PARTING SHOT: Learn something, would ya?
PARTING SHOT: Learn something, would ya?
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PARTING SHOT: Learn something, would ya?
Adam Oakes was pledging Delta Chi at Virginia Commonwealth University in February 2021 when he tragically died after his fraternity brothers hazed him to the point of alcohol poisoning. The horrific incident led to 11 members of the fraternity being arrested for hazing-related crimes. In the wake of his death, the Virginia General Assembly passed Adam’s Law in January, which mandates anti-hazing training for all members of organizations that required new members to go through a probationary or pledge period. As a consequence of this legislation, the University has instituted its own hazing prevention seminars titled “Hoos Against Hazing.”
Last month, Scotland became the first country in the world to take the revolutionary step to offer free period products to all those in need. The mandate, introduced by the Period Products Act, establishes a national scheme to allow anyone in need to access period products free of charge. While Scotland works to eradicate barriers for those who menstruate, however, the U.S. remains stuck in the past as it removes fundamental bodily autonomy rights and refuses to acknowledge the boundaries preventing access to period products. Though some individual states have passed laws aimed at reducing period poverty, no federal legislation currently exists. The U.S. should follow Scotland’s lead and introduce legislation to combat period poverty.
Last week, the official University Instagram account posted a series of photos titled “Top Instaworthy Spots on Grounds” which has since been deleted. The series included spots like the Rotunda and Scott Stadium, encouraging students to participate in a photo scavenger hunt for a “chance to win a gift basket filled with U.Va. merch.” One slide stood out from the rest — the third “Instaworthy” site mentioned was the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers. Dedicated last spring, the Memorial is designed to honor the more than 4,000 enslaved laborers who built the University. As many have already noted through social media, to label the Memorial as “Instaworthy” and reduce it to an aesthetic object positioned to garner likes both ignores and disrespects the history and meaning behind the Memorial.
Last week, Politico published an article leaking the details of an in-progress Supreme Court opinion draft for the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. This case concerns a Mississippi law banning abortions after 15 weeks, which is prior to when a fetus is considered “viable,” or could survive outside the womb. Typical fetal viability occurs around 23 or 24 weeks, though it depends on each individual pregnancy. The Mississippi law would strike down abortions long before that time, putting into question the constitutionality of such laws that restrict abortion prior to viability. This case set the stage for the Court to reexamine the legality of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark Supreme Court case that determined a Texas abortion ban was unconstitutional and established the right under federal constitutional law for any pregnant person to terminate their pregnancy.
In a world where TikTok dictates the latest fashion trends and Instagram is the new “Vogue,” our consumerist culture has become increasingly predicated on the rapid buying of clothing pieces. When a celebrity sports a coveted fashion item, fast fashion websites create a cheaper replica within the same week. People far outside Hollywood can get the same look for less and can imitate their favorite style icons. Of course, this is wonderful in some ways — fashion and self-expression should be accessible to everyone. No longer is style as cemented in wealth and class status as it once was — everyone can feel confident and comfortable in beautiful clothing for an affordable price. But at the same time, this rapid fire, quick-turnaround culture is incredibly harmful to the environment and the garment industry.
As a high school student, I pushed myself extraordinarily hard to ensure I went to an academically rigorous university. In doing so, I took classes based on how they would affect my GPA and resume, ignoring my passion for social science and English classes. As graduation approached, however, I felt pressured to specify both an academic path and a career. The pressure to assimilate to culturally-held beliefs about academic excellence despite one’s passions is fueled by myths about the humanities, as well as a desire to enter a socially-acceptable academic field. However, the liberal arts and humanities should be considered socially acceptable for a number of reasons. The myth that students in these disciplines are unemployable has been proven false time and time again — students learn a wide variety of transferable skills in these programs and ultimately, academic freedom and the exploration of one’s educational passions should be respected.
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We’re often given quite contrary takes on the value of written language versus visual works. The book is better than the movie, but an image is worth a thousand words. In an increasingly digital world, it appears we’ve turned more toward the latter sentiment, replacing books with television shows, video games and social media. According to the American Psychological Association, “less than 20 percent of U.S. teens report reading a book, magazine or newspaper daily for pleasure, while more than 80 percent say they use social media every day.” According to this same study, in the 1970s, 60 percent of 12th grade students surveyed reported reading a book for pleasure every day, compared to 16 percent in 2016. It is evident that reading no longer dominates the sphere of leisurely activities as it once did — and at the risk of sounding like a stereotypical English major, I want to make a case for it.
Course selection is vital for a student’s success — choosing the right classes can make or break a semester. Every course has to be carefully selected to ensure it is serving some greater purpose in the student’s academic career, whether that be fulfilling a general education requirement, counting towards one’s major or allowing one to experience an alternative field of study that may help them determine their future path. Thus, there is extreme pressure on students toward the end of the semester — not only do they have to complete final projects and exams, but they also have to be forward-thinking enough to be able to plan their course schedule for the semester ahead.
We’ve all been there — we get an email from the Virginia Athletics or scroll past a post from Wahoops on Instagram and see that there are matches coming up. We immediately rush through to find the details about football, men’s basketball or men’s lacrosse — whichever hallmark sport of the season is currently being played — and forget about the rest. We go to the big tailgating events in our orange and blue before going home and back to our everyday lives.
The state of political polarization in today’s world is impossible to ignore. On an individual level, we feel the frustration that comes from listening to someone else prattle on about beliefs we don’t agree with. The tension is palpable. And this emotion is valid and natural — we’re inclined to hold our ground and become staunchly connected to what we believe. Our convictions make us emotional beings, and what follows is a kind of visceral negative reaction towards hearing someone discounting our core beliefs. Discomfort is instinctive, but we can’t let it stifle valuable conversations by labeling others based on their beliefs and refusing to listen.
In the wake of the events of Aug. 11 and 12, some members of the University community had to grapple with the reality that Charlottesville — with its idyllic landscape and prestigious university — was not the safe haven some had previously seen it as. Four years later, while there hasn’t been a national-newsworthy event of violence, students now continue to fear violence, indicated by the dreaded community alert emails we find ever too often in our inbox. A quick perusal of any student’s inbox reveals telltale signs of the increasing violence in and around the University — 13 community alerts reporting varying threats from shots fired to assault have been sent since Aug. 21. With violence on the rise and Timothy J. Longo the most present figure in our inboxes, it is the very people who pushed most heavily and determinedly for safety back in 2017 that are now at risk. The student population is in danger, and it feels the “community of trust” so touted at the University has ruptured, as students can no longer count on safety from administrators and higher officials.