The snow floated gently through the streetlight's yellow glow. I stood entranced as bits of white began to cling to my face, and at that moment a vaguely familiar elation overcame me. It was two Saturdays ago and it was the most perfect night and for that moment it didn't matter that the roads would turn icy and my car would be buried and it was 2 a.m. and I had to be up in six hours. At that moment I was supremely happy, but I couldn't shake the déjà vu. Where had I felt that feeling before?
I have felt the moment in the gut of Newcomb Hall. It's the feeling I had when I received an e-mail from Prof. Quandt congratulating me on a good column. It's the feeling that came over me the first time Tom poked his head into my office to gush about a particularly good editing session with a columnist. It's the feeling I got when Katie's column became the subject of a Northwestern alumni newsletter. It's the feeling I had in a Managing Board meeting after laughing so hard I thought I would choke to death.
The moment is special because it overpowers any negative consequences that might result - for those precious seconds, all is right with the world. When the moment engulfed me, I didn't care that I hadn't slept more than five hours a night in 10 days. I didn't care that I would be in the office until 3 a.m. I didn't care that my next four meals would consist of 33-cent frozen burritos. All that mattered was that I was in the most perfect place with the most perfect people doing the most perfect job - to all of you who wondered what the hell I was thinking selling my soul to this organization, here's your answer. My Cavalier Daily experience was full of the moment - and for that reason I could not leave.
But as much as it gave me, I lost a lot for the moment. Sleep - it's difficult to get much rest when you average 60 to 70 hours a week engaged in something other than class work. And I frequently took The Cavalier Daily to bed with me, tossing uncomfortable thoughts of late roll times, pulled columns, unhappy writers and the crisis du jour around in my head until it ached.
I lost friends - probably too many - for this paper. I turned in mediocre essays and papers and thoroughly frustrated the professors and TAs unfortunate enough to have me on their class rosters. I cried buckets and hurled sharp objects in fits of fury for this paper. I gave all I had, and when I didn't think I had anything left, I gave some more, all for the moment.
From the very beginning of my time at The Cavalier Daily, flashes of the moment hit me - when a stranger at a party recognized me from my columnist photo and mentioned a particular column he had found interesting. As an Opinion associate, a few words of praise from my editors would bring on the moment. By then I was hooked, and every year at elections I felt a calling to give more of myself to this organization. No other experience in my life has been as consuming, as passionate.
The job of the Executive Editor as The Cavalier Daily's most prominent editorialist is threefold. The first part of the job is research. The Executive Editor must beat issues into the ground. She must talk to all sides and then consolidate them into a coherent assessment of the situation.
The second part is argument. The Executive Editor must help the Managing Board come up with a solid argument and then articulate that argument as eloquently and forcefully as possible in just a few hours' time.
The third part of the job is taking other people's crap. No matter what stance the lead editorial takes, someone is bound to disagree. God only knows why some people take the paper's institutional opinion so personally. But they do, and so the Executive Editor has to deal with phone calls from candidates for election who are angry because the paper didn't endorse them. She receives a visit from disgruntled Student Council representatives who are upset because they feel Council never receives any positive coverage. Or she gets a rude e-mail from someone who thinks Big White Tent is the most useful and aesthetically pleasing architectural masterpiece on these Grounds and The Cavalier Daily should just shut up.
As many headaches as that third part may have given me, it is the part of the job for which I am most grateful, because it was through taking other people's crap that I learned the most. If I never had had to defend the job I did and the opinions of the Managing Board, I never would have realized that both were worth defending. I never would have realized that my daily words had any impact on the University. In taking other people's crap, I learned responsibility, accountability and the sheer power of the written word. I learned to stick up for myself, for my writers, and for my organization. So to all the people who gave me crap, thank you. You have provided me the most rigorous education I have received at the University, and I am a better person for it.
I am also better for having known the hardworking and creative people The Cavalier Daily has brought into my life during the last three-and-a-half years.
As an editor, Julia Miller taught me about integrity, the beauty of the written word, and how to be a fair leader. As a friend, she taught me about compassion and kindness. Jules, you are a teacher and a confidante, but above all, you are an inspiration.
My two-year relationship with Noel Paul was definitely of the love-hate variety. But Noel, I hope you are reading this because I'm not sure I ever told you how glad I am that you were part of my Cavalier Daily experience and a part of my life. Thank you for leaving me such big shoes to fill. It's only because of your encouragement that I ever had the confidence to step into them.
Amy Startt and Sparky Clarkson have been with me since day one. Thank you for all the associate laughs and squabbles, for coming to visit when I moved into the EE office, and for always having a smile and a hug. I love you both. Sparky, you were a lifesaver for the department this year. Amy, it's time to complete the four-year circle.
My term as Opinion Editor was fun mostly because of three kick-ass associates: Tim DuBoff, Katie Dodd and Tom Bednar. Thank you for being witty and talented, for putting up with my "bad cop" routine, and for making the department a fun place to work. I admire you and respect you, but mostly, I love you very much. Tim, you're on your way to becoming the new old man of the department. Enjoy it. Tom and Katie, I only recently realized how much I have learned from you - your work as Opinion Editors put me to shame. Who knew two years ago in Richmond that you would become such an important part of my life? Katie, your graceful writing and your gentle leadership have set an example for me as well as for your staff. Tom, you have made me a better person.
A big thank you to my family for fielding transatlantic crisis calls at all hours of the night, for supporting my decision to do this crazy job, for patting me on the back upon receiving my mediocre report cards, and for endowing me with faith to keep me strong and courage to stand up for what I believe in day after day. I love you.
Jason and Rohit, you are the best friends I could hope for. Thank you for being there for me even when I didn't have the energy to be there for you. Rohit, you listened to my crises and offered good advice even though you didn't know any of the people I was talking about and had no idea what The Cavalier Daily was. I love you. Jason, thank you for keeping my spirits up and for letting me cry on your shoulder in November when I was about to make an enormous mistake. I love you and I promise to hang out more now that I don't have an office.
Dean Laushway, thank you for taking a professional and a personal interest in my work, for patting me on the back when you thought I was right and for questioning my argumentation when you thought I was wrong.
Thank you Sharon for being my mom-away-from-home, my psychoanalyst and my friend. Thank you for calming me down when I overreacted and helping me find the silver lining in the clouds I so often brought to you. Mornings are not the same without our 9 a.m. chats.
To Erin Perucci and Jen Schaum, I can rest easy knowing that the future of the department is in your capable hands.
To the newest inheritor of the Executive Editor legacy, Brian Haluska, thank you for being the wonderful person that you are. You have the integrity to do justice to the best job in the world. Make the most of this year, because it will be over all too soon.
And to the 111th Managing Board - Tom, Brian, Lindsay, John and Michael - you have the courage, the vision and the talent to take this paper to a new level. Enjoy your year on top of the world.
My last thank you goes to the people to whom I have been surgically attached at the hip, for better or for worse, for one unbelievable year. I have been privileged to share many moments with Mike, Emily, Dan and Sonia. What follows is a sad excuse for what I want to convey to you - I don't think there are words for what you mean to me. You became my surrogate parents, spouses, best friends, mentors and children all at once. You made me laugh when all I wanted was to cry. You gave me stupid nicknames (may you all choke on Oreos for the rest of your lives), mocked my food, made fun of my music, insulted my heritage and teased me for everything under the sun. And yet I still love you. From meteor showers and lunar eclipses to pillow fights in Atlanta, from sushi and cheap afternoon wine to Sheetz subs and the Backstreet Boys, from flammable sweaters to attempted underwear sales, we've made memories that I will keep forever. Mike, my voice of reason; Emily, my artist confidante; Dan, my calm and patient officemate; and Sonia, my shoulder to cry on - our love's gonna be written down in history, because I want it that way.
Read More
Letters to the Editor: The resignation of University President Jim Ryan
3 days agoFollowing this resignation, The Cavalier Daily has received letters from the University community which provide various perspectives on what this moment means to them and to the University’s future.
EDITORIAL: U.Va.’s path forward begins in the shadows of administrative silence
By Editorial Board | 5 days agoAs it stands, students will be returning to Grounds with no concrete sense of who will be at the helm of this institution and little reason to trust the governing body, which has made no attempt to explain or justify its actions.
GARVIE: U.Va. Health is rapidly falling behind on its responsibility to patients
By Adeline Garvie | July 19, 2025While gender-affirming care is one of the biggest ways U.Va. Health is falling short, it is not the only one.
