Thursday, August 18, 2022

The Cavalier Daily

Vol. 133, Issue 1

KHUYEN DINH, AVA MACBLANE & AVA PROEHL | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Thursday, August 18, 2022

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The Cavalier Daily

Letter from the Editor-in-Chief Dear readers, The summer has flown by, and it was nothing short of newsworthy. Beyond planning coverage for the fifth anniversary of the “Unite the Right” rally and controversial moves made by local, state and national government, our staff has also been working on a number of changes to better serve the University community.

When the pandemic first hit, we shifted our printing operations and began printing every other week rather than weekly.

This semester, you’ll notice print

editions are a few pages shorter.

The fact of the matter is that we may never resume regular printing operations again. That’s why we’re committed to meeting our readers where they are — online.

Shortening the length of our print issue will allow us to better focus efforts on growing our digital presence.

This brings me to our next announcement — I’m so excited to introduce a cleaner and redesigned set of newsletters this fall.

Think of these as our new daily print edition — if you haven’t subscribed already, I encourage

you to do so online, and keep an eye out for a fresh newsletter in your inbox every morning. Our newsletter team is ready to hit the ground running, bringing you the latest University, City and sports updates beginning this Tuesday.

We can’t do this alone — it truly takes a village. Whether you’re interested in running data analysis, investigating the inner-workings of the University or offering your perspective on a wide range of topical issues, The Cavalier Daily would love to have you on our team. I hope you

find time to join us at the Student Council Activities Fair Aug. 22 or at one of our info sessions Sept. 1 and 5. All recruitment information can also be found on recruit-cavalierdaily.com.

Independent student journalism is impossible without support. I hope you consider making a tax-deductible donation to aid us in our mission to provide the community with new, relevant and insightful information.

I remain at your service and can always be reached at editor@ cavalierdaily.com with any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Eva M. Surovell, Editor-in-Chief 133rd Term of The Cavalier Daily

NEWS This week in-brief CD News Staff

8.13

8.16

Corner Juice Laundry location to be replaced with vape and tobacco shop Carytown Tobacco — a growing chain with 10 vape and tobacco stores in Richmond, Charlottesville, Mechanicsville and Farmville — plans to extend its presence in Charlottesville. The store will replace cold-pressed juice shop The Juice Laundry on the Corner.

The news comes after a succession of long-standing businesses permanently closed on the Corner and were subsequently replaced with a slew of new businesses.

Little John’s, The College Inn and Sheetz are among the recently-closed restaurants. Little John’s served customers on the Corner for over 40 years before closing its doors, and The College Inn — which was established in 1953 — was an equally iconic Corner spot. While the former location of Sheetz remains vacant, The College Inn has since been replaced with Chipotle, and Little John’s was replaced with Sammy’s on the Corner — which also then permanently closed.

The managers of the upcoming Charlottesville location could not provide a timeline of the new store’s opening, and were “unable to meet or give any input at this moment” when reached for comment.

In-person orientation programming returns for the first time since 2019 As this summer marks the first in-person orientation sessions to be held in three years, incoming first-year students and Orientation Leaders shared a renewed sense of appreciation for the value in introducing students to Grounds, resources and their peers.

Orientation sessions run throughout the duration of the summer, including a total of eight two-day sessions for incoming first years and one-day sessions for transfer students — these final sessions occurred Aug. 16 through Aug. 18. The program provides students with various information sessions, class enrollment opportunities and social activities to ensure that new students are equipped with the knowledge they need to succeed at the University.

Saoirse Farrell, senior orientation leader and rising third-year College student, participated in virtual orientation in 2020 and was an Orientation Leader during the virtual sessions last year. While Farrell said virtual orientation was not ideal, the lessons learned from her own virtual orientation — including the importance of active participation — stuck with her when she became orientation leader for the 2021 Orientation Sessions.

During in-person orientation, Farrell said it is easier to see the impact and was shocked to find students talking as if they were long-time friends only to discover they just met the day before.

“It’s so great to see those connections, and I think that what in-person orientation brings is this genuine connection and ability to have a friend before you go into your first week,” Farrell said.

In addition to connecting incoming students with each other, Farrell said she finds in-person orientation provides students with “a taste of what life at U.Va. is like, in a way that you just physically cannot do online.”

AVA MACBLANE | THE CAVALIER DAILY

The large amount of business turnover on the Corner in recent years has been attributed to the pandemic and steadily-increasing property leases in Charlottesville.

Thursday, August 18, 2022 | 3

NEWS

Students anticipate first year with excitement, nerves Undergraduate, graduate and transfer students look forward to becoming involved, finding a sense of community during their first year on Grounds Eileen Powell | News Writer

AVA MACBLANE | THE CAVALIER DAILY

While new students look forward to the strong sense of community at the University, others feel that meeting new people is intimidating.

As summer ends and the University administration prepares to welcome students back to Grounds, first-year undergraduate, graduate and transfer students prepare for the transition to the University. Amidst nerves about finding their place and adjusting to the demands of college education, students remember what attracted them to the University in the first place.

First-year College student Delia Hughes — who is originally from Northern Virginia — hadn’t initially planned on attending an in-state school, but she became attracted to the involvement of students when she visited Grounds.

“I went on a really nice day, and I just saw so many people on the Lawn,” Hughes said.

“Everyone seemed so happy to be there and really involved… it just seemed like a really good fit.

I was like, ‘they must be doing something right.’”

Graduate student Nikki Kain noted that speaking to current students grew her enthusiasm for the University and her Master’s program in the Frank Batten School of Public Policy.

Kain — who holds a bachelor’s in elementary education and a master’s in literacy education — decided to pursue a Master’s in Public Policy for additional quantitative and research skills after several years of working at a literacy non-profit.

“Really, [the] location [was] how I stumbled upon U.Va. because it was already so close to me,” Kain said. “But then talking to more people on Grounds — out of any of the places I talked to, this is a place that everyone seems the most invested in helping students succeed.”

Second-year College student Katie Rose Milone — who transferred from Northern Virginia Community College — agreed that seeing how students felt

about the University shaped her own expectations of her experience.

Both Milone and Hughes noted that one source of excitement was the sense of community and support they saw at the University.

“I feel like everyone [is] so excited to be there,” said Hughes.

“And especially with the sports — everyone seems really supportive and wants to support each other, which I think is really cool to be a part of something — all of the traditions.”

Milone hopes the University will become more than just a school for her.

“I expect it to feel like a second home,” said Milone. “Oftentimes it seems like the people that I know who go to U.Va. can’t wait to go back whenever they’re in [my] hometown again. I want it to be a place that’s difficult to say goodbye to, and it seems like that’s a given when you go to

U.Va.” Although Kain is also looking forward to the start of the semester, she acknowledged that she is nervous about finding her place in the University.

“I’m really excited about being part of such a strong community again, like I feel such a strong sense of community where I’m living now,” Kain said. “I guess that [I am] excited and nervous. It seems like there’s a really strong community here, but it’s been a long time since I’ve been like the outsider.”

Hughes was also nervous about meeting new people, noting that the University’s larger student body — over 18,000 undergraduate and 9,000 graduate students as of last year — can be daunting to incoming students.

“I know that even though obviously, I went to a really big high school … it feels like a lot more people,” said Hughes. “So you know, being able to talk to

people and make friends I feel like is a little intimidating.”

For Milone, however, the nerves represent new opportunities that come with the challenge and flexibility of being in college.

“I am nervous — but everything that I’m anxious about has an aspect that I’m really excited for,” said Milone. “With a challenging workload comes interesting course content, meeting people means making new friends, moving from my parents comes with a stronger sense of independence.

It’s just a new experience that I’ve built up a lot of anticipation for.”

While first-year graduate students in many different programs — such as the school of Public Policy and the Darden School of Business — have already returned to Grounds, first-year undergraduate students will begin returning Thursday and Friday, with incoming transfer students following Saturday.

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NEWS

U.Va. to require hazing prevention training The new mandates are required through Virginia’s new anti-hazing law — Adam’s Law — that went into effect July 1 Margaret Glass | Senior Writer

AVA MACBLANE | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Some clubs — such as the Women’s Ultimate Frisbee team, Virginia Polo team, the Personal Finance Club at U.Va. and the Virginia Gentlemen Club — are also required to complete the training because they have new member processes similar to that of Greek life.

All Greek life organizations and a number of clubs on Grounds must have full member completion of a new anti-hazing training by Nov. 15, in compliance with the newly-passed Adam’s Law in Virginia. Members will be able to choose from among 19 different dates to attend a Hoos Against Hazing in-person hazing prevention training session — otherwise, organizations will face deactivation.

Adam’s Law passed in the Senate in January and was signed into law by Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin in April. The law was named in honor of Adam Oakes, a Virginia Commonwealth University student who passed away from alcohol poisoning in a hazing-related incident in Feb. 2021.

The law — which took effect July 1 — mandates new hazing prevention training and institutional transparency requirements at all higher education institutions in the state.

Registration is required in advance and all students must bring their student IDs with them. The

training was created by the University’s Gordie Center in collaboration with Student Affairs staff. Many potential new members were trained during summer orientation sessions.

“The Gordie Center is a nationally recognized hazing prevention resource center that also provides consulting to other colleges and universities,” Fraternity and Student Life said in an email statement to The Cavalier Daily.

“The training is research-based and focuses on the nature and harm of hazing as well as important prevention strategies.”

The Inter-Sorority Council consists of 15 chapters and over 1,500 members, and the Inter-Fraternity Council consists of over 30 active chapters and upwards of 1,600 members. Eight chapters make up the Multicultural Greek Council. The National Pan-Hellenic Council represents eight of the “Divine Nine” Black fraternities and sororities.

The University is also home to a number of professional, service and honor fraternities.

Outside of organizations with Greek letters, there are clubs that are also required to attend this training — such as the Women’s Ultimate Frisbee team, Virginia Polo team, the Personal Finance Club at U.Va. and the Virginia Gentlemen — because they have new member processes similar to that of Greek life.

In an email to The Cavalier Daily, John Cheney, assistant dean and interim director of Student Engagement, emphasized that the University cannot remove an individual member from an organization for failure to comply with the new law — if one person within the organization fails to complete the training, though, the University can suspend or terminate the organization for failure to comply with University policy.

Adam’s Law also requires that institutions provide a public report of hazing violations. FSL shared that information in the July 6 email, providing a link to the University’s report.

According to the report, five

Greek organizations were disciplined in July for hazing incidents that occurred this past spring. The Fraternal Organization Agreements of Phi Gamma Delta and Kappa Alpha were terminated as a result of hazing by both fraternities. Phi Gamma Delta, commonly known as Fiji among students, was found responsible for injuring a new member after the member was struck in the eye with an egg as part of a hazing ritual.

Kayvon Samadani, Inter-Fraternity Council president and fourth-year College student, said all potential new members, current members and advisors for all chapters will have to complete this training before spring semester rush.

Samadani said that he does not believe there is an existing problem of hazing at the University, but added he would like to see “the minority of chapters who may engage in hazing behavior take much greater care in their pledge process.”

“I hope that Adam’s Law will

provide a framework for productive and meaningful pledgeship which does not have any room for hazing,” Samadani said.

Virginia Barney, president of the Inter-Sorority Council and fourth-year Commerce student, did not respond to a request for comment.

FSL and Cheney said that they have not received pushback from members of Greek organizations regarding the mandatory training.

Students in Greek life were first emailed about Adam’s Law in July, shortly after the law took effect. The email included a reminder of resources to report hazing — including Just Report It, the University Police Department and the University’s Anonymous Hazing Hotline. In an email to The Cavalier Daily, FSL said these ways to report hazing “have been in place for many years.”

Thursday, August 18, 2022 | 5

NEWS

‘Remarkable’ Class of 2026 is most diverse in U.Va. history The 4,053 first years are set to move in on Thursday and Friday Avery Donmoyer | News Writer In addition to a competitive application cycle that reached a record-low 19 percent acceptance rate and a record-breaking 50,962 applications, the Class of 2026 is also the most diverse in University history — with 52.9 percent identifying as students of color.

The University will begin welcoming the 4,053 first-year students to Grounds Thursday.

In an email statement to The Cavalier Daily, Dean of Admission Gregory Roberts said diversity is one of the top priorities for the Office of Admission and the University.

“This is what college is all about — learning from others, expanding one’s views, challenging others but a willingness to be challenged at the same time,” Roberts said.

27.6 percent of students identified as Asian or Asian American, a slight increase of just over one percent from 26.3 percent in the Class of 2025.

11 percent identified as Black or African American, an increase from 9.1 percent for the Class of 2025. 8.2 percent identified as Hispanic, Latino, Latina or Latinx, a one percent increase from the Class of 2025. 0.3 percent identified as Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander and 1.1 percent identified as American Indian or Alaska Native.

The Class of 2026 also has the highest rate of first-generation college students in University history at 15.6 percent — surpassing the Class of 2025 by 2.6 percent.

Additionally, 35.6 percent of students qualified for need-based student aid.

“We are looking for civic minded, thoughtful, creative, kind students who are empathetic speakers and generous listeners, who also happen to be very good students,” Roberts said.

After receiving a total of 50,962 applications submitted through early decision, early action and regular decision combined, the University extended 9,522 offers of admission. 4,053 of those offered admission accepted the offer.

The last three cycles of admissions have been largely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Most notably, the University adopted a test-optional policy beginning in 2021 to accommodate standardized test cancellations due to COVID-19. Other academic institutions have introduced similar test-optional policies including the College of William and Mary and The University of North Carolina.

The test-optional policy led

ETHAN FINGERHUT | THE CAVALIER DAILY

to more applicants and in turn, a lower acceptance rate. Roberts also stated that the pandemic resulted in an increase in outreach as virtual programming was quickly implemented.

“COVID led to an investment in more effective virtual programming, which allowed us to reach more students and families, especially those who historically have not been able to visit U.Va.,” Roberts said.

While virtual programming has been used to adapt to COVID-19, Days on the Lawn returned in-person this past spring for the first time since 2019, allowing admitted students the chance to experience the University firsthand.

Prospective first-year students

were able to experience a variety of informational sessions, tour opportunities and meet-and-greets with current students and professors. Roberts said such in-person recruitment efforts help familiarize potential students with the University.

“We always benefit by bringing families to Grounds … the visit personalizes the college search process,” Roberts said.

In-person orientation also returned this summer and along with Wahoo Welcome events, students will be offered the experience of interactive and hands-on programming to become better acquainted with Grounds and their peers.

As in-person orientation re-

turned, students from all over the country and world traveled to the University. Of the incoming students, 62.1 percent are in-state residents, which meets the University’s pledge to maintain a twothirds majority of Virginia residents in the student population.

37.9 percent of incoming students are out-of-state and roughly 5.7 percent are international students, representing 50 countries.

17 percent of students speak a first language that is not English.

In addition to Days on the Lawn and other in-person tours hosted by the University Guide Service — which allow prospective students to become familiar with Grounds and meet their peers — the Class of 2026 will also

experience a college transition minimally disrupted by COVID-19. Unlike last fall, students will not be required to wear masks in class and classes will be offered in-person.

As the University prepares to welcome the new students to Grounds, Roberts extended his congratulations to the Class of 2026.

“They are a remarkable group,” Roberts said. “I’m not sure I have any words that will inspire them as much as they have inspired us.

I can’t wait to see them begin this journey.”

Move-in for first-year students will begin on Thursday and continue through Friday.

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LIFE

The Cavalier Daily

Top 10 questions to ask your first-year roommates Rooming for the first time can be daunting task so here are some questions to get to know your roommate better Riley Phillips | Top 10 Writer Sharing a dorm provides you with an ally to navigate the first few, terrifying weeks of college and learn about personal responsibilities.

It’s important to set the tone right at the beginning of the year and ask a mix of practical questions and fun icebreakers to get to know your roommate better and find common ground.

1. What type of food do you like?

Planning a time to eat dinner together is a great way to bond and discuss how your day went. This can also open the conversation to food allergies and dietary restrictions, which can be helpful for keeping the room safe for everyone and making sure everyone is accommodated when going out. Asking about your roommate’s eating needs can make a positive difference on this aspect of your first-year social experience right from the start.

4. Isroomtherecouldanything use?

else that our

Yes, I’m sure you put at least a little bit of thought into who’s bringing what before moving in. But now that you have moved and settled in, pose this question to your roommate in order to find more about their taste — your roommate might throw out a suggestion that you would have never even thought of. This is a fantastic way to improve your relationship, being open to suggestions and offering them the opportunity to be more of themselves.

you a Disney Channel or 5. Were Nickelodeon kid?

welcome week activities 8. What are you excited for?

Every year there are many activities planned by New Student Programs. Check out this list of activities planned for Wahoo Welcome and ask if there are any your roommate is excited about. You can plan on doing them together or deciding which ones you wouldn’t mind skipping for roommate bonding or events put on by other organizations. You can talk about how nostalgic Sean Kingston makes you feel or even plan to bring home free swag from the IM-Rec Fest if they need time to wind down.

This might seem like a silly question, but it can be a great conversation starter to find out more about each other.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of exclusively asking practical questions about bedtimes and messiness, so be sure to make time to know each other as people and not just roommates. You can even plan a movie night with your hall or suite to watch your favorite Disney Channel movie and catch them up on what they missed or see something comforting.

you have a romantic 6. Do partner?

Another potential point of conflict is how often either of you will have people over. While you cannot know what will happen in the future, knowing if your roommate is already dating someone at school can help both of you plan how you will handle having the room to yourselves.

Asking these questions and setting these boundaries can be a bit awkward at first, so starting off by asking if they have a partner or plan to date can be a great way to start.

LEXIE GAGNON | THE CAVALIER DAILY

you think you will go out of2. Do ten?

One thing that can help avoid any potential conflicts is to be on the same page about how often you will be coming home late. You can talk about how often you can expect them to spend the night at someone else’s place, which can ease worries when they don’t come home one night, and you can discuss how often you might go out together. Just be sure to not be too judgemental either way — either option is valid and it’s important to support one another in how each of you plan to experience college.

7. What is your sleep schedule like?

Now, you both might have already discussed this, but asking this question can also prompt a deeper conversation about how to accommodate each other’s nocturnal habits. If you luck out, and the two — or more — of you go to bed and wake up at roughly the same time, then there’s nothing to sweat! But in the more likely case of mismatching sleep schedules, I’d suggest discussing how best to approach this conflict in order to avoid frustration and bitterness further into the semester.

you have any plans to rush 9. Do Greek life?

Rushing Greek life during the spring semester can be a really time-consuming and stressful process. I have known many pairs of roommates who both rush, which can make the process feel less scary and prevents you from tackling it alone. Even if you don’t care if your roommate also rushes, this question can help you understand how each of you sees yourself spending time out of class.

are you looking 10. What forward to most at college?

do you and what do you not 3. What mind sharing?

While this question might seem a bit awkward at first, it’s important to establish boundaries clearly and early. Obviously things like towels are not to be shared — but what about your needlessly large stash of microwavable ramen or their conveniently accessible printer? Sharing with each other can make life so much easier. Just remember to ask, and to offer what you have as well!

LEXIE GAGNON | THE CAVALIER DAILY

This is an important question to ask in order to be on the same page about what your goals are for your short four years here at the University.

Sharing your hopes with each other is not only a great way to bond, but it’s also an opportunity to be supportive and help each other reach your goals later on down the road. Just make sure to dream big — life at college is full of possibilities.

LEXIE GAGNON | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Thursday, August 18, 2022 | 7

LIFE

Students discuss unaccommodating dietary options Limited meal options in dining halls pose challenges for students with dietary restrictions Jia Williams | Features Writer Most University students have fond memories of eating with friends in the dining halls and bonding about experiences with dining hall food — from dreaming about deliciously-seasoned fries to being turned off by undercooked pasta and broken ice cream machines. Unfortunately, for some students, an all-access dining experience is marked by dissatisfaction and frustration with the lack of meal options that accommodate their dietary restrictions.

Though dining hall options are selected by registered dieticians and health experts to accommodate food allergies and special dietary restrictions, some students still struggle to safely create well-balanced meals. One such student is fourth-year Education student Macy Stahl. Stahl was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease — an inflammatory bowel disease — in early childhood, which leads to food allergies and intolerances of common dining hall ingredients such as corn, dairy, eggs and sesame.

“There was a lot of misinfor-

mation and mislabeling, and you shouldn’t have to be afraid to eat a potato from the dining hall,” Stahl said. “You should know confidently what’s in the food that you’re eating, even if you don’t have any allergies.”

Despite Stahl’s troubles, each of the University’s three dining halls offers a Copper Hood station, which specifically caters to students with food allergies and intolerances. The station avoids the eight big allergens — milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat and soybeans — as well as gluten.

For upperclassmen, the Elevate Meal Plan is an option. The plan offers food options from a variety of restaurants on the Corner, including Thyme & Co., Roots Natural Kitchen and Take it Away Sandwich Shop — all of which offer customizable options for individuals with dietary restrictions. Students can purchase packages with a set amount of swipes to order from their favorite restaurants.

First-year students, however, are required to purchase the

all-access meal plan, which ranges from $2,890 to $3,130 per semester, regardless of dietary needs.

Purchasing an Elevate Meal Plan in addition to the required meal plan can be financially inaccessible for many first-year students.

As a focal point of college-life socializing, food has immense power over a student’s experience at the University. Beyond being a financial burden, a lack of adequate options can have a tangential impact on time spent with peers on a daily basis.

Fourth-year College student Nina Cummings said as a vegan, she skipped out on in-betweenclass lunch breaks with friends in search of better meal options.

“It sucked because I preferred to get a meal exchange from somewhere with something that I’d rather eat and actually be able to eat, and I knew I wanted to hang out with them, but I would rather have something else for lunch,” Cummings said.

Second-year College student Mira Rizk is another student with dietary restrictions who struggled with justifying the val-

ue of an all-access meal plan given the minimal choices available to her as a lactose-intolerant vegetarian. Rizk believes that dining halls should have more variety in options to keep students engaged and to make the meal plan worth its price tag.

“I don’t think that the food itself was diverse enough to keep people engaged,” Rizk said. “It definitely wasn’t enticing enough to make people want to come back for it, and if that is the goal of the dining hall, then that wouldn’t have been reached just because the price of it and then the quality of it wasn’t correlating.”

Cummings added part of the problem is the repetitiveness of the options for students with dietary restrictions.

“I never went hungry eating at the dining halls or with the meal exchange, but I absolutely felt restricted because there was one option at best,” Cummings said. “I’m not even a picky eater, but sometimes it’s just not what you want to eat or not something that you really like, and so then

your only option is to go to the salad bar.”

To help combat this, U.Va. Dining provides some healthy and creative meal ideas from their chefs and dietitians on the Feed Your Potential 365 website.

Students are encouraged to use this resource, along with others provided on the U.Va. Dining website, to find food that works for their lifestyles, allergies and intolerances.

Stahl said a lack of exposure to such resources made it difficult to have a positive experience in the dining halls.

“I know there’s a registered dietician, and I know they mentioned her name at some point for me, but nobody actually ever connected me to her,” Stahl said.

“I feel like there should be a couple of them so that if someone lists dietary restrictions then they can reach out to students and ask, ‘How can I help you make this work for you?’”

How to cool down this semester with Soba Noodles Soba noodles are not only tasty and refreshing, but also a quick and easy way to enjoy traditional Japanese cuisine Yumi Kim | Food Writer As we make our way back to Charlottesville for the start of the new semester, we all brace ourselves for the scorching summer heat which consistently seems to make its presence known on Grounds at the beginning of each school year. Although some may dread this hot summer weather, I may have just the recipe to keep us all from melting this upcoming semester.

A meal that I have kept coming back to this summer is soba noodles, which are traditionally prepared ice cold — perfect for a refreshing meal. Soba noodles take on their distinct grayish-brown color from buckwheat flour, which was first domesticated in China and was brought over to Japan all the way back in the Jomon period, which was around 10,000 to 300 B.C. Noodles made of buckwheat are said to be a healthier alternative to other types of noodles because they have fewer calories and are nutrient-rich with vitamin B,

fibers and various minerals.

The soba noodle dish became popular in the Edo period — 1603 to 1867 — and was served in traveling soba noodle soup vendors and portable stalls in Japan, which were known to stay open after other food businesses had closed and satisfied late-night cravings. It became so sought after that it was even delivered to merchant and samurai homes upon request. While it was and still is a very popular dish, it is also, luckily, a very simple dish to make!

Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Yields: 1 serving Ingredients: 1 bundle of soba noodles (3.2 ounces) 1 egg A pinch of sesame seeds 1 chopped green onion

1 cucumber 1 1/2 cups (355ml) dashi 1/2 cup (118ml) light soy sauce 1/2 cup (118ml) mirin 1/4 teaspoon sugar Instructions: 1. Bring two pots of water to a boil.

2. Boil one pot of water filled enough for an egg to be submerged fully.

3. Bring three cups of water in another pot to a boil for your noodles.

4. Once the water in one pot has reached a boiling point, put in your bundle of noodles.

5. When the water in the other pot has reached a boil, gently place your egg in.

6. Cook noodles for around seven to eight minutes depending on how hard or soft you would like your noodles to be. I cook closer to seven minutes because I like the texture of my noodles to be al dente. You can occasionally taste test a noodle to check the

firmness.

7. Let your egg boil anywhere from four to eight minutes depending on how runny you would like your yolk to be.

8. While you let your egg and noodles boil, prepare one small bowl and one medium-sized bowl of ice water for your egg and noodles, respectively.

9. Immediately after boiling your noodles, place them into the bowl of ice water and leave until they are no longer hot and they are now ice cold to the touch.

10. Immediately after boiling your egg, place it in the other bowl of ice water so that the egg stops cooking.

11. Chop half a cucumber — or however much you would like to add to your dish — into thin strips.

12. Chop your green onion into approximately two centimeter thick pieces.

13. Pat your noodles dry using a paper towel.

14. Next, place your noodles

onto a plate, cut your egg in half and place the egg on top of the noodles.

15. Place your chopped cucumber onto the plate of noodles.

16. Sprinkle on your onion and your sesame seeds to taste.

17. In a smaller sauce bowl, mix your soy sauce, mirin, sugar and dashi together in order to create the perfect dipping sauce.

18. Take some noodles, dip it into your savory sauce and slurp up the deliciously refreshing soba noodles.

After your noodles are perfectly garnished with your finely sliced cucumber, golden yolked eggs and toasted sesame seeds, you are ready to enjoy your savory yet refreshing soba noodles!

This low effort yet delicious meal is sure to be an added staple to your recipe list as we transition from summer to fall.

8 | www.cavalierdaily.com

The Cavalier Daily

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Art soothes trauma in new interview room Nonprofit Project Beloved uses art and design to comfort survivors of sexual assault Lauren Whitlock | Arts & Entertainment Editor

Content warning: this article contains mentions of sexual assault.

Amid the beige walls and cold utilitarian floors of Charlottesville’s City Hall and Police Department now lies a soft interview room. At the request of the Charlottesville Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, Texas-based organization Project Beloved completed this recent iteration of their comfortingly decorated rooms specifically designed to create a safe space for sexual assault survivors to be interviewed by investigators.

Project Beloved was formed

by Tracy Matheson after her own daughter, Molly Jane, was sexually assaulted and strangled in April 2017 — an event Matheson describes as “a parent’s worst nightmare.”

This spurred Matheson into action, prompting her to start a nonprofit aimed at helping survivors of sexual assault. When Matheson discovered that her daughter’s death was at the hands of a serial rapist whose past crimes had been poorly investigated, Matheson decided that one goal of Project Beloved should be to improve sexual assault investigations.

“The kind of buzz word is this ‘trauma-informed’ investigation, [which] is considered best practice,” Matheson said in an interview with The Cavalier Daily. “And that is receiving training and understanding what trauma is and how to speak with and interact with someone who’s experienced trauma … And one of the components of a trauma-informed investigation is a ‘soft’ interview room.”

Matheson was intrigued by the potential of these rooms specifically designed to comfort survivors of sexual assault, rooms that could facilitate a more calming interview process for distressed survivors, while also having the added benefit of helping investigators obtain the information necessary to bring them justice.

She also realized that there likely wouldn’t be many other organizations willing to pay for such rooms, so she decided to start a fund herself.

Patricia O’Donnell, director of the Charlottesville Victim/Witness Assistance Program at the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, was one of the key players in requesting that Project Beloved implement a room in Charlottesville. O’Donnell’s program had been hoping to create a soft interview room since learning of them in 2018, but had prevented from doing so due to budgetary issues until O’Donnell learned of Project Beloved.

“Funding is always an issue, because the victim/witness program doesn’t have any funds to cover, you know, to do a room,” O’Donnell said.

“Last October, we received an email that went out from DCS, the Department of Criminal Justice, just … passing the information along that this organization helps to create soft interview rooms at no cost. So we reached out to Project Beloved.”

Unlike other rooms that fill police departments — including Charlottesville’s — which are designed very practically with hard, easy-toclean flooring, basic beige walls and little else, Project Beloved’s soft interview rooms are filled with thoughtful, comforting touches. Every aspect

around a simple coffee table topped with a plant and a stress ball. A lavender diffuser and inviting lighting add smaller, subtle touches that create an enveloping coziness.

Hanadi Al-Samman, Associate Professor of Arabic Language and Literature, recently taught a course on the aesthetics of trauma, and explained in an interview with The Cavalier Daily how these comforting art and design choices can aid both investigators and victims. Al-Samman placed particular emphasis on art’s ability to add a softer feminine perspective to what is frequently an intense, male-focused investigation, which she notes can be difficult for the traumatized survivor and can

Matheson chose two photographs — a bright orange hibiscus blossom that adds a cheerful spot of natural color to one wall, and a cluster of soft pink blossoms sprinkled with dew that has a calming effect on the other.

The photographs have a story behind them, too — the photographer, Megan Getrum, was murdered only five days after Molly Jane Matheson by the same person. Getrum was an amateur photographer who loved capturing nature shots. Project Beloved, with the permission of Getrum’s family, chose to display her photographs in each one of their interview rooms, thoughtfully adding her initials or signature to the bottom of each print.

RIX PRAKASH | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Amid the beige walls and cold utilitarian floors of Charlottesville’s City Hall and Police Department now lies a soft interview room.

of the design in these rooms was chosen for the specific purpose of comforting sexual assault survivors, starting with the paint color.

“Both [colors] are kind of a bluish-green, and can lean one direction or the other, depending on the space,” Matheson said. “I’ve seen a lot of beige and gray in law enforcement.

And so they’re not expected because they’re really pretty colors, and they’re very soft and calming.”

The paint color is the first step of many in creating one of Project Beloved’s soft interview rooms. After that, Matheson and her crew select patterned rugs to mask dull flooring and add color and texture. Comfortable chairs and blankets are placed

even forcefully remind them of the very traumatic acts they’ve endured.

“In the past, you have this kind of sterile, harsh environment that is [for] interrogating,” Al-Samman said.

“You have the officer sitting at the other end of the table. It’s intimidating, it’s demanding, all of that. So it’s that masculine aspect of addressing and dealing with trauma. Whereas in this soft interview room, it’s speaking more to the feminine aspect of how we deal with trauma. It tries to kind of explore the hidden experience of trauma.”

One of the most crucial design choices in Project Beloved’s rooms is the artwork adorning the walls. For Charlottesville’s new interview room,

“We approached Megan’s mom and asked her, ‘would that be okay?’,” Matheson said. “And she very enthusiastically, after consulting with her husband and her son, said they thought Megan would be quite honored and thrilled that her artwork was being incorporated. And so that’s the final thing that we put on the wall… once we put the art up, that’s when things [feel] complete.”

Not only does the artwork solidify the room’s ability to soften the interaction between investigators and survivors, but it also — perhaps even more significantly — offers the potential to enhance that interaction by allowing investigators to better empathize with survivors.

“The other aspect of art when it engages with trauma, what it does is it creates what I call the ‘empathetic vision’ that can make people empathize, and people who may not have a stake initially, they can create and relate their own experience to it,” Al-Samman said. “And then hopefully, that will create more understanding and positive kinds of intersection between people.”

O’Donnell and others in both the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office and the Charlottesville Police Department are all thrilled with the final design. O’Donnell praises everything from the softer lighting to the pictures, which she said “added so much” to the room.

“It’s just beyond our expectations of what we wanted to see,” O’Donnell said. “To be able to provide a safe, supportive space for survivors to come in and meet with strangers — a detective and an advocate — and talk about one of the worst incidents of their life … [the room has] been amazing.”

Matheson echoed similar sentiments, elaborating on the positive feedback that Project Beloved has consistently received from the law enforcement agencies they’ve worked with, including Charlottesville’s.

“With the rooms, the law enforcement reports that victims are kind of almost taken aback when they walk in, you know, because who wants to come and talk to law enforcement about anything, but to come and talk about a sexual assault is the last conversation anyone wants to have,” Matheson said. “So to be able to walk into a space that at least makes it look like ‘well, I could sit in there,’ you know? ... That’s a positive.”

Project Beloved’s soft interview rooms utilize art and design to create important emotional responses, helping traumatized survivors feel safe in the present while also creating the potential for them to feel hope for the future.

“Basically through art, we can then create what we call the ‘context of hope,’” Al-Samman said. “We can transform trauma into hope.”

Survivors of sexual assault can access Charlottesville’s soft interview room in Charlottesville’s Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, located at 605 E Main St. Students can also obtain support through Counseling and Psychological Services online or at 434-243-5150, or the Maxine Platzer Lynn Women’s Center at 434982-2252.

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Thursday, August 18, 2022 | 9

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OPINION

The Cavalier Daily

LEAD EDITORIAL

Let’s take this step together First or fourth year, we’re all entering new experiences together We’re on the doorstep of a new and truly unique semester. After over two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, fourth-year students will begin their school years much like firstyears. We will all gather on Grounds with a renewed sense of normalcy — as many University traditions can safely resume this year. All of us are looking toward our first fully in-person, on-Grounds college experience. While fourth-years can still impart helpful, experienced advice on first-years, there will be much less distance between all of us. In a way, we’re all first-years — anticipating what this school year could possibly be like.

Some of our most missed traditions are set to make their return.

Trick-or-Treating on the Lawn will see kids in their costumes — and probably a few students too — running down the steps of the Rotunda.

We’ll get to see Julie Caruccio don the CavMan costume as she leads the team down the field during this upcoming football season. Mask

mandates — once an important tool to keep everyone safe — have now been lifted, meaning we’ll get to see everyone’s faces on the very first day of class for the first time since 2020.

We encourage all upperclassmen to take advantage of these traditions.

Make this the first-year experience you never got — make new friends, new memories and probably a few new reasons to miss Grounds when you leave. Explore those places on Grounds you’ve only ever heard of, and attend those events you’ve been thinking about since you applied to the University in high school. Don’t hesitate to make this place your own, but it is important that we enter these new spaces cognizant that they belong to a community. Whether on Grounds or out in Charlottesville, treat your environment with respect.

Upperclassmen should also respect and support first-year students, many of whom are not only entering their first semester of college but are also coming out of years of virtual and masked high school. Adjusting

to college is an even bigger transition than in years past. Whether you’re in class with new students, joining clubs with them or just floating in the same circles, be a friend in what is an anxious time. We here at The Cavalier Daily are excited for our upcoming recruitment cycle, during which we get to invite new students into our organization and hear their passions and stories. This is always such a wonderful time to grow our community, and we know many other organizations across Grounds will see similar opportunities for upperclassmen and first-years to bond and learn from each other. Come learn more about all the ways to get involved at this Student Council Activities Fair.

If we all band together — in our shared excitement or anxiety — we can better withstand the uncertainties already on the horizon of this school year. As we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, yet another virus is impacting the globe. Monkeypox, though less contagious than

COVID-19, is officially a public health emergency, meaning U.Va. Health is having to prepare for a potential rise in cases in Charlottesville.

This is a scary thought and the last thing any of us wants to think about, but if we learn from some of our past pandemic failures, we can navigate this uncertain terrain while keeping community transmission low. Part of respecting your environment and fellow students means staying home if you feel sick or experience any symptoms of COVID-19 or monkeypox.

Following the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, thousands of people have already lost access to safe abortions — with many more Americans likely to face a similar fate. Recent news on arctic warming has only amplified the need to slow climate change. And Governor Glenn Youngkin’s appointees to the University’s Board of Visitors also cast a gloom over the start to this semester. But we are hopeful that, with a refreshed feeling of community, students will at the very least have

the spaces to express their frustrations with these issues. Joining a new club or organization or volunteering can help spur conversation and change. In the midst of these tragedies, don’t be afraid to ask for help.

For one, Student Council provides a variety of resources to students.

Today, we want to be your push to try something new and get out there this fall. Don’t be afraid to discover first-year traditions as a fourth-year. And if you’re entering your first-year, know that all the older students on this Editorial Board share your unfamiliarity with many parts of beloved University traditions. First year or fourth year, we’ll all be celebrating them for the first time together.

THE CAVALIER DAILY EDITORIAL BOARD is composed of the Executive Editor, the Editor-in-Chief, the two Opinion Editors, their Senior Associates and an Opinion Columnist.

The board can be reached at eb@cavalierdaily.com.

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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.

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 Thursdays in print and daily online at cavalierdaily. com. It is printed on at least 40 percent recycled paper. 2022 The Cavalier Daily Inc.

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

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

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MANAGING BOARD Editor-in-Chief Eva Surovell Managing Editor Ava MacBlane Executive Editor Jessica Moore Operations Manager Ethan Fingerhut Chief Financial Officer Katrina Yankovich

EDITORIAL BOARD Jessica Moore Eva Surovell Evelyn Duross Bryce Wyles Grace Duregger Shaleah Tolliver Nathan Onibudo

JUNIOR BOARD

Assistant Managing Editors Kate Jensen Ellie Prober (SA) Ella Dailey (SA) Claire DiLorenzo (SA) Grace Eberhardt (SA) Nicole Freeman (SA) Alexandra Holmes (SA) Jenna Onetto Assistant Operations Manager Ava Proehl News Editors Lexi Baker Emma Gallagher Submit a letter to the editor to opinion@cavalierdaily.com (SA) Merrill Hart

Life Editors Cecy Juárez Mario Rosales (SA) Acacia McCabe Sports Editors Jude Nanaw Joe von Storch (SA) Ben Anderson Arts & Entertainment Editors Mary Kurbanov Lauren Whitlock (SA) Kyndal Harrison Health & Science Editors Alexa Clark Catherine Cossaboom (SA) Ava Bagherian (SA) Katie Treene Podcast Editors Ariana Arenson Grace Fluharty Opinion Editors Evelyn Duross Bryce Wyles (SA) Grace Duregger (SA) Shaleah Tolliver Humor Editors Camila Cohen Suárez (SA) Ellie Wilkie Cartoon Editor Teresa Michael Photo Editors Khuyen Dinh Domenick Fini (SA) Proud Chandragholica (SA) Tess Ginsberg Design Editors Lexie Gagnon

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Maya Kalidindi Ally Liu Mix Rudolph Honor Wood Video Editor Addy Klinger Social Media Managers Nicole Ryeom Jennifer Tran (SA) Covonna Bynum (SA) Ceili Canning Newsletter Editor Lauren O’Neil (SA) Jacob Tisdale Website Manager Rose Eluvathingal Muttikkal Analytics Manager Melinda Wong Spanish Translation Editors MJ Corvalan (SA) Giuliana Rejalaga Chinese Translation Editor Xiaohan Zhang Finance Manager Charlie Healy Advertising Manager Bella Graber Archivist Grace Franklin DEI Chairs Shaleah Tolliver Yssis Cano-Santiago

Thursday, August 18, 2022 | 11

OPINION

Dear UPC — stop only bringing male artists to concerts UPC’s decision to bring yet another man to perform during Welcome Week is embarassing Each fall, the University and the University Programs Council hosts their annual Welcome Week, which offers chances for new and returning students to celebrate the start of a new school year. And each April, the UPC throws Springfest, a mid-semester opportunity for students to blow off steam. In recent history, these two festivities have included concerts from artists who UPC brings to Grounds. For 2021’s Welcome Week, UPC brought rapper Jack Harlow. Rapper Trippie Redd came to Grounds for 2022’s Springfest. And for this year’s Welcome Week, UPC announced that singer and rapper Sean Kingston will perform at John Paul Jones Arena.

While these artists may excite students, for me, they unintentionally fall into a troubling trend at UPC — they are all men. UPC hasn’t brought a woman to headline either festivity since 2015, when Best Coast — a rock duo between Bethany Cosentino and Bobb Bruno — performed at Springfest. The last time UPC brought a solo woman artist to Grounds for these celebratory weeks was 2013, when Solange Knowles performed at JPJ during Welcome Week. This means we are

entering the seventh year of UPC failing to bring a headlining woman to Grounds, and the ninth year of no solo headlining woman. Next year’s Welcome Week could mark an entire decade of no solo woman performing for the start of the school year. This is ridiculous.

UPC claims its mission is to offer “boundless expression” for “di-

student programming body to continue inviting only men for Welcome Week and Springfest is inexcusable and embarassing. 2023’s Springfest must see a woman or non-binary performer headlining.

UPC should have already confronted this trend and ended it.

During 2019’s Welcome Week, rapper A$AP Ferg performed, proceed-

a low desire to bring a woman to Grounds. In the interest form that UPC sent to students to help decide the performer, 32 solo men or all-male groups were included. Five co-gender groups were included.

Only 12 women or non-binary artists were included. Male artists clearly outnumbered the non-male artists who UPC considered. How serious

UPC must bring women and non-binary performers to Grounds if it wants to drive real diversity and meet its mission.”

verse audiences.” Yet its choices for these concerts prove such aims to be male-centric. How can they cater to “diverse audiences” when they can’t even ensure diverse performers?

UPC acknowledged its failure to bring a woman to Grounds in their Sean Kingston announcement post, but that acknowledgement only came via meme. The post reads they tried to book a woman, but she rejected their offer. Of course, this doesn’t change the fact that UPC again chose a man. For our primary

ing to drop homophobic slurs while calling on women in the audience to “take their titties out” and “twerk on me.” While A$AP Ferg wasn’t at fault for the UPC inviting yet another consecutive male artist to perform, he certainly embodied sexism that should have triggered UPC to rethink its invitations.

UPC understandably operates within a limited budget and plans for very specific time windows. Yet even from the outset of this year’s Welcome Week, UPC exhibited

UPC was with this form, however, is questionable. In its Kingston announcement post, UPC also jested with students thinking it could afford artists like Future, J. Cole and Kid Cudi. But Cudi was on that interest form for students to choose, making it unclear how realistic the options on it even were.

Artists like Princess Nokia, Noah Cyrus, Kehlani and Latto — all on that form — would have been incredible and finally ended UPC’s troubling streak of bringing only

male artists to Grounds. UPC has frequently invited artists at the moment their careers were kicking into full gear. Harlow exemplifies this, as he performed only a month after the soaring success of “Industry Baby,” a collaboration with Lil Nas X that put him under the global spotlight.

Who might be a good choice for our next Springfest? Rina Sawayama is similarly taking off into stardom, especially following collaborations with Elton John and Charli XCX, as well as an official remix of Lady Gaga’s “Free Woman.” Baby Tate is an energizing rapper currently dropping incredible track after incredible track. And MUNA is a trio of queer women and non-binary performers known for their instant earworm “Silk Chiffon,” a track that features their label founder, Phoebe Bridgers.

UPC must bring women and non-binary performers to Grounds if it wants to drive real diversity and meet its mission. In the words of MUNA, let’s get our “miniskirt and rollerblades on” and dance our way out of this decade of male-centricity.

BRYCE WYLES is an Opinion Editor for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at opinion@cavalierdaily.com.

Virginia’s very own ‘Don’t Say Gay’ New model guidelines from the Virginia Department of Education highlight that Virginia has its own “Don’t Say Gay” law to worry about Governor Glenn Youngkin signed into law SB 656 a few months back.

The legislation requires Virginia teachers to identify “sexually explicit” content within their curriculums and mandates that principals notify parents about the explicit content, prior to their classroom introduction. In accordance with the law, the Virginia Department of Education released its model guidelines for sexually explicit instruction this past month, and its language has raised serious concerns.

By referencing an obviously outdated section of Virginia code, the new law creates the potential for all content mentioning same-sex relationships — in all grade levels — to require parental approval, effectively robbing Virginia students of the diverse and inclusive education to which they are entitled.

In part, the new law defines “sexually explicit content” as representations of pornography, coprophilia, bestiality and fetishism as well as any form of “sexual conduct” outlined in a specific subsection of Virginia code, § 18.2-390. This section of Virginia code happens to include the term “homosexuality” in its list of inherently sexual conduct. Which means — as the Pride Liberation Project deftly points out — the law could be interpreted to

categorize all mentions of people in same-sex relationships as “sexually explicit” content — and thus require parental approval to be taught. Imagine a Virginia where an AP Government teacher has to send home a waiver before lecturing on the Obergefell v.

Hodges supreme court case — that is the Virginia we could currently be living in.

If any of this sounds eerily familiar to you, it is because earlier this year Florida Governor Ron Desan-

fects students at every single grade level. Virginia’s version of the “Don’t Say Gay” bill is much farther reaching and — if teachers can’t get a whole bunch of waivers signed — it could be a lot more destructive.

It’s hard to say with certainty that further erasure of the LGBTQ+ narrative from school curriculums was an intended effect of this law. However, given the actions of Republican controlled state legislatures across the country, it isn’t crazy to think that this

legislation they pushed through our government.

One thing I can say with certainty is that straight parents shouldn’t get to opt students out of classroom content simply because it references “homosexuality.” Are we going to start handing out waivers to gay parents so they can sign-off on any content that mentions straight couples? At the heart of this injustice is the notion that heterosexual relationships are permitted, but relationships involving same-sex

It should be a place where inclusive curriculums empower students to love one another — because, last time I checked, Virginia is for lovers.”

tis signed a bill that famously gained traction as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

Among other things, the bill “prohibit[s] classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity” in kindergarten through third grade.

While that bill was very open about its intent to ban certain kinds of classroom conversations and very limited in the age demographic it targeted, the bill that was signed in our state was far more clandestine in its efforts and af-

was a concerted effort on the part of Virginia Republicans to exacerbate the marginalization of Virginia’s LGBTQ+ youth. When asked if the Pride Liberation Project was correct in their interpretation of the new law, a spokesperson for the Youngkin’s department of education declined to directly answer the question. So, at the very least, it seems Virginia conservatives can’t be bothered to care about the anti-LGBTQ+ effects of the

partners are inherently explicit. No student in Virginia will have their educational experience enhanced by these discriminatory guidelines, but gay youth will have to suffer with the knowledge that their peers can opt out of any content relating to their sexuality — which the state has now deemed intrinsically inferior.

Schools exist to give kids the tools necessary to change the world. This will become fundamentally impossi-

ble if parents are “empowered” such that they can exclude any competing worldviews from the minds of their children. Diverse and inclusive curriculums aren’t only vital to the success of marginalized students — they are also the bedrock of a more equitable society, a society destined to break the cycles of bigotry perpetuated by generations past.

Unfortunately for the students of the Commonwealth, the Youngkin administration — in collaboration with Virginia Republicans — appears to have declared a war on love, on acceptance and on progress. If they have it their way, we will begin raising a new generation of Virginians who are completely comfortable excluding other people because they are different, or opting out of conversations that don’t affirm their narrow-minded worldview. We cannot let that happen. So next time you vote, think about the Virginia you want our children to inhabit. It should be a place where inclusive curriculums empower students to love one another — because, last time I checked, Virginia is for Lovers.

NATHAN ONIBUDO is an Opinion Columnist for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at opinion@cavalierdaily.com.

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HUMOR

The Cavalier Daily

Here are Five Things Not to Wear to the First Day of Class You’ve stepped onto Grounds for the first time as a newly-minted University student. You have your dorm room and class schedule. At this point in the journey you may begin to wonder what you should wear on the first day of classes. As a rising fourth year, guilty of only a few FDOC transgressions — all of them blissfully unrelated to fashion — let me give you a list of five things not to wear to the first day of classes.

1. Lilly Pulitzer There is always one first-year girl who seems to think that wearing an abundance of Lilly Pulitzer makes her cool. It doesn’t. It looks like you threw a peeled orange in the washer.

This is a preppy school, not an aesthetically challenged one. Keep the headache inducing citrus at home.

Relying on brands in general is a bad idea. If you’re wearing a name brand because you actually like the cloth-

ing, that’s one thing. But wearing brands only because they’re brands is as transparent as it is expensive.

Don’t drain your coffers trying to match the polos and pearls reputation that the University boasts. On the first day of classes, most people will wear sweatpants.

joining a university community. You don’t need to feel shame for your innate first-year sins, but maybe don’t broadcast to the world that you’re 18, you’ve never done your taxes by yourself and you’re gullible as all get out.

2. Matching Dorm Apparel

First-year boys, level with me — why is it that you feel the need to wear khaki shorts? If you’re gonna wear the horrible fabric that is khaki, at least wear pants so that you don’t look like Steve Irwin. Khaki is perhaps the most uninteresting fabric to ever grace our eyes. Fresh off the high school conveyor belt of unoriginality, first years often walk around wearing slight variations on the same outfit. There are several fabrics which aid and abet this behavior. Khaki is the ultimate culprit. You’re in college now. Wear what you want but please for the love of God, wear something original.

Nothing screams “I’m a first year!” quite like a group of 15 kids walking across Grounds in matching sweatshirts with “Gibbons” stitched across the front. Some dorms, clubs and rec teams spend exorbitant amounts of money on matching apparel and you can bet that once the first-years get theirs, they will eat, sleep and study in them — especially if they are an awkwardly bright color, like bar sign blue or jail yard orange. Wearing a uniform is great when you’re on a sports team, in a catholic school or joining a cult. But not when you’re

3. Khaki Shorts

4. A Full Suit

5. Another School’s Emblem

birthday suit than a Tech T-Shirt. As I see it there are three reasons someone would wear another University’s T-Shirt on their first day as a Wahoo. The first — ignorance. Don’t be ignorant. The second — a sibling or parent attended another university and you seek to represent their Alma Mater. Don’t do this, U.Va. is your new family. Blood may be thicker than water, but Bold Rock is thicker than both. The third — U.Va. wasn’t your top choice, you fear you might have done better and you seek to communicate that through the apparel of another university. Don’t be this kid. You go to U.Va. now. Own it. You have only but begun finding out what an awesome school U.Va. is, so begin that adventure repping your own colors.

If you wear anything with a Virginia Tech logo on it, God help you.

That is an unforgivable sin. I would rather you parade around in your

ELLIE WILKIE is the Humor Senior Associate for The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at humor@ cavalierdaily.com

This is about as preppy as preppy can get. Unless you want people to place bets on how many horses your family owns, save the suit for your first formal. As I understand it, a full suit is also one of the most uncomfortable outfits a soul can wear.

Whatever you don on day one, you’ll have to sit in, sweat in, run in, eat in and study in. The first day of classes is a marathon, not a sprint, so dress the part. Go into your room, put on your proposed outfit, lock the door and do the first rep of a crossfit routine.

Then, and only then, will you know if your FDOC outfit is comfortable enough for the chaos impending.

CARTOON Through the Looking Glass Teresa Michael | Cartoon Editor

The Cavalier Daily

Thursday, August 18, 2022 | 13

HEALTH & SCIENCE

U.Va. students can now move in and out sustainably Charlottesville and the University offer numerous ways to give unwanted items a second life Katie Treene | Staff Writer As students at the University move back in, trash cans and dumpsters overflow with discarded furniture and waste. Instead of tossing unwanted items in the trash, the Hoos ReUse program and Refurnished Charlottesville offer new extensive alternative options — donating goods to second-hand stores and organizations which accept gently used items in Charlottesville and Albemarle County.

In 2018, the U.S. was the leading importer of furniture in the world, leading to an enormous carbon footprint — deforestation, burning fossil fuels for plastic production, emissions from shipping and more — and much of it was scrapped. Americans discarded 12.2 million tons of furniture in 2017, of which 80 percent ended up in landfills.

For on-Grounds students, donating items has been made convenient through the U.Va. Office of Sustainability’s Hoos ReUse program. Through the initiative, unwanted smaller items are resold by Goodwill, while Refurnished Charlottesville gives discarded furniture a new home, according to Lela Garner, the Office of Sustainability’s Student Outreach and Engagement Specialist.

Refurnished Charlottesville is a local nonprofit that works alongside the Hoos Reuse program, taking care of the entire donation process from pickup to cleaning to delivery. Logan Bowers, president of Refurnished Charlottesville and rising fourth- year College student, explains that there is no shortage of community members who could benefit from a free or discounted piece of furniture or household item.

“I pretty much furnished my apartment on my own as a second-year student, so that’s super stressful for anyone,” Bowers said. “Seeing just how much furniture goes to waste was bewildering. I’d see a couch on the side of the road and think I could’ve used that in my apartment, but now it’s been rained on.”

There are numerous organizations in Charlottesville that accept donations of gently used items — Goodwill, Earlysville Exchange, Habitat for Humanity, Salvation Army and more — and Hoos ReUse seeks to fill the need to connect students to these or-

NICK ZURGIS | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Students can now reduce waste from moving in and out of dorms, such as Bice, through local sustainability efforts.

ganizations.

“The program started because members in the Office for Sustainability saw a huge opportunity to help divert waste from the landfill during the move-out process,” Garner said. “Unfortunately, the easiest thing to do when it comes to moving from point A to point B is to just drop all of your stuff at the landfill as a point of convenience, so we saw a great opportunity from a sustainability perspective, not only to avoid cutting materials in the landfill, but also to repurpose them or put them back out into the community.”

The Hoos ReUse program mostly receives items such as clothing, small appliances and small furniture pieces, especially three-drawer plastic storage containers. Garner explains that it is important that the goods donat-

ed are in decent condition — not the equivalent of deposited bags of trash — so that the process is not challenging for the people servicing the bins.

This year, Goodwill received 5,310 pounds in donations from Hoos ReUse. If the items are in good condition, they are sent to the sales floor. If dirty or damaged, they cannot be sold, and are instead recycled or repurposed through aftermarket programs, such as various forms of recycling and auctions.

In May, one of the organization’s busiest months due to move out at the University, Refurnished Charlottesville saw about 60 attempted donations, and was able to match 20 of these items with new homes. Refurnished Charlottesville is looking to expand its capabilities so that all attempted donations can be

collected and given to those in need of such items.

Robbie Fisher, the manager of Earlysville Exchange, explains that his organization offers another avenue for donations.

“All the dollars that we generate, under normal practice, go back to the community — primarily human needs, food, housing, those kinds of things,” Fisher said.

Furthermore, pregnancy centers, International Neighbors and the Red Cross are given whatever items their clients need for free.

Habitat for Humanity Store also uses its profits to help the community. After expenses, the store raises enough money to build 3 or 4 houses. The store accepts donated “furniture, appliances, building supplies, tools, artwork, rugs, lighting and a

small amount of home decor items,” Habitat Store Operations Manager David Winder said.

Online platforms such as Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, Instagram and GroupMe provide opportunities to give furniture and other items a second life without the hassle of taking them to a thrift store.

Each of these platforms provide students with an opportunity to limit their environmental impact and divert waste from the landfill.

“If students can prioritize selling, exchanging or swapping their items instead of dropping them off in the landfill dumpster behind their complex, that would be huge,” Garner said.

14 | www.cavalierdaily.com

The Cavalier Daily

SPORTS

Previewing Virginia football’s slate for the 2022 season A new non-conference foe and yearly rivalries await a hungry Virginia team entering the first year of Coach Tony Elliott’s tenure William Smythe | Sports Writer College football is right around the corner, and Virginia is hoping to regain its footing in the ACC Coastal Division after reaching the conference championship in 2019.

Despite a mediocre 6-6 record in 2021, the Cavaliers have managed to retain several key stars all while entering the first year in the tenure of new Coach Tony Elliott — formerly the offensive coordinator at Clemson.

Luckily enough, Virginia — who struggled in a blowout loss to Elliott’s previous team in the aforementioned ACC Championship — will avoid juggernauts such as Clemson and Notre Dame this season. However, new opponents and rising programs within the conference will challenge the Cavaliers in their third-go-around with senior quarterback Brennan Armstrong.

Nearly three weeks from now, the Cavaliers will jumpstart their 2022 campaign with a date against Richmond at Scott Stadium. The schedule only ramps up as the season progresses, with multiple critical matchups along the way.

Oct. 8 vs. Louisville The Cavaliers have a complicated history with the Louisville Cardinals. Virginia fans may remember the near-upset of the Lamar Jackson-led Cardinals in 2016, or the game-winning field goal to send Virginia home with a one-point victory last season. Jackson, now a starting quarterback in the NFL for the Baltimore Ravens, was the Heisman Trophy winner and regarded as a top prospect at the time.

It seems as if every year reflects a theme of unpredictability, with the two schools sharing a similar football pedigree that often leads to some close battles. Further, the Cardinals and Cavaliers have split their past six games dating back to 2016, marking an underrated rivalry between an ACC mainstay in Virginia and a newcomer in Louisville.

The chief concern for the Cavaliers will be Cardinal senior quarterback Malik Cunningham — a dual-threat weapon who, with his running ability and quickness, has an uncanny resemblance to Jackson. From Alabama, Cunningham possesses three years of experience as a starter — quietly posting 2,941 passing yards while rushing for 1,031 — the most out of any Division 1 quarterback in 2021.

In order to slow down Cunningham and sophomore running back

AVA PROEHL | THE CAVALIER DAILY

The Cavaliers’ favorable schedule gives them a strong chance of a postseason appearance in Coach Tony Elliott’s first season at the helm in Charlottesville.

Jalen Mitchell, Virginia will have to prioritize the Cardinals’ rushing schemes which heavily involve their quarterback, a rare yet dangerous threat for opposing defenses.

Nov. 19 vs. Coastal Carolina Despite Coastal Carolina’s status as a college football mid-major, the Chanticleers have done nothing but proven that they can compete with the Power 5 conferences. Coach Jamey Chadwell — who has received plenty of buzz as a hot commodity in the coaching world — has successfully turned a 3-9 program in 2017 into a perennial powerhouse in the Sun Belt.

Coastal Carolina has won 22 out of its last 25 games, including a triumph over then-No. 8 BYU in 2020 in the infamous “Mullets vs. Mormons” game. The question thus begs, where did this mullet phenomenon come from?

Junior quarterback Grayson McCall — who has risen to stardom all while sporting a flowing mullet — has catalyzed the Chanti-

cleer offense for the past two years.

The 6-foot-3, 215 lb. field general from North Carolina has recorded only six interceptions in 24 games, all while posting 54 touchdowns through the air and 11 on the ground.

With a schedule that already includes the likes of Cunningham and Miami’s star sophomore quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, Virginia will have to contend with one of the most talented quarterbacks in all of Division 1 in an unusual, out-of-conference matchup. However, a story to monitor will be the strength of schedule of the Chanticleers, as a date with the Cavaliers will be a stark contrast from the bulk of the competition in the Sun Belt.

Nov. 26 at Virginia Tech It all ends with the Hokies. In the annual clash between the two schools, Virginia Tech and Virginia will once again vie for the Commonwealth Cup in one of the most heated rivalries in all of college football. Let the record state that the Hokies have had the overwhelming

upper hand over the Cavaliers in the 21st century, with a Virginia victory in 2019 finally breaking a streak of 15 consecutive wins by the team from Blacksburg.

Last year’s loss at home to a surprisingly weak Virginia Tech team left a sour taste in Virginia’s mouth.

Now, with once again a talent-laden roster that rivals Virginia Tech on paper, the Cavaliers will have to show up when it matters most as they travel to Lane Stadium in late November.

As it so happens, this will be the first year for both teams’ Coaches, as Virginia Tech hired former Penn State defensive coordinator Brent Pry to reignite a tradition-heavy program. The Hokies and Cavaliers — who have increasingly depended on the Commonwealth Cup even in mediocre seasons — will be hungry to start their respective coaches’ tenures off on the right foot.

Virginia Tech — in the midst of a roster overhaul — will feature a completely different offense after the departure of quarterback Braxton Burmeister and wide receivers

Tre Turner and Tayvion Robinson. Relying on the transfer portal for quarterbacks Jason Brown and Grant Wells, Pry will have to wipe the slate clean and revitalize a depleted Hokie roster.

However, as Cavalier fans know all too well, the Commonwealth Cup cannot be viewed through the lens of which roster is better or which record is stronger. Each team, regardless of their season’s trajectory, tries to bring out their best come Thanksgiving weekend.

The potential of the Cavalier offense — spearheaded by the return of Armstrong and junior wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks — will give Virginia the edge in these crucial matchups. Defensive concerns remain, yet if the Cavaliers can shore up that side of the ball, an appearance in the ACC Championship is not out of the question. With a nationally-renowned quarterback at the helm and a wide receiving corps unlike any other in the program’s history, Virginia football has the chance to make some serious noise come November.

Thursday, August 18, 2022 | 15

SPORTS

Claire Constant grows as part of Haiti National Team The fifth-year center-back represented Haiti at the CONCACAF Women’s Championships Brandon Brown | Sports Writer Seven years of French classes were not as useful as Claire Constant — a graduate student defender on the Virginia women’s soccer team — had expected when she landed in Costa Rica for training camp with the Haitian women’s national team.

“I had taken French for seven to eight years, and though I don’t speak it, I was kind of confident going in,” Constant said.

That confidence quickly departed as she learned that Haitian Creole was the preferred language of the national team. In fact, Haitian Creole — which combines French with the traditional languages of the Africans enslaved by the French — is the most common form of Creole in the world.

Constant, an Alexandria native, is a key cog of the Virginia women’s soccer team that has gone an impressive 65-14-9 since she joined the team in 2018. Despite the team falling to No. 4 BYU in the third round of the NCAA Tournament this past fall, Constant’s 22 starts in 23 games, provided the stability for the Cavaliers to win the ACC regular season title in an extremely competitive conference.

The 2017 Gatorade Player of the Year — an award given to a high school athlete recognized as the best player for their respective sport — for Virginia, Constant has always earned exceptional recognition for her talents.

From 2014 to 2018, Constant was selected for U.S. Women’s National Team camps on five occasions.

However, for reasons of her own, she did not envision herself playing for the U.S. Women’s National Team at the senior level.

“When I was 18 I knew that playing for the U.S. at that level was not something I wanted to do, so when I got the opportunity to join the Haitian Team for this past camp, I immediately knew that I was meant to play for Haiti at the senior level,” Constant said.

Any player is eligible to represent their parents’ nation of origin, according to FIFA rules. For Constant, that connection would be her father, who is from Mirebalais, Haiti.

The opportunity to play for Haiti presented itself in April in an unconventional manner when Constant was approached to represent the Haitian National Team via Facebook and Instagram direct message. The U.S. National Team communicates through email, so she was skeptical of the credibility of these messages.

“I did some research on the guy

who messaged me and it seemed legit,” Constant said.

Fast forward to July 4 and Constant was lining up against the likes of U.S. National Team stars like Alex Morgan and former Cavalier Becky Sauerbrunn for her first international cap in the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football Women’s Championships.

Before the CONCACAF championships, Constant attended Haitian training in Costa Rica.

important for me to earn respect and not take little things to heart — to understand that it’s bigger than me and bigger than the game of soccer,” Constant said.

She thanked the humility she learned from Virginia Coach Steve Swanson, who has created a competitive environment that demands the highest success, but also a player-driven culture that aims to create good people out of his players.

“He develops players on and off the field — it’s more about the

tant coach for the senior national team. Notably, he witnessed two of his former players from Virginia — Class of 2007 alumna Becky Sauerbrunn and Class of 2015 alumna Morgan Brian — play the full 90 minutes in the 2015 World Cup victory.

Needless to say, Swanson’s experience has only strengthened his program at Virginia, and he is familiar with the heights his players want to reach and how to help them get there.

“I understand what the mod-

RIX PRAKASH | THE CAVALIER DAILY

Graduate student defender Claire Constant is ready to bring her professional experience to help the Cavaliers to another strong season.

“That experience was unlike any experience I have had in my life,” Constant said. “Basically, I went and met a whole new team who have known and played with each other for years.”

This experience would be difficult for any player, let alone needing to overcome a language barrier. She did not expect it to be easy, though. Constant joined the national team knowing that she had to prove herself to her new teammates, and she approached the challenge with marked humility.

“Going in with this new group of girls who have lived a completely different life than me, I knew … that it was going to be

person that you are rather than the players and that’s what’s so special,” Constant said.

Coach Swanson’s strategy and commitment to his players are what make the program so successful, evident not only through collegiate success, but also through the amount of his players that play professionally after their time with him.

His knack for development comes from his unique understanding of the modern game of soccer. Swanson has worked in the U.S. Women’s National Team system since 1999 and has since helped the U.S. to back-to-back World Cup victories in 2015 and 2019 after being appointed assis-

ern game demands — physically, technically, tactically and psychologically,” Swanson said. “I think it’s valuable to see the next level.”

After the 2021 season, three of his players — Taryn Torres, Laurel Ivory and Diana Ordoñez — joined the list of 26 other former Cavaliers coached by Swanson to play professionally, including multiple World Cup Winners.

Swanson showed respect for Constant’s experience with Haiti.

“All things considered, she did a remarkable job,” Swanson said, speaking on her challenging but beneficial experience with the Haitian Women’s National team.

In the CONCACAF Women’s Championships, Haiti went

1-2, falling to the U.S. and Jamaica, but beating host Mexico 3-0.

In the last 10 minutes of Haiti’s match with Mexico, Constant played against former Virginia teammate, Diana Ordoñez.

“That was a lot of fun,” Constant said. “She’s been doing so well and it was fun to be on that stage and play against her. After the game, we got to see each other and we shared a hug, it was great.”

Unfortunately, Haiti’s one victory was not enough to earn them a berth at the 2023 Women’s World Cup hosted by New Zealand and Australia — which would be their first ever. However, in February 2023, there will be a two-game playoff where Haiti will have a final chance to qualify.

In the meantime, Constant will be participating in more Haitian National Team training camps in preparation. Going from a prestigious program like Virginia to a growing program like the Haitian National Team demands a serious mentality shift from Constant.

“At U.Va we are expected to win,” Constant said. “That’s a pressure I have come to understand. With Haiti, we want that pressure. We want people to expect us to win. We lost two of the games and they weren’t great scores but people were surprised and there are huge fans of Haiti now.”

The CONCACAF Women’s Championship was not yet the stage for Haiti to shine and take down the world’s best, but in time, Haiti could earn the pressure with which Constant is so familiar. The future is bright for her and Haiti.

Turning her sights back to Virginia, Constant is very excited for the 2022 campaign. She is returning for her fifth year alongside a stacked graduating class with AllACC talent. Graduate student forwards Alexa Spaanstra, Haley Hopkins and Rebecca Jarrett are all returning for a final season.

“It’ll be so special to have everyone there for our last season,” Constant said. “My expectations are very high — ACC Championship, national championship, those are the goals right now.”

After a gutting PK shootout loss to conference rival FSU in the 2020 College Cup semifinal and a premature third round exit in 2021, this team has a point to prove. Constant can now bring national team experience to an already talented side, making these goals all that more attainable.

16 | www.cavalierdaily.com

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