University president John T. Casteen, III announced Friday that Arthur Garson, Jr. will become the University’s provost.

Garson, who is currently serving as Medical School dean, will take the office July 1.

Garson will succeed outgoing Provost Gene Block, who will become the chancellor of the University of California, Los Angeles this summer.

Garson said he looks forward to following a long generation of great leaders.

“We practice useful science throughout the Grounds each day whether it be humanities or science and we practice it together,” Garson said.

Although each candidate for the position showed enormous potential, according to Casteen, Garson was the unanimous choice of three selection committees.

“He has a thoughtful and ambitious vision for what the University can become in the upcoming decade and beyond,” Casteen added.

According to a press release issued by the University, Garson has served as Medical School dean since 2002. He was influential in the creation of the Master’s of Public Health Program and in plans to create the University’s clinical cancer center.

Casteen said Garson will lead the University through a critical time while the University seeks global recognition.

Garson’s first order of business as provost will be to announce the individual chosen to take over the position of outgoing College Dean Edward Ayers. He will also oversee the future development of the Capital Campaign and creation of the University’s newest school — the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy.

Casteen plans to present Garson to the Board of Visitors at its next meeting not only as the new provost, but also as an executive vice president of the University.

Leonard Sandridge will also continue to serve as an executive vice president.

Casteen said the selection process for a new provost began after Block announced in December he would be leaving the University. The search committee tried to expedite the section process so the new provost could help in the search for Ayers’ replacement.

The procedure to select the new provost involved three different rounds of interviews and reports. The Board of Visitors initiated the first interview for the candidates, followed by the faculty advisor committee and a separate committee compromised of University deans.

The faculty committee that selected the new provost also included Robert Pianta, who was named the next Education School dean today.

Pianta will replace David Breneman who is stepping down this summer.

“Thanks to David Brenaman’s leadership I will inherit a strong foundation of programs and external support,” Pianta stated in a press release issued by the University.

With the ACC Tournament well underway, there is not much the No. 6 Virginia women’s lacrosse team can complain about much as they’ve had another successful season. The Cavaliers finished the year ranked 16th nationally in scoring offense (averaging 12.75 goals per game) and fifth in the country in scoring defense (averaging 8.06 goals allowed per game).

“I think we feel good. 13-3 is a pretty solid record,” Virginia coach Julie Myers said, adding, however, that the team always seems to lose one game each year that it should have won.

“This year would be [Johns] Hopkins, last year would be Richmond, and we have always had one of those other wins coming down the stretch where we could have — and should have — won, so I think we’re in very comfortable and familiar territory in terms of where our record is and what we’ve done,” Myers said.

The Cavaliers (13-3, 3-2 ACC) fell to Johns Hopkins nearly two weeks ago, 12-9. Another one of their devastating losses came against a home matchup against ACC rival Duke when the Blue Devils managed to score the game-winning goal in sudden-death double overtime for a 19-18 win. After beating powerhouses such as Richmond, Syracuse and Maryland, however, Virginia knows what it takes to make it through a tough schedule.

While success is a team effort, this season is particulary important to the seniors who are about to graduate.

“This year is important to me because it is my final go-around, my last chance at hopefully getting that national championship one more time,” senior defender and co-captain Jessy Morgan said. “But it’s been a great season, probably one of the best I’ve been a part of. And I’d really just like to end on a high note with winning ACCs and NCAAs.”

Though the seniors will soon leave their younger teammates behind, they still have a responsibility to take on a leadership role and direct the squad on the field. This leadership and the valuable experience the seniors bring to the field will be crucial in producing a strong showing in tournament play.

“They have been in a lot of championship games and a lot of tournament settings, and they are our best leaders on the field as well as off the field,” Myers said. “Certainly the [seniors] are going to lead the way off the field, getting ready for exams, taking care of the little things there academically and then really capitalizing once they are on the field.”

This season has also brought rewards for several players, most notably Kate Breslin, who was recently nominated for the 2007 Tewaaraton Trophy. Her 45 goals and 22 assists lead the team in both categories and are also career highs. She is one of the 17 nominees for the most prestigious awards in women’s lacrosse that has usually been awarded to the country’s best all-around player.

It has been a good run for this Virginia team and nobody is looking to have it end — at least not until after the national championship.

Though it has not been the best of seasons for the Virginia softball team, memories of solid performances can still be gleaned from the 2007 season.

“I’d have to say probably the Fresno game [was our best game],” Virginia coach Karen Johns said. “Being able to beat a ranked team and keep coming from behind each time — that was a great ballgame for us to play.”

As the season approaches a close, the team still has a chance to make a run in the ACC Tournament. If the Cavaliers win it, they will qualify for the NCAA Tournament.

First, however, Virginia (17-34, 1-17 ACC) has to face Georgia Tech (46-13, 11-6 ACC) in one more gear-up series before the ACC Tournament.

The Yellow Jackets, winners of 12 straight ballgames and ranked No. 20 in the latest ESPN.com college softball poll, create a host of problems for opposing teams.

First, their hitting stings teams with plenty of runs. The Yellow Jackets score just under 11 runs per game. The Jackets’ top hitter, senior outfielder Caitlin Lever, is batting an exceptional .455. The team also has five other players with batting averages over .300.

“They are a massive offensive team,” Johns said. “They probably don’t have the top-level pitching that they would prefer to have, but they just score tons of runs so it’s going to be a big challenge to keep them off the bases.”

The Yellow Jacket pitching staff, however, is not lacking in success.

Sophomore Tiffany Johnson (16-6, 2.24 ERA), junior Whitney Humphreys (20-5, 2.52 ERA) and senior Sarah Wood (8-1, 3.00 ERA) represent a strong presence in the circle.

Virginia’s pitching staff has been given a boost this year with the unanticipated rise of junior Whitney Holstun. Listed on the roster as an outfielder, Holstun now sports a 6-5 pitching record.

Holstun said the coaching staff’s decision to try her at pitching was “very unexpected.”

“I never really wanted to or didn’t want to,” she said. “We were struggling with our pitching staff, and so they tried me out and it worked.”

Johns noted that Holstun is able to control the pace of the game.

“She’s managed a good tempo and rhythm in the games,” Johns said. “She’s kept us in games for the most part. We’re hoping she can give us a couple more weekends of that and get us through [the ACC] Tournament.”

Virginia, however, will now face the challenge of using what they know about their conference opponents to their advantage.

“I think both teams learn a little bit from each other,” senior utility player Brooke Sorber said. “It depends on how well you can make that work for you. Knowing what pitchers throw can really help batters. But they also know what the batters have done, so you just got to see how to make it work for your team.”

No matter how far the Cavaliers can go this season, one has to wonder how next year is shaping up. A high-quality recruiting class should turn the Cavaliers’ fortunes around.

“We have a very solid class coming in,” Johns said. “Two of the top players in the country are in that class. The other three are very strong athletes. We’re looking forward to bringing them in. Pitching and middle infield [should improve]. We’re also adding overall team speed and a little more athleticism.”

For now, however, the Cavaliers have the end of this year to focus on. It is not over yet, with the team’s last chances starting Friday at 3 p.m. with the doubleheader against Georgia Tech. Saturday’s game is at 1 p.m. The ACC Tournament begins May 10 in Tallahassee, Fla.

There is little question that winning the 2007 ACC title will be considerably more difficult for this Virginia men’s lacrosse team than for its 2006 counterpart.

Indeed, the 2006 national championship team was undefeated and heavily laden with experienced seniors; had to contend with only two other ACC teams after the Blue Devils canceled their season; and, with a first-round bye, secured ACC-Championship status in just one afternoon with a victory against Maryland.

“I don’t know if this title would mean more than last year’s, but it will definitely be more challenging,” junior Ben Rubeor said. “But having to play two games in three days is difficult and so there would be some added reward to winning the 2007 title.”

With Duke (11-2 3-0 ACC) hosting this year’s ACC Tournament, the Cavaliers (11-2, 2-1 ACC) will travel once again to Durham, N.C., the site of their 7-6 sudden-death overtime loss to the Blue Devils just two weeks ago.

“There’s no question we are glad Duke is back,” Rubeor said. “We want to play and we want to defend ourselves against the best teams in the country, and Duke is obviously one of those. We are happy they are playing and happy for them, but at the same time I think they are going to bring the best out of us.”

As the tournament’s No. 2 seed behind Duke, Virginia will have to earn its second chance at the Blue Devils by defeating No. 3 Maryland in Friday night’s opening round.

In late March, Virginia beat Maryland 12-8 at Klöckner Stadium. Though the Terrapins have made several personnel adjustments since that time, they have not changed dramatically. With all three of Maryland’s close defensemen having earned pre-season All-American honors, Virginia’s attack will once again face one of the top defensive lines in the country.

“They are a lot slower team than we are, so as long as our defense settles down, we can play six-on-six with their offense all day,” senior Ricky Smith said. “I think the key for the game is getting a couple of goals on them early so that if we force them to play six-on-six, they are kind of going to kill the clock.”

Though Virginia will head to Durham determined to defend its current title as ACC champion, the Cavaliers are quick to point out that this team is completely different from the one that earned that designation a year ago, namely younger and more inexperienced. And, although Starsia characterizes his squad as having been fairly consistent since the beginning of the season, he’s aware that the postseason can pose new challenges for young players.

“With young guys, you have to spend a little more time going through the details and making sure they are hearing you,” Starsia said. “I spend a lot more time looking guys in the eye after I explain something and saying ‘Did you just understand what I was saying?’ — You have to take that little extra time to make sure they understand the principles you are trying to get through to them.”

An additional challenge heading into the playoffs will be the “bumps and bruises” Starsia says are currently bothering three of Virginia’s essential starters: attack Rubeor, senior goalkeeper Kip Turner and sophomore long-stick midfielder Mike Timms.

Players and coaches alike expressed the belief that this year’s team has given an honest effort and worked hard in every practice and every game so far. Therefore, regardless of the results of the ACC and NCAA Tournaments, it would be hard for anyone to ask more of these Cavaliers as long as Virginia continues to give everything it has in the postseason.

“This team, this 2007 effort overall, has really been terrific,” Starsia said. “It’s a good bunch of guys — a young team, but we are still continuing to improve. I just hope we get there, play our best lacrosse, before we run out of season.”

Changes to the newly approved Student Council constitution have caused misunderstandings in recent weeks. Council plans to revise its bylaws this summer to enhance clarity and improve the efficiency of its processes.

The new constitution was adopted following the student body’s approval of a spring referendum.

Graduate Arts & Sciences Rep. Tom Bryan said the speed with which the constitution was changed left things such as date of implementation “ambiguous” and said Council deliberation that recommended the new constitution should have occurred after new officers transitioned into their roles.

He added that now the newly elected Council is “stuck with sorting out things, without having been part of the original process.”

Bryan said there have been instances in which changes from the constitution have caused unnecessary confusion, such as determining when the new constitution officially went into effect.

This confusion manifested itself when it became unclear whether executive board members were allowed to vote in appropriations appeals earlier this month. The new constitution does not allow executive board members to vote on issues and at the appeals hearing, Council failed to make quorum in part because it was not clear whether the executive members were qualified to vote.

Several other meetings have been also interrupted to clarify processes, including last Tuesday’s allocations appeals procedure, which Council members felt was unclear.

Student Council President Lauren Tilton said adapting to the constitution will go “a lot smoother, once we get the bylaws to work better.” Tilton added that the current bylaws are outdated and “make it difficult to take advantage of the flexibility that the new constitution was supposed to provide.”

According to Tilton, the executive board will spend the summer working to revise the bylaws to have things clear by the start of next semester.

Tilton said the revision will include rewriting of the bylaws.

“Revising the bylaws will allow Student Council to run more smoothly internally so that we can be more externally focused,” Tilton said.

Council Executive Vice President Melissa Warnke said the new Council will do its best to uphold the new constitution but hopes to focus on other things in the coming semester, emphasizing that the newly elected representatives seem very dedicated.

Warnke said Student Council procedure prevents new representatives from becoming voting members until the appropriations process is complete. She added that despite their nonvoting status, representatives have already shown intense dedication serving as proxies for absent voting members, attending meetings and sitting through five-hour-long appeals.

Warnke said the new members were also extremely helpful in organizing the University response to the Virginia Tech tragedy earlier this month.

“I am already intrigued by the ideas, the drive and the commitment they have shown to coming together to get things done,” Warnke said. “I’m really excited.”

Community outreach, faculty education and Semester at Sea may become the most talked-about issues for the Honor Committee in the next year.

As this school year winds down, the Committee is looking ahead to a new semester and a new class of students and faculty who will need to be introduced to the honor system.

The Committee plans to use the faculty survey completed last semester to gain a sense of community understanding of and involvement with the system.

“It will have sweeping effects for our committee,” Honor Chair Ben Cooper said. “It’s hard to judge — unless you get a survey like that — where we’re succeeding and where our shortcomings are.”

The survey sought to illuminate the correlations among faculty experience, knowledge and opinion, former Chair Alison Tramba said.

To build on knowledge gained from the survey, the Committee plans to build stronger relationships with department chairs and the Faculty Senate.

“I hope that the current Committee is conscious of its results and takes those into consideration when working with faculty members both in cases and in training and communication,” Tramba said.

The Committee will also focus on its educational programming for teaching assistants and graduate students, who demonstrated low levels of engagement with the system in the survey, Cooper said.

He added that the Committee will spend time during the summer working on orientation programs to educate incoming students and preparing administratively for the upcoming year.

Cooper said he may also spend time at the orientation for the summer Semester at Sea voyage as a student representative of the honor system.

Semester at Sea presents a “unique situation” for Honor, Cooper said. The majority of students on the boat are not from the University and therefore may not have the same concept of student self-governance as University students, he added.

“The first part we have to address is getting them to get out of the status-quo mindset and let them know that here at Virginia, we have a student-run system,” he said.

Administrators are responsible for conducting investigations on the ship, but trials are conducted by University students in Charlottesville.

The Committee will not only focus its efforts on students who have never before experienced the honor system; one of the Committee’s primary initiatives for the next year will be improving its relationship with the entire student community, according to Cooper..

Last year’s Committee also focused on improving community relationships, Tramba said.

“I would say that our communication with the student body was something our Committee did well … trying to look at Honor from a current perspective and really address the issues that students, faculty and community members saw as important,” Tramba said.

She added that the Committee worked to increase transparency in Honor proceedings and simplifying its procedures.

“Trying to reach out to the University is a broad and vague goal to have,” Tramba said. “And that’s what makes it into a challenge, turning it into concrete tasks that can be accomplished.”

Charlottesville City Council members discussed their hopes to improve district schools and make housing more affordable in the coming year following the recent budget approval.

The Council approved a 2007-08 fiscal budget of about $122 million April 10, which includes $4.3 million allocated for improvements to Charlottesville City Schools.

Council member David Norris said the school system has experienced high turnover in superintendents recently and noted that the Council wants to assist academic programs implemented by Rosa S. Atkins, who was named superintendent in February.

Norris added that Council feels Atkins “is doing a good job.”

Mayor David E. Brown said the increase for funding in schools will also help Charlottesville schools remain competitive in the area. The city is a major source of school funding, according to Brown, and helps schools provide competitive teacher salaries.

“They don’t want to fall behind regionally what we pay our teachers,” Brown said.

Additional funding from the city’s budget will go toward programs aimed at keeping students in school, Brown said.

“There are a number of programs and a big initiative within the high schools with a team effort to identify both … kids who are at risk of dropping out and kids on the borderline of going to college,” Brown added.

The budget will also provide for improvements in public safety.

Though Norris said the allocation for public safety would concentrate on renovating police and fire stations, Vice-Mayor Kendra Hamilton said there are not yet any specific plans established.

After the public raised many concerns, the Council voted on a final real estate tax of 95 cents for every $100. Brown said this four-cent decrease in the tax was the most “direct” way to address the city’s affordable housing issue.

According to Brown, Charlottesville residents have endured increases in real estate assessments and tax bills. With the new real estate tax, the Council will “partially offset” the city’s 14 percent property assessment increase.

In addition to re-examining property taxes, Norris said Charlottesville has begun numerous efforts to address affordable housing issues. Programs that will be implemented include rebate tax programs for the elderly and city aid to help residents buy a house without struggling to pay real estate taxes, Norris said.

Budget funds will also be appropriated to implement Sunday transit service for the city.

According to Norris, the Council adopted a transit development plan that will look to add more resources to improve public transportation over the coming years.

These new resources will include the Green City Initiative. Norris said, this Green City program will promote environmental sustainability.

“This council is very committed to seeing us practice environmental sustainability both within city governments and within the broader community,” he said.

The budget also includes funding to build more sidewalks, hiking trails and bicycle paths to encourage alternative transportation in the city.

The budget will go into effect July 1.

On the menu for next year is a little less dough in University students’ pockets after the Board of Visitors recently approved an average meal plan rate increase of 4½ percent.

The rate increases, which differ for each type of meal plan, amount to a $40 to $150 increase.

According to the Board’s summary, about 8,400 University students purchased a meal plan for the 2006-07 school year.

The University currently contracts with Aramark to provide dining hall services. Brent Beringer, director of University Dining Services and an employee of Aramark, said he expects a similar number of students will be affected by the 2007-08 changes.

Beringer also noted that the number of students with meal plan contracts has increased in recent years by about 500 students each year.

Richard Kovatch, University associate vice president for business operations, said the rate increase stems from the fact that “the operating costs associated with dining services around Grounds have gone up.”

Kovatch said this change includes­ increased labor costs, increased food costs and increased sustainability measures — such as purchasing goods locally, furthering recycling initiatives, developing strategies to increase the fuel efficiency of food transport and composting food waste.

According to the Board summary, “personal services are expected to increase 5 percent, or $491,000, and food costs are expected to increase 3.5 percent, or $285,300.”

Because the University contracts with Aramark, University Dining Services is dependent on the funds generated by meal plan contracts and dining retail outlet purchases, Beringer said. Increased operating costs cause increased meal plan rates, he said, because there is no auxiliary support for dining.

Beringer said University Dining Services develops a budget for approval by University administrators and the Board of Visitors just as any other University department would, even though Aramark manages all dining facilities.

According to Kovatch, the University “oversees” the dining program in its approval of the dining budget.

When students pay for their meal plans, Kovatch said, the money first goes to the University. As students use meals, or spend money at dining retail outlets, the money is then transferred to Aramark. Remaining funds, Kovatch added, support debt service, capital projects and other University expenditures.

Beringer said after operating costs are deducted, Aramark’s funds are used to improve the quality of dining service locations.

“We will also be trying to make additional improvements,” Beringer said. “We will be adding a café in Clark Library, and try to be making several modifications in Runk Dining Hall.”

Such improvements, according to Beringer, are guided by student input.

Price increases, however, might be necessary to deliver the best dining service, according to Beringer.

“Our goal is to get as many students on a meal plan as possible,” Beringer said. “To do something that might do otherwise doesn’t make sense.”

Meet Jo Watts. A little more than two weeks ago, the third-year English major was preparing to return to civilian life. The national guardsman had already completed one tour of duty in Iraq and had also been deployed for relief work during Hurricane Isabel. He was supposed to be released from the National Guard April 23. Instead, he was notified that June 8, he would be leaving for another tour of duty in the Middle East with the 2nd Battalion of the 183rd cavalry out of Suffolk, Va.

Watts served in Iraq for nearly all of 2005, from Jan. 1 to Dec. 15. Unsure of his duty for his second deployment, Watts said the first time he went to Iraq as “military police” he took part in detainee operations, route patrols, perimeter security and convoy security.

In general guardsmen may provide ground transportation support or be part of a command and control element, according to Lt. Col. Chester C. Carter, III, the public affairs officer for the Virginia National Guard.

Watts is scheduled to serve 400 days. According to Watts, however, an important phrase to keep in mind regarding the military is “Everything is subject to change.”

“The first time we were sent over as military police … our mission changed every two months,” Watts said. “At any point during your deployment they can extend you, they can change what you’re doing [and] they can change who you’re with.”

Though his duties might change once he arrives, Watts’ feelings about his second deployment already have.

“At drill the other month, I was looking around the unit and you can divide the unit right down the middle,” he said. “On one side of the line [there are] all the people that went on the last deployment and on the other side [there are] a bunch of 17- and 18-year-old privates that haven’t done anything. And by looking at their faces you can see the difference in the two facing the deployment. The new privates look very … scared and I have to wonder if I looked like that the first time around.”

A little less nervous, a little more experienced, Watts said he feels better prepared for his second deployment.

“Having been over there once and knowing where I’m going to go this time, I feel like I know better what to expect,” Watts said. “I know what the surrounding land is like. I know what the people are like. I know what not to believe [and] what to believe.”

Making a difference?

It’s difficult for Watts to encounter someone and not be asked whether the United States is making a difference in Iraq. To this question, he immediately responds, “no.” Yet he goes on to add that he has seen soldier impacting Iraq through the lives of children.

“I don’t think we belong there; now it’s a question of we’re there, what do we do now,” he said. “Historically speaking, if you look at all of the countries we’ve occupied … that turned out the way we wanted them to … We were there for decades.”

Watts added that in principle, he agrees that the U.S Army should remain in Iraq “until the job is done,” but he is not sure how the United States can determine when the job is done.

“We’re not fighting on single enemy,” he said. “It’s not like there is any one person we can vilify, capture and then declare victory over. We’re fighting an idea right now … You remove one terrorist cell and instantly there are three more to replace it.”

Nevertheless, Watts believes soldiers are making a difference in the lives of Iraqi children — something that he said is not portrayed enough in the media.

“There’s a lot people don’t see,” Watts said. “There are lots of good things going on over there, if not on the national level then on the individual civilian level ,that don’t get broadcasted on the news.”

Watts described his post during his first tour of a duty near an “Iraqi ghetto,” a low-income area where children begged for food and water. The soldiers would give them toys and coloring books. The children often threw debris into the middle of the road whenever soldiers were driving by, hoping for the chance to speak with them, according to Watts. The guardsmen would simply clear the debris out of the way and keep driving.

One day, however, they came across something that was a little more difficult to brush aside.

“We came around the corner…and there was an entire burned out car frame and we stopped,” Watts said. “All the kids were boys…we asked [them] who did this and they all said ‘I don’t know.’ [We] could tell they were lying. I saw this little girl standing off by herself … and I … asked her, ‘Who put this here?’ and she pointed straight to the boys. We gave her all of our food and water … The next day we came out. She was right there with the boys and she wanted to know if her friends could come talk to us, we said, ‘Sure.’”

Even to this day, Watts keeps the note he received from the young girl.

“Her name was Saha,” Watts said. “She was 11 years old … It said, ‘We love you not just because you bring us sweets but just because we do. We don’t want you to leave.’ And she signed her name.”

And though the current Iraqi government may frown upon U.S. occupation, Watts puts his faith in the children.

“I hope that in 15 to 20 years when these kids are getting to the age when they’re ready to start running the government that they will look back on the U.S. occupation differently than the current generation of leaders does,” Watts said. “I hope that maybe at that point that’s when we’ll see changes taking place in the country.”

That is not to say the United States has not had any impact, Watts said.

“If you go to Baghdad right now you will see women wearing Western clothes,” he said. “That’s something you never would have seen 10 years ago.”

Atmosphere at home

Whether the American people believe the U.S. presence in Iraq is effective or not, in no way does Watts feel there is a lack of support for the soldiers as there was during the Vietnam War. Unlike the soldiers in Vietnam who, upon returning, were accused of being “un-American,” Watts said everyone he encounters has been “100 percent supportive.”

“I think the American people learned from their mistakes [in Vietnam] and realized even if the war is unpopular it’s not the individual soldier that is at fault,” Watts said. “It’s the administration that plans the war that should be held responsible.”

With about six weeks left until he leaves, Watts said he feels more prepared for deployment than the first time. Yet family and friends cannot help but worry and enjoy the short time they have left with him.

“I think that for the most part we’re trying to go about things normally,” said second-year College student Jen Wiley, Watts’ girlfriend of slightly more than a year. “It’s still in the back of your head. You know that time is short, you know that every moment counts.”

Neither Watts nor his family were expecting him to be deployed a second time, considering the fact that he was supposed to leave the Guard last Monday.

“I’m not real happy about it,” Watts’ mother, Vickie, said. “I feel like we were lucky enough to go over there once and come back and I had not planned on him going again. … I support him 100 percent, and I support the troops over there 100 percent.”

Knowing what to expect this time, Watts finds himself less apprehensive and more confident as he prepares to return to Iraq.

“I’ve survived it once … I can do it again.”

With the last day of classes coming up, students at the University have a lot to look forward to. If you are the positive type, you get to happily do the honor of filling out a glowing evaluation for those professors you loved (that one’s for you, John Wheeler) and then clap for them at the end of their final lectures. For the more negative or bitter personalities among us, you get to write a scathing review of your completely incompetent professor (and that one’s for you, unnamed professor who hopefully does not read this column).

Bottom line, with classes ending and summer in sight, no one loses … other than your clueless [insert boring subject] professor, of course.

That said, we aren’t at the finish line just yet. No, there is still something standing between us and sweet, sweet freedom: finals week.

Since it’s the spring semester, it’s safe to say nearly everyone has gone through this event at least once. It is also safe to say that everyone experiences it differently.

Some people react to the stress by going out and stocking up on pens, pencils, Post-its, highlighters, blue books, cases of Red Bull and a year’s supply of pure caffeine (a.k.a. NoDoz). Others react to the stress in a dissimilar way: sleeping until the mid-afternoon then sitting on their futons watching reruns of “Arrested Development” until the night before their tests arrives and then cramming like there is no tomorrow, because, in terms of their exam, there isn’t.

The contrast is as stark as that between day and night, north and south, or, maybe, first and fourth years.

Regardless of your finals strategy, you are bound to end up hunkering over some textbooks in Clemons at some point. When that time comes, you’ll need the right supplies. I’m not talking supplies like the aforementioned NoDoz and Red Bull. I’m talking about the things that will keep you sane when the stale air and fluorescent lights on the bottom floor of Clemons start to become a little too familiar.

First, you need something to read that is not a textbook written by a dry old professor with nothing better to do. My best recommendation is, obviously, the Life section of The Cavalier Daily. If that’s not your style, then I have no further recommendations in this department. You really shouldn’t be doing unnecessary reading because it puts stress on your eyes, but I can never resist a shameless plug of the Life section.

Moving on …

Something I like to have with me while I’m studying is a nice TV show to watch. It might sound crazy, but I carry five seasons worth of “Scrubs” DVDs along with my laptop every time I go to Clemons. Don’t judge.

I realize that it is unreasonable to expect anyone else to have a man-crush on Zach Braff as large as mine, so here’s a more compact suggestion about how to relax while you’re in the library. Just bring your iPod. More importantly, load it up with the right music.

But what’s the right music? I was hoping you would ask. I don’t care if you listen to rap, country, rock, pop or techno — you will need the following songs to be able to make it through finals.

1) The entire “Rocky” soundtrack ­ Has there been a more inspirational movie in the past century? I don’t think so. Any song on this soundtrack is enough to pump you up and give you the energy and strength to “knock out” your exam. You will definitely have the “eye of the tiger” after listening to this one.

2) “Bad Day” by Daniel Powter — So the Rocky soundtrack let you down and your exam went all Ivan Drago on you. It’s OK — Daniel is here to help ease the pain.

3) “Graduation Song” by Vitamin C — I remember this song from way back in seventh grade. It was slightly embarrassing to listen to then and the passing of seven years has only made it worse. Oh well, I think I lost all of my dignity with the thing about Zach Braff anyway.

4) “Since U Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson — One word: awesome.

As long as you have the songs listed above, you’ll be home enjoying your summer before you know it. With “Spiderman 3,” “Shrek 3,” “Pirates of the Caribbean 3″ (what’s with all these three-quels?), the new Harry Potter book and the Transformers movie all coming out this summer, it’s going to be one for the ages. Or, if you’re not a total geek like me, you can just look forward to some old-fashioned relaxation.

Be safe and have fun. See you all in the fall.

Ed’s column runs every Friday. He can be reached at cao@cavalierdaily.com.