CavFact — a political fact-checking organization — gained CIO status at the Oct. 11 Student Council meeting.
The CIO aims to “fact check things that are relevant to the student body at U.Va.,” Joshua Jaspers, a third-year College student and co-founder of CavFact, said.
The organization is currently made up of 30 members and focuses on politics at levels ranging from the federal government to politics on Grounds. It will begin fact-checking now that it has received CIO status.
“For students, it gets them more involved, more excited about [political issues], and gives them the basis to form opinions,” Jaspers said.
MacKenzie Hodgson, a third-year Engineering student and Student Council vice president for organizations, introduced the bill that included CavFact along with three other organizations eligible for CIO status.
“CavFact is a well organized and innovative organization that provides a new and useful service,” Hodgson said. “I think that they will be an enriching addition to Grounds, especially with the current focus on politics brought on by this election season.”
Student Council President Emily Lodge, a fourth-year Batten student, said about 15 organizations apply for and receive CIO status each semester.
CIO status means the group will be able to use academic space on Grounds, apply for Student Council funding and participate in Student Council activities fairs.
Jaspers said receiving CIO status will help the organization with recruitment.
There are currently no other fact-checking CIOs geared specifically toward the University community, Hodgson said.
Jaspers said CavFact was born from the common interest in politics shared by himself and co-founders Aryn Frazier and Grant Oken, fourth- and second-year College students, respectively. When they came up with the idea, the three were living in the same area on Grounds — Frazier as a senior resident, Jaspers as a resident advisor and Oken as a resident. Jaspers said CavFact was the product of the Jeffersonian “living and learning” community ideal.
“We were living and learning together, trying to bring the classroom outside of the classroom,” Jaspers said. “So I think it’s really cool how it came about.”
Lodge said she supports CavFact’s mission of cultivating the empowerment of students with accurate information about political issues.
“I think it is important for students to know the facts,” Lodge said.
Jaspers said it is not only important to support a well-informed student body but to hold policymakers accountable for their actions as well.
“If you’re fact checking stuff, it’s holding policy makers, it’s holding people in those higher positions accountable for the actions that they’re taking, or what they’re saying, and what they’re doing,” Jaspers said.
Jaspers said next steps for CavFact will be growing the organization and possibly conducting political polls at the University.
In addition to increasing membership, CavFact’s website will be live next week and will allow University students to submit questions regarding the presidential election or other political issues.
Read More
Podcast revolutionizes storytelling for Charlottesville and its sister city
By Brandon Kile | 7 hours agoCharlottesville has four sister cities total, the other three being Huehuetenango, Guatemala, Poggio a Caiano, Italy and Winneba, Ghana.
Student Council debates resolution for increased allergen transparency, reviews summer budget
By Arshiya Pant | YesterdayThe resolution aimed to support students by requiring U.Va. Dine locations to provide a comprehensive list of allergens for food items on GrubHub.
Honor Committee brainstorms sanction diversification, considers future steps for AI
By Lexie Stadler | 2 days agoHancock and Carson Breus, vice chair for sanctions and third-year Commerce student, said they are collaborating to explore fresh sanctioning avenues.
