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Trash talk

Student Council committee’s plan to offer reusable coffee mugs should be a model for other sustainability initiatives

Tuesday night, Student Council’s Environmental Sustainability Committee laid out several proposals for increasing the University community’s sustainability and environmental awareness. Of the ideas put forth, the committee is specifically “trying to attack coffee cup waste,” Co-Chair Michelle Henry said. Because the cups typically used on Grounds are not biodegradable, the committee has created a program in partnership with Greenberry’s Coffee & Tea to give away mugs that can be used at various dining locations. The program went into effect yesterday.

This project appears to be a thoughtful example of how environmental sustainability programs should be implemented. Unlike University Dining Service’s reusable to-go containers, the mug initiative is both user-friendly and incentivized — it plans to feature a punchcard system so that students can obtain one free coffee every eighth time they order from Greenberry’s. Though the project’s scope is less ambitious than the to-go program, it targets and should reduce one specific cause of waste in the University community.

The project’s outcome remains to be seen, but the committee seems to have approached the sustainability issue realistically. Environmental awareness is a virtue in and of itself, but without appealing to students, efforts to promote sustainability will prove to be hopelessly ineffective. The first step to garnering community support is simply ease of use; a complicated program will not find a place in busy students’ lives. The second step, whenever possible, should be to offer students an enticement to participate. Environmental goals are laudable, but most people respond better to tangible incentives than to vague ideas or general appeals.

When significant issues are at stake, like environmental sustainability, there is little room for plans that will not work. The coffee mug initiative takes student behavior into consideration. More organizations should take the committee’s approach to heart.

Mum’s the word

The Managing Board opts not to take sides in the gubernatorial race

This past Sunday, the Washington Post endorsed Creigh Deeds in the Virginia governor’s race. Many newspapers across the commonwealth have made their preferences known in the past few weeks as well.

It is not uncommon for newspaper editorials to endorse candidates, and there are a number of reasons used to justify the practice. Most publications aspire to be active participants in their communities. They aim to improve governance and offer voters information that can be used in making tough decisions. Undoubtedly, part of the reason for contemporary endorsements is also simply tradition. The New York Times, for example, has backed presidential candidates since the 19th century. The Wall Street Journal, on the other hand, has not endorsed since 1928, when it implored readers “to vote for [Herbert] Hoover, as the soundest proposition for those with a financial stake in the country.”

The Cavalier Daily has generally made it a point not to endorse candidates in non-University elections. The reasons for this position are mostly practical, not ideological. Above all, we simply feel it is not an especially productive endeavor. As a college newspaper, it seems a better use of our energy to address pressing University concerns. The time and space required to adequately address the breadth of issues impacting political races would detract from that fundamental mission. Furthermore, members of the University community have an array of already established ideological positions, and our endorsement seems unlikely to sway opinions on state and national issues. Our editorials will weigh in on specific issues in the election that are relevant to the University, but that can be done most prudently without choosing one candidate over another.

As a public institution, the University is often susceptible to the political tides in Richmond. So although we opted not to take sides in this year’s gubernatorial race, we strongly encourage everyone to inform themselves about the candidates and vote. The issues at stake are more pressing than most students care to realize.

As if you needed one more Internet distraction. To all you Facebookers, Myspacers, Tweeting-Twitterz, and the occasional G-mail chatter — meet your match. No, it’s not a fresh social network or some newly patented way to keep everyone notified of how many showers you’ve taken today; this gift has been delivered in the form of a simple button whose capabilities are beyond even my thinking capacity. StumbleUpon is the name of this virtual remote control that will surf the Internet as fast as your connection will let you. But, get this: it only goes to the channels you want. So download away, select your interests (humor, extreme-sports, satire, conspiracies, military, etc.) and sit back as I take you on a free tour of five clicks on StumbleUpon.

Click One. A Web page with a stark white background opens with the heading “Random thoughts from 25-35 year olds.” Initially this does not look too intriguing as I am neither twenty-five nor do I enjoy random thoughts, but I decide to give it a chance and read the first thought: “Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you’re wrong.” Although there are a few things that I would say suck more, let’s keep reading. Thought number two: “That’s enough, Nickelback.” Agreed, that is enough. “There is a great need for a sarcasm font.” “Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron is absolutely petrifying.” Yes and yes to thoughts three and four. Not only has this Web site brought some light to the truths of everyday life, but it did so while keeping in mind my interests — especially humor.

Stumbling has gotten off to a great start, but we must keep traveling into the uncovered domains, so stumble we go. This next one is a bit stranger. There is a small image of five commas placed before a chameleon. Huh? I’m about to just stumble out of here when an image of Boy George and the Culture Club flashes before my eyes chanting “Karma, karma, karma karma, karma Carmeleon” and it all makes sense. This is the quintessence of StumbleUpon. Even the smallest, mindless images can be the wittiest and most interesting.

Off to stumble number three and I’ve only burned five minutes. Looking through half of a photo album or through Ochocinco’s tweets on game-day would take longer. A video of a hammer juggling construction worker starts downloading and peaks my curiosity immediately. Videos on StumbleUpon are quite common and although ones from the staple Web sites such as College Humor and FAIL.com can become slightly repetitive and annoying, the diamonds in the rough are classic. The video uploads quickly, and before you know, it I’m watching a regular-looking Joe juggle three hammers while nailing a large nail into a wooden plank directly above him without missing a beat. My description may not be doing this magic act justice, but I doubt Tim the Tool Man could hammer in a nail without even touching the hammer.

Ensuring not to dawdle and expend the limited time we have to waste, we move on to… another video. Thankfully it’s not some College Humor parody on drinking; this one involves extreme sports. The video starts and before I can even read the title, a brave soul is kite-boarding in Algeria in what appears to be not-so-pleasant weather. A mere thirty seconds into the clip, after just sliding back and forth across one stretch of slope, the boarder is swept into the air by some magnificent gust as the cameraman struggles to keep his friend in focus. What must have been hundreds of feet in the air, the daredevil becomes dust among the snowflakes narrowly missing jagged peaks and crevices. By some grace of whomever he prays to, he is brought down fairly safely on an embankment where he shows sign of life. Glancing up at the title, I see “Why I will never go kite-boarding.” Precisely.

The next stumble takes us to passiveaggressivenotes.com. This is a relatively funny Web site whose images of everyday satirical notes often strike a chord on more than one funny bone. The image showcased today is one of a school bulletin board with a Vegan Support Group advertisement chock full of information, e-mail addresses and meeting times. In an apt juxtaposition, a flyer with the same design coloring and schematics was posted next to this with the title “Carnivore?” This is followed by: “Chances are you don’t need some wimpy support group. Keep being awesome!” Score one for the meat eaters.

Whether you want some downtime after you just finished your assignment, need a study break (or don’t even want to start), there is no better solution to procrastination than this. Your finger is the limit, so as long as it’s still working, keep clicking. You never know what you’ll stumble upon.

Bobby Laverty is an Opinion Editor for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at b.laverty@cavalierdaily.com.

Your editorial regarding my presentation to the Honor Committee Sunday (“Reaching Out,” Oct. 21) included several fairly substantial errors.

First, the group I presented is called the “Accused Outreach Program,” not the “Student Outreach Program.” It may just be a name, but it seems irresponsible to make so basic an erorr.

Second, the AOP has absolutely nothing to do with Hoos Against Single Sanction or anything like HASS. HASS was an advocacy organization, AOP is a support group. AOP does not fill any kind of “void” that may or may not have been left by HASS, as HASS never sought to assist students presently suffering through the honor system.

Third, the Committee was not asked to refer students to AOP. As I repeatedly stated on Sunday, it was asked to inform students AOP exists, as it does with CAPS and attorneys, which also fall outside of their control. This is not an endorsement, and the Committee is free, without liability risk, to inform students about resources available to them. In fact, honor’s by-laws requires it to do so. Additionally, contrary to your editorial’s assertion, the Committee has not actually said no to doing this, nor should they.

Finally, AOP has no way to reach the students it is intended to help. Advertising can only go so far. The Committee, properly, keeps the names of accused students confidential, and only the Committee can ensure that the students have the necessary information.

A little proof-reading and fact-checking can go a long way when writing an editorial, and it is hard to believe that serious thought was given to the matter when so many basic errors were made.

Sam Leven
LAW III

When I read the title of Wednesday’s opinion piece “Putting its best foot forward: Family Weekend showed that the University is committed to academic excellence,” I thought it was sarcastic. The Viewpoint writer characterizes President John T. Casteen, III’s speech last weekend as a call to students to step up to the plate, because “the tradition of intellectual exploration rests squarely on our shoulders.” Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Given the state budget cuts and other financial challenges facing the University during these difficult economic times, it is unavoidable that certain programs would see cutbacks. What has been completely avoidable, however, is the irrationality with which the University has made those cutbacks. The programs that were already underfunded in proportion to their popularity have faced additional cuts. After meeting with a professor in the Spanish department regarding how it was nearly impossible to get into the classes I needed to finish the minor, all he could offer me in response was that he wholeheartedly agreed. He expressed how frustrating it was that the Spanish, Italian and Portuguese department received equal treatment in funding to languages such as German. While there are plenty of reasons to study the German language, I don’t think any student or faculty member in his right mind would argue that this language, spoken in one European country, should be treated equally to Spanish when Hispanics accounted for half of the United States’ population growth between 2000 and 2006. Because of the Spanish Department’s strained budget, they cannot afford to bring on new faculty to meet the high demand for the most useful foreign language a North American can study. Meanwhile, my advisor complained, some members of the faculty continue to take unnecessary sabbaticals and those remaining in Charlottesville are forced to turn down unending waitlists of majors, minors, and students looking to improve their language skills. Does this sound like a commitment to academic excellence to you?

The Spanish Department’s solution to this problem is pretty shocking: the Spanish minor no longer exists. Great. So now if you want to study the native language of 15 percent of our country’s population, you can spend 20+ hours in history and literature class that have minimal effect on your grasp of the language, or you can forget it. What kind of academic prioritization is that?

I fully understand the realities that departments face during these budget cuts. What concerns me is the lethargy that many faculty members demonstrate towards ensuring that students get what they paid for. I don’t have a problem with the Philosophy department, whose course offerings have been noticeably limited in the past few semesters due to lack of funds for visiting professors. The professors who are there are dedicated to engaging their students in challenging courses that change to stay on the cutting edge, such as the increased emphasis on Bioethics. I do have a problem, however, with the tenured position of one Latin American International Relations professor who has not changed his syllabus since the 1980s and barely reads his students final 20-25 page papers. While his position is preserved, the Politics Department cannot afford to bring in new regional scholars who actually care about what their students get out of lecture.

What the University needs right now is a reevaluation of our priorities to ensure that we get as much as possible out of our limited budget. The last thing we need is a lofty confirmation of our commitment to “academic excellence.”

Kim Ayers
CLAS IV

In his address on Tuesday Fmr. Governor Allen expressed his thoughts on energy reform. His address focused on utilizing nuclear and coal technology to wean American society off of oil while noting the impracticality of using wind or solar technology as primary sources of alternative energy. First off, I commend Mr. Allen for addressing energy reform as it is a pertinent issue facing the United States and the International community. After all, since oil is a finite resource, continuing to enable our addiction to the substance would be extremely reckless and imprudent. I even agree with him on his evaluation on the effectiveness of solar and wind technology. These two energy sources will play pivotal roles in diversifying U.S. energy consumption, but they will not be able to solve our energy problems alone. Now, I disagree with Mr. Allen’s assessment that coal and nuclear technologies are the most legitimate solutions to the U.S. energy predicament. I disagree with his assessment not because these technologies lack the ability to produce the energy necessary to meet U.S. demand, but because it overlooks the difficulty and impact of implementing these techniques
With the largest coal reserves in the world, there is no doubt that the United States has the ability to produce the energy needed to meet its growing demand. Unfortunately increasing America’s dependency on coal raises important environmental questions, specifically its impact on global warming. Given that scientists have been unable to develop a method to use/burn coal without producing the excessive amounts of carbon dioxide, do we really want to use an energy source that will only continue to deteriorate our environment and provide an additional problem for future generations? But for arguments sake, let’s assume that concerns about global warming are invalid; a 2006 study by the U.S. Energy Information Administration predicted that there is only enough coal to last another 60 years after taking into account annual increases in coal consumption and growth rate. While there is no guarantee that the EIA’s predictions are 100% correct, since coal is also a finite it leaves us with the same problem that we are currently facing with oil. Therefore, shifting U.S. consumption to coal would only kick the “energy” can down the road for us to solve later.

Although nuclear energy does not pose the same threat to the environment that coal does, nor is it as finite of a resource, it would still be difficult to implement nuclear energy as a primary energy source given the history of nuclear power plants. Despite the fact that several European countries have developed and perfected methods of using nuclear energy and handling the undesired radioactive waste (especially the French), most Americans are still skeptical about its potential. Much of this skepticism is a result of Three Mile Island and the Chernobyl disaster. These two incidents have fostered a NIMB (Not In My Backyard) mindset in the U.S. which has made it difficult to initiate the creation of new and efficient nuclear power plants.  Second, nuclear power plants aren’t cheap. The price tag to build a new nuclear power plant is 10 billion dollars plus. This is not a price that many investors are willing to pay given the uncertainty of nuclear energy in the U.S. As far as investors are concerned they can just invest in crude oil which all but guarantees profits for them. So although Mr. Allen is correct in saying that coal and nuclear energy technologies are effective forms of alternative energy sources as far as their production results are concerned, his assessment fails to recognize their full implications and difficulty in implementing. Thus, these alternative energy sources are not the best or “guaranteed to succeed” solutions to the U.S. energy predicament as Mr. Allen portrays them to be. However, like wind and solar energy, they will play a key role in making the United States energy independent.

Sheridan Fuller
CLAS I