Opinion
Big data, redux
By Managing Board | July 22, 2013The madcap mailing mishap has all the elements of farce.
Serving the University Community Since 1890
The madcap mailing mishap has all the elements of farce.
Because Jones’ views do not equal the University’s views, and Jones has issued a public apology of his own, the administration is not committing a grave error by considering the matter settled. But by opting to remain silent, the administration missed an opportunity to do two things: first, affirm its commitment to fostering women’s potential in a range of fields; and second, show that the school is not unduly beholden to donors.
Four years ago the Class of 2013 Came to Grounds bright-eyed and green. They learned to question and think And to mix a strong drink. At reunions they’ll all reconvene. Many students think of graduation As an intellectual emancipation. No more blue books or notes Time to sow some wild oats And eventually find a vocation. Congratulations, graduates!
I was always black. My grandparents told me about Angela, Muhammad Ali, Spike, etc. at an early age. There was never any doubt before that I was black. But when I came to U.Va., my experiential blackness became something I even now have trouble explaining.
I must admit that during my stay at one of the nation’s most prestigious universities, my “blackness” never went unnoticed.
Divestment means, first, eliminating U.Va.’s investments and ties to these corporations in order to start a movement against these immoral corporate actions, and furthermore reinvesting in responsible companies, such as local sustainable farms or wind and solar power.
On my seventh birthday, I received a birthday present from my parents that I will always cherish. This birthday gift was not a toy, a doll, or an awesome Game Boy that most “90s kids” asked for. It was a book of Aesop’s fables.
By virtue of my position on the staff, I conducted research for The New York Times Magazine, stayed in the Rotunda until 2 a.m. waiting for the Board of Visitors to emerge with a decision that failed to reunite the University community, and sat in a courthouse listening to a video recording of George Huguely recounting how he killed Yeardley Love, while the real Huguely wept into a tissue 30 feet in front of me. I also spent far too much time in Newcomb basement with some of the people who are my best friends. I can’t find a single theme that threads through this rollercoaster of experiences, but each was exciting in its own way and each helped to cushion the other blows of these past few years, like the morning I awoke, dazed, to find my foot broken and my friend hospitalized. I would hardly be arrogant enough to call myself an “adult,” but I am no longer a child.
Each year brings changes in the University’s intellectual landscape. The academic makeup of a school is contingent upon the students and professors it attracts and retains. This community is nothing more than the people who are a part of it and the ideals that shape it. These ideals, from student self-governance to honor, require continual buy-in from students, faculty and staff. The semester’s end reminds us of this contingency. We’ve weathered a year together — and in the fall, we’ll do it all again, somehow.
This column marks my final roll. It’s the last time my name will appear in this paper and the last time a piece of my writing will be — digitally, of course — rolled up and sent to the printer. Even though my career of writing columns and attending final rolls ends here, this paper will march on long after I am gone because it is bigger than me, bigger than anyone else writing a parting shot this week and bigger than any of us combined. And that’s just one of the reasons why I have always loved this paper — even when it had that terrible masthead featuring Thomas Jefferson’s bust.
Many people don’t realize that The Cavalier Daily is more than just an extracurricular activity: It is a student-run business. The five students on the managing board are charged with running the paper’s financial, legal and editorial affairs, and there are no professionals, faculty or other “adults” at the newspaper to offer assistance.
And somehow, after those first two experiences, I wasn’t fired or even politely asked to find a place I may better thrive. It wasn’t by some miracle, but by the fact that the editors took an interest in getting to know me and helping me to be better. They were people who took a chance with me and took the time and effort to help me improve. This is what I love about The Cavalier Daily.
On Monday night, the Cavalier Daily published an article to highlight the failed attempt by the Office of Dean of Students and the Honor Committee to engage the Hispanic community in dialogue about the honor system … The Latino Student Alliance cannot be held responsible for this failed event.
Upstairs, the Board discussed the University’s budget in dry, even tones. Downstairs, protesters shouted and clapped.
No two terrorist incidents are the same, and many of the errors in judgment that have followed in the wake of national tragedies can be blamed on people drawing too many connections between attacks. However, I think it is useful to remember how our nation reacted to 9/11 in order to see how far we have come in terms of facing terrorism on our soil.
There is no benefit to treating terrorists, whether they be enemy combatants or domestic criminals, differently than any other defendant in our criminal justice system.
We often respond to the brutality of physical violence, because it is easily noticeable, but structural violence is overseen due to the way it is invisibly integrated into our social structures. Yet structural violence is just as damaging as physical violence to a community, and is affected far more by the bystander effect. It is too easy to be apathetic about the negative effects produced by societal institutions, because we are so habituated to the system that we are blinded to the damage it is doing. Though some may think it is a bit dramatic to call instituting a living wage a matter of life and death, it certainly has a significant impact on the health of workers.
I’m Trudie, your friendly teaching assistant, and I’m here to help. Sure, you might think, what does a TA have to offer in the world of advice? Well, I’ve seen quite a bit in my time. And believe it or not, I was once just like you. That is, before I went to graduate school.
Though Schwarzman says he was inspired by the Rhodes scholarship program at Oxford, the Schwarzman scholarship lacks the Rhodes’ intellectual flexibility: the program’s founders seem more interested in creating statesmen than scholars, which may limit the level of prestige the program attains and narrow its applicant pool. But students lucky enough to nab a scholarship will still enjoy a superior academic experience, including an immersion into Chinese culture and instruction in Mandarin.
The movement to push children, or at least the responsibility for rearing those children, from parents and families is one that echoes more radical regimes.
