Issuu

Monday, February 8, 2016

Vol. 126, Issue 37

“The Lawn is, for better or worse, the pinnacle of U.Va. and the pinnacle of the U.Va. community”

LAWN SELECTION PAGE 2

Jasmine Oo | The Cavalier Daily

SINGLE SANCTION: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW PAGE 3

CAVALIERS CRUISE PAST PITTSBURGH PAGE 4

HONOR COMMITTEE WEIGHS IN PAGE 8

TRY OUR WEEKLY CROSSWORD PAGE 10

WORLD HIJAB DAY COMES TO GROUNDS PAGE 11

The Cavalier Daily

Committee updates Lawn application

news

Residents will be announced Feb. 17

Henry Pflager Senior Writer

The Lawn Selection Committee revised the application process for the 2016-17 school year. Vanessa Ehrenpreis, Lawn Selection Committee head and fourthyear College student, said the procedure for selecting residents has changed from years past. “I believe three years ago every single committee member had to read every single application which maybe in the early ’90s or ’80s was an okay system when there were fewer applicants,” she said. “But when it got [toward] 300 applications that you had to review within a month, it got a lot more difficult for the committee.” Last year, then-Lawn Head Resident Sky Miller and Jalen Ross, thenLawn resident and Student Council president, retooled the system to work in three small groups which each read three subsets of applications, according to Ehrenpreis. “I think that was there big push to get committee members to read all these applications in a reasonable amount of time,” Ehrenpreis said. “We wanted to see if that portion of their idea [could work], but also make sure every single committee member had a good understanding of the entire applicant pool and had that breadth of knowledge about everybody who's applying and not just a small subset.” A change to the application process this year is the implementation of two rounds of of review. In the first round, the Selection Committee

is split in half and reads half the applications, each group ranking their top selections. In the second round, the entire Selection Committee reads those top selections. The addition of a calibration committee is another new change this year, which Ehrenpreis described as “in flux.” “The main idea behind that is if the Selection Committee somehow doesn’t select someone that is representative or exactly what they’re hoping for then there is some kind of recourse that can be taken,” Ehrenpreis said. “The administration would decide whether calibration is needed at all and the students will decide how that calibration should actually happen.” Ehrenpreis said any changes to the Selection Committee’s decisions will be handled in a prudent and sensitive manner. “This calibration committee ensures that the students’ vision can be upheld even if the Selection Committee maybe didn’t do the job the students envisioned in the first place,” she said. “The Lawn is, for better or worse, the pinnacle of U.Va. and the pinnacle of the U.Va. community so if we want it to be the best community it can be, the students should have some way to do that and make sure that is going to happen.” In the new existing structure, there are two committees involved in the process — the Selection Committee and the Organizing Committee. Through a lottery, 26 fourth-year students who are in good academic standing are chosen to serve on the Lawn Selection Committee. In total, there are 52 Selection Committee organizations, according to the Lawn

Selection Guidelines. There are typically 26 ex-officio organizations, including the Student Council, University Judiciary Committee, Inter-Fraternity Council, Black Student Alliance and Queer Student Union, among others, with members representing them in the Selection Committee. The Organizing Committee reviews membership of the Selection Committee, creates application materials, announces selection criteria and trains the Selection Committee. The Organizing Committee is comprised of the Dean of Students as the chairperson, the Dean of African-American Affairs, the Director of Information Technology in Housing & Residence Life, the Senior Resident on the Lawn, and the presidents or chairpersons of the following groups: Student Council, the Honor Committee, the University Judiciary Committee and the seven undergraduate school councils (Architecture, Batten, College, Commerce, Education, Engineering and Nursing). This year the Lawn Selection Committee also changed the application materials to reflect a change in philosophy concerning academic merit, Ehrenpreis said. “The general perception for [the] Lawn application is that you have to have a 3.8 or 3.9 [grade point average] and that’s a huge misconception,” Ehrenpreis said. “We wanted that to be reflected in the essay question. We refocused it this year to ask academic past as opposed to academic merit.” The Selections Committee received 291 applications from the Class of 2017 to live in a Lawn room next year for 47 spots.

291 Applications

Reading Group 1

Reading Group 2

(~150 Applications)

~50 Applications

Entire Committee ~100 Applications

Final Calibration (if needed)

47 Offers Extended February 17

Lucas Halse | The Cavalier Daily

Virginia Tech students face hearings for murder charge Eisenhauer, Keepers charged in connection to kidnapping, murder of 13-year-old Nicole Lovell

Caitlyn Seed Associate Editor

At a court hearing Monday, a presiding judge set the date for the preliminary hearings for two Virginia Tech students charged in relation to the kidnapping and murder of 13-year-old Blacksburg resident Nicole M. Lovell. The hearings will begin March 28. Neither of the defendants Natalie Keepers, 19, of Laurel, Md nor David Eisenhauer, 18, of Columbia, Md, have entered a plea or commented on the charges. Eisenhauer has been arrested and charged with abduction and first-degree murder. After a hearing Thurs-

day, Keepers now faces charges of accessory before the fact to first-degree murder, as well as one felony count of improper disposal of a dead body and one misdemeanor count of accessory after the fact in the commission of a felony. Both teens may face life in prison if convicted of these charges. Montgomery County Commonwealth's Attorney Mary Pettitt — the prosecuting attorney against Keepers and Eisenhauer — said in a news conference Lovell was stabbed to death on or immediately following Jan. 27, the day she went missing. Lovell’s mother Tammy Weeks said in a news conference a nightstand had been pushed up against the girl’s bedroom door and her window

was left ajar late the night she was discovered missing. She apparently snuck out to meet with Eisenhauer, whom she allegedly first met online in earlier weeks, according to The Washington Post. The Blacksburg Police Department claims Lovell developed a relationship with Eisenhauer via social media, which he used to lure her from her home before she was murdered. Thursday, a prosecutor at a bond hearing said Eisenhauer and Keepers conspired to kill Lovell throughout the month of January. Lovell’s remains were discovered by Virginia State Police on Route 89 in Surry County, N.C., about 100 miles from Blacksburg.

Courtesy Blacksburg Police Department

Thursday, a prosecutor at a bond hearing said Eisenhauer and Keepers conspired to kill Lovell throughout the month of January.

NEWS

Monday, February 8, 2016

Bill: restroom must match user’s “biological sex” Legislation intended to ensure privacy, Cole says Mitchell Wellman Senior Writer

Virginia House Bill 781, which would require people to use public restrooms according to their “biological sex,” passed a Virginia House subcommittee Thursday. Del. Mark Cole (R-Fredericksburg) proposed the bill, which would not affect unisex bathrooms but could prevent transgender people from using public bathrooms of

the gender with which they identify. The bill requires bathrooms in a public building “to be designated for and only used by individuals based on their biological sex” — in which the definition of biological sex is limited to “the physical condition of being male or female, which is determined by a person's birth certificate and is identified at birth by a person's anatomy” or by an amended birth certificate. The bill also proposes a fine for anyone “who willfully and knowing-

Celina Hu | The Cavalier Daily

Such legislation is based on false conceptions of the transgender community, Rheinheimer said.

ly violates” the mandate. Transgender high school students and the American Civil Liberties Union spoke against the bill, and the Family Foundation spoke in favor of the bill before it was approved 5-2 by the Republican-majority subcommittee. Cole said the bill is in response to complaints from parents in his district and the Stafford County School Board. “Last year there was a situation at Hartwood Elementary in Stafford, where a boy was granted permission by the principal to use the girls' restroom,” Cole said in an email statement. “Some of the girls complained to their parents, who contacted me and the School Board. The School Board reversed the principal's decision and requested that the state adopt a consistent policy on the issue.” Cole said the bill is “common sense legislation” intended to ensure privacy in restroom facilities, but University Law Prof. Deborah Hellman said this justification is a “red herring.” “[Saying it’s common sense] is just a way of saying, ‘I agree with it,’” she said. “There are privacy concerns on the other side, but bathrooms…

protect privacy by having individual stalls. I think everybody has a concern with their privacy, but I think that concern can be adequately addressed by individual stalls.” Hellman compared the bill to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Windsor (2013), in which a section of the Defense of Marriage Act was struck down. The court ruled the federal government extended beyond its reach by defining marriage as between a man and a woman, which is a decision typically made by states, she said. “These are decisions that are made by individual principals or maybe by the school board in a particular community,” Hellman said. “To pass a law that prohibits local school districts from doing that expresses a [particular] rejection for transgender students.” Scott Rheinheimer, coordinator for University LGBTQ student services, said such legislation is based on false conceptions of the transgender community. “There is really no evidence around any type of aggression or sexual violence by a trans person in a bathroom,” he said. “There’ve been times when a trans person has been attacked and sexually assaulted, but

a trans person [is almost never] the perpetrator.” While HB 781 is highly unlikely to become law, its introduction is still symbolic, Geoffrey Skelley, Center for Politics media relations coordinator, said. “Probably something that has played a role in [the bill’s proposal] is the fact that there is an ongoing court case on the issue in Virginia — G.G. v. Gloucester County School Board,” he said. “The legislation was probably brought about because this issue [of gendered bathrooms] has salience. It has some publicity at the moment.” In addition, the subcommittee passed House Bill 385 proposed by Del. Bob Marshall (R-Prince William County). The bill would prevent state political subdivisions from prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The subcommittee also sent a mix of pro- and anti-LGBTQ legislation to the state’s code commission for further study, tabling it for a year. HB 781 and HB 385 will be heard and voted on by the full General Laws Committee. The Parent’s Foundation did not respond to requests for comment.

Five things to know about the Honor referenda Proposals potentially affect single sanction policy, constitution language David Schutte Associate Editor

From Feb. 19-25, the University student body will be able to vote on two Honor Committee proposals which could change the way the Honor Committee responds to student opinions and the way in which students are punished for honor violations. 1. What the proposals are The Honor Committee passed three referenda last year mandating the following: 1. The committee would assemble every two years to gauge student opinion; 2. Responses from the student body to polls would result in changes to the Honor constitution to reflect the results; and 3. The committee would poll students on their opinion on the “single sanction system.” The proposals that will appear on the ballot Feb. 19-25 give students an opportunity to change the constitution’s language, effectively changing both referenda two and three.

2. How the proposals will — or won’t — affect the single sanction Proposal one will change the wording of the constitution, effectively to alter the single sanction provision. The current version of the constitution reads, “The Honor Committee shall exclude permanently from student status University students found to have committed honor violations.” Any reported violations of the code result in an Honor Committee investigation, and, if the student is found guilty, expulsion. The proposed changes would alter this language to either “The Honor Committee shall, with the exception of the Conscientious Retraction and Informed Retraction, exclude permanently from student status University students found to have committed Honor violations,” or to “The Honor Committee shall have the power to exclude permanently from student status or impose lesser sanctions to University students found to have committed Honor violations.” The second option would lead to the implementa-

tion of a multi-sanction system. 3. What the other proposal will do The current constitution’s wording is vulnerable t o change depending on students’ responses to polls. Because this provision does not involve changing their by-laws — their guidelines for operation — their ability to implement a multi-sanction system relies on their by-laws. The proposal would change the current constitutional language regarding this provision. The part of the constitution which reads “…in the following year, put such question before the student body as a binding constitutional amendment” would change to “shall enact a response within the time frame of one year,” allowing the committee to add a multi-sanction system in addition to removing the single-sanction system. 4. When and where the vote will take place Beginning Friday, Feb. 19 at 10 a.m., the University Board of Elections will post a link to the poll

Marshall Bronfin | The Cavalier Daily

The referenda will be up for vote between Feb. 19-25.

corresponding to the proposals on their website. This link will be active until Thursday, Feb. 25 at 4 p.m. 5. How many honor cases per year, on average, end up using the single sanction rule to expel students Honor Chair Faith Lyons, a fourth-year Commerce student,

said in an email statement case statistics vary depending on the year. “We typically get 50-60 reports, roughly 10-15 students will take the Informed Retraction,” Lyons said. “We'll have around 10-12 hearings and 3-5 students will be found guilty.”

The Cavalier Daily

No. 9 Virginia cruises past Pittsburgh

sports

Marshall Bronfin| The Cavalier Daily

Senior guard Malcolm Brogdon led the Cavaliers to a victory against Pittsburgh.

Led by 21 points from senior guard Malcolm Brogdon, ninthranked Virginia downed Pittsburgh 64-50 Saturday afternoon. Brogdon’s 21 were a game-high and came on an efficient six-ofnine shooting performance. The Greater Atlanta Christian alum poured in three of his five attempts

from behind the arc. As a team, the Cavaliers (19-4, 8-3 ACC) shot 56.3 percent (9-of-16) from deep. Virginia’s defensive revival continued on Saturday. The Panthers (17-5, 5-4 ACC) shot only 39.1 percent from the field, including a woeful 2-of-13 from deep. Junior forward Jamel Artis led Pittsburgh

with 17 points, four rebounds and three assists on 7-11 shooting. The Cavaliers were successful despite minimal contributions from senior forward Anthony Gill, who was limited to only four points and three rebounds. Sophomore forward Isaiah Wilkins showcased his versatility

by filling the stat sheet with four points, seven rebounds and five assists while also recording one steal. Virginia carried a 29-27 advantage into the half, but Pittsburgh tied the game before the Cavaliers unleashed a 12-0 run, which included three-straight threes.

Following the run, Virginia’s lead never dipped below ninepoints. The Cavaliers return to action Tuesday night against Virginia Tech. er

—compiled by Matt Wurzburg-

Team basketball driving Virginia’s win streak t tipoff, No. 9 Virginia was A just a two-point favorite against Pittsburgh. Playing on

Virginia extended its win streak to six games after taking down Pittsburgh, 64-50. Most the road — in front of importantly, the the Oakland Zoo, no Cavaliers did it with ROBERT ELDER less — against a team team basketball. Sports Editor that received votes in Brogdon scored last week’s AP poll, the 21 points – includprediction seemed about right. ing 14 in the first half on 5-ofAnd, after all, it was only 11 days 6 shooting – and junior guard since the Cavaliers needed a mir- London Perrantes drained 4-of-5 acle to win at Wake Forest. treys to add 14 points. By all measures, Virginia was Those performances certainsupposed to have its hands full. ly kept Virginia alive in the first And if Las Vegas had known half, as the scrappy Panthers senior forward Anthony Gill — clawed their way to just a 29-27 who had scored in double fig- deficit after falling behind by ures in 24-consecutive games as many as eight in the opening — would only drop four points stanza. Saturday, the Panthers might When the Cavaliers truly have been favorites. made their run, however, it was A couple of weeks ago, they far from a one-man show. certainly would have. But not anAfter Pittsburgh junior forymore. ward Sheldon Jeter hit a jumper When senior guard Malcolm to tie the game at 31 with 18:52 Brogdon, dubbed Humble-Mo- remaining, Virginia went on one ses by his teammates, flexed fol- of its signature second-half runs, lowing his one-handed slam in which defined the Cavaliers in the first half, his message was their two previous ACC regular loud and clear — vintage Tony season championship seasons. Bennett basketball is back. Twelve points over the next

four possessions gave Virginia a 43-31 advantage with just 15:52 to play. Ignited by threes from Brogdon, Perrantes and sophomore guard Devon Hall and Hall’s and-one lay-up, the Cavaliers looked as if they were playing against Morgan State all over again. Gill, sophomore forward Isaiah Wilkins and sophomore guard Marial Shayok all added baskets before everything was said and done. The lead grew to as large as 19 with 6:30 to play, and for the third consecutive conference game, the walk-ons saw action. Brogdon, Perrantes and Gill are unquestionably Virginia’s big-three, but they can’t win games on their own. Cavalier fans witnessed this against Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and Florida State. But when those three have help, like they did Saturday, Virginia is one of the top teams in the nation. Bennett has used the same starting lineup now in three consecutive games, and it’s one that seems like it will stick. In addi-

tion to Brogdon, Perrantes and Gill, Virginia has inserted Hall and Wilkins, both of whom have opened up the floor for the Cavaliers. Hall adds a third, evenkeeled ball handler to a lineup. Unlike sophomore guard Darius Thompson, who started as the third guard in early season contests, Hall’s shooting ability makes him a perimeter threat as evidenced by his 38 percent stroke from beyond the arc. Additionally, his length makes him a threat in the paint, whether driving to the hoop or on the glass. Wilkins, meanwhile, might not light up the scoring column — after just four points against the Panthers, his career high remains at 10 — but his hustle and vision makes the others around him better. The Georgia-native had a career high five assists Saturday in addition to his teamhigh seven rebounds. Even without Gill on the floor, this starting five was as lethal as ever against Pittsburgh. For that

matter, regardless of who was on the floor Saturday, Virginia looked dominant. Shayok showed his authority with several strong drives to the basket, resulting in eight points. Senior forward Evan Nolte played with confidence, hitting a three and blocking a shot. Even Thompson, who was held scoreless, dished out two assists, including a nice one to Shayok in transition. Virginia scored 20 points off of turnovers compared to just six for its opponent. That is no accident. In the past three games, the Cavaliers have played as good of basketball as ever over the past two-and-a-half seasons. In that stretch, no opponent has scored more than 50 points. Bennett has to like this. As Virginia’s rotation has become more and more settled, the team has become more and more dangerous. With a subpar game from Gill, Virginia has shown its roster is as deep as ever. Brogdon has to flex to that.

SPORTS

Monday, February 8, 2016

Men’s tennis sweeps both Elon and Furman The No. 1 Virginia men’s tennis team (4-0) continued to roll as it dominated a pair of matches Saturday. In a double header, the Cavaliers swept both Elon (2-3) and Furman (2-3) on the Boyd Tinsley Courts at the Boar’s Head Sports Center in Charlottesville. It was a great showing for the Cavaliers, as they finished off each match quickly and convincingly. The only threeset match in either game was senior Ryan Shane’s 6-7, 7-5, 6-1 comeback win against Elon freshman Mario Paccini. Both of the matches were clinched by singles victories by junior J.C. Aragone, who won 6-2, 6-3 over junior Petar Tomic of Elon and 6-4, 6-2 over Furman sophomore Cameron Green. With this pair of triumphs,

the Cavaliers improved to 4-0 on the year and appear poised to defend their national title. However, the Cavaliers will face their first real test of the season with No. 9 UCLA coming to Charlottesville Tuesday, which will test the No.1 Cavaliers. The match against the Bruins will also serve as a good tune-up before the Cavaliers host the ITA National Indoor Championship Feb. 12-15. This will be the first team championship opportunity of the year, and will include the nation’s top 16 teams. The Cavaliers hope to continue their past success in this tournament, as they have won the ITA National Indoor Championship five of the last eight years. —compiled by Hunter Ostad

Mitchell Vaughn| The Cavalier Daily

The No. 1 Virginia men’s tennis team continues to perform as the best team in the country.

Women’s tennis defeats Texas A&M, falls to California

Marshall Bronfin | The Cavalier Daily

The No. 7 Virginia women’s tennis team finds victories in singles matches, but struggle against sixth-ranked California.

The No. 7 Virginia women’s tennis team played two hardfought matches at the ITA National Team Indoors Friday and Saturday. Hosted by the Wisconsin, the tournament features many of the nation’s top teams. The Cavalier’s advanced past No. 9 Texas A&M with a 4-1 win, but fell against No. 6 California with a 4-1 defeat. Against the Aggies, the Cavalier’s clinched victory after freshman Meghan Kelley defeated freshman Domenica Gonzalez 7-5, 6-2 in singles. Kelley also won her doubles match paired with senior Danielle Collins. The Cavaliers were also boosted by strong singles perfor-

mances by seniors Julia Elbaba and Stephanie Nauta who won 6-2, 6-4 and 6-4, 6-1, respectively. Against California, the Golden Bears claimed the doubles point and won on courts four, five and six in singles play to pick up the victory. Junior Victoria Olivarez, freshman Erica Susi and Kelley fell in singles, showing that California appears to be very strong on the lower end of their ladder. Despite the defeat, Collins had an impressive singles victory against California’s No. 5 in junior Maegan Manasse with a score of 6-3, 6-1. —compiled by Hunter Ostad

Diving wings four events at two separate meets in Virginia In a weekend where diving was the sole focus, the Virginia diving team excelled at Richmond and James Madison. In Richmond Friday, the Virginia women competed without their male counterparts. There, senior Becca Corbett led the charge winning the 1-meter dive, while sophomore Corey Johnson and freshman Kylie Towbin placed second and fourth, respectively. The Cavaliers also thrived in the 3-meter dive, with Corbett taking second and senior Katie Warburg taking third. The following day in Harrisonburg, the Virginia men reunited with the women to win

three events. Corbett followed up her strong performance in Richmond by again winning the 1-meter and placing second in the 3-meter. On the men’s side, senior Carl Buergler won the 3-meter and senior Colby Shinholser won the 1-meter. For now, the Virginia swimming and diving teams have a break. The women will resume competition in Greensboro, N.C. Feb. 17-20 in the ACC Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships, and the men will return to the water at the same location Feb. 24-27. —compiled by Ben Tobin

Sabrina Ferrero| The Cavalier Daily

Approaching the ACC Championships, Virginia diving excels at Richmond and James Madison.

SPORTS

The Cavalier Daily

Hokies end streak, defeat Virginia 66-46 Cavaliers fall against Hokies for first time since 2007 Grant Gossage Senior Associate

Junior forward Sidney Cook tallied a game-high 23 points and 14 rebounds to lead the rival Hokies over the Virginia women’s basketball team, 6646. Losing five straight in ACC play, the Cavaliers have fallen on tough times without senior guard Faith Randolph. Their shooting and rebounding woes continued Sunday. Virginia shot 28.6 percent from the floor – that’s a lot of X’s on the shot chart – and finished minus-13 on the glass. “I think it’s a balance,” Coach Joanne Boyle said. “Yes, the rebounding is hurting us, and just we all missed two-foot shots tonight. And again, twofoot shots become run outs for other teams. It’s a combination of both.” A 20-point margin at the finish confuses how tight this Commonwealth Clash was at the break. With three seconds remaining before the half, soph-

omore point guard Mikayla Venson split Hokie defenders with a nifty crossover and finished high off the glass to bring Virginia within two, 26-28. Venson went scoreless for the next 19 minutes before hitting the final bucket of the game, a step-back jumper from the top of the key. Shaking her head in frustration, the swish had only served to remind her of all the ugly misses, nine in total. “Putting [Mikayla] in quick hitter situations all night long is fine, but it really disrupts the flow of your offense from just being able to run continuity stuff,” Boyle said. “And she’s got to find her shots... She wasn’t getting a whole lot of daylight out of that.” Cavalier missed layups and fouls flipped the momentum back in Virginia Tech’s favor during the third quarter. The Hokies soon appeared to take control, up 45-32, but Virginia went on another brief run to cut the gap to seven by the start of the fourth. “We just had spurts,” Boyle

said. “We had a little spurt in the second quarter and third quarter but not enough to sustain it. It goes back to trying to find that balance of running continuity offenses and putting ourselves back into position to get an easy touch.” Cook, who’d showcased her versatility from the tip with turn-arounds, post moves and assertive drives, added six more points on four free throws and a layup in the final quarter. She averaged only 8.8 points entering Sunday’s contest, and Virginia Tech primarily used her as a sixth man. “Even though she came off the bench, we felt as a coaching staff that she was their best player,” Boyle said. “She is a very guard-like post player. She is strong. She attacks of the bounce quite a bit. She can shoot it really well. She’s very solid, strong, just a tough match up.” Cook and her Hokie teammates — motivated all week by Assistant Coach Britney An-

Richard Dizon | The Cavalier Daily

Sophomore guard Mikayla Venson stuggled to find successful shots throughout the night.

derson, who was a part of three NCAA Tournament appearances for Virginia Tech from 20032007 — ended an 18-game losing streak against Virginia dating back to 2007. The Hokies did it empathetically Sunday, blowing out the Cavaliers in Charlottesville and jumping one

spot ahead in the ACC standings. Now, shorthanded and reeling, Virginia is at a crossroads. “We have a choice,” Boyle said. “We have a choice to lie down and die, or we have a choice to stand up and try and fight to get better.”

No. 18 Virginia Splits ACC Weekend The Cavaliers victorious over Duke, fall to No. 14 North Carolina Mariel Messier Staff Writer

The No. 18 Virginia wrestling team started out its big weekend on a high note Friday, defeating ACC foe Duke, 22-12. The win marked the first ACC victory for the Cavaliers (6-4, 1-2 ACC), and left the Blue Devils (4-6, 0-2 ACC) still winless in the conference. “The first thing I said to the guys in the locker room was, ‘Boys, it feels good to win, huh?’” Coach Steve Garland said. “It’s amazing how much weight that takes off of you.” Virginia secured the lead quickly, leading the match 10-0 after the first two bouts with the help of senior Nick Herrmann’s major decision in the 125 pound weight class, and junior George DiCamillo’s win in the 133 pound weight class by forfeit. The underclassmen on the Virginia team had a good outing Friday evening. Sophomore Andrew Atkinson, who has been close to getting wins in his last

two matches, finally got a dominating win in the 157 pound weight class over Duke junior Connor Bass. Sophomore Tyler Askey also helped out the Cavaliers with a dominating 8-3 win in the 174 pound weight class, and redshirt freshman Will Schany was victorious at 184 pounds. The Blue Devils threatened the lead in the 165 pound weight class, as Duke sophomore Jake Faust came back from behind to beat Virginia freshman Fox Baldwin. Virginia ultimately won the next three of four bouts and never trailed during the match. “When you see something that you’ve worked on all week get executed, it’s exciting as a coach,” Garland said. “I think it was a big mental release for these guys.” The Cavaliers had a quick turnaround, as they had to face No. 14 North Carolina Saturday. Virginia dropped a close dual match against the Tar Heels (103, 1-2 ACC), 27-20. Saturday’s match seemed to fly by, lasting just an hour with bonus points being earned in

nine of the 10 bouts. The Cavaliers got off to a great start and led the dual 12-0 behind two dominant pins from Herrmann at 125 pounds and No. 6 DiCamillo in the 133 pound weight class. The Tar Heels won six of the remaining eight bouts after the 133 pound weight class, but did not gain the lead until over halfway through the match during the 174 pound competition. “When talking to the guys I quoted Charles Dickens in ‘A Tale of Two Cities,’” Garland said. “It was the best of times — meaning that we had some guys do some amazing stuff. … We were up 12-0, which is what we needed to beat this team. Then we began to give up bonus points, and it began to become out of reach.” Virginia had a chance to start a comeback in the 197 pound weight class, but North Carolina sophomore Chip Ness, ranked No. 23 in the weight class, achieved a takedown with 15 seconds left in the bout to upset No. 10 Virginia senior Zach Nye. However, Virginia senior

Lauren Hornsby | The Cavalier Daily

The No. 18 Virginia wrestling team look to win against No. 25 Chattanooga after a loss to No. 14 North Carolina.

Patrick Gillen ended the match on a high note in the 285 pound weight class, as he scored a major decision over North Carolina redshirt freshman Cory Daniel. Gillen is another wrestler who has been competing against top opponents in the ACC, and was finally able to get his first two conference dual wins of the season Friday and Saturday.

“It feels good to finally get one,” Gillen said. “It’s important to perform and not worry about winning — just to perform and hit your stuff, and it will all work out for the better. And it did.” The Cavaliers will face No. 25 Chattanooga next weekend, as they will travel to Charlottesville Sunday, Feb. 14 for senior day.

Monday, February 8, 2016

LEAD EDITORIAL

Reevaluate course evaluations

opinion

The University should implement required student and peer review for faculty

Comment of the day “Guns are not likely to have any benefit when it comes to sexual assault unless the situation involves a predator stalking someone and planning to drag her into the bushes but the victim spots this in time and can draw a gun and defend herself. More likely, the scenario would be in a dorm room, frat house or apartment, with alcohol involved and both parties impaired. In that case a gun is as much a liability as a help.” “rufus” responding to the Editorial Board’s Feb. 4 article, “Guns — not an answer to sexual assault.”

Corrections In the Thursday, February 4 edition of The Cavalier Daily, one aricle incorrectly identified Denise Lunsford as the Commonwealth’s Attorney who declined to pursue charges against Martese Johnson.

To better assess the performance of our professors, the University should revamp course evaluations. As voluntary, typically anonymous forms, course evaluations do not adequately assist professors with teaching improvement. In order to better its system of pedagogical evaluations, the University should consider implementing compulsory, non-anonymous course evaluation forms complemented by peer review from other professors each semester. Student evaluations suffer from response bias, as those who complete them are self-selected volunteers, which overrepresents individuals with strong positive or negative opinions. Requiring all students to complete an evaluation for each of their classes in order to view their course grades would alleviate this issue. Compulsory evaluations would be more helpful for professors in that they would allow them to consider a broader range of student criticisms of their

courses. Anonymity also introduces the online disinhibition effect to student evaluations. Evaluations that conceal the identities of those who submit them may cause teaching criticism to be less constructive than it would be if the evaluations were not anonymous. The purpose of anonymity in student evaluations is unclear. If the purpose of an anonymous evaluation is to prevent professors from penalizing a student for a bad review, then the University has already solved that problem: professors do not see their evaluations until after the submission of grades. And if a student feels so negatively about a course that she would submit a scathing evaluation, it would be hard to imagine her enrolling in another one of the professor’s courses. One may also suggest the use of peer evaluations in which fellow faculty members observe professors’ lectures in order to assess the quality of their teaching. For one, assess-

ing the effectiveness of teaching with both student and peer review lessens higher education’s dependence on student evaluations, which, at their worst, may move higher education toward a consumer model. A system that uses student evaluations exclusively may encourage young professors to entertain rather than educate, especially as they rely on student evaluations to become full professors. Peer review may promote particular attention to the rigor and effectiveness of a professor’s instruction, which our faculty may find helpful. Peer evaluation throughout the semester would also allow for formative evaluations of teaching that would accompany the summative evaluation provided by students at the end of a course. That way, professors can adjust their teaching methods according to the feedback they receive from their peers. Professors who review other professors’ courses may also learn from their colleagues’ teaching methods.

Furthermore, higher education already uses peer review to ensure the quality of research and scholarship in academia. It would be reasonable to apply the same standard of peer review to pedagogy. Researchers receive assessments from other experts in their field; similarly, teachers should receive assessments from other experts in teaching. Research is a collaborative enterprise — by introducing that collaborative spirit to pedagogy, universities can promote a community that fosters teacher development, which would elevate the importance of teaching to the level of research for professors for whom teaching takes a backseat. At large institutions where research is a focal point, it is important to ensure quality of instruction. By instituting a system of compulsory, non-anonymous student evaluations coupled with peer evaluations, the University can more effectively provide professors with tools to improve their teaching.

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.

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OPINION

The Cavalier Daily

What’s on the ballot? ast year, three important refer- tion in the mandated time frame of enda were passed with regard one year. Other honor systems that to the Honor System. The first man- have undergone such drastic changdated that a popular ases did so over the span sembly be held every two HONOR COMMITTEE of several years, and they years to “gauge student had the benefit of adminGuest Writers body opinion” on imporistrative support. tant issues. The second, Second, there are put simply, mandated that polling important differences between our questions with majority student body constitution and our by-laws. Our support be translated into constitu- constitution is a relatively limited tional amendments to be put to a (but powerful) document that envote the following year. The third was shrines the most important aspects a question polling student body opin- and the most substantive powers of ion on whether the Honor Commit- the Honor Committee. The by-laws, tee should “consider implementing a meanwhile, are the road map to how multiple sanction system.” we operate. Our constitution is five Though we are a committee of 27 pages; our by-laws are 45 pages. A representatives of varied opinions, fully-fleshed multiple sanction prowe—your Honor Committee repre- posal belongs in the by-laws—which sentatives—consider it our highest are developed by and voted on by responsibility to respond directly to the Committee—but the referenda the expressed opinions of those who passed last year necessitated a constihave elected us. As such, we have tutional amendment in response to spent much of the past year doing the polling question. what was required of us in those refThird, and finally, we reached erenda. We conducted research on al- the conclusion that the second refmost 40 peer schools’ honor systems; erendum, though passed with the we collected feedback from students intention to keep the Committee all across grounds through our news- responsive to student opinion, actuletter; we held a popular assemblies ally limited our options by mandatin multiple schools where we intro- ing a constitutional amendment in duced this research to students and response to polling questions. This asked their opinions; and we have specific provision prevented us from scrutinized our own constitution and responding to student body opinion by-laws to understand the precise ex- by changing our by-laws, training tent of our sanctioning powers. We documents, standard practices, or learned the following lessons. educational materials—all important First, our entire system is set up texts that shape how our system opwith a single sanction in mind. To erates in practice. transition to a multiple-sanction With these lessons in mind, we system would require lengthy and have nonetheless worked hard to do dramatic by-law changes across the what was asked of us: to give the stuboard—in everything from burden dent body a chance to vote on a conof proof standards to features of our stitutional amendment that would system like the conscientious and affect our sanctioning system. We informed retractions—and we felt ill are doing this in the most direct way equipped to complete such a transi- possible: by striking at the heart of the

single-sanction, in Article II of our constitution (the “Powers” section). The current language in our constitution reads: “The Honor Committee shall exclude permanently from student status University students found to have committed honor violations.” This simple sentence erects a constitutional barrier to the implementation of any multiple sanction system. If it is the will of the student body to formally abolish the single sanction at hearings, the first step is changing this clause. You will therefore vote on two different options this spring to change this language. Option 1 reads: “The Honor Committee shall, with the exception of the Conscientious Retraction and Informed Retraction, exclude permanently from student status University students found to have committed Honor violations.”

the single-sanction at a hearing. Option 2 reads: “The Honor Committee shall have the power to exclude permanently from student status or impose lesser sanctions to University students found to have committed Honor violations.” This language eliminates the current constitutional barrier to a multiple-sanction system, though it does not formally implement one. If the student body votes in favor of option 2, the Honor Committee plans to form an Independent Review Commission—comprised of students, faculty, administrators, and interested University stakeholders—to do the hard but necessary work of re-writing our by-laws to fully implement a multiple sanction system. This effort will require extensive polling of the student body to determine what type of multiple-sanction system students prefer. In addition to this direct vote on the constitutional sanctioning power of the Honor Committee, we are also introducing to the ballot a constitutionamendment that In summary, you will see two amendments on al would slightly reword the ballot this year: one will either affirm the the language passed last year governing our single-sanction or change the constitution to response to polling allow for a multiple-sanction system, and the questions. Currently, other will slightly reword the language passed the language reads last year in order to make the Honor Committee as follows: “Should a majority of voting stumore responsive to student opinion. dents vote affirmatively on a non-binding This option both (a) re-affirms the question of opinion pertaining to the single sanction at hearing, while (b) Honor System in a University-wide updating the constitution’s language election, the Honor Committee to represent the fact that we now have shall, in the following year, put such a conscientious retraction and an question before the student body as a informed retraction, both of which binding constitutional amendment.” function as alternative sanctions to As mentioned, this last clause, we

“

The Honor Committee wants to hear your voice believe, actually restricts the Honor Committee’s ability to properly respond to student body opinion, as we are limited to merely proposing constitutional amendments. Therefore, we are asking for your support in rewriting this clause to the following: “Should a majority of voting students vote affirmatively on a non-binding question of opinion pertaining to the Honor System in a University-wide election, the Honor Committee shall enact a response within the time frame of one year.” This language is broad enough to allow us to respond in the most appropriate way—e.g., by changing our by-laws instead of our constitution— while still holding us accountable to student body opinion. In summary, you will see two amendments on the ballot this year: one will either affirm the single-sanction or change the constitution to allow for a multiple-sanction system, and the other will slightly reword the language passed last year in order to make the Honor Committee more responsive to student opinion. They are not perfect amendments, and they will not address all of the problems that students have brought to the Committee’s attention over the past few years. But they represent our best effort to faithfully represent student body opinion while also acting as responsible stewards of the Honor System and the community of trust.

Faith Lyons is the chair of the Honor Committee, Russell Bogue is vice chair for trials, Avery Rasmussen is vice chair for investigations, Caroline Herre is vice chair for education and Vj Jenkins is vice chair for community relations.

OPINION

Monday, February 8, 2016

Why white people can’t use the N-word A “What's the Word” Column

n high school I gave a lot explains the reason many fail to of white friends permission comprehend why it will never to use the N-word by passively be acceptable. Its usage by white failing to address the people is an affront to habit. I think I almost the progress we have VJ JENKINS celebrated white peomade, not a tribute to Guest Writer ple cool enough to colorblindness. say the word fluidly My white peers aras if they were black. But fool- gue there is a double standard in ishly I forgot they invented the the current practice of barring word; it has always been natural white people from saying a word for them to use it. This article so common in the black vernacis not an endorsement of using ular. However, white people are the N-word among black people. not entitled to equality in every However, it does serve to de- arena while black people continbunk the false notion that white ue to suffer at the hands of inpeople have an equal right to stitutional discrimination. Our it. I have some very close white people are killed by police nine friends who maintain they have times more often than our white somehow earned the right to use counterparts, and one in 13 the word just as their black peers black men is disenfranchised of do — a word that was histori- voting rights. You do not get to cally and is presently used as a be the benefactor of equality, yet term of hatred by portions of the the conductor of inequality. The white community. I do not care perceived double standard only if one cuts the “er” ending and further demonstrates an unforreplaces it with an “a” to less- tunate behavior associated with en its severity. A white person white America — disregarding can never earn the right to call fairness so long as it does not me their “n—.” It is the white- infringe upon white entitlement washing of black history that to privilege. If my white coun-

terparts who fight for their right to use the N-word cared about fairness and double standards, they would focus on addressing one of the issues I listed above. But if they can’t say “n—,” then life is unfair? To that, I can do nothing but shake my head at the hypocrisy. The assertion is contradictory to norms of communication.

relationships involved. While Prince Harry may call the Queen of England “granny,” it would be absurdly inappropriate for me to do the same. A man may refer to his girlfriend by some given pet name, but it would be awkwardly inappropriate for a stranger also to use that language in reference to her. Similarly, the relationship black people have with one another and our shared history with the N-word affords the in-group an ability to do something the out-group cannot. In-group and out-group dynamThe perceived double standard only goes to further demonstrate an unfortunate behavior ics are not double standards. They are associated with white America — disregarding accepted protocols of society to limfairness so long as it does not infringe upon it offense. While white entitlement to privilege. explicit exclusion may have substanJay Smooth explains in his vid- tive consequences of inequality, eo blog “Ill doctrine” that ap- I hardly think this rule would propriate communication has qualify. always been determined by the The love of rap and hip-hop

“

does not give license to use the word. Dating a black man or woman does not give license to use the word, and having many black friends does not give license to use the word. No matter the circumstance surrounding your upbringing, you are not black despite the privileged thought that the world is your kingdom in which you can appropriate anything you’d like. I hope my white peers are willing now to sit, listen and learn from the ongoing dialogue of their black peers about the proliferation of the word. I understand it is hard not to have a voice, and I understand it is difficult not to make the rules. But maybe this is a step toward empathizing with my everyday experience. How does it feel?

Vj Jenkins is a guest writer for The Cavalier Daily and Black Student Alliance’s weekly “What’s the Word” column.

Push the boundaries of student journalism he length of an article doesn’t ic medium, the newspaper, with press hard on the minds of a which one can raise such contemnewspaper’s reader base. For an porary matters. Beyond that fact, editorial crew, though, though, there are only it can be amongst the many directions one SASAN MOUSAVI so most urgent of quescan go into further their Public Editor tions. The Cavalier Daiargument for a particuly covers myriad issues lar kind of change. in various shapes, sections and Additionally, Opinion — a popsizes. Why not explore some newer ular section among writers and and longer forms? readers of The Cavalier Daily — has Picking up this week’s paper, I so much submitted content to sift found several engaging editorials through already. Choosing what and guest columns that covered an fits and what cannot fit, within an abundance of subjects. An argu- ocean of issues to cover, is already ment for the departmentalization difficult enough. But writers and of the Women, Gender and Sexual- guest columnists have a tall task, ity program, a criticism of a former as well. Displaying your feelings piece on environmental divestment, and beliefs for an entire University and a guest piece raising awareness comes with an enormous amount of World Hijab Day were fantastic of pressure and a door wide open reads. Despite the diversity of their for criticism. subjects and claims, though, I was These challenges are necessary, left wondering what else could have ultimately, to promote topical discome. Sure, these all belonged in course for the University commuthe paper’s Opinion section, but nity. But why not up the stakes a bit what would happen if they didn’t more, and develop pieces that are stop there? Why not examine what lengthier in word count, but delve the hijab means to U.Va. students, deeper into wider-scale issues? In or how the Women, Gender and other words, why shouldn’t The Sexuality program started at this Cavalier Daily take Opinion piecschool and elsewhere? es a bit further, into formats like I’ll stop myself before I get too “longform” journalism or creative quixotic. One can only expect so non-fiction? much, after all, from student writSuch ambitious styles of reporters and editors. Firstly, let’s appre- ing would be beneficial to multiciate the availability of a democrat- ple parties. Writers interested in

creating such content would have a means with which to analyze a plethora of problems both local to the University and within a plurality of other environments. The potential to find and refine stories otherwise unheard of would be immensely rewarding for their pens and word processors. Editors, too, would acquire a duty to fine-tune and polish these sorts of pieces to best engage The Cavalier Daily’s reader base. But most importantly, the community at large here would have a new, intriguing journalistic dish to chew and digest amongst the many meals of information. But there are caveats to this modest proposal. Such forms of news, argues the chief editor of The

some old standards in the process. That same sort of ambition, too, can be much to ask of writers and editors — at least, those who are interested and willing. The Cavalier Daily is composed of students, after all, and there’s only so much time in the average undergraduate’s life, and so much time to publish a daily newspaper. Furthermore, the Focus section of The Cavalier Daily already focalizes on these kinds of journalism, topic-wise. Articles such as this week’s provide a perfect balance between local and national communities, engaging issues that span both types of environments. They also eschew the formats typically used in the journal’s other articles — about as close as one can get to “longform” journalism. So why propose such changes if such a section already exists? For one thing, Focus articles appear Why shouldn’t The Cavalier Daily take Opinion few and far between. pieces a bit further, into formats like ‘longform’ Few people may want to tackle the diffijournalism or creative non-fiction? culty in writing and researching longer Atlantic, contort the lines between subject matters here and elsewhere. traditional, precise reporting and Moreover, such pieces can hardly novel, nebulous ones. Try to tell be published daily either in paper a great story, and you might lose or pixel form. They take long pe-

“

The Cavalier Daily should explore long-form journalism and other innovations riods of development and publication in order to be suitable enough to engage the community. So should The Cavalier Daily pay more attention to the Focus section? It’s tough to say. Perhaps there isn’t enough interest in such novel schemes of journalism. Maybe finding a place for such pieces is harder than imagined, especially when media has hybridized to end up between paper and screen. But exploring the boundaries and limitations of such pieces — in Focus, Opinion or elsewhere — provides a necessary trial for publications like The Cavalier Daily to hone their craft. Perhaps a higher word count isn’t exactly necessary. Yet pushing beyond the conventional subjects and sections we’re so used to as a community might inspire us — readers, writers and all — to think about today’s topics in brand new ways. Why not combine opinions with focused pieces? Who knows where we might end up!

Sasan Mousavi is the Public Editor for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at publiceditor@cavalierdaily.com or on Twitter at @CDPublicEditor.

PU ZZLES

Monday, February 8, 2016

February 8, 2016

WEEKLY CROSSWORD

UPCOMING EVENTS

By Sam Ezersky

Monday 2/8 Second Year Council Presents: Exp1or8tion Dinner Series, 7-8 p.m., Alumni Hall

The Cavalier Daily Crossword Puzzle by Sam Ezersky, Class of 2017

ACROSS

1. "Purple Haze" rocker Hendrix 5. "U ___ bro?" (troll's comment) 8. Fit for the task 12. Second word of many a fairy tale 13. It's said to be just a number 14. Reason for a game delay 15. *Jumbotron feature that encourages fans to groove: 2 wds. 17. Embarrassing spots for teens? 18. Approximation 19. Marshy area 20. *"How's everything been?": 3 wds. 23. Gooey French cheese 26. Not at all nutso 27. Day between Thu. and Sat. 28. ___-Wip (dessert topping brand) 30. A second time 32. Powerful blackjack card 33. Use profanity 37. Salt Lake City college team, aptly 38. *Expression of appreciation: 3 wds. 41. Idiot 42. "Well, hi there!": 3 wds. 46. Friend in battle 47. Super Bowl 50 team whose quarterback is hidden in the ends of the puzzle's starred clues 48. Alda or Arkin 49. Small unit of work, in physics 50. First word of many of a fairy tale 51. Major British banking inits.

Washington Papers and Corcoran Department of History Present: George and Martha “Join’d by Friendship, Crown’d by Love”, 7-8 p.m., Minor Hall 125

19 20

27 30

38 41

Tuesday 2/9 Men’s Tennis vs. UCLA, 6 p.m., Boar’s Head Sports Club

31 37

Men’s Basketball vs. Virginia Tech, 8 p.m., John Paul Jones Arena

40 43

52. Opposite of yea 53. Free TV ads, for short

DOWN

1. "Hey ___" (Beatles hit) 2. Hoppy brews, briefly 3. ___ Blanc 4. Carved with a chisel 5. Brilliantly colored parrots 6. Mystery author Christie 7. Belittle 8. Middle East natives 9. Source of some breakfast grease: 2 wds. 10. Victoria's Secret purchase 11. Suffix with polypropyl 16. Angsty music genre 21. Leaves in a cup? 22. Takes first place 23. Spoiled kid 24. Places to play PingPong, maybe

The Architecture School Presents: Burke Erdim’s “The Academical State”, 6 p.m., Campbell 153

25. Notoriously difficult class for UVA biomedical engineering majors: 2 wds. 29. "Guh-ross!" 31. Place to buy rifles: 2 wds. 34. Grand Slam tennis event: 2 wds. 35. Major African desert 36. Penny-pinching 39. Boy band with the 2002 hit "Girlfriend": Hyph. 40. Baseball Hall-of-Famer Mel 43. Strong desires 44. Predatory whale 45. Employs 46. Sound of a scream

*THE SOLUTION TO THIS PUZZLE CAN BE FOUND IN THURSDAY’S ISSUE

Futures in Fashion Association Presents: Treat Yo’self with Kendra Scott, 6-8 p.m., Kendra Scott Charlottesville Green Dot Week Presents: Overview Talk with LGBTQ Center, 6:30 p.m., LGBTQ Center McIntire Department of Art and American Studies Department Present: Photographer and Filmmaker Danny Lyon, 6 p.m., Campbell 153 HackCville Presents: Introduction to Python, 6-8 p.m., HackCville Wednesday 2/10 Black Student Research Network Presents: Professor Chat with George Mentore, 12-1 p.m., Monroe 134 Cavalier Daily Open House, 4-7 p.m., Cavalier Daily Offices Green Dot Week Presents: Overview Talk with First Year Players, 1 p.m., Newcomb Hall Gallery Dance Marathon Registration Week Presents: S’mores at Dorms, 6-8 p.m., Old and New Dorms

Monday, February 8, 2016

World Hijab Day gives perspective

life

Julie Bond Feature Writer

The University’s second annual World Hijab Day celebration saw an encouraging increase in participants. Widespread discussion on a global scale has helped bring attention to the event here at the University. “Now, because of recent events, people are starting to really hone in on the fact that [Islamophobia] is a big problem in our community,” second-year College student Attiya Latif said. This year, everyone was invited to wear the Hijab for a day from Feb. 1 through Feb. 5. The week culminated with an event in Newcomb South Ballroom where moderators led discussions and participants talked about their experiences wearing the Hijab and Islam in general. “We need to start talking about the best way to make Mus-

Students spread awareness about Muslim experience lim students feel at home here, and maybe one of those ways is even to use this very narrow conversation about not just the headscarf, but freedom of whatever you want to wear, to talk about religion and to talk about why it’s so hard to be Muslim in America today,” Latif said. Latif and third-year College student Lauren Stroupe said it is even more difficult to be Muslim at a place as homogenous as the University. “I wore the Hijab all day Monday,” Stroupe said. “I found myself feeling more self-conscious than I usually do walking around, and I found myself searching for people who were also wearing the Hijab and not finding a lot of people.” Stroupe, who moderated one of the discussion tables at Friday’s event, chose to participate in World Hijab Day after interning at the Center for Politics and witnessing micro-aggressions displayed towards a delegation from Afghanistan she led around Grounds. During the discussion Friday,

students recognized the choice to wear the Hijab and education's key role in stopping these micro-aggressions. “We’re not here to have a conversation about why women should or shouldn’t wear the scarf, because it’s a state of being,” Latif said. During the dialogue, attendees were assigned a table where moderators shared their own experiences and prompted discussion on topics like micro-aggressions, cultural appropriation and appreciation, feminism and the choice to wear the Hijab. One speaker shared an anecdote about his mother, who spent two years looking for a job while wearing the Hijab to interviews, only to be offered a position on the first day she interviewed without wearing it. “We wanted to motivate people to move past blind solidarity and question their assumptions and figure out ways that they can be allies beyond just sharing an article on Facebook,” Latif said. Latif said it is not enough

Wendy Feng | The Cavalier Daily

Discussion moderators and speakers address the participants in this year’s World Hijab Day event.

just to use the term multicultural to describe a community without engaging in real discussions surrounding multiculturalism. “The word ‘multiculturalism’ is really fun to use and sometimes people will throw statistics around, but in reality

a community’s not multicultural unless we’re actually having conversations,” said Latif. “I just think we have to have a larger conversation about what it means to be a community of trust if we’re going to use that word.”

Not your ordinary career fair Startup Career Fair offers different approach to job hunt Brianna Hamblin Feature Writer

Last Tuesday, students filed into Newcomb Hall for the first annual Startup Career Fair, where

they had the opportunity to connect with newly-formed businesses and non-profit organizations. First-year College student Ashwanth Samuel was drawn to the fair to look for future internships. This semester he is enrolled

Lauren Hornsby | The Cavalier Daily

Students at the Startup Career Fair could engage with recruiters from up-and-coming businesses in a more casual environment.

in “Startup: An Introduction to Entrepreneurship,” taught by Profs. David Touve and Bevin Etienne, whom he credits for sparking his interest in the idea of working with up-and-coming businesses. “I think the whole vibe kind of going on with startups is very innovative and unique,” Samuel said. “It’s also pretty young. A lot of these people here are right out of U.Va. and just a few years out of college. I think that’s a really cool prospect, working with someone who may be five or six years older than you.” At the fair, music played while students and employers discussed career opportunities over dumplings and Campus Cookies. The relaxed environment of the event was modeled after the career fairs held by a company called Uncubed, which was co-founded by University alumnus Tarek Pertew, who graduated in 2004. According to the company’s website, Uncubed was created to provide “a fast-growing community with the digital skills, insight and experiences needed

to succeed at modern work.” The company aims to make networking easier by connecting people looking to get involved in startups with the companies themselves. After attending an Uncubed career fair, David Lapinski, director of employer relations at the Career Center, was impressed by the relaxed and modern environment of the fair. “It appreciates and respects the culture of the organizations that are doing the recruiting… having the music and the food and having students be able to come in jeans,” Lapinski said. “It really kind of changes the vibe and that’s something we were really going for with this. It made us think we should change all of our career fairs.” The Startup Career Fair featured businesses open to recruiting students with a variety of majors and skills. “Startups kind of look for people [who] are adaptable and [who] have a lot of different skills that can come into an opportunity and wear different hats and play different roles,” Director of

Engineering Career Development Julia Lapan said. “I think what they’re really looking for is more of a general skillset as opposed to certain knowledge because they know that they can train people and teach them to do whatever job it is they need to do.” Because these businesses are looking for students who are adaptable, career services representatives from several different departments joined forces to put on this event. Reginald Leonard, assistant director for Career Services at the Data Science Institute, said looking at smaller, startup businesses might be refreshing for students who are used to hearing from large corporations which typically dominate career fairs. “A lot of students kind of shy away from career centers and career fairs because they kind of feel like it’s this buttoned up approach to their career,” Leonard said. “And so this career fair is kind of us showing... we understand that there are a variety of types of work and opportunities out there for you.”

LIFE / HEALTH & SCIENCE

The Cavalier Daily

Tri Sigma hosts service week Sorority launches new chapter on Grounds Sarah Ashman Feature Writer

Last week the national women’s sorority Sigma Sigma Sigma, also known as Tri Sigma, hosted a “Week of Service” as part of their colonization process to begin a new chapter at the University. Tri Sigma was founded in 1898 at Longwood College in Farmville, Virginia, and has since grown to host chapters at over 110 college campuses with more than 100,000 members. Though Tri Sigma was originally established the Delta Chi chapter at the University in 1982, in recent years the sorority decided to begin a new chapter. “Membership dwindled over the last couple of years, and we just weren't contributing to the U.Va. community the way we wanted to,” Assistant Executive Director Lorin Phillips said. “We decided to do a redevelopment this spring.”

H&S health & science

Ruhee Shah Staff Writer

The World Health Organization, or WHO, declared Zika a global health emergency. According to Dr. William Petri, professor of medicine and infectious diseases and international health, this is a prudent attempt by WHO to catch the spread of the virus early. The Zika virus is usually transmitted to humans by Aedes mosquitoes. However, there is currently no mosquito transmission of Zika in the United States. “The cases we have right now are all people who traveled to an area that has Zika virus. We had one sexually-transmitted case as well in Texas,” Petri said. Zika has been previously documented in Africa and Asia, but has been seen in South America for the past two years now. WHO predicts 4 million people will be infected by the end of the year.

The redevelopment at the University has consisted of many different aspects, including three weeks of building public relations and meeting with student leaders, faculty and staff, as well as gathering referrals and recommendations for potential new members. “Through this process we let them know who we are and how to register, and then there is an interview process they go through to be selected,” Colony and New Chapter Consultant Julia Hilkey said. One of the most important aspects of redeveloping Tri Sigma at the University is their Week of Service. From Feb. 1 through Feb. 5, Tri Sigma teamed with many different service organizations on Grounds — from the Salvation Army to Girls Excited about Math and Science — to connect with students and establish themselves as a service-oriented organization. “The Week of Service is an opportunity for Tri Sigma to

come onto Grounds and start with a focus on service,” Hilkey said. “Last semester I met with 75 student groups on Grounds to talk about the week and they had the opportunity to host a service event or offer their members up to attend a service event.” Tri Sigma kicked off the week by bringing Headbands of Hope CEO and Founder Jess Ekstrom to speak to students in Newcomb Hall. The company donates one headband for each headband bought to empower children with cancer through fashion and positive self-identity. The list of charities selected helped Tri Sigma get to know students with a wide variety of interests. The new chapter welcomed all students to attend, held a canned food drive and had some fraternity members over to their house for yoga, Phillips said. “It's been a crazy week, but it's also been really rewarding,” Hilkey said. “I think we've succeeded in putting our name out

Lauren Hornsby | The Cavalier Daily

Members of Tri Sigma held a bake sale during their Week of Service.

there as a service organization and we've gotten the opportunity to serve with potential sisters.” Tri Sigma’s Vision Statement is to “provide exceptional experiences that will empower women to change the world.” Throughout the past week, they have attempted to share this vi-

sion with the University. "Our vision statement is to empower women to change the world which is really bold, but it doesn't have to be on the global level,” Phillips said. “Being a good citizen and being a woman of character is important to us.”

Zika: separating fact from fiction University experts clear up common misconceptions about much-discussed disease “Presumably what happened was a traveler from Asia or Africa [who] had Zika infection got bitten by mosquitoes from Brazil,” Petri said. “Then those mosquitoes in turn infected other people and then were able to establish sort of a reservoir of infected people with Zika virus that could then maintain transmission.” Eighty percent of people infected with Zika experience no symptoms. Those infected will experience fever, rash, conjunctivitis and joint pain for about a week, according to Dr. Anjali Silva, a staff physician at Student Health. Zika is also self-limiting. Like the flu or common cold, it requires no treatment. Once the virus is out of the bloodstream, it has no persistent effects. Zika was not considered dangerous until public health officials became concerned the virus could lead to microcephaly — smaller heads — in children born to women infected during pregnancy. The link is yet-unproven, but health of-

ficials are cautioning anyone who is pregnant or trying to become pregnant to refrain from travelling to areas where Zika is prevalent. Aedes mosquitoes often breed in still accumulated water from sites like discarded tires, tin cans and propped up gutters. According to Petri, environmental steps can be taken to prevent them from growing and spreading. These sorts of mosquito control programs, bolstered by the use of mosquito nets and insect repellant, should be able to halt transmission. “There's probably two really good ways to prevent this infection: one is mosquito control and the other will be through vaccination,” Petri said. The Zika virus very closely resembles Hepatitis C and Dengue, both of which have effective vaccines. “They can use the same backbone they use for Dengue vaccine for the Zika virus vaccine, so it’s kind of a jump start in making a

vaccine against this,” Petri said. “There is a Zika virus vaccine that is going into human clinical trials already.” There are many myths distorting public perception about the Zika virus. Below are the facts clearing up or clarifying these myths associated with the virus. Myth: Zika is dangerous for everyone. Fact: Zika results in relatively mild symptoms lasting only a week for most people. Zika is thought to be dangerous to the child of a pregnant woman, but the correlation is yet to be conclusively proven, according to Petri. Myth: Zika is dangerous to all women who one day may want to have kids. Fact: “The virus is really only in your blood for about a week or so and that's the time when there's risk to a pregnancy. But after you've had the disease there are no lingering effects or risk of birth defects or any kind of link to pregnancy,” Silva said.

Myth: Zika can only be spread by mosquitoes. Fact: There has been at least one case of the Zika virus spreading through sexual transmission, according to Petri. Myth: You should avoid travel to South and Central American countries in order to avoid Zika. Fact: Unless you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant, there is no reason to alter your travel plans. Take precautions like wearing insect repellent and avoiding opportunities for mosquito bites. In fact, there are mosquito-borne illnesses much more dangerous than Zika, like dengue and malaria, which have existed in South and Central America for much longer. Myth: Zika is a new infectious disease. Fact: The Zika virus has been around for decades in Asia and Africa, but was only recently introduced into South America, according to Petri.

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