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(04/03/15 4:07am)
Humor is a subtle art, satire even more so; a tricky combination of comedy and discerning commentary, it is an art form that pushes the boundaries of civility in order to grasp something insightful about the human condition. At the edge of that boundary lies the realm of the offensive and the demeaning. Comedians tread that boundary with surpassing caution; those who relish in testing its limits do so in public settings in which they can react to an audience in real time. As professionals at the apex of their line of work, these individuals can feel comfortable in pushing the envelope; should an audience react to an insensitive racial or ethnic joke, the blow is softened both by a comedian’s explanation and by the very nature of the position which he or she occupies. Why then, one might ask, do college newspapers take the risk of treading this line? Though individuals can sensibly disagree over the proper place of satire in college newspapers, the sort of first-of-April media mischief displayed Wednesday was damaging to the bonds between The Cavalier Daily, as a news organization, and its constituency. Ostensibly geared toward relieving the strain of this semester, Wednesday’s articles instead incited anger and frustration. While the right to publish such material may be irrefutable, there is little wisdom in doing so.
(01/27/15 5:38am)
“He shall from time to time give to Congress information of the state of the Union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.” By any straight reading of the clause in the Constitution relating to the State of the Union, the justices of the Supreme Court are not meant to play a role. All the same, six of the Court’s justices chose to attend last week’s State of the Union. Their statuesque yet blank expressions stood in sharp contrast to the animated, opinionated faces of the members of the chamber in which they sat. As hundreds of news cameras focused on the justices, attempting to catch the most imperceptible sign — a quivering lip, a raised eyebrow — the event seemed even more of a parade than it already is; the justices themselves had no true business attending the speech at all.
(01/20/15 5:40am)
Forty-one percent. Less than half of all undergraduates at the University live on Grounds; keep in mind, the figure itself is artificially high, as it includes first-years for whom on-Grounds accommodations are mandatory. Over the years, the University has grown undeniably distant from the original Jeffersonian goal of an Academical Village, a community in which students and faculty live and learn in unison. Though the University’s commitment to that vision remains strong in principle and in practice to a degree, the despairingly low percentage of students living in on-Grounds housing indicates our housing system has, for the clear majority of students, failed to live up to Jefferson’s original vision. In response to recent events at the University, my fellow writer Mary Russo highlighted the need for a program of off-Grounds Resident Advisors in order to provide students living off Grounds with the advising resources and safety students living on Grounds might take for granted. While the idea is certainly a strong one, it is equally important for the University to make new strides in ensuring that affordable, on-Grounds housing options remain viable for future upperclassmen.
(01/14/15 5:17am)
Lengthening the school year, especially at the grade and high school levels, ought to be an appealing suggestion. Understandably, after a lengthy winter break, most students might be acutely ill-disposed towards such an argument. There is certainly something to be said of the beneficial impact of both winter and summer breaks, especially as they relate to the improvement of family relations and to mental health. It is arguable, nonetheless, that lengthening the school year can lead to tangible academic improvement and a reorientation of how American students assess the importance of education, all while retaining the benefits of breaks that opponents of such a move point to.
(12/02/14 6:10am)
This final exam season promises to be an especially challenging one. Given the tumultuous circumstances of the preceding weeks, many students will be taking final exams under added emotional and psychological stress. At a time when attention to current University policies are at an all-time high, it might be useful to examine the extent to which the University’s approach to final exams and feedback adheres to Jefferson’s original vision for the University. The current lack of any specific procedure pertaining to final exam review threatens to sustain an academic culture in which exams are viewed as ends in themselves, and not as a means to a broader end — namely, academic growth.
(11/25/14 6:04am)
In the public discourse on education, the importance of community colleges is often neglected. As a recent New York Times article elucidated, the wealth disparity between community colleges and their four-year counterparts has reached staggering new heights. LaGuardia Community College, located in Queens, educates roughly 50,000 students annually and was absolutely thrilled last year to receive a $100,000 donation. At prestigious private and public universities, the total sum of donations often reaches into the tens of millions. The reality of this wealth disparity is in no way emphasized in order to cast the University or other prominent schools in a negative light; philanthropic activity has many undeniable benefits. In terms of the broader quality and accessibility of education in the nation, however, the lack of philanthropic attention to community colleges is potentially damaging.
(11/18/14 5:39am)
The numbers are staggering: out of nearly 170 countries across the globe, only the United States and Papua New Guinea refuse to provide cash benefits to women during maternity leave. Since the 1960s, only three states — California, New Jersey and Rhode Island — have seen fit to adopt paid family leave programs. In a 2012 study by the National Partnership for Women and Families that examined the effectiveness of states in improving upon federal law on the subject of parental leave, Virginia received a disheartening D grade. The lack of expansion upon federal rights or protections for new or expecting parents who are employed in the private sector certainly did not help that grade. Although, to be fair, Virginia did relatively well — considering that nearly half of the United States scored a D- or F.
(11/11/14 5:36am)
For years, student newspapers were relatively immune to the financial downturn that has plagued the professional press. As a growing number of student papers face increased financial difficulties, however, those days appear to have concluded. Independently-operated newspapers have been hit the hardest; The Cavalier Daily has chosen to face its current financial struggles by cutting the number of days it publishes in print, shifting towards a digital platform and by appealing to alumni for help. Undoubtedly, the seemingly inevitable shift toward digital-first publishing looms large in many editors’ and consultants’ minds. The challenges of the moment, however, have the potential to motivate members of the current generation to take action and reinvent journalism in a way that will be sustainable for the 21st century.
(11/04/14 5:18am)
The tales of first-year advising experiences are those of striking juxtapositions: a prospective physics major paired with a music professor, a philosophy enthusiast assigned to a chemistry professor, the list goes on (in my case, a would-be history major paired with a drama professor). The initial disparity in interests is not necessarily undesirable; ideally, superficial contrasts can in fact encourage broader academic interests. For an increasing amount of students, nevertheless, the University’s pre-major advising system seems to have many drawbacks.
(10/28/14 4:20am)
It is election season yet again and the issue of voter identification laws has reared its head once more. Texas’s new photo ID law will remain in effect for this fall’s elections, despite a previous ruling by a federal district court that found the law had been passed with “discriminatory purpose” and would likely have a disproportionate and adverse impact on minority and poor voters. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, who just so happens to be the leading candidate in the state’s gubernatorial election, appealed the decision, asking for a stay of the lower court’s ruling. The Fifth Circuit granted that appeal, as did the Supreme Court.
(10/21/14 4:24am)
“As long as I’m attorney general, no reporter who is doing his job is going to go to jail.” Of course, that all depends on what exactly Attorney General Eric Holder means by “doing his job.” Though Eric Holder and the Obama administration have expressed strong support for press freedom, the practices of the current administration have conveyed a different message. Consider the developing case of New York Times reporter James Risen. Years after publishing a Pulitzer Prize winning investigative piece on a domestic wiretap program administered secretly under the Bush administration, Risen received a subpoena from the Justice Department for a chapter in his book, “State of War,” that detailed a mismanaged covert CIA operation in Iran. Despite a change in administration — to one that has promised increased government transparency no less — Risen’s legal woes actually intensified. Beyond indicting the CIA official alleged to be responsible for the leak, the federal government has continued to pursue Risen aggressively. The legal battle has rightly raised serious concerns for the future of press independence and investigative journalism. This past week, the Justice Department suggested that it intends to subpoena Risen yet again; if Risen refuses to testify and thereby maintain the confidentiality of his sources, he risks incarceration.
(10/07/14 4:53am)
Our generation has a way of emphasizing a sense of devotion to civic engagement and political participation; if we were to look to self-governance at the University, however, the picture that emerges is somewhat inconsistent. In recent years, discussion of self-governance on Grounds has centered on claims of voter apathy and a general lack of student involvement or awareness. At a time when the growth of the student body has made the work of Student Council increasingly difficult, it is perhaps not surprising that some students have grown detached from the ideals of student self-governance. Going forward, these ideals will be critical to maintaining a strong connection across what is becoming an increasingly diverse and growing student body, one that seems to be losing a sense for its proper role in student self-governance. Student Council itself cannot be blamed for lack of effort. Its most recent initiative, “StudCo Comes to You,” a program that aims to move Council’s meetings around Grounds, seems to be a promising step forward.
(09/30/14 5:56am)
From frantically conducting research on a paper due in twelve hours to habitually checking Facebook during said research, college students make use of an open Internet on a consistent basis. Equality of access to varied sources of information is the defining characteristic of the open Internet. That principle of equal access, however, suffered a serious defeat at the start of this year when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit struck down key parts of net neutrality, the broad term used to refer to federal policies that prohibit broadband companies (e.g, Verizon and Comcast) from giving favored treatment to any online content. Without a neutral Internet, customers of companies that are willing to pay a high price for Internet “fast lanes,” such as Netflix and Google, would receive preferential access, whereas startup companies unable to shoulder the expenses of high-speed content would struggle. More importantly for the realm of higher education, the loss of the open Internet would present a series of challenges to the fundamental mission of colleges and universities everywhere.
(09/23/14 1:39pm)
The strong aroma of coffee, the shared sense of stress before exams, whatever it is that goes on in the stacks — there are certain quirks that make Alderman Library a fixture of University life. Where Clemons is frantic and cluttered (though still endearing), Alderman, for all its peculiarities, is stately and judicious. In both its impressive architecture and its seemingly endless stacks, it evokes the power of knowledge and the memory of a time when all research was done exclusively at the library. For many students, studying at Alderman is reminiscent of an older, grainier shade of academia, one in which information was not quite as accessible as a simple click away.
(09/16/14 4:48am)
In an age of advanced technology and a public desire for government transparency, the U.S. Supreme Court is somewhat of an outlier. All state courts now offer some form of camera access, while many federal courts are currently experimenting with camera usage. Internationally, the Supreme Courts of both Great Britain and Canada have allowed their proceedings to be broadcast for years. Despite the Court’s intransigence on this issue, the public seems poised for change. A recently released poll indicates that around three-quarters of Americans favor allowing camera access to the Supreme Court.
(09/09/14 3:21am)
Due to an unexpected revenue shortfall, the state of Virginia now needs an additional $881 million in budget cuts. Despite previous indications that higher education would be spared across-the-board cuts, it is now clear that the budget cuts announced earlier for state agencies will apply to all institutions of higher education in Virginia, though state funding for student financial aid will remain. The University likely faces a five percent cut in state funding in the next fiscal year and a seven percent cut the year after. For the moment, the impact of these cuts remains unclear as the University considers its options.
(09/02/14 4:52am)
Two weeks ago, the University released the results of an internal study. Its conclusion: female professors at the University are paid, on average, 2.7 percent less than their male colleagues (equating to about $3,600). For associate professors, the study finds, the gap is closer to five percent.
(08/22/14 4:08am)
The students arriving on Grounds this week have experienced a variety of extreme weather over the course of this summer, including devastating wildfires throughout California, an intense drought across the plains of Texas, torrential rains on the East Coast and toxic algae blooms on the shores of Lake Erie. Weather itself is capricious, yet in recent years “extreme” weather has become more commonplace. Such events underscore the immediate human cost of climate change. In the midst of these intense events, however, it may be easy to forget the daily responsibility that local communities and individuals bear in mitigating this cost. The University should respond to the ever-rising cost of climate change by shaping public debate on energy policy and climate change.
(04/18/14 5:31am)
Whatever graduation plan is chosen, one thing is certain: next year’s graduation is bound to be an interesting one. In considering which graduation plan is best, it is necessary to define what it is about the graduation experience that must be preserved. Obviously, the Lawn must continue to play a central role, if a somewhat altered one. Upon closer examination, however, I find that only the second option fulfills this goal. The first option, in limiting the number of guests to two, dismisses the right of parents and friends alike to participate in the ceremony. By concluding graduation in Scott Stadium, the third option unjustifiably removes the Lawn from the core of the experience.
(04/15/14 4:54am)
This past week, a new report ceremoniously declared the University to be the best annual return on investment in education. And yet, despite all the pomp, the accessibility of public education for low-income students is still in jeopardy. While no one doubts the earnestness of the University’s pledge to assist low-income students, the promise is less believable in the wake of the decision to reduce support for AccessUVa.