions and things attributed to them were taken out of their theoretical and thoughtful context that I know that those young women and men would have put them in and did put them in,” Renda said.

She said the omission of titles relating to sexual assault response and prevention in the article portrayed comments — particularly one made by Head — as personal opinions rather than observations about the University’s culture. In Erdely’s article, Head is quoted as saying, “The most impressive person at U.Va. is the person who gets straight A's and goes to all the parties,” and is referenced only as a fourth-year student.

“I can absolutely imagine him saying that in a context in which he’s trying to explain an overall cultural heuristic, not his own personal perception, but it was communicated in the article as his own

see ROLLING STONE, page 15

Marshall Bronfin | The Cavalier Daily

Courtesy Emily Renda

Marshall Bronfin | The Cavalier Daily

Associate Dean of Students Nicole Eramo, above, who has recently filed a civil suit against Rolling Stone magazine, was the administrator most heavily criticized in “A Rape on Campus.”

NEWS

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

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Sullivan’s internal evaluation to be completed by end of June Evaluation significant in determining whether to renew University president’s contract, Dragas calls for changes to ‘administrative policies’ Katie Grimesey Associate Editor

Marshall Bronfin| The Cavalier Daily

University President Teresa Sullivan’s current contract will expire in July 2016.

The internal evaluation of University President Teresa Sullivan to determine whether to extend her current contract will likely come to a close on June 30, University Rector George Martin said.

“Consistent with good board governance, the evaluation of the University President is a continuous, ongoing process,” Martin said in an email. “We are currently in the midst of the formal evaluation period. My goal is to conclude this process no later than June 30.”

Sullivan’s contract is set to expire on July 31, 2016. She says she would like to continue her work at the University, as she has many plans in mind for the institution.

“My goal as president has been

and will continue to be working to ensure that the University of Virginia remains one of the nation’s finest institutions of higher education, and to enhance its excellence in teaching, research, patient care and public service,” Sullivan said in an email.

Sullivan said she has two issues she would like to primarily focus on leading up to the University’s bicentennial.

“First, the Cornerstone Plan, our strategic plan, is a guiding blueprint for our most important initiatives and priorities,” Sullivan said. “Second, because of the generational turnover in our work force, it is critical to recruit and retain the best possible faculty and staff. I believe we are making very good progress on both fronts, but there is still work that needs to be done to realize the important goals ahead for the University.”

Fourth-year College student Meg

Gould, student member of the Board of Visitors, said the review process for Sullivan’s contract required input from a wide variety of University community members — including from Sullivan herself.

“The Board is looking at the broad narrative of what President Sullivan has done or acted upon at the University over the past years,” Gould said in an email. “Her current contract extends until next June, so this contract discussion concerns the amount of time that her presidency will extend beyond that pre-determined date.”

Gould said her position allows her to effectively provide an opinion on Sullivan’s evaluation from the perspective of the student body.

“As the student member, I am involved in the process as any Board member is, having had the opportunity to reach out to many students to

gather a more grounded perspective outside of the Boardroom, as well as being fortunate to have the opportunity to voice a student perspective at the table for these discussions,” Gould said.

Current Board member Helen Dragas, former rector of the Board, said that while Board members are limited in ability to discuss personnel performance matters such as Sullivan’s reinstatement, there are changes she would like to see made regarding administrative models and policies.

“I have made no secret of the imperative to craft sustainable, innovative and concrete plans that would make a University education available to Virginia’s middle class without breaking a family’s economic back,” Dragas said in an email. “I do not believe the administration’s high tuition/high aid model that taxes middle class families accomplishes this.”

Summer Orientation sees new focus on safety, community Groves to lead new sessions titled ‘Not on our Grounds,’ ‘Hoos Got Your Back,’ outdoor adventure retreat still in works Katie Grimesey Associate Editor

Summer Orientation for the Class of 2019 will incorporate a few changes to the program intended to make it more centered on safety and community values.

Matthew Charles, deputy spokesperson for the University, said the changes made to orientation are based on feedback provided by students, parents and staff, as well as developments that demand attention.

“For summer 2015, the most significant change is a renewed focus on educating incoming students and their parents on the norms and values of our community,” Charles said in an email.

Charles also said Dean of Students Allen Groves will be leading a session called “Not on Our Grounds: Safety at U.Va.”

“[It] will focus greater emphasis on safety and prevention efforts within the University community and how we work together to keep students safe,” Charles said. “It will include a panel, led by Groves, with representatives from the Gordie Center, University Police Department and other organizations.”

Groves will also be speaking to incoming students at a new “Hoos Got Your Back” session, which will inform students of the system of values upheld by the University community.

“It will include a discussion of how they can contribute by being active bystanders, the strengths that come from being part of a diverse community, and that no matter how big the University may feel at times, incoming students are not alone,” Charles said.

Second-year College student Daniel Barr, member of the Student

Life Committee of Student Council, said his team is also working to add programs to Summer Orientation 2015.

“We have been working with some of the administration to add some programs to summer orientation,” Barr said in an email. “Specifically, we’ve been working to reinstate the Cavalier Outdoor Adventure Retreat.”

A description of the Cavalier Outdoor Adventure Retreat — COAR — said planning the retreat was a collaborative effort between the Student Life Committee and U.Va Recreation.

“Our hope for this program is to lay a foundation of friendship and support that is so vital for incoming students,” the description says. “We want to make the University feel smaller.”

The program will pilot in July with three separate trips, and is be-

Courtesy Chadia King

The 2015 Summer Orientation Leaders pose for a picture after meeting to train for the summer.

ing promoted by the Office of Orientation.

Charles also said during Fall Orientation an addition will be made to “Grounds for Discussion,” that will aim to exemplify diversity at the University, and encourage students to all

take part in the diverse community.

“The University will also incorporate specific references to resources in the vignettes so that new students will walk away with an awareness of at least one additional resource if ever in need,” Charles said.

ROTUNDA Rotunda expected to be ready for 2016 graduation Continued from page 2 While the renovation is scheduled to continue regularly into the summer, Zehmer said the team is aware of certain projects which would need to take place during the summer while many students are away from Grounds.

“Certainly a project of this scale we need to keep pushing forward

regardless,” Zehmer said. “There are some things, like the fire hydrant that’s going to close some sections of the sidewalk, that are going to be done during the summer when there’s less pedestrian traffic.”

Zehmer said the removal of the shoring on the south portico will require some equipment on the Lawn, making it better suited as a summer project.

“We’re definitely conscious of try-

ing to get work done that would be more disruptive during the summer,” Zehmer said.

Although the restoration is currently on schedule, Hogg said certain discoveries have impeded specific projects.

“The work has largely proceeded as expected, although the discovery of hard rock north of the Chapel affected the progress of the stormwater improvement project to some de-

gree,” Hogg said.

Zehmer said certain changes to make the Rotunda more accessible to the University community, such as the transformation of the south wings into two classrooms and a multifunctional space, have slightly pushed back the construction schedule.

“It shouldn’t impact us in terms of exterior appearances,” Zehmer said.

“Our ultimate goal is to have the in-

side open for use in the fall of 2016.”

However, both Hogg and Zehmer said they expect the class of 2016 to be able to process around the Rotunda for Commencement.

“It’s going to be substantially complete around next spring,” Zehmer said. “Our goal is to have the Rotunda site such that the graduating class of 2016 will be able to walk around the terraces, but work will still continue into the summer [of 2016].”

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Wednesday, May 13, 2015

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Ending their collegiate careers

sports

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Ryan Taylor, Matthew Morris, Matthew Wurzburger and Robert Elder Sports Writers

A look back at eight standout Cavaliers whose Charlottesville playing days have come to an end

Several star Virginia athletes have played their last games in the orange and blue. Here’s a look at eight of the players fans will miss most.

DARION ATKINS

Men’s basketball: Darion Atkins Since 2011, Darion Atkins has been a defensive force for Virginia basketball.

The 6-foot-8 forward led the Cavaliers in blocked shots with 19 as a freshman and continued to evolve from there. He blocked 28 as a sophomore and added 55 more in his final two years, finishing as the eighth most prolific shot blocker in program history.

These efforts were rewarded in his senior campaign, with Atkins named ACC Defensive Player of the Year. What’s more, he was able to develop into an offensive threat, as he was good for nearly eight points per game as a senior. This ability to score was showcased Feb. 28 against Virginia Tech, when Atkins put up 16 points in a very memorable final game at John Paul Jones Arena.

Football: Kevin Parks Even as the Virginia football team has experienced its fair share of struggles through recent seasons, running back Kevin Parks still cemented his name among the Cavalier greats.

Parks, who measured in at just 5-foot6 at Virginia’s pro-day, was a mainstay in the Cavalier backfield from 2011-2014. He finished his career fifth in program history with 3,219 career rushing yards and fourth with 29 rushing touchdowns.

Porter Dickie | The Cavalier Daily

Wrestling: Nick Sulzer Nick Sulzer left a lasting imprint on Virginia wrestling. The Cleveland native’s name is found throughout the program’s record book.

Sulzer’s 122 career victories are the second most for a Cavalier wrestler, and he recorded a staggering 75 bonus-point victories. Additionally, he is only the second three-time All-American in program history.

SARAH IMOVBIOH

NICK SULZER Emily Gorham | The Cavalier Daily

Women’s basketball: Sarah Imovbioh While former Virginia center Sarah Imovbioh isn’t done playing college basketball, she will graduate this month and play out her final season of NCAA eligibility at national-title contender South Carolina.

Her presence in the paint will certainly be missed: Imovbioh grabbed an ACC-best 10.8 rebounds per game for the Cavaliers this season while trailing only junior guard Faith Randolph in scoring. Imovbioh leaves Charlottesville with 793 career rebounds.

MITCHELL FRANK Celina Hu| The Cavalier Daily

Women’s soccer: Morgan Brian After four seasons of stardom, midfielder Morgan Brian’s collegiate career has come to an end. Brian — a three-time NSCAA First-Team All-American and four-time All-ACC first-teamer — scored 41 goals and dished out 43 assists as a Cavalier.

Brian joined select company after winning the MAC Hermann Trophy her junior and senior seasons, becoming just the fourth woman to garner national player of the year honors in consecutive campaigns.

The Houston Dash made Brian the top pick of the National Women’s Soccer League Draft January.

KEVIN PARKS Marshall Bronfin| The Cavalier Daily

Men’s tennis: Mitchell Frank The current captain of the men’s tennis team has been among the program’s highest achievers in recent memory. Frank has been named to the All-ACC team in all four of his years, and earned countless other accolades along the way. Of note, Frank was named the ACC Men’s Tennis Scholar Athlete of the Year a year ago and has twice been named an ITA All-American.

He is currently ranked No. 21 in the nation and helped Virginia earn its ninth straight ACC championship. In addition to leading Virginia in the NCAA Tournament, Frank was recently chosen to compete in the 2015 NCAA Individual Championships.

MORGAN BRIAN

DJ Govender | The Cavalier Daily

DAVI SACCO

Men’s lacrosse: Davi Sacco A former walk-on, Davi Sacco emerged as the best defenseman for the Virginia men’s lacrosse team this spring. At just 5-foot-10, Sacco might lack the size of the prototypical Division I close-defender, but he has proven his skill week after week, consistently shutting down the opponent’s top attackman.

Sacco, who has started every game this season and leads the team with 22 caused turnovers, was elected as captain by his teammates prior to the Syracuse game.

Porter Dickie | The Cavalier Daily

KENNY TOWNS

Baseball: Kenny Towns Kenny Towns became a regular in coach Brian O’Connor’s starting lineup as a sophomore, and Towns has not disappointed.

Towns shook off a cold start to the 2014 season, and came through in the clutch throughout the postseason — he was a member of the Charlottesville Regional All-Tournament team and hit .340 with 10 RBI in the College World Series.

The Burke, Virginia native has carried that performance with him into the 2015 season. Towns is currently third on the team with a .294 average and leads all players with 46 runs batted in.

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SPORTS

The Cavalier Daily

Juniors Justin Anderson, Anthony Gill and Malcolm Brogdon made rooting for Virginia easy in 2014-15.

Marshall Bronfin | The Cavalier Daily

Semester in review: Virginia sports Ten memorable moments in Cavalier athletics

Ryan Taylor, Matthew Morris, Matthew Wurzburger and Robert Elder Sports Writers

Virginia athletics enjoyed a memorable semester. Following are 10 of the brightest moments from the past few months.

Nick Sulzer becomes three-time All-American Senior Nick Sulzer capped his stellar wrestling career with a fifthplace finish at 165 pounds at the NCAA Wrestling Championships in St. Louis, Missouri. In doing so, he became the second three-time All-American in program history.

Sulzer entered the tournament as the No. 4 seed in his bracket, but an upset loss in the second round muddied the waters.

The upset did not faze the Cleveland, Ohio native, and he claimed four victories on the third day. Sulzer locked up All-American honors when Northwestern senior Pierce Harger took a medical forfeit.

On the final day of the tournament, Sulzer lost to Ohio State redshirt freshman Bo Jordan in the consolation semifinals but rebounded with a 12-4 major decision over North Carolina redshirt freshman Ethan Ramos to finish his tournament and career.

Baseball wins marathon against Marist Then-No. 1 Virginia clashed with Marist Feb. 22. The two teams scored two runs apiece in the seventh inning. Another run would not cross the plate for 11 frames.

The Cavaliers required 18 innings to down the Red Foxes 5-4.

Innings-wise, it was the longest game in team history.

Freshman Christian Lowry served as the game’s hero, driving home sophomore Matt Thaiss with a

single in the bottom of the 18th.

Virginia’s bullpen held Marist scoreless for the final 11 innings of the game. Juniors Josh Sborz and Kevin Doherty each threw five innings of two-hit ball. Freshman Bennett Sousa worked a clean 18th to earn his first career win.

Women’s swimming captures eighth straight ACC title Cavalier fans have come to expect this level of excellence from the Virginia women’s swimming and diving team at the conference meet — the team has placed first every year since 2008.

But this season, the Cavaliers were forced to gut out their championship. With the majority of its top swimmers not fully rested as they tapered for NCAAs, Virginia entered the fourth and final day in second place, 22.5 points behind a North Carolina team that won the teams’ dual meet a month earlier.

However, a dominating final day allowed Virginia to coast to the program’s 13th ACC championship.

Leah Smith wins two national championships The women’s swimming and diving program ranks among the best and most consistent of Virginia’s 25 varsity athletic programs. But until this season, the team had only fielded one national champion. That changed this season at the NCAA championships.

On the first day of competition, sophomore Leah Smith burst into the spotlight, taking the 500-yard freestyle national title. Her preliminary time of 4:30.37 broke the NCAA record in the event.

Two days later, Smith captured the 1,650-yard freestyle finals, earning her second national championship of the meet and propelling Virginia to a program-best fifth-place finish.

Men’s tennis makes it nine straight ACC titles The Virginia men’s tennis team clipped Wake Forest by a 4-2 final score in the ACC title match Sunday, April 26 in Durham, North Carolina.

The win gave the No. 5 Cavaliers nine conference crowns in nine seasons, a feat matched only by North Carolina from 1970-78.

Virginia’s wins in the tournament also pushed its ACC winning streak to 139 matches, the longest winning streak in any sport in conference history. The Cavaliers — NCAA champions for the first time in 2013 — have not lost in ACC play since April 23, 2006.

Women’s golf wins first ACC championship Before 2015, no team from outside North Carolina had won the ACC Women’s Golf Championship.

In mid-April, Virginia changed that.

The No. 10 Cavaliers positively dominated the conference tourney, outshooting second-place No. 6 Duke by 26 strokes.

Senior Briana Mao finished second individually to lead the Cavaliers, matching star Duke freshman Leona Maguire through 54 holes before coming up short in a two-hole playoff. Junior Lauren Coughlin and sophomore Lauren Diaz-Yi joined Mao in the top five, while freshman Lyberty Anderson and junior Elizabeth Szokol placed seventh and 20th, respectively.

“It was unbelievable to watch,” Virginia coach Kim Lewellen said.

Sophomore throwers set program records Sophomore throwers Christine Bohan, Filip Mihaljevic and Jordan Young all set program records at the Virginia Challenge, which the Cavaliers hosted in mid-April at Lannigan Field.

Bohan heaved the shot put 16.31 meters, topping her previous person-

al best by more than a foot.

Mihaljevic, meanwhile, bested his program record in the men’s shot put with 20.16-meter hurl. No Cavalier had broken 20 meters before Mihaljevic’s toss.

Lastly, Young established a new program record in the hammer throw at 69.53 meters.

Mihaljevic also later reset his program record in the discus with a 63.11-meter heave April 25 at the Penn Relays.

Softball’s Formby sisters no-hit Virginia Tech The highlight of Virginia softball’s much-improved 2015 season came April 9, when freshman twin sisters Alex and Andie Formby combined to throw a no-hitter in the second game of a doubleheader against Virginia Tech. The Cavaliers dropped the first game 7-4, but the brilliant performances by the Formby sisters allowed Virginia to split with a 5-2 win.

Alex started the historic game and put in over three innings of work. She walked seven batters and allowed two runs, but neither run was the result of a hit given up. Her sister came on in relief after the Hokies loaded the bases with no outs in the fourth and was able to force a double play and a fly ball to get out of the inning unscathed.

Andie finished the game with three strikeouts and four walks. The no-hitter was clinched as Formby retired the final six batters in order. The result was the first no-hitter for Virginia since 2009 and the program’s first ever combined no-hitter.

Men’s basketball wins ACC regular season title, posts 30 victories The Virginia men’s basketball team followed up its impressive 2014 run with an even more dominating season in 2015, particularly in conference play. The team finished 30-4 and 16-2 in conference and earned a

2-seed in the NCAA tournament.

Down the stretch, however, the Cavaliers struggled due to an injury to star junior Justin Anderson. The now-NBA prospect’s absence and subsequent slow return caused the Virginia offense to sputter, and it was unable to overcome an unfavorable seeding and matchup against Michigan State in the second round of the tournament.

Despite this early exit, the season was amazingly successful, and the major highlight of it came March 2, when the Cavaliers clinched their second consecutive ACC regular season title. Virginia started off slow on the road against Syracuse, but used a late first-half rally to dominate the rest of the game and earn the 58-47 victory.

The championship marked the first time in Atlantic Coast Conference history that a team from outside the state of North Carolina claimed back-to-back outright regular season titles. Virginia now has seven regular season crowns in program history.

Rowing dominates ACC/Big 10 Challenge The Virginia rowing team has consistently been among the nation’s elite programs, and 2015 has been no different. The Cavaliers’ varsity eight boat is currently ranked third in the country and has won numerous high-profile races this spring.

Most notably, the Cavaliers dominated the annual ACC/Big 10 Challenge early April. Virginia won 10 races at the event, include six of the final seven races. Virginia defeated the nation’s top-ranked team, Ohio State, in the Third Varsity Eight, Fourth Varsity Eight, Second Varsity Four and Third Varsity Four.

Virginia’s season is still going strong, and the team competes in the ACC championship May 15-16, seeking its sixth consecutive title. The Cavaliers have won 14 of the past 15 ACC championships.

SPORTS

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

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10

GRADUATION SHOUT-OUTS

The Cavalier Daily

GRADUATION SHOUT-OUTS @CarlySawyer Carly—wishing you well on your next stage of life!

We love you, and our lives are much richer thanks to you. Love Jason, Kelsie, & Brendan

SARA A. NEEL

How you have grown! Congratulations, Sara! You finally made it; we are so proud of you!

SHOUT-OUT TO MADELINE DUCHARME! May Lighthouse Pete greet you with a hug every time you take the ferry, may all your trips to the Cape May Lighthouse involve cool breezes and few steps, may you hit the jackpot every time at the arcade, may you always get a today-only special at the Fudge Shop, and may you always heed the wise words of your mother, "The Sea is a Jealous Mistress".

With much love, Molly, Tom, Carol, Jim, Charlotte and Bob

MADELINE DUCHARME

INTRAMURALRECREATIONAL SPORTS GRADUATES Congratulations & Thank You to the 2015 Graduating Staff of Intramural-Recreational Sports!

IRC GRADUATES

Congratulations IRC Graduates!

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Wednesday, May 13, 2015

11

LEAD EDITORIAL

By the numbers

opinion

As the academic year comes to an end, the Managing Board recounts some notable numbers

Comment of the day “Have we come to the point in American politics where we value absolute equality over the slightest bit of freedom?

This is a free country and we allow inheritances to continue because our money and accomplishments belong to us and not the state.”

4

700,000

50 million

5

Number of student deaths this academic year.

Number of dollars in the highest salary the University pays, which is to Richard Shannon, executive vice president for Health Affairs.

Number of dollars the Rotunda construction will cost.

Number of months since Rolling Stone published the now-retracted article “A Rape on Campus: A Brutal Assault and Struggle for Justice at UVA.”

27 Number of pages in “Towards a Better University,” a proposal by the Black Student Alliance.

1 Number of members of the Board of Visitors to resign this year.

30 “UVA_PC_Police” in response to Nazar Aljassar’s Apr. 28 article, “End inheritance, support meritocracy.”

Number of groups listed as supporting the BSA’s proposal.

1

61 Number of people arrested at the Foxfield Races in 2012.

0

7

Number of people at Rolling Stone magazine who were fired for the publication of the article.

Number of people arrested at the Foxfield Races this year.

4

Estimated number of years until the Rotunda construction is completed.

Number of months until the 2015-16 academic year begins.

A unique responsibility for the class of 2015 commonly expressed senThose of us in the classes of timent among Universi- 2016, 2017 and 2018 have the ty students in recent weeks has responsibility to move forward been to lament the in this community. fourth years, whose While we must reMARY RUSSO last year at the Unimember the events Senior Associate Editor versity was marred by of this year, the U.Va. tragedy after tragedy. bubble will likely While it is true that this year’s form around us again. Certainly, graduating class is leaving the we could not have predicted the University at a difficult time, the events of this year as we moved Class of 2015 has the unique op- into our homes in August. We portunity to carry the heat of the cannot look forward knowing we events of the school year into the will not be hit with another tragoutside world. edy. However, with this potential When I first arrived on return to normalcy, we risk leavGrounds, I heard talk of the ing this year in the past as a trouU.Va. bubble, which keeps stu- blesome memory. dents from contextualizing their The Class of 2015, however, experiences at the University on will not have the opportunity any large scale. Soon thereafter, I to see even the short-term imfound myself within the bubble’s pacts of this year — at least not embrace. All throughout my first as students. They will not have year, it seemed like the world the opportunity to forget this turned around Charlottesville. school year, as it is their final While last year I could go days or memory of the University. Ratheven weeks without reading the er, they are entering the outside news, this year, the news came world having experienced largeto us. scale national issues in their own

backyard. While I hope the Class of 2015 has plenty of fond memories of their time in Charlottesville, I also hope they will recognize their unique ability to take what has happened this year as more than just a series of tragedies, and continue to think about the issues at hand even after they have left the immediacy of their

ing and growth in this community, there has to be healing and growth beyond its borders and throughout the country. This has been true throughout the University’s history, and will continue to be true. We cannot solve the issue of campus rape alone, but seeing how it affects our community should inspire recent graduates to engage the outside world with these issues.

Although it may sound cliché, once we leave Grounds we are ambassadors this University.

While many University students take on active of For the rest of our roles tackling social justice issues while at lives, people will ask us where we studschool, we are only here for four years.” ied as an undergraduate. Being at impact. the University of Virginia in the While many University stu- 2014-15 school year is an experidents take on active roles tack- ence that cannot be replicated or ling social justice issues while at even put into words. school, we are only here for four Even now, students struggle years. For there to be real heal- to put into words exactly how

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The class of 2015 has the opportunity to take the experiences of this year into the outside world they feel about this school year.

I would never want to attempt to tie the events of this year into a neat package and highlight a single lesson that we have learned.

Experiences have been varied and ranging in scale. Doing so would be unfair to the lives lost and the students affected by each of these issues. In many ways we remain frustrated and confused as a community. As ambassadors of the University going forward, the Class of 2015 will be faced with some difficult questions.

It is my hope they will respond with empathy, compassion, and hope for our community in a way that inspires them to do work which ensures long-term growth and healing for and outside the University of Virginia.

Mary’s column runs Thursdays. She can be reached at m.russo@cavalierdaily.com.

12

OPINION

The Cavalier Daily

A digital-first paper s The Cavalier Daily shifts timedia efforts including video into summer mode (no and the website among others. printing after this special is- They have all changed over time, sue and fewer updates online), seemingly growing in fits and it’s time to considstarts. er what the staff CHRISTOPHER BROOM To my way of should think about thinking, and from Public Editor doing before classes the handful of readand printing restart ers who contacted me in the fall. When I started as the when I asked, the mobile apps Public Editor it was coincident are not very useful. They do not with the move to a digital first offer features to recommend shift for The Cavalier Daily that them above the mobile website. offered a chance to shift how the Unless, of course, you find the staff reported and opined on the absence of the comments secnews of the day. Readers have tion in the apps native display yet to see the promise of digi- a feature, which I suppose you tal-first fulfilled, in part for the might. No one I heard from obvious reasons of the incred- uses the apps. I checked the ible weight of so many stories iOS app regularly for some time that took over the paper in the but eventually moved onto the intervening time. mobile website, only checking I have paid particular atten- back on the app to be sure it still tion to the digital elements of works as intended. the paper including the mobile The Twitter feeds are, genapplications, Twitter feeds, mul- erally, helpful. As I’ve written

about previously, the live-tweeting from the Sports department is fantastic. In fact, the live-tweeting from several nonSports news events stretching back to the turmoil around President Teresa Sullivan’s ouster and reinstatement was also

more with some of the feeds.

This semester I also kept an eye on The Cavalier Daily YouTube channel. Some of the videos are interesting to watch and have high production values.

See, for example, The Cavalier Daily at a Glance and the recent update on the Rotunda renovation and reconstruction.

Other videos, like the news updates, feel more stilted and choppy. They just don’t hold up What the digital-first effort needs is careful to the quality of planning to make sure every piece published, other parts of The regardless of type, meets the quality level The Cavalier Daily.

The website Cavalier Daily is capable of producing...” needs cleaning up, from improving valuable. The rest of the Twitter search to consistently updating feeds essentially announce new pages for local news and Honor pieces on the website. It would and so on. It also needs a shift be great to be able to interact to incorporating more links and

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The Cavalier Daily staff should spend the summer improving its use of the Internet more ways to navigate around the information in The Cavalier Daily and the places those creating The Cavalier Daily are drawing their information from.

What the digital-first effort needs is careful planning to make sure every piece published, regardless of type, meets the quality level The Cavalier Daily is capable of producing and works to hold itself to. I hope that’s what the summer staff will focus on so when a full staff returns this fall and print, again, requires attention, the digital-first push will be just that.

Christopher Broom is the Public Editor for The Cavalier Daily.

He can be reached at c.broom@ cavalierdaily.com or on Twitter at @CDPublicEditor.

Transcending the human complexities of Jefferson ecently, this newspaper acy, and his ideals, to attempt to published the most recent deify him. in a long line of articles assailThe tradition laid down by ing the idolatry of the Universi- Jefferson should serve as a founty’s founder, Thomas dation for moral and Jefferson. The article social progress: it was TAMAR ZIFF posited that we must a product of its time, Viewpoint Writer acknowledge the role and should not be slavery played in the ascribed contempoinception of this University, and, rary relevance. Our University’s by extension, permanently illu- love affair with tradition lends minate Jefferson’s enduring hy- to a desire to justify Jefferson’s pocrisy, which chagrins us and actions at all costs for fear that which we constantly attempt to to defame his character would mitigate. The Monticello website invalidate the Enlightenment — under the “Property” head- ideals he so aptly espoused. Mr. ing — works to couch Jefferson’s Jefferson owned over 600 slaves slave ownership in apologetic in his lifetime. By the standards terms: he was a benevolent slave of the day, this was neither unmaster, it affirms, though he common nor controversial, yet a “did not always succeed in ‘less- man of Jefferson’s intellect could ening the violence of slavery.’” not help but see his own hypocFurther down, it lists “reasons” risy; yet Jefferson’s apathy in the as to why Jefferson failed to free face of circumscription of perhis slaves, none of which make sonal liberties does not diminmention of his moral cowardice, ish the validity of his sentiments and the fundamental incongru- on said liberties, ideals which ence between his maximalist undergird this University. We rhetoric on individual liberty must dispel the myth in favor of and his complacency in the face the man, and see Jefferson not of institutionalized oppression, as morally exemplary but as a a complacency shared by a great deeply flawed, albeit insightful, majority of his countrymen at man. the time. Jefferson was quite Examples of the transgresliterally a revolutionary thinker sions of notable historical fig— but ultimately he was only a ures, particularly those involved man. It is a disservice to his leg- in the founding or freedom of

nations, are notoriously difficult to find. Autobiographies tend to become, in the words of one New York Times reporter, “carefully constructed literary creation[s]” that present the figure as an idol, a collection of flattering anecdotes that perpetuate

These people have been reduced, in the public eye, to one-dimensional concepts — a soundbite. Liberty. Nonviolence.

Selflessness. One-word characterizations that do not lead to uncomfortable cognitive dissonance. It is convenient to think there existed people so taken with their life’s work, their praiseworthy ideals, that they in a sense belonged to them, and transcended the vagarCan we internalize the ideas forwarded by ies of brutish huJefferson. . . while acknowledging his dire manity to become what they eventucallousness?” ally gained notice for. a one-dimensional conception Can we internalize the ideas of the human being behind his forwarded by Jefferson — conor her ideas. Mahatma Gandhi, sidered notions of religious libwho came to be the living em- erty and equality of opportunity bodiment anti-imperialism and — while acknowledging his dire passive resistance, had warped callousness? We can — but we views about female sexuality that must be careful not to conflate some argue have contributed to the value of his ideas with that India’s persistent and sordid mi- of his person. He was an intellisogyny, made most manifest in gent man, but not a wholly good the harrowing frequency of rape one, and his refusal to free his and sexual assault. Mother Te- slaves seems particularly egreresa, whose name is universally gious when juxtaposed with his connoted with altruism, was a views on the fundamental rights firm believer in the suffering of of those he saw as truly human the ill, “like Christ on the Cross.” (read: not everyone).

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While we cannot ignore Jefferson’s misdeeds, we cannot disregard his work and ideas on account of his faults Reconciling complex humanity, with its vacillations and blemishes, with an abstract good is complicated: we must somehow both pay tribute to the latter while recognizing the problems in the former. We cannot live in ignorance of the misdeeds of well-thinking men, yet we cannot disregard their work for it; we must only avoid confusing the merit of an idea, or an artwork, for that of a man or woman.

It is tough to concede terrible people can do, or think of, good things. But humans are complex: atrocities were carried out by men who deeply cared for their families, and non-violent movements were orchestrated by a man who largely neglected his. It would be most convenient to live in a world in which we could draw neat lines between the good and bad, and categorize people into the one or the other. Yet in this muddled and discordant world, no such binary will ever exist, and so we must take what has merit, knowing that evil will persist in spite of it, hoping there will be less in the future.

Tamar Ziff is a Viewpoint writer.

OPINION

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

13

Decrease merit-based aid Merit scholarships unfairly privilege high-income students

n a recent piece entitled “Mer- aid. it scholars don’t need more There was a recent editorial in money,” Emily McDuff makes the The Cavalier Daily entitled “Free argument that Jefferson Tuition is unrealistic” Scholars who apply for that addressed a similar SAWAN PATEL and receive other scholproblem. Cooper Union Opinion Columnist arships are doing so just College for the Advanceto add to their resume ment of Science and Art while simultaneously detracting was formerly tuition-free for all stufrom the opportunities available dents, but due to financial difficulto other students. In the piece she ties has removed that policy. It was points out the large number of ap- replaced by a 50 percent scholarship plicants for the Sky Alland and the for all students and a full scholarship Gray-Carrington scholarships, two for those with demonstrated need prestigious awards given to fourth- while also providing those students year students at the University, who with $2,000 stipends for other exwere already Jefferson Scholars. The penses.

Jefferson Scholarship covers tuition, This case encapsulates the entire room, board and expenses for four problem between need- and meryears and the other two cover tuition it-based aid. Rather than supplying and room and board for the fourth aid solely based on merit, in this sceyear. nario measured by being accepted to McDuff did not go far enough in the school, University officials sacriher criticism of merit-based aid. The ficed the interests of those students Jefferson Scholarship is reflective of to further accommodate students the excess inherent in merit-based with actual need. The national trend aid and of the need for higher edu- in higher education is in this direccation to significantly reduce mer- tion but isn’t moving fast enough. it-based aid in favor of need-based Merit-based aid is good in mod-

Just for wits.

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of a merit-based program of financial aid results in a reduction in the percentage of lower income students and a drop in black student enrollment for both private and public colleges.

How can we justify a system in which privilege replaces merit for a handful of enormous scholarships while hundreds sit on the sidelines crippled by need? I am not singling out just the Jefferson Foundation but rather merMerit-based aid is good in moderation.” it-based aid everywhere. Merit-based that highly correlate with income. aid is a new phenomenon that colThe results are that students of rel- leges have invented in the past 50 atively high socioeconomic status years to spend money to very quickdon’t have to pay for college — when ly increase statistics compared to they can afford to more easily than other schools. others — because they have high soThe given goal of the Jefferson cioeconomic status. Another prob- Foundation is to “attract to the Unilem appears when merit-based aid versity the most promising leaders, remains high at the same time need- scholars, and citizens in the world.” based aid decreases and costs go up. This is a fancy way of saying the Studies have shown the introduction foundation wants to buy students

who wouldn’t otherwise come here with full scholarships. This is a shortterm way of thinking of how to increase the prestige of the University.

All merit-based aid functions in this way. It is an abomination designed to increase statistics and prestige.

“Aid” is defined as to help, assist or support someone in the achievement of something. Aid used to be about helping students with need afford an education they wouldn’t otherwise be able to. Rather than continuing in this noble tradition, higher education has begun to contaminate this once pure system for its own selfish ends. To further exacerbate the situation, this change has come at a time when the rising cost of education and rising income inequality have already prevented many from being able to afford college.

Merit-based aid must be dramatically reduced to realign our values to help the people most in need.

Sawan’s column runs Tuesdays.

He can be reached at s.patel@cavalierdaily.com.

How the other half lives

hey said it couldn’t be done. sometimes treacherous — path beThey said I was foolish to try. tween Venus and Mars, should you They said it would throw off my ever find yourself shacked up with poop schedule. No, I’m a friend who seems to not talking about using a completely differPETER STEBBINS have all 49 swipes in one week ent perspective on where Humor Writer allotted by the deceptivethe toilet seat goes when ly named “unlimited” you pee. meal plan. I’m speaking, of course, What to do when you or your of sharing a room with a member of roommate has that special friend the opposite sex; or for the more de- over? Ideally, you room with sometail-oriented readers among you, of one already in a relationship. That two cisgendered friends cohabiting way, they end up sleeping over at for the duration of one year. bae’s place most nights, effectively How did this little experiment leaving you to your own (de)vices. come to pass? It was one part Alter- Another, less appealing option, is to native Spring Break (hot tip: make agree simply never to bring anyone friends with your site leader, you home. That’s right, I’m suggesting a may end up living with them next mutual disarmament. Remember, year), two parts financial savings you can still get crunk with warm and just a dash of morbid curiosity. bodies, just not in your own bed. It If you’re hoping to read about all the helps to live far from Grounds, so sexy pillow fights we had, prepare to you can pull the “Oh, you live closer be disappointed (just as I was). After and we can get Bodos in the mornall is said and done I’ve come away ing” card. Another option is a condiwith a greater appreciation for the tional arrangement, such that if you struggles of long hair, a clear answer do bring home the bacon the guest to the question “Do girls fart?” and has to stay for breakfast the next a renewed aversion to plain yogurt. morning and meet the rest of the Okay, that last one bears explana- house. The clankiest silverware will tion. But I don’t want to give plain be used, with the crunchiest food, yogurt the respect of spilling any and all house members will agree more ink in its name, even to rail to maintain a very awkward silence against it with the vehemence of a for the duration of the meal. As a Hitler Youth at an Earth, Wind & matter of fact, this very arrangement Fire concert. proved highly effective in my own Instead, focus your attention on experience. these words of wisdom for how to Since we’re on the topic of slumnegotiate the usually sturdy — but ber parties, we might as well address

the chief concern most of you have. It goes without saying that the easiIt was expressed to me in no un- est way to ensure flaccidity/dryness certain terms by most of my male is by not rooming with someone you friends upon learning of my living find attractive in the first place. Take arrangement. Interestingly enough, it from me: if you choose to room my female friends were supreme- with a girl who is the picture of Arly confident that avoidance of “an yan perfection, you’d best remember event” was doable. This difference of that gazing into those blue eyes is opinion was profoundly depressing strictly verboten. in its predictability. Enough beating There is one more approach around the well-trimmed bush: you to the problem of roommate roare running the risk that at some mance. It might be painful, but do point the gravitational pull of your your best to make yourself as unatgenitals will overpower reason and tractive as humanly possible. Stop restraint, and by simple virtue of chewing with your mouth closed, physical proximity, that proximity proclaim your bowel movements will be obliterated. You might f***. with the pride of a 3-year-old, and While perhaps you two are spout enough bigoted epithets to “meant to be together” or whatever fatalistic romantic narrative you ascribe to, odds are getting funky fresh with your roomie is a poor decision.

While perhaps you two are ‘meant to be together’ or There are some easy measures whatever fatalistic romantic narrative you ascribe to, odds are getting funky fresh with your roomie is a poor decision.” you can take to avoid this eventuality. One method is not to become make Westboro Baptist look like attracted to her in the first place. Joel Olsteen. This method, although Watch her closely when she chews requiring a great deal of self-sacher food, mentally associate her face rifice, is highly effective because it with the death of your childhood hands control over the situation to pet or pull a “Mean Girls” and start your roommate. Even if you crack feeding her Kalteen bars. These are and make a move over bacon and all demonstrable paths to disinterest. eggs on a Sunday morning, you’ll

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eration. America is a meritocracy in principle and perhaps somewhat in practice, so it makes sense that some sort of merit-based aid remains in the university system. However, merit-based aid often relies on GPA and standardized test scores, two measures of academic performance

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just end up with egg on your face because she’ll be damned if she’s going to make out with someone who thinks it’s kosher to call young women “birds.”

Speaking of unappealing, let’s return to toilet talk for a moment. I’m speaking to the penis-laden among us out there: start sitting down on the toilet to pee. Several years ago I made the switch myself, for reasons involving sanitation and splashback.

The stress this cheeky little change has avoided, when living with a fellow sitter, has been immeasurable.

Not once during the course of the year did I have to get the Crisco and help my roommate out of the toilet into which she’d fallen on an innocent midnight trip to the commode.

If you pee standing up, you will forget to put the seat down at some point, and the consequences will be dire. Don’t let something as minor as bathroom etiquette hasten the inevitable decline in your friendship that happens when you room with somebody.

This is where I leave you, dear reader; wondering if it really is possible to have a healthy relationship as roommates with a platonic opposite-sex friend. Since the year isn’t quite over, I can’t actually say it’s possible myself. Who knows, she might discover I’ve been wearing her clothes after she leaves for work in the morning. I might discover she already knows, and kind of digs it.

The Cavalier Daily

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A&E A summer of C’Ville concerts, part one arts & entertainment

Candace Carter

Arts & Entertainment Editor

Charlottesville’s nightlife and live music scene rock on during the summer months after many students have left Grounds. Artists perform nearly every night at one of the city’s many venues, big or small, and locals and students alike flood the concert halls and bars to take part in the experience. The first half of the summer’s schedule appears promising, featuring a variety of soulful rock, quizzical indie and grounded pop acts for the public.

Bombadil returns to Charlottesville Saturday, May 16 with a performance at The Southern Café and Music Hall. Having wowed the city’s indie-folk fans in the past, the band will bring lyrical oddities and quaint instrumentals to the stage to pro-

Local venues find diversity, creativity in summer schedules

mote their latest studio album, “Hold On.” Despite the trio being short one member following the recent departure of keyboardist Stuart Robinson, the band’s live performances haven’t lost their entertaining personality or honest undertones. For a similar experience, fans should see equally genuine alternative rock group The Decemberists as they play the nTelos Pavilion Monday, June 1.

Old Crow Medicine Show, famous for being the songwriters behind “Wagon Wheel,” will perform at the nTelos Pavilion Saturday, May 23. The group will bring a taste of traditional string music to wider audiences at this performance. Their feel-good live shows lack the fast-paced fiddling and mind-blowingly complex string melodies other bands have created on Charlottesville stages, but create pleasant, head-bobbing tunes with dainty vocals and sweet, narrative lyrics. The show’s after party fea-

tures the more worldly-minded musical troupe, Chamomile and Whiskey, who keep the festivities going with Irish jigs and upbeat folk tunes played on a variety of instruments, from a fiddle and banjo to an old-fashioned washboard. For a look at how versatile old-time string instruments have become in the days of digitized music and Auto-Tuning, check out famed violinist Lindsey Stirling at the nTelos Pavilion Saturday, June 20.

Jessica Hernandez & the Deltas, a female-fronted rock-fusion outfit, will fill The Southern Thursday, June 11 much to the anticipation of Charlottesville music lovers. Combined jazzy keyboard notes, dramatic pounding drums and subtle horns gives a dangerous edge to Hernandez’s sultry voice.

Twangy country influences solidify the band’s success in Charlottesville, leaving no doubt that any listener can find some enjoyable aspect to their tunes. A sim-

ilar band, Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds, appearing Thursday, June 4 at The Southern, plays on harsher vocals, playful horns and a generally more vibrant presence onstage. For parallel drama and grunge, check out Rising Appalachia, a simplistic, earthy female folk duo, at The Jefferson Friday, June 19.

D.C.-based 80s cover band The Legwarmers regularly appear at The Jefferson, and Charlottesville’s concert-goers show up in full force each performance. The band’s attraction lies in their ridiculous onstage energy and flamboyance — no expense is spared in creating costumes, makeup and stage sets for the band’s ever-traveling act. Fan costumes, singing along and spontaneous dancing on the crowd floor are strongly encouraged. For a light, fun time that students, and probably their parents, can enjoy, The Legwarmers are a staple of the Charlottesville summer experience. Catch them

next at The Jefferson Friday, June 12.

South Carolina native KaiL Baxley will appear at The Garage Wednesday, June 17 fresh off the release of his new album “A Light That Never Dies,” due out June 2. Baxley’s soulful voice creates a poignant atmosphere in his edgy rock tunes with a hint of New Orleans spook. Tracks like “Boy Got it Bad” and “HeatStroke” incorporate haunting, cult-like chanting that makes Baxley’s live performances chilling experiences. Fans should also check out The Alabama Shakes’ extensive repertoire of jazzy soul and funk jams when they take the Downtown Mall’s nTelos Pavilion Tuesday, June 9.

With the rapid approach of these highly-anticipated concerts and many more, good music, food and fun await. Stay tuned for The Cavalier Daily’s preview of the second half of Charlottesville’s vibrant local concert scene.

All photos courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Melodies to reminisce A&E chronicles the top ten goodbye songs to fill the void in your heart Karim Saoud Staff Writer

With graduation day and the semester’s end approaching, these goodbye songs are sure to match the mood on Grounds as students begin to leave. Some might be familiar, some might not, but all will make you want to go hug a best friend or visit a favorite spot before leaving Grounds over the next few weeks.

“Best Days” by Graham Colton: A sentimental combination of saying goodbye and looking forward that listeners can’t go wrong in playing.

“Home” by Daughtry: Although overplayed on the radio a few years back, listeners will long for their hometown and high school friends after this one.

“Closing Time” by Semisonic: Any fans of “The Office” should also take a peek at the Andy Bernard version.

“Here’s to the Night” by Eve 6: Here’s to one last night with your best friends in Charlottesville.

“See You Again” by Wiz Khalifa feat. Charlie Puth: From the “Fast and Furious 7” soundtrack, this song is sure to make the tears flow a little bit.

“In My Life” by The Beatles: An oldie but definitely sentimental all the same.

“Save Tonight” by Eagle-Eye Cherry: The lyrics speak to more of a pre-long distance relationship situation, but the chorus absolutely relates to anyone and everyone.

“My Wish” by Rascal Flatts: A little bit of reminiscing with a little bit of looking to the future. What a combination.

“Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” by Green Day: Could there ever be a goodbye song list without this gem?

“I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston: Finish strong. Sing the chorus at the top of your lungs.

NEWS

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

ROLLING STONE Pinkleton: ‘I’m still waiting for an apology’ Continued from page 4 personal perception,” Renda said.

“He’s not referenced as president of One in Four, [which] made it seem more like he was speaking about his ideas and how he feels rather than his insights on a larger framework.”

Pinkleton said Erdely not only misrepresented the personal sentiments of individuals she spoke to, but also failed to accurately portray sexual assault as it typically occurs.

“The Rolling Stone article was one author’s attempt at writing a sensational story that would also be representative of sexual assaults on Grounds,” Pinkleton said. “Not only is this virtually impossible, but she completely mischaracterized how the majority of assaults occur. She painted a picture of campus assaults as brutal, ritualistic acts done by demonic perpetrators against sober, violently beaten and pinned down victims, and that is almost never the case.”

Eramo released an open letter addressed to Rolling Stone CEO Jenn Wanner, dated Apr. 22, in which she listed her particular grievances with the article, Erdely’s journalistic practices and the subsequent retraction.

Eramo said her name — as well as a Photoshopped picture of her sitting across from a sexual assault victim giving up thumbs up while anti-sexual assault protesters hold signs outside — will always be connected to the article. Eramo said the damage done by the descriptions and images included in the article cannot be undone, and the steps Rolling Stone has already taken to rectify the damage are not enough.

“Although the magazine has finally removed the original article from Rolling Stone’s website (something we asked for months ago), my name — and the photo-shopped picture of me — remain forever linked to an article that has damaged my reputation and falsely portrayed the work to which I have dedicated

my life,” Eramo said. “These steps are not good enough. The University of Virginia — and those of us who work for the University supporting victims of sexual assault — deserve better.”

Eramo also said when she confronted Rolling Stone’s attorneys regarding their inaccurate portrayal of her interactions with Jackie, they justified their actions.

“Adding insult to injury, your attorneys said that the article’s portrayal of me — which cast me as an unsympathetic and manipulative false friend to sexual assault victims who is more interested in keeping assault statistics down than providing meaningful guidance to victims or holding perpetrators of sexual assault accountable — was ‘fair,’” Eramo said.

While she discussed the way the article portrayed her own work, Eramo said she was worried about the way the University and its sexual assault advocates were depicted in the article as well. Eramo said she feels the primary reactions to the article have focused on Erdely’s journalistic practices regarding Jackie’s story, while little had been said about her portrayal of the University.

“Understandably, much of the public’s attention has been focused on the inaccuracy of the article’s account of a sexual assault involving Jackie and the flawed journalistic process processes at Rolling Stone that lead to the publication of the article,” she said. “Much less has been said, however, about the article’s false account of the University’s attitude regarding sexual assault and, in particular, the article’s false and grossly misleading portrayal of the counseling and support that I have provided to Jackie, including encouraging her to report.”

Pinkleton said Erdely told her she “regrets some of her decisions” made when writing her article.

“I am still waiting for an apology,” Pinkleton said.

Owen Robinson contributed to ­ reporting.

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The Cavalier Daily

FOURTH-YEAR SPOTLIGHTS

Accomplished University students share memories, lessons, goals for future

life

An inspired four years

Sarah Brotman

Alexander Rafala plans to pursue acting in New York after graduation

Feature Writer

Procrastination tends to be especially common during finals.

Some students unearth friends’ middle school Facebook pictures, others clean their rooms — but during finals weeks of his second year, fourth-year College student Alexander Rafala started writing a film. His film, “Farewell Old Stringy,” was eventually screened at the Virginia Film Festival.

Rafala said the screenplay was initially centered on a character’s suicide. It took on a level of emotional nuance when, during the summer following Rafala’s second year, his own co-worker committed suicide.

“We worked on Friday night and on Monday morning I found out that he took his life, and that’s the most bizarre thing,” Rafala said.

Rafala said the workplace’s atmosphere in the wake of the loss significantly shaped his vision for the film. “[Work was] the place where he was, and being there with all the other waiters, we would talk

about it,” Rafala said. “I remember being at work, and I’d get an idea for the script. I’d bus a table, and go off and write a line down on the little ordering sheets. At the end of the day I would empty my pocket and go through all the little sheets of ideas.”

Rafala said he used his experience with suicide to offer a unique perspective of the issue.

His film follows a homeless man named Davey, who enlists two college students to help him cope with his imaginary friend’s suicide.

“All of a sudden, the screenplay had a reason to exist,” Rafala said. “I realized that I couldn’t possibly comprehend what kind of feelings and emotions and compulsions that person was having. Instead of trying to explain how a suicidal person feels, I tried to explain how a bystander feels.”

Fundraising and casting occupied Rafala for some of his fourth year. He garnered a $13,000 budget for the film through independent fundraising efforts and

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University grants. He cast his mentor, University Drama Prof.

Richard Warner, in the film.

“I wrote the part of the old man for one of my professors at U.Va., that was the one we were worried about,” Rafala said. “He has a great philosophy. He says, ‘I’m an educator and it’s my job to teach, I firmly believe that the best way to teach something or to learn something is by doing. So I can’t not facilitate that process.’

He happened to be really excited about the part, and he did a fantastic job.”

Warner was cast as a schizophrenic homeless man. He said the role afforded him a unique challenge.

“I had never done a role quite like that, so when you do a role like that and you're talking about changing your mentality like that, you have to do what I call freefalling,” Warner said. “You have to get yourself into whatever persona that is, and trust the people around you are going to guide you and help you, because you have to stay there.”

Alexander Rafala

Zoe Toone | The Cavalier Daily

Warner said as he worked with Rafala, he grew as an actor and writer.

“He’s hired me, I worked for him, now there’s a peerage going on,” Warner said. “I've had the privilege of having a lot of students keep in touch with me, and I have a feeling Alex will be one

of those too.”

Rafala plans to move to New York City to pursue a career in acting after graduation.

“My entry essay into U.Va. was about the power of film,” Rafala said. “I want to inspire someone the same way I’ve been inspired.”

Boundless innovation Dasha T yshlek

Dasha Tyshlek spearheads Health Unbound startup

Sabrina Ferrero | The Cavalier Daily

Elizabeth Cornick Feature Writer

Fourth-year Engineering student Dasha Tyshlek’s passion for

healthcare innovation defined her University experience. Involvement in Rodman Council, Advanced Design and a University Innovation Fellowship gave her the tools to spearhead Health

Unbound, a startup which aims to shed light on the importance of entrepreneurship in field of health and science by designing biomedical innovations.

Tyshlek said the University Innovation Fellowship program was vital to the success of her startup.

“Running around and meeting new people gives you the kind of knowledge you’ll truly learn and find most valuable. My education is largely based on extensive extracurricular knowledge. I had imagined it would come from inside classes,” Tyshlek said. “At U.Va it is very free form, you have to make your own education. You can get half of your education from things outside the class if you do it enough.”

Tyshlek forged new grounds on a number of fronts at the University. In addition to spearheading Health Unbound, she established the Entrepreneurship chair position within the Rodman

Council and created her own major, which consists of biomedical, sustainability and chemical engineering.

Tyshlek said starting Health Unbound is one of her biggest accomplishments during her time at the University.

“It has been difficult to run it for it’s first year, it’s completely student run, but it has been successful enough that people know who we are,” Tyshlek said. “The teams win a lot of competitions for healthcare innovations and actually create prototypes for these things that could one day make a difference in the healthcare world.”

After graduation, Tyshlek plans on staying in Charlottesville for a year to continue working on her projects in the Capstone program, which include her project Sensibility Care, a device to remind patients recovering from surgery to keep their weight

down, and her other project to create a device for securing catheters on newborn infants with less harsh adhesives, and Health Unbound. Afterward she will work for Bridgewater Associates as a manager.

“Health Unbound, Advanced Design and Capstone have directly prepared me for what’s ahead,” Tyshlek said.

Tyshlek is currently writing her undergraduate thesis on ways to improve the quality of life for people who suffer from epilepsy by lessening the head trauma from epileptic falls. She said organizations like Health Unbound provide a space for problem solving and inventing healthcare tools that could potentially improve the lives of many who are faced with a variety of health issues.

“I think it’s important to share the invention bug and promote working in the healthcare invention space,” Tyshlek said.

LIFE

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

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From quiet kid to class name

Dylan

Dylan Fogarty finds his home in CIOs

Fogarty

Richard Dizon| The Cavalier Daily

Jane Winthrop Feature Writer

Fourth-year College student Dylan Fogarty does not resemble the first year who arrived on Grounds in August of 2011. An admittedly quiet kid in high school, Fogarty has become a standout member of the Class of 2015.

“In high school I was definitely a quiet kid — I didn't really hang out with people outside of school and I wasn’t that involved,” Fogarty said.

“First year, I got involved with First Year Council [and] I met all of these people [who] were very ambitious and were trying to be chairs and presidents of these other organizations. I thought I was definitely not like that.

It went against [who] I thought I was.”

Fogarty soon proved himself wrong, becoming involved in organizations like Project Serve, Wahoo Central and the Lighting of the Lawn Committee. This year, Fogarty was a Class of 2015 Trustee and the Vice President of Hoo Crew.

“After first year going into second year, I got more involved in my organizations and I started loving them so much,” Fogarty said. “I love helping my CIOs out.”

Fourth-year College student Hannah Todd, Fogarty’s close friend since first year, played a role in encouraging him to consider new involvements.

“I met Dylan on the Saturday of move-in weekend, and at the time he knew exactly where he wanted to go and was not very interested in trying things unrelated to his goal,” Todd said in an email. “I made him attend a few CIO interest meetings with me, and he realized how many opportunities there were at U.Va. to be involved in activities that aligned with his passions and not necessarily his career or academic goals.”

Extracurricular involvement offered a good outlet and a network of contacts for the Biology and Economics major, who spent much of his

time in large lecture classes.

“I have [advisors who] I’m close with that go along with my extracurriculars instead of my academics,” Fogarty said. “I’ll be honest, I always do CIO stuff before I do academics anyways.”

Fogarty said he has reaped immense rewards from throwing himself into diverse aspects of the University.

“Now I can walk around and say ‘hi’ to everybody and I attend all of these events to support everyone,” Fogarty said. “I spent all four years trying to meet as many people as I can, getting to know their stories [and] befriending them because I like getting to know different people. I’m glad my friend group is very spread out and diverse so I’m never bored.”

While successful in his extracurriculars, Fogarty faced a major challenge after his third year when he decided to reconsider his track of study.

“I took [organic chemistry] my second year, struggled with it, then went through third year still thinking I was pre-pharmacy,” Fogarty said. “Then I realized that’s not what I wanted to do anymore with my life… so this year’s been very challenging just trying to figure out what I want

to do next year.”

While his future plans are still undecided, Fogarty is considering returning to the University to pursue a Master’s in Commerce from the McIntire School.

“I used to have a path the first three years, and this year I got off of my path and got away from that,” Fogarty said. “A lot more doors have opened, so now I just have to figure out what door is right for me.”

Fogarty said he is not ready to leave a place that has given him so many opportunities.

“Don’t let any opportunities miss you,” Fogarty said. “Do everything you can to do everything… I would definitely suggest, not putting your academics aside, but engaging in as many social and extracurricular activities as you can before you graduate. We are all going to be working the rest of our lives and it will work out fine for us.”

As students graduate and move on, Fogarty said he will miss much more than his CIO involvement.

“I might see a person this week [who] I [will] never see again,” Fogarty said. “I’ll just miss being a part of the U.Va. bubble, [walking] around Grounds and feeling all the energy.”

An agent of social change Ashley Blackwell creates University support system for low-income students Danaite Soquar Feature Writer

Fourth-year Architecture student Ashley Blackwell’s passion for social justice has led her to pursue work on a host of equity issues within the University and Charlottesville communities over the past few years.

Blackwell said her personal experiences before and after coming to the University shaped her interest in working for social change.

“My own socioeconomic and housing instability background made me hyper-aware of these issues, as well as lacking a sense of belonging and isolation within the culture and tradition of U.Va,” Blackwell said. “I wanted to create opportunities where low-income students could engage socially, but also take advantage of the professional and academic resources here.”

During her second year, Blackwell helped found United for Undergraduate Socioeconomic Diversity (UFUSED) — a CIO which advocates for inclusive college culture, specifically for low-income students, and seeks to identify gaps preventing supportive policy changes at the University.

Blackwell said the University’s iso-

lating environment for minority and low-income students motivated her to create a more comprehensive support structure.

“There is this notion that if you are not affluent or of a certain race, you should just simply be grateful and not critical,” Blackwell said. “You realize when you start advocating for resources, your identity becomes politicized and people do not want you to speak out.”

More recently, Blackwell created the Access U.Va Alumni Network, which connects students to resources, professional opportunities and events.

The network works with organizations like the Rainey Scholars Program to facilitate the college transition process for low-income and first-generation college students.

“Looking back at first-year, I wish I had a group like UFUSED and the advantages that brings,” Blackwell said.

“The fact that the University has not provided something like the Alumni Network makes me deeply question why the administration is not investing in creating these resources. The stress and efforts fall on the responsibilities of students [who] are already pulled in many different directions.”

Blackwell said working on social issues where multiple communities

coexist, like in Charlottesville, heightens the importance of understanding relationships between communities.

“I’ve spent every spring and summer break [in] Charlottesville working with community organizations on education and economic development,” Blackwell said. “Through this, I have learned there is no such thing as living in a U.Va bubble because the decisions the University makes are advantageous for some [and harmful for] those in historically marginalized neighborhoods.”

Mary Esselman Roberts, program assistant and tutoring coordinator for the Center of Undergraduate Excellence, played an instrumental role in connecting Blackwell with resources. However, Roberts said she also learned from Blackwell and her ability to work carefully with complex issues.

“I have been energized by Ashley’s creative, ‘Let’s get it done now’ approach to problem-solving and by the compassion that underlies all of her work,” Roberts said. “Ashley has been a relentless and courageous leader of positive social change at U.Va and in Charlottesville. I can only imagine what she will do outside the U.Va and Charlottesville community in the years to come.”

Post-graduation, Blackwell will

Ashley

Blackwell

Zoe Toone | The Cavalier Daily

pursue two prestigious fellowships — the Humanity in Action and the Emerson National Hunger. With Humanity in Action, Blackwell will travel to Warsaw to learn how World War II continues to shape social justice issues today. Through the Emerson National Hunger fellowship, Blackwell will spearhead a local community project before working in DC on policy addressing issues like hunger, poverty and racism.

The fellowships parallel Blackwell’s deeply held belief in holistic social equity and will foster her previous work in community-based development.

“I am excited to be in a network of people [who] care about these issues rather than accepting this default world we have,” Blackwell said. “It will be interesting to see this work done both on the international level as well as at the policy level.”

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