Counseling and Psychological Services are located in Student Health. Photo by Albin Oh.

Bipolar disorder is less prevalent among University students than across the nation as a whole, according to Russell Federman, director of the University’s Counseling and Psychological Services.
Federman estimates that about 1 percent of the University’s population has bipolar disorder, according to the first post on his blog, “Bipolar You,”, that focuses on and hopes to reach out to individuals living with the disorder within a university environment. By contrast, the National Institute for Mental Health estimates that about 2.5 percent of the U.S. population older than 18 has bipolar disorder, he said.

“Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder in which you see a fair degree of mood instability involving polarities of depression and mania,” Federman said. Mania is an elevated mood state, which involves feelings of increased energy and optimism, an inflated self-esteem and a decreased need for sleep, he said. Symptoms of depression, meanwhile, include fatigue, difficulty concentrating and feelings of hopelessness or sadness.

“However, people with bipolar disorder are more frequent travelers in the depressive range than the elevated mood range,” Federman said. He estimates that people with bipolar disorder express depressive symptoms around 70 to 75 percent of the time.

The selective admission and stressful academic environment of the University are reasons why bipolar disorder is not as widespread here, Federman said.

“The functional requirements of being in a university exclude those who have more acute forms of the disorder,” he said. “You have to be very functional to get into U.Va, or any other university. If you have bipolar disorder, it sometimes gets in the way of the high functioning necessary for university study.”

The severity of symptoms, though, can vary from person to person and may especially hinge on how well sufferers manage their disorder, CAPS psychiatrist Andy Thompson said. This management, he added, must include a structured lifestyle.

“You have to try as hard as possible to have a normal sleep cycle and you need to refrain from alcohol [and] marijuana,” he said. “You’re not as stress-resilient as you otherwise would be as a young adult.”

But Thompson urges those who think they may have bipolar disorder to seek help while they’re still young.

“You should reach out for help because help [at a young age] could provide stability to the illness,” he said, noting that medicine is more effective against initial episodes than ones that occur at a later age.

Federman said he believes support groups are highly effective for students that have the disorder, as the groups give people the chance to connect to people who are dealing with similar issues. This year marks the third time CAPS has offered a support group for those with bipolar disorder.

“There aren’t that many people that know what you’re going through, that share a common experience,” Federman said. “If you meet with other students that have it, you feel understood and supported.”

After a 20- year tenure as president of the University, John T. Casteen, III was named the “Virginian of the Year.” Photo by Jason O. Watson.

The Virginia Press Association has named University President John T. Casteen, III as the Virginian of the Year — the association’s highest honor.

Each year, the Virginian of the Year award goes to a native Virginian who the VPA feels has achieved well in fields such as politics, entertainment, education or research.

Casteen’s 20-year-long presidency saw a long list of improvements to the University, all of which contributed to the VPA’s decision. He also was recognized for his involvement in the Higher Education Restructuring Act and the $3 billion capital campaign, according to the VPA.

Casteen, however, said he is hesitant to take credit for any such achievements.

“To be very candid, I don’t feel that I personally can claim to have accomplished anything,” he said in an e-mail. “We work in teams here. Leonard Sandridge, Dr. [Arthur] Garson and Peter Low (provosts at various times), other VPs and deans, and student leaders have all contributed as much to anything we may have gotten right as I have. To work with brilliant, dedicated and often very funny people is a great privilege, and to do that because we all believe in the [University] and its faculty and students is an even greater privilege. That’s how it has been from the beginning.”

Though he is serving his final year as president, Casteen said he is leaving at a time which he, the rector and Board of Visitors believe is right.

“To have the recognition come while the group with whom I have worked is still here and intact is a big thing because all of them know, as I do, that the award actually recognizes the [University] itself,” he said.

Previous recipients of the honor include NASCAR driver Ricky Rudd, former Gov. Mills E. Godwin, Jr. and entertainers Bruce Hornsby, June Carter Cash and Tim and Daphne Maxwell Reid.

A memorial mass for Virginia Tech student Morgan Dana Harrington will take place Feb. 5 at 3:30 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Catholic Church in the victim’s hometown of Roanoke.

Harrington, 20, was reported missing Oct. 17 after leaving a Metallica concert at John Paul Jones Arena. After a three-month search and investigation, her skeletal remains were found in a hay field on Anchorage Farm, located about 10 miles southwest of the arena. Officials have now declared her case a homicide.

A reception at Hotel Roanoke will follow the service. In lieu of flowers, the Harrington family is asking for donations to a memorial scholarship in her name or to an African medical aid organization. Contributions may be sent to:

The Morgan Dana Harrington Memorial Scholarship at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine­; mail to Virginia Tech, Attn: Gift Accounting, University Development (0336), Blacksburg, VA 24061

Orphan Medical Network International; mail to 6930 Empire Lane, Roanoke, VA 24018.

Things I never thought I would say:

“Oh no, Will Sherrill looks like he might be hurt — that would be very bad for the team.”

Last season, Sherrill was a complete non-factor for the Cavaliers. At best, he saw garbage time. Any points he made were inconsequential — unless you were craving some ‘Canes that night. Now he is a go-to guy off the bench — contributing valuable minutes for Virginia on offense and defense.

“It is going to be a war down in the post this game with Jerome Meyinsse matched up against [N.C. State center] Tracy Smith.”

Meyinsse, during his first three seasons, had started one game and was an afterthought down in the post. He is now the starting center and matching up well against the likes of Georgia Tech forward Gani Lawal and North Carolina forward Deon Thompson.

“Someone on Virginia has an uglier looking shot then Calvin Baker.”

Yes, believe it or not, watching freshman guard Jontel Evans’ shot makes me slightly queasier than watching Baker’s. Mercifully, since Jontel makes his presence felt more on the defensive end of the court, I am not forced to see it as often.

“The Cavaliers — and I mean the Virginia Cavaliers — could make the NCAA Tournament.”

“What?!” you may ask.

But yes, although it may be bad luck to talk about, Virginia, now 5-2 in the ACC, has a [good] shot to dance this year. We were 10-18 last year, and now we are looking at a [remotely] possible trip to the NCAA Tournament.

The orange and blue was second-to-last in the ACC last year and picked to finish second-to-last this year.

No need for any complicated enlightenment, though, says Bennett. Simply put, he tells his team: “That’s not who we are or who we have to be.”

The Cavaliers are now, after tonight’s win, mind-bogglingly tied for first in the ACC.

Of course, any follower of Virginia football can tell you how easily and quickly a team can fall out of first place. So no need to get hasty. After all, the ACC, with only two teams in the top 25, is not having a particularly stellar season.

Nevertheless, the Cavaliers have been playing some good ball. A win at North Carolina is still a win at North Carolina. 3-0 against top-25 teams is … Well, you get the idea.

So with another shot at Wake Forest coming this weekend — this time in our own territory — the Cavaliers will continue to build their tournament résumé.

Nine ACC games left.

Given the conference’s lackluster showing thus far in the NCAA, Virginia will need to finish at least in the top half of the ACC — top five, more likely.

The conference wins so far are pretty spread out, meaning it probably will take relatively fewer wins to crack the top five — expect a dog fight. As few as 10 will probably do it — that’s five more for Virginia, meaning it would have to go 5-4 from here on out.

Looking at the remaining schedule, however, this could be challenging. The only games that look winnable right off the bat would be Miami and Boston College, but they are both on the road. Virginia could easily go 2-7 or worse and end the discussion right there.

But let’s say the team doesn’t.

The road to a March Madness birth is there: Just win one more game than you lose from here on out.

There are caveats, though. A few surprises that could mean a truncated postseason for Virginia even if it has a consistent finish.

Hanging around the bubble with nine or 10 wins at fifth in the conference — if that’s how it ends up playing out — is a dangerous spot. A quick departure in the first round of the ACC Tournament almost certainly would burst a bubble. Even more damning would be if an ACC cellar-dweller pulled off a miracle upset and won the conference.

That team would take the automatic bid in the bracket, meaning one less team from the ACC would be invited. Cinderella stories in other conferences — though less of a factor — also hurt the chances of teams that finish between fourth and seventh in the ACC.

It’s all pretty complicated, and of course, this far out, basically anything can happen. No players or coaches would ever admit to even contemplating the NCAA Tournament nine games from the conclusion of the season — though we all know they do in the darkness of their rooms.

So my favorite way for the orange and blue to get there, the simple way, the Tony Bennett way, is win ‘em all. Take the conference. Win the tournament. Wouldn’t be anything complicated about that — one could argue.

And so, Cavaliers, make me say something else I never thought I would say this season: “We’s a-goin dancin’!”

Junior guard Mustapha Farrakhan adds his own exclamation point to a 59-47 win, during which the Cavaliers overcame a three-point halftime deficit. Photo by Fred David.

He’s not one to bark at his team from the sideline. But when Tony Bennett sniffed out a lethargic defensive effort during the first half against N.C. State last night at the John Paul Jones Arena, he didn’t hesitate to let his players know it.

“When you whip a donkey, it kicks. When you whip a thoroughbred, it responds,” the first-year coach said. “I’m not saying we’re thoroughbreds by any means, but they responded when they were challenged and that was what we needed. I told them I was proud of them for that.”

After allowing the Wolfpack (14-9, 2-6 ACC) to score 18 points in the paint and shoot 45.8 percent from the field during the first half, the Cavaliers (14-6, 5-2 ACC) locked down on defense during the final 30 minutes and defeated N.C. State for the second time this season by a score of 59-47. The victory vaults Virginia into a first-place tie in the ACC with Duke.

The win did not come easily; Virginia trailed by three at halftime and did not appear to have an answer defensively for junior forward Tracy Smith, who already had scored an efficient nine points on 4-of-9 shooting. He got into the lane early and often, scoring seven of his team’s first 10 points with an array of jump-hooks and baseline drives.

Senior guard Calvin Baker said the team made a conscious effort to deny Smith the ball during the second half and force the Wolfpack to attack from the perimeter. The strategy paid dividends: Smith was held to just three points on 1-of-4 shooting during the final period and N.C. State shot a meager 29.2 percent from the field. Virginia may have been inspired by Bennett’s demeanor during halftime.

“It’s scary,” sophomore guard Sylven Landesberg said. “He gets red in the face, veins bulge — it’s not fun.”

After exchanging baskets for the first five minutes of the half, Virginia took advantage of a missed three by junior guard Javier Gonzalez, which resulted in a fast break and a wide-open 10-foot jump shot for sophomore guard Sammy Zeglinski from the right wing, giving Virginia its first lead since the score was 7-5 in the early going. On the following possession, senior forward Jerome Meyinsse corralled a rebound off a missed Zeglinski three and — surrounded by three Wolfpack players — went up strong for a lay-up and drew both a foul and an eruption from the crowd. He tacked on a free throw to give the Cavaliers a 36-32 lead.

And it wasn’t the last time the Virginia faithful got to their feet.

After Landesberg forced a turnover — one of his many non-scoring contributions of the night — the guard found beleaguered teammate Mustapha Farrakhan in the right corner. Even though the junior guard had missed eight of his nine last three-point attempts during the previous four games, Farrakhan rose up with a confident stroke and drained the trey, extending Virginia’s lead to nine. Victory was palpable, but Farrakhan wanted to deliver an exclamation point.

When Gonzalez launched another errant three, Landesberg batted the ball down the court ahead to Farrakhan, who planted his left foot as he approached the basket, rose up and threw down a malicious dunk with his off-hand over a trailing Gonzalez.

“I was frustrated,” the 6-foot-4 guard said afterward, “and it was just a good way to release some stress, so I’m happy about it.”

As the crowd exploded, Landesberg had to hold his teammate back to try to cool down his adrenaline.

“Oh, my God,” Landesberg said when asked to describe the play. “That’s all I could say was that — Oh, my God. It was nasty… I saw Mu going and I thought he was gonna lay it ‘cause I saw Gonzalez coming, and then I saw him stuntin’ his feet, and I was like, ‘Oh no … Oh no.’”

The dunk startled Baker, in more ways than one.

Farrakhan has “done it to me over the summer,” Baker said, adding that he’d give the slam a ‘10’ if it was part of a dunk contest. “I told him that’s probably why I got goosebumps, I maybe had a flashback or something.”

After receiving a lengthy standing ovation, Farrakhan, who scored 11 points on the night, knocked down the free throw, giving Virginia a 10-point lead with 6:57 remaining. But those present at Virginia’s last home game against Virginia Tech know that not even a double-digit lead was necessarily safe.

Two more threes from Farrakhan and Zeglinski, however, gave the Cavaliers plenty of breathing room, especially considering N.C. State couldn’t buy a bucket down the stretch, making only seven field goals during the half. So though Virginia fans may have gained the most satisfaction from Farrakhan’s offensive display, it was the Cavaliers’ second-half defensive performance that pleased Bennett.

“I thought they won in a way today that they haven’t, in the second half,” Bennett said. “It was more with our defense, with some of our key guys not shooting it well, so that’s a good sign.”
One such player was Landesberg, whose streak of scoring in double figures in every game this season came to a close, as well as his streak of scoring 18 or more points per game in ACC contests — a feat that belonged to him and him alone.

Although his seven points were not staggering, he dished out a career-high nine assists, constantly finding the open man. And though he said he doesn’t care about his records, he did have one final thought as his team ascended the ACC standings.

“I just wanna thank all the people that voted us to be in last place,” Landesberg said with a grin on his face. “I just wanna say thank you for giving us a lot of motivation. And that’s basically it — I still have that preseason poll posted up on my wall.”

The seniors on the Virginia women’s swim and dive team have been in this position before as they hope to defend their ACC conference crown. But this particular senior class is eyeing to do something unprecedented: to become the first women’s senior class in the history of the program to win three ACC championships during their tenure at Virginia.

Twice before in program history have the members of a women’s senior class had the opportunity to earn a third ACC title during their collegiate careers — once in the 2000 ACC Championships and again in 2005. Coach Mark Bernardino, who led the previous two teams in their attempts to make Virginia history, believes that this particular senior class has what it takes to add this accomplishment to their already successful careers.

“We’ve been here two times before where we’ve had a senior class that’s won two consecutive championships as sophomores and juniors,” Bernardino said. “But I did not see the focus, the dedication, the desire, the want to be the first to do this in any of those other teams. This one has something special.”

The swimmers themselves also feel they will have a strong chance to garner a third straight title and the eighth title in school history — a goal that they set for themselves last February after they won their second title, senior Katherine McDonnell said.

“It would be an awesome legacy to leave behind as a class,” McDonnell said. “You look up on that board [displaying banners won by past teams] and you never see three orange numbers in a row and that’s definitely something that inspires us every year.”

Even if the women’s team does not come out on top against its conference foes during this year’s championship meet, this senior class will still be one of the most successful and winningest classes in the program’s history. Since their freshman season, the swimmers have posted an impressive 33-7 regular season record. During the 2008-09 season, the women earned their highest finishing place in the NCAA Championships since 2002 with a 12th place finish among the nation’s best. Several seniors have earned personal accolades as well, including All-American and ACC honors.

Bernardino believes that the success of this class is especially impressive because of its collective drive to excel despite not being touted as one of the greatest recruiting classes when they entered the program four years ago.

“They definitely have a work ethic,” Bernardino said. “They weren’t projected to be this good. They’ve willed themselves and physically made themselves this good. That’s one of the highest compliments that I, as a coach, can pay to an athlete. You’ve physically and mentally willed yourselves to excellence when maybe excellence wasn’t necessarily expected or predicted of you.”
The excellence exhibited by the senior swimmers in the pool also has extended to their ability to act as leaders in the locker room and in the classroom, Bernardino said.

“They’ve grown as leaders [and] as women who are strong and not afraid to be strong and stand up and address their teammates and say, ‘This what we need to do to accomplish these goals and these dreams,’” Bernardino said.

Senior co-captain Mei Christensen, who was named the 2009 ACC Swimmer of the Championships, agreed that the seniors’ leadership skills will be key in guiding a different group of women into the next two championship meets.

“Every year, there’s a new team,” Christensen said. “We can look back and look at what we did well the past year, but for this next championship, we have to come together as a team and really see what works well for us and see where our strengths lie.”

Christensen and the rest of the squad will begin their run for the ACC Championship Feb. 17 in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Football coach Mike London made the final addition to his staff Tuesday, hiring Scott Wachenheim as his tight ends coach. Wachenheim has 21 years of college coaching experience, most recently as the offensive coordinator at Liberty during 2006-08. The Flames won the Big South Championship and led the conference in total offense during each of Wachenheim’s last two seasons with the program. Wachenheim also carries NFL experience, as he spent the 2009 season as the tight ends coach with the Washington Redskins.

His relationship with London dates back to his days at Rice, where he spent 12 years as an assistant, while London was the defensive line coach for the nearby Houston Texans. When Wachenheim moved to Liberty, he kept a watchful eye on London’s Richmond squad, which won the FCS National Championship in 2008.

“I was always impressed with how [London] handled himself and his teams and the type of character he represents,” Wachenheim said in a University press release. “I had already seen the type of coach he was by watching him coach his position drills. Watching his interviews after Richmond won the national championship, it was very clear that he knew what was important in life. I have always wanted to work with a guy like that.”

Having finalized his coaching staff, London announced the responsibilities he will delegate to his assistants. In addition to serving as offensive coordinator, Bill Lazor will be the quarterbacks coach, as well. Jim Reid will serve as defensive coordinator and associate head coach, while Jeff Hanson will coach the defensive line and head up Virginia’s recruiting efforts. Anthony Poindexter, who coached special teams last year with former coach Al Groh, will maintain his position and also coach safeties. Rounding out the defense, Chip West will coach the cornerbacks and Vincent Brown will work with Virginia’s linebacking corps. Mike Faragalli and Shawn Moore, meanwhile, will handle the running backs and wide receivers, respectively.

“This is the last of the positions to fill and, if you look at it from top to bottom, these are good men of character, good coaches and good teachers,” London said.

The No. 24 women’s basketball team will face ACC opponent Clemson tonight at the John Paul Jones Arena.

The Cavaliers’ (15-6, 4-3 ACC) four-game win streak came to a close last Sunday with a 64-57 loss against Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, despite the efforts of freshman guard Lexie Gerson, who scored a career-high 15 points. Senior guard Monica Wright posted her third-lowest scoring total of the season with 13 points in the loss, snapping a five-game streak during which she scored 20 or more points. With a stronger performance against the Tigers, Wright may pass North Carolina’s Ivory Latta for fifth place on the all-time scoring list in the conference. Wright needs 18 points to reach that milestone.

Clemson (11-12, 2-5 ACC) currently sits in last place in the ACC but enters tonight’s contest riding a two-game win streak, after defeating both N.C. State and Boston College. Prior to those victories, Clemson endured an eight-game losing skid that began just before the start of the new year — including five losses to conference opponents. The Tigers, who have not beaten Virginia since 2004, also look to earn their first ACC road win of the season tonight.

Thursday 4

So what’s the big fuss about dead zones
The environmental sciences department presents a talk by Nancy N. Rabalais today in Clark Hall. Excess nitrogen and phosphorus loads from the Mississippi River system have led to degraded water quality in the watershed and in the coastal ecosystem in the Gulf of Mexico where vast, perennial dead zones are a common feature now that did not exist historically. Is this Greek to you? Then show up for the talk today and learn you something. Refreshments provided.
3:30pm Clark 108 FREE

Donna the Buffalo
Zydeco-outfit Donna the Buffalo will play tonight at the Jefferson. This New York-based band plays both originals and covers. Though they come from above the Mason-Dixon line, their style is definitively southern, drawing lots of influence from the cajun jazz of New Orleans. They originally wanted to be called “Dawn of the Buffalo,” but many people slurred the name to its current moniker.
8pm Jefferson Theater $17

Monday 8

Akeelah and the bee
In honor of Black History Month, the Paramount Theater will be screening the acclaimed motion picture, Akeelah and the Bee. The movie follows a girl in the national spelling bee, starring Keke Palmer, Laurence Fishbourne and Angela Bassett.
7pm Paramount Theater $6

Trey Anastasio
Phish frontman and jam band god Trey Anastasio will perform at the Jefferson Theater. Anastasio will play in honor of his sister, Kristine Anastasio Manning, an esteemed environmentalist and author who died of cancer this past April. Tickets are going hot, so cop them while you can.
8pm Jefferson Theater $50

Thursday 11

TNA wrestling
The stars of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling will perform in a week at the John Paul Jones Arena. TNA is recognized as the fastest growing wrestling promotion in the world. Wrestlers scheduled to appear include “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles, Olympic gold medal winner Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, Jeff Jarret and other wrestling superstars. Important clarification: Wrestling is not fake, it’s choreographed. Plus, that night, a drink and a hot dog at JPJ cost only a dollar fiddy.
7:30pm John Paul Jones Arena $22-52