Opinion

Opinion

​GORMAN: In defense of Model UN

By Ryan Gorman | April 1, 2015

Driven by this desire to “win” in their committees, students engage in debates that are highly educational in nature, reinforcing information on complex world issues in a fashion that trumps traditional classroom assignments. An extensive evaluation of the Urban Debate League in New York City found that this style of learning through debate and problem solving has incredible perks for students across a variety of different personal characteristics, including academic performance, communication, creativity and self-concept.

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Opinion

​PATEL: Unorganized protests accomplish little

By Sawan Patel | April 1, 2015

There are a great number of examples of movements that failed because of a lack of effective organization. This is what I am afraid of happening for the problem of police brutality in America. If there is no effective organization in the form of lobbying groups to enact proposed policies, there can be no effective change.

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Opinion

​Ole Miss: reinstate Dr. Jones

By Managing Board | March 31, 2015

Our University is no stranger to board-driven ousters. In 2012, University President Teresa Sullivan was unexpectedly fired from her position, and, in response to widespread protests, the Board of Visitors ultimately reinstated her. We write today to urge the governing board at Ole Miss to do the same.

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Opinion

​OLSON: A low bar for democracy in Israel

By Jake Olson | March 31, 2015

Even with these shortcomings, the most reprehensible one in Sachs’ piece is her choice to deflect accusations made against Israel by pointing to the injustices and human rights violations committed by ISIS and Arab/Muslim governments in the region. By doing this, Sachs sets the bar pathetically low for the “beacon of democracy” she believes in. One moral failure by no means excuses another.

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Opinion

​MENNINGER: Shamrocks, smiles and the ABC

By Nate Menninger | March 31, 2015

I completely support policemen and what they stand for, but I also know the job of the police, or in this case that of an ABC officer, is to resolve the given situation with the least amount of physical force required. Carrying an openly visible firearm does not accomplish this goal, and furthermore unnecessarily asserting physical dominance over someone only creates more fear in the public.

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Opinion

​LEONARD: CAPS and the importance of confidentiality

By Anna Leonard | March 31, 2015

This protocol for addressing a student who is in danger holds for any and all resources an individual would use on Grounds: Peer Health Educators, CAPS, Helpline — even professors, and this is a good thing; we are here to help resolve dire situations and to protect students to the best of our ability. Yet, for the vast majority of students who are not immediately in danger, our resources are totally confidential and designed to support the student as best as possible.

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Opinion

​ZHENG: A false accusation off-campus

By Victor Zheng | March 30, 2015

I was accused of felony abduction with intent to defile and felony rape of my ex-girlfriend. At that moment, I faced the harrowing possibility of two life sentences for a crime I did not commit. Once in jail, I learned that, in conjunction with the criminal charges, I was also put on an interim suspension and faced charges through the University Judiciary Committee, even though the University had contact neither with the complainant — who has never been enrolled at U.Va. — nor the Fairfax County police.

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Opinion

​Transparency in the BOV

By Managing Board | March 30, 2015

A vote on tuition changes requires significant consideration; for all Board members not to feel fully prepared for such a vote is troubling. Even Meg Gould, the non-voting student representative to the Board, pointed to the lack of transparency in the Board’s decision as a reason “students feel that they weren’t given sufficient time to understand the policy and [felt] unheard or unrepresented.”

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Opinion

​GOULD: Evaluate the policy

By Meg Gould | March 30, 2015

As with any financial policy, this one is not foolproof, nor was the manner in which it was communicated. I personally think the specific proposal should have been publicly available earlier than it was. If students felt unheard, I take responsibility. All of us, myself included, should constantly evaluate and reevaluate how we communicate, but we should not let that obscure the benefits of the policy itself.

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Opinion

​MINK: De-stigmatizing mental illness

By Alex Mink | March 30, 2015

The issue is not just the stigma that exists on Grounds, but the stigma that afflicted students believe exists on Grounds. It is their perception of a stigma that decides whether or not they will be comfortable admitting to their problem and seeking help. So though it is absolutely necessary for events like the Mental Wellness Day to continue, the people suffering now need a more immediate solution that allows them to receive the care they need without having to face their fear of stigmatization.

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Opinion

DOYLE: Our military should leave Okinawa

By Bobby Doyle | March 30, 2015

The final reason the U.S. military base has not been disbanded as of yet is that it serves to project U.S. power overseas, protecting economic and political interests. Yet, is this base still a source of American power? The people of Okinawa want it gone, and it only seems to provide a steady stream of bad press.

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Opinion

​BROOM: Brand link will help The Cavalier Daily

By Christopher Broom | March 30, 2015

Indeed, whatever risk there may be that sponsored content could damage the trust of readers in the independence and objectivity of the news and editorial writing, that risk is clearly outweighed by the certainty that losing financial independence and seeking money from the University itself would almost completely negate any possibility of readers believing that the paper remained objective where the University was concerned.

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Opinion

​By the numbers

By Managing Board | March 27, 2015

As March comes to an end, the Managing Board recounts some notable numbers.

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Opinion

​HARRINGTON: ABC shouldn’t have officers

By Elaine Harrington | March 27, 2015

Whereas a local police force seeks to ensure safety, prevent crime, and maintain peace in a community, the ABC goal is to identify and punish alcohol law infractions. Thus, ABC special agents also behave differently than local police due to their different — and myopic — goal. These goals are frequently incompatible.

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Opinion

​KHAN: Don’t stand with students too soon

By Hasan Khan | March 27, 2015

In “We’re here for Martese,” this Managing Board asserted its position the day after the incident that “Whatever details may surface, a member of our community was hurt. . . in a space where he is supposed to feel safe.” Yet such assertions are weak because details in events like this do matter; details about Martese’s behavior with the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control and the status of his ID are key in understanding what happened that night.

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Opinion

​DEZOORT: The Mars One debate

By Gage DeZoort | March 27, 2015

Just as the first ships headed west from Europe, there must be a first voyage to Mars. After all, exploration is innate in mankind, and we will eventually exhaust the Earth’s limited resources. Each of the journeys involves a long, treacherous road through a hostile environment. However, the circumstances are vastly different.

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Opinion

Letter from the editor: introducing Brand Link

By Julia Horowitz | March 26, 2015

Explaining The Cavalier Daily's new model for sponsored content

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Opinion

​BOV’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee doesn’t deliver on diversity or inclusion

By Managing Board | March 26, 2015

If the Board truly only has 30 minutes to spare for the topic of diversity and inclusion, those 30 minutes should be much more substantive than they were Tuesday. The concerns we mentioned — among many others — are not new. Why is it that such concerns are not being addressed by the very committee that exists to address them?

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Opinion

RUSSO: Improve communication between police

By Mary Russo | March 26, 2015

When something horrific happens, it is disappointing to hear law enforcement officials not only fail to fully acknowledge responsibility, but also generally be uninformed about what the law enforcement mechanisms in their own communities are. If the officers who arrested Martese were trained the same way Charlottesville police officers are trained, then every branch of law enforcement is equally implicated.

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Opinion

​GORMAN: Individuals — not institutions — perpetuate racism

By Ryan Gorman | March 26, 2015

Even if the ABC is not an organization that directly perpetuates racial discrimination, it is clear that the organization provides its individual officers with the ability to do so on an arbitrary case-by-case basis. The fundamental flaw, then, with the ABC — and with all police forces in general — is that the power of its individual enforcers extends far beyond the scope of the power of the institution as a whole.