In the eye of the electronic storm
By Ashley Stevenson | April 14, 2013The ABC dorm search put The Cavalier Daily in a tough situation.
The ABC dorm search put The Cavalier Daily in a tough situation.
Searching for praise in a thread of online comments is a fool’s errand, and positivity is not a metric we use in determining which comments to delete. But we hold that obscenities, defamation and ad hominem attacks have no place in respectful public dialogue.
One in four college women have been sexually assaulted or have experienced attempted rape, according to a 2010 Department of Justice study. Women between the ages of 16 and 24 will experience sexual violence at a rate that is four times higher than the rate for all women. And approximately 32 percent of college students are victims of dating violence.
Humanities Week, a celebration of the humanities that kicked off Sunday evening and runs through Friday, provides a compelling example of how an organization can empower students to make effective use of common space.
Proponents of large-scale income redistribution as an answer to our growing inequality run into a problem: if the rich don’t deserve their money, who does?
So how could appropriate actions have been taken without blindly inflicting punishment? The first step has already begun — investigate any incidents of hazing aggressively and punish them severely.
Hazing is not a fact of life, not a necessary rite of manhood and not something we need idly accept.
Mr. Falwell’s university has a notoriously strict campus code in many respects. The school prohibits students from kissing or from listening to music that is not “in harmony with God’s word.” But when it comes to firearms the school grants its students a bit too much liberty.
I perceive North Korea’s threatening rhetoric as a mechanism for Kim Jong-un to consolidate power. He is only recently in a position to lead his nation and needs to secure his position. Military victory is generally a way to secure and legitimize power. Essentially, Kim Jong-un’s threats are empty.
The Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life’s FAQ page addresses questions about alcohol and hazing by saying that such organizations are “expected to comply with the policies and regulations concerning alcohol that are outlined by the University,” and that the University “does not condone hazing in any form.” Show those answers to a fraternity brother, and I bet the most common reaction would be a chuckle.
A group of North Carolina Republicans recently introduced a resolution that would give the state the right to establish an official religion. That religion — most likely Christianity — would be introduced via clauses in the bill that deny the power of the First Amendment at the state level.
Monday’s frenzy escalated to comic proportions for two primary reasons. First, and most critically, an interconnected student body linked by social media and other forms of instant communication caused false reports to run rampant. Second, a climate of fear surrounding alcohol use, sparked by ABC’s crackdown and last week’s request from Dean of Students Allen Groves for fraternities to end new-member initiation for the sake of student safety, led students to believe that police officers could or would enter their rooms without permission — and against what the Constitution allows — at a school that, on a sunny afternoon, lies in Monticello’s shadow.
Students often view requirement courses as obstacles to overcome rather than opportunities for introspection. A course on creativity, or a course that is explicitly designed to teach students how to be creative in their work, should fall into the latter category. But how can universities mandate teaching creativity without sacrificing the voluntary, liberating attitude that should accompany creativity-oriented courses?
The message consoles but also offers a challenge: how can we band together to decrease gender violence and re-strengthen our community of trust? I believe the answer lies in educating and engaging students to refuse to idly stand by when possible wrongdoing occurs.
Numbers are great weapons, made to dissemble.
As I walk, a thousand things flash into my mind: future meetings, dance team practices, upcoming programs and classes. Despite my constant need for haste, however, I somehow manage to latch on to the little details in my surroundings: I notice the lady who waits at the Chemistry bus stop every morning, the color of certain buildings and the way in which the employees at the dining halls interact with one another. I notice many minute details like these, and it was by chance the other day that I stumbled upon three little ducks that, in a way, have taught me so much about my own University experience.
The spring tumult of fraternity pledge-ship came to a halt 6 p.m. Sunday — the deadline the University set, with little warning, for Inter-Fraternity Council organizations to end pledging activities and initiate new members. The University requested Thursday that fraternities make new members full brothers by 6 p.m. Saturday. The school later granted a one-day extension. But many fraternity men, if past initiation trends hold, would have liked an extension of 24 days, not 24 hours.
This week, I’ve witnessed everything from encouraging Post-it notes around my dorm to loving posters hung on lampposts and columns. I’ve seen a podium set up outside of Clark Hall encouraging passers-by to “Say Something Nice,” and the entire Amphitheatre transformed into a petting zoo.
Many colleges, including the University, recently sent their acceptance letters, which means many prospective students who did not get into the University were left devastated with the words “We are sorry to inform you” pounding in their heads.
Cuccinelli has been a thorn in the University’s side as attorney general; as governor, he could do a lot more damage. His action against the sodomy ruling suggests, first, a grave misunderstanding of the proper scope of government in relation to individual freedom — why should the state tell consenting adults what they may or may not do in the bedroom? — and second, a sinister impulse toward homophobia, as sodomy statutes have historically been strategically enforced to persecute gay men.