Sophomore Lauren Perdue earned two individual victories in the 50 and 200 free this past weekend at the Aquatic & Fitness Center. Photo by Grant Mathews.

The Virginia men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams prevailed against Penn State and Indiana this past weekend at the Aquatic & Fitness Center.

After the first day of competition Friday, the Cavalier women held a 115-71 leads against the Nittany Lions and 108-78 against the Hoosiers. The men barely trailed Indiana 98-88 after the first session but held a sizeable 141-45 edge over Penn State.

During the first part of competition, the Virginia teams recorded 11 NCAA B-qualifying finishes, seven of which were accomplished during the 500 freestyle. Senior Katya Bachrouche placed first in four minutes and 48 seconds, followed by freshman Rachel Naurath a second later and senior Anne Summer Myers in fourth. In the men’s race, sophomore Matt Murray, senior Taylor Smith, freshman Brad Phillips and freshman Jon Daniec took the top four spots for the Cavaliers.

The second day of competition began Saturday morning when sophomore Lauren Perdue and senior Matt McLean each posted two individual wins. The men and women dominated the 1,000 freestyle with 1-2-3 finishes from McLean, Smith and Phillips on the men’s side, and Bachrouche, Myers and Naurath for the women.

With first-place finishes in the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays, as well as individual wins by senior Scot Robison, freshman Taylor Grey and Phillips, the men secured a 194-159 victory against Indiana and held on for a 186-150 victory against Penn State. The women ultimately defeated Penn State 187-158 and Indiana 207-144.

The Cavaliers will travel to Athens, Ga. Dec. 3-5 for the Georgia Invitational.

—compiled by Chloe Newschwander

Late November can certainly be a daunting time for University students. With papers abounding and final exams looming, Thanksgiving Break can seem but a short reprieve from the madness. In fact, the half-week break may be the only time third-year Commerce students are able to shower between Halloween and Christmas. Nevertheless, as individuals privileged enough to attend one of the top public schools in the country, the managing board has found at least a few things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving season.

Good things come in fours: After last year’s less-than-stellar 3-9 campaign, the Virginia football team under new coach Mike London is already 33.3 percent better with four wins on the season. That victory tally likely will not change Saturday afternoon – but hey, keep the faith! – here’s to hoping that next year’s 22-person recruiting class is the foundation for great things to come.

And although Virginia football has seen better Novembers, the team is not as bad off as Phusion Projects, which will have to remove caffeine from its popular Four Loko alcoholic drink following FDA pressure. The announcement may not have been well-received by college students, but there is one huge upside to the news: a new commodity investment for speculators. Come on, you know those cans of Four Loko in your fridge will be worth ten times as much in six months or a year. Just be sure to unload them before the expiration date!

South Lawn finally complete: Of course, students probably care less about the actual building than they do about the eyesore of a $105 million construction project coming to a complete close this semester. Still, for every finished project on Grounds, there are a dozen others cropping up every day. Students are beginning to run out of ways to exit Newcomb Hall — perhaps a clever scheme by ARAMARK to drum up business in the dining hall and Pavilion XI.

A merciful end to campaign season: With the 2010 congressional midterm elections in the rearview mirror, Fifth-District residents no longer must cringe every time they turn on the TV. Admittedly, we all love a good, mature pun like “world of Hurt” or hyperbolic rhetoric about socialism from commentators, but there are plenty of less obtrusive ways to get our political fix.

Beer: What? Who said that?

Air conditioning: As the weather this year stayed unseasonably warm — and then turned cold, and then warm again, and so forth — well into October, older students should be kind to the first-year students who sweated through the first few months of school. Of course, it is the Lawnies who truly deserve pity. These marginalized students must make do with 19th-century accommodations, meaning no AC and no indoor plumbing. During a time when the University has made many strides toward the equitable treatment of all students, that we continue to let our own live under these conditions is truly despicable.

The good humor and understanding of student leaders: Of course, being the University’s modest Fourth Estate is not always glamorous, either. But we recognize it’s sometimes easier to be behind the press rather than in it, so we thank the folks in Student Council, the Honor Committee, the University Judiciary Committee and the like for staying professional and taking everything in stride. We suspect that may not be the case at all schools.

Our staff: Unfortunately, the news cycle doesn’t slow down for midterms, papers or problem sets. But take comfort in the issue count for 2010: 125 down, only four to go!

Roraig Finney’s Opinion column, “What is love,” (Nov. 22) was interesting, as he attempted to find a balance between how liberals and conservatives generally conceive of — or rather, have misconceptions of — marriage. I think it is important to consider how going to extremes may not be the best way to think about the role of marriage in society.

I thought it was ironic, however, that Finney comments on the misconceptions about marriage that liberals and conservatives have, yet he does not consider that his own views may also have misconceptions. I am not saying that his view that marriage is a way of maintaining control over individuals and maintaining social stability is incorrect; I am saying that there is not necessarily one “correct” way to view what the purpose of marriage is or should be.

This obviously complicates the debate over gay marriage even further, but I think it is another important aspect of the debate to consider.

Suzanne Spatz
CLAS IV

Kim Jong Un’s confirmation as Kim Jong Il’s successor in North Korea has created a new set of problems for the United States. The main problem North Korea must soon face is the prospect of the current regime’s collapse. The need to collaborate with China to influence the future of the Korean Peninsula is greater than ever. Regime change, however, is not the best policy prescription. Coordinated pressure with China to bring about the collapse of the Kim dynasty will heighten the risks of Sino-U.S. confrontation and throw North Korea’s small nuclear arsenal into terrorists’ hands.

Those who think a regime change can be brought forth through increased access to modern technologies, South Korean propaganda efforts and the natural resentment and suffering caused by a series of famines during the last two decades are overly optimistic. In a nation as tightly controlled as North Korea, there is no access to modern technologies. The impact of Facebook and Twitter on Iran in summer 2009 will never materialize in North Korea because these technologies are simply not available to its general public. A public uprising, on the other hand, is unlikely thanks to tools such as social engineering, mass propaganda and threat of government force.

If a regime change were to occur, it would be produced out of a power struggle between the ascending Kim Jong Un and the military. But such a struggle would inevitably lead to a bloody civil war. North Korea’s neighbors have historically prioritized a stable regime change. Both China and South Korea fear the violence, refugees and conflict spillover that might ensue from a sudden power struggle. But even if the coup were sudden and successful, there is no guarantee the new regime will be any more open than North Korea was under Kim Jong Il or Jong Un. Rather, the new regime would likely be equally oppressive and focused on maintaining power.

Finally, the greatest problem with the regime change option is the inevitable mass exodus of refugees into both China and South Korea after a civil war. Both nations will undoubtedly use military force to protect their borders or may even send a contingent into North Korea to halt the exodus. The ensuing chaos would make it difficult for policy-makers to make split-second decisions. A 2009 Council on Foreign Relations Special Report recognized the United States’ challenges with such a scenario. How will China respond to South Korea or U.S. troops in North Korea and vice versa? It is a scenario that maximizes the risk of confrontation between China and the United States. Then there is the frightening possibility that North Korea’s nuclear weapons will fall into the wrong hands and be traded in the black market.

What policy options, then, can the United States feasibly pursue on the Korean peninsula? First, the United States, along with China, must encourage economic reform in North Korea. In the past decade, China has tried to persuade Kim Jong Il to follow the “China model” of economic liberalization. The United States should aid the Chinese by changing the current sanctions regime to provide humanitarian aid and economic benefits if North Korea liberalized economically. After all, free market reform is the first step towards political liberalization. If nothing else, it provides much needed relief to North Korea’s beleaguered citizens.

The United States and China must also continue efforts to lure North Korea to rejoin the six-party denuclearization talks. In addition to creating economic incentives for North Korea, the United States should also attempt all forms of engagement, such as cultural exchanges, and allow North Korea to participate in international organizations. It is frustrating to continue the six-party talks in light of North Korean belligerence and duplicity, but there are no other realistic short-term policies available. Pursuing any sort of aggressive regime change through pressure or military force is far too dangerous to consider given the fallout that would result from a civil war.

Most important, the United States must coordinate with China, South Korea and Japan to form a contingency plan for the peninsula in case regime change occurs to avoid dangerous unilateral military action following a potential civil war. The succession in North Korea presents an unparalleled potential for a deadly upheaval, but also a chance for much needed improvement in Sino-U.S. military relations.

It must be remembered that China is unwilling to see any political instability in North Korea and its policy-makers have shown no signs of deviating from this course of action. It is of no use to pressure China to be hardline with North Korea because Chinese and U.S. interests simply do not align on the continuity of the regime. Any U.S. influence will be limited by China’s actions; going head-to-head will not achieve any tangible results. The United States must keep this in mind to pursue a successful North Korea policy.

George Wang’s column normally appears Mondays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at g.wang@cavalierdaily.com.

As Thanksgiving approaches and students begin a mass exodus from Charlottesville that rivals its Biblical counterpart, we all begin to look forward to visiting family members, watching unhealthy amounts of football and eating even more unhealthy amounts of home-cooked food.

As many of us do not have the luxury of living within driving distance of the University, hundreds of students must resort to air travel to get home this week. For those lucky few, have fun waiting in line for hours while a government official from the Transportation Security Administration begins his comprehensive search through your belongings for evidence of nefarious activities. So are TSA searches just a necessary product of our post-9/11 society to be dealt with for our own good, or are our civil liberties being deliberately contravened for the purposes of our security?

Since 9/11, several terrorists have been caught trying to smuggle explosives onto airplanes to execute yet another series of attacks on our country. To subvert many of our security measures, terrorists, exhibiting a rather MacGyver-esque creativity, have tried to use explosives hidden in shoes, underpants or even converted into liquid form. The government has placed restrictions on liquids and gels and require all passengers to take off their shoes for inspection prior to boarding. As for the underpants issue, we have devised body scanners to see who has bombs in their britches. Unfortunately, many citizens have expressed concerns about their privacy because these machines produce what are essentially nude images of travelers, which are then stored in government databases for a limited time. Director of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano — affectionately nicknamed “Big Sis” by individuals who are not too keen on the idea of these government-sponsored peep-shows — has repeatedly stressed that this is purely the nature of the age we live in and that every measure is being taken to both ensure our security and the dignity of air travelers. Of course, we are still bombarded with stories about four-year-olds being patted down, grandmas forced to empty their purses and nuns taken in for additional questioning.

There are a myriad of problems with the way in which the TSA performs its duty. Former Dulles International employee and third-year Engineering student Allison Light said, “I think we all want to be protected and, for the most part, the TSA is doing a good job. However, the TSA seems to use scare tactics. Unless you’re a friendly face, most TSA officers bark orders and are unnecessarily harsh with travelers.” The question is not purely about their questionable demeanor, however, but whether they really need to resort to such harsh tactics such as confiscating even the smallest amount of liquid and searching even the most innocuous individuals.

Much like Japanese internment camps during World War II, many an evil has been perpetrated for our security. The question of whether these actions are a constitutionally prohibited search or seizure is often discussed with relation to the actions of the TSA. These arguments are countered by the rationale that individuals are told ahead of time about the risks of trying to bring liquids onto a plane and that the TSA is a legal government organization charged with protecting our security. It is with the latter that we could find potential issues. Should the TSA be given so much authority to search and to confiscate with reckless abandon just because it is a chartered government entity? The ramifications of such a policy are staggering, but we are beginning to see these consequences surface.

Because of the subjective nature of what is deemed a “security threat,” the TSA is given an amazing amount of leeway to prevent a repeat of 9/11. Many accuse the TSA of using scare tactics: having the government present you with a realistic security threat it is trying to eradicate and having us, as patriotic and frightened citizens, sheepishly consent to the edicts of Big Brother and Sister. This is a valid opinion, but such arguments fail to realize that most people have an issue with the manner in which the TSA conducts security searches — not merely because the TSA is conducting them.

It is evident that the TSA could use a little more finesse and common sense while they try to keep us safe. We must try to find that very tenuous balance between ensuring our freedoms and our security; that line is not easily drawn and can oftentimes lead to dangerous practices such as profiling.

Personally, I think we can probably start with admitting that grandparents, nuns and invalids are probably not too keen on perpetrating international war crimes, but who is to say?

Given the nature of our enemy, perhaps I am just a bit naïve. In the meantime, perhaps Benjamin Franklin said it best: “Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.”

Pietro Sanitate’s column appears Tuesdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at p.sanitate@cavalierdaily.com.

Attending a midnight premiere is not for the faint of heart.

By 11 p.m. last Thursday, the parking lot of Charlottesville’s Regal Cinemas was packed with people of all ages attempting to claim their seats for the midnight premiere of the first cinematic installment of J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.” The theater was so crowded that a sign in the box office window advertised tickets for a 3:05 a.m. showing to accommodate audience overflow.

But perhaps even more overwhelming than the massive throngs was that the crowd in line near the box office and in the lobby was mostly comprised of Death Eaters, Albus Dumbledores, Severus Snapes, house elves and even a few owls. By and large, it seemed that Muggles — people of the non-Wizarding World — were in the minority.

To some individuals, dressing up in costumes and braving the early-morning November cold may seem extreme, but not to University students who had prepared for this premiere for months. Many of today’s college-age generation, including those at the University, have grown up with Harry Potter midnight release culture, first with each book and later with each movie. Such students understand the kind of dedication and active participation — for example, dressing in Wizarding attire — that premiere attendance entails.

Rowling’s fantasy novel series first debuted in 1997, with the final book coming in 2007 — the year that the majority of the current fourth-year class graduated from high school. Moreover, the actors that portray the characters in the film adaptations are very close in age to their fans. Daniel Radcliffe, who plays Harry, was born July 23, 1989, while Rupert Grint as Ron was born Aug. 24, 1988. Emma Watson, who plays Hermione, was born April 15, 1990. Consequently, as Rowling’s characters grew up and matured, so did Rowling’s readers.

Given that the series is now coming to a close with the release the first installment of the seventh and final film, University students who spent their childhoods with Harry and Co. have naturally felt the significance of the end of an era. During the week leading up to the Nov. 19 premiere, the sidewalks from Clemons Library to Observatory Hill Dining Hall were marked with the symbol of the Deathly Hallows and quotes from the book. Meanwhile, Facebook walls were filled with references to the series and countdowns to the premiere in the early Friday morning hours.

Still, third-year College student Brian Wigmore — who gauged his dedication to the Harry Potter cult somewhere between 7.5 and 8.5 on a scale of 1-10 — said it takes a special level of devotion beyond that of a typical fan to attend a midnight showing. Verifying his own credentials, “I read the last one [“The Deathly Hollows”] by 7:30 a.m. the morning it came out,” he said.

In anticipation of the crowds, many premiere-goers bought their tickets online weeks in advance. Second-year College student Alison McRae gets e-mail alerts from the ticket sales website, Fandango, and ordered hers as soon as they became available. She was not the only one to act so quickly.

“I bought mine in early October, definitely before Halloween,” third-year College student Lauren Cohen said.

Securing an early ticket was just one of the many ways students prepared themselves for the film. McRae watched ABC Family’s “Harry Potter” movie marathon for weeks prior to the release. Meanwhile, second-year College student Ellen Connell listened to the audio books on the way to class and before falling asleep each night.

For other students, this obsession with Harry Potter has gone beyond filling in the gaps of the schedules. During his trip to England this summer, second-year College student Matt Powell made a point of seeing some of the key locations used for filming scenes in the movies, such as the graveyard where Harry’s parents are buried and Malfoy Manor.

“I’m really excited to see those in the movie and see what they did to alter them,” he said before going into the theater.

Like many of his peers, Powell arrived in costume. Wearing a University-themed Snuggie for a cape and the trademark Harry Potter-style glasses, he explained that he had to “go all out” for this movie.

Second-year College student Richard Tyson decided to dress up as his favorite character, Dean Thomas. “I just associate myself a lot with him, with his personality traits. He redeems himself in the seventh book,” he said.

Tyson also noted that with the division of “The Deathly Hollows” into two films — deemed necessary because the action-packed novel ends at a whopping 759 pages in the U.S. edition — he will have the opportunity to dress up for two different premieres.

Connell also expressed satisfaction with the directorial decision but for slightly different reasons. “I feel like giving it double the time allows for them to cover all the magical moments,” she said.
“I’m not ready to say goodbye to Harry Potter yet.”

This is it people — Thanksgiving is upon us. Are you ready? Not the finished-with-work-turned-in-all-assignments kind of ready, but I mean are you prepared for Thanksgiving? Have you braced yourself for the onslaught of delicious food? Because, my friends, this is not a holiday for amateurs.

I think I’m ready, or I’ve done a practice round at least. Every year my friends and I have a tradition that we make our own Thanksgiving at school prior to actual Thanksgiving. Now, I bet you’re thinking that a bunch of college students celebrate a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving with popcorn and toast around a ping pong table. Let me stop you right there — we do it right.

Everyone brings their best family recipe along. My friend, who hosts it each year, seasons and bakes an entire turkey. And this year he even made cheesecake from scratch for us. Take that, Charlie Brown. This bunch is legit.

There was so much good food this year that it was difficult to restrain ourselves. So we took the easy option and didn’t. Everyone had a sample of everything, and as we sat around delightfully stuffing our faces, the topic of stuffing our faces Thursday with our families naturally arose.

Overeating on Thanksgiving is basically the American way. Although everyone at the party had a slightly different strategic approach to their Turkey Day dinner, after a while we reached a consensus on the best modes of attack:

1. Thanksgiving is a marathon, not a sprint, so you have to stretch before you eat. One friend said her family always has an early brunch the day of, that way they are hungry for dinner but their bodies do not go into shock at sight of all that food.

2. Wear comfortable pants. Sweatpants are obviously the most desirable. Personally I campaign for this at my house every year. Thanksgiving in your pajamas just makes sense to me, but sadly my family never goes for it.

3. Bread is dangerous, so save it for last. Who doesn’t love those warm holiday rolls? It is important not to eat them too early, however, because if you fill up on bread first, you won’t have room for all the other delicious delights and dishes.

4. Be careful with your choice of beverages — stay away from all things carbonated. This is to the same end as No. 3. Don’t get me wrong. I love a good Coke as much as the next person, but Thanksgiving is not the day for soda. Why do you think the Pilgrims stuck with water?

5. Don’t purposefully save room for dessert but have dessert anyway. This one came at the suggestion of one my friends just as we cleared the massive table of entrees, and it was refilled with equally yummy desserts. Admittedly, this last advice is not for beginners, but I think you can handle it.

Thanksgiving comes but once a year, and you have to be ready. Please keep these tips in mind as you graze. I have shared them with you with hope that at the end of your holiday, when you lay down on your couch and have to loosen the drawstring of your pants, you will do so with a smile on your face. Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.

Katie’s column runs Tuesdays. She can be reached at k.mcnally@cavalierdaily.com.

One of the many benefits of living in Charlottesville is the city’s music scene. C’mon, we gave Dave Matthews his start. During the past year, students had the opportunity to see U2, John Mayer, Metallica, Wiz Khalifa, Iron & Wine, Taylor Swift, B.o.B., Dave (x2), Sam Adams, Sugarland, Bob Dylan, Matt Costa, MUSE and Lady Gaga — to name just a few.

Often, the venue in which these artists perform can make the experience even more fantastic. Downtown has great venues such as the Paramount and Jefferson Theaters — both of which are absolutely beautiful and provide awesome live-music atmospheres. On the other hand, people you share your musical experience can in fact detract from your concert night.

Last weekend, I found myself at the Jefferson for the first time. Call me a nerd, but the interior is gorgeous. Walls that gorgeous do not deserve to see something as rowdy as a concert. Classical music concerts and operas are the only events classy enough to be seen by those walls. Not that the concert wasn’t awesome, because it was one of the best I’ve seen, but somehow the middle-school students in attendance ruined the atmosphere.

I don’t dislike middle-school students anymore than I dislike first-year students. Just kidding, I retain a certain fondness for the firsties. I remember those awkward middle-school years and pity those going through the pain now. I wanted to tell them, not to worry because their awkwardness would subside soon. But as soon as the band started playing, my pity for the early teenagers disappeared and my distaste for them onset. I’m sure these were the cool middle-school kids, the ones cool enough to go to a concert with high-school and even some college kids. And, obviously, the kid in the plaid fedora was his grade’s Colin Farrell. But I realized these kids weren’t like me at their age — they were unaware of the judgmental glares being shot their way.

I was not only put off by their appearances but also by their crazy behavior. Arms flailing, belting out every word at the top of their not yet fully developed lungs. I didn’t come to hear the angelic voice of the 13-year-old next to me — I came to hear the band. I may sound like a conservative grandparent, but I’ve always been an old soul. Their behavior was appalling. I don’t know which was worse — the kids trying to start a mosh pit or the couples who had not yet hit puberty gently swaying to the music. Settle down, children. It’s not that kind of concert and especially not at the Jefferson. Have some respect.

To avoid the child in the fedora and his female counterpart — the girl with half a stick of eyeliner on each eye — I turned to see who was standing toward the back of the crowd. Clearly, it was the adult section. The adult section was divided into two subgroups — the 30-year-olds reliving their childhood and the parents keeping tabs on their children. Each group had beers in hand. The 30-year-olds were closer to the sloppy side while the parents were more reserved.

I found myself in an awkward place in the Jefferson that I am in real life, standing with some good friends in a place between child and adult. If you want to get technical, I’m an adult. I can vote, smoke, get married and fight for my country. If you want to get realistic, I’m a child. My true age is 7. Most days, I can’t believe I’m allowed to drive a car. I am still dependent on my parents, from paying my tuition to telling me what I need to buy to make guacamole. Child? Adult? I don’t know.

Do I try to push my way up to the front of the crowd in attempts to get six inches closer to the lead singer? Do I stand in the back watching the insanity from afar? Do I settle for the subtle head nod, or go for the rocker fingers thrusting in time with the music?

I’ll go for the middle ground — arms to my side or out in front with knee bends. I’ll move my mouth, like I know the words to every song. Who knew these middle-school kids could make me feel self-conscious? That’s not what the concert is about. The music is meant to take you some place free and relaxing. But somehow, at this performance, I wasn’t being taken away. I was right where I was in life, confused, filled with questions. Midway through the set, I calmed my racing mind. I relaxed and thought only about the music and the band. I let the music take me away.

Next time you find yourself at a concert, take a look around. See the crowd for what it is. Shake your head at the crazy young’uns and nod your head along with the old people in the back.

Abigail’s column runs biweekly Tuesdays. She can be reached at a.sigler@cavalierdaily.com.