I submit this letter to you on behalf of the Fiesta Society at the University of Virginia, to whom I am greatly indebted. Their flyer campaign pointed to Thomas Wilson’s thread on Speak Up UVA, which served as the initiation of my efforts thus far. Without their efforts, I may not have discovered the issue which I am so fiercely working for today. The following statement expresses their concerns, which closely align with mine:

We were very pleased to witness the feature of our recent flier campaign aimed at reinstating the Spanish minor in the lead editorial of The Cavalier Daily (“Taking flight,” Dec. 2). It is one of the chief goals of The Fiesta Society to bring to the attention of the student body and the rest of The University issues that significantly impact our academic community. The termination of the Spanish minor forbade precarious policy decisions for all departments: a likelihood of ending all minor programs. In order to highlight the issue and ensure no further degradation of The University’s course offerings, The Fiesta Society ruled it a necessity to become involved.

Searching for a means by which student support for the return of the Spanish minor could be amassed, The Fiesta Society turned to Student Council’s Speak Up UVA initiative. Some of the latest successes of the initiative, which include opening Wilsdorf Café for extended hours and the UVAirBus program, encouraged Society members to incorporate this advancement in student feedback in our flier campaign. Since our campaign, the ranking of the Spanish minor thread has soared, from somewhere outside of the top 50 in the overall votes ranking, to the fifth ranked issue; the response has been overwhelming. Speak Up UVA has proven itself as an ideal conduit for the explanation of student grievances and the realization of change within The University. The Fiesta Society believes the imminent reinstatement of the Spanish minor to be the first of many crowning achievements for the site.

As an aside, we also want to take a moment to address the blossoming opposition to this cause. The primary aim of this campaign is not to provoke the return of the Spanish minor as a sort of highlight for a student’s resume nor is it to disadvantage those students pursuing a Spanish major. Rather, it is the objective of this movement to generate compromise between the Spanish department, the Casteen administration, and the entirety of the University community in order to resolve strife within the Spanish department, reinstate the Spanish minor, and avoid jeopardizing all minor programs across Grounds.

It is the hope of The Fiesta Society that the call of a few lone voices will steadily crescendo into a chorus resonating throughout the University calling for the return of the Spanish minor and the maintenance of excellence demanded from one of the nation’s most prestigious universities.

Kaity Yang
CLAS IV

To me, and to a couple thousand other runners who woke up early last Thursday morning, Thanksgiving just isn’t Thanksgiving without the Turkey Trot. This particular race was a significant one for me; as my first race since my injury, I wanted it to be a good run. I also had been told by my parents and doctors to “take it easy.”

My challenge, then, was to find the perfect balance. I didn’t want to run more slowly than I wanted to, but I didn’t want to push myself any harder than I needed to. The last thing I wanted was to re-injure myself in a race that was supposed to be no more than a fun run and a way to boost my metabolism before noshing on turkey and pumpkin pie later in the day.

The morning of the race, it was misty and damp. I vaguely remembered Dean at the dining hall telling me that the rain always made fractures hurt worse. I worried a little but brushed it aside as I pushed my way through the crowd of people lined up at the race number tables. I still had a half an hour before the race.

Perhaps the most unusual thing about this race — which I realized as I affixed four safety pins to the corners of my number, 1618 — was that I wasn’t nervous. All throughout high school, I had run the same race — same course, same day, same time — and worried myself sick before it. It was always at the end of cross-country season, and instead of treating it as a welcome respite from the pressure of real races, I used it as a gauge: Was I still in condition? Would my times improve next season? This year, there was nothing to fear. My only competition was my own injury.

I got to the start early and stretched on the sidelines, greeting friends from past years of cross-country as I saw them. The start was broken into pace brackets: five-minute mile pace, six-minute, seven, eight, nine. I wasn’t going to be ambitious; I lined up with the sevens.

When the gun went off, it felt more like I had lined up with a 15-minute mile pace. The sheer volume of people ahead of us was gradually accelerating, but instead of my usual sprint from the starting line, I had to settle for a jog.

About 100 meters out, I was still boxed in. I might have been recovering from an injury, but I wanted to run a little faster. I saw a girl in a homemade construction-paper turkey hat weaving among the competitors. I followed. Soon, my stride was relaxed and stretched out, and I was on my way.

Still, I wasn’t anxious at all. At the one-mile point, instead of listening for my split time, I watched the little boys who eagerly brought cups of water to the passing runners. When I felt a little tired at the halfway point, I didn’t tense up and worry that my end result would be poor. I just took a deep breath and kept running.

For the first time, I could look around at my fellow competitors and the scenery around me. I listened as a father encouraged his young daughter to keep going; we were almost there. I smiled as a group of boys wearing sailor hats ran past, their backs covered in handprints and blue paint. As I ran up the final hill, I looked out over the misty river to my left and saw how the sunlight filtered through the broken windows of the old mill by its shore.

In almost no time, I had hit the three-mile point; there was only one-tenth left to go. I didn’t want to start my final sprint too early, so I stretched out my stride a little and watched for the finish. It was still an easy run, but old habits die hard, and even though I was getting tired, I had to have a final kick.

In almost no time, I was only 100 meters or so from the finish. Without thinking, I took off. I hadn’t sprinted since my accident; my training runs around Grounds had been fast but I hadn’t tried an all-out run in months. The finish approached faster, faster, and I was there. I didn’t bother to look at the time. There was no pain. I had finished the race.

As I caught my breath and handed in my time chip, I realized the significance of what had happened. Three months and a day after my accident, I had run a 5k. I hadn’t worried. For the first time, I had been there, in the race, in the moment. I hadn’t fretted about my final time or worried about how tired I’d be when I hit the last hill. I had truly enjoyed a race for the first time since I could remember. It was, I thought in that moment, the best race I’d ever run.

Courtney’s column runs biweekly Fridays. She can be reached at c.hartnett@cavalierdaily.com.

The Charlottesville City Council will continue to plan its 2011 fiscal year budget throughout December and January, looking for ways to overcome obstacles raised by the current economic state.
At Council’s Nov. 16 meeting, Council members discussed the 2011 fiscal year budget for the first time.

“Our revenues have been flat-lining or declining in some areas,” Mayor Dave Norris said, adding that state funding has diminished as well.

Council Member Holly Edwards said she is “really concerned about how the Richmond budget is going to affect Virginia localities.”

Despite a decline in revenues, Norris said he is still confident that Council will be able to carry out many of the tasks it wants to, but perhaps not to the extent that it had originally hoped. Council members still expect to draft a budget that caters to citizens’ needs.

“I think that in a way a budget process in a tight economy forces us to concentrate on what is important and make sure we support that,” member elect Kristin Szakos said.

Szakos will take office Jan. 4, replacing outgoing Vice Mayor Julian Taliaferro, whom she defeated in Charlottesville’s “unassembled caucus” to earn one of two spots for the Democratic general election ticket. Szakos said Council will work to ensure that the budget — which Council hopes to approve in April — is fiscally responsible and that it reflects the city’s priorities.

To better meet these priorities, Council is conducting a citizen budget survey, Norris said. The survey, sent to thousands of city residents, asks for their input as to how they would like to see their money spent.

“We’re trying to put together a budget that meets the goals of council and the goals of the communities but we recognize these are tight financial times,” Norris said.

Council also held a budget work session yesterday in which members spent time “looking at and talking about the overall budget framework for next year,” Norris said, adding that these budget work sessions will probably continue through March along with public hearings on the budget.

Also during the first Council meeting of 2010, Council will decide which of its members will become mayor and vice mayor. Each position serves a two-year term.

“It is not entirely clear who the next mayor is going to be, but I have been pushing [council member] Holly Edwards to consider doing it and I think she’s considering it,” Norris said.

Edwards said she is giving Norris’ suggestion “prayerful consideration, but that the decision will be made in January with the new City Council.”

If Edwards chooses not to run for the position, Norris said he would then consider holding the position for another two years.

“It’s been a good experience, but I wouldn’t mind stepping aside if there is somebody else who steps forward with the leadership that this Council needs,” he said.

Cavalier Daily Sports Talk hosts senior mens’ soccer star Neil Barlow in this special edition of CDTV – your source for Virginia sporting news and commentary.

If you’ve logged on to iTunes anytime during the past week, you may have noticed that about a dozen or so new albums have been released just in time for the Christmas season. Because we here at tableau are all about accommodating you — the reader — we’ve decided to give a rundown on all the highs and lows of these new albums to help guide you through the selection process.

Lady Gaga, The Fame Monster — Lady Gaga caps off her magical year with an eight-song album that features the trademark big synthesizers for which she’s known, while also pushing things in a new direction. Standout ballad, “Speechless,” finds the Lady stripped back and vulnerable, while “Teeth” combines bells, hand-claps, a bluesy beat and an incessant chant of “Show me your teeth!” The real revelation, however, is the Béyoncé-featuring “Telephone,” which may give “Poker Face” a run for its money.

Shakira, She Wolf — Following its inventive lead single, Shakira’s new album finds the Colombian wonder amid a number of Neptunes productions that all pack a sizable dance floor punch. Nothing else quite matches the single, but songs like “Mon Amour,” “Men In This Town” and “Spy” showcase Shakira at her quirky best.

Adam Lambert, For Your Entertainment — Sorry, Idol fans, but after the rollicking opening track — “Music Again,” which plays as homage to 1970s camp rock and was co-written by Justin Hawkins (from The Darkness — remember them?) — there’s little here to hear. The boy can sing, but a little cohesiveness never hurt anyone.

50 Cent, Before I Self Destruct — As the decade fades away, we’ll take a guess and say “so will Fiddy.” It’s not that the man isn’t talented. There’s no denying his rapping ability. But four albums down the line, Mr. Cent seems stuck in the same rut where he became famous. The production — mostly courtesy of Dr. Dre — is still top-notch, but his relevancy seems to have evaporated.

Susan Boyle, I Dreamed A Dream — We expect that anyone who will buy this album knows exactly what they’re in store for. In the case that there are people on the fence, we suggest you YouTube any performance of Boyle and then imagine what it would sound like on an album. Voila!

Kris Allen, Kris Allen — Readers, are you beginning to sense a reality television theme among this holiday season’s album releases? The current American Idol titleholder delivers a competent and laidback album that will slide in quite nicely next to your John Mayer and Jason Mraz playlists. There’s nothing from left field here, but enjoyable nevertheless.

Timbaland, Shock Value II — The super-producer brings in the likes of Justin Timberlake, Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, Keri Hilson and Drake, but nothing ever quite adds up. The exception to the rule is lead single, “Morning After Dark,” which features Nelly Furtado and French rapper SoShy, and showcases Timbaland’s best beat since “The Way I Are.”