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(10/10/08 8:11am)
Every fall, as the temperature drops to a brisk chill and the tips of the trees begin to caramelize, professors bombard their poor students with exams, papers, presentations and any other form of assessment to mark the halfway point of the semester. Libraries across Grounds welcome the bustle of occupants to their previously lonely late-night hours, and students abandon the frivolity of youth to hit the books and sacrifice sleep in agonizing pursuit of making the grade.While browbeaten and sleep-deprived students like to aim for an extensive hold on the information at hand, the reality is that most individuals take strategic approaches to preparing for these tests of intelligence, tenacity and stamina. Some naïve souls seek to learn everything and refuse to rely on luck, but practicality dictates that one cannot know everything about everything. Many students study advantageously and specialize in a select range of concepts so as to prove complete proficiency if asked about them in particular on the big day. I call this defiant move and popular midterm strategy “The Hinge of Fate.”I humbly borrow this phrase from the fourth volume of Winston Churchill’s monumental “Second World War” to explain how students can only rely on their own abilities for so long — eventually, the outcome of their endeavor falls out of their hands to unknown external factors. While this title lends itself specifically to the dramatic turning points of World War II, the idea of an outlying providence shaping the outcome of things plays an important role in many other aspects of life.Churchill, a great believer in the forces of destiny in determining man’s fate, spent almost 70 years in the public spotlight as a statesman, orator, writer, historian and so on. His contributions to Western society and his timeless rhetoric still hold great prevalence to the present day. All great men, however, began as earnest students like us, simply trying to survive the rigors of academia.In “My Early Life,” Churchill’s autobiographical account of his first 30 years, he describes a moment when his own intellectual capacity gave way to the generous fortunes of luck while taking a seemingly impossible military school exam:“We knew that among other questions we should be asked to draw from memory a map of some country or other. The night before by way of final preparation I put the names of all the maps in the atlas into a hat and drew out New Zealand. I applied my good memory to the geography of that Dominion. Sure enough the first question in the paper was: ‘Draw a map of New Zealand.’ This was what is called at Monte Carlo an en plein, and I ought to have been paid 35 times my stake. However, I certainly got paid very high marks for my paper.”Historical accounts certainly do not paint Churchill as an illustrious student. Always struggling in his childhood and adolescence because of his stubborn characteristics, Churchill’s academic performance at the prestigious Harrow School left much to be desired. He described his experience perfectly when he wrote the following: “I am all for the Public Schools but I do not want to go there again.”Churchill’s anecdote demonstrates that even the best of us have predestined moments of fortune. The Nobel Prize-winning author and wartime prime minister might not have passed this exam if it weren’t for this particular outcome; where would modern history be then? Despite Churchill’s monumental contributions to society, even he needed luck.While paltry efforts and academic indifference should never be condoned at a university like ours, we as students must remember in the rush to memorize and recount everything we’ve been lectured to over the last month and a half that sometimes things simply go beyond our control. Like it or not, there are higher powers working to determine your transcript at the end of the semester.Remember this: As you painstakingly survey notes and formulate papers over the next few weeks, there will always be elements of the unknown in the end product of your performance, and you can do nothing except occasionally take a chance and go along with the curveball. Also, take comfort in knowing even Winston Churchill had to fudge through work once in a while just to survive school like each and every one of us.Bailee’s column runs biweekly Fridays. She can be reached at b.barfield@cavalierdaily.com.
(09/12/08 9:44am)
As I carefully perused my bank accounts last night, pretending to be an adult, I came to the realization that my coffee trips and crucial late-night refueling occur with shocking frequency; if I keep it up, I can expect to be broke by February.Students at an esteemed university such as our own hold themselves to incredibly high standards and push themselves to accomplish remarkable things. There is no way an average person here can find enough time between going to class, meetings and library (Facebook) time to hibernate and rest for the next day’s harrowing activities. How else are we supposed to prosper without developing semi-addictive relationships with caffeinated beverages?I remember laughing at an article I once read that reported graduate student debt occurs not just from financial aid bills and heavy annual tuition, but from daily visits to Starbucks and other worthy coffee establishments. These expenses amass tens of thousands of dollars of debt that continue to plague those individuals as they leave the intellectual vacuum we call college and enter the professional workplace. Now, I shudder to realize I too shall incur a similar fate. Books, room and board, and all other living expenses aside, coffee poses a serious problem to our financial health as young and prosperous students.Conscious of my terrible spending, I kept a record of my activity through the next day. I woke up for class, got a coffee on the way to Cabell Hall, left, had lunch with a friend, studied for a few hours, then grabbed another coffee without sugar or cream to wake me up because I felt fatigued. The worst part is, I know during evening study I will most likely do the same thing at Alderman Café or, should I say, the source of my demise.Not convinced you have anything to worry about yet? If the average person were to sit down and calculate what he or she spends on a daily basis and what that money is spent on, the numbers likely would be shocking. Let’s say an average cup of coffee costs $2. Multiply that by five and you’ve just spent $10 on coffee alone. Don’t even think about sandwiches or snacks you may purchase to accompany your beverage; that’s an additional $10 right there. So, according to my numbers, you’ve just spent $20 in one week ... when there are more than a dozen more weeks to worry about for the rest of the semester, two of which take place during finals crunch time.Anyone can plainly see that students sustain themselves with coffee. Without it, no one would pay attention in early classes, go to the library to study or be especially productive in any given component of his or her life. To put it bluntly, coffee makes the world go round here at the University. Knowing this, I find it quite disappointing that the school doesn’t do more to support the student body’s source of sustainable energy. Personally, I think they should take all the money they’re saving by making us carry our plates around without trays and set up free coffee bars in the libraries. Laugh if you will, but being up at 1 a.m. with 100 more pages of Kant to read isn’t exactly feasible without some sort of assistance. In my endeavors to correct my spending and salvage my personal bank account, I’ve realized there are many ways to cut back on expenses.First, don’t drink coffee. Just kidding. But seriously, converting to tea not only costs less but it also still provides an adequate caffeine source. Did you know it only costs 15 cents to get a large cup of hot water? With a box of Earl Grey from a local grocery store, you can cut back on costs considerably and still have a nice warm beverage to aid your studying and make you look smart when sauntering around Grounds. Next, buy coffee. Sounds hypocritical, but I’ll tell you now that the whipped cream and milk-filled drinks many students order have about two ounces of legitimate coffee in them and therefore will only keep you functioning for two ounces worth of time. That’s not being economical — that’s called blind waste. Time is money, my friends. Plus, these frothy latte drinks cost almost three times as much as plain brew. Do yourself a favor and cut back the queue time by omitting the elaborate drink details and simply ask for small, medium or large.Remember, the financial limitations of a student are modest and it is imperative we keep ourselves from falling into debt. I hope my words of wisdom have helped, and to all you coffee addicts out there, I feel your pain.Bailee’s column runs biweekly Fridays. She can be reached at b.barfield@cavalierdaily.com.
(09/05/08 7:52am)
No, I don’t plan to break out in song von Trapp style. I do, however, want to recognize some of the things on Grounds that have made returning to school and getting back into the swing of rigorous class work worthwhile.While the refurbishing of Clemons Library makes it a much more idyllic place to study, I have always been partial to Clark Library. The building itself, timeless and welcoming, is located in the ideal spot as a retreat between classes. When time proves to be of the essence, I can’t count how many instances I relied on Clark for printing a reading or typing a quick e-mail. Also, the staff keep the study areas immaculate and provide students with an unprecedented variety of comfortable chairs. While I could spend 10 minutes describing to you my favorite spot within Clark’s hallowed walls, I fear you’ll be there the next time I bring work to do. Long story short, if a place can make you enthusiastic to study then it’s definitely a worthwhile endeavor for which to leave your room. There’s something about those naked people on the mural in the foyer as well, I suppose.I may be partial to Clark, but I do indulge every once and a while (loosely translated to mean every day) and visit the esteemed Alderman Café. Personally, I feel they make the meanest cup of coffee on Grounds. There are many things a college student can survive without, but good coffee is not one of them. Alderman seems to be the most therapeutic place for someone feeling down and blue because, like “Cheers,” it’s the place where everybody knows your name. I often frequent Alderman with specific tasks set to conquer and walk out two hours later having nothing done, but it’s always worthwhile because I instead caught up with three or four friends I’d much rather talk to than face discussion reading or my inbox.Another one of my favorite spots quickly makes me think of what the good ol’ days at U.Va. might have been like, full of fresh-faced young men in tweed, herringbone and argyle — Randall Hall. As a history major, I think we lucked out with the coolest building on Grounds (I am of course excluding all Commerce students from this equation). This is the inner nerd in me speaking, but the white hallways with their crown molding and the checkered floors make walking in to see a professor like having a blast from the past.I could pontificate about my favorite buildings here at the University forever, but a student’s also got to eat. I realize that my hometown contains several bagel locations that have merit in their own way, but nothing compares to Bodo’s. Perfection comes in many forms, and one of those includes being able to spend $2 on a lunch and eat it out on the Lawn. Those people behind the counter move customers so fast it makes one’s head spin — even during the post-church rush on Sunday one can get in and out with bagels in less than 10 minutes. My parents still think it’s weird that that’s where I want to go when they come into town instead of something nicer (and of course, costlier). Bodo’s is, and always will be, where it’s at.And if you’re looking for lunch, whoever thought of the idea to sell off house dressing and bags of bread leftovers? Take It Away Sandwich Shop is, and always will be in my mind, a genius. Who knew something so simple and seemingly strange would be so delicious? This is another choice of cuisine my parents find incredibly odd (“Bread and sandwich spread? Are you really that poor at school?”) but if you’ve never tried it, I highly recommend it. A couple bags of bread ends and a pint of house dressing total about $10 and feed a large number of people. You won’t be disappointed.As I play around with my Sexual Assault Peer Advocacy pen and take a sip of water with my Honor cup, I am reminded that there are some things around Grounds that don’t cost anything. I thank all of those organizations that are cool enough to make free stuff for people like me who live for such things. I feel content in my extracurricular endeavors at this point in my college career, but don’t think for a second I didn’t go around to every table at the activities fair and pretend to be interested just so I could get the swag. Now I don’t need to buy writing utensils or drinkware. Thanks, guys!I think these tiny joys mean so much to me because my honeymoon period with this school has yet to end. I love being a student here and I am so happy to be back from summer vacation. I guess we’ll just have to wait until I get my first test or paper back, however, to see a list of things that drive me insane. Until then!Bailee’s column runs biweekly Fridays. She can be reached at b.barfield@cavalierdaily.com.
(08/23/08 4:00am)
First-years: Let me begin by commending your bravery. You have recently endured a difficult few days of saying goodbye to your friends and families back home, packing away your entire lives and arriving to a foreign place only to realize you don’t have air conditioning (unless you live in Kellogg, Woody or Cauthen, and if so, get prepared to hear a lot of your new friends whine).It is likely you brought a formidable array of belongings with you to Charlottesville. Your parents shoved, crammed and bungeed an extraordinary amount of boxes and personal belongings into your car until it resembled that of the Joad family from “The Grapes of Wrath”. When bestowed with graduation money and last-minute sympathy shopping from parents, things certainly add up.Yet despite your incredible supply of storage bins, school supplies and party clothes you tried your hardest to conceal from your mother, I assure you there are still items you will need for a successful first-year residential experience. These essential college survival items may not be mentioned in those overrated college prep books — in fact, some you may have never before considered.When I rolled into Hancock my first year with an inflatable bed in tow, my roommate thought I was insane. Space is already a premium on McCormick Road, and girls don’t exactly pack lightly. This handy item, however, saved my hall from erupting into an all-out civil war. When hallmates dictate their roommates’ room schedule and sleep cycle by means of their significant other, it gets to be a very tense environment for everyone involved. You’ll learn the ins and outs of “sexilement” as you gain worldly experience this fall, but I assure you that having a bed to offer the victimized makes for a peaceful and harmonious hall or suite.But if all worst-case scenarios are taken into account and everything but the kitchen sink is packed accordingly, chances are that space will not be sufficient in the dorm. One can either do without certain items (yes, say goodbye to the unicycle and the Harry Potter book set you’ll never read again) or manipulate physics and spend about $10 to remedy the problem. Bed risers add about 6 or 8 extra inches of space under your bed and provide a sanctuary for oddly shaped and unattractive items, as well as all the additional junk you will inevitably accumulate throughout the year.While packing and space are two of the most important obstacles to overcome as a first-year, there is another issue that is less easy to conquer and destroy: communicable disease. Dorms may be a party haven and the center of social activity, but they will also become a raging cesspool of bacteria and germs. Your mother didn’t ask me to write this, but I urge you to keep on hand a set of anti-bacterial wipes and hand gel. When one person catches something, it’s terrifying to see how many people wake up the next morning with similar symptoms. You’ll thank me later when it’s midterm season and you’re the only one not suffering from a sinus infection or conjunctivitis.I admit that in our busy schedule as students, extracurricular activity-goers and faithful Wahoos, it is hard to find time to accomplish the simple chores of basic living. Laundry, with its expenses and blatant inconvenience in the first-year area, is the first to come to mind. Luckily, modern science has made it no longer necessary to wash clothing that was tragically stained or to iron clothing that is wrinkled from the previous night’s indiscretions. With detergent in a pen and anti-wrinkle laundry spray, freshly laundered clothes are only minutes away. And if you are the type who will abuse such powers to the ultimate extent and never actually do laundry, there is always Febreeze to cover up your pungent odor.I hope my words of wisdom help in some capacity. It seems as if life is thrown at you all at once after moving in, and if you can do anything to make daily living a little bit easier, go for it. You all are the smartest and most capable incoming class of young scholars at the University to date (until next year, of course) and I have no doubt you will surmount any obstacle that comes your way. I wish you all the best of luck this year. On behalf of everyone, welcome to the University of Virginia.Bailee’s column usually runs biweekly Fridays. She can be reached at bab8u@virginia.edu.
(07/14/08 4:00am)
Recently, the University's Alumni Association hosted its annual Reunions Weekend: the ultimate chance for more than 4,000 devoted alumni to relive memories, catch up with old friends and tease their nostalgic whims by seeing how much things have really "changed" since their time as students.
(04/25/08 4:00am)
I should clarify. My grades are fine, I am responsible with alcohol and I maximize my undergraduate experience every day (after all, I did just go to the last Second Year Series Dinner). I keep things in perspective and develop healthy attachments ... with the sole exception of Gmail and Alderman Café. My area of fault lies not in the gauge of my character or my intellectual tenacity, but that I, like many women before me, am a terrible packer. In this time of modesty and utility required of the university student, I feel this is an unacceptable trait that must be amended.
(04/11/08 4:00am)
Now that the college Spring Break season has died down and a proliferation of photo albums have been posted on Facebook, I find myself spending many classroom minutes perusing them when I should be paying attention rather than living vicariously through some of my dear friends. While there are some shocking pictorial accounts of beer bongs, beaches and animal-shaped towels on cruise liners, I must say there is one photo that takes the cake.
(03/26/08 4:00am)
For those of you not embarking on fabulous study abroad opportunities this summer, relax. It is in fact possible to gain an international cultural experience within the local vicinities of our dear University rather than toil with transportation, passports and those pesky little things called classes. Also, staying here beats having to carry around a pocket dictionary and live with a group of complete strangers thousands of miles from the comforts and amenities of home.
(02/21/08 5:00am)
During the elaborate student hubbub last week on the South Lawn in preparation for Senator Clinton's visit, I kept myself busy by gathering up the multitude of posters and walking away like a kid retiring from a very successful trick-or-treat. Did I go listen to the speech? Heavens no, I had class. I'm not even a Democrat.
(02/07/08 5:00am)
People exit this world as quickly as they enter it. Some may spend their time quietly, while others choose to make some noise, kick some butt and take some names. When an individual who makes a significant impact on our society and culture passes, does he or she ever actually disappear? It is fair to claim that fate may obstruct one's potential, but even more so I believe it is safe to say that history will somehow find a special place for individuals of particular distinction within its own pages.
(09/24/07 4:00am)
What is a surefire way to get a college student up and out of bed in the morning without coercion or bribery? Put a construction site outside his window.
(08/09/07 4:00am)
Students aren't the only ones taking advantage of their time off from school -- faculty members did it all this summer, from international research to health awareness to influencing public policy. Some even found time to get outside and have some fun.
(06/14/07 4:00am)
I call it "linguistic naturalization."
(04/26/07 4:00am)
By Bailee Barfield
Cavalier Daily Associate Editor
With finals quickly approaching, students attempt to stuff back into their heads major works of literature and historical figures assigned in textbooks and mentioned in lectures. But while this week celebrates the achievements of several big names, it also celebrates the need to take a break and let loose.
(04/10/07 4:00am)
While University students may find the week that celebrates Thomas Jefferson's birth one filled with festivity, this week also ushers in more unfortunate incidents, including the assassination of a fellow president and the sinking of a very big ship.
(04/04/07 4:00am)
Whether students love them, hate them or use them as door-stoppers, course packets along with other supplemental materials provide a way for teachers to instruct their classes and enhance student education.
(03/13/07 4:00am)
Taking global issues into their own hands, University students became involved with Building Tomorrow, a national program aimed at expanding educational opportunities for some of the world's less fortunate youth.
(03/01/07 5:00am)
By Bailee Barfield
Cavalier Daily Associate Editor
Students antsy to escape endless piles of schoolwork may find it ironic that this week filled with overwhelming anxiety is one that once welcomed crucial scientific and social advancements as well as the birth of an old childhood literary friend.
(02/22/07 5:00am)
This week, we honor two of the most revered American figures, Washington and Lincoln, with extraordinary car sales and school holidays. In addition to President's Day, there are several other events with astounding cultural impact in the fields of literature, athletics and history worth remembering this week.
(02/20/07 5:00am)
Most University students associate Greek letter organizations with either the Inter-Fraternity or Inter-Sorority Council. The Multicultural Greek Council, however, provides an alternative for students who seek to incorporate their different cultural backgrounds with the facets of a traditional Greek system.