Thursday, September 29, 2016 by The Cavalier Daily

HOUSING ISSUE

VOL. 127, ISSUE 13

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

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Your guide to on- and off-Grounds housing

PHOTOS COURTESY MEGHAN KARTHIKEYAN, WYATT ECK, WIKIMEDIA COMMONS, UVA

GRAPHIC BY CHARLOTTE BEMISS

WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S INSIDE GENDER-NEUTRAL HOUSING EXPANDS PAGE 7

LAWN APPS STRESS THIRD-YEARS PAGE 9

LEAD EDITORIAL: HOUSING BY THE NUMBERS PAGE 14

TOP 10 WAYS TO BE A BAD ROOMMATE PAGE 17

VIRGINIA FILM FEST ANNOUNCES PICKS PAGE 19

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HOUSING GUIDE 2017 CINDY GUO | THE CAVALIER DAILY

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

RICHARD DIZON | THE CAVALIER DAILY

JEFFERSON PARK AVENUE

Location: JPA runs from the University Medical Center to Scott Stadium, with multiple intersecting roads and avenues containing student housing. Proximity to Grounds: It takes about 15 minutes to walk from JPA to Central Grounds. JPA has several University Transit System stops for the Inner University Loop and Outer University Loop busses and is serviced by the Free Trolley. JPA has on average a five to 10 minute walk to the Engineering School and about a 10 minute walk to the Nursing School.

Location: 14th and

Wertland St. intersect just behind the Corner, with housing options located northeast along 14th and 15th St. and east along Wertland St.

Price Range: The average price for a one bedroom apartment on JPA is about $1,300 per month. A four bedroom apartment ranges from about $1,500 to $2,000 per month.

Proximity to Grounds: The average

walk from 14th St. to Central Grounds is about 10 minutes, though it may take closer to 20 minutes from housing farther down 14th St. and Wertland St. There are Outer University Loop and Inner University Loop bus stops at 14 St. NW and Wertland St and along 14th St. Price Range: Most four bedroom apartments range from about $2,700 to $3,500 a month. RICHARD DIZON | THE CAVALIER DAILY

WYATT ECK | THE CAVALIER DAILY

14TH ST./WERTLAND ST.

OFFGROUNDS

WEST MAIN ST.

Location: The Flats at West Village and Uncommon are locat-

ed on West Main St., near the Downtown Mall. These apartments are some of the newest off-Grounds housing and are close to multiple food options and nightlife destinations.

Location: Rugby Rd. is the center of University Greek life and intersects both Gordon Ave. and Grady Ave. This area has more houses than apartments and resembles a neighborhood more so than other off-Grounds housing locales.

Proximity to Grounds: On average, it takes about

15 to 20 minutes to walk from The Flats and Uncommon apartments to Central Grounds. The Free Trolley stops on West Main St., as well as the Route Seven CAT bus. Price Range: Though prices vary

depending on the size and number of bedrooms, a four bedroom apartment ranges from $2,440 to $3,256 The Flats. A four bedroom apartment in Uncommon ranges from about $3,500 to $3,700 per month.

Proximity to Grounds: The walk to Central Grounds typically takes about 10 to 15 minutes from this area. There are Inner University Loop and Outer University Loop bus stops on Rugby Rd. at Beta Bridge, Grady Ave. at 16th St and on Madison Ave. at Grady Avenue. Price Range: A typical four bedroom apartment in this area

costs about $2,700 per month.

RUGBY RD./GORDON AVE. /GRADY AVE.

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LAMBETH FIELD APARTMENTS

XIAO QI LI | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Location: Lambeth Field is located across the street from John Paul Jones Arena and around a 15 minute walk away from Barracks Road Shopping center. Proximity to Grounds: Lambeth is about a 15 minute walk from Central Grounds. Students can also take the Inner University Loop from Beta Bride or the NorthLine or Green Route from Emmet St. Price: Lambeth costs $6,340 for the 2016-17 academic year. Floor Plan: Lambeth apartments can have either two or three double bedrooms. Both have one and a half or two bathrooms, a kitchen, living room and additional storage closet behind the kitchen. Each bedroom contains two extra-long twin beds â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 80" x 36", two desks with carrels and chairs, two wardrobes, one to two dressers and a wastebasket.

6 Location: Bice House is located at the end of Brandon Ave., behind New Cabell Hall, east of Nau-Gibson Hall and west of the University Hospital and Nursing School. Proximity to Grounds: Bice is around a 10 minute walk from both Central Grounds and the Corner. It is closely located to a bus stop on Jefferson Park Avenue where the Free Trolley, Route Seven CAT bus, Outer University Loop and Inner University Loop busses. Price: Bice costs $6,340 for the 2016-17 academic year. Floor plan: Each suite contains two to three double occupancy air conditioned rooms with a living room, one or two bathrooms, storage closet and kitchen. Each room contains two twin beds with six drawers underneath, a trash can and two desks.

5 COURTESY UVA

RICHARD DIZON | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Location: Faulkner Apartments are located near John Paul Jones Arena off of Massie Road. Proximity to Grounds: A walk to Central Grounds will take approximately 20-25 minutes from Faulkner. Students can take advantage of the adjacent NorthLine bus stop to get to Grounds and have easy access to the North Grounds Recreation Center. Price: Faulkner costs $7,110 for the 2016-17 academic year. Floor Plan: Each suite-style apartment consists of four bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen and a living room. Each bedroom is furnished with an extra-long twin bed, a desk with a chair and bookshelf, a dresser, wardrobe, mirror and wastebasket.

BICE HOUSE

ONGROUNDS

FAULKNER APARTMENTS

COPELEY APARTMENTS

Location: Copeley Apartments are located in North Grounds across from the Law School, close to the Darden School of Business. Proximity to Grounds: Copeley has about a 30 minute walk to Grounds, but most students choose to take the NorthLine or Central Grounds Shuttle to commute. Price: Copeley costs $7,110 for the 2016-17 academic year. Floor Plan: Copeley dorms contain two single bedrooms, furnished with extra-long full sized beds, wardrobes and desks. The dorms each contain a kitchen, a living room and one and a half bathrooms.

8 RICHARD DIZON | THE CAVALIER DAILY

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SHEA HOUSE

XIAO QI LI | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Location: The Shea House is located at the intersection of Monroe Lane and Jefferson Park Ave., near the other language houses. Proximity to Grounds: It takes about five to 10 minutes to walk from the Shea House to Central Grounds.

Location: The French House is located in the Barringer Mansion on Jefferson Park Ave., between the Medical Center and the Elson Student Health Center. Proximity to Grounds: La Maison Française is a five to 10 minute walk to Central Grounds. Price: For the 2016-17 academic year, a single room is $7,110 and a double room is $6,340. Floor Plan: 27 undergraduate students live in 17 bedrooms, not including bedrooms occupied by one or two graduate students from France, as well as an undergraduate or graduate student who serves as resident language advisor. La Maison Française also includes a living room, a seminar room, a dining room and a library.

Price: A single room costs $7,110 and a double room costs $6,340 for the 2016-17 academic year. Floor Plan: The Shea House provides approximately 75 students with the opportunity to live in an environment of total language immersion. The Shea House serves as the cultural and linguistic center at the University for Russian, Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Urdu, Japanese, Korean and Persian languages.

9 XIAO QI LI | THE CAVALIER DAILY

XIAO QI LI | THE CAVALIER DAILY

11 Location: La Casa Bolivar is located on Jefferson Park Avenue, between the Shea House and La Maison Française. Proximity to Grounds: It takes about five to 10 minutes to walk from La Casa Bolivar to most buildings on Central Grounds. Price: Like the other language houses, La Casa Bolivar costs $7,110 for a single room and $6,340 for a double room. Floor Plan: Approximately 24 residents live in double and single occupancy rooms.

LA CASA BOLIVAR

LA MAISON FRANÇAISE

LANGUAGE HOUSES

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IRC

Location: The International Residence College’s four main buildings are located near Alumni Hall on Emmet Street, across from the Snyder tennis courts. Proximity to Grounds: Most students can walk to Grounds in about 10 minutes, and have the benefit of easy access to Memorial Gym. Price: Prices for the IRC are $5,880 for the double rooms, $6,650 for singles in Munford and Gwathmey, $6,950 for singles in Lewis and Hoxton and $7,110 for Lewis and Hoxton singles with a private bath. Floor plan: Each of the four buildings have unique floor plans. All the buildings have air conditioning except Munford and Gwathmey. Different buildings include single, shared and suite-style rooms.

RICHARD DIZON | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Location: The University’s oldest residential college, Brown is located right next to Newcomb Hall, in between South Newcomb Rd. and McCormick Rd. Proximity to Grounds: Because of its location on Central Grounds, Newcomb dining hall, most classes and libraries are minutes away by foot. Price: Each suite costs $6,840. Floor plan: Each suite contains two rooms connected to a bathroom with a shower, two toilets and two sinks. Each room comes with a closet, twin bed, dresser, waste basket and tile floors.

BROWN

CELINA HU | THE CAVALIER DAILY

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CURATED LIVING

LAWN Location: The core of Jefferson’s Academical Village, the 54 Lawn rooms allows select fourth-year students to wake up and be greeted by the Rotunda and the Lawn itself.

Location: Hereford College is situated on the south side of Observatory Hill, along with upperclassmen and transfer dorms Johnson, Malone, and Weedon on Hereford Drive. Hereford is adjacent to Runk Dining Hall and Gooch-Dillard dorms. Proximity to Grounds: Hereford is about a 20 minute walk to Central Grounds. The NorthLine Bus stops at Hereford every 10 minutes during peak hours. Price: A single room costs $6,160 and a double room costs $5,880 for the academic year. Floor Plan: Hereford is made up of two buildings: Norris and Whyburn. The Houses are co-ed, single-sex by floor and air conditioned. Most first-year rooms are doubles, while upperclass rooms are singles.

HEREFORD

Proximity to Grounds: The closest a student can live to Central Grounds, everything is within walking distance including classes, Rugby Rd. and the Corner. Price: Most rooms include a fireplace and will cost students $6,610. Rooms without a fireplace are $6,460. Floor Plan: Rooms are 12’10” by 13’6” and each include a loftable twin bed, rocking chair, sink, secretary desk with a chair and built-in closet.

15 LAUREN HORNSBY | THE CAVALIER DAILY

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U.Va. plans for more student housing on Brandon Ave. Off-Grounds apartments on Brandon may not be available next academic year ANNA HIGGINS | ASSOCIATE EDITOR To answer the demand for more on-Grounds housing, the University will carry out a master plan to develop Brandon Ave. into more mixeduse spaces for residential, academic and health system use. Developing the area will add more on-Grounds housing options as well as a pedestrian-friendly “green street” to extend the South Lawn presence. During the September Board of Visitors’ meetings, the Buildings and Grounds Committee approved the master plan for the Brandon Ave. corridor due to its prime location between Central Grounds and the health system. “The location of Brandon Ave. is really quite strategic,” Leo Alvarez, the design principal of architecture firm Perkins and Will, said at the committee meeting. “It sort of serves as the link between the health system and the rest of Grounds.” New buildings for housing will come in the first and third phases of the Brandon Ave. development. The housing complexes will yield at least

500 more residential beds and 360 parking spaces. “Towards JPA and closer to Grounds, it makes sense to put the academic and mixed-use zones,” Alvarez said. “Towards the southern end of Brandon where Bice House already exists with 277 on-grounds housing beds, we’re reinforcing that with additional housing.” A new housing complex would replace the current Bice parking lot, but the convenient topography of the southern end of Brandon Ave. makes it easy for the University and its developers to build underground parking in a cost-effective way, Alvarez said. “I think the intent was that these would be permit parking spaces, not necessarily associated with the housing proper but in replacement of the parking spaces that are there today and then some additional parking spaces to accommodate the additional growth,” Alvarez said. Students are concerned about leasing options for the next academic

year, considering a number of housing options on Brandon Ave. are now unavailable in anticipation of the upcoming developments. Third-year College student Mary Donnelly said she was unsure of her next steps in the housing search because Management Services Corporation — a leasing company in the University community — still offered the 500 and 600 Brandon Ave. properties on its website despite the 500 and 600 properties not being available for the upcoming academic year. The apartments at 400 Brandon Ave., however, are still up for lease for next year. “I would really like to live on Brandon Ave. in an off-Grounds place because I've lived there on-Grounds and I’ve really liked it,” Donnelly said. “If I had the chance to sign a lease on Brandon [Ave.] next week I would do it, but since they're not definitely being leased out for next school year, I’m not sure what I’m going to do yet.” Donnelly said the leasing situation for different apartments on Brandon

Ave. appear to still be up in the air, as she learned during her recent tour of the 400 Brandon Ave. apartments. “When I toured at the 400 Brandon apartments they said that they didn't know what the situations with 500 and 600 were,” Donnelly said. “They said, ‘Yeah just call the office, but we don’t know.’” The U.Va. Foundation owns these properties, but they are managed by MSC. The Cavalier Daily reached out to MSC Wednesday afternoon, but did not receive a response by press time. While the timeline is uncertain, the projects should begin as soon as possible, University Architect Alice Raucher said at the committee meeting. “The idea is that we would develop the southern end of the site,” Raucher said. “We would like to move forward with developing those two projects right away so it could be done concurrently.” The new plans will further aim to make the area more pedestrian

friendly and promote student activity. “We will work on improving the crosswalks, the visibility of that, the bus stop as it sits and a tighter turning radius which will slow cars down coming on to Brandon,” Alvarez said. The end objective of the development is to provide a new, revitalized space for students to live, learn and interact with the community. “The ‘after’ would really create … a place that is pedestrian priority, student focused and has this unique character and amenity with the green street running through the center,” Alvarez said. Raucher and Alexander Ikefuna, director for Neighborhood Development Services for the City of Charlottesville, were unable to be reached for comment by press time. The Cavalier Daily reached out to the University on Wednesday evening for comment on the future status of existing Brandon Ave. leases and will update this article with any information the University provides.

Gender-neutral rooms coming to upperclassman dorms ‘Open housing’ to be introduced in Faulkner, Bice, Copeley, Lambeth ALEXIS GRAVELY | ASSOCIATE EDITOR Beginning next year, upperclassmen students opting to live on-Grounds will have more options when choosing roommates. The Queer Student Union has partnered with Housing and Residence Life for a gender-neutral housing initiative, which HRL is referring to as “open housing.” HRL is still working on the structure and the logistics for how the open housing process will work, Assistant Dean of Students Andrew Petters said. However, gender-neutral housing will be an option during the 2017-18 returning student application process. “Our plan is to definitely have this be an option for students who want to live together no matter the circumstances,” Petters said. “A lot of landlords don’t ask necessarily the gender identity of certain individuals who are looking to live together. So in essence, we’re trying to mirror a little bit the options that students have offGrounds, and we really want students to live on-Grounds for as many years as they’re interested.” Eligible apartment buildings for open housing will include Bice House, Copeley, Faulkner and Lambeth Field Apartments. The availability of open housing in residential colleges has yet to be determined and largely depends on the configuration of the buildings

themselves, as suite styles are more suitable for open housing than hall styles. “I think it’s feasible for us to do in Brown or the IRC, but that might be difficult for us to do in Hereford,” Petters said. For now, first-year dorms will not be included in the open housing initiative due to the fact that unlike upperclassmen, first-year students do not have the option to select where they want to live. “In our first-year areas, students can preference their roommates,” Petters said, “but given our randomized housing assignment process, it presents us with some logistical challenges to expand open housing within our first year areas.” However, Petters said that considerations may be made in the future to expand open housing to first-year dorms. In the past, only a limited number of students have requested special needs in regard to gender-neutral housing, and Petters said HRL has been able to meet and will continue to meet those needs on a case-by-case basis. HRL is currently conducting a pilot program of open housing in the Copeley Apartments consisting of students who reached out to HRL, a program which Petters said “is going well.” QSU President Jack Chellman, a

third-year College student, said the QSU has been working on this initiative since last year. “We’ve been pushing for housing options that don’t take gender into account because right now, all housing on Grounds is gendered, so you have to live with someone of the same biological sex as yourself,” Chellman said. “Over the course of the year, we’ve been working with Housing and Residence Life and they’ve been wonderful about the idea of gender neutrality and very open to it.” QSU spent last year “testing out the scope” of gender-neutral housing by giving surveys and collecting responses, which gave a general result showing that there was “high demand for gender neutral spaces,” Chellman said. In addition to pushing for this year’s pilot program, QSU’s other recent work on the initiative included proposing that an auditing commission be created for open housing, a project which received support from the University Presidential Senate on Sept. 25. Chellman said the commission will include students and faculty members who will guide and assist HRL in the process of rolling out the open housing program. Some of the responsibilities of the commission will include designing the language for the open housing applications, ex-

pressing any concerns that students and faculty may have and marketing the new option to students. Although QSU believes gender-neutral housing will be important for the LGBTQ community, Chellman said “non-queer-identifying individuals can find comfort” in this living option as well. “It allows for brothers and sisters to live together, for partners to live together, friends of the opposite gender,” Chellman said. “It just allows for anyone to live with whoever they feel comfortable living with.” Overall, Chellman said he be-

lieves HRL has been very open to the idea, a sentiment which Petters agrees with. “Everyone who I’ve spoken to about this has been very positive about this step forward, including administrators,” he said. Chellman said he is happy with the openness to collaboration demonstrated by HRL. “We are really impressed with HRL’s interest in promoting gender neutral spaces and getting these options to students, and we really appreciate it,” Chellman said.

ZOE TOONE | THE CAVALIER DAILY

A pilot program for open housing has already been implemented in select Copeley apartments.

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A different kind of Lawn room Eight of 54 Lawn rooms reserved for specific organizations, endowments ANKITA SATPATHY | ASSOCIATE EDITOR Of the 54 Lawn rooms at the University, eight rooms are set aside for specific organizations. The Honor Committee, Kappa Sigma fraternity, the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society and the Trigon Engineering Society all nominate students to live in Lawn rooms specifically designated for that purpose. There are also two memorial lawn rooms — the John K. Crispell room and the the Gus Blagden room. The Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity is the only organization which nominates an undergraduate student to live on the Range, an area which is otherwise reserved for graduate students. There is also a room reserved for the Lawn’s senior resident, a resident advisor chosen by Housing and Residence Life. University Dean of Students Allen Groves chairs the Lawn Selection Process Organizing Committee, and has the final say about many of the selection processes for endowed and reserved lawn rooms. “There are four rooms that are en-

dowed, meaning that a gift was made to the University years ago to reserve them for a specific purpose,” Groves said in an email statement. “There are four rooms that are deemed to be reserved, based upon letter agreements entered into by the University many years ago.” While all Lawn residents must go through a selection process, the process for residents of endowed and reserved rooms differs from the standard application process. Room 1 West — the John K. Crispell room — and Room 15 West —the Gus Blagden room — are both endowed rooms which have committees who choose their residents. The Blagden room is also known as the “Good Guy Room.” According to the Blagden room selection committee, a resident of 15 West is someone who “[s]elflessly commits their time to serving the University community, maintains good moral character, … displays genuine concern and care for fellow students … [and] carries these fine qualities with the utmost

humility.” The other two endowed rooms are Room 37 West, which is traditionally given to the chair of the Honor Committee, and Room 26 East, which is given to the senior resident of the Lawn. Room 17 West is reserved for the Trigon Engineering Society, Room 7 West is reserved for the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society, Room 46 East is reserved for Kappa Sigma Fraternity and room 47 West Range is reserved for Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. The residents of these rooms are chosen from members of the relevant organizations who submit the standard application to live on the Lawn. The University selection committee typically choose the residents of reserved rooms. However, in the event that two members of a reserving organization are accepted to live on the Lawn, the organization in question decides which member lives in the reserved room. DeAnza Cook, current senior resident of the Lawn and College

student, said there are a few features which set living in a reserved or endowed room apart, one being that the residents do not pay for the room. “Sometimes, the room comes with additional features,” Cook said in an email statement. “For example, the Crispell room has a special bridge cabinet that was made for the endowed room resident's use.”

Groves said most of the endowed and reserved Lawn rooms were dedicated years ago and are longstanding traditions. “The present position of the University is to create no new endowed or reserved rooms, but to honor those arrangements made in the past,” Groves said.

LAUREN HORNSBY | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Endowed and reserved Lawn rooms are longstanding traditions, Groves said.

Dittmar, Garrett debate at Batten Fifth district candidates share thoughts on student debt, higher education CATHERINE WIEDMANN | ASSOCIATE EDITOR The Batten School hosted a debate Wednesday night between candidates running for Virginia's fifth congressional district. Batten Dean Allan C. Stam and Prof. Gerald Warburg moderated the debate and asked questions regarding domestic and foreign policy. Dittmar and Garrett were asked about the role of state and federal government support for public universities. “If you were to try to track the number of amazing things that get done at places like the University of Virginia by virtue of the investment of federal and state-backed scholars, you’d spend the rest of your life doing it,” Garrett said.

He said he believes universities should have a mission to train leaders in order to establish a world-class economy that works long-term, and at both the state and federal level. Dittmar spoke about the underfunding of higher education and the disadvantages it could create in the future. “We’re just lucky that we have institutions that have their own fundraising abilities,” Dittmar said. “We need to keep up, make sure our state senators and our delegates know this. I think that one of the things that is abysmal is the way they’ve allowed tuition to rise — we’re trying to educate people here for our future and future generations.”

KATE BELLOWS | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Republican Tom Garrett (left) and Democrat Jane Dittmar (right) at Wednesday’s debate.

The second portion of the debate involved questions from the audience. Audience members asked the candidates about their plans to make college more affordable and accessible. “When the federal government in the name of fairness said we’re going to go at the student loans industry to make sure that any person, with any money, can study anything for any amount of time, they created essentially an arms race between universities,” Garrett said. “They’re competing for a limited pool of talented students.” Instead of this, he suggested recognizing “the ability of individuals to repay loans based on what they might choose to study.” Garrett also advocated a “Student Security” plan developed by University alumnus Elliot Harding. The program would allow graduates to defer student loans for up to 10 years with the understanding that their social security payments would be deferred by the length of time that they chose to push back their loans. Dittmar shared an anecdote of a woman she knows in Albemarle County who took on a second job to pay her student loans. “She pays six and three quarters

percent interest — mortgages now are around three and a quarter, three and three quarters. It’s just not right,” Dittmar said. Dittmar suggested creating a program similar to the G.I. Bill for supporting higher education. “What we need to do is look at what [Garrett] did, he served our country and then went to school on the G.I. Bill,” Dittmar said. “We need to have a civilian equivalent to that. We need to look at the numbers and how that would work. If you’re willing to serve your country and then go to college without debt, if you’re willing to go into debt and then serve in particular areas after to have it taken away, I think that’s the way our country needs to go.” In an interview with The Cavalier Daily, Garrett stressed Student Security. “There is a real, looming, dark cloud when you graduate,” Garrett said. “You’re a good student, you’re a smart person, you’re here [at UVa]. And everybody here is, but nobody’s getting a small business loan when they’ve got $100,000 in debt. Nobody’s buying a car when they’re got that much debt, nobody’s buying a house,and that’s hurting our economy.” The program is about choice, Garrett said.

“What we’re doing is not forcing anybody to do anything, but letting students make a decision for themselves — and I think that’s what America’s all about,” Garrett said. Dittmar told The Cavalier Daily she wants students to understand her engagement with the University’s community, both in the past and present. “I think that one of the things that I wanted to do was stay near the University when I graduated… that’s what that job creation is all about,” Dittmar said, referencing her priority to create jobs in the district. “What we want to do is make sure that our great students and intellects move out and maybe even come to Washington to help us change it up and move our nation forward.” Dittmar was part of the fourth class at the University that included women, and has a daughter currently in her fourth year. Garrett grew up about 20 minutes from Grounds. The candidates emphasized the importance of voting in the upcoming election. “It is so important to vote in November,” Dittmar said. “This should be the first presidential election for many students, and so this would be an exciting time for them to help put their footprint on the future of the country.”

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

Lawn timeline puts pressure on third-years Early off-Grounds leases, late room decisions create conflicts for students applying to live in Academical Village READE PICKERT | FOCUS WRITER

Each year, a committee of student leaders selects 47 rising fourthyear students to live on the Lawn. For many, a Lawn room signifies a student who has poured countless hours and spirit into making the University a better place. However, the prestige of the Lawn can obscure the stress these students face when determining housing for their last year of college. By the time Lawn room decisions come out in the spring, priority deadlines for on-Grounds housing have passed and most students have already signed leases. The Lawn room selection process Jessica Humphreys, director of information technology and assignments for Housing and Residence Life, expects around 275 students to apply for the 47 spots on the Lawn this year. The Office of the Dean of Students allocates the last seven rooms through a different process. The large number of qualified applicants compared to the number of rooms makes the process

highly competitive. Current Lawn resident Tori Travers, a College student, said the application process is partly a matter of faith. “[Applying to live on the Lawn] was kind of like throwing my University experience into an application pool and hoping they would view it as giving back in a way,” Travers said. For many students, receiving a Lawn room is validation of the work they have put into the University community. However, UJC Chair and Lawn resident Mitch Wellman, a student in the College, said a student’s involvement is not solely defined by a Lawn room. “Your contribution to this University is recognized in so many other ways besides accolades,” Wellman said. The Lawn Selection Process Organizing Committee is composed of various University deans and 11 student leaders who decide the timeline and process for selecting future Lawn residents. The committee has yet to discuss its timeline for the year ahead, so specifics of the upcoming application process remain unknown. This past year, the applications were due in early January and applicants were notified of their acceptance on Feb. 17. For students who want to live off-Grounds, the decisions come months too late. Off-Grounds housing The off-Grounds leasing process starts soon after the beginning of the fall semester. As students

attempt to acclimate to the new school year, they must also consider housing options for the year to come. Sarah Drumheller, MSC Apartments senior regional property manager, said the early signing dates are driven by student demand. “From year to year, we look back and say, ‘When did people start calling? When did people start lining up at the door?’” Drumheller said. “When we have people who want to sign leases, it’s hard to turn them away.” For potential Lawn applicants, the process is complicated by the uncertainty of Lawn room acceptance. The legal obligations of leases can create financial and social pressure to find an approved roommate to take one’s position in a lease agreement. Third-year College student Jake Hitchcock said it is hard for someone thinking about applying to the Lawn to find friends to live with due to the uncertainty of finding a subletter to fill the lease. “The weird thing about it is that it’s not even guaranteed that I’m going to apply for a Lawn room, but just the mention of that to anybody will lead them to exclude you from housing plans,” Hitchcock said. For some students who do manage to make housing plans, like third-year College student Sarah Kenny, the decision to sign a lease comes with a feeling of guilt. “[Housing this year] was stressful in terms of finding out how to find a subletter,” Kenny said. “I am definitely nervous about disappointing [my roommates] if I don’t find someone they’re going to enjoy living with.” Current Lawn resident Naveed Tavakol, an Engineering student, signed a lease with his friends and later found someone to take his spot after reaching out to different Facebook groups and posting on the University’s off-Grounds housing site. “There’s no guarantee at all that you’re going to get a Lawn room,” Tavakol said. “I don’t think it’s smart to bank on getting one and not sign a lease.” Travers, who had signed an offGrounds lease, also said it is helpful for Lawn applicants to have a backup plan. She found someone to take over her lease after her acceptance to the Lawn. “I think it’s a lot more secure to end up signing a lease,” Travers said. “I think there definitely is a market for people who will be looking for leases in the spring when decisions come out.” Although some students choose

CELINA HU | THE CAVALIER DAILY

While many students start signing leases in September and October, students applying to live on the Lawn do not find out if they are accepted until February. Some opt to sign a lease they may have to drop, while others look for housing on-Grounds.

to live in off-Grounds residences, the University does offer onGrounds housing — an option which alleviates the pressure of signing binding leases for many students. On-Grounds housing options The University offers onGrounds housing options — including Lambeth Field Apartments, Faulkner Apartments, Copeley Apartments and the language houses — for students as an alternative to off-Grounds housing. Although not all students are guaranteed housing on-Grounds, Humphreys said there are typically spaces available up until May, June and even once school begins. Wellman chose to go the onGrounds route when he renewed his housing contract at the Spanish House last fall. “[I] knew that switching from a University contract to another housing option is easy,” Wellman said. “They don’t even ask you any questions.” Humphreys echoed that switching housing areas from a University

complex to the Lawn is easy and stress-free. “If you signed up to live in say Lambeth or Faulkner and you’re accepted to the Lawn, we just automatically transfer that and you’re all set,” Humphreys said. “It’s a good benefit for on-Grounds housing.” Improvements to the Lawn application process The University cannot control when rental companies in the area decide to begin offering leases to students, but the Lawn Selection Committee can decide when to release Lawn acceptances. Wellman said although it is frustrating, the current Lawn application process timeline works best. “If you think about it, what other date would you choose?” Wellman said. “It’s in that third year that you see so much growth within students and you see them taking on the leadership and you see where their trajectories are going.” Although the date the committee releases acceptances is seemingly fixed, Kenny said the Univer-

sity should work harder to provide more information about the process to students. “I think there’s a huge information gap about the actual process and the timeline,” Kenny said. The University has many resources, including information sessions and a website with offGrounds options, but there are few resources for third-year students looking to apply to the Lawn. Kenny suggests holding information sessions for Lawn applicants in which current Lawn room students answer questions about how they approached housing. Due to the competitive nature of the process, Commerce student and current Lawn resident Raj Das said students should minimize stress by organizing living arrangements with close friends. “Honestly, I think you have to prepare as if you’re not going to get the Lawn room and just have a situation you’re comfortable with,” Das said. “There’s definitely social pressure, but I think it just helps to be with a group of close friends.”

THE CAVALIER DAILY

Football enters ACC play in Duke matchup Cavaliers look for first road win since 2012 NOAH KIM | STAFF WRITER

Fresh off their first win of the season, the Cavaliers will travel to North Carolina this weekend to play ACC rival Duke. Despite a Virginia team (1-3, 0-0 ACC) that looked unpolished and unprepared throughout its first three games, fans watched as the Cavaliers decisively defeated a Central Michigan team (3-1, 0-0 MAC) which was favored to win Saturday’s contest. “I think we are getting more clear about the roles and the usage of our offensive personnel,” Virginia head coach Bronco Mendenhall said. “I thought the offensive staff did a really nice job of getting the ball to the right players on the right type of plays to highlight what they are able to do.” The potent offense produced by the Cavaliers was due in large part to junior quarterback Kurt Benkert’s standout job. In Saturday’s game, Benkert threw for 421 yards, five touchdowns and only one interception. It was by far his best performance of the season and because of it, Benkert now holds the record for the most passing yards recorded over the first four starts of any quarterback in Virginia history. Mendenhall credits Virginia’s offensive performance Saturday to the team’s dedicated work in practice. “I think that it's sequential and it's systematic and it's methodical,

and through four weeks, we've seen our offense continue to grow and improve,” Mendenhall said. “At UConn, we hung for a second and were on the verge of growing and maturing in a couple different ways and then [this week we] took a pretty significant step forward.” In Saturday’s win, the Cavaliers far outperformed the Chippewas on the offensive side of the ball. Sophomore receiver Olamide Zaccheaus led Virginia with 141 yards on eight receptions and two touchdowns, while senior running back Taquan Mizzell finished with 79 yards on 10 carries, one touchdown and a scorching run of 44 yards. In order to beat Duke and win their first away game since 2012, however, the Cavaliers will have to carry the momentum generated from their win over Central Michigan with them to Durham, N.C. Despite a rocky start, in which they lost two of their first three games, the Blue Devils are coming off an incredible away upset over Notre Dame in week four. A late, game-winning field goal by freshman kicker AJ Reed was enough to separate the two teams. "That unit there, they believe in him, and he's got a lot of talent,” Duke head Coach David Cutcliffe said. “I know when it came down there at the end — the field goal — there was no doubt in my mind he

was going to make it.” Mendenhall also expressed respect for Duke’s performance. “I've coached at Notre Dame, and it is a tough place,” Mendenhall said. “Notre Dame’s mistakes were created by Duke's scheme and their players executing. To Duke's credit, they weren't intimidated at all. They gained confidence as the game went on, and clearly, the momentum had shifted and they believed they could win and had not only the physical presence to do so but the mental capacity to pull it off.” Standout freshman quarterback Daniel Jones has put in solid work under center for the Blue Devils this season. Over four games, he has put up 1,090 passing yards and thrown for five touchdowns. His efficient 64.3 percent completion rate and three touchdown passes were instrumental in Duke’s 38-35 win over Notre Dame. He has also shown the ability to throw deep, posting passes of over 50 yards in three out of his four games. His performance against Notre Dame earned Jones the ACC Rookie of the Week Award. "I think we were, as a team, executing at such a high level,” Jones said. “We weren't perfect by any stretch, but overall, we were executing more consistently than we had been." The Cavaliers will also have to worry about the Duke defense Sat-

urday. The Blue Devils already have 17 sacks over their first four games, the same number that they had in total last season. Playing at Duke will most certainly present a challenge for the 1-3 Cavaliers. With pressure on Mendenhall slightly alleviated after a strong performance against Central

Michigan, a win would only bolster confidence for Virginia. Saturday’s game presents a perfect opportunity for the Cavaliers to flex their muscles. Kickoff for the game is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Wallace Wade Stadium.

KILEY LOVELACE | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Junior quarterback Kurt Bernkert looks to continue his superb play on the road against Duke.

DON’T GET TOO EXCITED JUST YET

or once, Virginia football didn’t play like Virginia football this past Saturday. The Cavaliers didn’t fall to an FCS team in an embarrassing fashion. The defense didn’t get its lid blown off and give up over 40 points. The coaches didn’t completely mismanage the clock and rush their placekicker up to miss a chip-in shot. No. Finally, Virginia didn’t disappoint its fan base, scoring an impressive first victory of the season over Central Michigan. But does this mean Virginia is all-of-the-sudden in for a magical season that culminates in a trip to a bowl game? Absolutely not. With the ACC being unusually strong this year, the Cavaliers will not have a “gimme” for the rest of this season. Two of Virginia’s final eight games come against ranked opponents — No. 3 Louisville and No. 14 Miami — and three of their last eight come against teams — Virginia Tech, North Carolina and Wake Forest — that are knocking on the door of the AP Top 25. Put

simply, the road ahead is certainly not an easy one for Virginia, and it begins this Saturday in Durham, N.C. Shortly after the Cavaliers’ win over Central Michigan, I was thrilled to see that Virginia’s conference opener would be against Duke, a 1-2 team seemingly lacking any spark. The Blue Devils couldn’t muster more than 14 points in each of their past two games. I thought Virginia would have this matchup in the bag, continue on a two-game winning streak and carry on their momentum throughout conference play. Yet, naïvely, I had jumped to this assertion too soon. Not being able to figure out how to turn on the Florida-Tennessee game, my friends and I decided to watch Duke take on Notre Dame following the Virginia victory. Not only did the Blue Devils look good — they looked hungry. Starting out the game in a 14-point hole, Duke fought back to erase the deficit and take a 28-21 point lead

heading into halftime. From there, even as they saw their seven-point lead turn into a seven-point Notre Dame lead, the Blue Devils kept their composure, winning the game by a score of 38-35. With a 1-3 record, Notre Dame certainly isn’t as dangerous of a team as it has been in years past. This doesn’t mitigate the impressive nature of the Blue Devils victory, though. Heading into the game, Duke was a three-touchdown underdog. Yet, after the game, Virginia’s week five opponent walked out of South Bend with a three-point victory. Yes, Virginia has a lot of momentum after its 49-35 victory over Central Michigan. Kurt Benkert, in throwing for a program-record 421 passing yards and five touchdowns, finally lived up to his pre-season hype. The defense appeared energized, recording three sacks and one interception, and remained firm to end the game. Most importantly, although Virginia squandered a 28-0 lead, the Cavaliers remained poised and pulled out the victory.

But Duke has perhaps even more momentum heading into this game. Despite the differences in record, Notre Dame is arguably a better team than Central Michigan. Additionally, while the Cavaliers had the luxury of playing at home, Duke proved their resiliency on the road. This upcoming Saturday, the roles will be reversed. Considering Virginia has a 17-game road losing streak that stretches back to November 2012, this game spells trouble. Despite pulling the game out versus Central Michigan, it is important not to forget that the Chippewas garnered 35 points and threw for over 400 yards. It would be wishful thinking to say that the Cavalier offense will always roll on all cylinders like it had on Saturday. Without a strong defense, the Cavaliers will not only be in trouble against a burgeoning Duke offense, but stronger ACC attacks as well. After Duke, the schedule only gets more difficult for the Cavaliers. On Oct. 15, Virginia will take on Pittsburgh, a team that has av-

eraged 36 points per game. The following week brings the reigning ACC Coastal Division champion North Carolina to town. Then comes in No. 3 Louisville, a team that dismantled then-No. 2 Florida State by a score of 63-20.In the final four games of the season, Virginia has Wake Forest on the road, No. 14 Miami at home, and then Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech on the road to finish the season. The fact that a solid Georgia Tech team is Virginia’s easiest remaining opponent is a testament to the schedule’s difficulty. The bottom line — it’s hard to see the Cavaliers winning more than two of their final eight games. Saturday’s win was nice, but it’s not indicative of the team’s performance for the rest of the season. Don’t get your hopes up. BEN TOBIN is a weekly sports columnist for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at bjt5ed@virginia. edu or followed on Twitter @TobinBen.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

KEYS TO A VIRGINIA WIN

1 2 3

www.cavalierdaily.com • SPORTS

2016 STATISTICAL LEADERS Passing

AIR IT OUT

The Kurt Benkert that Cavalier fans expected showed up for the first time on Saturday, and his play was the catalyst for Virginia’s first win of the season. If offensive coordinator Robert Anae puts Benkert in a position to succeed, the Cavaliers have an opportunity to pick up their first road win since 2012.

Virginia

Duke

Kurt Benkert (QB):

Daniel Jones (QB):

KEEP DUKE OUT OF THE END ZONE

While this may seem like an obvious goal, it is worth noting that Blue Devils freshman kicker AJ Reed is just 1-4 on field goals with the sole made kick from 19 yards out. If Virginia, once again, employs a bend-not-break defensive strategy, and emphasizes red zone stops, it may be able to hold Duke to numerous empty possessions.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

64.3% Completion 1090 Yards 5 Touchdowns 3 Interceptions

60.8% Completion 1119 Yards 10 Touchdowns 5 Interceptions

Rushing

TAKE CARE OF THE BALL

Against the Chippewas, Virginia limited its turnover total to one, a feat it had not achieved since week 1 against Richmond, a game no Cavaliers wish to relive. As the defense took a significant hit last weekend, losing senior cornerback Tim Harris, junior linebacker Malcolm Cook, and freshman defensive end Christian Brooks, the less time it spends on the field the better. Offensive turnovers are a sure way to tire out an undermanned defense, especially against a dynamic passing attack.

Virginia

Albert Reid (RB): 46 Carries 274 Yards 6.0 YPC 3 Touchdowns

Duke

Taquan Mizzell (RB):

Jela Duncan (RB):

Shaun Wilson (RB):

38 Carries 200 Yards 5.3 YPC 2 Touchdowns

56 Carries 314 Yards 5.6 YPC 4 Touchdowns

32 Carries 122 Yards 3.8 YPC 1 Touchdown *YPC = Yards per catch

Receiving Duke

Virginia Olamide Zaccheaus (WR): Keeon Johnson (WR): 21 Receptions 218 Yards 10.4 YPC* 3 Touchdowns

22 Receptions 298 Yards 13.5 YPC* 3 Touchdowns

T.J. Rahming (WR):

Anthony Nash (WR):

26 Receptions 238 Yards 9.2 YPC* 0 Touchdowns

19 Receptions 300 Yards 15.8 YPC* 2 Touchdowns *YPC = Yards per catch

Defense Virginia Micah Kiser (LB):

Zach Bradshaw (LB):

40 Tackles 3 TFL** 2 Forced fumbles 2.5 Sacks

31 Tackles 4 TFL** 1 Forced fumble 1.5 Sacks

Duke Ben Humphreys (LB):

Joe Giles-Harris (LB): 27 Tackles 3 TFL** 2 Sacks 1 Interception

25 Tackles 2.5 TFL** 1.5 Sacks **TFL = Tackle for loss LAURA HABERMEYER | THE CAVALIER DAILY

EDITORS’ PICKS

The Cavalier Daily Sports staff predicts the winner for Saturday’s matchup. For their full slate of picks, head to cavalierdaily.com.

ROBERT ELDER

GRANT GOSSAGE

JACOB HOCHBERGER

MARIEL MESSIER

PHOTOS COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Kurt Benkert

The junior quarterback displayed his resilience, toughness, and skill on Saturday, tossing five touchdowns to lead the Cavaliers to their first win of the season. Having played in just six games in his college career, it’s a distinct possibility that the best has yet to come for the transfer from East Carolina.

Taquan Mizzell

After a rocky start to the season characterized by ball security issues, it seems that the senior running back may have turned a corner, rushing for 79 yards to reach 200 on the season. He also hauled in six catches for 89 yards and a touchdown. Smoke’s big-play ability, he had a 53-yard touchdown catch and a 44-yard run to set up a touchdown, make him a threat on every down.

Quin Blanding

Clearly the defense’s captain and leader, the junior safety was all over the field on Saturday, racking up 12 tackles and one pass breakup. The Virginia Beach native was placed on the Jim Thorpe Award Watch List in the preseason for the nation’s best defensive back and his 39 tackles rank No. 2 on the team and No. 25 in the nation.

Daniel Jones

The redshirt freshman looked anything but last week against Northwestern as he led the Blue Devils to a win against Notre Dame in South Bend. Jones completed 75 percent of his passes for 290 yards and three touchdowns, taking down a team that started the season No. 10 in the country. Duke’s success hinges on the young quarterback’s ability to lead the offense.

Anthony Nash

The senior wideout put on the quite the performance in Saturday’s win against the Fighting Irish, tallying 123 yards and two touchdowns. He has now racked up 300 yards in four games, and his 75 yards per game ranks No. 7 in the ACC. With the Cavalier secondary banged up, Nash could have another big week.

Jela Duncan/Shaun Wilson The two-headed monster is the offense’s driving force. They totaled 187 yards on 5.5 yards per carry at Notre Dame, and their five touchdowns through three games have fueled Duke to a 2-1 record and are ripe for a huge game against Virginia’s defense, which has given up the most yards in the ACC.

THE CAVALIER DAILY

COMMENT OF THE DAY “The Daily Tar Heel really stepped in it with this article...I don’t always agree with the CD editorials but you all are head and shoulders above your counterparts at UNC.” “rufus” responding to Ben Yahnian’s Sept. 23 article, “Attacking white guys is offensive too”

LEAD EDITORIAL

Housing: by the numbers The editorial board recounts some notable numbers pertaining to students’ residences

5-25: The number of minutes that it takes to walk to 8: The number of Lawn rooms that are endowed, out of 9: The number of months on-Grounds housing contracts Central Grounds from most housing options 54 total last

43: The percentage of second-years who choose to live 275: The number of students expected to apply to live 12: The number of months most off-Grounds housing on Grounds on the Lawn this year contracts last

15: The percentage of third-years who choose to live on 11: The number of on-Grounds housing options for Grounds

upperclassmen

dents who work in Housing and Residence Life

8: The percentage of fourth-years who choose to live on 5,880-7,110: The number of dollars onGrounds

4: The number of gender neutral apartment buildings

240: The number of resident advisors and senior resi-

Grounds housing options cost for the 2016-17 academic year

126: The total number of students living in language houses

available for the 2017-18 year

THE CAVALIER DAILY THE CAVALIER DAILY The Cavalier Daily is a financially and editorially independent news organization staffed and managed entirely by students of the University of Virginia. The opinions expressed in The Cavalier Daily are not necessarily those of the students, faculty, staff or administration of the University of Virginia. Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the editorial board. Cartoons and columns represent the views of the authors. The managing board of The Cavalier Daily has sole authority over and responsibility for all content. No part of The Cavalier Daily or The Cavalier Daily online edition may be reproduced in any form, in whole or in part, without the written consent of the editor-in-chief. The Cavalier Daily is published Mondays and Thursdays in print and daily online at cavalierdaily.com. It is printed on at least 40 percent recycled paper. 2016 The Cavalier Daily Inc.

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

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

MANAGING BOARD Editor-in-Chief Dani Bernstein Managing Editor Kayla Eanes Executive Editor Nazar Aljassar Operations Manager Jasmine Oo Chief Financial Officer Lianne Provenzano EDITORIAL BOARD Dani Bernstein Nazar Aljassar Ella Shoup Gray Whisnant Carlos Lopez JUNIOR BOARD Assistant Managing Editors Jane Diamond Michael Reingold (SA) Evan Davis (SA) Lillian Gaertner (SA) Trent Lefkowitz (SA) Ben Tobin (SA) Carrie West

News Editors Tim Dodson Hannah Hall (SA) Hailey Ross Sports Editors Robert Elder Jacob Hochberger (SA) Grant Gossage (SA) Mariel Messier Opinion Editors Gray Whisnant Hasan Khan (SA) Matt Winesett Humor Editor Nancy-Wren Bradshaw Focus Editor Allie Jensen Life Editors Kristin Murtha Margaret Mason Arts & Entertainment Editors Candace Carter Noah Zeidman (SA) Sam Henson (SA) Ben Hitchcock (SA) Flo Overfelt

Health and Science Editor Meg Thornberry Production Editors Sean Cassar Charlotte Bemiss Danielle Dacanay (SA) Victoria Giron Graphics Editors Cindy Guo Kriti Sehgal Kate Motsko Photography Editors Celina Hu Richard Dizon Video Editor Courtney Stith Online Manager Leo Dominguez Social Media Manager Malory Smith Ads Manager Kelly Mays Marketing & Business Managers Grant Parker Andrew Lee

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

www.cavalierdaily.com • OPINION

LET’S BE MORE STRATEGIC WITH THE STRATEGIC INVESTMENT FUND The University should come up with more creative ways to use a resource with vast potential

he University’s Strategic Investment Fund, or SIF, has survived a summer of criticism to become a working resource for the University: $26 million in grants were awarded this fall. Creating the fund was a significant accomplishment — an investment reserve of its size and nature is a rarity in higher education. At $2.3 billion, it is larger than all but about around 40 of the largest University endowments in the United States and Canada; the moneys were earned and sensibly assembled by the University’s crack investment team; and the funds are unrestricted — they can be spent wherever the University deems appropriate, meaning the University has as much as $100 million per year, every year for whatever is deemed worthy of investment. Needless to say, such a resource has the potential to be transformative. At present, alas, it appears the strategic fund will be deployed in a manner that is… not very strategic, for the University has settled on an approach that consists of offering grants on an ad hoc basis, generally with a three-year time limit on the life of funded projects. This does not promise to effect lasting and permanent change. Why not? Consider the International Media Wall that appeared for several years in Alderman Library. It allowed members of the University community to watch

international news channels and was, in my opinion, a tidy little resource. But I doubt it is well remembered, because it didn’t last long. Perhaps it was doomed by its location — some did not like the presence of televisions in the library. But what is certain is that it was established without a dedicated funding source: a grant, and not an endowment, created the media wall. And every University program without dedicated funding goes one of two ways: they either find a consistent source of revenue or they disappear. There are good reasons to offer grants: they can “seed” projects with “start-up” funds, attracting other more permanent sources of funding in doing so, and grants can help launch nascent programs that require time to prove their viability. But the size and unrestricted nature of the SIF make it different: it furnishes a resource that can do what most endowments cannot — permanently fund selected programs at will. The University should use the SIF to do precisely this — establish restricted and permanent endowments across the University. We should use the SIF for the endowment of endowments. To my knowledge, no university in the world — not Harvard, not Penn, not Oxford, not Stanford — operates such a resource. So this

approach would be innovative, and it has six advantages over the grant model of funding. First, and as already mentioned, it would effect lasting change. The

ing. New professorships or clusters of such professorships would allow the University to attract the best academic talent available, and at $5 million each, the SIF could create up to 20 a

[The SIF] furnishes a resource that can do what most endowments cannot — permanently fund selected programs at will.

money would be earmarked, the spending guaranteed year-in, yearout, in perpetuity. Second, this approach will attract better spending proposals, because academics and other members of the University community will relish the opportunity permanently to fix a place at Virginia for the work they value. The University will have to decide what is worth keeping forever, but the community will see this as a path to fulfilling the very mandate of the modern University — continually to develop the kinds of knowledge that need academia to thrive. Third, more endowed professorships would bolster faculty recruit-

year. Fourth, endowments are more visible than grants. Thus, the SIF could, for example, endow a $100 million AccessUVa fund in a single year, and the University could name the endowment and/or its individual scholarships in honor of long serving University employees, generous University benefactors or members of the Board of Visitors. All such endowments could be “branded” as “SIF funded,” and a naming ceremony could become an annual event. Fifth, the endowment model introduces an intermediate stage on the path to dispensing the moneys. Rather than cashing out $100 million

per year, the same amount would be set aside and spent at the University’s regular endowment payout rate, currently 4.62 percent. Endowment money is thus a more fiscally conservative way to play, spending at 1/20th the rate of grants, and yet effecting more lasting change. Finally, the SIF could be leveraged in fundraising, by matching large endowment gifts with strategic endowment funds, for example. And the significance of this tool for the upcoming Capital Campaign cannot be overstated: it was the absence of a second $100 million gift that delayed the completion of the previous one. Indeed, the SIF’s $100 million annual payout matches not only the largest gift ever given to the University (which funded the creation of the Batten School), but also the sum the University once pondered borrowing to jump-start AccessUVa. This is a tremendous resource. Now that the University has completed the hard work of creating it, let’s think more strategically about how to spend it. Let’s stop dispensing grants and create endowments instead.

JOHN NEMEC is an associate professor in the Religious Studies department.

SEXUAL ASSAULT ORIENTATION SHOULDN’T RELY ON STEREOTYPES The educational program for first-years lacks the nuance needed to tackle a serious problem

s part of the information firstyears receive about sexual assault, the John Paul Jones arena jumbotron depicted a harrowing sequence of events, demonstrating the possible roles bystanders can play in preventing a sexual assault. Sitting in the crowd, I had to stop myself from screaming at the bystanders, who simply sat back as a potential sexual assault was plainly occurring right in front of their eyes. Therein lies the fundamental failure of the program put on by the University — the reliance on overworn tropes of sexual assault and an accompanying failure to address the ambiguity which all too often surrounds sexual assault. When sexual assault prevention programs rely on the overworn cliche of the predatory strange man taking advantage of the intoxicated woman, they

fail to prepare students for the murky reality of sexual assault on Grounds. According to the National Institute of Justice, 85-90 percent of college sexual assault survivors know their attacker prior to the assault, a huge divergence from the predatory stranger model that seems to be the primary vehicle for educating University students about the dangers of sexual assault and the role they can play in preventing it. Students need to be better prepared for the real world, where distinctions aren’t so clear cut, and making the decision to intervene isn’t necessarily so obvious. Future programs need to acknowledge it’s often not a straightforward decision to intervene, but rather that it’s always best to err on the safe side. Supplemental programs such as Not On Our Grounds, the online ed-

ucation modules and individual floor meetings with resident advisors do a

In fact, according to RAINN, 27 percent of reported assaults were com-

All future programs need to acknowledge that it’s often not a straightforward decision to intervene, yet insist that it’s always best to err on the safe side.

better job of addressing this ambiguity. If every student only looks out for a single archetype of sexual assault, a tragic majority of preventable violations could slip through the cracks.

mitted by an former partner, and 43 percent were committed by a friend or acquaintance. Not to mention the sexual assault that can occur within a relationship, which is all too often overlooked.

By publicly expanding the definition of sexual assault and admitting that sexual assault can assume many guises, the University would make great strides in preparing the student body to be active bystanders on Grounds, while helping survivors assaulted not in the archetypal way feel more comfortable coming forward to seek the assistance they need. Although the University has done an acceptable job so far of improving student education about this issue, further emphasis on the ambiguity of the majority of real life cases would go better prepare our students to hold each other to the highest of standards and create a welcoming, safe community for all. BRENDAN NOVAK is a Viewpoint writer.

OPINION • www.cavalierdaily.com

THE CAVALIER DAILY

DON’T CANCEL CLASSES ON ELECTION DAY There are other, more effective ways to increase the youth vote

couple of weeks ago, the editorial board wrote a piece arguing the University should cancel classes on Nov. 8 in order to promote civic engagement. The piece argued that by freeing up commitment-heavy schedules for students, voter turnouts would increase among University students. Reducing inconveniences around voting is certainly an important step in increasing voter turnout and ensuring even people who are informed and want to vote are able to do so. However, cancelling classes for Election Day will not make a big enough difference in young voter turnout to warrant doing so. The editorial board mentioned in its piece that “the more students are exposed to active messages that voting is a University value and a cultural norm, the more inclined they will be to show up on Nov. 8.” On this particular front, the editorial board is certainly correct, although the onus to create a cultural norm shouldn’t fall completely on the University. First and foremost, the University has a responsibility to educate its students. If it wants to encourage those students to vote, it simply needs to send information about polling station locations and how to get there

to the student body. Additionally, it needs to emphasize the importance of civic engagement. Besides, unless you’re physically in class from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. straight, you should be able to take the time out of your day to vote. While those who value voting will find the time and means to happily do so, those who simply don’t care to vote (whether due to lack of apathy or disdain for both major party candidates) might just end up using the day to party and do nothing. Since it doesn’t actually take the whole day to vote, even those few who do vote due to the University’s emphasis on voting by cancelling class will have the majority of the day to also do nothing. I understand students have other responsibilities and that worry about polling places having long lines may make them unsure of how much time to allot for voting, but this is where the role of students can come into play. Extracurricular activities that meet on Nov. 8 only need to cancel their meetings for one day and encourage their members to take part in the election. Unless Election Day is made a national holiday, as many have proposed, we shouldn’t expect the University to do so. As the editorial board’s article

mentions, college-aged voters vote the least out of all age demographics. While it may be easy to chalk this statistic up to apathy, I find the claim that “three in four millennials some-

ty’s obligations. At the same time, it would give voting more of a presence, potentially combating apathy or distrust in the system more effectively as students see their friends voting.

Going to class and voting should both be valued enough to not be seen as inconveniences, even with respect to one against the other.

times or never trust the government to do the right thing” to be much more explanatory. With this distrust in government in mind, it becomes harder to view simply cancelling classes as being able to have that great of an impact. A much more feasible alternative would be putting a polling place on Central Grounds, as my fellow columnist Jesse Berman proposes. This solution would allow busy students who want to vote to do so more easily without imposing on the Universi-

Finally, as noted in the same NPR piece referenced by the editorial board, millennials influence elections but don’t participate in them. Given the way people our age use their social media platforms to decry and spread awareness about what is wrong with the government, it is hard to feel bad for them then when they don’t then use that awareness to actually vote. Rather than simply using social media as a means of complaint, millennials, as well as voter engagement groups, should focus more on

using it as a way to communicate the importance of voting. This has far more potential to impact how millennials view the government and the voting process. Going to class and voting should both be valued enough not to be seen as inconveniences, even with respect to one against the other. While I understand students’ schedules are often filled to the brim with commitments, academics shouldn’t be cancelled and don’t present enough of an inconvenience to keep students who want to vote from doing so anyways. Voting also should not be seen as just an inconvenience pulling them away from a club meeting. The most effective way to combat this is for student clubs themselves to encourage their members to do vote. Other efforts, such as establishing a polling place on central Grounds or even same-day registration, are both more feasible and more likely to make an impact on voter turnout.

ALYSSA IMAM is an Opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at a.imam@cavalierdaily. com.

WHY THE SYRIAN CEASEFIRE FAILED

American naivete about its influence was a major contributor to a poorly thought out agreement

n Thursday, Sept. 22, hopes of renewing the U.S.-Russia brokered ceasefire agreement in Syria were erased as Russian and Syrian incendiary bombs devastated swaths of rebel-held eastern Aleppo. Syria’s most populous city is now under the most intense bombing since the beginning of its civil war, with the Assad regime employing recently acquired bunker buster bombs that turn concrete buildings into craters. The ceasefire seems to have provided the lull the Assad regime needed to gather its forces for a renewed push. With Samantha Power, the American ambassador to the UN, condemning Russian and Syrian “barbarism” on Sunday at a special meeting of the UN Security Council, it is important for the international community to understand why the ceasefire agreement was almost bound to fail from the start, and where we might go from here. The agreement revolved around an unlikely quid pro quo between the United States and Russia. If Russia managed to get its patron the Assad regime to stop bombing rebels and civilian centers over a seven-day period to allow humanitarian aid in, the United States and Russia would share targeting data and coordinate airstrikes against both ISIL and al-Nusra, the former Syrian al-Qaeda affiliate. For its part, the United States would bring pressure to bear

on the rebel groups it and its regional allies sponsor to separate themselves cleanly from al-Nusra in an effort to de-radicalize the opposition. For U.S. policymakers the ceasefire was meant to stem the humanitarian crisis and to bolster whatever moderate elements of the rebels remain on the battlefield in Syria. Secretary of State John Kerry had argued the negotiating process in Geneva would have more solid political footing, and that the egregious humanitarian crimes committed over the last few years would abate. The criticisms of the deal that surfaced almost immediately after its terms became clear help to explain why the ceasefire failed so spectacularly. “De-radicalization” is easier said than done. Jabhat al-Nusra, which recently renamed itself the Front for the Conquest of the Levant to project a more moderate image abroad, is one of the strongest and best-funded opposition group on the ground in Syria, and this is representative of the paradigm across Syria’s theaters. Over the course of a five-year war of attrition, consolidation and internecine conflict have empowered the extremist Islamist and jihadi elements of the opposition. With this deal, the United States was forcing many of its sponsored rebel groups into a difficult, if not existential, position. A permanent political and military break with Nusra and

other extremist fighters might well have meant being overrun by the Assad regime’s allied forces. Given the circumstances on the ground, the American effort to provide the stick

For Assad, the terms of the deal were equally difficult. An integral part of the ceasefire agreement, the flow of humanitarian aid to besieged areas of Syria is perceived by the re-

America’s Syria policy is characterized by a dearth of imagination and an abundance of desperation and hand-wringing.

of coordinated strikes against Nusra and the carrot of further funding and assistance to rebel groups who dissociate themselves from Nusra would have failed to produce any measurable moderation. The terms of the ceasefire were also hotly contested within the Obama administration. The U.S. military expressed profound reticence over the prospect of sharing targeting information with its Russian counterparts. If the United States and Russia had begun coordinating strikes against Nusra positions that the United States has mostly spared, it inevitably would have been at the expense of the rebels and in alignment with Assad’s interests.

gime as providing aid and comfort to the enemy. Each aid package provided by the UN contains about a week’s worth of food, all of it non-perishable. These packages can sell for $50 each on the black market, which translates to a week’s pay for an insurgent fighter. The Assad regime thus sees aid packages in strategic terms and as an indirect means of financing the opposition, and not as a humanitarian consideration divorced from the calculus of war. In addition, resolving not to bomb civilian centers in rebel-held territory ignores the regime’s base military strategy. The Syrian government pursues counterinsurgency warfare by choking opposition areas through a “submit or

starve” siege approach dependent on inflicting mass casualties and making life unbearable. In light of these structural issues, the only incentives that the Russians and Syrians had to strike the deal was the potential use of American airpower on their behalf against Nusra targets. The tactical and strategic stumbling blocks to this deal were numerous and weighty, and Secretary Kerry sold it by asking what the alternative was. America’s Syria policy is characterized by a dearth of imagination and an abundance of desperation and hand-wringing. But despite what strategic Hail Marys like the recent ceasefire agreement may indicate, the Obama administration view of Syria is anchored in a comprehensive analysis of its complexity. Inaction on Syria for a lack of options is an exceedingly difficult decision to come to because it demands the hardest thing of a messianic superpower: to recognize its limits. America is founded on the belief that it can make the world over again. In Syria, we encounter the bleak and demoralizing truth that some developments have outcomes that the United States cannot readily shape to its advantage at a reasonable cost.

OLIVIER WEISS is a Viewpoint writer.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

H R HUMO D

ear classmates (and Prof. Johnson), Due to the events of yesterday afternoon at 0300 hours on the second floor of New Cabell, I find it important I write this letter. I would like to start off by saying that I did not anticipate that the bag of chips would put up such a fight or make so much noise when I tried to open it. I’m usually a Baked Lay’s kind of girl, so I wasn’t prepared for the discordant

A FORMAL APOLOGY FOR OPENING THAT BAG OF DORITOS crackle-and-squeak symphony that accompanied the opening of those Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos. Furthermore, I had just put lotion on my hands, so the bag was a slippery mess in my grasp. I know I should have assessed the level of bag shininess and hand sliminess and seen that the odds were not in my favor, and I deeply regret the 10 minutes I spent wrestling with that unforgiving bag of spicy decadence and its impenetrable death seal. I also deeply regret proceeding to loudly eat the entire bag during our in-class quiz. I know there is no excuse for what I have done. That said, I want you to know I did not open that bag of chips on a whim, or out of some twisted desire to disturb everyone

in a 10-yard radius. I opened the chips because I had back-to-back classes and meetings that left me no time to get food that day, and I had been up all night working on a paper, and my boyfriend just dumped me so he could date my second cousin, and when I had 10 minutes to myself before class and passed a vending machine, I thought I deserved to indulge in a variety of Doritos I had never had the pleasure of trying before (and now, sadly, will be too traumatized to ever eat again). So now that you know the whole story, I’d like to specially recognize in this letter those I’ve hurt the most deeply and irrevocably. Prof. Johnson, I recognize you’re just trying to do your job

like everyone else. I am eternally sorry I ostentatiously disobeyed your “no food” rule (explicitly stated in the syllabus) by bringing Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos into your classroom. Becca Gannett, I know that you’re teetering on the edge of academic probation, and your lacrosse career hung in the balance of that quiz. I saw you flinch every time I took a bite, and I am so sorry I distracted you with my noisy chip eating. Jeff H., I can see you were bothered by the squeaking noise the chip bag made when being opened. I am sorry you were forced to cover your ears while I opened the bag and missed all the information about our upcoming 20-page essay. Girl who usually sits next to me who is possibly named

“Erica,” I saw when I opened the bag, a single chip flew out and hit you in your one good eye. I am so sorry my need to snack cost you your vision. This letter is my official resignation from this class and from your lives. I feel that the “W” on my transcript and the loss of your friendship are but slight punishment for the distress I have caused. I beg, if not your forgiveness, at least your understanding. Sincerely, Your former classmate Lucie “Chip Monster” Lyon

LUCIE LYON is a Humor writer.

CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2020!

his year, our eternal lord and master Teresa Sullivan delivered a Convocation speech unlike any before it… but not in a good way. In lieu of previous sermons, T-Sully used her Rotunda-shadowed spotlight to preach on the importance of voting, ensuring we “fulfill our civic duty.” Although encouraging the College Republicans to vote for Thomas Jefferson’s third eyelash over Donald Trump is important, it really hurt the entertainment value. She cut out my favorite part of the traditional speech! In previous years, she has listed impressive feats people from the incoming class have accomplished before their arrival at the University, stirring up feelings of awe and inadequacy. So many people

accomplish amazing things by age 18! On the other hand, Steve Jobs had invented the Apple computer by my age, so suck it, 15-year-old in the E-School! You probably didn’t even go to prom! Where was I? Right, T-Sully’s speech. For some odd reason, it was decided that reminding people that we could accidentally democratically elect a Cheeto with a megaphone was more important than telling us about all the cool stuff the first-years did. While I’ll never know for sure what she would have said, mostly because the president’s office has really good security, I can provide my best guesses at what the original speech might have looked like: “There are about 4,300 of you

in this entering class. To help you get acquainted, let me tell you a bit about yourselves… You’ve done very well on your tests. Well, most of you. Three of you have herpes but don’t know it yet. Student Health will be in touch. You are a diverse group: Half of you are happy. A lot of you are white. If you’re both, then everyone is justified in hating you. One of you has slept with a Muppet. One of you has slept with every Muppet! Three of you wrote sex positivity articles for The Odyssey about human-Muppet relations. All of you are pre-Comm, though that shouldn’t come as a shock to you.

2,150 of you “settled” for the University and won’t shut up about how rigged Ivy admissions processes are. 2,150 of you made it here, your reach school, and are overjoyed. One of you expected to go here and did so. Way to be the weirdo. One of you started a charity for lab mice. Another started a charity for lab rats and had a bitter feud with the mice charity. One of you wrote a Tony-nominated musical about the rodent philanthropy feud and the forbidden love between two of their scientists. A real modern classic! One of you still wets the bed. Sorry for outing you, Tony. One of you committed arson

this morning, but you didn’t lie, cheat or steal, so as far as I’m concerned you’re good. Half of you will marry and then years later bitterly divorce one of your classmates. All of you will one day be slaves of Orgoth, the Demon Lord of Below. And what a good demon lord Orgoth will be. Hopefully her prophetic speeches will spell a brighter future for next year’s class. Until then, good luck with your mice charities.

CONNOR MCLEAN is a Humor writer.

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WEEKLY CROSSWORD SAM EZERSKY | PUZZLE MASTER

EVENTS Thursday 9/29 UPC Presents: Late Night September Trivia, 8-10pm, Newcomb Game Room Class Giving: UVA Class of 2017 Night at Eddy’s, 7-10pm, Eddy’s Tavern Global Development Organization’s FIG Fundraiser, 8am-9pm, FIG Bistro DREAMers Interest Meeting, 6-7pm, New Cabell 489 Friday 9/30 Field Hockey vs. Wake Forest, 5pm, Turf Field Men’s Soccer vs. Virginia Tech, 7pm, Klockner Stadium Final Friday, 5:30-7:30pm, Fralin Museum of Art Sunday 10/2 Women’s Soccer vs. UNC Chapel Hill, 1pm, Klockner Stadium *THE NEXT CROSSWORD PUZZLE CAN BE FOUND IN MONDAY’S ISSUE

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

TOP 10 ways to be a terrible roommate To happy house hunting

ABIGAIL LAGUE | LIFE COLUMNIST

PLAYING CHICKEN WITH YOUR DIRTY DISHES

This is the number one worst thing to do as a roommate. If you use any dish, you wash it. Do not play some sort of sick waiting game until your roommate is forced to clean it or starve. College students don’t tend to have an infinite number of pots and pans, so you have probably left the only cookware dirty. Even if there are other pots, leaving out a dirty dish is disgusting and asking for some form of bug infestation. Eventually your roommate will snap, and it will not be pretty. The best way to avoid having all of your clothes burned on a fiery pit of revenge in the front yard is to come up with a time limit for how long a dirty dish can stay out.

THROWING FREQUENT PARTIES AND “GET-TOGETHERS” WITHOUT WARNING

It’s perfectly fine to host parties and it’s perfectly fine to have friends over. However, the real problem is a lack of warning. You need to ask your roommates if it’s okay with them that you have three-plus people over. Usually this isn’t a problem, but a little bit of courtesy goes a long way in roommate relations. Also, be sure to have a correct definition of “warning” — especially concerning parties. Getting a party approved is one thing, but if you’re having 30-plus people over, that is something that needs to be explicitly stated, as sometimes definitions of “party” can differ. One roommate may be the classy wine and jazz music type while the other pours whatever-the-heck into a plastic cup and calls it done. The plastic is due to the fact that, at some point in the night, the cup will end up on the floor.

NOT RESPECTING DIET RESTRICTIONS

Living with new people means you’re going to encounter diets different from yours. Living at home, perhaps you’ve never lived with people who are gluten-free, vegetarian, dairy-free or have allergies.

Obviously, this doesn’t mean you have to conform your diet to fit theirs, but you should ask them if there’s anything you should be doing differently in the kitchen. This is especially important regarding allergies. If someone is allergic to peanuts, perhaps you shouldn’t consistently offer them peanut butter cookies. One day they will forget and accept the cookie. On that day, there will be dire consequences. Or, if you live with a vegetarian, maybe you shouldn’t use their cutting board to cut your chicken.

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LETTING THE BATHROOM DESCEND INTO A STATE OF UTTER CHAOS

BEING SMELLY AND NOISY

Really anything that can’t be kept to yourself can be constituted as a disturbance of the peace. Loud music — especially in the morning or late at night — is rude. Being smelly doesn’t necessarily mean smelling bad. There are many who enjoy scented candles, perfume and even incense. However, there are also those who have fragrance allergies and sensitivity. If something you do in your room doesn’t stay in your room (i.e., smells and loud noises), be sure to ask permission first. I once had a roommate who constantly burned incense. Now, for the rest of my life, I’m stuck thinking of her every time I go to church on Easter.

BEING A DIRTY LITTLE FOOD THIEF

If you didn’t buy it, don’t you dare eat it. The only thing that could possibly be worse than not doing your dishes is eating someone else’s food without asking. You ask permission and offer to pay for it — every time. No exceptions. If you eat their food often, even with permission, you get the reputation of being a food mooch. Buy your own food. For those of you with such roommates, I recommend strategically placed mouse traps.

LEAVING PASSIVE-AGGRESSIVE NOTES HEMORRHAGING UTILITY MONEY

Those living on-Grounds are lucky not to have to worry about this. For those living off-Grounds, utilities are expensive. It doesn’t help when there’s one roommate who can’t figure out how a light switch works, takes long showers and is constantly turning the AC to 65 degrees. Don’t be that roommate. It’s inconsiderate and shows a lack of regard for money. Even if you can afford a 65-degree apartment, not everyone else can. At this point, have an apartment meeting before someone stuffs you in the fridge so you can get your cold air at no extra cost.

BEING MESSY

This should go unsaid, however it’s also one of the most common problems people have with their roommates. If you have a single room, congrats — you can be messy in there. It can be your own gross little petri dish if you so wish. The common area is not the place for your shoes, jacket, backpack and whatever else you immediately threw on the floor when you got home. If you share a bedroom with a roommate, you don’t have the luxury of being messy in your room. At this point, you have to leave absolutely no trace of your existence. If they can track you throughout the apartment by following the trail of mess, you’ve failed.

If you share a bathroom with someone, the objective again is to leave as little a trace of your presence as possible. There should be a place for all toiletries, and that doesn’t mean strewn all over the counter. Towels should not be on the floor, nor should the floor resemble a swamp. As far as cleaning goes, make a chore chart. Don’t get into a waiting game until someone can’t take it anymore and cleans the natural disaster you call a bathroom — that, or they slip on the wet floor and you’re stuck wondering why they keep googling, “how to sue.”

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What is the purpose of this other than to piss the other person off? I don’t care how many smiley faces and hearts you use. I especially don’t care if you took the time to use multiple colors. No one will take this as friendly criticism and change their ways. At best, they’ll throw the note away and forget about it. At worst, you guys will end up fighting in person when you should have talked about the issue face-to-face. At even worse than worst, they start passive-aggressively taking everything you mentioned in the note to a whole new level. Shoes won’t just be left out, they will be left out in a pile directly in front of your door.

LIVING WITH AN “I” MENTALITY

You are living with other people. Cleaning up your own dishes and mess is doing the bare minimum. A successful apartment should clean together — the stove, microwave, floors, trash — because certain messes are created by all of you. You should take turns buying communal objects like toilet paper, condiments and trash bags. Certain things should be a group effort so that one person isn’t left with all of the work. That person will resent you and silently plot your murder. No biggie.

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U.Va. alumnus develops housing app LoftSmart aims to streamline student housing search KATE EDSON | FEATURE WRITER Students around Grounds aren’t just anxious about midterms this week. Although this semester is barely a month underway, the frantic struggle to finalize housing plans for next year is already in full swing. “I don’t know what to do, I don’t know how to sign a lease, I don’t even know how to look for an apartment,” first-year College student Joie Asuquo said. First years often feel like they’re left to fend for themselves when it comes to securing housing for their second year at the University, whether it is on grounds or off. “There’s not enough information given to us; we’re just kind of in the dark about it all,” first-year College student Carolyn Diamond said. Former University student Sam Bernstein experienced and observed similar housing stress during his time here. “My first year at U.Va., I showed up and within the first month found a group of people… to live with, [and] signed a lease for a property we had never seen,” Bernstein said. “There’s this sort of rush and race to go and find a place; many students opt for convenience or expediency.”

Unfortunately, not much about the experience searching for housing changed over the years for Bernstein. “Second year [came] around and it was just a nightmare,” Bernstein said. “[That] would have been avoidable had there been any knowledge from people who had lived there… [but] it was the one thing in our lives where we didn’t have any user-generated content.” Bernstein’s experience of the mystery and stress around the process motivated him to found LoftSmart. LoftSmart aims to facilitate smooth housing searches, particularly for college students, through quick and easily accessible user-generated feedback. The site includes property reviews and rent data and, beginning this October, will additionally serve as a forum for virtual lease transactions. Many students have trouble finding the best housing option for themselves amongst seemingly countless options, taking into consideration price, neighborhood or whether or not the apartment comes pre-furnished. “There’s a lot of options, but determining between those options is

really difficult,” second-year Curry student Hannah Thompson said. “There’s just this plethora of apartments, [and] they’ll [all] put on this front that they have all these amenities or say they’re the closest to X, Y or Z, but you’re already struggling with so much and taking on so much that you really don’t have that much time to tour more than like two places.” LoftSmart seeks to make thorough housing research more convenient for busy and overwhelmed students. “We’ve sort of said, ‘if the way people make decisions today [is] based on informal peer-to-peer recommendation… what we’ve done is taken that entire peer-to-peer network and put it online,” Bernstein said. “[Thus], you have access to information beyond your traditional network.” The app specifically targets college markets and focuses on making the markets transparent to both property managers and tenants. “If you’re a student and you go onto apartments.com, I don’t think you’ll see a particularly compelling set of listings. Student housing markets require… time and energy to un-

derstand,” Bernstein said. “We try to focus on a hyper-local market, [and] how [we can] curate the most rele-

vant list of properties… for college students in this particular market.”

COURTESY SAM BERNSTEIN

University alumnus Sam Bernstein developed the app LoftSmart to streamline the search for housing.

Life living far from Grounds The pros and cons of a longer trek ELIZABETH CORNICK | FEATURE WRITER As lease-signing season is upon us, many students get a taste of one of the most important rite of passages of adulthood. There are many offGrounds living options, with some farther than others. This year second-year College student Isabel Singer lives in The Flats at West Village, which is about three-quarters of a mile from the Lawn. Her living arrangement — located farther from Grounds than many housing options — has affect-

ed her daily routine, from when and where she eats to her studying and commuting habits. Singer said she generally will eat on the Corner or at Benny’s, close to The Flats on Main St., or she will cook for herself at home — although she almost never goes home in the middle of the day for lunch. Typically, she said she walks to class, but if she is in a rush she will take the Free Trolley since there is a stop right outside The Flats.

COURTESY VIRGINIA

The Flats apartment complex provides a unique housing experience away from Grounds.

“Sometimes on the weekends it’s hard to motivate to come to the library, but during the week … I come to the library because I just go right after class or right after whatever I have, and I won’t go home until I’m done with everything on Grounds,” Singer said. Another factor of living far off Grounds is the wider variety of residents. Singer said she has noticed the demographic of her neighbors consists of medical school students, graduate students and even families of local community members, and she believes the diversity of her neighbors is due to the close proximity of the University hospital. “I’m at college, and I just want to be with people my own age,” Singer said. “Sometimes in the morning there are kids playing in the courtyard, so like that’s kind of weird. I don’t like that.” Singer said she and her other roommates have already signed a lease to live in the 1029 Wertland St. apartments next year, which are closer to Grounds and more of the undergraduate student activity than The Flats. On the contrary, third-year Curry student Reemah Hashem —who

lives near the intersection of 14th St. and Grady Ave. and almost a mile from the Lawn — said she appreciates living near a more diverse demographic of students, both graduate and undergraduate, and Charlottesville locals. Last year, she lived in Woodrow Apartments on Jefferson Park Avenue, which are very close to Grounds. “I felt sheltered on JPA because I was surrounded by University students. I think it’s good being where I am because it forces you to see the outer Charlottesville community and not be blind to it like I was last year,” Hashem said. “It gives you more of a perception of what reality is.” Hashem said she chose this location because she and her roommates wanted to live in a house, which often affords more privacy and liberty than living in an apartment complex. Although she said she was initially worried it would feel very far from Grounds, and even considered bringing a bike to school, she has found it does not feel as far as it seems. “It’s like one podcast and then I’ve arrived [to class],” Hashem said. Another happy surprise for Hashem, given her distance from Grounds, was her discovery of living

at least equidistant to the Charlottesville Downtown Mall as to Central Grounds. “I’ve definitely eaten … on the Downtown Mall more this semester,” Hashem said. “I don’t think I’ve eaten at the Corner more than once.” Hashem has signed to re-lease her house for the next academic year. What’s more unusual is the living arrangement of second-year College student Merritt Vance, who lives in a residential area on Ivy Road, at the intersection of Ivy Road and Emmet Street, with two other roommates. They live in one of their roommate’s parent’s houses. Her commute to class generally takes 15 to 20 minutes, and she rarely comes home for lunch, which has pushed her to plan her meals in advance. Vance said she enjoys having a space away from the busy undergraduate student life, but that she has made different living arrangements for the next academic year. “Next year I'm going to live on the Corner to be closer to friends, but I wouldn't trade the experience of living in the house for anything,” Vance said in an email statement.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

Exhibit confronts heritage of slavery “Landscapes of Slavery and Segregation” pops up on Downtown Mall PAUL ROHRBACH | SENIOR WRITER Unobtrusively set at the end of the Downtown Mall, six photographs comprise an exhibit titled “Landscapes of Slavery and Segregation.” Perhaps to complement the Freedom of Speech Wall which they face, the pictures show reconstructions of the living quarters of slaves in Virginia’s history. Visitors are invited to engage with each picture by choosing a number which leads to the recording of a contemporary historian’s explanation of the picture. The pictures, originally 360-degree spherical photographs, vividly convey the physical discomfort of slavery. While historians in the audio component of the exhibit emphasize the physical harm of slavery, some, such as James Monroe’s Highland executive director Sarah Bon-Harper, are quick to note the moral and psychological harms of slavery as well. “We can look at these buildings and say, ‘They don’t look that different from what poor white people were living in,’ but the difference is freedom,” Bon-Harper says in her recording. The representations of the slave

dwellings are important insofar as they are physical objects forcing people to confront the reality of slavery, Joseph McGill, founder of the Slave Dwelling Project and one of the historians for the exhibit, said. “As long as the spaces are there, it’s hard to deny the presence of the people who lived in them,” McGill said. The impulse to ignore or disregard Virginia’s heritage of slavery is a common theme in the exhibit confronted by multiple historians. Bon-Harper said that Highland received public criticism about memorializing this particular aspect of the Founding Fathers. “In looking at it from 30 years later, we see that it’s an important thing to remember and not forget,” Bon-Harper said. McGill, who coordinates overnight stays in slave dwellings, noted one anecdote in which two descendants of slaves were motivated to take an active part in telling the history of Bacon’s Castle, one of the quarters featured in the exhibit, by one such overnight stay. Matthew Gibson, the curator of the exhibit and director of Ency-

clopedia Virginia for the Virginia Foundation of the Humanities, was doubtless encouraged by such stories. Gibson explained that his intention for the exhibit is to “tease out those narratives that we may not be familiar with.” Gibson noted that history itself can have biases, making narratives essential. “You know history, by its nature, can be a privileged exercise, so we need narratives of our histories,” Gibson said. By presenting such accessible physical landscapes of slavery, the exhibit exposes viewers to these narratives of those without privilege. Gibson encourages his audience to actively question how history is presented. “[It is important that] we think about the questions of memorials and memorialism … and how we can add to those stories with people who have been marginalized [and] who helped to create those stories,” Gibson said. Further, Gibson said, such memorials have immediate implications in today’s world. “I think that there certainly is

FOTA SALL | THE CAVALIER DAILY

This topical exhibit proves thought-provoking for passers-by on the Downtown Mall.

a correlation between what we’re seeing now, in the lives of African-Americans on a daily basis, and how there’s been an attempt to neglect those stories,” he said. “I think to put those stories back in the landscape and preserve them forces us to think about how those issues have impact on the history we’re creating today.” Of course, to many passers-by,

the audio recordings will go unheard and the pictures will only attract attention for a second. But the exhibit serves a more profound function — to incorporate vestiges of slavery into Charlottesville’s landscape to remind the community of its history. David Schutte contributed reporting to this article.

New Mick Jenkins record bursts with love “The Healing Component” refines Jenkins’ experimental style, expands on positive themes JOHN TRAINUM | STAFF WRITER Neither Mick Jenkins nor his music is ordinary. In an age when the casual music fan often thinks of hip-hop culture as merely comprised of violence, misogyny and drugs, Jenkins is a shining example

of the contrary. The Chicago rapper’s songs tend to revolve around “truth and love” — what Jenkins has referred to as the “healing component” across his discography. In his commercial debut, the aptly named

COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Indie artist Mick Jenkins has created a heart-warming record with “The Healing Component.”

“The Healing Component,” Jenkins refines his message of self-love and positivity, touching on issues of race, relationships and self-improvement. What exactly is love? How can it manifest in different relationships? What about self-love and knowing oneself? Jenkins sees these questions as they pertain to a greater universal truth — which he represents as water — and he seeks to quench listeners’ thirst with his answers. In the hook of the album’s title track Jenkins sings, “For this water (for this water), for this truth (for this truth) / Tryna put some love into everything I do / Thanking you for this THC, THC, THC, THC.” In this way, Jenkins’ brand of hip-hop is refreshingly original. While the album’s title and concept, abbreviated as “THC,” is in part a reference to the psychoactive compound in cannabis, Jenkins’ symbolism extends to a deeper metaphor central to the project as a whole. Specifically, on “Plugged,” Jenkins tells listeners to look for more than just the high of a drug, as he emphasizes in the track’s hook — “This THC ain’t just no f-----g weed / Love is all you need.” These themes, however, are not

new to Jenkins’ work. He has been writing about the power of love and water since his first mixtapes. Where “The Healing Component” shines is in its deeper exploration of these subjects, and Jenkins makes note of this development at the end of the album: “Water was just the introduction to the idea that there’s this truth… I wasn’t very specific about what that was.” In “The Healing Component,” the message is made crystal clear. On “Angles” Jenkins raps, “the collective is merely suggesting a theory that love is a blessing / I’m stressing it really / Man y’all don’t hear me, if you’ve never been alone how you know yourself? / If you ain’t up on the water how you grow yourself?” “The Healing Component” does not only excel in its cohesive lyrical message, though. As expected, Jenkins further develops his unique and unpredictable flow and rightfully flexes his remarkable lyrical ability. On “F----d Up Outro,” Jenkins’ one-of-a-kind wordplay captivates attentive listeners: “Break bread with me / Better yet, bake bread with me / We be so worried about how much we need the dough / We tend to forget the little things we need to know

/ Like how to knead the dough.” Nobody in hip-hop flows or rhymes quite the way that Jenkins can. He often switches up flow from line to line, rhymes multiple times within lines or breaks the rhyme at the end of a line and then picks it back up in a later line. On “Drowning,” for example, Jenkins shows off this complex technique: “Rap Genius, you could read mines / In between lines / Yeah they act genius but the way society is set up / Almost like they read minds.” As a whole, “The Healing Component” is experimental yet refined. Jenkins’ choice in production pushes boundaries for both the genre and himself, incorporating broad musical influence ranging from jazz to electronic. While Jenkins does have a fair body of work preceding this release, “The Healing Component” is the artist's first full-length project. This lends credit to the potential his thoughtful approach carries with a professional team in support. While it is unlikely Jenkins will break through to the mainstream with such a niche sound, “The Healing Component” has once again proved that Jenkins is a worthy listen.

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Virginia Film Festival releases 2016 schedule Lineup for this year’s festival boasts A-list stars, highly anticipated releases ELLEN ADAMS | SENIOR WRITER On Tuesday at the Jefferson Theater, Virginia Film Festival director Jody Kielbasa announced the lineup for the 29th annual event, which will take place in Charlottesville Nov. 3 to 6. The schedule includes major releases and hits from other festivals like Telluride, as well as movies from Virginia filmmakers and screenings of old classics. “The Promise,” in its North American premiere, is this year’s centerpiece film. The film is a German documentary, which details the 1985 murder of Lynchburg residents Derek and Nancy Haysom. The closing film is festival darling “La La Land,” starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. With critical acclaim already pouring in, it certainly should be one of the highlights. Shirley MacLaine will be at the festival for a program entitled “Salute to Shirley MacLaine,” featuring a moderated discussion and a viewing of clips from her films as part of the festival’s conversation series. Other notable events include discussions with actress Liv Ullmann and legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog, the latter of whom will be presenting

COURTESY VA FILM FESTIVAL

Each year, the Virginia Film Festival is well-attended by students, and this year should be no exception.

his new film “Into the Inferno.” Virginia native Danny McBride will be at the festival with collaborator Jody Hill for a screening of two episodes

of their new show “Vice Principals.” The influence of politics will certainly be present at the festival in this election year. A screening

of the classic documentary “The War Room,” which chronicles Bill Clinton’s presidential run, will be followed by a discussion with filmmakers D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, moderated by professor Larry Sabato. The film “All the Way,” starring Bryan Cranston as Lyndon B. Johnson, will also be screened in collaboration with the Miller Center. The 25th anniversary of the classic Disney film “Beauty and the Beast” will be celebrated in style, with a special screening of the film followed by a discussion with stars Paige O’Hara and producer Don Hahn, moderated by professor Carmenita Higginbotham. The festival will also screen seven foreign films that have been submitted for Academy Award consideration, including “Land of Mine” from Denmark, “Elle” from France and “Fire at Sea” from Italy. The festival will also be celebrating several films from local artists, including “The Rebound,” a documentary about adaptive basketball players directed by James Madison

University alumna Shaina Allen, and “Hot Air,” a comedy starring Matthew Gray Gubler from director and Charlottesville native Derek Sieg. Other notable films include a restoration of “Ran,” by iconic Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa; the Studio Ghibli film “The Red Turtle”; “Bleed for This,” a boxing film starring Miles Teller; and “Lion,” starring Dev Patel and Rooney Mara. More films will be added to the lineup in the coming days, including the opening film, to be announced by Gov. Terry McAuliffe this Thursday. While Kielbasa didn’t give any hints as to what the film will be, he assured everyone that it would be a significant film and “part of the Oscars and Golden Globes dialogue.” This year’s schedule may be its best yet. The sentiment was certainly shared by Kielbasa, who praised the festival’s “rich and compelling program.” Tickets are available to the general public Friday, and a full list of films can be found on the Virginia Film Festival website.