Monday, April 17, 2017

MONDAY, APRIL 17, 2017

VOL. 127, ISSUE 54

SPY SATELLITES

SHOW CLIMATE CHANGE see NEW VIEW, page 4 AMBER LIU, ERIC DUONG AND SYDNEY WILLIAMS | THE CAVALIER DAILY

WHAT’S INSIDE CONTROVERSIAL FLYERS POSTED IN NEWCOMB PAGE 2

WOMEN’S LACROSSE TRIUMPHS OVER LOUISVILLE PAGE 5

LEAD EDITORIAL: CAMPUS SAFETY CONTINUOUS EFFORT PAGE 6

PARTING SHOTS: BERNSTEIN, EANES PAGE 8

TAKE BACK THE NIGHT KICKS OFF PAGE 11

THE CAVALIER DAILY

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Bellamy tweets posted in Newcomb Hall Doctored photo of Robert E. Lee statue holding Confederate flag among flyers posted ANNA HIGGINS | NEWS EDITOR Flyers featuring old tweets from Charlottesville Vice Mayor Wes Bellamy and images of Robert E. Lee as a statue holding a Confederate flag were posted on the Multicultural Student Center, LGBTQ Center and Media Activities Center in Newcomb Hall late Saturday night.

The tweets from Bellamy, dating between 2009 and 2014, featured profanities against the LGBTQ community, female genitalia and white people, among others.

The tweets led Bellamy to step down from his position on the Virginia State Board of Education in November. He later resigned from his teaching position at Albemarle High School in December.

The flyer of Robert E. Lee as

a statue featured him holding a snake with the words, “modernism,” “globalism,” “marxism” and “[political correctness]” written on it. This follows the recent debate in Charlottesville City Council, which ended with the decision to remove the statue of Robert E. Lee from Lee Park, despite state laws prohibiting the removal of war monuments. Supporters of the statue have since filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent its removal.

Scott Rheinheimer, assistant director of LGBTQ student services, said in an email to The Cavalier Daily on Sunday that he had been made aware of the flyers, but did not have enough information to offer comment.

The MSC and Bellamy did not return requests for comment.

GRANT PARKER | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Old Bellamy tweets (left) and doctored photo of Robert E. Lee statue with Confederate flag (right) taped to the MSC windows.

Human Library gives U.Va. students outlet to share stories Thirty-one ‘books’ offered to attendees ROBERT BORK | STAFF WRITER

RICHARD DIZON | THE CAVALIER DAILY

The Human Library Charlottesville event gave students a chance to share their personal stories on the Lawn.

The inaugural Human Library — an initiative which seeks to tell the stories of students, faculty and community members in an intimate way — was held on the Lawn the afternoon of April 14.

Each storyteller was referred to as a “book” and was given 20 minutes to tell their stories in whatever

way they would like. There were a total of 31 “books” who participated, and they told stories in two shifts over the course of four hours.

Third-year Commerce student Evelyn Wang participated by presenting herself as a “book” titled “Silences.” Although she didn’t

want the specifics of the story to be shared for those who weren’t at the event, she said the process of the storytelling itself was a part of “breaking the silence.”

“I think that it was very rewarding,” Wang said. “I think it’s a very unique event in that way, and for me it was very emotional and

difficult, but also very important.”

She said the feedback she received was what she liked most about the storytelling, as many people told her the story she told them really resonated with them.

“To quote a friend — it’s going to become a staple of the university, an annual event that everyone looks forward to,” Wang said. “I thought it was a really good way to connect with people and remind everyone about the complexity of everyone's individual experiences.”

Third-year Commerce student Alicia Wang, who was an organizer for the event, said the concept of the Human Library is exactly like a regular library where people come and check out books, except the books are presented by people who tell their personal stories about a stereotype or prejudice they have faced.Since then, the Human Library has become an international program, reaching people all over the globe with deeply personalized stories of success, loss and hardship.

“They [the Human Library] actually operate over 84 countries across the world,” Alicia Wang said. “It operates like a TEDx thing where you have to apply for their licenses to host it here. We thought it would be a really cool initiative to start at U.Va. to show people the power of storytelling.”

The books themselves encompass a wide variety of human experiences. Short snippets of several of these stories have been posted to the Human Library’s Facebook page and feature narratives about school after military service, dealing with the divorce of parents, depression and surviving sexual assault. Each story seeks to inform listeners of what makes each book who they are.

Graduate College student Jannatul Pramanik said the purpose of the program from its conception was to use conversations to expand people’s perspectives on identities and stories.

“When [we] go to a library and we check out books, we check them out for the stories and … to expand our knowledge about the stories within them,” Pramanik said. “The way that we do this [for the Human Library] we reach out to people that we knew had interesting life stories and ask them, ‘Would you be willing to share your stories with other people?’”

The Human Library Charlottesville also runs a Facebook page and continually shares personal stories of University students throughout the school year.

MONDAY, APRIL 17, 2017

www.cavalierdaily.com • NEWS

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‘Run for Refugees’ raises money, awareness for IRC U.Va. students organize run-a-thon to directly support International Rescue Committee KARA KREILING | STAFF WRITER A group of University students organized the Run for Refugees run-a-thon Sunday to raise money to support the International Rescue Committee. The event was created as a part of the students’ project management course in which they were tasked to raise money for a Charlottesville charity.

The six-person group that led the effort found their interests aligned with their desire to help the refugee population of Charlottesville.

“We all really support the refugees that are here in Charlottesville,” third-year Commerce student Andy Page said. “We thought about what we could do and came up with this run-a-thon idea.”

Because the group was under the time constraints of the project, and they had to publicize the event quickly, they decided to use the run-a-thon pledge system.

“Because of the way that we’re

COURTESY RUN FOR REFUGEES CHARLOTTESVILLE RUN-A-THON

The run-a-thon was organized by a group of University students.

doing this with a smaller number of runners and the pledges, our upfront costs are a whole lot lower,” thirdyear Commerce student Aaron Anderson said. “We’re able to maximize the back end on how much we’re able

to give.”

The pledge system helped counteract the potential problem of holding the event on Easter Sunday, which may have deterred some people from participating. However, others found

ways to both attend the event and to celebrate the holiday.

“I came right from sunrise service,” said Megan Newman, whose daughter ran in the run-a-thon. “I think that it is a healthy and a Christian thing to do, and I just think that it’s a good thing to do on Easter morning.”

Bob Bower, a participant in the run-a-thon, was also motivated to come out despite the timing. Bower found out about Run for Refugees from the Ragged Mountain Running Shop’s website.

Anderson said holding the event again in the future is one of the group’s goals.

“We wanted to make something that could potentially last and be sustainable,” Anderson said. “We’ll build a retrospective, that’s kind of like a project manual, so that we can hand it off to one of [the CIOs] next year, and they don’t have to figure it

all out.”

The group was able to work with the IRC to ensure the money they raise goes directly towards helping refugees. Anderson said they are trying to promote the idea that the IRC not only helps the refugees resettle but also helps integrate them into the community.

Anderson also pointed to the importance of tackling this sort of issue at the local level.

“I think on some level, a lot of students want to solve this five million refugees from Syria problem, and it’s so big, and it’s so far away, that we can learn about it and we can do things, and there are a lot of people that are working on that bigger issue there,” Anderson said. “But at the same time, I think we’re uniquely positioned essentially as an enlightened community to really start that exchange, to work with the people who are right here.”

Honor Committee brainstorms educational initiatives Ideas seek to increase student knowledge, accessibility of honor system KATE BELLOWS | ASSOCIATE EDITOR The Honor Committee tossed around ideas during their meeting Sunday night for initiatives to educate students about Honor in the coming year. The Committee broke into small groups divided by school to discuss these initiatives and then shared them with the larger group.

“The goal was to have each school come up with an idea that is specific to their school, for education, because each school’s definition of Honor will change depending on year,” said Tamia Walker-Atwater, a third-year Nursing student and Honor Committee vice chair for education. “Our goal this year is to expand the definition of Honor from the community of trust to the community of caring to having each community define what Honor means to them.”

Devin Rossin, a third-year College student and Honor Committee Chair, said Honor is but one facet of the community of trust.

“There’s big “H” Honor, [in] which we adjudicate cases of lying, cheating and stealing, but Honor stands for institutionally a lot more than just that,” Rossin said. “In my opinion, it’s the philosophical backbone of the University … So [the goal is] making that language accessible for every student so they know Honor expands beyond just the definitions of lying, cheating and stealing.”

Brandt Welch, a third-year En-

gineering student and Honor Committee vice chair for community relations, said he believed the small groups went well.

“Everybody came back with some good ideas, so I was really happy about how that went,” Welch said.

“Everyone had already been thinking about it throughout the week, so I think that helped, just re-discussing.”

Jeffrey Warren, a third-year College student and Honor Committee vice chair for hearings, said one support officer suggested Honor host a bilingual town hall for international students.

“I don’t think that something like that has been put on in the past,” Rossin said. “I think it allows support officers and committee members to interact with an underrepresented group of students at the University in an unique and engaging way that we haven’t really done in the past.”

Several of the proposed events would be co-sponsored by other organizations. Warren said he had heard a suggestion to co-sponsor a debate about Honor with one of the debating organizations.

“I think that’s a great idea,” Welch said. “Not just having Honor to talk about issues within Honor, but also maybe community members are really passionate and want to argue why they feel a certain way [and] have Honor facilitate.”

Welch said he believes co-sponsoring with other organizations is an important step in helping them fight against hate speech, citing the an incident of controversial flyers which were found on Grounds Sunday morning.

Welch was referring to flyers that were posted on windows of the Multicultural Student Center, LBGTQ Center and Media Activities Center in Newcomb Hall which featured old tweets from Charlottesville Vice Mayor Wes Bellamy and images of Robert E. Lee as a statue holding a Confederate flag.

“While lying, cheating and stealing are the offenses we can adjudicate, but we need to be an advocate for these other organizations,” Welch said. “Not just support them, but also work with them in their fight for equality, justice and against acts of hate speech that we experienced today.”

In the coming week, the Honor Committee will be co-sponsoring Africa Day with the Organization of African Students on April 22.

“That’s an organization we’ve never had a contact with, and the fact that they feel comfortable enough to reach out to us for co-sponsorship is great,” Welch said. “I actually just got the flyer with Honor’s logo on it and everything. I’m excited.”

KATE BELLOWS | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Third-year College student and Honor Committee Chair Devin Rossin.

THE CAVALIER DAILY

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Spy photos offer new view on climate change Cold War satellite images track global warming effects SARAH YANG | SENIOR WRITER

Environmental Science Prof.

Howie Epstein oversaw a study that used declassified satellite spy photographs to find changes in Arctic greenery. Epstein and his graduate student at the time, Gerald Frost, identified 11 sites around the Siberian tundra and found the amount of shrubs were increasing in those areas.

Arctic scientists have been observing an increase in vegetation in the Arctic tundra since the early 2000s, Epstein said. However, Epstein said he noticed a gap in observations of shrub expansion in Siberia during the Cold War. “[Frost and I] knew of of this collection of spy satellite imagery,” Epstein said. “There have been a few other studies that have used this imagery, and so my graduate student decided to take a look at them.”

While unconventional, sources such as the realist paintings created by the Hudson River School in the 19th century have previously been used as scientific evidence. For example, those 19th century paintings of upstate New York depicted a haze before industrialization — something understood now to be produced by trees interacting with the atmosphere — Environmental Science Dept.

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA

Environmental Science Prof. Howie Epstein and graduate student Gerald Frost identified areas of increased shrub growth in the Arctic using declassified spy satellite images.

Prof. Robert Davis said.

“It’s important to have good observations, or you can’t detect the change in anything,” Davis said. “So, sometimes you have to use unusual sources to piece together information.”

The images used in Epstein’s study were taken by U.S. intelligence on the Soviet Union during the Cold War — using some of the first earth-observing satellite missions, Epstein said.

The photographs are grey-scale, but are high resolution.

“You can see down to a meter resolution,” Epstein said. “They were really good at looking at particularly shrubs and trees, and stuff like that. That’s obviously not what the CIA was looking for at the time, but it turns out they’re really good for seeing changes in shrubs on a landscape.”

Sets of satellite images were declassified in 1995 by the Clinton administration and then again by the Bush administration in 2002 — both are available online. From these photos, Frost isolated 11 sets of images across the Siberian tundra, and paired them with commercial high-resolution imagery in order to track greenery changes over time.

“What the data and images are suggesting is that shrubs have increased quite a bit on these landscapes over the past 40 to 50 years,” Epstein said. “If they were in equilibrium in climate, it would suggest that this could be a result of global warming.”

The Arctic is warming at twice the global average, making climate change a likely reason for increasing shrubbery. However, warming disturbances — including fires that clear space for shrubs, the thawing of permafrost and other natural occur-

rences — may also be at fault, Epstein said.

According to Epstein, an increase in the number of shrubs has both advantages and disadvantages. For example, the insulation provided by the shrubs will keep the ground cooler in the summer, but warmer in the winter. Additionally, snow-covered shrubs reflect incoming solar radiation, but protruding shrubs re-radiate heat — causing additional atmospheric heating.

“It’s hard to say [if it’s] good or bad,” Epstein said. “But if you want to make a call, it ends up being very complicated — particularly depending on what aspect of the ecosystem you care about.”

This complication has also arisen when looking further into other Arctic greenery trends. While Epstein’s study focuses around greening, Arctic browning — or the decrease in shrubs — has also been observed.

“The bottom line is that it’s a very complicated system, and we have a long way to go before we understand what is controlling vegetation changes in the arctic,” Epstein said. “The paradigm that we’ve been operating on is the tundra is greening … But it turns out, it’s not just greening. It’s a lot more dynamic than we imagined.”

Tablet-based modules reduce reincarceration rates Professors help former inmates re-integrate back into society IRENA KESSELRING | STAFF WRITER Jennifer Doleac, Asst. Prof. of Public Policy and Economics in the Batten School, and Benjamin Castleman, Asst. Prof. of Education and Public Policy in the Education School, launched a new technology-based program to improve inmates’ transitions back into society and reduce levels of reincarceration.

Coordinated efforts between a Chicago-based technology education company, Edovo, and University professors has led to the development of a tablet-based module. This module will be personalized to reduce levels of recidivism — or prisoner re-entry — and facilitate further work involving behavioral technology and justice policy.

“Prisoner re-entry is a major policy issue right now,” Doleac said. “We as a country are trying to find ways to reduce our dependence on mass incarceration. But at this point, the latest numbers indicate that two-thirds of those released from prison will be re-arrested in three years. Recidivism rates are extremely high, and that’s

making it hard to reduce incarceration rates.”

To reduce reincarceration rates, researchers combine behavioral science with justice technology to customize programs that will help inmates effectively adjust back into society after being released.

Castleman, Doleac and researchers at Edovo are in the process of creating tablet-based modules that will guide inmates during their transitions. The tablet-based modules ask personal questions about family life, level of education and possible health conditions that will affect the forms of guidance that they will receive.

Doleac coined the term “Turbotax for reentry” to describe the system that will allow for users to prioritize and organize their needs.

“The first part — when they’re using the module — will be, hopefully, in the two to four weeks before they’re released,” Doleac said. “And then after they’re let out, we will follow up with text messages to help them keep on track, and send reminders and

nudges and additional information needed to help them stick to the plan they developed during that pre-release module.”

The Nudge4 Solutions Lab developed a text-message-based program to assist high school students in college application requirements.

Castleman previously worked in the Education School’s Nudge4 Solutions Lab to help aid students as well as to show the benefits of technological innovation. Due to the system’s success, he believes a similar form of technology can be applied to inmate transitions. Castleman said he aims to employ a similar technique in creating a customized program to eventually lower rates of prison re-entry.

By considering the role of accountability and methods of information-processing, the program provides a possible method for not only lowering recidivism, but also spurring further developments in the field of justice policy.

According to Doleac, there is a broad spectrum of factors that con-

tribute to high rates of recidivism, including difficulties acquiring health care, child care or educational opportunities. By linking former inmates to the proper resources, the new technology will mitigate the complications associated with transitioning to normal life and help to solve the central issue of housing and unemployment.

“Housing and employment are often thought of as if there’s a bit of a “chicken and egg” issue … It’s hard to get and keep a job and be a reliable employee who shows up at nine everyday if you don’t know where you’re sleeping that night,” Doleac said. “But it’s hard to get housing if you don’t have a way to pay for it, and advocates and practitioners will often say that housing and employment is a really crucial first step toward helping people get onto a stable path.”

Kevin Pujanauski from Edovo said in an email statement that the technology will allow for personalized transitions — helping users to overcome challenges associated with

returning to a normal lifestyle. According to Pujanauski, Edovo’s goal is to provide hope to those who are incarcerated and recently released.

Pujanauski said he hopes that as evidence begins to show the program’s efficacy, Edovo can gain more funding and later expand the program to prisons in more than 15 states.

“Jails are often the main intercept point for people dealing with multiple traumas and socioeconomic disadvantages,” Pujanauski said. “Education and communication with loved ones have been shown to decrease recidivism among returning citizens, but these opportunities are severely limited for the average prisoner. With a set of people with nothing but time on their hands and the motivation to make changes in their lives, we are failing as a society at giving them resources to make those changes.”

MONDAY, APRIL 17, 2017

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Women’s lacrosse triumphs over Louisville Big second half carries Cavaliers to victory JOHN GARZA | STAFF WRITER The No. 15 Virginia women’s lacrosse team was able to find a huge ACC win against a renowned Louisville team Saturday — outscoring the Cardinals, 11-7.

After a big win against a talented Navy team, the Cavaliers (9-7, 3-3 ACC) looked to even out their ACC record as they faced off against a solid Louisville (10-6, 2-4 ACC) team. The Cardinals tested the Cavalier defense’s ability to protect the net against capable attackers.

Virginia entered the first half struggling to answer for two early goals scored by the Cardinals.

Senior attacker Besser Dyson eventually put the Cavaliers on board with a goal assisted by sophomore midfielder Maggie Jackson.

Virginia went on to exchange goals with Louisville for the the rest of the first half. However, the team was unable to make key stops and trailed by one at the half.

“I think defensively, we struggled a little in the first half with their top players, and we had a hard time finding the ball,” junior keeper Rachel Vander Kolk said. “It was something we fixed at halftime. We knew that if we wanted to beat a top team like Louisville, we would need to pick it up defensively.”

The Virginia defense put pressure on Louisville on all sides of the field — forcing 20 turnovers and recovering 22 ground balls. Vander Kolk also made key saves that helped shift the momentum of the game.

“I think our defense really stepped up,” Coach Julie Myers said. “Rachel made just enough saves at the right time too. We held them for most of their possession clock and had it expire a couple of times. Making those stops creates good energy and emotion, and we play off of that.”

The monumental defensive efforts of the the Virginia defense coming together and playing as a team resulted in them holding Louisville to a tie for its lowest score of their season — allowing just one goal throughout the entirety of the second half.

“I’m very proud of the defense … To hold a team like Louisville to one goal in the second half says a lot,” Myers said.

Of course, Virginia would need to overcome its one-point deficit from the first half — finding the back of the net on six occasions in the second half.

Leading Virginia on offense was sophomore midfielder Maggie Jackson, who tallied three goals against the Cardinals.

“We knew we could win — we knew we were the better team

and so it was just making shots,” Jackson said. “We had more op-

Virginia, who was able to dominate both sides of the field

ATMAN SONI | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Freshman midfielder Sammy Mueller forced three turnovers in Virginia’s 11-7 win.

portunities than they did, and we were turning the ball over, so it was just making shots and finishing the play.”

in the second half, still struggled with inside passes and getting good looks to score. Although the Cavaliers were only able to

shoot 29 percent from the field and were 1-10 in free-position shots, the offense was able to create more opportunities than that of Louisville.

Many of those opportunities to score or to limit the Cardinals were created at midfield. Louisville was just 19-24 in clears throughout the game, and was forced into long possessions by a very stingy Cavalier defense that was able to punish mistakes with a quick fast-break game.

“This is one of our best midfields that we’ve had in years and years, and they love to turn it on in transition,” Myers said. “They catch their rest while we get into attack. More often than not, we are the faster team with middies and what I like is that they use their speed.”

Saturday’s big win against the Cardinals was exactly what the Cavaliers needed as the regular season draws to a close.

“This is a huge win for us,” Myers said. “You’re here at home, and coming down the stretch, you want to go into ACC’s hot. For me, I looked at this game as a must-win.”

Virginia will look to end its regular season on a high note as it faces off against in-state rival Virginia Tech next Saturday at home.

No. 12 baseball takes two of three at Virginia Tech The No. 12 Virginia baseball team won its second-straight ACC series at Virginia Tech this past weekend. The Cavaliers (29-9, 10-8 ACC) took the first two games before dropping the series finale to the Hokies (1919, 7-11 ACC) Saturday.

The first game of the series was an unexpected slugfest that ended in a narrow 10-9 victory for the Cavaliers. The team jumped out to an early lead, spearheaded by a two-run homer by sophomore outfielder Cameron Simmons — his second in as many games — in the second inning, followed by a five-run third frame. The Cavalier bats gave junior starter Derek Casey a solid advantage early on, but the righty ace was uncharacteristically erratic Thursday — allowing four runs and four walks in 3.2 innings.

Virginia led 9-5 after seven innings, but the Hokies stormed

back with four runs in the eighth against senior reliever Alec Bettinger — who struggled for one of the first times this season.

Sophomore closer Tommy Doyle baled out his teammates by narrowly closing out the Hokies in the ninth inning with two runners on base to secure the win.

Friday’s affair was much more of a battle from the mound. Freshman pitcher Noah Murdock started for Virginia and pitched the best outing of his young career — firing seven shutout innings with no walks.

The Cavaliers held a 2-0 lead at Murdock’s departure, but Virginia Tech tied the game shortly after against sophomore reliever Chesdin Harrington.

Both teams threatened ninth but went quietly, leading to the first extra-innings game of the season for the Cavaliers.

The stalemate didn’t last long, though, as junior outfielder

Adam Haseley put Virginia on top with a solo blast in the tenth inning — his team-leading eleventh of the year. Doyle held the lead in the bottom of the frame, earning his second save in as many days as Virginia took a 3-2 victory.

With Haseley on the mound Saturday, Virginia went for its second-straight ACC series sweep. The junior allowed one run in the first inning but settled down nicely afterwards, not allowing another earned run and striking out nine in six innings.

Sophomore third baseman Nate Eikhoff tied things up with his first homer of the season in the second, and Virginia built a 4-1 lead from there.

For the third game in the row, however, the Hokies stormed back. The team put up five runs in the seventh inning to take a 7-5 lead, punctuated by a threerun homer off the bat of senior

outfielder Mac Caples. Virginia could not mount a comeback against the Hokie bullpen and fell 7-5 — snapping the Cavaliers’ eight-game winning streak.

Virginia returns to action with midweek tilts against Longwood and James Madison

at Davenport Field. The Cavaliers will then get a visit from ACC foe Notre Dame for a series next weekend.

— compiled by Alec Dougherty

CHELSEA BENGSON | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Junior outfielder Adam Haseley hit a home run in Virginia’s 3-2 win over Virginia Tech.

THE CAVALIER DAILY COMMENT OF THE DAY “We should not be attacking any country that is not an imminent threat to us. We are just getting sucked into the continuing Middle East quagmire, which puts Americans in danger.”

“TonyXL” in response to Olivier Weiss’ April 12 column: “Trump right to order missle strikes”

LEAD EDITORIAL

Campus safety is a continuous effort A decade after Virginia Tech shooting, colleges must keep finding ways to improve emergency preparedness

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esterday marked the 10th anniversary of the Virginia Tech mass shooting. The tragic event, which claimed the lives of 32 people, was the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history at the time. A decade later, victims and their families are still healing and actively working to prevent future mass shootings. In this time of reflection and remembrance, our University community should discuss emergency preparedness and campus security.

At the time of the shooting, Virginia Tech’s campus security lacked a quick and efficient way of alerting students and the entire campus about the threat of an active shooter.

Since the shooting, colleges around the country have implemented advanced alert systems which offer

multiple ways to notify their communities of potential threats. While this initiative certainly has addressed a significant issue with the way schools respond to emergencies, colleges must realize improving campus safety is a continuous effort.

One of the most challenging safety issues our University and other colleges face today is how social media allows people to instantly access information about an ongoing emergency — whether it’s accurate or not. In any emergency, well-intentioned individuals who may not have all the facts can misrepresent the situation on social media before administration officials have the chance to provide accurate information. Accessing inaccurate information about a potential threat through

social media presents significant risks to students. With the wrong information, students could suddenly find themselves in dangerous situations instead of avoiding them.

In spite of the University’s strong emergency alert system, students and faculty may not be fully aware of what to do in emergency situations. Evacuation plans available from the Office of Safety and Emergency Preparedness include minimal instructions, and more in-depth resources are not widely distributed to students upon their arrival to Grounds. Moreover, participation in disaster response drills is generally optional for students. To ensure students are aware of proper emergency response procedures, the University could include emergency

preparedness training in the health and safety modules all new students already must complete.

The Virginia Tech community has endured unimaginably difficult times throughout the past decade.

During these times, our University community has offered — and will continue to offer — a hand of unconditional support and warm reassurance to Virginia Tech. Together, our communities will always remember and honor the victims of this tragedy. Looking to the future, the University must continue to improve its emergency preparedness practices, and as students we must strive to educate ourselves about emergency procedures.

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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.

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MONDAY, APRIL 17, 2017

www.cavalierdaily.com • OPINION

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DIVERSITY OF COVERAGE IS NOT ALWAYS NECESSARY Impartiality is a flawed practice when it elevates opinions not founded in objective fact

T

he pursuit of diversity of opinion is a decades-old process, consistently praised for positively influencing scientific research and workplace habits.

Publications such as The New York Times or AllSides attempt to pierce so-called “filter bubbles” by presenting arguments from political liberals, moderates and conservatives. The Cavalier Daily’s public editor, Jacquelyn Katuin, noted that “it is important to continue this dialogue and encourage healthy, substantive debate about political issues and other content.”

No doubt, a diversity of opinion is essential in formulating well-rounded, convincing arguments; however, in promoting articles from those across the political spectrum, journalists and reporters must abstain from providing a false balance — described by Oxford researcher Robert Grimes as “when journalists present opposing viewpoints as being more equal than the evidence allows” — when dealing with scientific and political issues.

The dangers of false balance have been documented in the mass media’s coverage of environmental and scientific issues, primarily concerning climate change and vaccination efficacy.

In the realm of climate change, for instance, mainstream media coverage of climate change has been relatively balanced, despite overwhelming scientific evidence indicating the existence of man-made climate change. Despite this, a 2004 report by Maxwell and Jules Boykoff found that, from 1998 to 2002, “in the majority (52.65 percent) of coverage in the US prestige press, balanced accounts prevailed; these accounts gave ‘roughly equal attention’ to the view that humans were contributing to global warming, and the other view that exclusively natural fluctuations could explain the earth’s temperature increase.”

As a result, Maxwell and Jules Boykoff note that “despite general agreement in the scientific community regarding the existence of anthropogenic influences on global warming, coverage seemed to indicate that division in the scientific community was quite even … This disconnection has played a significant role in the lack of concerted international action to curb practices that contribute [to] global warming.”

Yet, the presentation of false balance is not exclusively limited to the field of climate change. The so-called “fair and

balanced” coverage provided between vaccinations and long-debunked safety concerns — especially concerning vaccinations and autism — has resulted in reduced vaccination rates against diseases such as polio and measles. In 2009, the Pub-

efficacy of vaccines via faulty evidence, it rendered millions of citizens more vulnerable to otherwise-rare diseases.

In a separate incidence, a 2011 report by the New England Journal of Medicine found a “1982 television program

In ensuring diversity of opinion, modern-day reporters must abstain from providing an equal platform for viewpoints unable to verify their arguments with extensive, reliable facts.

lic Library of Science noted that despite “overwhelming evidence that vaccines don’t cause autism, one in four Americans still think they do. Not surprisingly, the first half of 2008 saw the largest U.S. outbreak of measles — one of the first infectious diseases to reappear after vaccination rates drop — since 2000, when the native disease was declared eliminated.” The mass media plays an important role in informing citizens of vaccination safety — in providing a platform to pseudoscientists who questioned the

on diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus (DPT) vaccination entitled ‘DPT: Vaccine Roulette’ led to a national debate on the use of the vaccine, focused on a litany of unproven claims against it.” The consequences of such “balanced” coverage were devastating — the NEJM reported that countries “that dropped routine pertussis vaccination in the 1970s and 1980s then suffered 10 to 100 times the pertussis incidence of countries that maintained high immunization rates.” In coverage of climate change and vacci-

nation safety, mainstream media ignored overwhelming scientific consensus in order to achieve a level of “impartial” reporting.

By doing so, the media negatively impacted public belief in such topics, thereby endangering public health and safety.

The pursuit of impartiality and objectivity in reporting is undoubtedly a noble one, and attempts to provide diverse viewpoints when dealing with controversial topics should continue. However, there exists a fine line between providing balanced viewpoints and elevating one side’s argument when there exists no evidence to support it.

In ensuring diversity of opinion, modern-day reporters must abstain from providing an equal platform for viewpoints unable to verify their arguments with extensive, reliable facts.

WILLIAM WONG is an Opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily.

He can be reached at opinion@ cavalierdaily.com.

COVERAGE OF ISLAM FALLS SHORT

Lack of coverage by The Cavalier Daily about Islam Awareness Month sends wrong message to students

T

he Muslim Student Association at the University has been putting on events in honor of Islam Awareness Month. Programming kicked off this week and will continue for the rest of April. There are plans for a brunch event, a fundraiser for the International Rescue Committee, a professional panel and an informational session about the different sects of Islam. The Cavalier Daily regularly covers student activities and events, but it seems to have missed much of this programming. Perhaps authors were waiting to cover larger events towards the end of the month, but this omission currently seems glaring.

In the name of equitable and balanced coverage, The Cavalier Daily should discuss Islam

Awareness Month with the same level of depth as it does other religious and cultural events on Grounds. This past week, The Cavalier Daily printed an Opin-

of taking time to decompress.

However, writing about a religious event such as Lent and not covering Islam Awareness Month is something of an over-

Past Cavalier Daily coverage of multi-cultural and religious events has been expansive, and it is a bit surprising that this topic seems to have fallen through the cracks. ion piece discussing Lent, and the need for students to take time for self-reflection and introspection. This is a wonderful sentiment and several articles this spring have highlighted self-care and the importance

sight for the paper.

Past Cavalier Daily coverage of multi-cultural and religious events has been expansive, and it is a bit surprising that this topic seems to have fallen through the cracks. There has been a sub-

stantial number of articles on the new multicultural center in Newcomb Hall, and the recent march for Muslim, immigrant and international student rights.

Additionally, in light of anti-Muslim rhetoric and vandalism that has occurred this year at the University, it is critical authors continue to cover programming aimed at educating students about Islam.

The lack of coverage about Islam Awareness Month is sending the wrong message to students. Providing news articles and commentary about the impact of this programming will benefit students and community members in two main ways. First, more people will learn about these events and may be more likely to attend an event down the road. Second,

increased coverage will highlight the positive work MSA is doing and ensure a higher level of religious inclusivity in the University community. Cavalier Daily readers deserve engaging and diverse content. The lack of Islam Awareness Month coverage impacts all members of the University and the wider Charlottesville community.

JACQUELYN KATUIN is the Public Editor for The Cavalier Daily.

She can be reached at publiceditor@cavalierdaily.com.

8

THE CAVALIER DAILY

OPINION • www.cavalierdaily.com

PARTING SHOTS Fourth Years reflect on their experiences as Cavalier Daily Editors

M

y grandparents were expert storytellers.

I must have heard some of their anecdotes thousands of times and even now I still want to hear them over again.

Part of this was because they knew how to capture an audience, how to make you feel like you had lived the moments they were describing with them. And part of it was because their stories were inherently interesting; they lived through nearly 100 years of world history and naturally had a lot to say.

I grew up eager to emulate their example. Desperate for my own experiences, when it came time to go to college I left my comfortable, liberal Northeastern bubble and ventured South, in search of a challenge — in search of some unique story to tell.

It was with that goal in mind that I walked into the Cavalier Daily office in the first semester of my first year, nervous and excited to have a precious 800 words every week just to share my thoughts. But in the fall of 2013, I hadn’t quite figured out what I wanted to say. My column became a training ground, a place to throw my ideas out into the world of the Internet and see what stuck. My editors quickly became mentors, constantly

D

uring my time at the University, I’ve been many things.

I’ve been a student, a writer, a dancer and even a dropout for a brief time.

Throughout my time in The Cavalier Daily, I’ve taken on many faces; from the brand new reporter who somehow didn’t interview a single person in the Peace Corps for an article about the Peace Corps, to the editor who spent 20 minutes deciding on the placement of a comma. With all of these experiences at my back and my future ahead of me, I’m faced with the dilemma of figuring out who I am in the world.

My journey with The Cavalier Daily started off with a rejection from the Life section after applying to be a biweekly columnist. Admittedly, first-year me had no idea how to translate my winning personality into 800 words. I had no idea who I was, or who I even wanted to be. I don’t really remember what I wrote about for my submission, but I’m sure it had something to do with being a little fish in a big pond — sadly not original enough to land a spot as a columnist.

Letting the sting of rejection fade away along with my dreams of being

TELLING A STORY steering my arguments in the right direction if I veered off course. I was lucky that they didn’t hold back, that they challenged me to think critically and really do my research — and that, no matter what the Internet

a chance to share someone else’s.

For me, that became the point of the paper: to challenge readers to better understand one another. At times we succeeded in doing this and at other times we didn’t, but that was always

When we did miss the mark, we would agonize over how to do better — because we knew that journalism, when done the right way, does good in the world. comments said, their support never wavered.

And with that support, by my second year I found myself deeply involved in the paper in a way I hadn’t anticipated. With the urgency of that year, writing took on a new meaning for me. As I felt parts of our community unravel, I saw where I could have my deepest impact. I learned how to understand others’ stories, how to relate to them even when they were so different from my own. As I learned more about my peers, whether I had an interesting story myself became less important, because I had

the goal, even when we came up short.

When we did miss the mark, we would agonize over how to do better — because we knew that journalism, when done the right way, does good in the world. The struggle is in determining how, exactly, to do journalism the right way. There are plenty of examples of how not to do it. But right now student reporters don’t have clear role models. Today even the facts are up for debate; objective reporting has become inherently politicized. And when the experts come into doubt, who are student journal-

ists supposed to turn to in the pursuit of true and balanced reporting and the free exchange of ideas?

After spending so many nights in the basement of Newcomb with some truly incredible people, I’m confident that if we can’t find role models out there to show us how to cover what matters, we can set the standard ourselves, as reporters and readers. I urge readers both to hold the paper accountable and acknowledge good work when they see it.

The relationship between writer and reader is a two-way street; remember that we often get the news we ask for.

It’s on the reporter to do her job well — it’s on you to recognize it when she does.

To the now-alums who welcomed me into this intimidating operation, thank you for making me a better writer, editor and more thoughtful person. To a staff that trusted me first to voice the stance of this paper — one of my proudest contributions — and then gave me a chance at its helm, I am forever indebted to you.

And to the immensely talented people who are taking up the challenge of running the paper this year and in the years that follow, I’m so proud of the work you’ve done and can’t wait

DANI BERNSTEIN 126th Executive Editor, 127th Editor-in-Chief to see what else you will do.

My grandparents didn’t live to see any of the articles I wrote. In their absence, I looked to others to guide me in my search for the right stories and the right way to tell them. I was so lucky to find those people here. I can’t begin to express my gratitude for getting to partake in the vibrant, frustrating, smart and complex community that makes up this paper and the small world we cover — a group that’s given me me so many stories to tell.

WHO I WANT TO BE

the real-life Carrie Bradshaw, I tried my hand at the Arts & Entertainment blog — a long-lost Tumblr page I have no interest in trying to ever find again out of sheer embarrassment.

After about two posts about movies I had never seen, I joined the news section. I didn’t know anything about reporting, but I did know my roommate was joining and there was no application to get in, so I gave it a

responsible for such a large group of people and their work, and I definitely buckled under the pressure more than a few times. At the same time, I had never been more proud of myself and of the work those around me were doing. I was learning from so many people every day and growing a confidence in myself that I had never known.

Now that The Cavalier Daily is

Thank you for helping me find my strengths, for making me face my mistakes, for allowing me to know some of the most talented people I have ever met and for being able to call them friends today. shot.

My career as a news reporter was full of ups and downs and hard-hitting stories, from tracking a year’s worth of student self-governance to conducting my most high-profile interview ever, an expert on — you guessed it — the Eastern Gray Squirrel. Being an editor was no less stressful. Never before had I been

no longer a part of my daily life, I wonder what my short-lived legacy might be. Will people remember my mistakes? Will they remember my successes? Or will I just be known as the girl who sprained her knee dancing on a pole at a staff party (something I’m sure someone has footage of on their phone)?

As I’m writing this, I can’t help

but think how vain it is to wonder how the next year or so of staffers will think of me. But I keep coming back to the thought because, above all, what I’ll remember most about my years with The Cavalier Daily are the people who surrounded me day in and day out.

It’s the memory of nights ended with the last three people in the office watching videos of unlikely animal friends that will beat out the memory of lost sleep. It’s the memory of buying ridiculous outfits for a party theme five of us decided on and no one else followed that will beat out the memory of stressful deadlines.

And it’s the memory of smiles and laughter and singing and dancing around the office that will beat out the memory of long hours of hard work.

This organization has shaped who I am through the people I’ve met. For everyone I’ve come across in my time in The Cavalier Daily — this is for you. It’s not much, but it’s my everlasting gratitude for helping me to know who I want to be.

Thank you for helping me find my strengths, for making me face my mistakes, for allowing me to know

KAYLA EANES 127th Managing Editor some of the most talented people I have ever met and for being able to call them friends today. I have learned so much from you — and not just that I have such easily injured joints. I have learned who I hope to be because I saw myself surrounded by it everyday: someone who seeks the truth, someone who strives to serve their community, someone who surrounds the life of another with joy and laughter.

Thank you for teaching me so much about myself — including how to write a column, even if it’s almost four years too late. Thank you for inspiring me everyday for those four years and for years to come.

MONDAY, APRIL 17, 2017

WEEKLY CROSSWORD SAM EZERSKY | PUZZLE MASTER

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

EVENTS Monday 9/12 Field Hockey vs. Liberty, 5pm, University Hall Turf Field UVA Career Center Presents: Career Fair Simulation, 5-6:30pm, Bryant Hall at Scott Stadium UVA Career Center Presents: EY Information Session, 7-8pm, Bryant Hall at Scott Stadium FIFE Presents: Presence of Feminism Discussion, 6:30-9:30, Gibson Hall Tuesday 9/13 UVA Career Center Presents: Financial Technology Night, 6-8pm, Bryant Hall at Scott Stadium UVA Career Center Presents: Accenture Day on Hall in Engineering, 11am-2pm, Thornton 205 UVA Career Center Presents: Connecting with Employers 101, 5-6pm, Newcomb Hall Gallery Wednesday 9/14 Men’s Soccer vs. VCU, 7pm, Klockner Stadium IR at UVA Presents: Student Debate on Turkish Coup of 2016, Fact or Fiction?, 7-8pm, Jefferson Hall Hotel C at West Range UVA Career Center Presents: Blackstone Info Session, 5-6pm, Bryant Hall at Scott Stadium

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1. Hashtag on some Instagram posts 4. ___ and hers 7. Sports bar appliances, for short 12. *Oxygen, but not air 14. Lame 15. Never ever ever: 2 wds.

16. State where Stephen King is from 17. First-year residence 18. Marijuana, in slang 20. Do some tailoring 21. Water gate?

22. Red or blue thing chosen by Neo in "The Matrix" 24. *"Boo-___!" (boastful shout) 27. Passed out the cards 30. "...___ woodchuck could chuck wood?": 2 wds.

33. Ewe's mate 35. *One of the deadly sins 37. Rapper whose most recent album's songs can all be found in this puzzle, either as answers to starred clues or an anagram of the circled letters: 2 wds.

41. Nevada city near Lake Tahoe 42. Hemingway's "The Old Man and the ___" 43. Be nosy 44. Gives to a borrower 47. Car navigational aid inits.

49. Baby powder mineral 51. Third degree?

54. UVA org. headquartered at Carruthers Hall 57. Game that can be played at 1515 University Avenue 59. Fishing line holder 61. Horse's sound 63. *Faithfulness 65. Hank who hit 755 home runs 66. Standing ___ 67. *Group of lions 68. Amazon product category

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DOWN

1. Work behind a bar 2. *Red Cross supply 3. Half of octa4. Female octopus, lobster, or...chicken 5. Division of a foot 6. Awfully expensive, as a price 7. *Modest 8. *Material analyzed in crime labs 9. Not that 10. Tarzan's means of transportation 11. Gush out 13. Cry from a crib 19. Freed (of) 23. In ___ land (out of it): Hyph.

25. "___, matey!"

26. LOLcat's greeting 28. Unit of coal or sugar 29. Bygone Russian ruler 30. "You're telling me," in texts 31. *Perceive by touch

32. Hathaway who played Catwoman 34. 37-Across and others, briefly 36. Take a stab 38. "___ even think about it!"

39. Big beer purchase 40. One of 200 at the Indy 500 45. Companion of Freddy, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby 46. ___-pitch softball 48. Jack who could eat no fat, as per a nursery rhyme 50. : 52. Slinky's shape 53. Juice cleanse, e.g.

54. What a strained rubber band will eventually do 55. *What daredevils lack 56. iPhone assistant 58. *Zero, in tennis 60. Short-tailed wildcat 62. *"Oh my ___!"

64. Deviation in a rocket's course

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

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THE CAVALIER DAILY

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‘Seats at the Table’ showcases ‘Books Behind Bars’ New documentary contains students, inmates reading Russian literature for U.Va. course KATIE WATTENDORF | STAFF WRITER “Seats at the Table” — a new documentary previewed at the Tom Tom Founders Festival that is set for official release in 2018 — chronicles the conversations between University students and inmates at a maximum security juvenile correctional center.

The topic of those conversations — Dostoevsky.

The film is a showcase of Slavic Languages and Literatures Prof. Andrew Kaufman’s course “Books Behind Bars: Life, Literature and Community Leadership.” Accomplished filmmaker Chris Farina directed the project. Wednesday, Kaufman and Farina spoke about the film at the Paramount Theater along with Andy Block, director of the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice.

In Kaufman’s course, University students travel once a week to Beaumont Juvenile Correctional Center,

which is right outside of Charlottesville. Comprised of equal parts University students and correctional facility residents, the class facilitates discussions their thoughts, stories and emotions under the guiding resource of Russian literature.

In the panel following the screening, Kaufman spoke of his mission to “use literature to talk about life issues that are relevant to all of us.”

Incarceration is a topic of hot debate in today’s political climate. For Block, this makes Kaufman’s class — and the subsequent documentary — even more important. Block said his goal was to tap into the unlimited potential of juveniles in the correctional system. He believed this film will aid in that mission, as an “incredibly valuable tool for debunking stereotypes.”

Building off Kaufman’s vision, Farina, who directed the documentary, said he wanted to help juveniles in

correctional facilities receive support.

Farina spoke of his feeling of responsibility as a filmmaker to represent the underrepresented and give a loud voice to a small project. “Seats at the Table” is “a film to try and make the world a better place,” Farina said.

“Seats at the Table” showcases the notion that art is not just for the artists, but also can serve as a for social justice reform.

After the conclusion of the film, a young man named Justin leaned towards the microphone and read a poem he wrote. He was formerly incarcerated at Beaumont, where he participated in Kaufman’s Russian literature class. He says he learned how to “express himself in stories and poems” through the class. It was later announced that Justin, who enrolled in community college while on parole, has been accepted as a transfer student to the University.

COURTESY BOOKS BEHIND BARS UVA

A documentary about the University’s “Books Behind Bars” class aired at the Tom Tom Founders Festival this week.

‘The Fate of the Furious’ loses steam Latest series installment is severely flawed DARBY DELANEY | SENIOR ASSOCIATE ‘’Since its modest beginnings as a low-budgeted “Point Break” ripoff, the “Fast and Furious” franchise has evolved — amping up the spectacle so many times that the latest entries do not remotely function on the same scale as their predecessors. The characters who started as working-class outlaws are now combating global annihilation — Dominic “Dom” Toretto (Vin Diesel) and company are less likely to street race in the sweaty, grimy streets of Los Angeles than they are expected to disarm nukes and torpedo-launching submarines. It’s been a long road.

The series’ latest installment, “The Fate of the Furious,” continues the tradition of the franchise outdoing itself with gigantic set pieces, a massive CGI budget and a dark tonal shift in its premise.

Dom betrays his squad after being blackmailed by Cipher (Charlize Theron) into stealing an EMP device to unleash massive global anarchy. It’s up to Dom’s “family” — the ever-expanding crew comprising of Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), Roman (Tyrese Gibson) and Tej (Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges) — to thwart Cipher’s nihilist plan and return Dom to normalcy.

The one element consistent across all the “Fast and Furious”

films is an emphasis on family, which ranges from a stock justification for the films’ most absurd plot developments to a genuine, selfless sense of camaraderie between the characters. Dom “going rogue” at the expense of his previously uncompromised family values is a compelling premise, and his apparent betrayal is initially presented as a legitimate source of tension and dread. The Toretto bunch, unfortunately, hardly lingers on Dom’s disloyalty — they spend little time speculating his motivations for joining Cipher and instead immediately work to overthrow the new duo.

The conflict devolves from legitimate character-driven drama to a handful of close-ups of an incredulous Letty and contrived expository dialogue about the impediment of confronting the scale of Cipher’s technical prowess.

“The Fate of the Furious” abandons its fundamental familial values. Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) is responsible for the film’s best moments — his hardboiled presence provides an engaging and necessary counterpoint to the earnest optimism of the Toretto crew. Yet, the villain has a history of generating ineffable damage to Dom’s family, even killing beloved member Han. He should be as far away from the

COURTESY UNIVERSAL PICTURES

The Toretto gang returns to action in “The Fate of the Furious.”

gang as possible, but in “The Fate of the Furious,” he becomes a valued member all too quickly.

While Hobbs initially resists collaborating with Deckard, the two become friends after a brief scene where they heartily laugh together and help each other move some tools. The graceful ease with which the team accepts Deckard not only misrepresents the heartfelt string which tied the films together, but also acts as a disingenuous admission that the film’s sentiments are about as real as the its stunts.

“The Fate of the Furious” is a series of missed opportunities, most evidently clear in Cipher’s

character. The film deprives her of any memorable action sequence — instead confining her to a hacking room where she espouses trite punchlines like “Get ready for this” and “Hack them all” before pushing a button that initiates some grandiose, CGI-infused mass destruction. How do you bring Imperator Furiosa into your movie and not put her behind the wheel?

The franchise has consistently suffered from lackluster villains, but Cipher stands out as the most unforgivable — not only in terms of wasted potential, but also in poor execution. The jarring, self-important tone of Cipher’s

scenes contrasts sharply with the ridiculous, buddy comedic antics of Dom and his family. The result is a sprawling film more disjointed than the dozen plus pileup of cars seen after Cipher forces them to plummet from high-rising buildings to the New York City streets.

With all this said, “The Fate of the Furious” still provides a nominal amount of fun. In the film’s first 10 minutes, Dom navigates through the streets of Havana and is complimented by a vibrant color palette, pumping soundtrack, enthusiastic extras and classic cars. Out of honor and defense for his cousin, Dom races a local who tries to win his cousin’s junker — paying homage to the earlier films while illustrating Dom’s wholesome adherence to family values. The sequence has enough boundless energy to overcome its inherent silliness.

However, this escapism does not nearly extend through the arduous 136 minute duration of “The Fate of the Furious.” The franchise seems to be wrestling with its newfound identity — abandoning the long-established, charming focus on family and replacing it with nothing particularly groundbreaking or interesting.

MONDAY, APRIL 17, 2017

11

Event benefits Ugandan National Spelling Bee Students, faculty compete in Girl Up’s ‘Spell 4 Uganda’ KATIE NICHOLSON | FEATURE WRITER At a recent general body meeting, Girl Up members presented on the importance of spelling bees, in particular the value to girls education. This exercise allowed the students to get in the right mindset for their own spelling bee April 11.

The organization hosted “Spell 4 Uganda” April 11 at 1515 University Ave. The event raised money through the Peace Corps’ Let Girls Learn fund for the Ugandan National Spelling Bee. “Spell 4 Uganda was to support the National Spelling Bee in Uganda,” said Maggie Zhang, a third-year Commerce student and Girl Up co-founder and treasurer. “It’s a part of the Peace Corps’ Let Girls Learn fund that is supported by Girl Up. Girl Up has this goal of trying to reach $2,500 so we wanted to help with that.”

Money was raised through donations and entries into the spelling bee. Girl Up also hosted bake sales beforehand to benefit the cause. According to thirdyear College student and Girl

Up co-founder and president Nivedha Kannapadi, it was difficult to obtain donations during the event.

“Beforehand, we did a lot of fundraising so weren’t entirely reliant on the event itself to raise money for the spelling bee,” Kannapadi said.

Girl Up is part of the United Nations Foundation and is aimed at raising awareness and funds for women’s issues around the globe. The University’s chapter was founded in January of last year and has about 20 active members. From an intergenerational dialogue to a period drive, where members raised money for feminine products for a homeless shelter in Charlottesville, they host numerous events benefiting global and local communities.

“We started a local chapter at the University of Virginia and they have a bunch of local chapters in other schools as well,” Zhang said. “What that means from a meeting-to-meeting basis is that we talk a lot about girls within a University context but also internationally and then

we think about fundraisers and we also think about some of the global issues that girls have to face.”

Around 30 people watched six professors and nine students compete for the prizes. After the scores were tallied, Anthropology Prof. Ellen Contini-Morava and first-year Law student Karen Jin were declared winners.

“Nobody was out if they missed a word, they just didn’t [get] a point,” Contini-Morava said. “They just tallied up the points at the end so it was kind of like how many words you … spelled by the end of the competition.”

At the end of the night, winners chose their prizes. Jin went home with a basketball signed by the University’s men’s basketball team and coaches and Contini-Morava was awarded a gift card. “[The competition] was pretty tough,” Contini-Morava said.

“There were people who were very good spellers.”

In Uganda, the money raised goes towards training teachers and spelling bee competitions at

COURTESY GIRL UP AT UVA

Girl Up is part of the United Nations Foundation and is aimed at raising awareness and funds for women’s issues around the globe.

the local, state and national levels in hopes of encouraging an interest in reading and writing.

“I think the best part [of the event] was being able to talk to other U.Va. students while we were fundraising and doing the event itself about the impor-

tance of spelling bees,” Kannapadi said. “It was really cool to have those engaging conversations with students at U.Va. and being able to educate them on an issue that they might not have thought about otherwise.”

Take Back the Night kicks off week of events Panel topics include supporting sexual assault survivors, navigating reporting process JACKIE SIEGEL | FEATURE WRITER English poet and novelist Sarah Williams once said, “Though my soul may be set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light; I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.”

This deeply resonant saying is emblematic of Take Back the Night, an organization at the University which advocates for survivors of sexual assault. Take Back the Night strives to initiate conversation about sexual assault and provide a chance for the community to coalesce and brighten the lives of survivors.

“Take Back the Night has been happening at U.Va. for a while now,” said Natalie Conners, a third-year Commerce student and Take Back the Night director. “It was always used as a way to educate people about sexual violence and raise a call to end all forms of gender based violence.

This year we have been really focused on bringing communities together.”

The week of events, which takes place from April 17-23, provides several opportunities to become a part of the conversation regarding the issue of sexual assault. The week commences with a panel on “How

to Support a Survivor.” This event aims to provide the community with resources and instill awareness and knowledge about sexual violence to

generate support for survivors.

Another panel, titled “How to Navigate the Reporting Process,” will take place April 19 and discuss the

COURTESY TAKE BACK THE NIGHT UVA

Take Back the Night strives to initiate conversation about sexual assault and provides a chance for the community to coalesce and brighten the lives of survivors.

details of the reporting process. Survivors will also share their experiences with reporting.

“It is a new event this year and I think it is something that is really important to know,” Conners said. “I realized in the beginning of the year that I knew little about how the reporting process works, so I thought why not make a Take Back the Night event to explain it.”

The organization is also hosting a vigil on April 20 which will stand as a symbolic and momentous ceremony that honors survivors.

First-year College student Shelby Slotter, a member of the subcommittee dedicated to planning the Gala, expressed her enthusiasm for the semiformal at the Fralin Museum of Art on April 21. She hopes it will serve as a chance for members to alleviate stress and pressure from the fast-paced nature of the community.“All the committee members have been working towards creating a really celebratory, happy environment that people can come out and enjoy,” Slotter said.

The week culminates in the or-

ganization’s first Hack-A-Thon, which will occur April 22-23 at Rice Hall. The Hack-A-Thon invites all members of the community — including entrepreneurs, designers, artists and technicians — to join Take Back the Night and create a project themed around sexual assault prevention, with awards and prizes acknowledging participants’ efforts.

“The ‘Hack-A-Thon’ is new to us this year and we are so excited about it,” Conners said. “Planning for all the events began in December and each event has its own committee of incredibly dedicated students who have worked to make each even so successfully.”

The organization's primary goal is to create a dialogue among the community and engender support and advocacy at the University, in an effort to stop instances of sexual assault.

“It’s important to have a conversation about sexual assault, reaching out to survivors of sexual assault, but also people who want more information about how to talk about it and support survivors,” Slotter said.

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