Opinion

Opinion

RIVAS: Once a Wahoo, always a Wahoo

By Caitlin Rivas | September 8, 2013

At my elementary school’s annual fifth grade luau, the DJ played “Rock and Roll” by Gary Glitter — known at the University as “Countdown to Cav Man,” played every time Virginia scores a touchdown. Unaware of the song’s ubiquity across middle school dances and high school athletics nationwide, as the guitar riffs swelled to the chorus I pumped my fists proudly above my head and shrieked, “U-V-A, GO HOOS GO!” Surprisingly, my classmates didn’t seem to be as well-acquainted with the cheer.

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Opinion

By the numbers

By Managing Board | September 6, 2013

The managing board recounts some notable numerals

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Opinion

Ready for your close-up?

By Managing Board | September 4, 2013

Privacy concerns aside, putting up 2,000 cameras, even with a student population of roughly 29,000, is overkill. Precautions of this magnitude may do campus culture more harm than good. Though the school might become marginally safer, the measure smacks of paternalism.

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Humor

Romance tips from my 2008 self

By Charlotte Raskovich | September 4, 2013

When the object of your affection responds less and less over the semester, this is a challenge to up the ante. Sign off with quotes from movies where a white boy’s life is changed by a free-spirited girl. You are the free spirit.

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Humor

Don’t be the iguana guy

By Chris Bauer | September 4, 2013

For me the realization that I was never going to gain the love of another human person came as I was standing brushing my teeth with a beer in my hand while wearing a pink cotton nightgown with flowers on it.

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Opinion

BROWN: A middle ground on divestment

By Forrest Brown | September 4, 2013

Epstein is correct in one respect: Far too much of our current energy comes from fossil fuels for a responsible university to support a complete divestment. But that does not mean the University of Virginia should not treat its energy investments in a more responsible way.

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Opinion

BOGUE: The duties of citizenship

By Russell Bogue | September 4, 2013

I argue that the standards of citizenship — and hence voting — should be the same. We should all view it as a responsibility, a duty, and not simply a free gift that we lazily accept whenever it suits us. Requiring some demonstration of competency in these areas is not some ill-conceived ploy to keep people from voting, but rather an attempt to improve the quality of our democracy.

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Opinion

Repairing a troubled agency

By Managing Board | September 3, 2013

ABC agents did not stop Elizabeth Daly because they were unfamiliar with the Constitution (though they probably would benefit from a brush-up). The overriding problem here is not incomprehension of the law. The problem is a lack of courtesy, at best; at worst, it is corruption by power. Constitutional training will not solve this problem. Tightened performance reviews and increased accountability standards for officers might.

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Opinion

KABIR: Sleepy schooldays

By Fariha Kabir | September 3, 2013

I do not think that starting school late necessarily solves the problem of students being too tired to focus in the mornings. Since schools will be starting later in morning, students will remain at school until later in the afternoon. Adding on after-school activities means that students will often not go home until dinner time or later. Students will start homework later in the day, and they will stay up later to finish it. So starting school later might not change the number of hours students sleep. Instead, it will simply change the time frame during which they sleep.

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Opinion

YAHANDA: Buffing up the curriculum

By Alex Yahanda | September 3, 2013

Such classes would lay the foundation for future athletic pursuits. A class that makes students interested in tennis or soccer, for instance, is arguably as valuable as one that exposes them to new authors or philosophies, because athletic hobbies can provide as much future benefit as intellectual ones.

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Opinion

Unpacking Obama’s higher-ed plan

By Managing Board | September 2, 2013

Obama’s proposal seeks to tie federal aid to college performance. He has called for the creation of a ratings system that would assess college performance by taking into account graduation and transfer rates and graduate earnings, among other factors. According to the plan, the president by 2018 will seek legislation that would funnel more federal aid to high-ranking colleges. This legislation would steer taxpayer dollars toward high-performing schools. Students would then maximize their federal aid at institutions providing the “best value,” the plan’s advocates say.

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Opinion

KNAYSI: Preps and propaganda

By George Knaysi | September 2, 2013

Though propaganda is notoriously difficult to define, the Merriam-Webster dictionary broadly describes it as “the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person.” School spirit, often defined as emotional support for one’s academic institution, performs a similar function.

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Opinion

PITTMAN: Looking in the glass

By Jake Pittman | September 1, 2013

I’m setting a challenge for myself, which I gladly invite anyone to join: Be yourself.

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Opinion

BROOM: The good, the not-so-good, the ugly

By Christopher Broom | September 1, 2013

In calling for more informed and engaged voters who have a better understanding of history, Bogue betrays a lack of understanding of the history of the place from which he’s writing.

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Opinion

Feeling an absence

By Managing Board | September 1, 2013

All death is sad, but the death of a college student is especially tragic. You see someone’s life end before it fully begins, yet with that person’s dreams and convictions all too palpable. One student’s untimely passing is too many.

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Opinion

RIPLEY: Open to lead

By Katherine Ripley | September 1, 2013

Cory Booker has been somewhat of a celebrity in the political arena. If you’re a New Jersey resident and you read the newspaper, you’d probably heard of him even before he announced his campaign for Senate. You’ve also probably heard of the speculation that he is gay.

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Opinion

FISHER: A place for argument

By Ronald Fisher | September 1, 2013

However, as a member of the Jefferson Society, I can and do take issue with Mr. Knaysi’s characterization of the Society, specifically, his assertion that it has “institutionalized” a “tendency to elevate ego over informed argument.” In support of this charge, Mr. Knaysi cites approximately twelve (we are not provided an exact number) anonymous current members, most of whom feel that there is “less respectful, substantive dialogue” than occurred in the past.

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Opinion

SPINKS: Cruel and unusual

By Ashley Spinks | September 1, 2013

Chelsea Manning, formerly known as Bradley, has been through a lot—from being held in solitary confinement and tolerating treatment later ruled “cruel and unusual” at Quantico to being incarcerated for more than three years before her case went to trial. Now she is being asked to endure yet another injustice: being denied transitional medical care to treat her gender dysphoria.

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Opinion

WYNN: Aid we can count on

By Brendan Maupin Wynn | September 1, 2013

If anyone can come up with creative and innovative ways to save the program, it’s students who know firsthand what these changes would feel like. If listening to the research scientist the Board hired is absolutely not an option, there are still other ways to avoid saddling low-income students with $28,000 in federal debt.

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Opinion

BERGER: Can’t be blamed

By Meredith Berger | September 1, 2013

Just like any college-aged girl at U.Va. or elsewhere, Miley Cyrus expresses herself through her style, which is often edgy and includes little clothing. She also likes ear piercings and tattoos, as some college-aged girls do. She also “twerks” and dances provocatively; and if you walk into any college party you will see girls doing the exact same thing, minus the foam finger, maybe.