The Virginia men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams have opened the 2007-2008 season with a bang, compiling a 2-1 record. After losing their first meet with Florida in early October, both the men’s and women’s teams bested ACC rivals Virginia Tech and Clemson?.

Last year, the men’s second–place finish at the ACC Championships broke an eight–year streak of consecutive titles. The Cavaliers have bounced back, however, and ranked 12th and 19th respectively, the men and women are off to a great start after last season’s disappointing conclusion.

“I don’t think you can improve unless you swim [against] people who are your equals or better than you,” Virginia coach Mark Bernardino said. “They were pretty fearless in terms of how they approached the Florida meet and their races; and they just decided to race and be as successful as they could be and I think they did a great job of that.”

Seniors Ryan Hurley and Pat Mellors are redshirting the season after both were named to the United States National Team. As Virginia’s top veterans spend the year training for the Olympic Trials of the 2008 Summer Games, less seasoned Cavaliers will have to fill the void the tandem leaves on the men’s side.

Fielding an all-around young team, Bernardino has already recognized that for Virginia to succeed this season, his freshman and sophomore swimmers will have to step up and make a considerable contribution.

“I am concerned with the youth of our team,” Bernardino said.” I am concerned with how well they will handle the challenges of training and the degree of difficulty of our schedule. But thus far they have done a marvelous job of standing up to the pressure of some very, very talented opponents. They have been able to swim their races, not get rattled and maintain a very high level of enthusiasm and energy during the meet.”

Freshman Taylor Smith has already proven himself in the water. Living up to the preseason hype surrounding his high school records, he won his first collegiate event, the 1000 free, in his first collegiate meet. In a repeat performance he helped lead the Virginia men to a 176-116 victory over Clemson. For his efforts in the 1000 free and 500 free last Friday, Smith was named the National Collegiate Swimmer of the Week for Division I men.

“I was hoping to improve from high school, but it is nice that I have improved this much,” Smith said. “It’s a change in coaching style and the fact that I have people to race here — it’s nice that every practice I have somebody to race, and I think that’s why I have been doing so well.”

Three other Cavaliers have also been recognized by the conference. In late October sophomore John Azar was given the title of ACC Performer of the Week. With a 200 breaststroke time of 2:05.47, Azar ranks first in the event in the conference.

On the women’s team the senior leadership has come out strong. Both Stephanie Glover and Jess Lewis have garnered the title of ACC Performer of the Week. Glover’s time in the 100 butterfly ranks first in the conference, and her time in the 200 butterfly ranks second. Lewis was recognized for capturing first place in two individual events, the 100 and 200 freestyle, with times that were not only better than Clemson’s but also the best in the league.

Indeed, as the Cavaliers begin their long march to the ACC and NCAA Championships, such outstanding performances early in the season are both reassuring and inspiring.

Last year, in her 30th season as head coach for Virginia’s women’s basketball team, coach Debbie Ryan led the Cavaliers to their 25th postseason appearance under her guidance, making the quarterfinals of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament; however, the bar will be set higher this year, and an NCAA Tournament berth is expected.

Ryan will look to her outstanding backcourt of senior point guard Sharneé Zoll and sophomore sensation Monica Wright to lead the team back to the Big Dance for the first time since 2005.

Zoll, a co-captain for the Cavaliers, earned All-ACC honors her sophomore season but suffered from injuries during her junior campaign. Despite the setbacks, Zoll still managed to lead the team and the conference in assists at 6.1 per game. She was also the team’s third leading scorer with 9.6 points per game.

Zoll’s importance, however, is not only measured in stats.

“It’s hard to put into words,” Ryan said. “Sharneé is really the heart and soul of the team. She’s our leader both directionally and emotionally. She’s the one that gets the most out of her teammates. She wills this team to win on many-a-night, puts us on her back and carries us, so she means everything to this team.”

Wright came to Charlottesville as one of the most anticipated women’s basketball recruits in quite some time, and she did more than live up to the hype. Wright averaged 15.1 points per game en route to ACC Freshman of the Year honors.

Over the summer, Wright played for the Under-19 U.S. World Championship Team in Slovakia. As captain of that squad Wright earned a gold medal and her off-season seems to have made her into a more complete player.

“She has matured as a player,” Ryan said. “She has both an inside and an outside game. Her defense is extremely improved, and much more, instead of getting in foul trouble all the time, much more under control.”

This year as a sophomore, Wright is expected to step into more of a leadership role.

“I think more on the leadership side, I want to help Sharneé out,” Wright said. “I do want to help her out so that she can play without having to worry about other things. That is probably where my role has increased the most.”

Coming off the bench will be sophomore guard Paulisha Kellum as well as junior guards Kristen London and Britnee Millner. Kellum played in every game last year and averaged 6.6 points per game. London, the daughter of University Defensive Coordinator Mike London, is a transfer from Seminole State College in Oklahoma. Millner has impressed the coaching staff during the off-season and should see an increase in playing time.

“All three of them will play a big role in the backcourt,” Ryan said. “I think all three of them will be able to get lots of time because we are a run and press team, and we are going to get up and down the floor quickly. We are going to need lots of people on the floor.”

Having a year under their belt together, Zoll and Wright should combine to form one of the toughest backcourts in the ACC. Both are a year older and poised to lead the Cavaliers to what would be Ryan’s 22nd NCAA Tournament appearance.

It was a good weekend for Virginia sports teams that played in Charlottesville: the football team squeaked out a win over Wake Forest; the men’s basketball team annihilated Carson-Newman in an exhibition; the volleyball team swept Clemson (but did fall to Georgia Tech); and the wrestling team crushed their three opponents. The women’s rowing team even got in on the action, as their novices beat Georgetown. Seven out of eight ain’t bad at all.

These matches and games were played in areas all around Grounds and even off Grounds (the Rivanna Reservoir hosts rowing events). I spent Saturday afternoon at Scott Stadium and Sunday at the John Paul Jones Arena, and both experiences were very different. Spectators observe Virginia sporting events in many different settings, and after taking in the football and basketball games in person I started thinking: What are the differences between Virginia’s athletic venues? Which ones are better for what things? Every location has its own idiosyncrasies, so without further ado, I present to you … Stadium Superlatives.

Most likely to see people leave at halftime: Scott Stadium

Almost like clockwork, some people will depart from David A. Harrison III Field at Scott Stadium in the Carl Smith Center at halftime faster than you can say all those names. Scott Stadium is a great and unique venue for a college football game: It can house around 61,000 people, has a hill behind one end zone and even has fireworks shot off (when we’re not experiencing a drought). But it can be an oven during the early-season games … scratch that, even in November it’s still hot there. And the effects of early morning tailgating wear off after a few hours. For some, it’s just not as fun anymore to watch the game after halftime.

Most likely to create a crowd impact on the game: John Paul Jones Arena, aka JPJ

While Scott Stadium can get quiet for long stretches of time (such as this weekend’s game), especially when the Cavaliers are down, JPJ is constantly full of noise and fan support. Crowd interaction can alter the outcome of the game, such as the effect of spinning pinwheels held behind the basket as the opposition shoots free throws. Also, besides halftime, the crowd stands and yells the entire game, while at football games fans find their bleacher seats even during timeouts. Last year, opponents definitely knew they were in Virginia’s house — if you want evidence, the men’s basketball team went 16-1 at JPJ last year.

Most likely to be confused for a library: Memorial Gymnasium, aka Mem Gym

Let’s be serious. From the outside, does Mem Gym really look like it hosts varsity sports? The volleyball and wrestling teams must be sure to give opponents careful directions, lest they drive straight past this old building in search of some sort of arena. Mem Gym is, however, a pretty cool place to watch a game because the fans are so close to the action, so it also wins the award for “Most likely for a spectator to feel like part of the game.” When Sarah Kirkwood smashes a kill off the nose of her opponent, you feel the pain, too.

Most likely for a fan to be able to get in someone’s head: Sheridan Snyder Tennis Center

The only thing separating fans from the players is a fence. Needless to say, it’s an intimate environment. Take this example:

Virginia fan: “Hey, you! Duke guy with the funny hair! Yeah you! You can’t beat Somdev! Why did you even show up? Don’t bother trying, he’s gonna destroy you!”

To which the Dukie turns around and yells, “Shut up, man! My girlfriend’s here!”

To which the fan replies, even louder, “You stink! You can’t beat Somdev!”

Rightfully so, there will be no sympathy for this Devil.

Most likely to hear the strangest insults at games: Klöckner Stadium

Only at soccer games can you hear someone yell “RECERTIFY!” as an insult to a referee. (This actually happened. I swear.) Weird things are yelled at the opposing team, and loudmouthed spectators scream at opposing coaches as if they can hear them (and as if they care). There are also good fans, like the Wahooligans, whose support for the team is recognized by the players as they exit the field. With the diverse crowds at Klöckner Stadium, this venue would also win “Most likely to be surrounded by true fans,” as well as “Most likely to be surrounded by annoying people who think they know the game but really don’t.”

He’s back.

With senior guard Sean Singletary’s decision not to enter the NBA draft and to return to Virginia for the 2007-08 season, hopes are high among the Cavalier faithful that the team can repeat its outstanding run of last year. Under the guidance of coach Dave Leitao, Virginia achieved an overall record of 21-11, its first 20-plus win season since 2000-01. The Cavaliers went 11-5 in the ACC, their best conference record since 1994-95, which was good enough for a share of the ACC regular season crown. In addition, much to the delight of the thousands of fans who packed the John Paul Jones Arena, the team lost just one home game in its first year in the new facility while going undefeated at home in the ACC. The Cavaliers earned a four seed in the NCAA Tournament, and won their first-round game over Albany before falling to Tennessee in a 77-74 nail-biter in round two.

After leading Virginia out of mediocrity and into national prominence, Leitao was named ACC Coach of the Year and garnered the confidence of players and fans alike. Leitao, however, does not view last year’s campaign in terms of the awards and accomplishments the team accrued.

“I look at the things that a season like that can do for our program,” Leitao said. “Any pats on the back that players get or coaches may get, that comes and goes, but the long-lasting effect of what a season like that can do for a program is how I try to focus in on it and build off of [it].”

No one on the Virginia roster got more pats on the back than Singletary. After leading the team in scoring (19 points per game), assists (4.7 per game), three-point field goals (79) and steals (38), Singletary was described by Virginia Tech head coach Seth Greenberg this year as the best returning guard in the ACC.

How does Singletary’s presence on the court affect his teammates?

Aspects of play become “a lot easier,” junior Mamadi Diane said. “A lot of times you’ll find yourself wide open, and that comes off of playing with Sean and J.R. [Reynolds] and so much of the pressure being on them.”

On top of what Singletary does for Virginia statistically, Leitao knows that he also has retained his best leader, both in games and in practice.

“Even beyond what I’ve talked about is his competitive spirit, his heart, desire,” Leitao said. “We watch him practice, and it could be a lay-up drill, or a shooting drill or just five-on-five in practice, and his level of competition raises everybody else’s level of competition.

With the graduation of Singletary’s former backcourt mate J.R. Reynolds, however, all 10 eyes of the opposing defense will be on Singletary, as teams try to force the ball out of his hands. With the double-teams, traps and extra help that will likely be applied to Singletary, Leitao said, at times, Singeltary may not be the best option.

“I’m asking him to be more of a scorer, more of a playmaker, and all of those kinds of things, but at the same point in time we’ve got to ask him to be a little more unselfish too,” Leitao said. “They’ll pick him up early, they’ll double-team him early, they’ll try to take the ball out of his hands early in possessions, or at all times.”

Helping Singletary on the court will be the veteran presence of three other seniors, Tunji Soroye, Ryan Pettinella and Adrian Joseph.

Adding to the team’s excitement of Singletary’s return is the knowledge that he is healthy going into the season: Singletary said he has not been 100 percent since he arrived at Virginia. The chance for him to completely recover this offseason after fighting through a laundry list of nagging injuries has left Singletary primed to handle the added pressure that Reynolds’ graduation created.

“I’ve been doing a lot of lifting in my legs, a lot of conditioning, getting in shape,” Singletary said. “Just working on my leg strength is one of the biggest things.”

The Cavaliers kick off the regular season at home next Sunday afternoon, Nov. 11, at 2 p.m. against Vermont.

Electronic library information accessed by non-U.S. users overseas could be subject to federal surveillance if legislation currently before Congress is passed.

The proposed Senate and House bills would allow the government to access e-mails and other electronic information sent to non-U.S. citizens who are overseas or accessed by non-U.S. citizens who are using U.S. library resources overseas. For example, the government could observe a non-U.S. citizen using University resources abroad and collaborating online with University researchers back in the United States. The government would be privy to all of a subject’s online communication, including domestic communication with U.S. citizens.

The House and Senate bills specify that these regulations apply to any communications service provider, and debate has emerged over whether libraries should be subject to these regulations.

Both Prudence Adler, associate executive director of the Association of Research Libraries, and Tara Olivero, assistant director for the American Library Association’s Office of Government Relations, agreed that the legislation remains unclear as to whether a library qualifies as an “electronic communications service provider,” which would be subject to surveillance. In the past, the Justice Department has stated that libraries can be considered providers.

“Many academic institutions have programs abroad,” Adler said. “Accessing university resources remotely is what would be subject to surveillance.”

The ARL and ALA oppose the inclusion of libraries as providers to protect the research rights of library patrons, Olivero said. The organizations have proposed adding a caveat to the bills that would explicitly state that the term “communications provider” does not include a library.

“In general, libraries have long-standing principles of protecting privacy,” Olivero said. “It is important for intellectual freedom.”

Justice Department Spokesperson Dean Boyd noted that there is concern among government officials about potential consequences of excluding libraries from the communications service provider regulations.He noted that a federal investigation showed that individuals using Internet accounts registered to Nawaf Al Hamzi and Khalid al-Mihdhar used public access computers at a New Jersey state college library in 2001 to buy airline tickets for flights on September 11. Al Hamzi and al-Mihdhar were hijackers aboard American Airlines Flight 77, which crashed into the Pentagon.

If Congress refuses to exclude libraries as electronic providers, ALA and ARL representative said they would prefer that judicial oversight be included in the bills.

“We believe there should be court oversight if there is surveillance in libraries,” Adler said.

The difference in the bills lies in this point of court oversight. The House bill requires judicial review, whereas the Senate bill does not, according to Olivero.

“We like the House bill more than the Senate bill,” Olivero said, explaining that the House bill offers patrons a buffer for increased privacy.

Boyd said this distinction would be made on a case-by-base basis.

The University is a member of both the ARA and the ALA, according to University Library spokesperson Charlotte Morford.

“We are confident that the library associations are asking the appropriate questions before this legislation is agreed upon,” Morford said.

‘Helicopter’ parents — those who hover over their children — may not have as negative of an effect on their children as originally thought, according to a recent report released by the National Survey of Student Engagement.

In fact, according to Todd Chamberlain, assistant director for survey operations, NSSE researchers discovered positive effects of “helicopter parenting” in regards to the lives of many college students.

“Helicopter parents,” Chamberlain said, is a term that has received much, often negative media attention in recent years; however, he said the results of the survey indicate a benefit relating to parents who “show intense involvement with the lives of their students.”

According to Chamberlain, the NSSE gave an 85-question survey to 313,000 randomly-selected first- and fourth-year students at 610 four-year higher education institutions. Students were asked questions about how often they talked with parents, teachers, siblings and friends about their current academic performance.

Chamberlain added that the participants were then asked to rate the overall benefit of such discussions. Ultimately, Chamberlain said the survey found that children of so-called “helicopter parents” expressed higher levels of satisfaction with university life than those with less-involved parents.

According to the report, “students who have the most frequent contact with their parents — including a family member who has intervened to solve a problem for them at their school — are at least as engaged and often more engaged in many educationally purposeful activities. The offspring of these so-called ‘helicopter parents’ also report gaining more from their college experience.”

Despite the higher levels of satisfaction and engagement in extracurricular activities, Chamberlain said that the sons and daughters of these heavily-involved parents often achieved lower grades in the classroom than their peers with less-involved parents.

The NSSE has developed a working hypothesis to help explain this apparent discrepancy.

“Parents are more involved with the lives of students because of knowledge of past history with difficulty in school,” Chamberlain explained. In other words, parents may have intervened in the lives of their children, turning into “helicopter parents,” because of their child’s difficulties in the past.

Pat Lampkin, University vice president and chief student affairs officer, said many people tend to give parents — especially heavily-involved parents — a bad rap. The term “helicopter parents” in and of itself has a negative connotation, Lampkin said.

Lampkin also noted, however, that in her experience, not all parental involvement has negative consequences.

“With parents, they are only involved because they care,” Lampkin said.

Lampkin said she strives for open communication between students and parents to make sure that what parents might want is what their students want.

Lampkin noted that most “negative” cases involve those parents who “are doing the work their son or daughter should be doing.” Scenarios such as these often result in students not learning “the system” they need to, Lampkin said.

Lampkin said the best situation is one where parents function as “partners” to their students, allowing their students to succeed while helping guide and direct them.

The year-long national debate regarding student protection within the student loan industry has resulted in a critical reconstruction of the federal rules surrounding the industry according to a recent announcement by U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings . This overhaul looks to address what constitutes an appropriate relationship between higher education institutions and their preferred student loan lenders by barring student loan lenders from offering schools gifts in exchange for business, according to Casey Ruberg, spokesperson for the Department of Education. These rules also require that state national universities identify three independent companies on their preferred lenders lists.

“This has really been a controversy for quite some time and a large part of the problem has been the relationship between lenders and financial aid offices,” Student Financial Services Director Yvonne Hubbard said. “The concern has been that some of these relationships have been a bit too close.”

Investigators discovered some student loan lenders offering gifts to universities to ensure that they would be placed on a university’s preferred lenders list, essentially bribing universities to recommend them to students, Hubbard said.

“Students who need to borrow from the federal government have to go through a lending institution, which is usually a bank, to be guaranteed a student loan,” Hubbard said, “Some schools took money, office supplies or trips from lenders and agreed to place these lenders on their preferred lenders list. Needless to say that is not an appropriate relationship at all, which is why the government is trying to control it.”

Though the University lists Bank of America as its preferred lender, Hubbard said the University receives no financial gain from the arrangement.

As part of Spellings’ recently announced measures, government officials have sent letters to 921 colleges and universities across the country, asking them to clarify their relationships with their preferred lenders, Hubbard explained. These letters were sent to schools, including the University, where 80 percent of student loans are handled by one lender. According to Hubbard, the University’s inclusion in this indicates only that Bank of America handles much of students’ financial business.

“The University did nothing wrong, however, we did receive a letter and it simply asks for a thorough review of our relationship with Bank of America, which is fine,” Hubbard said. “We are transparent concerning our relationship with them. In the future we will have three or more preferred lenders on our list. We are committed to getting the best services possible from potential lenders for our students.”

Spellings stated in a press release that while the job is not finished, these federal regulations “are a major step forward in improving the transparency of the student loan programs, ensuring borrower choice and restoring confidence in the federal financial aid programs.”

While the measures from the Department of Education are a step in the right direction, they do not address sufficiently the problems with private lenders, according to Luke Swarthout, an advocate for the Higher Education Project, a U.S. public interest research group.

“I’m not objecting to the things the Department of Education is doing, but I think they could do more,” Swarthout said. “There does not seem to be a significant urgency to address the issues surrounding private student loans, and I think the department should be more aggressive in attacking some of the real issues.”

Although there has been a sizable controversy over this issue of preferred student lenders, Hubbard maintained that this controversy can only serve as a benefit to University students and parents who currently hold loans.

“It’s good to have this kind of publicity surrounding this issue,” Hubbard said, “Financial aid is getting more grant money, and with the University looking for multiple new preferred lenders we can really detail what we’re looking for in a lender. This issue has only been beneficial to our students.”

The new regulations will go into effect in July, 2008.

University and Charlottesville police have begun stopping students in their tracks when they use the train tracks as a shortcut.

According to Charlottesville Police Sgt. Michael Gore, crossing the railroad track on foot is considered trespassing, and doing so constitutes a misdemeanor.

“It’s a small fine if you’re found guilty of it,” he said.

Gore added, however, that since citations are given at officers’ discretion, some offenders may only be given a warning.

There are signs posted intermittently near the tracks that warn people against crossing, he said.

While noting he is not sure if more students have been crossing the tracks recently, Gore said police officers have been more vigilant about stopping trespassers because of complaints.

“It’s fairly dangerous for the people to be doing that anyway,” he said.

Interim Dean of Students Allen Groves said students should be aware that walking across the tracks can be unsafe, especially if students are intoxicated.

Recent assaults near the railroad tracks and poor lighting in the area poorly combine to create “a highly unsafe place to be putting yourself at risk in,” Groves said.

Fourth-year College student Lori Nelson was stopped by a police officer Friday night near the tracks that run between Chancellor Street and Virginia Avenue, but received a warning instead of a citation.

Nelson said she did not know crossing the railroad tracks was illegal before she was stopped and added that she thinks students should be informed of the illegality of crossing and recognize how unsafe it is.

Mark Fletcher, chair of the University Security and General Safety Committee, said he thinks students should use common sense when walking at night.

“I’m not sure a lot of people have to go out of the way to inform students that that’s not something you’re supposed to do,” he said. “I think most students inherently know that you don’t cross railroad tracks.”

Third-year Architecture Student Danny Eckstein said police gave him a citation in late August behind the Corner, and at that time there weren’t any signs up marking no-trespassing territory.

The total fine was $106, which included court fees and the citation.

Eckstein said he thought it was an inefficient way to solve the problem.

“I know it’s illegal to walk along railroad tracks, but I had no idea just crossing them would cause this,” he said. “If the University [and city are] so concerned with safety, they should put up fences.”

Of all the crimes that occur near the Corner, certainly there are some that deserve more police attention than trespassing. While students are being robbed and assaulted near the Corner, police should not waste time issuing citations to students taking shortcuts.

The only permanent way to lower the number of students crossing the tracks each night is for Charlottesville and the University to build more pedestrian bridges. Fining students who cross the tracks might earn the City of Charlottesville money, but it does little to promote safety.

Building additional pedestrian bridges — one along Virginia Ave. and another along 15th St. — would help prevent railroad trespassing and injuries sustained crossing the tracks at night. More importantly, it would encourage police to concentrate on more glaring threats to student safety.

Every year Election Day elicits the same chorus about responsibility and the citizen’s duty to vote. But students should vote for another reason — a reason more compelling than civic duty.

Politicians respond to power. The more students who vote, the more political capital students accrue as a group and the more power they wield as a result. If students voted in large enough numbers, activist groups would have more effective methods to communicate with local politicians about issues ranging from employee wages to environmental protection.

In local elections a few thousand votes often determines the winner. Young activists spend so much time focusing on national issues they end up neglecting political races they can actually affect. If student groups spent as much time mobilizing local voters as they do chalking and putting up flyers, a handful of students could change the scene of Charlottesville politics.

In 2006, a Harvard University study showed that fewer than one third of 18 to 24-year-olds plan to vote in upcoming national elections. And those are record-high numbers. Ever wonder why politicians — even local politicians — seem to ignore issues important to young people? The answer can be counted in the number of votes young people never cast.