Since its creation in 1787, the U.S. Constitution has been the subject of much praise for the way it lays the foundations of the U.S. government. Despite its many virtues, however, there has always been concern about how to properly interpret this document. A 2008 documentary “Questioning the Constitution,” which was produced by the Center for Politics and the Community Idea Stations, explores the debate about interpreting the Constitution, looking in particular at issues of constitutional reform. Shortly after the end of the spring semester, the documentary won the prestigious Award of Excellence, the highest distinction given annually by the International Academy of Visual Arts.
The film seeks to educate citizens about the controversies surrounding constitutional reform and to generate interest in the Constitution.
“The documentary ponders the power of the executive branch, the power of the states and the judicial branch’s role,” said Bruce A. Vlk, Center for Politics deputy director of programs.
Vlk said Politics Prof. Larry Sabato’s book, “A More Perfect Constitution,” was the initial inspiration for the documentary. Published in 2007, the book is a collection of 23 proposals to improve the Constitution. Sabato argues that political stagnation will continue unless the Constitution is amended to rid it of outmoded provisions and to reconnect citizens to the political process.
The one-hour documentary was directed by Mason Mills of the Community Idea Stations. In the film, Mills conducts interviews with historians and political leaders including Sabato, former Senate Majority Leader Robert J. Dole, D-Kan., NAACP Chairman Julian Bond, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele and ACLU President Nadine Strossen. Mills combines these interviews with archival material to create a comprehensive picture of the Constitution as it exists and functions today.
Mills noted that one of the film’s strongest messages is how the Constitution applies to our lives and in our society.
“We have this story in the film in which Martin Luther King talks about using the Constitution,” he said. “The Constitution was used by Martin Luther King in the civil rights movement to really make a difference.”
Several scholars have noted that there is much about the Constitution that merits admiration and praise. Law and Public Affairs Prof. A.E. Dick Howard observed how the Constitution puts into place enduring principles, such as limited government, separation of powers, checks and balances and federalism, which have all stood the test of time. He also said he regards the framers’ wisdoms in creating the Constitution as commendable.
“The Constitution was drafted by men who understood human nature, who drew deeply on the teachings of history, who believed in government’s having a popular basis, but who wanted to guard against uses of power in ways that would infringe personal liberties,” Howard said. “Especially was this true of James Madison, who tempered his optimism for the future of American government with a realization that men are not, as he put it, ‘angels.’”
Nevertheless, there remains a great deal of debate about its interpretation. The language of the Constitution could have a different interpretation today than it did Sept. 17, 1787, the day of its creation, Vlk said. For example, Vlk said, the preamble’s, “We the People,” originally referred to male property owners, but this phrase has evolved to include all people.
Howard noted that one of the great battles about constitutional interpretation is between those who look to “originalism,” such as U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, and those who believe in a “living Constitution,” such as the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. Originalism holds that the Constitution should be interpreted literally, as opposed to the viewpoint that the Constitution is a “living document” that should be flexible and adaptable to present times.
Whether the Constitution should be reformed is a complicated matter, as evidenced by the controversial arguments for and against constitutional reform. One of the arguments against constitutional change is that the creation of the Constitution was a comprehensive process, Vlk said. There is a danger that the issues of the particular moment would overly influence the Constitutional Convention.
Howard added that it is important for citizens to consider whether there are ways in which the Constitution does not respond to the needs of American society.
“For all their insights, the founders realized that the Constitution they wrote was an experiment,” he said.
Because of this, constitutional reform remains relevant to issues that are dominating the news today. Vlk noted such examples as the presidential war powers, the native-birth requirement for presidential candidates, the federal deficit and the Electoral College.
“These topics are relevant because either the Constitution does not fully address them or many see room for improvement,” Vlk said.
“Questioning the Constitution” explores these concerns in visually stimulating and intellectually accessible manner.
“The Center for Politics always aims to educate the masses, not just the academia,” Vlk said.  The film has received much airtime and recognition. Vlk noted that the film has been one of the Center for Politics’ most successful documentaries, and that it was distributed nationally on Public Broadcasting Stations across the country.
Mills noted that the film aired in Chicago on the night of President Obama’s election. “Obama had his acceptance speech later that night, so I thought it was cool that our program was talking about the Constitution as our government was making a big change,” he said.
Despite controversy, the Constitution has upheld the American government for more than 200 years.
“The more I see of constitutions abroad, the more I appreciate the American Constitution,” Howard said. “Now in its third century, the Constitution has proved remarkably durable.”

People say that fairy tales give kids unrealistic expectations about life. These tales are often accredited with creating fantastically idealized ideas about love — in a time when they say that more than half of all marriages end in divorce — and impossible standards of beauty — in an era when even the most glamorous celebrities get plastic surgery on a monthly basis. I disagree completely with this notion. Really, I think fairy tales are pretty realistic in showing children the stupidity, and even downright creepiness, present in the real world.
I’ll start with “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves,” my personal childhood favorite. (I have donned Snow White’s signature — albeit clashing — yellow skirt, blue bodice, red headband ensemble not twice, but three times for Halloween.) In retrospect, I’m completely dumbfounded as to why my parents let me watch this movie, let alone dress myself up like its title character. She lived with seven little people in an isolated house in the middle of the woods. The whole plot seems like something straight out of a porn film about a girl with some fetish for especially small, bearded men. Also, Snow White is woken at the end by a prince kissing her while she’s dead. There’s a word for that, and it’s not romance — it’s necrophilia.
So Snow White clearly has some Gothic elements, but there are other fairy tales that just have gaping plot holes. One is “Hansel and Gretel,” in which two children get lost in the woods when birds eat the bread crumbs with which they had marked their path. But why wouldn’t the birds eat the witch’s candy house? I’m pretty sure candy is tastier than bread — unless it’s from Panera, in which case I kind of understand. Later in the story, the witch keeps Hansel and Gretel in cages while she prepares to cook them. Again, why would she eat children instead of her candy house? Whoever came up with this fairy tale clearly had their brains removed — or at least their taste buds.
“Cinderella” is another classic that shows kids how stupid people can really be. After the ball, the prince has to try Cinderella’s left-behind glass slipper on the foot of every woman in the village to unveil her identity. Why would Cinderella want to marry a man who doesn’t even recognize her when she’s not all dolled up? This fairy tale doesn’t give girls unrealistic hopes about love at all; in fact, it prepares them for the inane men they’ll inevitably date during their lives. Not to mention, it’s highly unlikely that no other woman in the town would share Cinderella’s shoe size. After all, she looks pretty normally proportioned.
Then there’s “Rapunzel.” The most memorable scene from this fairy tale includes a prince climbing up Rapunzel’s hair to reach her in a tower. Ouch. I cannot imagine that would feel too good. Also, as someone with hair just past my shoulders, I sympathize with Rapunzel — I  know how pesky those split ends can get. Yet this feat would not only be painful for Rapunzel, but for her ideal savior as well. Imagine how dirty her hair would be, and he must get all tangled in it. It would take years for her to wash all that hair; at that stage, the prince likely would be climbing up dreadlocks rather than beautifully-manicured blonde tresses, especially since hair extensions weren’t around back then.
Today, when I type in “Disney subliminal messages” on YouTube I get more than 300 results. We’ve all heard about some dust cloud that reads “sex” in “The Lion King,” and nobody will forget the phallic symbols covering the original box of “The Little Mermaid.” But what no one realizes is that fairy tales, all throughout history, have been undeniably strange. Usually people claim that they idealize the dangerous world in which we live. I, too, believe that fairy tales distort reality, that they misrepresent true life but I believe that they do so in a totally different fashion. Fairy tales reveal the stupidest and the most disturbing sorts out there. They show us how senseless and how creepy people can really be.
I know I’ll let my kids read fairy tales and watch the classic Disney movies someday, partly because the new-age, post-“Pocahontas” Disneys are truly abysmal. For some reason, kids love them. (I vividly remember being bitter when my parents brought my baby brother home from the hospital because he sobbed all throughout the “Faerie Tale Theatre: Pinocchio” special on TV.) But the stories won’t give them unrealistic notions about life. I, for one, don’t want a “fairy tale wedding,” because that may entail having a singing bird for a maid of honor or being swallowed by a whale on my honeymoon.
Abby’s column runs biweekly. She can be reached at a.coster@cavalierdaily.com.

Officials roped off an area near Lambeth Field where the aggressive creature, believed to be a fox, attacked a student. The animal, as of press time, is still at large. Photo by: Iram Shaikh

An aggressive animal believed to be a fox attacked multiple students during the past two days near the Lambeth Field, Rugby Road and University Circle areas, Charlottesville and University police officers reported.
City police responded to an incident on Grounds around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, First Chief Timothy Longo said. A small mammal attacked a woman, taking her sweater, he said. It is unclear whether the alleged fox bit her.
At around 6 a.m. yesterday, city police officers responded to the next reported incident, involving a young woman bitten on one of her legs while jogging in the area around University Circle and Rugby Road, Longo said.
Later that day around noon, a University student was attacked and bitten by a similar animal at the south end of the Colonnades, University Police Lieut. Melissa Fielding said. The alleged fox then ran toward the pump house railroad track area.
Second-year Engineering student Jarel Cohen witnessed the attack and helped the female student fend off the creature. Cohen was walking along University Circle when he heard the student screaming behind him.
“There was this girl on the staircase, and this small animal — either a fox or a coyote — was jumping up and down,” he said. “It was following her [and] kind of scratching at her.”
The animal tore up the student’s shoe and scratched her legs, feet and upper chest, Cohen said. He told the student to run away and then helped fight off the fox, Cohen said.
“I got a pretty good blow from my backpack,” he said. “It kind of crumpled up on the ground. I knocked it off of its feet and [it] kind of got up and ran back into the woods.”
Second-year College student Taylor Carmines also was confronted by an aggressive fox-like animal, though he did not report the incident. At about 1:00 or 1:30 p.m., Carmines was riding his bike through the Lambeth complex when he passed the animal.
“He kind of started walking toward me and then jumped at me and bit and climbed on to my shorts,” he said. Carmines swung his leg and flung off the animal, which then got up and continued following him, he said. Carmines was not injured and said his assailant went back into the woods afterward.
Carmines did not immediately identify the animal as a fox.
“I thought it was a cat or something at first,” he said, “and then I realized it was definitely not a cat.” Cohen described the animal as “small and gray,” measuring about a foot tall and weighing about 15 pounds.
Longo said police forces are assuming the animal is a fox. “Based on the descriptors we’ve been given by the individuals involved, it appears that may be the case,” he said, “but we don’t know for sure.”
Longo said it is believed that the incidents involve the same animal.
“Suffice is to say there’s a relationship between these incidents,” Longo said. “This is a moving target,” he added, noting that incidents have occurred both on and off Grounds.
The University has hired a contractor to set out humane traps to catch the creature, Fielding said. For their safety, people in the area should try to avoid the prowling animal, she added.
“If they see it, they should call 911 immediately and report the exact location of the fox,” Fielding said. “We don’t want them to confront it in any way or try to catch it.”

The University Law School lost one of its most prominent alumni late Tuesday night when Sen. Edward Kennedy, Law School class of 1959, passed away after a long struggle with brain cancer.
Kennedy became known as the “Lion of the Senate” during his U.S. senatorial career, which began in 1962. He sponsored more than 300 bills and was known for being “warm hearted and a good leader,” according to former Law School Prof. Mortimer Caplin, class of 1940.
Caplin taught both Kennedy and his brother Robert when they attended the Law School, and noted that though Edward Kennedy was “as a paper student … average,” he also was an “exceptionally good speaker.”
Caplin recalled that Edward Kennedy developed a friendship with classmate John Tunney, who later became a U.S. representative and senator for California. The two future senators went on to win the William Minor Lile Moot Court Competition during their third year as law students.
Caplin remarked that Kennedy very much enjoyed his time at the University and that “he was very proud of being an alumnus of the law school.”
James Young, director of the University’s Miller Center’s Kennedy Oral History Project, said it was during Kennedy’s preparation for the competition that he honed many of his skills that would become famous for in the Senate. It was one of Kennedy’s first experiences learning “how to use evidence to win according to the rules.” His thorough preparation was one his characteristics that would help him win the respect of his fellow Senators during his career.
“He was one of our most famous graduates,” Law School Dean Paul Mahoney said. “His ability as an advocate was honed at the Law School and he became one of the most prolific legislators of our time.”
Caplin said Kennedy’s death will significantly impact the flow of national politics, noting that his endorsement of President Barack Obama during the 2008 Democratic primary was a decisive moment in the campaign. Moreover, his absence will be noted in the Senate.
“They lost a great leader,” Caplin said. “I think that had he been on the scene with the health care bill, it would be in much better shape than it is.”
During his career in the Senate, Kennedy was known for “reaching across the aisle” to advance legislation primarily in the health care, financial and educational arenas.
Kennedy stood up for his causes with remarkable consistency during his lengthy career, Young said, but will more so be remembered for “winning fair and square, and never denigrating his opponent.”

Kendall Singleton, a 2007 University graduate, was involved in dining sustainability efforts as a student. Photo by: Iram Shaikh

Signaling an expansion of the University’s efforts to embrace environmentally sustainable practices, Dining Services recently hired Kendall Singleton as its first Sustainability Coordinator.
Singleton, who started work Aug. 17, will help to enable a higher level of student involvement in sustainable initiatives through new projects, Director of Dining Brent Beringer said. A trial of one of these initiatives, a switch to reusable to-go containers at dining halls, will begin this week, Beringer said.
Sustainability is about the environment and community, Beringer said, “but it’s also about teaching students that it’s possible to live sustainably, and that it can be cost-effective.” Singleton will help Dining Services implement programs that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, waste generated by Dining Services’ on-Grounds locations and the consumption of energy and water, Beringer said. By doing so, Beringer said he hopes this will lessen the University’s impact on the environment and encourage students to treat the environment responsibly.
Singleton graduated from the University in 2007, and as a student, she helped organize Dining Services’ attempts at sustainable practices in 2006, she said. She initially discussed sustainability issues with Dining Services during one of its “Dorm Visits,” when University representatives go to residence halls to discuss food-related issues with students. Her relationship expanded as she formed an advisory group of students who continued to contact Dining Services staff members to help improve their standards of sustainability, Singleton said.
Beringer said this type of input from students remains vital to the department’s agenda and goals. “There’s no point in us telling students what to do,” Beringer said. “It needs to come from them.”
In the short term, Singleton said she will expand on past initiatives, such as the compost project for food waste at the Observatory Hill Dining Hall, which began last November, and also launch new projects, like the reusable to-go boxes. In the long run, Singleton will emphasize using local food to create “healthy, ongoing relationships with farmers.”
New signs and brochures in dining halls lay out this approach toward sustainable dining, Singleton said. When purchasing produce, Dining Services staff focus primarily on whether it is grown locally. Next, staff consider whether it is in season, organic, humanely raised and fairly traded, Singleton said.
On the job less than two weeks, Singleton said logistics have been the most difficult hurdle to overcome thus far. Future plans for composting at Runk and Newcomb Dining Halls, she explained, involve issues with transporting composted waste, where to store the waste and how to comply with environmental regulations.
“There really are an infinite number of variables,” Singleton said.
Despite these planning challenges, however, Singleton cited growing awareness of sustainability issues as a main reason why programs like composting and reusable to-go boxes have come to fruition.
“[Sustainability] has caught on like a wildfire,” Singleton said. “Nobody at U.Va is ignorant of its efforts, and we’re capitalizing on this momentum to make bigger changes.”

Student workers train at the new arts box office, located at the drama building on Culbreth Road. Photo by: Iram Shaikh

Ticketing for fine arts events will soon be available online and at the new University Arts Box Office, which combines ticketing services for musical and dramatic performances, as well as the Virginia Film Festival. Previously, tickets for musical performances were available at Old Cabell Hall, while other ticketing services were handled elsewhere across Grounds.
The box office, located in the drama building on Culbreth Road, will officially open Monday. Tickets for the Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival are available online now.
While the organizations the box office will serve had various levels of online ticketing in the past, tickets to music, drama, Virginia Film Festival, Heritage Theatre Festival and other events will now all be available for the first time at one Web site.
“Combining forces allowed us to take a big step forward technologically,” Drama Administrative Supervisor James Scales said, noting that the consolidation has been two years in the making. He added that high-ranking College officials, including the dean, spearheaded the effort to unite the University’s various ticketing services under one roof.
Box Office Manager Andrew Burnett said he hopes the convenience of online ticketing will increase the number of students attending University arts events. The new ticketing system also allows students to reserve a free ticket for an unlimited number of arts events, replacing the former Arts Dollars debit program, Scales said. University students also receive free admission to exhibitions and programs through the art department and a free student membership to the University Art Museum, which includes admission to “Final Fridays” receptions.
Second-year College student Katherine McGehee said she had not used Arts Dollars in the past to attend events, but finds the new system more convenient.
“I think I would use it now,” McGehee said. “It’s a lot easier online.”

The Information Technology and Communication office now offers technical service 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Previously ITC only offered service during normal business hours, but “of course people here work outside those hours,” said Mike McPherson, University associate vice-president and deputy CIO.
An outside contractor based in Cleveland, Ohio, mans the phone line rather than student employees.
Currently the new help desk, labeled 4HELP@UVa, does not offer solutions to problems with the new Student Information System. Terry Lockard, ITC director of computing support services, said she expects the new help desk to be completely ready by mid-November to December of this year.
McPherson said the initial response to the system, which debuted Aug. 3, has been very positive. He said the office has received 85 customer survey responses and that the average “overall experience” rating has been around four out of five.
The new help desk offers a variety of interfaces through which University community members can receive help. These include live chat, remote desktop troubleshooting and a hotline, 434-924-HELP.
—compiled by Matt Conover

It has been seven years since Virginia offensive coordinator Gregg Brandon sat in the press box, calling plays from above. That was for a man named Urban Meyer, then coach at Bowling Green, now known for the two national championships he won at the helm of a high-powered Florida offense.
A lot has happened since then. The Red Sox finally won the Series — twice. Brett Favre has floated in and out of retirement. America has crowned its first king: James — Lebron, that is.
Even through all of that, Brandon still gets bubbly when he talks about his dynamic spread offense.
“Getting a chance to be back in a situation to run an offense is very exciting for me,” Brandon said. “I’m really up for the challenge.”
Brandon makes it quite clear what his spread offense is designed for: a versatile quarterback who can stretch the defense and scramble out of the pocket to make a play if need be.
“The offense is built for a quarterback who can run,” Brandon said. “[Senior Jameel] Sewell, [senior Vic] Hall — they’re all nifty on the perimeter.”
Brandon did throw a bone to Virginia’s third potential starting quarterback, junior Mark Verica, praising his ability to “make a guy miss out there and get yards.”
But even Verica acknowledges his limitations when the pocket closes.
“In the pocket, two hands on the ball,” Verica said. “If you’re out scrambling, just throw it away.”
That does not sound like the appropriate mantra of Brandon’s spread offense.
“The element of the quarterback running — I think that’s one of the X-factors of the offense,” Brandon said. “’Cause if you line up in the shotgun, a lot of defenses don’t account for it — so it’s the 12th guy.”
That formation is certainly reminiscent of Hall’s all-time best performance against Virginia Tech last year, during which the quarterback rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns, including a 40-yard breakaway thriller. Hall did not complete a pass in that game, however, which begs a question: Can a guy who has not been a full-time quarterback since high school make smart decisions in the passing game; or, quite simply, can he move the chains with his arm?
“He’s come a long way from the spring,” Brandon said. “Just with his footwork, who he’s supposed to be looking at on the throws we’re asking him to make.”
Perhaps even more importantly, it’s unclear whether the 5-foot-9 quarterback can even see over the line of 6-foot-6 giants who protect him from the pass rush. If he does manage to find passing lanes, it will be up to an inexperienced receiving corps to get open and generate first downs.
The Cavaliers have lost their top two leading receivers from last season — NFL-bound Kevin Ogletree and graduated senior Maurice Covington — who combined for 1137 receiving yards in 2008, leaving sophomore Jared Green as the only returning wide receiver who grabbed double-digit receptions last year. Green totaled 144 yards on 12 catches while appearing in all 12 games.
“We’re not thin at receiver but we’re young there,” Brandon said. “Those guys will continue to mature and grow.”
Brandon has a fresh crop of receivers to pick from for his offense, including the speedy redshirt freshman Javaris Brown, an unproven Dontrelle Inman — who played in each game last season but only caught two passes for 22 yards — and sophomore Kris Burd, who nabbed seven receptions for 65 yards a year ago.
In addition to the possible holes at wide receiver, Virginia also will have to try to fill the void left by the departure of John Phillips, the last in a long line of Cavalier tight ends to make the jump to the NFL. Heath Miller of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tom Santi of the Indianapolis Colts come to mind. The legacy these powerful offensive anchors have left behind has led many to refer to Virginia as “Tight End-U.” Brandon insists he is committed to continuing the trend.
“We’re playing with a tight end and the tight ends are doing a nice job,” Brandon said. “It’s really about getting the best people on the field and then spreading the field and taking advantages of mismatches that way.”
Junior Joe Torchia, who played in seven contests last season without a single reception, is expected to start the season at tight end. His lack of experience splitting out wide to the perimeter raises questions about Virginia’s potential downfield options.
Be that as it may, Brandon does not seem reluctant to employ a variety of formations.
“I’d like to see Sewell and Vic out there together,” Brandon said. “That’s another package that [we are] kind of thinking through a little bit.”
Indeed, the key to Virginia’s success on offense this season may be Brandon’s ability to manage his trio of quarterbacks in unorthodox ways.
“If you have a quarterback that can shift into the slot and throw him the ball — I mean that’s a whole different deal,” Brandon said. “Or you can just use him as kind of a decoy.”

Sophomore Tony Tchani garnered ACC Freshman of the Year honors last season after leading Virginia with nine goals in an injury-shortened fall. This year’s freshman class will look to pick up where Tchani left off. Photo by: Iram Shaikh

When the nine ACC men’s soccer head coaches ranked Virginia second in the preseason poll, ahead of the likes of Wake Forest and defending national champion Maryland, they had to be thinking about the return of the Cavaliers’ top six goal scorers from a year ago. They also must have realized Virginia only graduated two players and that one of the nation’s top midfielders, sophomore Tony Tchani, is fully recovered from his knee injury and poised to back up his ACC Freshman of the Year performance. What they might not have considered when ranking Virginia behind North Carolina in the preseason polls is the Cavaliers’ incoming recruiting class, a group capable of making immediate contributions to an already talented team.
After landing one of the country’s top recruiting classes last year — one that included Tchani, forwards Chris Agorsor and Brian Ownby, midfielder Jimmy Simpson and defender Hunter Jumper — coach George Gelnovatch once again used his recruiting prowess to bring in the conference’s highest rated group of incoming freshmen this year. Will Bates, Ahkeel Rodney, Shane Cooke, Sean Murnane, Marcus Douglas and Will Whorton all appear to possess the outstanding credentials to make them some of the most highly touted soccer players on the East Coast.
One of central Virginia’s most promising talents, forward Will Bates, was instrumental in leading Thomas Dale High School to two state championship titles. He tallied 47 goals  and 46 assists in his high school career and dominated opponents with a rare combination of size, strength and speed. Having played for the U-15, U-17 and U-18 U.S. national teams, Bates has what it takes to quickly become one of the Cavaliers’ top players.
“When I come in, whether I’m starting or coming off the bench, I just want to bring excitement to the team, bring energy on the field and score some goals,” Bates said.
Like Bates, 6-foot-1 forward Ahkeel Rodney, is used to putting up big numbers, notching 74 goals and 52 assists in high school. A 2008 All-American selection and Newsday’s Player of the Year in 2007 and 2008, the Elmont, New York native is known for his blazing speed, powerful shot and incomparable work ethic. He was a member of the U-18 U.S. national team and was even invited to play with the U-20 national team in a tournament in Mexico in January. He totaled three starts in the five-game tournament and scored a goal in the team’s 2-0 win against Mexican club team Santos. Although capable of playing just about any position, Rodney is expected to make immediate contributions as either an attacking midfielder or forward for the Cavaliers.
Shane Cooke, the lanky 6-foot-2 forward from Warrenton, Va., completes the trio of incoming Cavalier strikers. Known for his strong technical ability and size, Cooke holds the Liberty High School record for most goals in a season and in a game and was named the 2007 D.C. United Academy Player of the Year. Also a member of the U-18 national team, he traveled with the team to a tournament in France, where he scored his first international goal against Turkey.
A midfielder capable of playing almost any position, Sean Murnane is currently training with the Cavaliers as a defensive midfielder. The Centreville, Va. native was a Virginia State Gatorade Player of the Year nominee in 2008 and was a captain of the D.C. United Academy U-18 squad. Listed on TopDrawerSoccer’s “Players to Watch in 2009,” Murnane is another player expected to make immediate contributions to the Cavaliers.
Despite his credentials, Murnane admits to being relatively unaccustomed to the high level of competition prevalent in Division I soccer and has already noted the difference in speed and physicality.
“We’re playing some big guys out there,” Murnane said. “The ball speed, how fast you have to move it around and everything, has picked up a lot.”
Marcus Douglas, a midfielder from Washington, D.C., is a versatile player who played forward all four years of high school but was recruited to play as a midfielder for Virginia. Douglas was a two-time first team all-conference selection, second team all-metro selection in high school and recently co-captained the Virginia State team that travelled to Germany.
Rounding out Virginia’s outstanding recruiting class is Will Whorton, a 6-foot-1 goalkeeper from Atlanta, Ga. Whorton was the starting keeper for his Norcross Fury club team which is currently ranked as No. 1 in the state of Georgia. He is training alongside current Cavalier keepers junior Diego Restrepo and sophomore Matt Owen.
Thus far, the consensus among the freshmen is that their older teammates are doing their best to make them feel right at home.
“I just try to demonstrate good leadership and a good work ethic to freshmen so that they can see what’s going to be asked of them the next three years of their lives,” senior team captain Ross LaBauex said. “I just try to pick people up when they make mistakes and I think that helps a lot with the young guys. If I do that, I think they’ll respect me and we’ll respect each other, and that’s how teams win championships.”
Two exhibition shortcomings — a 1-0 loss to George Mason and a 3-1 loss to Old Dominion — might not seem promising to a team with championship aspirations, but Cavalier players, particularly the freshmen, remain optimistic that they are making significant progress in the preseason.
“We’re trying to learn a new system, which has been tough,” Murnane said. “There’s been good things that have come out of both games, minus the score. We’re working on it everyday, so by the time the season rolls around, and hopefully by the WVU game, we’ll be ready to go.”
The young group’s next test comes Saturday at 7 p.m. at Klöckner Stadium when they face the Mountaineers of West Virginia. Though it is only an exhibition, the Cavaliers are taking the game quite seriously, as it has the potential to set the tone for the upcoming regular season, which begins Sept. 4.

Like several of you, I went to the Girl Talk concert Saturday night. I was hoping to make it in time to hear Virginia men’s basketball coach Tony Bennett and football coach Al Groh speak to the crowd; I did not.
I was disappointed to miss Bennett. I was happy to miss Groh. And probably not for the reason you think.
It’s not that I’m glad to miss Groh, per se. It’s the reception he received — or so I have been told — by those in attendance at John Paul Jones Arena that I am relieved not to have witnessed. From what I heard, the boos were as loud or louder than the cheers. Frankly, I am appalled.
I, too, am frustrated by the performance of the football team in recent years. I, too, expect better than 5-7. But to show such disrespect for a man who lives and breathes Virginia, for a guy whose life achievements as a coach are awe-inspiring, for someone who wants the Virginia football team to win as much as or more than anyone, and moreover, for an alumnus of this University, is entirely unwarranted.
I could make a heck of a case that, in fact, Groh’s best year as Virginia’s coach during the last three years was 2008, when Virginia went 5-7, not the year before when the Cavs went 9-4 and made the Gator Bowl. But that is irrelevant to the point.
How would you like to walk into an arena filled with the students whom you spend your life representing, and they simply dismiss you like the scum of the Earth? I don’t care how many millions of dollars Groh makes. I don’t care how bad his teams have been. Just because he has been to the NFL and back doesn’t mean he’s invincible and can’t get his feelings hurt.
Let me be clear: I am in no way saying that we should never be critical of a coach. Heck, I have on several occasions disagreed in this newspaper with his decision-making. For example, I don’t think Peter Lalich should have started against Richmond last year. And let me add to that: I think Groh should redshirt his freshmen more. Yesterday on a media teleconference, he said he has no reservations about quarterback Vic Hall also returning punts; I have many.
But there are ways to voice your criticism, and there are ways not to. Booing Groh when he is going out of his way to address you, the student body, is immature and unbecoming of a University student. You want to make your voice heard? Post on one of numerous free message boards. Write an e-mail.
It’s the same reason that on Virginia’s weekly radio show with Al Groh, the University has elected to no longer take callers. It’s because rather than asking respectful questions, fans were calling in and simply berating Groh. They decided to drop the callers, and I don’t blame them.
And you know what is the most laughable part about it? That this blatant disrespect is coming from Cavalier fans.
The majority of Wahoo students, in my estimation, don’t go to the football games because they have a thirst for football. They go because it is a social event. They go so they can tailgate and wear sundresses and shirts and ties. There are University students who really do know the team, but I would venture to say that they are in the minority.
So, of the people that jeered Groh, I would guess that many of you don’t know that Vic Hall may start at quarterback this year, or even who Vic Hall is. I would bet you can’t pull the name of Virginia’s new offensive coordinator or special teams coach — Gregg Brandon and Ron Prince, respectively — and no, I did not just look up those names. Fans are booing Groh for what they see as a flawed past, and yet many don’t know how he has already addressed many issues with his team.
I have never been too enthusiastic about the Virginia fan base. I wish more people around here would treat athletic events as opportunities to follow their teams as opposed to opportunities to socialize. I prefer chest paint to formal wear. That’s the culture of this University, and I have come to terms with that. But to then turn around and be disrespectful and degrading toward the football coach is nothing short of two-faced. You don’t care most of the time, but when the head coach comes to speak to you, you care enough to degrade him.
I’m not Al Groh’s personal cheerleader. I have my own opinions that differ from his, too. But when I am critical, I try to have a certain amount of respect for a guy who has been coaching football for longer than I’ve been alive — never mind the kind of respect that one University alum might show another.