Debating the debates If not for the blue University sign out front, the Miller Center on Ivy Road might look like just another colonial-style mansion. But the Miller Center, deemed "the Center for the study of the American presidency" by Director Philip Zelikow, is more than a house on a hill - it is highly involved in the upcoming presidential election.
Name: Owais Ahmad From: Karachi, Pakistan School: College Item/Significance: Sindhi Topi -- A type of hat that represents what part of Pakistan he's from.
LSATs: The moment of truth Instead of making wild, hip-gyrating dances at frat parties or at Corner bars this week, a multitude of University students will be sweating out a standardized nightmare -- the LSATs. The moment of truth is almost here.
Breathing in the sweetly aged scent of old literary treasures in Alderman Library's wood-paneled McGregor Room, one may be suddenly seized by the same inhibitions of being in a museum. And why not?
Fake Rotunda comes down After months of concealing repairs on the southwest deck of the Rotunda, the mammoth, elaborately painted murals finally are coming down. The idea behind the murals was that someone standing at Old Cabell Hall would not be able to tell the difference between the murals and the actual Rotunda.
Some people camp out for concert tickets. Some stand for hours in amusement park lines. Here at the University, students pitch tents in the front lawn of Madison House to land a spot as one of 400 Medical Services volunteers. "I actually thought it was pretty fun," said first-year College student Nora Lee, who held the coveted number one space in the Med Services line for registration at 11 a.m.
Nestled among painted clapboard wooden storefronts, Caffe Bocce is situated in a quaint, red-doored building, just 20 minutes outside of Charlottesville in the charming town of Scottsville. An experimental restaurant featuring nouvelle American cuisine with an Italian influence, Caffe Bocce offers scenic road tourists and locals fine cuisine in a bistro-like atmosphere.
"I am not a minority. I am minor to no one." "As a black male I have to worry about how I walk.
The students at the University have been hearing voices again. During the second week in September, one by one, we filed into the narrow rows of seats in Old Cabell Hall, sinking deep into the plush cushions to hear voices -- the voices of our classmates, our suitemates, or maybe even our roommates.
Candle in the Wind What is more Jeffersonian than the Lawn, with the Rotunda in the backdrop, swarming with students and faculty, late at night, candles in hand, protesting social injustice? This is your chance, political activists.
Austen's Powers For anyone who has ever taken an English class, Jane Austen is a familiar name.
I am not a fan of capri pants, or "clamdiggers," or "judo pants" or whatever you want to call them.
Tara Hucksteps owns over 60 pairs of glasses. "I wear different frames depending on where I'm going or what I'm doing," said the optician at the Charlottesville Eyewear Gallery on Barracks Road. Sound a bit extravagant?
Torn between dread and excitement, you've known this day would come for some time now. You guessed it - the '80s are back!
After five exhausting days of reading, writing and reading some more, Friday night finally finds her way to the University, complete with promises of some serious weekend par-taying.
So my friends and I go out to Rugby ... I drink, I get a buzz, I dance with some random fellow (though one that I'd still find attractive if I were sober), we hook up against the back wall in some frat and never speak again.
When the Lawn is puddlewonderful Enter Charlottesville's rainy season. While rain may mean down and dirty games of football on the Lawn or mudsliding in the Mad Bowl, for those who maintain the University Grounds, rainy days mean more work than play. Jeff Ertle fights a constant battle to keep the University, especially the Lawn area, looking good. "Our goal is to try to keep the Lawn green," said Ertle, who is superintendent of the landscaping division of Facilities Management. But because of pedestrian traffic and poor drainage systems, for the Lawn, it's not always easy being green. To maintain the grass for special events such as Fall Convocation and Final Exercises, Ertle and his staff re-seed the Lawn at least twice a year, usually in the fall and spring.
Skeedaddle away from the monotony of Rugby Road and discover Wednesday night country line dancing at Max's. A 20-year-old Charlottesville tradition, tucked behind the railway tracks and next to the live music venue Trax, Max's offers everything from cowboy boots to back-flips, "Cotton-eyed Joe," to "Back That Azz Up," and on Wednesday nights, University students get in for free. Max's "is a good place to go if you're a cowboy nerd at heart," said first-year College student Dana Grant from Connecticut, who donned cowboy boots and a denim skirt for the occasion.
The Olympics are going on this week, and you know what that means - mil- lions of people across the world gathered in front of their televisions ignoring the Olympics in eager anticipation of the next edition of "Survivor." I caught a couple of minutes of the opening ceremonies of the Olympics.
Lawn's new addition We have those pretty new wheelchair ramps. But it's only a start. And in some ways, modernization for the disabled has taken a back seat to historical nostalgia. But in one small way, this is about to change - starting with the Lawn. Lawn resident Mazen Basrawi, a fourth-year College student who has been blind all his life, has used his handheld Braille label maker to put residents' names and their room numbers on each door. And finally, people are starting to take notice. "I've been pushing this for about two years now," Basrawi said.
