The Cavalier Daily
Serving the University Community Since 1890

Opinion


Opinion

​ZIFF: When politicians ‘evolve’

Yet how much of a ‘learning curve’ should we allow our politicians? Clinton has come under fire, during both her 2008 and her current campaign, for — as Obama put it in 2007 — “triangulation and poll-driven politics,” i.e., altering policy platforms according to shifts in constituent opinion and refusing to make definitive policy statements.


Opinion

​WALLS: Religious liberty isn’t a license to discriminate

The irony of Cruz’s insistence that the government stop persecuting its citizens is that the citizens in question were all caught persecuting others. It is an irony he does not seem to notice, but it also raises an interesting question: what do we do when one American exercising his right impedes the right of another?


Opinion

​PATEL: A great tradition under fire

The backlash against birthright citizenship for all demonstrates a resurgence of xenophobia that is startling to many. Birthright citizenship for all people is one of the great things about America, not a detriment.


Opinion

RUSSO: The need for a sober socializing space on the Corner

The prevalence of bars and drinking institutions as well as the history of exclusion and instances of injustice make it clear that there is a need for a cultural shift on the Corner. Our first step in fostering this change should be the creation of a sober socializing space, open to all University students, on the Corner.


Opinion

RUSSO: Literature as a means to promote global literacy

White men have traditionally dominated much of English language literature. Names such as Salinger, Fitzgerald and Steinbeck will always be important in the American consciousness. However, shaping curricula to include more diverse narratives will create a generation of globally literate Americans.


Economic elite citizens' policy preferences compared with the probability of adoption of those policies.
Opinion

​RUDGLEY: The need for campaign finance reform

The absorption of both wealth and political power by the few has, by definition, propelled the country down the road to oligarchy. The promise of a “government of the people, by the people, for the people” is under threat. When both the economy and political process are rigged to favor those at the top, change has to come from outside our governing institutions — from the grassroots.


Opinion

​ALJASSAR: Donald Trump and ‘telling it like it is’

Candid speech, while admirable, is no excuse for a politician’s ideological shortcomings. In the case of Trump, his tendency to “tell it like it is” does not redeem his toxic misogyny, nativism or jingoism, none of which sound better coming from a foghorn than from a dog whistle. What people like Trump and his supporters fail to understand is that political correctness is not some trivial issue manufactured by the left to restrict free speech or thinking.


Opinion

​ZIFF: Snapchat as a small step toward cultural understanding

The Live Story feature contributes to the changing relationship between the individual and the hyperconnected world, wherein our immediate circle of contacts, and by extension our awareness of the lives and situation of others, has exponentially expanded due to the ubiquity of the internet. Snapchat’s Live Story is the ultimate manifestation of an ersatz citizen journalism, democratizing “reportage” — brief and banal as it may be — such that we can now see various places and cultures around the world with jarring authenticity.


Opinion

​RUSSO: The full rights of U.S. citizenship should apply to territories

Americans born in any of these territories are not granted the right to vote for president or representation by a voting member in the House of Representatives. For them, the American flag serves as a reminder that they are not first class citizens and are not equal to other Americans under the law. To address this disparity between principle and practice, all people born on American soil should be granted the full rights of citizenship, which includes the right to vote. In other words, the Constitution should most certainly follow the flag.


Opinion

​ALJASSAR: Opt-out organ donation saves lives

There currently exists a disjuncture between the proportion of Americans who are willing to donate their organs and those who actively register to become organ donors. Many polls and surveys demonstrate that the majority of Americans would be willing to donate their organs upon death, yet only about 45 percent of American adults are registered donors.


Opinion

​RUDGLEY: Bernie Sanders, Rand Paul and media bias

This litany of appalling media biases has corrupted journalism to the point where fair coverage of presidential elections is a luxury among mainstream media outlets. The political union of the Washington establishment, corporate interests and the media has created an environment in which it is political suicide for a candidate to so much as question the status quo in foreign policy or income inequality. As both Pauls have learned, criticizing disastrous Middle East policy will place you squarely in the crosshairs of the kingmaker of American elections — the mainstream media.


Opinion

​RUSSO: A unique responsibility for the class of 2015

The Class of 2015, however, will not have the opportunity to see even the short-term impacts of this year — at least not as students. They will not have the opportunity to forget this school year, as it is their final memory of the University. Rather, they are entering the outside world having experienced large-scale national issues in their own backyard.


Opinion

​BROOM: A digital-first paper

I have paid particular attention to the digital elements of the paper including the mobile applications, Twitter feeds, multimedia efforts including video and the website among others. They have all changed over time, seemingly growing in fits and starts.


Opinion

KWON AND FRYAR: Student self-governance trumps entitlement

Our Council this year is the most diverse it has ever been; it spans across all schools, races, religions, ideologies, majors, backgrounds, groups and CIOs on Grounds. Even within different ethnicities, students are diverse in and of themselves. Even the pool of applicants this year was more diverse than we have ever seen before. Diversity within the Trustees Council will allow us to gain and include perspectives and insights that have previously been excluded or not represented.


Opinion

​PATEL: Decrease merit-based aid

America is a meritocracy in principle and perhaps somewhat in practice, so it makes sense that some sort of merit-based aid remains in the university system. However, merit-based aid often relies on GPA and standardized test scores, two measures of academic performance that highly correlate with income. The results are that students of relatively high socioeconomic status don’t have to pay for college — when they can afford to more easily than others — because they have high socioeconomic status.


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Latest Podcast

The University’s Orientation and Transition programs are vital to supporting first year and transfer students throughout their entire transition to college. But much of their work goes into planning summer orientation sessions. Funlola Fagbohun, associate director of the first year experience, describes her experience working with OTP and how she strives to create a welcoming environment for first-years during orientation and beyond. Along with her role as associate director, summer Orientation leaders and OTP staff work continually to provide a safe and memorable experience for incoming students.