I'm embarrassed that Julia Sharpe's "June bug" was published, and that the ignorant and racist attitudes in the article were condoned by the editors of The Cavalier Daily. I am disturbed by the author's blase attitude towards genuine poverty, suffering and inequality, along with her naive faith in the trickle down economics of tourism. Here's the reality: none of the money she spends on drinks or dancing will reach the people she saw in "real Africa." She's just accepting a rationalization about "African magic" instead of thinking critically about the problems a developing country faces. She perpetuates the worst stereotypes about study abroad at U.Va., that it is a for-credit tourism experience, in which drinking and photographs take priority over learning opportunities.
Rachel Vaughn\nCLAS II
Read More
JEFFERSON COUNCIL: The hypocritical politicization of U.Va.’s presidential search
By Jefferson Council | October 12, 2025The current presidential search committee includes 28 members — Board members, students, administrators, alumni and faculty — with at least as many faculty as the previous two. Given its composition, concerns about representation are unfounded.
RASHID: U.Va.’s new privacy policy should be welcomed — and expanded
By Muhammad Ali Rashid | October 12, 2025Privacy is not merely a technical shield against data leaks or hacks — it is a baseline human right that shapes how students learn, organize and speak.
KING: The College Republicans’ letter to the Board dishonors the University
By Michael King | October 11, 2025With their calls for administrative consequences, the CRs thumb their noses at the Jeffersonian principles of free speech that this University was founded to defend.
