THE EDUCATORS who initially promoted the SAT wanted college to not be merely a haven for the privileged, but a honing ground for the country's best and brightest, a vision steeped in America's meritocratic spirit. Over the decades that vision has evolved, and it continues to guide most college admissions today.
MY ROOMMATE, a transfer student from Boston University, put it best: "This really sucks." He was, of course, talking about ISIS, the proverbial elephant in the room, one of the first things everyone complains about, yet very few students have taken action to amend.
AFTER THE PASSAGE of the much-touted 2002 McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform, one would think that this election season would be relatively benign in terms of negative ads.
THE UNIVERSITY continues to grow as the "it" school for fitness. Newsweek recently announced that our school is the "Hottest for Fitness" in its annual "America's 25 Hot Schools." With renovations and new facilities, many members of the University community question the importance of fitness and athletic programs.
TOMORROW the Republicans will renominate President George W. Bush, kicking off the final sprint in what some say is the most important election in a generation.
USUALLY I am not one to complain about the horrors of globalization. Harping on the evils of international corporations is something that I usually leave to the children of the far left.
AH, CELEBRITIES. How they irritate me so. The past several weeks have seen more than a few celebrities crying censorship in the face of public backlash to their unwarranted, left-leaning political opinions.
THE RACE for president has led many to believe that the nation has hopelessly divided itself. The label "Massachusetts liberal" alone can toss a candidate out of competition in 15 states.
WITH THE Johns (Kerry and Edwards, that is) now all but united as the Democratic ticket, the two have formed a meticulously groomed chorus of sorts against the Bush administration's across-the-board tax cuts, advocating a repeal of the cuts for those earning more than $200,000 annually.
MAYBE I've been watching a bit too much Nick at Nite this summer. Recently, I had a dream that I was one of the Huxtable children -- that's right, Sandra, Denise, Vanessa, Theo, Rudy and me.
POLITICIANS who preach about religion are often met by pious protests invoking Mr. Jefferson's plea for a "wall of separation between Church and State." Entertainers would do well to observe a similar abstinence from mixing pop culture, politics and religion.
IN THE past few weeks, two influential African-American icons have made inflammatory remarks that have caught the media's attention and deserve a brief examination.
AS THE doors to Mr. Jefferson's University open to welcome a new class this fall, clouds of race are spoiling what would be an otherwise sunny day.
I KNEW what I was going to do with my life for as long as I can remember. And somehow, from the ideals of friendships, relationships and academic life to the realities of drama, breakups and procrastination, I made it through the labyrinth that is high school life with the same dreams I started with.
"THE UJC is pointless. Why do we need it?" This is a question that is not too uncommon and deserves to be answered, especially for all those incoming first years new to U.Va.
AS THE great and powerful fourth year that I am about to become, this is my last chance to pass on any of the meaningful, significant, perceptive lessons and advice that I have accumulated in my three years here at Mr. Jefferson's University.
WHAT DO the Mahogany Dance Troupe, Disciples of Bob Barker, One in Four, Hoos for Israel and the Virginia Alpine Ski Team all have in common?
AMID your rigorous academic course load, studying and the occasional nap or two (a college essential), you will find at first glance that you have a lot of free time.
CHARGED this week with writing a few pearls of wisdom for the incoming class, I thought deeply about what I wanted to say.
FUTURE first years, I wanted to write to talk a little about joining the University community and try to share some wisdom that was helpful to me in the hope that you may find some use for it.
