http://uvamagazine.org/ Alumni stories in their own words en smb5jn@virginia.edu Copyright 2012 2012-01-30T20:52:01+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/in_your_words/article/clean_water_and_energy/ http://uvamagazine.org/in_your_words/article/clean_water_and_energy/#When:20:52:01Z One early morning, in a small village of Potreritos, Nicaragua, I watched as the women and girls put on their flip-flops, picked up empty buckets and started their daily trek to the water source.  They filled up five-gallon plastic buckets that weighed 40lbs and hoisted them up on their heads. It was amazing to watch them balance the heavy load without losing any of the precious contents. Unlike their mothers, however, these girls wouldn’t have to haul water their whole lives. Together, the entire community and many partners, including an organization I lead, has helped them build a solar-powered water pump to deliver clean water from deep in the ground to taps in their homes.Dirty water kills more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. To me, this issue is not just statistical; it’s also personal. It beckons memories of sharing a meal at the adobe house of a man named Homero in the highlands of Peru, where most people were drinking from open pools of greenish water. While this statistic can be disheartening, my development work reminds me that solutions to one of the world’s biggest problems are within reach. Providing clean water to people and communities does not require high-tech research. Much of the necessary technology has been around for hundreds, if not thousands, of years: pipes, sand for filters, simple pumps and wells. Today we also have new technology, such as solar power, to safely pump water to deliver it to rural households.  Little did I know when I was studying anthropology and Spanish at U.Va. that I would have the opportunity to apply cross-cultural learning to years of program management or that my Spanish classes would eventually enable me to build relationships with grassroots leaders in Latin America.  I didn’t know I would end up living in Peru for two years and traveling back and forth for many more.Since graduating in 2001, I have been working to address the lack of basic water and electricity in villages around the world.  Today I’m the executive director of Green Empowerment, a non-profit with a mission to provide villages access to clean water, electricity from renewable energy and other sustainable solutions. After sleeping in adobe homes where there is no light and drinking water from pools shared with tadpoles, I look at my light bulbs and kitchen tap with new appreciation. The next time you flip the light switch or turn on the tap, I urge you to think of the families that don’t have these luxuries, and remember that the solutions are within reach.   Alumni, Alumnae, Health, International 2012-01-30T20:52:01+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/polls/article/where_do_you_think_the_mens_basketball_team_will_finish_in_the_acc_standing/ http://uvamagazine.org/polls/article/where_do_you_think_the_mens_basketball_team_will_finish_in_the_acc_standing/#When:19:04:37Z Sports, Men's Basketball 2012-01-18T19:04:37+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/only_online/article/scientific_six_pack/ http://uvamagazine.org/only_online/article/scientific_six_pack/#When:19:30:28Z Would you hit better if you could use Babe Ruth’s bat? Would you serve more aces if you could use Martina Navratilova’s tennis racket? Surprisingly, the answer is yes. Charles Lee (Col ’09) and Sally Linkenauger (Col ’04, Grad ’11) found that golfers putted better when they believed the putter they were using belonged to a celebrity golfer. The subjects of the psychology experiment were 41 avid golfers who tried putting on a small mat. Half were told they were using a really good putter. The others were told—untruthfully—that their putter had belonged to Ben Curtis, a player on the PGA Tour known for his putting. All the golfers were familiar with Curtis, who won the 2003 British Open. Hitting 10 putts, those who used the celebrity putter sank an average of one and half more golf balls than the other group. “If I could tell you I could increase your ability by a putt and a half for 10 putts, a lot of golfers would be ecstatic about that,” says Linkenauger.Why did that happen? The researchers aren’t sure. A placebo effect might improve performance. Imagining Ben Curtis’ skills might help inspire a good putt. Either way, in a field where confidence is key, every little bit helps.Imagine a microscopic creature that attaches to the germs that are making you sick and drains them of essential nutrients. Imagine it’s harmless to your other cells. Imagine a living antibiotic that, with some genetic tinkering, could be used for a range of infectious diseases. A bacterium called Micavibrio aeruginosavorus has just that potential. U.Va. biology professor Martin Wu and graduate student Zhang Wang (Grad ’14) have decoded its genome. Unlike most other bacteria, which draw nutrients from their surroundings, M. aeruginosavorus can survive and propagate only by drawing its nutrition from specific prey bacteria. One bacterium it targets is Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which is a chief cause of serious lung infections in cystic fibrosis patients.M. aeruginosavorus is a selective feeder, so it’s harmless to the thousands of beneficial bacteria that dwell in the human body. Wu notes that traditional antibiotics, which inhibit bacteria propagation or interfere with cell wall formation, have created resistant strains of many pathogens that are increasingly difficult to treat. He says that new approaches are necessary for attacking pathogens without building up their resistance.“Pathologists may eventually be able to use this bacterium to fight fire with fire, so to speak,” says Wu, “as a bacterium that will aggressively hunt for and attack certain other bacteria that are extremely harmful to humans.”Extra pounds are often associated with health problems, but a new study bucks the trend. Heavier patients are less likely to die after surgery than thin patients. The study found that thin people have a 40 percent higher risk of mortality within 30 days of an operation than overweight people. Researchers examined data from 190,000 people who underwent surgery and compared their mortality rates with their body mass index (BMI). The death rate among people with BMIs of less than 23.1 (normal-to-thin) was 2.8 percent compared to 1 percent among people whose BMI was 35.3 or higher (obese). Lead researcher George Stukenborg, an associate professor of public health sciences at U.Va., says, “Unfortunately, our research does not shed any light on why BMI is a risk factor for mortality. This is an interesting question, though, and something we should think more about.”Sidebar: BMI is calculated using both height and weight; it is a good indicator of how much of your body is composed of fat. When is the best time to have children? Your mother-in-law has her opinions. Doctors have health recommendations. And economists have data on how motherhood timing affects women’s careers. Over the past several decades, American women have made dramatic gains in the workforce. And they’ve been having children later. Amalia R. Miller, associate professor in economics, found that each year that a woman delays having a baby leads to a 9 percent increase in earnings on average. Later mothers are paid more for their time and work more hours than women who have children earlier. This effect is largest among college-educated women and those in professional and managerial occupations.Even before either group has children, women who have children later tend to earn more than those who have them early. By 35, late mothers tend to earn more than both earlier mothers and childless women. Women who return to work after childbearing tend to face penalties in wage and experience, although women who return to the same company after childbearing see fewer losses.So when’s the best time to have children? Maybe your mother-in-law will give you a loan if you explain the situation to her. How might animals be able to tell an earthquake is coming? Raúl A. Baragiola, a U.Va. professor of engineering physics, wondered if it might be because they’re sensitive to changing levels of ozone. Before an earthquake, pressure builds in geological faults, and this pressure fractures rocks. Could fracturing rocks create a measurable increase in ozone? Baragiola and his collaborators, U.Va. research scientist Catherine Dukes (Engr ’94) and visiting student Dawn Hedges, set up experiments crushing or drilling into different igneous and metamorphic rocks, including granite, basalt, gneiss, rhyolite and quartz. Different rocks produced different amounts of ozone; rhyolite produced the strongest ozone emission.If future research warrants, Baragiola says, a series of detectors could be set up to monitor fluctuations in ozone released from fractured rocks. “Such an array, located away from areas with high levels of ground ozone, could be useful for giving early warning to earthquakes.”Light, or the lack of it, affects our brains in many ways. It influences our moods, sleep patterns and digestion. A new study indicates that it may also lessen fear and anxiety.U.Va. professors Brian Wiltgen, Ignacio Provencio and Daniel Warthen designed an experiment using mice—who, unlike humans, are nocturnal and thus are more comfortable in darkness than light. The researchers cued their mice with a minute-long tone that was followed two seconds later by a quick, mild electrical shock. The mice learned to associate the tone with the shock and quickly became conditioned to duck down and remain motionless when they heard the tone, in the same way they would if a predator appeared. The eye has two neural pathways to the brain. One brings visual information from your rods and cones to image centers in your brain and allows you to see. The other brings information from retinal ganglion cells containing melanopsin—a non-image-forming photo-pigment—to parts of your brain that regulate circadian rhythms. The U.Va. researchers found that the fear response was influenced by the visual neural pathway, not the circadian one. The researchers found that the brighter the ambient light, the greater fear reaction the mice had to the tone. “We showed that light itself does not necessarily enhance fear, but more light enhances learned fear,” says Wiltgen. “It may be similar to a person learning to be more fearful in the dark.”How might this new information help people? “Increased light can be used to reduce fear and anxiety and to treat depression,” says Wiltgen. “If we can come to understand the cellular mechanisms that affect this, then eventually abnormal anxiety and fear might be treated with improved pharmaceuticals to mimic or augment light therapy.” Research, Science 2012-01-13T19:30:28+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/top_university_news/article/u.va._retains_no._3_best_value_ranking/ http://uvamagazine.org/top_university_news/article/u.va._retains_no._3_best_value_ranking/#When:23:25:48Z University News, Rankings 2012-01-12T23:25:48+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/top_university_news/article/publisher_deputy_editor_named_for_virginia_quarterly_review/ http://uvamagazine.org/top_university_news/article/publisher_deputy_editor_named_for_virginia_quarterly_review/#When:23:20:20Z University News 2012-01-12T23:20:20+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/top_university_news/article/belafonte_coming_for_king_commemoration/ http://uvamagazine.org/top_university_news/article/belafonte_coming_for_king_commemoration/#When:23:16:03Z University News 2012-01-12T23:16:03+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/only_online/article/in_the_age_of_slavery/ http://uvamagazine.org/only_online/article/in_the_age_of_slavery/#When:17:45:34Z When members of the University community hear the bell toll the hour on Grounds these days, they can thank an automated system that is a nicety rather than a necessity in the information age.For more than 50 years, however, the responsibility of marking each hour fell to Henry Martin, a man born into slavery who became a beloved figure among students and faculty during his time as the University’s bell ringer.“It truly was a lifetime of service to the needs and interests of the University of Virginia,” says Coy Barefoot (Grad ’97), author of The Corner: A History of Student Life at the University of Virginia. In Martin’s day, the Rotunda bell could be heard far beyond the Academical Village and was a familiar sound to area residents. “In a real sense, Henry Martin was the hub of the wheel for the University community and for Charlottesville.”Martin’s service and legacy will be recalled Jan. 25 in a lunchtime panel discussion and later at a service in the Rotunda as part of U.Va.’s commemoration of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Barefoot and other panelists also will discuss the broader role of enslaved laborers at the University.“Conversations about the legacy of Henry Martin come at a time when several universities around the country are looking at the role that slaves and former slaves played in the building of universities and local communities,” says Derrick P. Alridge, a Curry School professor who will be the panel’s moderator. “So now is a ripe time to examine the legacy of slaves and former slaves to various institutions in this country.”Two other institutions are collaborating on similar examinations of slavery. The Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello and the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History have partnered on an exhibit, “Slavery at Jefferson’s Monticello: Paradox of Liberty,” set to open on Jan. 27.In addition, Monticello plans a multimedia exhibit beginning in February that will focus on historians’ work to interpret and restore Mulberry Row, the hub of 21 dwellings where enslaved and free workers went about their daily labors at Jefferson’s Albemarle County home. Computer animation, apps for mobile devices, a website—all will be used in “Landscape of Slavery: Mulberry Row at Monticello.”“We don’t shy away from slavery, we talk about slavery because we know that it’s fundamentally important to understanding Jefferson and understanding America,” Susan Stein, a senior curator at Monticello, told the Associated Press.Henry Martin provided a link between the University and its founder. According to oral history, Martin was born at Monticello on July 4, 1826—the day Jefferson died. Though sold as a slave to the family of George Carr, Martin was freed by the time he was hired as the University’s bell ringer and janitor in 1847, according to research by Catherine Neale (Col ’06) for her undergraduate honors thesis.Martin routinely awoke at 4 a.m. to tend to his responsibilities, which he took seriously. “I [was] as true to that bell as to my God,” Martin said in a 1914 interview in Corks and Curls.Indeed, Dr. David M.R. Culbreth, writing in 1908, recalled, “In my experience I do not recall the bell pealing out of time, and yet that must have occurred to prove human error and fallibility.”Martin rang the bell to spread the alarm when the first wisps of smoke were discovered in the Rotunda fire of 1895. That catastrophe forced the bell ringing to be moved to the University Chapel.By Martin’s retirement in 1909, he was a local icon, beloved for his devotion and his familiarity with members of the University. At his death at age 89 in 1915, the student newspaper said, “He was known personally to more alumni than any living man,” and “is said to have known by name ... every student who resided here during his long service as bell ringer.”Corey D.B. Walker, a panel member and former U.Va. professor who now is a professor and chair of the department of Africana studies at Brown University, says that without detracting from Martin’s contributions and service, it’s important to look beyond one personality. “We have to remember, these people were enslaved. No matter how much we want to romanticize it, they did not control their destiny,” Walker says. “The problem of making the assertion that he was wonderful and a beloved figure belies the very violence of the institution of chattel slavery.”The observations and discussions at U.Va., as well as the exhibits at Monticello and the Smithsonian, provide opportunities to use the past as a lantern for the future.“This becomes an opening for us to have a conversation,” Walker says, “but we have to be very careful with it, not to engage in a way that the past is behind us, but to engage in how the past continues to challenge the ways in which we want to develop our nation and our world.”Jan. 25: “The Enduring Legacy of Henry Martin and Other Enslaved Laborers at U.Va.” at noon, the Harrison Institute auditorium. At 5:30 p.m., an event in the Rotunda Dome Room will be held to honor Martin. Details Jan. 27-Oct. 14: “Slavery at Jefferson’s Monticello: Paradox of Liberty,” at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, on the National Mall, Washington, D.C. DetailsJan. 27: “Getting Word: African American Families of Monticello,” a website to be launched at Monticello showcasing oral histories of slaves there. Details Faculty, Grounds & Buildings, History 2012-01-12T17:45:34+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/only_online/article/14_reasons_to_love_charlottesville_in_winter/ http://uvamagazine.org/only_online/article/14_reasons_to_love_charlottesville_in_winter/#When:15:37:29Z When snow finally arrives in Charlottesville, students and townspeople alike flock to the white, glistening hillsides with sleds, toboggans or whatever they have on hand. Among previous conveyances: a canoe careening down the hill in Washington Park and discarded election signs whooshing down slopes near the Dell and O-Hill. A tradition that began in 2001, the Lighting of the Lawn is the illumination of approximately 12,700 lights that decorate the Rotunda, pavilions, columns and arcades of the Lawn. With cups of cocoa in hand and serenaded by a cappella groups, about 6,000 people gather to share in the holiday cheer. Not only does the ice rink downtown offer public skating and ice skate rentals, it is also home to the U.Va. ice hockey team. You can show off your triple axel or cheer as U.Va. makes a power play. Or if you’re wobbly on skates, you might want to try curling, a slippery but blade-free sport you can do wearing shoes. This year, U.Va. ice hockey games are scheduled at the Main St. Arena on Jan. 20, 21 and 28. U.Va. ice hockey scheduleNothing will warm you up like cheering for the Cavaliers. And there’s plenty of motivation this season. Not since the Ralph Sampson era has a men’s team opened with such a strong showing—14-2 and ranked No. 15 in the AP Top 25 (as of Jan. 16). On the women’s side, head coach Joanne Boyle is making a strong debut with her squad’s gutsy performances, such as beating then No. 3 Tennessee at JPJ Arena.There is something enchanted about the quiet that snow brings to a winter day and the crunching sound of winter boots. Snow is a relative rarity in Charlottesville, but when it comes there are snowball fights around first-year dorms, snowmen on the Lawn and snow football at Mad Bowl. Check out this video of a snowboarder jumping the front steps of the Rotunda.About a decade ago, rush was moved to the second semester so first-year students could better adjust to college life before joining a Greek organization. Rush activities have shifted from traditional fall events like football games to events like laser tag, bowling, crab-leg dinners and snow tubing.  The observatory is open to the public on the first and third Friday nights of each month. View the observatory’s website.When the weather outside is dreadful, the coziest places on Grounds might be in the University’s numerous libraries. Curl up with a book and enjoy the company of stuffed bookshelves . Snag a comfy chair in the always popular—and almost silent—McGregor Room. Openings, Midwinters, Easters and Closings were once the big U.Va. formal dances each year. This Midwinters dance at Memorial Gym in 1955 was headlined by Ziggy Elman and the Tommy Dorsey Band. Hot jazz kept out the cold weather. By the 1980s, Midwinters was in decline and since then has been lost to history. When you’re wearing a bulky winter coat, it’s nice to remember winter glamour. Wintergreen Resort is just a short drive away. On the way, observe the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains decked with snow. On the slopes themselves, watch out for the Virginia Alpine Ski and Snowboard Team; they’re fast. Don’t know how to ski? You can learn or just snow tube. When the Academical Village was built, there were very few trees around the structures. The outlines of Jefferson’s designs were completely visible to students and visitors of the early University. In winter, when tree branches are denuded of their leaves, the view of the Rotunda is closer to what Jefferson would have seen in his time than at any other time of year. Grounds & Buildings, Schools & Departments, Library, Sports, Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, U.Va. Tradition 2012-01-12T15:37:29+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/only_online/article/find_the_gnome_win_the_gnome/ http://uvamagazine.org/only_online/article/find_the_gnome_win_the_gnome/#When:21:54:50Z **CONTEST CLOSED**Our mischievous gnome has escaped from the U.Va. Magazine offices. Can you help us track him down? If you can correctly identify the location of the gnome in the five pictures below, you could win a gnome of your very own. Email uvamag-web@virginia.edu with your guesses! We’ll randomly select five winners from the pool of responses with the most correct answers. Think you can tell us where he is? Email uvamag-web@virginia.edu.*****This contest has ended.Congratulations to Michael Ilewski, Spencer Peterson, Duncan Brook, Jeremy Funkhouser and Michael Mantia, who correctly guessed all five gnome hideouts and are now proud owners of their very own U.Va. gnomes.***** Grounds & Buildings 2011-12-12T21:54:50+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/only_online/article/from_center_court_to_cover/ http://uvamagazine.org/only_online/article/from_center_court_to_cover/#When:21:41:50Z Brenna McGuire (Col ’07) has never been camera-shy. Playing for the University of Virginia’s women’s basketball team (where she finished second in career three-point shots made in school history), McGuire was familiar with courtside photographers. During her time as an undergraduate, she also did a few spots for a University TV show. “I was nervous about memorizing lines and being in front of the camera,” McGuire recalls, “but then I realized I was only talking to a camera and two or three people on set. The people producing the show really made the experience fun.”McGuire’s family has a history with basketball: Her grandfather Al McGuire played professionally before becoming a Hall of Fame coach and TV analyst; her father and great-uncle both played for the Knicks. While growing up, Brenna tagged along with her older brothers to play sports, and from an early age she knew that she wanted to compete. “My parents told me I didn’t have to play basketball if I didn’t love it. But if I did love it, I should give it 100 percent. And that’s what I did,” says McGuire.After graduating, McGuire saw modeling as an opportunity to start a new chapter in her life. “I always wanted to play basketball at a great college in a great league, and I fulfilled that dream.” Once she set her mind to becoming a model, McGuire moved to New York and faced the new challenges of city life and an unpredictable schedule. When she became discouraged, she recalled what her father said about basketball: Not every shot will go in, but always keep shooting. “It’s the same with modeling. I’m not going to get every single job I try out for,” McGuire says, “but I know that hearing the word ‘no’ is not personal. I keep going to castings and realize that I will get jobs, that my time will come.” In New York, she was picked up by an agency and has since found success in magazines, appearing on the cover of Brides twice, and in spreads for Fitness as well as Self.In spare time between modeling and planning her upcoming wedding, McGuire occasionally shoots a round with her fiancé or plays a game of pick-up at a neighborhood park. She misses the feeling at the end of a close game when everyone on the court has the same goal of winning. “I still work with a team every time I do a modeling job,” says McGuire, “but I miss that moment when you win a hard-fought game, and you know that you couldn’t have done it without the other girls on the court.”McGuire has learned to embrace a more relaxed schedule than she had when she played college basketball. Still, she says that it isn’t always easy to be in front of the camera. “With modeling you have to perform no matter who is around you. Certain photographers make it easier than others, and certain shoots are definitely harder than others, but the challenge of it is what makes it so fun.” Alumni, Alumnae, Sports, Women's Basketball 2011-12-12T21:41:50+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/only_online/article/holiday_gift_guide/ http://uvamagazine.org/only_online/article/holiday_gift_guide/#When:16:37:50Z {pagebreak}Tech Geeks | For Hosts | For the Holidays | For the Nostalgic | Patrons of the Arts | Bookworms | Explorers For the Young and Young at Heart | Sports Nuts | Fashion Plates | Pampered Pets | LandscapersCould you look any smarter?$20-$25 | Available here$35 | Available hereBecause you shouldn’t leave your pride for the Cavs by the TV set when you go check stats at the computer. $28.95 |  Available here This easily portable flash drive is the size and shape of a credit card.$15.70 | Available here{pagebreak}Tech Geeks | For Hosts | For the Holidays | For the Nostalgic | Patrons of the Arts | Bookworms | Explorers For the Young and Young at Heart | Sports Nuts | Fashion Plates | Pampered Pets | LandscapersNever let your wineglass go bare again. $16.99 | Available here Serve hors d’oeuvres to your favorite guests from a 16" by 16"  hand-painted platter. $45.98 | Available hereToo far away to attend a U.Va. tailgate this year? We could all use a taste of Virginia. This basket includes Lovingston Rotunda red wine,  Virginia salted peanuts, U.Va. napkins and Gearhart’s Maya bark.$39.85 | Available hereIn 1888, Allen Potts, one of U.Va.’s early athletic heroes,  suggested orange and blue for our school colors. More than 100 years later,  celebrate his contribution to our tradition.$13.98 | Available hereA juggernaut in the kitchen? Maestro of the grill? Show it with pride with a U.Va. print apron. $19.99 | Available hereA classic gift and an exquisite table setting.  To personalize the cup, add an engraved monogram.$36 | Available here$12 for 750 ml A selection of Virginia wines, selected by alumni as winners of the this year’s Reunions Weekend wine festival. $15.75 – 35.00 | Available here{pagebreak}Tech Geeks | For Hosts | For the Holidays | For the Nostalgic | Patrons of the Arts | Bookworms | Explorers For the Young and Young at Heart | Sports Nuts | Fashion Plates | Pampered Pets | LandscapersDuring the holidays, we decorate our houses with items that remind us of things we love. This tasteful ornament features an original sketch of the Rotunda by artist Dave Hawes.$11 | Available hereIf Santa is a Cavaliers fan, he may be tempted to put a little something extra into this blue and orange stocking. We’re pretty sure he loves the Cavaliers.$15 | Available hereThere’s a U.Va. decoration for every taste. Everything from classics, like gold and silver tree ornaments, to the zany.Prices vary | Available here or here{pagebreak}Tech Geeks | For Hosts | For the Holidays | For the Nostalgic | Patrons of the Arts | Bookworms | Explorers For the Young and Young at Heart | Sports Nuts | Fashion Plates | Pampered Pets | LandscapersIf your diploma hangs on the wall of your study, how can you show it off in your cubical? The registrar has come up with a solution to this conundrum.$149 | Available hereResidential houses Lile, Maupin, Webb and Tuttle have all been demolished to make way for new dormitories, but they still have a place in our hearts. Proceeds will fund programs and services that directly benefit students.$200 | Available hereThe Jefferson-designed great clock in Monticello’s entrance hall is one of the house’s signature features. This reproduction shares the original’s gold-on-black face and working pendulum—all that’s missing are the original’s cannonball weights marking the days of the week.$149 | Available here{pagebreak}Tech Geeks | For Hosts | For the Holidays | For the Nostalgic | Patrons of the Arts | Bookworms | Explorers For the Young and Young at Heart | Sports Nuts | Fashion Plates | Pampered Pets | LandscapersWish you could take a piece of your University experience with you? Chris Davis transforms paint chips from Beta Bridge into colorful abstract art.$50 to $75 depending on size | Available at Bittersweet in Charlottesville or from the artist at cdavis@daa.comVibrant impressions of memorable U.Va.-scapes. Also available as coasters, place mats and calendars.Price varies | Available hereSoft light filters through Pavilion garden trees onto serpentine walls. A moment of peace captured by a camera. $29.98 to$64.98 | Available hereSoak up highlights from Wagner, Gershwin, Rossini and more at U.Va.’s magnificent Old Cabell Hall. An enriching experience on any occasion, but also the cornerstone of a perfect date night. Starting at $54 (or $10-$38 for tickets to each performance) | Available here{pagebreak}Tech Geeks | For Hosts | For the Holidays | For the Nostalgic | Patrons of the Arts | Bookworms | Explorers For the Young and Young at Heart | Sports Nuts | Fashion Plates | Pampered Pets | LandscapersA nostalgic coffee-table book jam-packed with photographs that capture the essence of the Corner through the decades.$39.95 | Available hereYour library may not have a book ladder and your wardrobe may not include a smoking jacket (or at least not yet), but you can still add a touch of gravitas to your bookshelves. Portion of proceeds benefits Rotunda restoration.$69.99 | Available hereA perfect gift for those who, like Jefferson, cannot live without books. The quotations chosen for this hardbound edition are a celebration of Jefferson’s humor, curiosity and wisdom.$16.95 | Available hereOne of Jefferson’s most ingenious inventions. This line-by-line reproduction of the original is made of solid mahogany with a soft, hand-polished finish.$618 | Available hereRufus Holsinger photographed Charlottesville for 40 years starting in the late 1880s. Following his death, his glass photo plates sat unprotected in a basement until their rediscovery in the 1970s. This visually stunning photography book includes large prints of old Charlottesville, just recognizable beneath the surface of the city we know today.$36.70 | Available here{pagebreak}Tech Geeks | For Hosts | For the Holidays | For the Nostalgic | Patrons of the Arts | Bookworms | Explorers For the Young and Young at Heart | Sports Nuts | Fashion Plates | Pampered Pets | LandscapersGood for one night of luxury at the Boar’s Head Inn followed by breakfast for two at the Old Mill Room. Throw in a gift certificate to the spa for the complete relaxation plan. Starting at $199 | Available hereNo man should jet-set without this classic shaving kit bag, which boasts U.Va.‘s colors and sturdy black or brown leather.$75 | Available hereThe weather outside is frightful, and a trip to the tropical climes of Costa Rica with environmental sciences professor Dave Smith could be the ideal antidote to the winter blahs. If rain forests aren’t your thing, check out other Cavalier Travels trips to places like China, Egypt and France. $3,995 | Available hereFor the person who’s been meaning to learn Spanish, workshop a novel or brush up on the history of Virginia. These 4- to 8-week classes begin as early as January. Registration is open now.$100 to $300 | Available here{pagebreak}Tech Geeks | For Hosts | For the Holidays | For the Nostalgic | Patrons of the Arts | Bookworms | Explorers For the Young and Young at Heart | Sports Nuts | Fashion Plates | Pampered Pets | LandscapersKeep your door frames free of notches and scribbled dates, and indoctrinate the kids early with this U.Va. growth chart.$19.99 | Available hereAll aboard the Wahoo Express. It’s compatible with the line of trains whose first name is the same as the University’s founder.$16.99 | Available hereThis inflatable football player embodies the indomitable spirit of the Cavaliers—tackle him and he bounces back up immediately. Also, it’s a lot of fun for the youngsters.$24.99 | Available here Handcrafted and hand-painted, this solid wood Monticello dollhouse even has parquet floors in the front parlor. Much more than a toy, this is a meticulously created piece of art. $615 | Available hereStake your claim on popular U.Va. sites like Beta Bridge, the Rotunda and U-Hall. Just don’t get sent “home,” where summer break forces you to lose a turn and spend your time missing dear ol’ U.Va.$24.98 | Available hereA candy-store classic with a U.Va. twist. Gumballs not included.$69.99 | Available hereNo longer yearn for the times when you might be mistaken for U.Va.’s founding father. Complete with auburn wig and jabot (which, as you know, was popular colonial neckwear). Sized for an adult.$7.79 | Available here{pagebreak}Tech Geeks | For Hosts | For the Holidays | For the Nostalgic | Patrons of the Arts | Bookworms | Explorers For the Young and Young at Heart | Sports Nuts | Fashion Plates | Pampered Pets | LandscapersPop in this feature-length documentary by Kevin Edds (Col ’95) and relive some of greatest moments in U.Va. football history. Includes interviews with a who’s who of Cavalier greats, including “Bullet” Bill Dudley, Tom Scott, Shawn Moore, Herman Moore, Anthony Poindexter and Chris Long.$34.95 | Available hereAdds a touch of class to any man cave.$39.95 | Available hereExpectations for Coach Tony Bennett’s basketball team are higher than they’ve been in years. Find out what all the excitement is about with this ticket package of five ACC games.$65 to $145 | Available here{pagebreak}Tech Geeks | For Hosts | For the Holidays | For the Nostalgic | Patrons of the Arts | Bookworms | Explorers For the Young and Young at Heart | Sports Nuts | Fashion Plates | Pampered Pets | LandscapersRing in the New Year and watch the Hoos in the Chick-fil-A Bowl with some stylish V-sabre bling. $12 | Available hereIf James Bond went to U.Va., these would be his cuff links of choice.$44 | Available hereAny Virginia tie is a good tie. The single-sabre design makes this one stand out. $75 | Available hereA cozy blanket with sleeves—the most useful combination of products since the spork.$12.88 | Available hereSteppin’ out in style.$129 | Available hereNo need to resemble a U.Va. flag on game day. A hint of orange on a navy blue dress goes a long way.$48 | Available here{pagebreak}Tech Geeks | For Hosts | For the Holidays | For the Nostalgic | Patrons of the Arts | Bookworms | Explorers For the Young and Young at Heart | Sports Nuts | Fashion Plates | Pampered Pets | LandscapersFor the waggin’ Wahoo.$15 | Available hereYou’ll have the coolest pooch on game day when you outfit him in this handsome bandana.$5.95 | Available hereFor when Fido needs some shut-eye during half-time.$52.99 | Available here{pagebreak}Tech Geeks | For Hosts | For the Holidays | For the Nostalgic | Patrons of the Arts | Bookworms | Explorers For the Young and Young at Heart | Sports Nuts | Fashion Plates | Pampered Pets | LandscapersBe the envy of the neighborhood with this stately pair of orange-and-blue lawn flamingos.$19.99 | Available hereNo home is complete without a lucky garden gnome, particularly one who’s gone to the trouble of dressing himself in gnome-size U.Va. gear. See “Where Am I?” for a chance to win this gnome or a U.Va. gnome ornament.$14.50 | Available hereThomas Jefferson loved his gardens at Monticello. In addition to his flower gardens, Jefferson grew 330 varieties of vegetables and 150 varieties of 31 species of fruit. Even if what you’re growing isn’t quite that extensive, this stepping stone still brings a touch of Mr. Jefferson to your garden. Arts & Entertainment, U.Va. Tradition 2011-12-12T16:37:50+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/top_university_news/article/batten_school_seeking_new_undergraduate_degree/ http://uvamagazine.org/top_university_news/article/batten_school_seeking_new_undergraduate_degree/#When:14:34:10Z Schools & Departments, Students, University News 2011-12-12T14:34:10+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/top_university_news/article/visions_of_technology_inspire_rice_hall_dedication/ http://uvamagazine.org/top_university_news/article/visions_of_technology_inspire_rice_hall_dedication/#When:14:31:07Z Grounds & Buildings, Technology, University News 2011-12-12T14:31:07+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/top_university_news/article/university_upgrades_gun_prohibition/ http://uvamagazine.org/top_university_news/article/university_upgrades_gun_prohibition/#When:14:27:35Z University News 2011-12-12T14:27:35+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/top_university_news/article/board_votes_for_strategic_salary_increases/ http://uvamagazine.org/top_university_news/article/board_votes_for_strategic_salary_increases/#When:14:24:18Z Faculty, University News 2011-12-12T14:24:18+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/only_online/article/ten_reasons_to_love_2011_at_uva/ http://uvamagazine.org/only_online/article/ten_reasons_to_love_2011_at_uva/#When:14:17:50Z Starsia and London received national and conference coaching awards for their seasons. In the course of leading the Cavaliers to the national title with a 9-7 victory over Maryland, Starsia recorded 329 career victories, the most of any coach at the Division I level. The effort on the field was led by Steele Stanwick (Col ’12), winner of the Tewaaraton Trophy, awarded to the top male collegiate lacrosse player in the country.In football, the Cavaliers compiled an 8-4 regular season record and will meet Auburn on New Year’s Eve in Atlanta for the Chick-fil-A Bowl. London, in his second season, was named ACC Coach of the Year.{pagebreak}As enrollment increases at the University, the bar also seems to go up academically. In this year’s entering class, 91 percent of students finished in the top 10 percent of their graduating classes, and their average combined math and verbal scores on the SAT was 1,339 points. That’s up eight points from the scores posted by last year’s group. Four entering students achieved perfect scores on all three portions of the SAT—math, verbal and writing—and 22 posted perfect scores on the math and verbal sections.No wonder Greg Roberts, dean of admission, called the group “super-strong.” “This class is filled with powerful and imaginative thinkers and writers and scientists.”{pagebreak}Sullivan’s announcement in August of Simon’s appointment signaled a new phase in the University’s administrative evolution. The leaders quickly began implementing a new internal financial model to increase transparency and give individual academic units incentives to become more efficient while developing new programs.A major goal, Sullivan says, is “to get money aligned with the mission.”“It’s not to create winners and losers, or to have the arts pitted against the humanities,” Strine says. “It aligns the academic capital of this institution with resources.”{pagebreak}The good news: The Rotunda roof is structurally sound. The bad news: It’s been leaking for years and has gotten progressively worse. That’s what David Neuman, architect for the University, told the Board of Visitors in September.Look for repairs to begin by March. And don’t fret about changes in appearance. Neuman said the roof will look much like it does now, though it may be repainted a slightly duller shade of white. That will match its appearance in 1976, when the Rotunda was last restored.{pagebreak}The rattling and shaking drew many comparisons—to a giant jackhammer, to a train—but the 5.8 scale earthquake that hit on the first day of classes left many people at a loss for words.The prospect of damage to any part of the Academical Village, a World Heritage Site, sent tremors through the U.Va. community. Initial anxieties proved unfounded, though, when Don Sundgren, U.Va.’s chief facilities officer, reported minimal damage. Geologist Tom Biggs had just wrapped up a class in geo-hazards when the quake struck. “I wish it would have happened about 15 minutes earlier,” he said. “It would have made for a great class discussion.”{pagebreak}Holding steady may not always be the most ambitious of goals. But when budgets are tight and state support is shrinking, ground not lost is ground gained. To that end, U.Va. held steady in two important rankings—the No. 2 spot among public universities and No. 1 among “best value” public colleges and universities. The two send a powerful message. “[It says] that we deliver a great education at a fraction of the cost of other schools and we do a good job of managing our resources,” says President Teresa Sullivan.That ranking was in U.S. News & World Report, which also placed the U.Va. Medical School at No. 19 in teaching primary care (up 19 places). The Darden School was named No. 3 in Entrepreneurship by Princeton Review and No. 4 among MBA programs in the world by The Economist.{pagebreak}With 98 pitches on a sunny day in late March, Roberts earned a place in collegiate baseball history. His perfect game—27 straight outs over nine innings with no runners reaching base—was the eighth in NCAA Division I history, the second in the ACC and a first for the Cavaliers. The 2-0 win over George Washington also helped pave the way for U.Va.’s second trip ever to the College World Series.In basketball, Boyle led the Cavaliers to eight wins in the team’s first 10 games. The fast start included a 69-64 overtime win against No. 3 Tennessee. Boyle was named head coach of the women’s program after Debbie Ryan, who led U.Va. teams for 34 years, stepped down in March.{pagebreak}At a time when pitfalls and potholes dominated the financial outlook, the University of Virginia Investment Management Company (UVIMCO) found solid footing on its path to growth. By the end of the fiscal year in June, the return for the long-term investment pool stood at 24.3 percent, up significantly from the 15.1 percent increase the previous year.“We’re back!” Larry Kochard (Grad ’96, ’99), CEO of UVIMCO, told members of the Board of Visitors early this year.U.Va.’s endowment, like others around the country, suffered from the Great Recession. Its value dropped from $5.1 billion to $3.9 billion in a single year. At the end of Oct. 2011, the endowment totaled $5.35 billion.On another front, the Campaign for the University showed steady progress. The most recent total (Oct. 31) stood at $2.52 billion, and overall giving by alumni, parents and friends was up 35 percent for the fiscal year.{pagebreak}In one sense, the dedication of the Emily Couric cancer center in February was a family affair. Katie Couric (Col ’79), renowned broadcast journalist, was on hand to invoke the memory of her sister, Emily, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2001.“I am so thrilled this facility exists,” Couric said. “I think it’s such a beautiful reflection of my sister’s spirit, and I think she would be so pleased to know how many people she continues to help.”Patients began receiving treatment at the $74 million facility in April. This fall, University leaders gathered to dedicate the Hunter Smith Band Building (which gives the Cavalier Marching Band a permanent home), the Engineering School’s Rice Hall and Garrett Hall, which was renovated to serve the Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy.{pagebreak}The reasons vary. Mandy Locke (Col ’01) came to Reunions in June “because for a second you feel 10 years younger and everything seems possible.”For Julie Choe Kim, (Col ’96), it was a chance to “indoctrinate” her children. And Catherine Ruedig Hunter (Col ’01) simply followed her taste buds. “I needed a fix of a side of house dressing,” she said, referring to a spread used at Take It Away, a sandwich shop on the Corner.For whatever reason, Reunions in June drew the most participants ever—3,003 registered alumni and an additional 1,500 family members and friends. In March, numerous alumnae returned to Grounds to remember and celebrate the moment in 1970 when 450 women enrolled in the College of Arts & Sciences, marking the University’s transformation into a fully coeducational institution.These are only a few of the many moments that made 2011 a great year at U.Va. Have we missed your favorite headline from the past year? Let us know your top 2011 stories in the comments below!Next: Students on the Street: What’s the best thing about 2011? Admissions, Alumni, Alumnae, Grounds & Buildings, Sports, Baseball, Football, Lacrosse, Women's Basketball, Students, U.Va. Tradition, University News 2011-12-12T14:17:50+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/polls/article/which_fashion_statement_best_conveys_the_spirit_of_u.va/ http://uvamagazine.org/polls/article/which_fashion_statement_best_conveys_the_spirit_of_u.va/#When:20:53:48Z History, Students 2011-11-28T20:53:48+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/university_digest/article/rotunda_guitar/ http://uvamagazine.org/university_digest/article/rotunda_guitar/#When:16:53:02Z In honor of the School of Engineering’s 175th anniversary, Gavin Garner, an assistant professor in the mechanical and aerospace engineering department, helped four of his students design and build a one-of-a-kind guitar that is also a replica of the Rotunda. “Probably the most difficult part of the process was coming up with ways to mount and cut out the body and neck on the CNC (computer numerically controlled) machine,” says Jacob Bagwell (Engr ‘12), one of the students who made the walnut-and-mahogany guitar. “The neck was slightly too long for the CNC table and it also had a 15-degree angle from the face of the neck to the headstock, which made mounting for cutting the headstock interesting as well.”Lloyd Harriott, chair of the electrical and computer engineering department, played the guitar at a gala this fall. He debuted the guitar with the “Good Old Song.” “The guitar had a warm, crisp, clear sound to it,” says Bagwell. In Garner’s advanced mechatronics course, students develop technical design skills by building electric guitars of their own design, then enhancing the sound with effects pedals. Garner is now leading students in the re-engineering and building of a U.Va.-themed pinball machine. Faculty, Research, Schools & Departments, School of Engineering, Students, Technology 2011-11-28T16:53:02+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/university_digest/article/high-tech_building_for_high-tech_research/ http://uvamagazine.org/university_digest/article/high-tech_building_for_high-tech_research/#When:16:52:07Z At the beginning of the fall semester, the new engineering building, Rice Hall, welcomed both graduate and undergraduate students to its classrooms and labs. It’s the new home of the computer science department and the computer engineering program. Its six stories and 100,000 square feet include black-painted labs that reduce stray light for engineers working with light measurement and visualization. The Design Laboratory, the biggest space in the building, opens onto a courtyard for outdoor lab work.Rice Hall will also benefit engineering students beyond Grounds as the base for the school’s distance-learning initiatives, including the “Engineers PRODUCED in Virginia” program that allows students in the Commonwealth to complete an engineering degree while remaining in their communities. Audio and video teleconferencing at Rice Hall will connect instructors in Charlottesville with students all over the state. Grounds & Buildings, Schools & Departments, School of Engineering, Technology 2011-11-28T16:52:07+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/presidents_letter/article/shaping_the_future/ http://uvamagazine.org/presidents_letter/article/shaping_the_future/#When:00:53:02Z One of the energizing aspects of daily life at U.Va. is the constant exposure to astonishing research, scholarship and other creative activities. Our faculty members are working at the leading edge of discovery to develop solutions to societal problems and to drive innovation in a multitude of disciplines. This work has real-world implications for all of us, because efforts under way now at U.Va. have the potential to improve human health, restore our environment, respond to natural disasters, and generally enhance the future that we—and our children and grandchildren—face. The American Cancer Society has estimated that 1,596,670 new cancer cases will be diagnosed in the United States this year, and 571,950 Americans are expected to die of cancer. A team of young investigators at U.Va. is taking aim at this killer disease. Kevin Janes, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, and his lab team of eight scientists are working to understand how signaling networks function within cells. This has important implications for diseases such as cancer, where the molecular signal processing has malfunctioned. In 2009, Janes was one of 55 engineers and scientists from around the country to receive a National Institutes of Health New Innovator Award. These awards support creative young investigators who have highly innovative research ideas at an early stage of their careers. The work being conducted by Janes and his colleagues gives us hope that one day research may unlock the mystery of how cancer kills.In another promising project, environmental sciences professor Karen McGlathery is leading a team of U.Va. colleagues, together with scientists from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, to restore submerged grasses in the seaside bays of Virginia. These sea grasses are necessary to stabilize bottom sediment and to provide habitat for scallops, crabs, shrimp and all the fish that feed on these creatures. In the first half of the 20th century, pathogens and storms began killing off these sea grasses along Virginia’s coastline. In the years since, the bay bottoms have become muddy and barren, and the fishing and scalloping industry has suffered. Several years ago, McGlathery and her colleagues began seeding areas of Virginia’s Eastern Shore barrier island bays with eelgrass, a type of submerged sea grass common to temperate waters worldwide. These scientists are having measurable success, with thousands of acres of grass taking root and spreading out into lush underwater meadows. This issue of Virginia Magazine includes a story about the work that’s being done by McGlathery and other University scientists to improve water quality and aquatic ecosystems.Creating affordable housing is a constant challenge in communities across the nation and around the world, and in recent years, a slew of natural disasters has generated a pressing need for disaster-relief housing. U.Va. is meeting these two needs through the ecoMOD and reCOVER projects, led by architecture professors John Quale and Anselmo Canfora, respectively. A collaborative effort, ecoMOD strives to design, build, and evaluate affordable sustainable modular housing. Quale also runs ecoREMOD, a parallel project focused on rehabilitating existing homes. He and colleagues and students from engineering, landscape architecture, and other disciplines have built or renovated nine ecoMOD or ecoREMOD housing units, with seven units in Charlottesville, one on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and one in Jamaica. Canfora and his colleagues who lead the reCOVER project design and build energy-efficient transitional disaster-recovery housing. This team recently earned first place in an international competition with more than 400 original entries for design of disaster-recovery housing in Haiti, and reCOVER has drawn attention from the government of Japan following the tsunami disaster there. Because of this success with ecoMOD and reCOVER, U.Va. is the lead partner on a one-year grant from the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification & Community Revitalization Commission to design and manufacture affordable and energy-efficient housing and disaster-recovery structures, through partnerships with companies and nonprofit organizations in Southside and Southwestern Virginia. The grant could transform the economy in that region by strengthening the modular and panelized housing systems industry there. Sometimes a single professor can combine strands of different disciplines to reshape the realm of possibility. Music professor and composer Matthew Burtner recently received a 2011 IDEA award for a telematic opera that uses advanced networking technology to connect audiences and performers around the globe. The IDEA Awards are presented by Internet2, a consortium of universities, corporations, and government agencies that advance technologies. Burtner grew up near the Arctic Ocean in northern Alaska, and the title of his opera, “Auksalaq,” comes from the Inupiat word for melting ice. He recorded the sounds of melting ice by trailing a microphone underneath his sea kayak in the Arctic, infusing his opera with the realities of climate change. The opera uses high-speed Internet connections to link audiences and performers at multiple sites. For example, it might have a chorus at one site, percussionists at another site, the opera’s main character at another site, and so on. The opera will debut in October 2012, and will be performed simultaneously in New York, Alaska, Norway and other sites. Previous winners of the IDEA awards have typically worked in areas such as high-energy physics, software design, and supercomputing. Burtner’s award is a rare recognition in the arts. Architecture, Arts & Entertainment, Music, Theater, Faculty, Health, International, Research, Science, Environment 2011-11-23T00:53:02+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/arts/article/drawing_from_nature/ http://uvamagazine.org/arts/article/drawing_from_nature/#When:00:49:33Z Students carried five-gallon buckets that held their art supplies through the hardwood forest of the Appalachian Mountains. When they found something to draw, they turned the buckets over and used them as seats as they sketched. Art professor Megan Marlatt’s summer class spent two weeks at U.Va.’s Mountain Lake Biological Station, and nature served as their art’s subject and inspiration. “The first day, we collected natural specimens, leaves and mushrooms, and we drew them up close. Also, the station has a collection of insects and fungi that we got to draw in detail,” says Marlatt. Next, students drew the deep woods, capturing dense foliage—“in the forest, there isn’t much depth of field, everything is right in your face,” she says. Then they drew more open landscapes such as meadows and eventually mountain panoramas. “Our collective P.O.V. stepped back further and further as the class progressed.”The station’s director, Edmund D. “Butch” Brodie III, was excited to have art students join the scientists who have been coming to the mountaintop for 75 years. “I believe the production of art and scientific research is more similar than most people realize,” he says. “The creative processes have many parallels, and the motivations often are not so different. For many scientists, the major goals of research are to understand and communicate the details of the natural world.”The balance and perspective that art brings to other fields of study was also recognized by the students. “I cannot live without one or the other,” says Quang Pham (Engr ’15). “One represents my logical side, where everything makes sense and follows the rules; the other side allows me to let go and draw on creativity and freedom, where anything is possible.” Arts & Entertainment, Visual Arts, Faculty, Science, Environment, Students 2011-11-23T00:49:33+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/arts/article/life_lessons_on_the_green/ http://uvamagazine.org/arts/article/life_lessons_on_the_green/#When:00:46:08Z David Cook (Educ ’82, Grad ’84) has become a best-selling author and a movie producer, but he is first and foremost a sports psychologist. Soon after he started working with the San Antonio Spurs in 1996, they won two world championships. He has also worked with golfers on the PGA tour for 25 years. Cook knows how to use the mind to maximize performance, and he wrote a novel to share some of his lessons with a wider audience. “I took seven important principles from sports psychology and illustrated them,” says Cook. “The plot centers on the big questions: What happens when a person gets to the end of his rope? How do we make our lives significant?” Cook’s book, Golf’s Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia, follows a talented golfer set on making the pro tour.  After a public disaster, he runs away from his problems. He gets stranded in Utopia, Texas, where he meets a rancher, who forces him to reconsider his approach not only to golf but also to life. After the success of the book, Cook helped produce a movie version of the story, for which he raised $17 million. “While I was writing the script, it was a real struggle to fit everything in. An hour and a half is a short time,” says Cook. “The main teaching point that I included in the movie was that in a performance setting, you need to create a masterpiece in the mind’s eye, before you take a shot or make a move in life.”Seven Days in Utopia, starring Robert Duvall and Lucas Black, was released in September. Cook himself appears in two scenes. “I’m on the dance floor with my daughter for two seconds,” he says, “and I play a minister in another scene, but if you blink you’ll miss me.” Alumni, Arts & Entertainment, Books, Film 2011-11-23T00:46:08+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/arts/article/for_a_song/ http://uvamagazine.org/arts/article/for_a_song/#When:00:34:19Z More than a decade ago, Rob Blatt (Col ‘96) and Sam Riegel (Col ‘99) were two undergraduate jokesters singing in the all-male a cappella group Academical Village People, hoping to get a few phone numbers or maybe even a date. These days, they’re rubbing elbows with pop star Nick Lachey as writers on the a cappella competition show The Sing-Off, which Lachey hosts. Blatt and Riegel call what they’re doing their “dream job.” “We are the perfect writers for this show,” Riegel says. “The other writers [on the show’s writing team] come to it with other backgrounds, but we come to it with a cappella experience.”The Sing-Off is a talent competition show in the vein of American Idol. Groups from around the country compete for the top prize of a Sony Music recording contract and $200,000 and are judged by celebrity singers. Week to week, Blatt and Riegel not only write a pun-filled script for Lachey but also shape the drama of the competition.“Our job is to juice up the intensity,” Blatt says of their roles during the live-audience taping. “There are lots of moments of writing under pressure. Before the final act of each show, we are furiously writing ‘tension paragraphs’ [for Lachey and the judges], describing each group’s journey or what the judges said about them in the past, to make it more suspenseful.”Blatt and Riegel translate their experiences writing screenplays and teleplays for outlets like Comedy Central, Spike TV and the HBO show Curb Your Enthusiasm for their current gig. Riegel says it is a similar experience to writing a screenplay because they “consider the groups that are performing characters in a drama.” However, Riegel admits, “It’s a very strange kind of writing because we’re not just writing a script based on imagination, we’re tailoring our characters to real people. Our real goal is to make it so that no one notices what we do, so that when you tune in, it seems like no one wrote that.”Now in its third season on NBC, The Sing-Off keeps Riegel and Blatt busy during the weeks of taping, but in their off-season they do a different kind of writing. In addition to developing television shows, they maintain a website for their short humor music videos and frequently perform at comedy clubs in Los Angeles.While they are involved in a variety of entertainment projects, Blatt says, “Music has always been a part of our careers. In Academical Village People, a lot of our a cappella performances had sketch scenes, so we’re always finding ways to do comedy and music, weaving them together.”And they both even got those dates they were hoping for. Both now married—Riegel to a former member of the all-female a cappella group the Virginia Sil’Hooettes—they acknowledge the peculiarly close friendship they’ve had over the past 10 years, never having lived more than a mile apart.Blatt says, “It’s an interesting dynamic, kind of like a sitcom. Our wives have had to accept that there’s a third person in our marriages.”The two say the dynamic of their relationship is necessary for the success of their writing. “We end up having a brain and a half together,” Blatt says. “A cappella is a team sport, and so is the comedy writing we do.” Alumni, Arts & Entertainment, Music 2011-11-23T00:34:19+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/arts/article/bestsellers_at_the_u.va._bookstore_july_through_september_2011/ http://uvamagazine.org/arts/article/bestsellers_at_the_u.va._bookstore_july_through_september_2011/#When:00:29:02Z 2011-11-23T00:29:02+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/arts/article/new_notable14/ http://uvamagazine.org/arts/article/new_notable14/#When:00:27:22Z   Arts & Entertainment, Books 2011-11-23T00:27:22+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/arts/article/take_a_ride_on_the_wild_side/ http://uvamagazine.org/arts/article/take_a_ride_on_the_wild_side/#When:00:26:49Z Art doesn’t just hang on a wall. Art professor Bill Bennett—with help from members of the local sculpture community, including Edward Miller and Joseph Schepps—transformed an old hay wagon into Byron’s Telescope, an interactive sculpture that audience members can climb into. A chain hoist lifts a coffin-like box and the view through a six-inch “telescope” changes dizzyingly. “Inside the chamber your perspective changes, you feel yourself being lifted, gravity shifts on your body and you come out feeling changed,” says Schepps. The name of the sculpture was inspired by the poet Lord Byron’s 1811 visit to astronomer William Herschel’s early telescope, which was 40 feet long. Byron wrote of the experience, “I viewed the moon and the stars and saw that they were worlds.” “Our telescope is more poetic than actual, so we named it Byron’s rather than Herschel’s,” says Schepps. The sculpture was shown—and used—on the Downtown Mall and at the Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative in Charlottesville during the summer. Arts & Entertainment, Visual Arts, Faculty 2011-11-23T00:26:49+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/arts/article/required_reading11/ http://uvamagazine.org/arts/article/required_reading11/#When:00:07:00Z Creative writing professor Ann Beattie recently published Mrs. Nixon: A Novelist Imagines a Life, an exploration of the elusive first lady, Pat Nixon.You’ve been repeatedly credited—despite your protests—with being a “chronicler of the zeitgeist” of those coming of age after the cultural tumult of the 1960s. What were your early influences?I was in graduate school when I started writing seriously, and later publishing, and I was reading Wordsworth. About as recent as I got was Virginia Woolf. What did influence me a lot was watching the televised Watergate hearings every day. It was a constant refrain; it sure wasn’t funny, in the conventional sense, but the lying, circuitous way people talked was amazing. I found the self-justifying, sanctimonious tone of Nixon’s Six Crises pretty darned funny.I wasn’t reading many contemporary writers because I had no time and no money. I was well aware of some of the writers Gordon Lish published when at Esquire, though. I first read Raymond Carver there and Joy Williams, and went from there to DeLillo—whom I admired early on and forever—and Barry Hannah, who can be really, really funny. He can do the literary equivalent of lighting a firecracker, having it explode and simply relighting it. Would you describe a few other books you find funny? I think Frederick Exley’s A Fan’s Notes is funny, as it means to be. It’s a “fictitious memoir” about a sports fan’s obsession, alcoholism and stints in mental hospitals. I completely love Geoff Dyer, particularly Out of Sheer Rage, which I once found in a Barnes & Noble in the “Self-Help” category. It’s about Dyer’s assignment to write about D.H. Lawrence, and his failure to do so. This is in the tradition of another great, not so much mentioned writer, Gay Talese. Some of his essays are hilarious. I also always read footnotes, which, in general, can be quite amusing, whether or not they intend to be—and they often do intend; what a waste that few people check them out, unless they’re written by David Foster Wallace. Amusing can definitely be as good as funny, and it’s harder to pull off. I think Frederick Barthelme’s short stories are often highly hilarious, about the pointlessness of everything, with even the smallest creature compromised and so-called adults having no ability to function as anything other than self-absorbed, pain-inflicting children. He’s really great and not enough talked about lately. I also buy old cookbooks, which I think are funny—particularly ones from the ‘40s and ‘50s with Jell-O molds and a lot of worry about whether “The Boss” will like the meal enough. They often have inadvertently hilarious illustrations, too.Who are some of your favorite living women writers? Arts & Entertainment, Books, Faculty, Politics 2011-11-23T00:07:00+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/alumni_news/article/admission_faqs10/ http://uvamagazine.org/alumni_news/article/admission_faqs10/#When:00:05:02Z As high school juniors and seniors prepare for standardized testing, many ponder the pros and cons of taking the Scholastic Aptitude Test or the American College Testing Assessment. Either test is accepted by the U.Va. Office of Admission, but each has unique characteristics.As the school year begins, high school juniors and seniors begin to prepare and register for standardized testing.  Both the Scholastic Aptitude Test and the American College Testing Assessment are used in the college admission process.  Either test is accepted by the U.Va. Office of Admission.The SAT, administered by the College Board, has three sections:  critical reading, math and writing.  On the whole, the SAT tests logical reasoning and critical thinking skills. The pre-test of the SAT is the PSAT that most high school sophomore and juniors take.  The PSAT is the determining factor in the National Merit Scholar program.  U.Va. will “superscore” a student’s SAT scores.  “For example, if a student takes the official SAT three times before applying to college, U.Va. will select the student’s best reading score, best math score and best writing score, and combine them,” says Greg Roberts, U.Va. dean of admissions.The ACT has four sections, plus an additional segment for writing.  “When applying to U.Va., students must take the ACT with writing because written communication is an invaluable asset in the U.Va. first-year experience,” Roberts says.The four sections of the ACT include English, mathematics, reading and science reasoning.  When compared to the SAT, the ACT tends to be more content-based, Roberts says.  As such, some students may feel more comfortable with the format due to its similarity to academic work.  Nevertheless, most students find the science reasoning section to be challenging. When preparing for the ACT, students should practice reading charts and applying data to critical thinking questions.“Because U.Va. accepts both and favors neither the SAT nor the ACT,” Roberts says, “students should take the test that best fits their abilities.”  Admissions 2011-11-23T00:05:02+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/alumni_news/article/painting_away_the_blues/ http://uvamagazine.org/alumni_news/article/painting_away_the_blues/#When:00:04:49Z Gloomy weather spurred Rebecca Lewis to undertake a project that is now a bright spot among her artistic endeavors.An acrylic painting of a path winding through the pavilion gardens earned Lewis (Arch ’12) first prize, worth $500, in the annual art contest sponsored by the U.Va. Alumni Association. “The week I found out about the contest it had been very rainy and gray on Grounds, so I began looking through my photo albums to find something not so dreary,” recalls Lewis, of Culpeper, Va. Alumni, Alumni Association, Arts & Entertainment, Visual Arts 2011-11-23T00:04:49+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/alumni_news/article/interaction_is_the_bees_knees/ http://uvamagazine.org/alumni_news/article/interaction_is_the_bees_knees/#When:23:58:05Z When math professor Christian Gromoll takes students to visit his beehives this spring, learning about colony behavior will be only part of the equation. Discovering more about each other—part of Thomas Jefferson’s vision of faculty-student interaction both inside and outside the classroom—will be a primary motivator. Gromoll is one of numerous U.Va. faculty awarded grants through the Mead Endowment, a U.Va. Alumni Association program created a decade ago in honor of Ernest “Boots” Mead (Col ‘40). A longtime professor of music at U.Va., Mead is renowned for engaging students, steering them to groups of like interest and hosting seminars where young people and faculty can exchange ideas.For Gromoll, one of eight professors who received awards this year to fund their “dream ideas,” that exchange entails working with students to develop mathematical models from bee behavior.“Honey bees operate as superorganisms,” Gromoll says. Individual bees display complex behavior to convey information and generate feedback, but “the colony as a whole is what propagates itself and solves very complex logistical problems.”Among others with “dream ideas,” music professor Bonnie Gordon will work with U.Va. students who will be mentors for area fourth-graders. She also plans to take elementary and U.Va. students to music performances, from opera to rock.Mead, a U.Va. faculty member from 1953 to 1996, traces the beginning of his seminars to 1970, when a group of rising fourth-year students suggested meeting regularly to discuss ideas “without the strictures of exams, quizzes, syllabuses and so forth,” he recalls. “It’s interesting to remember that the students started that.”Sustaining that concept is a key mission of the endowment, one that Gromoll appreciates. While he was an undergraduate at Harvard, Gromoll benefited from a faculty member who took him under his wing. Alumni, Alumni Association, Faculty, Students 2011-11-22T23:58:05+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/sports/article/a_day_in_the_life/ http://uvamagazine.org/sports/article/a_day_in_the_life/#When:23:35:04Z Sports, Football, Track & Field, Students 2011-11-22T23:35:04+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/short_course/article/the_secret_life_of_a_raindrop/ http://uvamagazine.org/short_course/article/the_secret_life_of_a_raindrop/#When:23:22:51Z “Everyone thinks I’m a TV weatherman,” says Jerry Stenger, whose job as director of the Virginia State Climatology Office is less about trying to predict the future and more about looking into the past to solve mysteries about Virginia’s climate. He’s worked with the U.Va. Medical Center to correlate respiratory problems with changes in weather. He’s testified in court about precise weather conditions on the day of an accident. And he’s the one U.Va. event planners call each spring to find out their chances of a sunny day for Final Exercises or Reunions weekend.Researcher Jerry Stenger (Col ‘77) watches the rain clouds and lets Virginians know if a drought is coming. But measuring precipitation levels, explains Stenger, is not simply a task of sticking a ruler in a bucket. The seemingly simple question, “How much did it rain last year?” becomes decidedly more complex after factoring in considerations such as time, place and who’s using the water. “First of all,” explains Stenger, “it’s not just how much rain falls, it’s when.” If you’re trying to fill up your wells and reservoirs, a raindrop in December is worth more than a raindrop in July.“We had a very dry winter last year, so that’s bad,” Stenger explains. Virginia, which has a recent history of droughts, needs a healthy helping of wintertime rain. In the winter, more rain stays on the ground and makes its way underground. When summer comes, plants awaken and soak up water from the topsoil before it can percolate to groundwater aquifers. Higher temperatures also turbo-charge evaporation. “Have you ever walked through a cornfield in July?” asks Stenger. “It’s a steam bath.” High levels of evapotranspiration—the sum of evaporation and plant transpiration—results in apocalyptic-sounding “negative rainfall.” Under average Virginia summer conditions, Stenger explains, “you lose about a foot more water than you gain.” Meaning, even in a fairly rainy summer, groundwater levels almost always drop.Of course, it’s not as if water that goes to plants or back into the atmosphere is truly lost. It’s a matter of perspective. The value of a drop of rain changes based on who you are. While city dwellers could be suffering severe drought conditions, farmers could be doing just fine. If you’re a farmer of what Stenger calls “row and pasture crops”—plants with shallow roots like hay, soybeans or corn—“you care about the topsoil. The groundwater can be low. Your big concern is: Did it rain last week?” In 2009, for example, many areas of the state were experiencing major water-use restrictions, while well-timed rainfall resulted in yields for some crops that were among the highest ever seen in Virginia.Conversely, when groundwater levels are abundant—with city dwellers happily washing their cars and playing in their sprinklers—farmers may be unhappy. If Virginia corn farmers, most of whom do not use irrigation, don’t get enough rain during the specific weeks of their “tasseling period”—in which tubules of silk develop—then the kernels won’t develop properly. Even if they were to get a healthy drink of rain afterward, it wouldn’t matter, Stenger says. “They’ll have to just plow in their entire crop.” Can farmers and city dwellers agree that more rain, whenever it comes, is good? Nope. For farmers, rain’s precise timing, its “tempo,” can make or break their growing season. Five inches over the month of July might be more than welcome, but not if it falls all at once. Hay farmers, although eager for massive summer rainfalls to feed their grasses, have a few days each season when rain becomes their foe. They need dry weather right after the hay has been cut, as it lies drying in the fields. A little sprinkle of rain is all right, but a deluge may cause mold that renders hay toxic for livestock. Science, Environment 2011-11-22T23:22:51+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/first_person/article/a_funeral_procession_for_the_marquis/ http://uvamagazine.org/first_person/article/a_funeral_procession_for_the_marquis/#When:23:17:53Z In 1990, my husband was teaching at the University of Paris VIII, and I had the gift of time to explore the incredible city. High on my priority list was a visit to the tomb of Marie-Joseph-Yves Roch-Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette. One afternoon I set out to the Cimetière Picpus, the only private cemetery in Paris where visitors are permitted. When I found Number 35, there was only a small wooden door in the middle of a tall, forbidding wall. I could see nothing of the cemetery, so I gingerly opened the door and found myself standing in a large cobblestone courtyard. Across the courtyard was a stone wall and a small chapel, but there was no cemetery in sight.A gentleman who introduced himself as Monsieur Faugeron, the caretaker, came out of a modest wooden building to greet me. In the best French I could muster, I explained that I was an American, a native of the hometown of La Fayette’s friend Thomas Jefferson, and an admirer of the marquis. Apparently Monsieur Faugeron did not receive many visitors from the United States, as he appeared most pleased, quickly grabbed his keys and led me to a gate on the opposite side of the courtyard.There, a walk led us through a pristine grassy area to a second gated area. On the other side, he explained, was the final resting place of more than 1,300 people who were guillotined during June and July of 1794 at the Place du Trone, their bodies dumped here without notification to families or identification. We moved on to the La Fayette gravesite. Because members of her family were buried in the mass grave, Madame de La Fayette chose this place for her own interment: She died in 1807. The marquis joined her on May 20, 1834, and, at his request, was buried in soil brought from Bunker Hill in Boston.In August 1824, when he was 57 years old, Lafayette was accompanied by his son, George Washington La Fayette, on his last voyage to the U.S. His trip was at the invitation of President James Monroe to celebrate the nation’s 50th anniversary and extended to September 1825. Traveling more than 6,000 miles, this hero of the American Revolution visited each of the 24 states, where the citizens received him with great enthusiasm. His personal visit with Thomas Jefferson at Monticello, Nov. 4-15, 1824, was a grand occasion. The climax of his visit was a public banquet in the unfinished Rotunda attended by Jefferson and Madison. As his tour was drawing to a close in 1825, La Fayette returned to Albemarle for a last visit with Jefferson, Madison and Monroe. Jefferson’s heath was failing, and he was unable to attend the second dinner in La Fayette’s honor given at the University of Virginia, which had opened to students that March. Students approached La Fayette to offer an invitation for honorary membership in the University’s Jefferson Literary and Debating Society.The gravesite is raised and flanked by an American flag that has flown continuously since the end of World War I. At La Fayette’s death in 1834, President Andrew Jackson ordered that the French general be given the same funeral honors as John Adams and George Washington. My host was well versed in the long-standing relationship between our two countries and appreciated the regard Americans have for La Fayette. To my surprise, he stepped up on the grave, saluted the flag and looked at me. Not quite certain what was expected of me, I also saluted my country’s flag. Satisfied, Monsieur Faugeron lifted the flag from its standard, hopped down and handed the flag to me. Now I really had no idea what to do.Monsieur Faugeron moved up beside me, and, with his direction, we marched around the perimeter of the cemetery in perfect step with one another. When we had come full circle, he again got up on the grave and returned the flag to its proper position.As we left the cemetery, I was shown the bench that commemorates the visit of Gen. John J. Pershing, who led U.S. troops to the grave of La Fayette on July 4, 1917, three months after the U.S. formally entered World War I. It was on this spot that Col. Charles Stanton declared, “La Fayette, we are here!” to the cheers of Parisian onlookers. My host offered me a seat on the bench and proudly told me that the mayor of Lafayette, La., had sat in that very spot. Alumni, Alumnae, History, Thomas Jefferson 2011-11-22T23:17:53+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/retrospect/article/fighting_fire_at_the_university/ http://uvamagazine.org/retrospect/article/fighting_fire_at_the_university/#When:04:27:57Z In 1828 the Board of Visitors created the University Fire Company, which, according to a letter from professor Charles Bonnycastle, was composed of students, professors and “servants.” The University also purchased a fire engine known as the Hydraulion, which its manufacturers advertised as having the water-pumping capacity of 16 men. That prodigious pumping capacity would be compromised by the lack of a crucial ingredient: water. The specter of an unreliable water supply would haunt the University throughout the 19th century.The University Fire Company’s first test came in 1829, when the company quickly extinguished a fire, as well as a second one that occurred hours later. A letter from student Thomas Tucker indicated that these fires were the work of “mischievous students.” The mischief didn’t end there. Student H.A. Holt describes an 1851 episode in which a group of students stole the University fire engine, “paraded” it around the Lawn and ended by “ma[king] the engine-house out of the lecture rooms in the Rotunda, where [the engine] was found the next day.”Later fire-related incidents were considerably less lighthearted. The University was caught woefully off-guard in 1886 when Pavilion I erupted in flames. The fire company that extinguished the flames was not the University Fire Company, but the Charlottesville Fire Department. The University Fire Company had fallen into such a state of disrepair that it had been thought to no longer exist. The Board of Visitors responded by funding the purchase of new firefighting equipment for the company and placing fire hydrants “in the shadow of every large edifice on Grounds.”Rather than improve the water supply on Grounds, the new hydrants merely increased the load on the already old and insufficient system. An 1887 attempt to showcase the newly re-created University Fire Company was a resounding failure. Reports noted that the water system lacked pressure and failed to produce “a stream of even moderate volume to the roof of the Rotunda.”Though the University had faced several fires throughout its early history, none compared to the Rotunda fire of Oct. 27, 1895. While walking along the Lawn, a student noticed a wisp of smoke rising from the Rotunda and Rotunda Annex. The student immediately notified the janitor, Henry Martin, who rang the Rotunda bell for an extra long period of time, signaling the Charlottesville Fire Department that their help would also be needed.The Washington Post noted the hydrant system produced a stream of water only “four or five feet long” as the Rotunda was consumed by flames. The arrival of a second fire engine and additional firefighters from the Charlottesville Fire Department was worthless without water.In the aftermath of the Rotunda fire, Charlottesville firefighters were called to the University frequently enough that, in 1908, they asked the Board of Visitors to make a voluntary contribution. This request was initially rejected, but that policy was reversed when the department saved the Chapel from fire in 1910. As the Charlottesville Fire Department’s role in protecting the Grounds grew, the University Fire Company quietly faded into history. Faculty, Grounds & Buildings, History, Students 2011-11-22T04:27:57+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/sports/article/from_a_dream_to_a_promise/ http://uvamagazine.org/sports/article/from_a_dream_to_a_promise/#When:04:24:15Z By the time he finished his playing career at Virginia, Alecko Eskandarian was the king of college soccer. For the 2002 season, the third-year Cavalier won player-of-the-year awards from Soccer America magazine and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. He won the prestigious Hermann Trophy, awarded to the nation’s top player by the Missouri Athletic Club. He had put his stamp on the U.Va. record book. His 25 goals in 2002 (including six game-winners) still rank as the top one-season total ever for a Cavalier. Earlier he had set the record for goals as a freshman with 16. Eskandarian (Col ‘11) was a first-team All-American, and he had long since punched his ticket to play professional soccer. Indeed, DC United would make him the top pick in the 2003 Major League Soccer draft.Hardly a surprise, then, that he was having a ragged academic year. “My last semester before leaving, I did not do well,” Eskandarian says. “My head was probably in the clouds. I knew I was going pro, and I was putting soccer ahead of academics.”He could have put college in his rear-view mirror and forgotten about it. But Eskandarian had promised his mother that he would get his degree, and vowed to himself that he would get that degree from Virginia.“I began chipping away at it,” he says. He earned some credits at American University and El Camino University, and he endured the grind of commuting from Washington to U.Va. to take classes.His pro career was progressing brilliantly. He was a two-time MLS All-Star and was the MVP of the league’s 2004 playoffs, leading DC United to the MLS Cup.But a series of concussions ended Eskandarian’s soccer career. Unable to play the game he loved, he headed back to the university he loved. For the 2010-11 academic year, he served on soccer coach George Gelnovatch’s staff as an undergrad assistant, and finished the 80 hours he needed to get his anthropology degree. In May 2011, he graduated, making good on his promises to his mother and himself. He had chosen Virginia over Princeton, he says, because “I fell in love with the place. Virginia had the perfect balance of soccer and academic reputation. It’s a great university. … I wanted to take advantage of that. It was never a matter of if I would finish.”Eskandarian does not expect to play soccer again.“It’s not my choice,” he says. “The doctors will not clear me. I still suffer from symptoms—from vertigo to headaches. And I had other injuries that would make it difficult, too.”Now he has taken the next step in his soccer life. He accepted the position of youth technical director for the Philadelphia Union professional team. He will shepherd the team’s academy, assist in Reserve League competition and help manage regional club partnerships.Nurturing young players comes naturally, he says. “Even as a player, I was drawn to the younger guys. I enjoyed helping them break in, showing them the hard work it took to play pro soccer.”Gelnovatch says his former superstar has changed. “He is nearly 10 years older, and he is much more mature,” he says. “He has gone through so much.”The Cavalier coach says Eskandarian has told subsequent Cavalier soccer players not to let academics slide as he did. “He uses himself as an example,” Gelnovatch says. “He tells them not to get caught up in the idea of going pro, not to let down on your academics.”During Eskandarian’s year on the Virginia staff, he considered his future in professional soccer. “He got the chance to see what suited him,” Gelnovatch says. “He could go into coaching or he could go into management, maybe become a team’s general manager someday. Sports, Men's Soccer 2011-11-22T04:24:15+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/sports/article/whirlwind_adjustment/ http://uvamagazine.org/sports/article/whirlwind_adjustment/#When:04:22:36Z Joanne Boyle has been on the job for only a few months, but she’s already logged many miles on the recruiting trail as the new women’s basketball head coach. She takes over for Hall of Fame coach Debbie Ryan (Educ ‘77), who resigned in March. Boyle comes to U.Va. from the University of California, Berkeley, where she compiled a 137-64 record with six winning seasons that included an NCAA Sweet 16 berth and a WNIT tournament championship. Recently, she discussed her new job and the Cavaliers’ roster.What has the adjustment been like, being back on the East Coast and taking over your third new program?Everything has been good. It’s been a whirlwind tour. Everybody has been really welcoming, the girls have been great—they’ve really embraced us. I can’t believe I’ve been here five months. It’s been about getting out there, building the program and getting our face recognized. While you have Chelsea Shine and Simone Egwu, you don’t have a lot of traditional post players. Where will the rebounding come from?Our leading rebounder had four to five boards a game (Egwu with 5.2). It should be eight or nine. We need to find three or four people who can average seven or eight a game. I’ve always believed that guards have to be great rebounders, too. It has to come from a lot of different people. Guard-wise, you’ve got some options with Ataira Franklin, Ariana Moorer and China Crosby, not to mention a scrappy presence like Lexie Gerson. Does having players with different styles in the backcourt help as you transition? Sports, Women's Basketball 2011-11-22T04:22:36+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/sports/article/getting_ready_for_the_next_level/ http://uvamagazine.org/sports/article/getting_ready_for_the_next_level/#When:04:18:07Z Sports, Men's Basketball 2011-11-22T04:18:07+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/research_and_discovery/article/175_years_of_engineering/ http://uvamagazine.org/research_and_discovery/article/175_years_of_engineering/#When:01:56:25Z Celebrating its 175th anniversary, the Engineering School has established a legacy of research that’s helped change the world for the better. The school has many illustrious faculty and alumni. An 1869 graduate, Samuel Spencer, started his career as a civil engineer, rose through the ranks of the railroad and eventually ran 10 railroads in the South. Three alumni have become astronauts. Another, Eric Anderson (Engr ‘96), founded a private space travel company. Here are a few of the engineers whose projects have touched our daily lives—or are about to. If you drive a car, you’re probably safer because of professor Walter D. Pilkey. He founded the Automobile Safety Laboratory at U.Va., now the Center for Applied Biomechanics, in 1989. He studied crash-safety issues for cars, planes and trains, as well as the effectiveness of airbags, helmets and seats to prevent injuries. Not only did Pilkey set up a sled with a simulated occupant compartment to study the effects of rapid deceleration on crash-test dummies but he also created computer programs that allowed car manufacturers at Ford to design safer cars.By mixing metals and non-metals following a specific recipe, heating them up to more than 1,000 degrees and then cooling them, U.Va. professors created an alloy that is not only 300 percent stronger than steel, but also nonmagnetic and more resistant to corrosion. Professors Gary Shiflet and Joe Poon and postdoctoral researcher Vijayabarathi Ponnambalam produced more than 100 variations of the alloy before debuting DARVA-Glass 101 in 2005. Among its many applications, the material can be used as an integral component for nonmagnetic Navy ship hulls, especially submarines, invisible to magnetism detectors and mines. It is also used for giant drilling machines and the Yucca Mountain storage facility for nuclear waste.If you’ve taken an antibiotic, then you’ve benefited from discoveries made by U.Va. professor Elmer L. Gaden. In the 1940s, he accelerated the growth of yeast by introducing oxygen, providing the method for large-scale antibiotics manufacturing. The widespread availability of penicillin revolutionized medicine around the world. Gaden’s methods are still used to produce many medications, including insulin.Professor William Walker’s roommate was a medical student who complained that there wasn’t an easy way to see inside the infants that he was treating. It was hard to find their small arteries. So in the early 1990s, Walker began working on a hand-held ultrasound device that would give doctors and nurses a window into the human body. With associate professor Travis Blalock, professor John Hossack and Michael Fuller (Engr ’01, ’07), he eventually succeeded, and the device, Sonic Window, will be submitted for FDA approval later this year. Faculty, History, Research, Schools & Departments, School of Engineering, Science, Engineering 2011-11-22T01:56:25+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/features/article/standing_guard/ http://uvamagazine.org/features/article/standing_guard/#When:00:35:17Z U.Va. professors have written widely about how national security has changed in the decade since 9/11. American politics and history classes reflect a country that has transformed not only its foreign policy, but also its cultural ethos. Students and alumni alike negotiate the delicate balance between security and the freedom envisioned by the Founding Fathers. The University contributes to national security by educating the soldiers, law enforcement officers, policymakers and scientists of tomorrow. Among our faculty and alumni, a number of farsighted leaders have responded to the ongoing challenges resulting from the tragedy of 10 years ago and continue to shape the organizations designed to keep us safe. In addition, research at U.Va. helps create the insights and ideas that guide the national security agenda as well as the technology to carry out those plans. Look for Miles Kirwin (Col ’13) at 6 a.m. weekdays and you’ll find him with 10 other U.Va. students preparing for the Army ROTC’s “varsity sport”—the Ranger Challenge. This contest pits college teams in a test of strength, stamina and military skills.Despite the intensity, Kirwin enjoys the training. That’s a little surprising, as he never considered military service before his second year at U.Va. But he was drawn to ROTC by the caliber of the cadets, the leadership opportunities and the loss of his father, Glenn D. Kirwin (Col ’82), a Cantor Fitzgerald executive who died in the World Trade Center’s north tower on 9/11.“I don’t want to take lives. I want to save lives,” Kirwin says about why he joined ROTC. “I’ve never seen myself as an aggressive person, but I do want to protect the people I love. I also like the adventure.”Pride in the Army prompted Kirwin to wear his uniform when he participated in the recent ceremony in New York commemorating the event. On Sunday, Sept. 11, 2011, he read the names of his father and nine others who perished in the terrorist attack. When the observance ended, Kirwin found his father’s name carved on the World Trade Center memorial in Manhattan. That moment was an important milestone in a journey that began on Sept. 11, 2001, when, at age 10, sitting in his fifth-grade music class, he learned of his father’s death. “The ceremony was an emotional experience for all of us,” he says. “And, for me, there now is a sense of some closure, knowing the memorial—and my father’s name—is there.”Mid-June 2011: I find myself alone in a dark wooded park tucked between million-dollar houses south of Stanford University, looking for a spot in the bushes to stash my bags. Until that morning I’d been living in a cheap weekly-rate motel in Palo Alto. Before checkout, knowing I couldn’t afford the $48 fee for another night, I laid out my stuff on the bed. I scrounged for quarters, dimes and nickels. There was enough for an extra value meal at Taco Bell. I divided everything else I had between three bags; an olive-drab backpack my brother used in the Army Rangers, a black duffel I bought at Goodwill and a satchel for my laptop.This was my life. I was two weeks shy of my 28th birthday, unemployed, broke, thousands of miles from my family, watching the weather forecast to see how uncomfortable sleeping outside would be that night. Whatever the prediction, I could handle it. Four and a half years in the Army, including 16 months as an infantryman in eastern Afghanistan was wonderful preparation for being homeless.I was searching for a hole in the bushes to hide my bags. They were heavy and awkward, and they clashed with the mishmash of designer bags that the Stanford kids carried. Walking with them, I stood out, the opening scene of the first Rambo movie cycling through my mind. That movie ended badly for Rambo, the sheriff and the town. My life wasn’t a movie and I wasn’t John Rambo, but the same possibilities for a bad ending loomed. As infantry in Afghanistan, we were introduced to the ugliness of violent, unpredictable death. We caused it and we endured it; we grew well acquainted with it. Sometimes I think that we took it back, an invisible scythe-carrying stowaway onboard the airplane we took back to the States. How else to explain my friend Michael Cloutier, who probably saved my life when our observation post was attacked by Taliban but who died of a drug overdose a year after we came back? Or the staff sergeant from my former battalion who committed “suicide-by-cop” on Fort Drum later that year when military police were called to investigate a domestic disturbance? Not long after that, I started to crack a bit. That year the Taliban killed two of my friends, Staff Sgt. Esau I. DeLaPena-Hernandez, 25, and Sgt. Carlie M. Lee III, 23. The next year a helicopter crash killed my brother, Chief Warrant Officer Gary Marc Farwell. As my last real duty in the Army, I escorted his body home from Germany.None of this was on my mind that night in Palo Alto. I just wanted to stash my bags and get some sleep. I had a plan. I set off with my satchel, bound for Stanford and their 24-hour library. Wearing a polo shirt and khakis, I could blend in, hide out and hopefully get a little sleep in the once-familiar environment—an American college campus—that, like my country, now felt so foreign and hostile.Paul Rieckhoff, a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the founder and chairman of Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America, testified that over 11,000 veterans between the ages of 18 and 30 were officially listed as homeless. I’ve been homeless for about 16 months. To put that in perspective, I’ve been out of the Army for about 18 months.My résumé lists Eagle Scout, Davis Scholar, Echols Scholar and National Merit Finalist alongside the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Army commendation medals and parachutist wings. With the exception of the last year, my work experience is unbroken since I landed my first job at 15; soldier, SAT & GRE tutor, defense contracting intern, plumbing guy at Lowe’s, waiter and lifeguard. I try to gloss over the multiple arrests and hospitalizations after the war and highlight my hope to return to U.Va., once my head gets screwed on a little straighter.Part of the reason I came to California was to heal and figure out why my life seemed determined to come unglued. Blaming it on the war seems a cop-out and a cliché, but maybe there’s something to it. Jonathan Shay, a psychiatrist with the Veterans Administration, wrote that combat post-traumatic stress disorder is “a war injury.”The Palo Alto VA was one of the best in the country, I’d heard, and their psychiatric division had one of the best programs for treating guys like me, so I was waiting to get in. That night in June, though, I was on my own. The honest part of me wished I was still in Afghanistan.Memories of four and a half years wearing the uniform occupy psychic space next to deeply ingrained habits, skills and instinctive reactions that, like all things war-related, are double-edged back home: They helped keep me alive and sane, but they’ve been doing their damnedest to kill me and my friends since we got back.From The New York Times, Oct. 5, 2011 © 2011. All rights reserved. Used by permission and protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States. The printing, copying, redistribution, or retransmission of this Content without express written permission is prohibited.Someday, if all goes well, peace will come to Sangin, Afghanistan, and the police there will do what police do everywhere—simply walk their beats and keep the peace. When that happens, U.S. Marine Corps Capt. David Wright can take some of the credit.Today, Wright is an instructor with U.Va.‘s Navy ROTC unit. From September 2010 to April 2011, he led Police Advisor Team 1 in Afghanistan, consisting of 20 Marine military police and infantry personnel.“The work was challenging. The conditions were austere. But this is one of the best assignments I’ve had in the Corps,” Wright says.His team taught police officers both law enforcement skills and infantry tactics. Military training was needed because Sangin is hotly contested. Marines, Afghan troops and police have been in fierce combat there with the Taliban for months. In fact, former Defense Secretary Robert Gates described this town of 14,000 as being perhaps the most dangerous place on earth.In addition to fighting, Marines have tried to build a viable local government, including a police force. To do this, Wright and his men served as instructors, developing close relationships with Afghan men in the police. The Marines lived next door to them and ate, patrolled, fought the Taliban and watched DVDs during their downtime with them.Wright praises his team’s work. Under its tutelage, the police’s professionalism, visibility and confidence grew greatly. So did their numbers, rising from 119 to 357.Wright’s service in Afghanistan and Iraq informs his goals as a NROTC instructor at U.Va. He’s dedicated to helping his students develop the skills and professionalism they’ll need to be effective leaders.“I want them to understand that being an officer involves sacrifice and looking after your Marines,” Wright says. “They’ll become commanders and will have experiences and responsibilities that they currently cannot fathom. It’s our job to set them up for success.” As Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Janet Napolitano (Law ‘83) oversees an agency with 230,000 employees charged with preventing terrorism, securing borders, enforcing immigration laws, protecting cyberspace and ensuring resilience to disasters. That’s a tall order and a diverse one, too. On any given day, DHS personnel will screen airline passengers, patrol harbors, arrest criminals, inspect truck cargoes, seize drugs, naturalize immigrants and aid communities in the wake of natural disasters.In recent months, Napolitano has reported that the nation is much safer than it was a decade ago. However, she also emphasizes that the nature of threats is constantly evolving, which has required her agency to adjust. Specifically, that means looking for increasingly sophisticated terrorist weapons, taking an active role in thwarting cyber attacks, patrolling ports and looking for terrorists both outside of and inside the U.S. Adapting to a changing security environment also means discarding techniques that no longer work. Earlier this year Napolitano got rid of the color-coded threat alerts, which seemed to obscure as much as they revealed.Although she runs a large organization, Napolitano emphasizes that protecting the nation is too big a job for any one department. “Over the last two years, our approach has acknowledged that the Department of Homeland Security—indeed, the whole federal government and the military—cannot, itself, deliver security,” she says. “Real security requires the engagement of our entire society, with government, law enforcement, the private sector and the public all playing their respective roles.” In the 10 years since 9/11, FBI director Robert S. Mueller III (Law ‘73) has revamped the bureau.As Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, put it, Mueller “has overseen a top-to-bottom transformation of the FBI from a domestic law enforcement agency to a national security agency.”The FBI has come a long way from its days under legendary chief J. Edgar Hoover. Agents still pursue gangsters, but now they also target terrorists, art thieves, cybercriminals, civil rights violators, and corrupt politicians and executives. Additionally, Mueller believes the bureau can no longer be content to investigate crimes after the fact.“The stakes are too high and the dangers too great. The FBI must be more predictive and preventive than at any time in its history,” he says. “We continue to conduct investigations to bring criminals to justice, but we also use an intelligence-driven approach to prevent crimes and acts of terrorism by disrupting and deterring those who would do us harm.”Remaking a culture is never easy. In the process, Mueller has modernized and refocused the bureau. He has hired about half its 35,000 employees, brought in people from the private sector and shown old-school agents the door. The results have been widely praised externally and deeply resented by some internally.Mueller took office a mere week before 9/11. The law limits the director to a 10-year term, and he was due to leave in September. However, President Barack Obama asked him to stay for two more years. The Senate confirmed him unanimously, giving Mueller yet more time to finish reshaping one of the nation’s most high-profile agencies. Matthew G. Olsen (Col ‘84) recently became the director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC).A relatively new federal organization, the center is an integral part of efforts to protect the United States from terrorist attacks. NCTC pursues this mission by analyzing and integrating all of the nation’s foreign and domestic terrorism-related intelligence. The agency also conducts strategic operational planning for counterterrorism activities. During his confirmation hearings, Olsen explained the terrorist threat in 2011, “That threat is not so much from the senior [al-Qaeda] leadership in Pakistan with one unified goal; it is now diffused in various regional locations under various leaders and with various goals.”Before joining NCTC, Olsen was general counsel for the supersecret National Security Agency. That led the Washington Post to call him “one of the most powerful attorneys in the federal government.” His other federal service includes stints as prosecutor, associate deputy attorney general at the Department of Justice and special counsel to the FBI director. He received widespread praise for his work as the executive director of the Guantanamo Review Task Force, which was charged with reviewing the status of detainees there. In some ways, the United States has become safer since 9/11.“We still need to be vigilant against terrorism. Terrorists remain a danger, but they’re not as serious a threat as they once were,” says Philip Zelikow, associate dean for academic program at U.Va.‘s Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. He also has served as a career diplomat, State Department counselor and executive director of the 9/11 Commission. The latter produced the government report on the 2001 attacks at the Pentagon and the World Trade Center.Terrorism threats may have declined, Zelikow says, but new concerns have surfaced, including energy issues, transnational violence and disruptions to communications and commerce by attacks in cyberspace.Odds are good that some, if not all, of these matters may get Zelikow’s attention as the newest member of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board. Created in 1956, this 14-member body reports to the president on security matters of his choosing and the effectiveness of America’s intelligence agencies.Zelikow believes that the board’s work will reflect the “new face” of American foreign policy. In the post-9/11 world, lines between national and international affairs are blurred. For example, Zelikow says, domestic U.S. policy on narcotics and gun control also affects drug cartel violence in Mexico. In situations like this, decision-making can be complex and require deep reflection and carefully balanced solutions.“We need to do more to reinforce our system and to ensure it is resilient and can bounce back,” Zelikow says. “We don’t want to be held hostage by small groups with tiny agendas.”U.Va. has played a key role in educating law enforcement officers in cooperation with the FBI for almost 40 years. In 1972, the bureau decided to revamp and enhance its training program at Quantico, Va. A key element of this effort was the creation of the FBI National Academy. Today, it welcomes participants from state and local police, sheriffs’ departments, the military, federal agencies and foreign organizations. Academy students can take undergraduate and graduate college courses in subjects such as law, behavioral science, forensic science and leadership development, among others.Course work is accredited through the University and coordinated by the School of Continuing and Professional Studies. U.Va. maintains a full-time director in Quantico. Academy instructors serve as University adjunct faculty. The Critical Incident Analysis Group (CIAG) at U.Va. provides real-time expertise to the U.S. government in many challenging situations. In the 2002 Washington sniper incident, CIAG helped explain the meaning of a tarot card left by the killer at a crime scene. In 2004, U.Va. toxicologist and CIAG co-chair Chris Holstege diagnosed the Ukrainian President Yushchenko, who was suffering from dioxin poisoning. In the 2009 Maersk Alabama hijacking off the Somali coast, CIAG experts worked with the FBI and the U.S. Navy to develop assessments of the physical and psychological states of the hostage-takers. CIAG has been asked to assist in other intriguing cases. However, Greg Saathoff, CIAG’s executive director, is reluctant to discuss them. “Part of CIAG’s value is our ability to be discreet,” says Saathoff.Established at U.Va. in 1996, CIAG studies how governments and societies respond to critical incidents, so they can be handled better in the future. CIAG includes students in the conferences it hosts at U.Va. and around the world to discuss major cases and identify emerging threats, lessons learned and best practices. Saathoff describes CIAG as a “thinknet,” connecting those who manage crises—leaders, diplomats and first responders—with international academic experts.Stuart Wolf fell in love with physics during the 1950s, when he was a teenager at New York’s Stuyvesant High School, home to a renowned science program and alma mater of four Nobel laureates. His passion for scientific inquiry still burns brightly. “There are,” he says, with unconcealed delight, “discoveries to be made. The idea of looking at uncharted territory is very exciting.”For about 40 years, Wolf has prowled “uncharted territory” as a scientist and scientific manager, mainly with the Department of Defense. He now is director of U.Va.‘s Institute for Nanoscale and Quantum Scientific and Technological Advanced Research (nanoSTAR). Through mid-2012, he’s working in Arlington for the assistant secretary of defense for research and engineering. Wolf’s task is to help the department decide how to use research dollars more effectively. The professor’s job is not yet complete, but he believes that, no matter how much is spent, government will rely heavily on academic institutions to solve scientific puzzles. Of course, that approach is a well-established one that helped the United States win World War II. And today it’s alive and well at the University. U.Va. professors now investigate issues for the Department of Defense, individual military services and the National Science Foundation. For example, Wolf has studied ways to reduce the power required by electronic devices, which could shrink batteries and devices themselves. Others have explored cooling high-power microelectronic systems, developing wireless sensor networks and protecting computer systems from attack.Wolf believes that ensuring a sound academic-government research tie is key to America’s security and economic future. Alumni, International, Politics, Research, Students 2011-11-22T00:35:17+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/features/article/the_golden_age_of_the_rooming_house_matrons/ http://uvamagazine.org/features/article/the_golden_age_of_the_rooming_house_matrons/#When:20:22:24Z If you were to walk into the Booker House on University Avenue across the street from the Rotunda, you would find yourself in an office. It’s a nice office with columns and intricate moldings, but an office nonetheless. It would be hard, while looking at the cubicles and the inboxes, to imagine a grand piano toward the back, a crackling fire in the fireplace and, harder still, the soaring voice of a world-famous opera singer. The opera singer was Miss Betty Burwell Booker. Before the Booker House was an office building, she ran it as a rooming house, offering students room and sometimes board because the University opted not to do so. Its policy read: “it is inexpedient for the University to undertake the building of additional dormitories, or boarding houses for the accommodation of students, unless & until it shall appear that suitable & sufficient accommodations will not be afforded by private enterprise on reasonable terms.”In the early part of the 20th century, with many families still suffering from the financial ruin of the Civil War, running a rooming house became one of the few acceptable ways for a Southern lady to earn a living. Not mere landlords, these women played the part of house mother, adoptive parent and stern Victorian governess, infusing their boarders with the grace and manners of true Southern gentlemen. Between 1900 and 1910, numerous houses popped up on Chancellor Street and University Avenue. While not officially associated with U.Va., they formed, with their visitors, salons and rules, a vital part of University culture. “There’s only one place you want to live. You don’t even have to look around. You want to live at Miss Betty Booker’s.” That was the advice a friend gave Delavan Baldwin (Col ‘50) when he was an incoming English student. In the summer of 1944, Baldwin was looking for a place to stay. When he first ascended the steps to the Booker House, he had little idea of the enduring friendship he would form with the extraordinary woman inside. Booker was born in Richmond in 1875, a descendant of the prominent Page family. In 1901, in New York, she began private music instruction that would kick off a famous international singing career. She studied in Paris and Berlin, and sang with a popular European troupe called the Melba Company. As her reputation grew, she was invited to sing for the British royal family. Her most well-known performance was the coronation command performance for King George V and Queen Mary at the Royal Opera at Covent Garden, of which the Yorkshire Post for Dec. 11, 1911, reported, “Miss Betty Booker was the soprano and a purer voice it has seldom been our pleasure to hear.”But to her tenants, she was simply “Miss Betty,” the friendly if slightly reserved proprietress of their rooming house.Just before World War I, Booker returned to the United States, where she toured and gave performances in Virginia and throughout the South. Several years later she moved to Charlottesville to help her mother, Lucy Page Booker, who was running a house on Madison Lane on a lot the family had purchased for $32 not long after they arrived in 1901. When her mother died, Booker, then middle aged, formally took over. She stayed in a large room on the first floor, and took her cue from her Victorian mother, demanding the best behavior from the young men who lived there.Alexander “Sandy” Gilliam (Col ‘55), currently the University protocol and history officer, lived at the Booker House from 1952 to 1953. He remembers an incident when he and some friends came home from various athletic pursuits only to realize that they’d failed to learn the songs they were to perform that night as part of the pledging process to a fraternity. Tommy Buist, one of the group, remembered that there was a grand piano in the parlor of Booker’s rooms and suggested they gather around and practice the songs there. In the midst of the singing, Booker charged out of her inner room, angry that they were using the piano without permission. “She gave us perfect hell,” says Gilliam. “She said, ‘Bobby Page and Sandy Gilliam, your parents would be horrified. Tommy Buist, you are from Charleston and know better. Rebel Rowe, you are from Washington and thus don’t know better!’” Baldwin remembers a prank played on Booker when a boarder put lighter fluid under her door and set it on fire. The flame flared into her room and Booker was understandably frightened. She called Dean Ivy Lewis to help deal with the incident. “One thing you need to understand about Booker is that she was as much a part of the University as she was a citizen of Charlottesville,” he says. Some people refer to a “town versus gown” divide in Charlottesville, but Booker was beloved by both. “She was part of the town community, but she knew lots of people on the faculty.” Dean Lewis assembled all the students in Booker’s living room. “The dean asked ‘Who did this? Who set this fire? What was the motive?’” Finally, the boy came forward. He was asked to leave the University. But Baldwin’s enduring memories of Booker have to do with the quiet friendship they formed and the way she took him under her wing. Then in her early 70s, Booker was still keenly interested in her young tenants. When she found out that Baldwin was taking a number of classical music courses, she told him about her singing career and invited him to spend more time with her. “On Saturday afternoons I would sit with her in her living room and we would listen to the Metropolitan Opera on the radio,” he says. Booker asked him to attend a service with her at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, which was next to her rooming house. “She said she wanted me to experience that, that she sang in the choir, and every once in a while she’d sing a solo.” What did he think of her singing? “Well,” he says, “I’m an Episcopalian now.”“They were women of gentle birth and slender means,” says Gilliam, who had the privilege of staying at not only the Booker House, but the house next door, run by another highborn yet underfunded proprietress: Miss Betty Cocke. First cousin to Betty Booker and descendent of Gen. John Hartwell Cocke—a Jefferson ally and one of the founding fathers of the University—Cocke and her sisters Louise and Lucy took over the property on University Avenue from a local pharmacist and doctor. Along with Booker House, Betty Cocke’s house was considered one of the best places to live, and she received a great many applications from young men hoping to secure a room. As a result, she got to pick who she considered the most promising students. “I dare say,” said Edward Van Scott (Col ‘43, Med ‘45), a former tenant, in a letter to his daughter, “there are many of the 7 Society who lived at Miss Betty’s.’” “Probably half the guys who lived there were people whose families she knew,” says Gilliam. “I did have an introduction because she knew my mother, but in reality, I think they would take anyone who looked respectable.”Once you were in the house, you could expect minimal surroundings and plentiful advice. “We each had a desk light and a bed light and record players and a hot plate, and everything was plugged into a light fixture that hung down from the ceiling,” says Gilliam. Cocke advised her young men on what fraternities to pledge, which girls to date and what courses to take. When they complained to her about professors, she used what she knew of the professor’s background to help the student see them with more compassion.The households included staff members, often African Americans. Gilliam remembers a “general factotum” named Floyd. He helped with the housekeeping and laundry and was a general errand runner. Next door, Booker employed a man named Granville to do the same thing. “Both were fixtures around town as bartenders at Alumni Hall and at parties,” he says. A woman named Winnie worked for Cocke for many years as a cook and maid. Cocke kept a portrait of her among photographs of her family. “Miss Betty practiced selective hearing,” says Gilliam, “which I expect was necessary in a house full of college students.” In one incident, he recalls wearing a pair of shoes with hard rubber heels and walking up the stairs one at a time instead of his usual two. “Miss Betty popped out of her door,” he says. “She thought the shoes sounded like a lady’s high heels, and women, of course, were not allowed above the first floor.” On Dec. 11, 1905, a tragic love story filled the front page of the New York World newspaper (see above). A young man was dead and Miss Betty Cocke,“a beautiful girl at the University of Virginia,” was pictured in the article about him. New Jersey millionaire Robert D. Ballantine had been a student at U.Va., a boarder at the Cocke’s house and a friend of the Cocke family. His suicide elicited speculation that Betty Cocke had refused his offers of marriage. Other newspaper stories suggested that Ballantine had been blackmailed by three men who threatened to tell both his family and the Cockes about Ballantine’s history of drinking and gambling. In his will, Ballantine left his country estate, Edge Hill, to the Cocke family, and furniture from the estate would later become fixtures in the rooming house. Ronald T. Buckingham (Col ‘57, Law ‘60) lived at a rooming house on Chancellor Street from 1954 to 1957 run by Mary Lucille Palmer, and he remembers a relaxed atmosphere. “We never had any nitpicky rules,” he says. “The Honor Code was really followed. There were no questions about it; you just didn’t do certain things. “We weren’t angels, mind you,” he says, recalling how he and his friends would attempt to make apple cider in gallon jugs in their rooms. “We would put something in it to harden the cider. It was supposed to be done in a dark place, and a lot of times you’d leave it there and forget about it and it would explode.”The house itself was an antebellum Victorian with a wraparound porch on the second level and, inside, a wide staircase. But Buckingham remembers it being somewhat bare. “It was not very fancy, I can assure you,” he says. “All the beds were metal and just sagged. Each floor had two bathrooms, a shower stall, a sink and a toilet. Of course, everyone wanted to shower at the same time.” Of Palmer he says, “She was a nice old lady. In the three years that I was there, I don’t remember her ever coming out and saying, ‘Y’all are making too much noise.’” In the first half of the century, the rooming houses thrived along Chancellor Street, University Avenue, Rugby Road and Madison Lane. Like Booker’s and Cocke’s houses, many of them were owned by women whose names and families run like vibrant threads through Virginia’s history. At 503 Rugby Road, one could find the house of Mrs. Mary “May” Speed—a descendent of George Mason, author of the Virginia Bill of Rights—who, before she moved to Charlottesville, was appointed by President Woodrow Wilson to the National Board of Review, which picked movies to be shown to American troops abroad. She also lectured for the Film Selection Commission and was assistant principal at Gunston Hall School in Washington, D.C., for three years after her husband died in 1915. In 1928, she bought a two-story wood frame house on Rugby Road for $24,500. Her love of the arts was reflected in the creative arts gallery she opened in a large parlor on the first floor, of which the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported, “Her exhibits open with parties which are truly gala; even if you don’t care about art, you can’t afford to miss the parties, because there is good food and drink and entertaining company, and the first thing you know you are wanting to buy a picture.” Eliza Mason Page, also a descendent of George Mason, opened her business in the previous home of Richard Anderson, founder of the Anderson Brothers Bookstore. The residence, which housed around 40 students a year, had a large backyard and a black, cast iron fence close to West Main Street, and was known as “The Morgue,” for the silence Page imposed. She also had students sign contracts stating they wouldn’t drink or gamble in her home. One father objected, “No son of mine is going to sign a pledge to be a perfect gentleman for nine months!” Page’s daughter, Ellie Wood Page, looked up to the tenants and thought of them as big brothers. One afternoon, they stuck a sign onto a telephone pole at the corner of the street that said, “Ellie Wood Avenue.” The sign was eventually taken down, but the name stuck. The Doswell sisters, Sally and Norma, ran a house on Chancellor Street. Also from a prominent Virginia family, their father is said to have served on Gen. Robert E. Lee’s staff in the Confederate Army. Sally Doswell co-authored books on local history and served as president and historian for the local chapter of the Daughters of the Confederacy. The sisters ran the rooming house well into their 80s. About the atmosphere of the houses, George Green Shackelford (Col ‘43, Grad ‘55), who lived at Cocke’s house from 1939 to 1940, said, “The ambience of the fashionable rooming houses was autumnal, golden, a kind of belle époque, a farewell to innocence. Of course, one wore a hat, jacket and tie under almost all circumstances and one scorned those who cut across the grassed areas.” The end of the era of the rooming houses began in the 1950s, when U.Va. built more dorms, and it became mandatory for first-year students to live in them. The Booker House was sold to a landlord, then to St. Paul’s Memorial Church a year after she died in 1967. Shortly thereafter, it was rented to the Delta Tau Delta fraternity, which established the “Betty Booker Beach and Cabana Club” on the front lawn, where they served cocktails and had a one-hole golf course. The building is now the home of the University’s executive vice president and provost’s offices.Some houses were abandoned and demolished, many others, such as the house of Mary Lucille Palmer, were adopted by sororities in the late 1970s and remain homes for organized sisterhood today. The Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority stands on the site of Mrs. Speed’s house. Cocke’s home was demolished and the furniture auctioned a year after her death in 1974. Cocke always kept up with her students after they’d left her house. Many of them visited her in the hospital in her old age, remaining “Miss Betty’s Boys.” This year, two new dormitories—Watson-Webb and Balz-Dobie—opened their doors to first-year students. They stand on the same land where older dormitories were recently demolished. “Indeed, 95 percent of the old dormitory materials were recycled and some of the same materials were used as fill when we built the new dorms,” says Kevin Wade, assistant director of accommodations.Though the new dorms have modern amenities—flat-screen TVs, laundry machines that email students when their loads are done—that the rooming houses lacked, they share an emphasis on community living. The first floors of the new dorms are entirely common space and, as in the rooming houses, student rooms are on the upper stories. Resident advisers live in closer quarters with students than the rooming house matrons, but their role is similar. “RAs foster community and provide access to resources,” says Wade. “Enforcing rules is not their main job; instead the relationship is a nurturing one.”Instead of the Victorian decor of the rooming houses, Watson-Webb is designed with a contemporary color palate of earth tones, and Balz-Dobie’s colors are cool blues. The two buildings are the first of a total of seven new dormitories the University is constructing near Observatory Mountain. History, Students, U.Va. Tradition 2011-11-21T20:22:24+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/features/article/voices_of_a_class/ http://uvamagazine.org/features/article/voices_of_a_class/#When:19:47:17Z Staring at my ring, I now think about my ancestors and all the struggles they faced. Occasionally, I feel constricted by my Persian roots, trapped behind an imaginary “hijab,” that caresses and conceals my face, merely exposing my eyes. I’m curious to watch and take in everything as an alternative to putting myself in the spotlight. I prefer to not attract much attention to myself, afraid of some unethical norm my female predecessors faced. I feel like a shy moon slowly rising to its forlorn place up in the sea of obscurity, skirmishing to be seen and appreciated. If my Oma were still alive, she would tell me to be a strong independent woman because I have so many privileges most girls can hardly envision.It is magical, firstly as a tiny, portable compendium of knowledge equipped to feed my inquisitive appetite. Indeed, the day I turned on the device was the last day I was unsure of something. Granted, there are moments when my cranial store of information fails me, but the secondary store in my pocket never does. I affectionately consider it like carrying a miniaturized professor everywhere I go, always ready to answer my arbitrary inquiry. At the grocery store, it will tell me the difference between saturated and unsaturated fat. At the airport, it will explain the waves behind the engines. Since I do not understand everything, I perpetually see questions to be answered; thus far, the little professor has not complained about answering them. My iPhone also keeps me aware of the world around me. I suspect it is exceedingly difficult to be a successful student, an effective leader or a constructive citizen without knowing at least a little about the other 7 billion people with whom we cohabit the globe. A phone is inherently a communication device, so mine keeps me in touch with more personal matters, too. Phone calls, text messages, e-mail and Facebook together ensure I know who my friends are, where they are, what they like and what they want. When I grow up, I want to be an iPhone. It was a revolution, shattering the status quo with a whole new way to think of the cell phone. It innovated and transformed with creativity. It defined a new market and a new standard by which others would be measured. Furthermore, it married style to function, sacrificing neither. It communicated well and, by its virtue, developed a strong base of loyal supporters. If, upon my deathbed, I can mark my life with any of these descriptors, I will relish the success.One’s life is not defined by the extraordinary but rather the ordinary. I believe it is the routine aspects of our lives that matter most. It is for that reason I appreciate all my endeavors, no matter how mundane or unremarkable they may seem, for time has a way of making the insignificant significant.Environmentalism took root in me as I saw little islands growing out of the Lynnhaven River delta, a place once covered with salty surf. Watching my favorite childhood fishing hole go dry is hard to see.Every facet of my personality has been carved by the big blue in my backyard, just as the tides shape the dunes. The memories and lessons of life in a beach town, as numerous as the grains of sand, always stick with me, no matter how far from my sandcastle I stray.Another reason for the‘s significance to me is that it is never selfish, a trait I find extremely valuable in a word. Unlike many of the three-letter relatives of the, my wordy associate never shows any possessive qualities such as his or hers, words you do not want to get involved with. And do not get me started on it’s; the contractions are the laziest words of all, carelessly leaving out letters as if their existence were not essential to our alphabet. As a best friend to both nouns and myself, I do not think the world could survive without the always lovable the.How do I understand you? How does one express a miracle with words? There is no answer, but the world keeps spinning under the stars. I can feel my cells working inside me as if I am their universe, and they go about their daily routines. They make a promise: I promise to wage war for your life as long as you are breathing. And when you no longer breathe, I will give myself up to the universe. Each day they work. Each day they prove that thousands of human minds can never even come close to the engineering of God.They fix each other. They help each other. They protect each other. They are the ultimate model for civilization to function perfectly. Thousands of examples of diversity work together to nurture one human being. People say they have never seen a miracle. Look down at your hand. Look in the mirror.As my plane roughly ascended into the air, though I could feel my head spinning and ears popping, my eyes remained glued to the borrowed copy of Don Delilo’s White Noise. Only after landing did I realize the irony of the situation: as I gained a bird’s-eye perspective of the world, Delilo offered the same view of its culture and psychology. In one trip, my perspective had been completely altered.The message behind White Noise is brilliant in its objectivity. Throughout my life, my peers and I have been bombarded with ideologies and worldviews blind to any realization of an opposing viewpoint. Popular news networks, politicians, and even clergymen all spew slanderous and recycled chunks of bias and either ignore or senselessly blast alternatives. White Noise offers a reason for this mindless whirl: this is a society obsessed with all things possessed. Modern men and women preoccupy themselves with the day-to-day formalities of routine to the extent that even our ideas become trampled under the fascination for the simplified and shiny.I walked off the plane with my eyes and mind widened. Suddenly, I understood the modern fixation on celebrity figures and why ridiculously corrupt politicians became pop-culture icons. We are a society of White Noise.I had always thought that mathematics, and more specifically geometry, only really applied to the man-made world. It is relatively simple to find the surface area of a skyscraper or the time a conical reservoir takes to drain because these objects are made up of strict geometric shapes.Understandably, I was fascinated when I watched the Nova episode “Hunting the Hidden Dimension,” which explores fractal geometry and its cutting-edge applications. I was amazed that the natural world is not seemingly chaotic, but actually has patterns of self repetition. That trees, mountains and clouds have geometric patterns is really quite mind-boggling. In the video, fractal geometry was being applied to the carbon dioxide intake of a rainforest and the animation in the latest Star Wars movie. Thse same patterns of the outside world also apply to human bodies. Fractals can be utilized to understand the structures of blood vessels and the minute rhythms of heartbeats. My own discovery of the world of the world of fractal geometry reminded me that there is still so much for mankind to discover about our planet and even what lies beneath our skin.A $10,000 budget would be an open door to research, an opportunity to expand my knowledge, possibilities and drive, even though it would be practically limiting. I’ve been fascinated with the idea of developing an entirely self-contained, sensitive, robotic prosthetic arm. There is so much about the human arm that makes it a brilliant machine, and it would be a fascinating project to attempt to replicate it. I would love to build off of past research to design (though not likely construct) an arm with, for instance, a network of neural simulators to sense touch and other sensory inputs on a sort of synthetic “skin;” an arm with fingers that move as rapidly and precisely as real ones; an arm with its power source, mechanisms, and computer all contained inside a typical arm’s structure. My grandmother never knew exactly which day she was born. But she knew exactly which day I was. I was the only grandchild she saw brought into this world, and ironically five years later, the only grandchild to see her leave. I don’t regret that my most vivid memory of her is her passing. Looking back, it was probably the most beautiful event I’ve ever experienced: sitting around her bed with my aunt and mother as they whispered a mixture of stories and “I love you’s” into each of her ears; smoothing down what was left of her hair after chemo, holding her hands and nestling close to her side. I just repeated whatever they said: Don’t be afraid, It’s okay to let go, Follow the light; but I don’t know if I really knew what I was doing. I was coaxing my grandmother into the afterlife at five years old, witnessing the conjunction of life and death, not as two separate entities but as one. There I was, the only grandchild she saw take her first breath, watching as she took her last. We will forever be united in that we were present during one’s first entrance and other’s final exit. This woman that I barely knew has since become so deeply embedded into every thread of my existence; it is as if the soul that left her body that day has been following me ever since. I find it odd because when she was alive I never felt an extremely personal attachment to her; the only times I remember with her are vague and crowded during holiday dinners. The only moments that I know that we shared alone are those my mother shared with me: she teaching me how to walk, getting me to drink whole milk, or giving me my first set of chopsticks. My mother made it a point to tell me about her every time I came across a picture or sat on the couch which my grandmother had upholstered. I doubt it were so much for my sake as it were for hers, a way to reminisce the mother that she had lost.Advice from Ryan Hargraves, senior associate dean of admission, who regularly presents on the topic through a talk titled “EsSAY what? Helping students communicate their voice.”What to-pic(k) is an important consideration. Write about things or ideas that allow you to give us a sense of who you are and how you think. While we love Thomas Jefferson, writing “my favorite word is Rotunda” won’t necessarily boost your chances. There are no “good” or “bad” topics, but choose based on your personal experience, not what you think we would like to hear. Avoid becoming a Tyrannthesaurus Rex. Conveying your voice means using your own words. Overuse (and often, misuse) of “thesaurus” words can distance your reader and muddle your point: “My Uncle Eric, an erudite and taciturn man, used systemic manipulation and quite frequently left individuals in a state of discombobulation.” To thine own self be true. You have a unique personality and there is no reason to steer away from it during the application process. If you have a strong sense of humor, inject funny into your writing. Don’t feel compelled to write a tear-jerker to spark empathy; be yourself. Shakespeare (and Socrates) would be proud. Admissions, Students 2011-11-21T19:47:17+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/student_life/article/look_book/ http://uvamagazine.org/student_life/article/look_book/#When:19:30:09Z Mandated hats for first-years: A tradition lasting well into the 1940s mandated that all first-year students wear hats while outdoors. "You don’t have to do it," explained a reminder in a 1921 issue of College Topics. "Absolute freedom of thought and action is one of the boasts of this institution. But you are expected to do it, and it is well to enter into the spirit of any school you attend."Tradition: Barbour jackets, North Face fleece and Hunter wellies have taken the place of first-year hats. Students are not required to wear them, but if they don’t, they run a serious fashion risk.Guys in ties and girls in pearls: Fancy dress at football games is a tradition from the days when an exclusively male student body only got to see girls once a week. Dates met at pregame lawn picnics in jackets and floor-grazing skirts.Sea of orange: When former head football coach Al Groh (Com ‘66) took the Hoos’ helm in 2003, he encouraged spectators to wear Cavalier gear, creating a unifying "sea of orange" at games. This change caused an uproar among sartorial traditionalists, who protested by forming a Facebook group called "Guys in Ties, Girls in Pearls" of more than 900 members.Preppies: In the 1960s, while students at other schools were wearing bell bottoms and long hair, Virginia men continued to maintain U.Va. tradition by wearing jackets and ties to all events outside their dorm rooms. A Cavalier Daily article from 1967 describes a scandalous breed of student who "went out of [his] way to prove one [could] be grungy even when wearing a coat and tie (e.g., dirty shirt with frayed collar, rancid wheat jeans, and the usual nasty sneakers held together with once-white adhesive tape)." But these men were the exception rather than the rule.Practiced casual: Students today wear leggings and gym shorts to class, flip-flops in the dead of winter and boat shoes without socks. Mayhem over hemlines: The advent of the miniskirt coincided with a sharp increase in female enrollment at the University. Between 1967 and 1970, several editorials on the topic of hemlines appeared in the student paper. A writer who’d recently traveled to London gushed over a city filled with "the mini-est of skirts [and] the most exotic flower children." Another wondered whether women at U.Va. would shop for their school clothes at the local men’s shop, Eljo’s.Stress-free sundresses: On warm weekend nights, Grounds becomes a spectrum of sensible sundresses. Styles tend toward the conservative, full-skirted and comfortable. Metallic Navajo sandals, heels or cowboy boots complete this classic, summery look. Ciucias acknowledges that students at U.Va. dress well, but laments the fact that “everyone dresses the same.” It’s a trap even she falls into, she admits: “You see everyone wearing these things and you think, ‘Oh, I should go buy those.’” And it doesn’t take a designer to recognize that U.Va. is less friendly to fashion experimentation than universities in larger cities. FAME follows in the footsteps of previous organizations that have brought fashion to the fore at U.Va. Following World War II, the Cavalier Ladies, a group of more than 1,000 wives of University veterans, hosted a biannual fashion show for charity. Featured pieces included everything from ball gowns to professional attire. Arts & Entertainment, History, Students, U.Va. Tradition 2011-11-21T19:30:09+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/university_digest/article/news_briefs17/ http://uvamagazine.org/university_digest/article/news_briefs17/#When:21:40:42Z Despite the slow recovery of the economy, philanthropy is alive and well at the University. Overall giving in 2011 was up $27 million (35 percent) over 2010. Private giving is increasingly important to the University because the state appropriation has been cut by nearly $52 million since 2007. An additional cut of $13 million will be made this year. “The loyalty of our alumni and friends and what they are doing to ensure the continuing advancement of quality and excellence at U.Va. is truly inspiring,” says Gordon Rainey (Col ‘62, Law ‘67), chair of the $3 billion capital campaign. “The results this year are the latest example of their generosity. Philanthropic support for the University generally is rising.”In September, Michael P. Straightiff took the helm of the U.Va. Patent Foundation. He brings experience as the former director of biomedical engineering commercialization in Case Western Reserve University’s technology transfer office. The U.Va. Patent Foundation has put more than 600 early-stage research discoveries on the path to commercialization through partnerships with industry. Since 1977, the foundation has provided the University with $40 million and U.Va. inventors with more than $21 million.Two U.Va. graduate students and five recent graduates were awarded Fulbright Scholarships to study abroad. The international educational exchange program is designed to increase mutual understanding among Americans and people of other countries. Grounds & Buildings, Sports, Football, Students, University News, Philanthropy 2011-11-18T21:40:42+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/university_digest/article/costly_cartoons/ http://uvamagazine.org/university_digest/article/costly_cartoons/#When:21:38:52Z The cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants rules the roost as the most popular television show for children between the ages of 2 and 12. But the program’s undersea mayhem may come at a cost. A study by two U.Va. researchers concluded that fast-paced, fantastical shows are not the best things for children to watch if they need to pay attention, solve problems or moderate their behavior after watching.Those abilities, called executive functions, seemed to be impaired among 4-year-olds after watching nine minutes of SpongeBob SquarePants. That’s when compared with similar study groups: one that watched Caillou, a slower-paced, public television show, and another that spent nine minutes quietly drawing.Immediately after the activities, 15 percent of the children who watched SpongeBob were able to pass a problem-solving task, compared with 35 percent of the Caillou watchers and 70 percent of those who drew.Lead investigator Angeline Lillard, a psychology professor at U.Va., says the results show such TV programs may handicap youngsters’ readiness for learning. But the results don’t warrant conclusions that fast-paced shows can “harm children’s brains,” as suggested in a Bloomberg news agency story. “If a child has watched a television show that has reduced their executive function, you can’t expect them to behave at their normal level,” Lillard says. Research, Science, Psychology 2011-11-18T21:38:52+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/university_digest/article/stacked_up/ http://uvamagazine.org/university_digest/article/stacked_up/#When:21:36:50Z A recent $5 million retrofit of Ivy Stacks has doubled the capacity of this 10,000-square-foot warehouse, which contains more than 750,000 valuable but rarely requested items from the University Library system. Capacity of this 16-year-old facility was increased by installing motorized 30-foot high bookshelves that move along rails, leaving only one aisle open at a time.Implementation of the Harvard model of high-density shelving—which organizes materials by height rather than category—further maximizes shelving efficiency by reducing wasted vertical space.  Schools & Departments, Library, Technology 2011-11-18T21:36:50+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/university_digest/article/bookmarked4/ http://uvamagazine.org/university_digest/article/bookmarked4/#When:21:34:02Z U.Va. Tradition 2011-11-18T21:34:02+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/university_digest/article/how_we_rank/ http://uvamagazine.org/university_digest/article/how_we_rank/#When:21:31:02Z University News, Rankings 2011-11-18T21:31:02+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/university_digest/article/verbatim16/ http://uvamagazine.org/university_digest/article/verbatim16/#When:21:30:02Z “At first, I thought it was a train—then I realized there was no train that would make that much noise.” 2011-11-18T21:30:02+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/university_digest/article/meals_on_wheels/ http://uvamagazine.org/university_digest/article/meals_on_wheels/#When:21:29:18Z Students, University News 2011-11-18T21:29:18+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/university_digest/article/two_degrees_in_four_years/ http://uvamagazine.org/university_digest/article/two_degrees_in_four_years/#When:21:24:44Z First-year students who arrive at U.Va. with 15 advanced placement or International Baccalaureate credits and clear career plans can take advantage of the 3+1 program, which allows them to complete both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in four years.“The University has been a leader in creating accelerated programs to help students take advantage of a strong liberal arts education and pursue their professional goals,” says President Teresa A. Sullivan. The Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy offers a 3+1 option. The McIntire School of Commerce and the Curry School of Education both offer one-year master’s programs that are well suited to a fast-track program. Admissions, Students 2011-11-18T21:24:44+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/university_digest/article/map_of_happiness/ http://uvamagazine.org/university_digest/article/map_of_happiness/#When:21:12:03Z Are Americans living the Jeffersonian ideals of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness? It turns out that some enjoy more longevity, freedom and fun than others. Kelly Johnston, a geographic information systems specialist at U.Va.‘s Scholars’ Lab, made a series of maps that visually express U.S. Census data about how long we live, how many of us are in jail and how many of us have access to the arts and recreation that could make us happy. “Transforming datasets from a spreadsheet to a map takes advantage of our human ability to consume mass quantities of information visually,” says Johnston. “Rows of numbers stashed away in academic journals and U.S. Census tables come alive when mapped to show comparisons with their neighbors both near and far.”This map is color-coded for “the ratio of arts, entertainment and recreation establishments to the total population.” Lower scores (yellow and orange) mean less access and higher scores (dark green) mean more access. Research, Schools & Departments, Library, Thomas Jefferson 2011-11-18T21:12:03+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/university_digest/article/flue_flaws/ http://uvamagazine.org/university_digest/article/flue_flaws/#When:20:19:32Z Students have always had to sacrifice some creature comforts for the honor of living on the Lawn, and this year a long-standing tradition was sacrificed as well in the interest of safety.Cracks in many flues and chimneys spurred University officials to temporarily prohibit residents of Lawn and range rooms from using their fireplaces.Though rooms are equipped with fire and smoke detectors, “there is no fire suppression in the rooms, [so] this is a huge concern,” says University spokesperson Carol Wood. A consulting firm found that nearly all of the 106 chimneys it examined on the Lawn and range were compromised. The cracks and larger openings could allow a chimney fire to spread quickly into the roofs of the Academical Village, according to officials in Facilities Management. Because central heat was added in the early 20th century, using fireplaces is largely symbolic, one of many U.Va. traditions.“In Corks & Curls, the student yearbook, there were several drawings of students reading by the fireplace, and there are many references to Edgar Allan Poe, who lived on the range, breaking up his furniture and burning it in his fireplace,” says Alexander “Sandy” Gilliam (Col ‘55), the University’s protocol and history officer and a former Lawn resident.The ban sparked immediate controversy.“I was very disappointed. It was something I was really looking forward to using,” fourth-year Matt Cofer (Col ‘12), a Lawn resident, told the Washington Post.“Mr. Jefferson would be livid if this were to happen to his Academical Village,” said Philip Chen (Engr ‘68), a former Lawn resident. Architecture, Grounds & Buildings, Students, U.Va. Tradition, University News, Philanthropy 2011-11-18T20:19:32+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/university_digest/article/keep_the_lid_on/ http://uvamagazine.org/university_digest/article/keep_the_lid_on/#When:20:16:02Z The roof of the University’s beloved but leaky Rotunda will need only repairs, not replacement.David Neuman, Architect for the University, told members of the Board of Visitors in September that the roof is “structurally sound” and reconstruction is expected to begin by March.This summer, an investigation of the roof’s status required scaffolding to be erected around the Rotunda and a strip to be excavated from the roof’s base to the oculus at the top. “The roof has been leaking now for a few years, and it’s getting progressively worse. We have discovered with some probes that it’s starting to [impact] the steel structure,” said Jody Lahendro, historic preservation projects manager at U.Va. Architecture, Grounds & Buildings, U.Va. Tradition 2011-11-18T20:16:02+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/university_digest/article/built_to_last/ http://uvamagazine.org/university_digest/article/built_to_last/#When:19:54:14Z Much has changed since 1836, when America needed engineers to build machinery for factories, bridges for roads and locks for canals, and the U.Va. Board of Visitors created a school to teach them. What hasn’t changed is the need for engineers to build our nation and find solutions to new challenges. “The power of engineering is not simply that it enables us to do tasks more efficiently,” says Dean James H. Aylor, “rather, engineering enables us to engage with the world and each other in fundamentally different ways.” Arts & Entertainment, Music, Faculty, Grounds & Buildings, History, Schools & Departments, School of Engineering, Science, Engineering, Students 2011-11-18T19:54:14+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/university_digest/article/the_game_plan/ http://uvamagazine.org/university_digest/article/the_game_plan/#When:19:51:37Z President Teresa Sullivan recently outlined a number of goals for the University, one of which will be “to get money aligned with the mission.” “It’s not to create winners and losers, or to have the arts pitted against humanities,” said COO Michael Strine. “It aligns the academic capital of this institution with resources, so it’s coordinated planning that pursues the research, teaching and patient care that we do together.”The University is implementing a new internal financial model to increase transparency and give individual academic units incentives to become more efficient in utilizing resources and developing programs. Increasing efficiency while cutting costs will be important for U.Va. to flourish in a period when enrollment is expanding. To meet initiatives outlined by Gov. Bob McDonnell’s Commission on Higher Education, of which Sullivan is a member, University leaders plan to Faculty, Science, Students, University News, Budget 2011-11-18T19:51:37+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/university_digest/article/taking_the_reins/ http://uvamagazine.org/university_digest/article/taking_the_reins/#When:03:42:00Z Education: B.A. in chemistry, Williams College, 1979; Ph.D., Harvard, 1983Faculty positions: Chemistry professor at University of California at San Diego, 1985, and Duke, 1998 (chair, 1999-2004)Administrative background: Vice provost for academic affairs, Duke, 2005-2011At U.Va.: Executive vice president and provost, and Robert C. Taylor professor of chemistryWith the appointment of John D. Simon as U.Va.‘s new executive vice president and provost, President Teresa A. Sullivan has assembled a leadership team that will make the key decisions about the University’s future.In August, shortly after her first anniversary in office, Sullivan announced Simon’s appointment at a media briefing in the Rotunda’s Dome Room. Simon will team with Michael Strine, who in July was named executive vice president and chief operating officer, to create a new internal financial model that will “give us greater transparency, predictability and flexibility, while empowering the individual academic units to be entrepreneurial and cost-efficient,” Sullivan said.Simon will serve as the University’s chief academic officer, overseeing the academic administration of the University’s 11 schools, the library, art museum and other areas. He comes to U.Va. from Duke, where, as vice provost for academic affairs, he helped expand Duke’s humanities programs, including its first master’s degree in fine arts.Simon’s academic background is in chemistry—he graduated from Williams College in 1979, then went to Harvard for his doctorate and to UCLA for a postdoctorate fellowship. He was chair of the chemistry department at Duke before taking on administrative roles.“In John, we have found the ideal partner to lead the University’s highly ranked academic division,” Sullivan said. “He brings extraordinary experience, knowledge and understanding of how the academy works through a multifaceted lens of a teacher, scholar, scientist and administrator.”Simon, who succeeds Dr. Arthur Garson Jr., emphasized that the new leadership team’s goals put the University in a unique position to rethink the student-faculty relationship. Faculty, University News 2011-11-17T03:42:00+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/letters/article/letters_to_the_editor21/ http://uvamagazine.org/letters/article/letters_to_the_editor21/#When:03:01:02Z I was delighted to find in the Fall 2011 issue the admirable account of the debt troubles caused by Uncle Sam’s fiscal recklessness (“Our National ‘Time Bomb’”).Were the article published by any institution other than U.Va., I’d not be moved to remark on it. But given that it appears in Virginia Magazine, I’m obliged to pick a nit.The article says, “Last fall [Peter G.] Peterson was awarded a Thomas Jefferson Foundation medal, the University’s highest external honor, for his role in addressing the nation’s fiscal situation.” Mr. Peterson has indeed long highlighted the problem of America’s growing public debt, but well before he entered the scene, a U.Va. economist almost single-handedly revolutionized our thinking about deficit financing.Prof. James M. Buchanan, who served on U.Va.‘s faculty from 1956 to 1968, wrote in 1958 a book titled Public Principles of Public Debt. Before its publication, the near-unanimous opinion of scholars, pundits and policymakers was that even very large government debt imposes only very small burdens—and burdens only of a secondary order. Deficit financing of government spending, therefore, wasn’t much of a problem. Buchanan vividly exposed the flawed assumptions and sloppy reasoning that produced this consensus.My chief complaint is there is not a single word about the tax cuts enacted during the Bush administration. Estimates put the cost of those cuts over the last decade from $1.7 trillion to $2.9 trillion. Combine the impact of those tax cuts, along with the further loss of revenue due to the economic downturn, and you start to have a sense for why deficits are so large. It is not because federal spending on general government programs has run rampant.The U.S. economy started its decline in the 1970s. For 15 or 20 years, middle-income American families maintained their economic footing because wives moved into the workforce. Since about 1990, the impact of two wage earners has been neutralized by the continued replacement of middle income jobs (with benefits) by lower-income jobs (without benefits). The cost of living and the cost of competing in the “new” economy continue to increase, causing a dramatic squeeze on people of middle-income. At the same time, consolidation of business and the rise of Wall Street trading profits has rewarded the few handsomely. The erroneous claim that Social Security contributes in any way to today’s deficit has been disproved so often and so conclusively that failing to include mention of the actual state of affairs regarding Social Security calls into question any conclusion or claim of fact in any part of your article. The 2011 report of the Social Security trustees is as good a place to start with the refutation as any, as would be a brief perusal of Dean Baker’s Social Security: The Phony Crisis.The most overt error in the article was the graphic claiming that U.S. defense expenditures account for only 20 percent of America’s spending. The 20 percent claim for defense expenditures represents but one half of all defense spending. Your authors fail to note the other half of defense expenditures. Also, the article glosses over the impact of lower current tax revenues (as a result of the recession) and the degree to which that has impacted the deficit, choosing instead to focus on spending, as if we could cut our way to prosperity. America’s current financial situation is complex, more closely resembling a depression than a recession. Because it is a debt-based depression, righting the economic ship will take longer than in a purely bubble-based recession. I enjoyed reading the articles on the pavilion residents in Virginia Magazine (“At Home in History,” Fall 2011). I was very surprised, however, to learn about the low rents charged to the residents, between $1,100 and $1,800 per month for an entire furnished pavilion. I assume the residents also have free parking nearby. By comparison, U.Va. students are charged $600 per month for a single small room on the Lawn, or for a room in a multiple occupancy dorm or for a bed in a double room. Faculty and staff are charged about $1,200 per month for unfurnished Piedmont family housing (electricity not included), whose quality and convenience is certainly not on par with our beautifully maintained, historic pavilions.In the spring of 1951, Allan Wimbish (Col ‘51, Law ‘55) and I, who resided at 30 East Lawn, found that the door to Pavilion VIII near the bathroom under 30 East Lawn housed a kitchen with a lot of junk in it. There was a bathroom indoors, so we went to the housing authority and asked if we cleaned up that room, could we live in it the following year.In May 1979, when I was a just-graduated history major with no desire to leave Charlottesville, Leonard Sandridge hired me as his assistant after he was promoted to director of the Budget Office.Reading “Off the Page and Onto the Screen” and “What’s the future of books in a digital world?” (Fall 2011) sparked a thought on an article I had just finished in the September 2011 issue of Popular Science. The article discusses the future of classrooms versus the Internet, student/teacher interaction and how students actually learn new material and concepts.The article quotes Mr. Jefferson on higher education’s function: “enlighten them with mathematical and physical sciences, which advance the arts, and administer to the health, the subsistence, and comforts of human life but also form them to habits of reflection and correct action, rendering them examples of virtue to others, and of happiness within themselves.”In the interview with President Sullivan (“The State of the University,” Summer 2011) no one noticed, apparently, the irony of putting her answers to the question about faculty hiring and retention immediately before her answer to the question of coaches’ salaries.Her justification of the coaches’ astronomic salaries is: You have to pay to play, because it is a competitive environment. If you want to be a top-notch competitor in collegiate sports, you have to pay good salaries. I agree with this logic. But academic salaries are competitive, too, and money talks. Faculty in my department—I believe across Arts & Sciences—have not had a raise since 2007. Retiring faculty have not been replaced. A number of us, as President Sullivan points out, have been made offers by outside institutions, and we have had to make hard decisions about whether U.Va. would remain the wonderful place that it has been. As the economy begins to improve, those offers will become more frequent, more attractive and less frequently refused.It would be wonderful if the University could find a way to marshal alumni to support faculty salaries the way they do coaches salaries. It would remind everyone that (a) sports are ancillary to academics at the University, and (b) academics have consistently been the place of U.Va.‘s excellence. As an elderly former “faculty child,” I always read the “In Memoriam” section of Virginia Magazine. Under 1940s, I found the name of Robert Septimus Pace Jr.My late mother, Dorothy Chamberlain Johnson, wife of Thomas Cary Johnson Jr., professor of history at U.Va. for many years, got to know Mr. Pace when she lived in Fluvanna County after my father’s death. She was a strong supporter of the Fluvanna County SPCA. She and Mr. Pace shared many interests: reading, gardening, historical preservation and a love of animals.Ill health forced her to move north and live with me. When she died, Mr. Pace wrote me a letter suggesting that I send her ashes to him “for placement in one of my flower beds.” Since she loved Fluvanna, I thought that was a lovely idea. He enclosed a picture of his red and white peony beds, and in those her ashes lie. Alumni, Arts & Entertainment, Books, Faculty, Grounds & Buildings, Politics 2011-11-17T03:01:02+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/sports/article/body_builder/ http://uvamagazine.org/sports/article/body_builder/#When:16:08:40Z Calling Mike Curtis simply a strength and conditioning coach doesn’t do justice to the full scope of his job.He’s part physical therapist, part biodynamics expert and part injury-prevention guru.He draws on all of that knowledge every day as the U.Va. men’s basketball program’s strength and conditioning coach. Curtis (Educ ‘98, ‘00) works closely with team nutritionist Randy Bird and head athletic trainer Ethan Saliba to ensure that each of the program’s players is in top physical condition and prepared for the rigors of the notoriously difficult ACC schedule. “We have a unique strength coach,” says head coach Tony Bennett. “He’s phenomenal. If you watch our guys train, it’s a little unconventional, but it’s so effective.”Now entering his third season with the Cavaliers, Curtis, who played at U.Va. and was co-captain in the late 1990s under former head coach Jeff Jones (Col ‘82), has a nearly ideal background for the tasks at hand.“My experience of chasing Curtis Staples [Col ‘98] every day in practice helps,” Curtis says, referring to the Cavaliers’ former three-point ace. “There are certain things that you need to understand. Unless you’ve run through a screen or something like that, you can’t understand it. Those experiences mesh with my [educational and professional] background to give me a good mix.”His professional résumé includes stints with the Memphis Grizzlies and the University of Michigan, experiences that inform his approach to the variety of challenges at U.Va.Mike Scott, the Cavaliers’ 6-foot-8, 237-pound power forward, has been one of the program’s most productive players in Bennett’s time at the helm. Scott started last season with a bang, averaging 15.9 points and 10.2 rebounds per game in his first 10 games. Curtis’ program and Scott’s hard work had clearly paid off in a better-conditioned athlete capable of making a huge impact on the ACC. Then an ankle injury and a pair of surgeries cut short his season and left Scott to apply for a medical redshirt. With his ability to condition affected significantly by the ankle problems, Scott, now a fifth-year senior, is looking as ready to roll as he did at the start of last season—with Curtis’ help. “I’m more of a strength and conditioning coach that focuses on function—we want to make you more mobile,” Curtis said. “We finally got [Scott] to a place where he’s more mobile.”Curtis was quick to give the credit to Scott, who managed to keep off extra weight and worked hard throughout his rehabilitation not only to maintain but improve his functional strength.While Scott’s injury was a largely isolated incident, veteran point guard Sammy Zeglinski (Col ‘11) has been through several frustrating injuries since joining the Cavaliers that have required hip, ankle and knee surgeries. Curtis has had to alter the senior’s conditioning and workout plans accordingly to keep something else from happening. “We’d put together a program [before 2010] I thought was going to shield him from injuries,” Curtis said. “And then one freak thing and we’re back there.”Zeglinski went down with a knee injury early last season, the latest in a series of seemingly compounding issues. That led Curtis to try to strengthen Zeglinski’s foundation and correct the source of the problem.“He has a lack of ankle mobility from his first-year injury [a surgery that included inserting a pin into his foot]—a lot of it is trying to fix those movement patterns,” Curtis said. Curtis’ adjustments with 7-foot center Assane Sene (Col ‘12) have helped him avoid a pattern common among 7-footers. They traditionally have a checkered injury history because of their extreme height, which has a significant impact on the body’s biodynamics. Sene has avoided that, and he’s getting stronger in the process, with Curtis’ guidance. In particular, Sene had to adjust his eating habits to bulk up his frame. “Assane had to learn to look at eating like a job,” Curtis said. “Yeah, you’re full, but you’ve got to eat again.”Curtis has adjusted exercises to take Sene’s height into account, which has helped protect the senior from most injuries. Bennett has certainly noticed the extra attention.“He’s gotten stronger,” Bennett says. “In the weight room with Coach Curtis, he’s moving more weight around. [He has] a little more control with his body and his balance and things like that.”That’s a key part of Curtis’ expansive, influential role on U.Va. basketball and his unique blend of passion and expertise. Sports 2011-11-03T16:08:40+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/features/article/testing_the_waters/ http://uvamagazine.org/features/article/testing_the_waters/#When:15:52:39Z Suzanne Maben, gray-green waders hugging her legs, forges into the middle of Paine Run and, like a nurse monitoring a patient, records the vital signs of the stream. The air is still and ripe with recent rain, and the sky is gray on this late-September day; the first blush of fall shows on the dogwoods and maples in the Shenandoah National Forest. As the water flows under the forest canopy, Paine Run seems transparent and pristine, the bedrock of pale quartzite visible below the surface. Small fish—sculpin and blacknose dace—occasionally dart among the submerged rocks and leaves.Maben runs a white measuring tape from bank to bank to gauge the width. Then she holds a flow meter—a metal rod with sensors and a digital readout—at several spots on the Blue Ridge stream’s bottom to track its depth and velocity. Finally, she moves upstream to take samples of the water, which, along with other data from the site, will be analyzed back at U.Va., where Maben is a senior lab specialist in environmental sciences.The sampling is a weekly routine that has been going on for years, part of a larger effort that has been under way for decades. The mass of information collected as part of U.Va.‘s Shenandoah Watershed Study (SWAS) has had a critical role in shaping public policy on the environment and shedding light on trends in various ecosystems. It also provides a scientific benchmark for water quality, the first dot in a series that connects the trail of this precious resource as it flows from the mountains to the rivers to the bay to the ocean.“The water quality doesn’t get any better as the water goes downstream. This is where it starts,” says Rick Webb, whose thick beard and ruddy cheeks create the impression of an affable mountain man.In a sense, Webb, a senior scientist in the department of environmental sciences, is a man of the mountains. For years, he has shepherded much of U.Va.‘s water research in the national park, national forests and elsewhere in the Blue Ridge. A fly fisherman when time allows, Webb coordinates the Virginia Trout Stream Sensitivity Study (VTSSS), which is done in tandem with the watershed project.At issue is how the health of streams is affected by pollutants, to a great extent the acid rain caused by emissions such as sulfur dioxide from coal-fired power plants. The higher the levels of acid, the greater the stress on the streams; insects, fish and other aquatic life will decline or die out.Trout streams are particularly important because brook trout, the only such species native to Virginia, are the last to go when streams become highly acidic; if “brookies” can’t survive, the water is in bad shape. But scientists look beyond fish—factoring in bedrock and soil composition, variations in flow and events like gypsy moth defoliation—when assessing water quality.In the spring of 2010, more than 160 volunteers, organized by Trout Unlimited chapters in the state, collected samples from 384 streams. The findings, when compared with similar efforts in 2000 and 1987, contain some good news. Virginia’s mountain streams are recovering from earlier acidification on two fronts—concentrations of sulfates (sulfur in its water form) are down and many streams have greater capacity to neutralize acid, according to an analysis by former U.Va. grad student Janet Miller (Grad ‘11). This improved health is linked directly to years of lower emissions from power plants, largely due to tougher emission standards that resulted from the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. SWAS data was instrumental in the passage of that legislation.The story of that effort dates to 1979, when James Galloway, now associate dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, teamed up with two other professors to start a study based on a model Galloway was familiar with as a postdoc at Cornell.They began on two streams—White Oak Run and Deep Run—in Shenandoah National Park, a partner in the study. Now, U.Va. regularly monitors more than 60 sites. Paine Run is one of five sampled weekly; it is one of three with sophisticated solar-powered equipment that records flow data and collects samples for analysis during storms and other high-flow events.Over the decades, the information has accrued significance. “It’s like an endowment or a bank account, if you will—the more you put in, the more value it has later on,” Galloway says.The data has been scientific ammunition for the EPA to illustrate that lower levels of pollutants in the air result in improved water quality in streams. “That’s what we’ve done with the 2010 study. That’s what that shows,” he says.Research into emerging issues, such as mercury in streams and rivers, benefits from having the structure of SWAS and VTSSS in place, says U.Va. professor Todd Scanlon. His team studies mercury, which is so pervasive that, as of 2008, fish consumption advisories have been issued in every state in the U.S., encompassing 1.3 million river miles. Fish absorb mercury, and eating lots of certain fish can present health risks for some people.In addition to providing data, SWAS has an academic value, providing sites for training “oodles” of students, Galloway says. “We’re harnessing the creative forces of smart people for the benefit of society.”Back at Paine Run, Webb smiles slightly as he contemplates a similar theme. “In my view, it’s what an enlightened society wants and needs to do—being careful [with resources],” he says, rubber boots still wet from wading in the stream. “I am an ardent preservationist—not every scientist would want to say that. But I also believe in objective analysis and proceeding with understanding. The natural world is very complex, and we’re measuring just a slice of it here.” Rollover image to zoom or click here for full size.Seeding in coastal bays part of long-term researchJust as the seemingly pristine beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains defines one point of Virginia’s water trail, the barrier islands off the Eastern Shore constitute another. Climate and land use are the drivers of change in these ecosystems and shorelines. Some changes, like the shifting shorelines of the barrier islands, are incremental; others, like the wholesale loss of sea grass, are what scientists call “state change.”Sea grass once flourished in the region, but disease and a hurricane dealt a fatal one-two punch in the 1930s. The grass was no longer there to filter nutrients from the water, to provide shelter for crabs, oysters and scallops, or to anchor sediment that otherwise muddied the water.In 1998, a local waterman discovered a small patch of sea grass, fueling discussions already under way that conditions could support seeding.The effort took off in 2001, with the Virginia Institute of Marine Science seeding the sea grass and U.Va. scientists and students—donning wet suits and snorkels—monitoring how the system is changing. Initially, they seeded small plots in a 200-acre span; now, healthy sea grass covers more than 4,000 acres, and the species is propagating naturally, constituting the world’s largest sea grass restoration effort.“I think this is a real success story,” says U.Va.‘s Karen McGlathery, director of the Long-Term Ecological Research project, begun in 1986, that is now housed in the Anheuser-Busch Coastal Research Center on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. LTER’s goal, she says, is “to understand how long-term changes affect the ecosystems of this region.” McGlathery says the sea grass is here to stay, under current conditions. “Now our main role is to understand the consequences of the return of this species.”That means studying changes in water clarity, sedimentation and the return of marine species that depend on sea grass. One of the next steps along those lines, McGlathery says, is VIMS’ effort to restore scallops that once thrived in the region.As with other research, computer modeling, led by U.Va.‘s Joel Carr (Col ‘99, Grad ‘11), helps forecast changes, including how sea grass would be vulnerable to variables like water temperature. But the past is also a guide.“This is an opportunity to turn back the clock to what it was like in the 1930s, when sea grass flourished in the coastal bays,” McGlathery says.Computer modeling helps chart trendsBefore smartphones, before tablets, before laptops, even before desktops—Jack Cosby and other U.Va. scientists were plunking away on keyboards in hopes of using computers to link science and society.They used data collected through the Shenandoah Watershed Study, still in its early stages in the 1980s, not only to gauge the present but also to envision the future.“We built a model to describe the acid rain effects on watershed streams, which grew out of our research in Shenandoah National Park,” says Cosby (Col ‘66, Grad ‘82). “There weren’t even PCs then.”They reviewed existing computer models for the EPA and determined none were sufficient to help scientists or policymakers. “That’s when we came up with MAGIC. When you talk about where science meets society, MAGIC is a good instance of that,” Cosby says.MAGIC now is used by scientists, regulatory agencies and policymakers around the world. It is an interactive computer program that allows users to enter data and determine the history of a site and, given certain variables, what’s likely to happen next in terms of acidification or nitrogen pollution. In addition to modeling, it helps monitor sites and ensure accountability for making improvements. At another point in the water trail, University scientists and engineers are also mining the value of interactive computer programs. The U.Va. Bay Game, which uses computer simulation to show how decisions by various stakeholders affect the environment, has been cited as a leading model in the field. In September, U.Va. became the first university asked to join the Aqueduct Alliance, a global consortium of leading water experts. Faculty, Research, Schools & Departments, College of Arts & Sciences, Science, Biology, Environment 2011-11-03T15:52:39+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/in_your_words/article/the_simple_things_said_it_all/ http://uvamagazine.org/in_your_words/article/the_simple_things_said_it_all/#When:13:55:19Z When I arrived at the University of Virginia in the fall of 1970, I was naively unaware of the challenges I would face as part of the first class of women admitted to the traditional, all-male, Southern University. My first inkling of what lay ahead was discovering a urinal in the bathroom of my dorm suite. We also learned that there was only one shower for 10 girls. These were two simple things that I knew right away weren’t going to work for “the girls.”These simple things were just the beginning of a four-year experience as a woman in an institution that had been staunchly male for 155 years. It wasn’t always easy, but it was a great character builder. Thirty-five years later at a reunion of “the firsts,” I was gratified to hear Ernie Ern, the dean of admissions from that time, say that admissions had purposefully chosen women who wouldn’t just open doors, but would knock them down. It was what we had to do—though often unconsciously—as we redefined the undergraduate culture at the University.For the most part, my experiences in those first four years of co-education were positive. What 18-year-old girl wouldn’t love being in a school filled with bright young men? In 1970, there were 450 women in an undergraduate class of more than 6,500 students. It was an exciting time both intellectually and socially. But there were many obstacles to overcome, stereotypes to face and new paths to forge. These challenges, however, proved to be invaluable for me as I continued on a pioneering path for women in business and leadership throughout my career. I have been the fortunate beneficiary of many valuable lessons that only this specific moment in history could offer me.One of the greatest lessons I learned is that adversity is a gift. Not everyone was happy about the Board of Visitors’ decision to admit women. Much of the resistance came from older, tenured faculty members. I had one professor in particular who was angry that there were now women in his class. He made no secret of his feelings; his attitude carried into the classroom and his assignments. When I spoke in class, I was often chided. He often made sexist and demeaning remarks about the new coeds. When I tried to arrange a one-on-one meeting with him to review a low grade, he referred me to an assistant. He would not meet with me. It scared me that I had such a hostile professor, and I felt threatened academically in his class. I decided that my best option was to study hard, make it through his class without failing and be more attentive to my choices when setting up the next semester’s schedule. He was a tough introduction to my first semester at U.Va., but the experience taught me how to face resistance and obstruction without sinking into blame. It pushed me to face adversity with a commitment to finding solutions and making my way toward a more positive playing field. We all inevitably face daunting and seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Taking them on as a challenge and as an opportunity is an approach that separates the average from the exceptional. With this perspective, we can gain new insights, uncover innovative solutions and increase our capacity to persevere through thick or thin.There will be times in everyone’s life when you have to stand alone in the face of fear and override that inner voice telling you to stay small, shrink into the woodwork if possible and turn back. Acknowledging and taking action in the face of your fears is rewarded with increased courage.The women in my class constantly walked into uncharted and often hostile territory. With a 20-to-1 ratio of men to women, a class of 200 would on average have 10 girls. When we entered a classroom, we usually stood out like sore thumbs. One day, I was running a little late and arrived at my class a few minutes into the lecture. I gingerly opened the door and tried to quietly slip in unnoticed. The class had about 150 students and every seat was taken. The dress code of the day for women was miniskirts and platform shoes. Sitting on the floor was not a viable option. As I scanned the room, hoping to find an empty seat, the room got very quiet. The professor stopped talking and turned his attention to me, standing awkwardly just inside of the door. “We’re happy you decided to make it, Miss Shotton,” he said.  Then, his voice dripping with sarcasm, he said,” Now, which one of you Virginia gentlemen would like to give this little lady their seat?” No one budged. My heart was pounding as an entire room of mostly young men turned their heads and looked at me with defiance and amusement. “Oh my God,” I thought, “what if no one stands up? Please, please, please, someone please stand up.” Finally, the skinniest, geekiest nerd in the class got up and made his seat available. My opinion of nerds changed in an instant. I pulled myself together, stood up straight and tried to appear confident and nonchalant as I made my way to the seat. I found it hard to concentrate during the rest of the class but I mustered my courage and continued to act like it was nothing, all the while feeling mortified inside.There were plenty of other occasions when I felt like an outsider, the odd woman out. There were few role models to support me or safety nets to catch me when I stumbled and fell. I had plenty of opportunity to increase my reserve of courage during those days and I am a stronger person and better leader today because of it.When I first encountered overt prejudice and found myself the object of unfair discrimination, I was angry and I fought back. But as I continued on a pioneering path and gained experience and wisdom, I realized that it wasn’t about me. When my integrity was questioned because I innocently walked “on the Lawn,” when I was told that girls were ruining the school, when I was on the receiving end of sarcastic remarks about women by professors, I learned that my anger did nothing to help the situations. My choice in the face of unfairness was to learn to not take it personally and get myself out of harm’s way. I realized that other people’s biases and opinions are their own. I learned to not be a victim. Instead I developed a quiet self-confidence born from perseverance.There are many lessons to be learned on an uncertain path or when stepping into unchartered territory, for men and women alike. The greatest of all is learning that you can do it, that you can increase your wingspan. Whatever reality you face, whatever obstacles are in your path, the world offers infinite solutions and a universe of possibility. Life is short and time is precious. Don’t waste it by staying small. Step up to the challenges and opportunities that your life offers, rise above perceived limitations and soar.I am grateful that I chose to be part of that first class of women, an opportunity that paved the way for gender parity in the decade that followed. And I am grateful for the many lessons learned from the experience, not the least of which were overcoming adversity, strengthening my courage and increasing my self-confidence.   Alumni, Alumnae, History, U.Va. Tradition 2011-10-28T13:55:19+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/top_university_news/article/u.va._expands_accelerated_bachelors-masters_program/ http://uvamagazine.org/top_university_news/article/u.va._expands_accelerated_bachelors-masters_program/#When:01:52:55Z University News 2011-10-17T01:52:55+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/top_university_news/article/university_joins_consortium_addressing_global_water_issues/ http://uvamagazine.org/top_university_news/article/university_joins_consortium_addressing_global_water_issues/#When:01:46:37Z Science, Environment, University News 2011-10-17T01:46:37+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/top_university_news/article/stone_spacek_to_headline_virginia_film_festival/ http://uvamagazine.org/top_university_news/article/stone_spacek_to_headline_virginia_film_festival/#When:01:35:43Z Alumni, Arts & Entertainment, Film, University News 2011-10-17T01:35:43+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/top_university_news/article/rotunda_roof_to_be_repaired_not_replaced/ http://uvamagazine.org/top_university_news/article/rotunda_roof_to_be_repaired_not_replaced/#When:01:29:04Z Architecture, Grounds & Buildings, University News 2011-10-17T01:29:04+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/only_online/article/virginia_trading_cards/ http://uvamagazine.org/only_online/article/virginia_trading_cards/#When:17:46:03Z Richard Coltrane (Col ’61) once had a collection of sports trading cards so large that he donated 80,000 cards to the Boys and Girls Club in Newport News before moving to his current home in Midlothian, Va. A letterman on the U.Va. track team, Coltrane has also been a lifelong Cavaliers fan—a passion that’s reflected in his large trading-card collection of Virginia alumni who played professional football and basketball. His football collection includes players from many eras, beginning with college and professional hall-of-famer Bill Dudley and ending with a number of former Cavaliers who are still playing in the NFL. That earliest card is still Coltrane’s favorite. “Bill Dudley is one of the all-time greats,” he says. “There hasn’t been anybody with the variety of talents he had. There have been better quarterbacks, punters, defensive backs and running backs, but I don’t know of anyone who could do it all the way he could.”Coltrane recently donated his collection to the Alumni Association. A selection of his football cards can be viewed in this online gallery. Look for selections from his basketball collection; they will be posted this winter.  History, Sports, Football 2011-10-11T17:46:03+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/only_online/article/how_to_keep_new_hires/ http://uvamagazine.org/only_online/article/how_to_keep_new_hires/#When:17:34:03Z Ever search for a new job ... on the job? According to Lilith Christiansen (Com ’95), management consultant, and co-author of the book Successful Onboarding, almost one third of new hires start looking for a different job within their first six months of employment. “When you consider that the average American company turns over nearly half of its workforce every 36 months, and all the time it takes to re-hire, that’s a ton of productivity down the drain,” Christiansen says.A few years ago, she noticed that less successful corporations were giving their employees the same boilerplate orientation: nothing more than a site tour and benefits package review. “And it just wasn’t working for them,” she says. “The first few months of employment are a critical time for talent development—it’s a time to gain exposure to the culture and strategy of the company, to start providing early career support and establishing networks.“The principles in the book can apply to people in any organization,” says Christiansen, “from a Rotary club, to a church group, to the PTA.” Anticipating a new member’s first experiences will make her feel welcome and supported, and hopefully translate to a long and happy tenure. Christiansen returns to U.Va. every fall for football games and to recruit for her company. “I am always astonished by the difference between U.Va. recruits and those who come from other schools,” she says. “U.Va. kids are poised, prepared and professional.” She attributes this, in large part, to the invaluable resources provided by the Career Services Office. “When I was a student, I was in there every chance I got, learning how to write a résumé, what a ‘case study’ interview was—it made a huge difference.“Writing a book was definitely a process,” says Christiansen, “I routinely woke up two hours before anyone else in my house, and sacrificed my weekends to meet deadlines.” But it felt worth it this past summer when she and co-author Mark A. Stein attended a professional conference, where one of their clients won a big award. “We got some time at the McGraw Hill booth, and people actually stood in line just to get my signature. For a brief moment, I felt a little bit like Dave Matthews.” She offers some tips for managers who want to get the most out of their employees’ first years, and for new hires themselves. “The book not only helps companies plan a better orientation strategy, but it lets anybody who’s ever been the new kid on the job know what their experience can and should be.”For more career resources, visit the Alumni Career Services Center website. Alumni, Alumnae, Arts & Entertainment, Books, Career 2011-10-11T17:34:03+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/only_online/article/witness_to_disaster/ http://uvamagazine.org/only_online/article/witness_to_disaster/#When:17:25:18Z As 17-year-old Frank Ward grabbed a rope to help the Hindenburg dock in New Jersey in 1937, he looked up, saw the airship’s captain leaning out his window and thought, “What a great job that would be.”“Someday, not too many years away, I would get out of college and maybe go and study, become a captain. He probably gets a good salary,” Ward (Educ ’53) recalls thinking. At that moment, the future of dirigibles looked promising. “Every country will have one. We’d travel all over. And that wouldn’t be a bad profession.”Within seconds, though, promise turned to nightmare. The Hindenburg burst into flames, creating a horrific spectacle in the sky. The sequence of events—from the first spark to the final crash—took only 34 seconds, but the memories have lasted a lifetime.“It seems to play back in slow motion to those Navy and civilian ground crew close to the intense heat who felt helpless watching the bow come crashing down,” says Cheryl R. Ganz, who is coordinating an upcoming exhibit at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum. “Their first reaction was to run, but then they were compelled to move back toward the burning airship, helping save so many lives.”Ward did just that—he instinctively ran away, then ran back to help. But things were happening fast and the heat was intense. “The fabric was burning as quickly as you could burn it, almost like tin foil when you put a match to it,” Ward recalls. “And then we saw the frame—the frame was getting redder by the minute.”The loss of life “was a terrible, gory sight,” Ward says. Of the 97 passengers on board, 35 were killed. The experience, however, left Ward with no emotional scars, no nightmares, no post-trauma stress. “All through my life, I have never had that kind of emotion, for some reason. It just didn’t affect me that way. So I went home with my father [a nautical engineer at Lakehurst Naval Air Station, where the incident occurred], and the next day I went to school.”Ward went on to serve in the Army, seeing combat in World War II and Korea; he met his future wife at Walter Reed General Hospital, then came to U.Va. under the GI Bill. His timing proved fortunate—the track coach had just retired, and because Ward had experience both as an athlete and coach, he was hired on the spot to coach U.Va.’s track team.“I couldn’t believe it,” Ward says with a chuckle. After graduating, he continued in education, for many years coaching football and teaching history at Lake Forest Country Day School in Illinois. Now a Charlottesville resident, Ward, 91, is one of only a handful of surviving eyewitnesses of the Hindenburg disaster. About 10 years ago, he returned to the site and, at a small museum nearby, discovered some interesting memorabilia, in particular a medal and documents signed by Nazi officials—including Hitler himself—thanking Americans for their help. The medals were never distributed because of anti-Nazi sentiment at the time.More valuable than any medals, though, are Ward’s memories of the event. “He has vivid memories of the eyewitness experience,” says Ganz, chief curator of philately at the postal museum. “Like other tragedies, the stories of rescuers and survivors help us deal with the humanity of it all.”  Alumni, History 2011-10-11T17:25:18+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/in_your_words/article/a_summer_at_a_bolivian_orphanage/ http://uvamagazine.org/in_your_words/article/a_summer_at_a_bolivian_orphanage/#When:14:45:41Z Last summer, I visited an orphanage in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, called the Stansberry Children’s Home. The trip was full of unexpected coincidences and on the first day, I discovered surprising connections to both the University of Virginia and Canada, my country of birth. Two years ago, I volunteered as a teacher and coordinator for an after-school Spanish club along with several parents in my Goochland community. Ms. Stansberry attended the club meetings with her two children. Her grandparents, Elena and John Stansberry, founded an orphanage in Bolivia in 1954. With this fortuitous connection, my sister Jennette and I applied to volunteer there.We arrived in Santa Cruz in June 2011 and were chauffeured to our destination by ‘Tio Carlos’ or Uncle Chuck, one of the co-directors of the orphanage. As he drove us through the streets to our destination, close to the ‘quinto añillo’ or fifth ring of the city, we had our first dose of culture shock. The streets of Santa Cruz are littered with garbage, the buildings are cinder block, and the roads eventually transition from pavement to mud. Santa Cruz is the largest city in Bolivia, an urban sprawl of 1.5 million, divided into seven “rings.” The orphanage is in the ‘Barrios de Missiones,’ a community of sprawling neighboring houses and businesses, two Evangelical churches and one Catholic Church. In addition to the voices of children, the orphanage is endlessly serenaded by sound from these churches. We were lulled to sleep or roused in the mornings by Catholic hymns or Evangelical drums and electric guitars amplified though loud speakers in these windowless cinder block structures.In the first week, we learned the orphanage’s routines and structures. The Stansberry Children Home is divided into two parts, supported by churches and a board of directors in the United States and Canada. One part is the children’s home and orphanage and the other is the “The Guardaria Moises” or daycare. When my sister and I met Tio Carlos and Tia Cindy, we instinctively recognized their Canadian accents. My sister and I are both Canadians by birth and still have family in Canada. Our first dinner in Bolivia was at Tio Carlos and Tia Cindy’s house. While I had expected to eat beans and rice for my first meal, we were instead served meatloaf and potatoes—a familiar Canadian dinner. While touring the casas, we discovered the second coincidence. As I crossed the hearth of one of the “casas” where the children lived, I noticed a plaque bearing the name of Chi Alpha and the University of Virginia. I was told later that a team of students from Chi Alpha had contributed to the funding and building of the casas at the orphanage. Casa two bears the name “Katie,” the sister of the director of Chi Alpha, Pete Bullete. Katie tragically passed away from cancer, so casa two is named in her memory.After settling in, we were given our job responsibilities. We babysat the little children, helped the older children bring their lunch from the central kitchen to their casas in a garden wheelbarrow, and served it out to the children at a large table. We made sure the children showered, dressed and combed their hair before going to school. In Bolivia, school-age children only attend school in the afternoons from 1 to 5 p.m. Jennette assisted me with these duties, but she also spent several hours each morning and afternoons assisting workers at the ‘guardaria’ or daycare. While the Stansberry Children’s Home accommodates children from infancy all the way through their college years, the daycare is a community service for children who live outside the home. It was specifically added onto the orphanage several years ago with the intent of providing community outreach to single mothers and fathers in the community. The daycare also employs local Bolivians who care for the children during the day and provide them with basic education, hygiene and healthy food. The daycare is very important because it provides an extension of its much-needed services to children in the local community, who suffer from the effects of poverty and lack of education. The orphanage also offers a ‘biblioteca’ library program, a before- and after-school tutoring program for children who live in the orphanage and the surrounding community. I spent my extra time working with the biblioteca’s educational psychologist and teaching English to the children of the biblioteca. I was invited by the school psychologist to help research and compile a presentation on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. We presented our facts about Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and strategies that teachers and parents could use with who suffer from the syndrome. I met beautiful children who will always have a special place in my heart. My sister and I held pizza parties for them. It was a big job to gather up ingredients from meager supplies and make pizza—from scratch—for more than 30 children. But to hear their prayers before the meal made the extra labor worth it. The children were always eager to pray and thank God for every blessing they could think of. Their pure and simple prayers revealed the voices of children who were blessed, loved and provided for. They also showed that the children longed for families and parents of their own. Alumni, Alumnae, International 2011-10-10T14:45:41+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/alumni_spotlight/article/education_in_kenya/ http://uvamagazine.org/alumni_spotlight/article/education_in_kenya/#When:20:25:14Z In July, Doug Granger (Educ ’06) visited Kenya with his wife and a couple of friends to take part in a mission conference through his church in Charlottesville. While in Kenya he visited a small school in the heart of Nairobi that provides education for children living in poverty. As an assistant principal in Albemarle County, Doug brought home a vision for excellent education and a desire to make Nairobi’s South B Slums a better place.Most children who attend the Brine Academy walk to school through narrow alleyways cut through the middle of tiny homes made of tin. A sewer runs through the middle of the alleyway and carries away the sludge left over from the 400,000 residents of this two square kilometer living space.In spite of these challenges, many children approach their education with a sense that it is the key to their long-term survival. Their families pay approximately $9 a year in tuition and must keep the school uniforms in good order. From the age of 4, children spend 11-14 hours a day at school, six days a week. Each of the 60-70 graduates is able to speak three languages—in addition to reading and writing in English—and goes on from the Brine Academy to attend either a four-year university or two-year trade school. The academy was started 10 years ago by a Kenyan pastor named Justus Wafula. Justus and his wife, Suzie, moved to the slum and began by teaching their own children. Since its small beginnings, the student body has grown to more than 850 students ages 4-18 with a staff of 21—including the secretary and school administration. Each of the teachers puts in 12-16 hours a day, six days a week. For their efforts they are paid the equivalent of $70 a month. The books are provided by the Kenyan government, but all of the other money needed for these children comes through the children’s tuition or private donations. If you would like to learn more about the Brine Academy, please contact Doug Granger at brineacademy@gmail.com. Alumni, International, Schools & Departments, Curry School of Education 2011-09-23T20:25:14+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/alumni_spotlight/article/an_alumni_couple_goes_for_gold/ http://uvamagazine.org/alumni_spotlight/article/an_alumni_couple_goes_for_gold/#When:20:05:44Z John St. Clair (Col ’99) and Shannon St. Clair (Col ’99) met at the U.Va. bookstore in August 1995. “Out of 5000 freshmen, John was in two of my classes our first semester and his dorm was Lyle, which was right behind my dorm Tuttle,” says Shannon. John was a football player at U.Va. for five years. In 2000, he was drafted in the third round by the Rams and both he and Shannon moved to St. Louis. Shannon worked as a marketing coordinator for a commercial real estate firm and John proposed to her on Christmas day that year. Shannon began her first company, designing jerseys for the other wives and children of St. Louis Rams players. John later played for the Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. Shannon became a jewelry designer and launched a company, Shannon Saint Clair, in 2008. Her handcrafted creations have been worn by celebrities like Dwyane Wade, Lebron James, Gabrielle Union and Kelly Rowland. Shannon recently exhibited her work at the Miami Beach International Fashion Week.After the 2010 season, John retired after 11 years in the NFL and was inducted into the U.Va. Football Hall of Fame. Alumni, Alumnae, Career, Sports, Football 2011-09-23T20:05:44+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/alumni_spotlight/article/it_aint_easy_being_green/ http://uvamagazine.org/alumni_spotlight/article/it_aint_easy_being_green/#When:18:50:17Z Frogs are disappearing and Kerry Kriger (Engr ‘96) says their extinctions are a bellwether for the survival of other species and ecosystems. In 2008, he founded the nonprofit, Save the Frogs, which unifies the efforts of scientists, educators, policymakers and naturalists because “when we save the frogs, we’re protecting all our wildlife, all our ecosystems and all humans,” says Kriger. Save the Frogs campaigns against pesticides, habitat destruction and climate change. The organization and its supporters have held 143 events in 24 states and 21 countries. In the U.S., Save the Frogs has called on the Environmental Protection Agency to ban Atrazine, a common pesticide that disrupts the reproductive cycles of amphibians and fish. Not only is Kriger an environmental advocate, he’s also a world traveler. He has camped for 40 nights in New Zealand, captained a boat up a river in Venezuela and panned for gold in French Guiana. His work with frogs intersects with his wanderlust; he traveled to Panamanian swamps to photograph red-webbed gladiator frogs. In South Korea, he radio-tracked burrowing toads. Kriger’s most recent trip was to Ghana. “I have just set up Save the Frogs, Ghana. It’s the first of what I hope to be many international branches,” says Kriger. Each year, Kriger coordinates Save the Frogs Day, an effort to raise awareness of the plight of amphibians. Last year, he delivered a petition against Atrazine with more than 10,000 signatures to the EPA. The next Save the Frogs Day will be April 28, 2012.   Alumni, Science, Environment 2011-09-23T18:50:17+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/only_online/article/bringing_the_band_inside/ http://uvamagazine.org/only_online/article/bringing_the_band_inside/#When:19:18:02Z A permanent home for the University’s band program has been years in the making, but with the opening of the Hunter Smith Band Building this month, the halls are alive with the sound of music.The dedication on Sept. 2 marked the $12.7 million facility’s official opening, and the torrential rain the following week forced rehearsals inside, fulfilling a vision dating to the genesis of the current band program in 2003.“It’s been a dream come true,” band director Bill Pease told a standing-room-only crowd at the dedication. The audience included marching band students, their uniforms accented with white spats and orange capes, who were savoring having a permanent home on Grounds.“Before this building was completed,” says drum major Abby Heider (Col ’12), “our offices and storage spaces were somewhat scattered across Grounds. Now, we have a place where we can rehearse, store uniforms and instruments … and ultimately focus on making our performances better and better.”With two huge video screens and instant-playback audio recording capabilities, musicians will be able to watch and listen to their own performances to hone their techniques. Beyond that, they will add to the growth of the Betsy and John Casteen Arts Grounds in the Culbreth Road area.“The band building will, for the first time, give music a presence on the Arts Grounds,” said Meredith Woo, U.Va.’s dean of the College of Arts & Sciences.The seeds for the building were planted when Hunter Smith and her husband, the late Carl W. Smith, donated $1.5 million in 2003 to launch the Cavalier Marching Band. “I distinctly remember hearing the announcement that Hunter Smith donated money for us to build a state-of-the-art rehearsal space. I was in my second semester of my first year at U.Va.,” says Heider. “Now, I am in awe of her generosity and the hard work of the construction group.”The space also provides students a “haven of activity,” Pease says. Few of the 298 students in the program—which includes the concert band, basketball band, wind ensemble and other units—are music majors. Overall, 56 degree programs are represented.The building spans two floors and includes offices, storage room for instruments, practice rooms and two large rehearsal areas. In a quiet moment before practice on a rainy day, Pease stood in the larger of the rehearsal rooms and reflected. “Two years ago we were standing right here in a dirt pile.”Now the 4,100-square-foot room is a spacious, light-saturated acoustic gem. Beige “clouds” of acoustic fabric hang from a ceiling 52 feet high; panels of dark blue and beige fabric line three walls with a lattice of sound-absorbing wood on the fourth. Twelve-foot windows, including panels specially buffered against noise from the adjoining railroad tracks, open the room to views of other arts buildings as well as historic Lambeth Field.The smaller rehearsal room sports gold drapes to soak up sound, making both spaces acoustically “dry”—no reverb, no echo, nowhere to hide if you play a wrong note.“This is our lab,” says Pease. “This is where we create music, and this is our home.” Arts & Entertainment, Music, Students 2011-09-19T19:18:02+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/only_online/article/bringing_home_the_bacon/ http://uvamagazine.org/only_online/article/bringing_home_the_bacon/#When:19:15:02Z When Bryan Kelly, the district executive chef for U.Va. Dining Services, headed up the mid-Atlantic team at the 2011 Aramark Culinary Excellence competition, he knew to expect the unexpected. Each team is given a mystery basket of ingredients with which to prepare a three-course meal, and this year Kelly and his teammates—Brandon Rudisill of James Madison University and Anthony Baker of Muskingum University—received a pig’s ear in their basket. Although certainly a surprise, the pig’s ear was not a new ingredient to Kelly, who is a member of the Nose to Tail Mafia—chefs devoted to using every part of the pig. After using the ear to flavor some beans, his team won first place, taking home the prized copper pot.Kelly did not have a chef’s traditional education, forgoing culinary school to apprentice under Master Chef Peter Timmins at the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia, where “you’re not filleting a salmon and taking a test on it,” Kelly says. “If you’re filleting a salmon, you’re filleting a salmon for the entire hotel.” The scale and pressure of his apprenticeship helped train Kelly to oversee every aspect of U.Va.’s Dining Services. One day he might be preparing a 12-course avant-garde menu for a select group of diners, the next tweaking the macaroni and cheese in Newcomb Hall for thousands of undergraduates. He is also responsible for catering, menu development, food safety, and research and development. “In my position,” he says, “you’re able to switch gears really quickly.” Kelly’s culinary agility also goes back to his apprenticeship with Timmins, who routinely gave his protégés mystery baskets, just as in the Aramark competition. “It’s a more intuitive way of thinking about food,” Kelly says.But it is not all intuition. The trick, he says, is to always have a road map, a plan that is detailed but allows for improvisation. “We knew that someone was really going to have to beat us that day,” Kelly says. “We knew we were going to execute it flawlessly.”The preparation included watching YouTube clips of famous chefs, like football players watching game film.“[Kelly’s] leadership,” notes teammate Anthony Baker, “kept us composed through all of our practices and competition.”While there was a time when cooking with this sense of competitiveness would have seemed strange, the growing popularity of culinary culture has changed that. Now, people can root for their favorites on television shows like Top Chef or Iron Chef. “About a generation and a half ago, the U.S. Department of Labor considered chefs domestic help,” Kelly says. “But through the advent of cooking channels, culinary magazines and just general recognition, we now have a bona fide, recognized profession that can now be promoted.”All this has gone a long way in expanding the palates of a new generation. At U.Va., Kelly says, “a lot of things we’re able to put on the menus come from the students, who are going out and experiencing new things.”“Charlottesville is a great food city,” he continues. “People who eat around this area know good food, so we certainly have a challenge to serve as high quality food as other restaurants in this area.”U.Va. Chef Bryan Kelly’s tailgate recipes: mini cheesesteaksU.Va. Chef Bryan Kelly’s tailgate recipes: BBQ shrimp Faculty 2011-09-19T19:15:02+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/only_online/article/peak_care/ http://uvamagazine.org/only_online/article/peak_care/#When:13:35:02Z In early spring, Dr. Luanne Freer (Nurs ’80) makes the 10-day trek up to the Everest Base Camp Clinic, where she treats climbers, Sherpas and Nepalis with maladies ranging from sore throats and frostbite to deadly high-altitude illnesses. During the two-and-a-half-month climbing season, she sees between 400 and 500 patients. To stay sane, Freer tries to keep regular business hours, but the clinic is open around the clock for emergencies.For Freer, the greatest reward is in the personal relationships that develop as a result of taking care of people. “There are several climbers we see two or three times a week and think, ‘They are just not thriving. There’s no way they can make it to the top.’ And then they do. They summit, and it kind of feels like we were along with them. We were able to get someone well enough to realize their dream. It’s tremendously gratifying for us to be a part of that.”The clinic is housed in a 12-by-20-foot canvas tent. “Everest Base Camp is on a moving glacier,” Freer explains. “Even if you tried to construct a stone building, it would be gone in a couple of months.” Last year, a smaller tent was donated, which is used as the waiting room. Medical supplies are limited, but over the course of the clinic’s nine years in operation, Freer has figured out the essentials. Duct tape is a favorite tool, as are makeshift splints and backpack-strap stretchers. Improvising with medications is more difficult. Freer uses an atomizer to create mists that can be administered through the nose rather than solely relying on IVs, which can freeze and break.During the rest of the year, Freer lives in Bozeman, Mont., and works for Medcor as medical director for Yellowstone National Park. After a trip to Nepal in 1999 and later volunteer work there, Freer fell in love with the Nepali people, their culture and their landscape, and she realized that she needed to return.Freer founded the Everest Base Camp Clinic in 2003 with support from the Himalayan Rescue Association. She runs the clinic with the help of a volunteer physician or two who are interested in mountain medicine and who can take off time to go to Everest. (Many Nepali doctors interested in mountain medicine don’t have the same luxury.) The clinic relies on donations, sponsorships and fees from climbers, who pay $100—in addition to the $70,000 it costs to climb Everest—for access to the clinic. Freer uses these funds to provide care for Sherpas and Nepalis as well. “It’s a simple concept,” Freer says, “doing something you care about. It changed my life, changed what I do with my life, and made me a really happy person. You don’t have to go to Nepal. As long as you’re doing something that turns you on, and you combine it with something you’re good at, it really is a life changer.”—Hannah Holtzman (Grad ’11, ’15) Alumni, Alumnae 2011-09-19T13:35:02+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/alumni_spotlight/article/the_case_for_plain_talk/ http://uvamagazine.org/alumni_spotlight/article/the_case_for_plain_talk/#When:15:45:58Z From his experience in Texas as a judge, trial lawyer and supervisor of an 800-lawyer public agency, Kent C. Sullivan (Col ’78, Law ’82) knows the value of plain language in court cases.Sullivan, who has served as a justice for the Texas Court of Appeals in Houston, First Assistant Attorney General and a district judge, has been instrumental in working on the state’s Pattern Jury Charge Committee, a group responsible for formulating standardized jury instructions and questions for use in trials throughout the state.“There is no bigger nightmare, in my view, than finding out that you’re instructing people about a particular area of the law and asking them to answer questions that they don’t understand,” Sullivan says. “They are making very important decisions that affect the lives of people—sometimes even the rise and fall of corporations—and they don’t know effectively what they are doing.”Earlier this year Sullivan and others on the committee were awarded a ClearMark award from the Center for Plain Language in Washington, D.C. Alumni, Career 2011-09-16T15:45:58+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/top_university_news/article/head_of_the_class_sullivan_calls_first_years_strongest_ever/ http://uvamagazine.org/top_university_news/article/head_of_the_class_sullivan_calls_first_years_strongest_ever/#When:15:24:31Z Students, University News, Rankings 2011-09-16T15:24:31+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/top_university_news/article/u.va._bars_fireplace_use_in_lawn_range_rooms/ http://uvamagazine.org/top_university_news/article/u.va._bars_fireplace_use_in_lawn_range_rooms/#When:15:21:34Z Grounds & Buildings, University News 2011-09-16T15:21:34+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/top_university_news/article/sullivan_announces_new_uva_provost/ http://uvamagazine.org/top_university_news/article/sullivan_announces_new_uva_provost/#When:15:18:47Z University News 2011-09-16T15:18:47+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/top_university_news/article/u.va._holds_firm_as_no._2_public_university/ http://uvamagazine.org/top_university_news/article/u.va._holds_firm_as_no._2_public_university/#When:15:16:07Z University News, Rankings 2011-09-16T15:16:07+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/polls/article/what_percentage_of_your_readingfor_pleasure_or_courseworkis_done_digitally/ http://uvamagazine.org/polls/article/what_percentage_of_your_readingfor_pleasure_or_courseworkis_done_digitally/#When:16:02:40Z Arts & Entertainment, Books 2011-08-31T16:02:40+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/in_your_words/article/sowing_the_seeds_of_peace/ http://uvamagazine.org/in_your_words/article/sowing_the_seeds_of_peace/#When:20:45:16Z Diplomats in blue jeans, we gazed up anxiously at the September skies of Cyprus as we assembled chairs and sound equipment for the festival to bring together Greek- and Turkish Cypriots. It had been a dry year, but now dark clouds were gathering above us, over the grounds of the once-splendid Ledra Palace Hotel in the buffer zone that separated the two sides of the former British colony. There had been clashes between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots since 1963, when violence broke out in the capital of Nicosia. In 1974, the Greek government’s attempt to seize control led to military intervention by Turkey, which took over the northern third of the island. Since then, Greek Cypriots had not been allowed to cross into the north, nor Turkish Cypriots into the south. In 1996, clashes led to the death of two demonstrators; there was a constant threat of more violence. Now, in 1997, we were looking for ways to make peace in this heavily militarized country.I was the public affairs officer at the U.S. Embassy in Nicosia, so part of my job was to help the two communities get to know each other, to lay the groundwork for social reintegration once political conflicts were resolved so peace and stability could take root. Working with embassies of other countries, we nurtured a range of activities designed to bridge the two communities. The idea of this festival in the narrow strip of land where the two sides were allowed to gather was to showcase these grassroots projects. Under the U.S. Embassy’s leadership and the auspices of the U.N., the Swiss brought cold cuts, Germans supplied beer, French and Italians offered wine, and we laid on pizza and burgers. We arranged for Cypriot folk music, watercolor painting and traditional dancing. But now angry black rainclouds were rolling in; Turkish Cypriot authorities had blocked off roads and threatened to deny entry to the buffer zone. Maybe no one would come.An hour before the 4 p.m. start of the fair, Cypriots began to stream in through both checkpoints. They surged in even as the skies opened and a torrent began to pelt the drought-stricken soil. The Cypriots were thrilled to meet each other after three decades of separation. They talked excitedly in their common language of English about “the Cyprus Problem” as well as the more mundane commonalities of their lives as Cypriots. Children handed out carnations to kids from across the line. We pulled our electrical sound systems under the party tents and kept the music going—bouzoukis and drums in joyful clatter—and still they came, dancing, singing, celebrating the chance to mix with strangers from their own land, more than 4,000 in all. The downpour finally gave way to a clear, cool evening, and there was a palpable sense of renewal in the eastern Mediterranean air when the final chords faded.Fourteen years later, Cyprus is still divided. In 2004, the island was admitted into the European Union. In 2008, leaders of the two communities began negotiations under U.N. auspices to reunite the island and opened the cross points. Of all the other countries in which I’ve served in a 27-year Foreign Service career—Syria, Israel, Morocco, Chile, Iraq and now France—none had a single issue whose resolution would change every aspect of its citizens’ lives. Cyprus is known as “paradise with a problem.” For one stormy night in 1997, we were able to forget the problem and rejoice amid the downpour, with renewed hope of a good harvest and, some day, of lasting peace.   Alumni, Alumnae, Career, International, Politics 2011-08-26T20:45:16+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/sports/article/out_of_the_park/ http://uvamagazine.org/sports/article/out_of_the_park/#When:00:44:07Z Sports, Alumni in Sports, Baseball, Club Sports, Field Hockey, Football, Golf, Lacrosse, Men's Basketball, Men's Soccer, Men's Tennis, Swimming & Diving, Track & Field, Volleyball, Women's Basketball, Women's Rowing, Women's Soccer, Women's Softball, Women's Tennis 2011-08-25T00:44:07+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/features/article/at_home_in_history/ http://uvamagazine.org/features/article/at_home_in_history/#When:19:14:57Z In the early part of the 20th century, Thomas Jefferson’s notion of the Lawn as a place where professors and students lived and studied together was a grand idea in decline. The University had higher priorities: It was short on space. So it began to co-opt the pavilions for institutional purposes. In 1904, English professor Charles W. Kent was evicted from Pavilion IV to make room for U.Va.‘s first president, Edwin A. Alderman, who needed an office. Other professors also had to pack up their trunks. Pavilion III was refashioned as the Graduate House from 1924 until 1953, and Pavilion VI was vacated for the Romance languages department. Jefferson designed the 10 pavilions with classrooms downstairs and faculty living quarters upstairs, an arrangement that matched his vision of an educational experience in which shared learning infused daily life. Each unit, identified with one of the 10 “sciences useful in our time,” was to be inhabited by the professor who taught that subject. Practically speaking, the pavilions did not give faculty much breathing room. Jefferson, however, did not want to throw off the proportions of his Academical Village, and aesthetic effect reigned. Today, nearly all of the pavilions have been enlarged.Tenancies used to be extremely long—20, 30, even 40 years. The record holder was Francis H. Smith, chair of natural philosophy, who lived in Pavilion V for 69 years, from 1859 to 1928. Intermingling with students was not always desirable. “Teaching must have stopped pretty quickly in Pavilions II and III,” says Brian Hogg, a senior preservation planner with the U.Va. Office of the Architect. “We have clear evidence that professors actually built walls behind the windows to block the view into the pavilion from the Lawn.”Ongoing restoration work, conducted between occupancies, reveals that professors were doing much more than moving furniture around. Pavilion III shows signs of “a complex history of addition and subtraction on the interior, walls appearing and disappearing, a stair being removed, and doors and windows changing places,” according to a 2006 historic structure report.“Each of the houses has its very particular history,” says Hogg. “Each one got an addition or was changed separate from all the others, so while the exteriors are very much what Jefferson knew, the way the houses have changed over time is very divergent.”As appreciation for the Academical Village and Jefferson as an architect has grown, the Lawn’s original purpose has ascended again. Those offered pavilion residency must want to participate fully as a member of what the founder envisioned: “a community of faculty and students living together and working together,” as the Board of Visitors’ official policy states. Some residents say that the privilege of living on the Lawn is unequaled.As Pavilion IV resident Larry Sabato (Col ‘74) sees it, professors are temporary tenants of a priceless legacy. “We have the obligation to preserve and share these spaces during our limited time here,” he says.Here we invite readers inside those spaces. Next: Pavilions I and II »{pagebreak}Robert Pianta, dean of the Curry School of EducationFor Robert Pianta, the greatest pleasure in occupying a pavilion lies in turning the knob and opening wide its front door.“Each morning, [I] retrieve the newspaper and just stop for a moment and look out at the Lawn and the Rotunda,” he says. “That time of day is quiet, and it’s possible to get a sense of the space as it’s been present throughout history, and to appreciate how beautiful it is and how special it is to live there.”Pianta, who has spent his entire academic career at U.Va., says he and his family always wanted to live on the Lawn; they lodged in Pavilion III until Pavilion I was ready for them in 2009. Their decision not to wait was spurred by their daughter Meghan’s impending graduation from U.Va. in 2008; what else could match as a venue for celebration?Meredith Woo, dean of the College and Graduate School of Arts & SciencesMeredith Woo and her family moved into Pavilion II in the fall of 2009, following a $2.2 million renovation. Having spent much of her adult life restoring old houses to their former glory, Woo was struck by a key difference as she set about making Pavilion II her home.“It cannot be retrofitted for modernity, however thorough the renovation may have been,” she writes on her U.Va. blog. “Rather, modernity gets retrofitted to accommodate the old house.” So while Pavilion II now boasts central heating and air conditioning, new plumbing, wiring and fire detection systems, it still lacks closets, and the small kitchen precludes installing a gas stove. Like others who live on the Lawn, Woo has become a student of her pavilion, completed in 1822 in the Roman Revival style. “Jefferson fretted over the last details of the design, down to the quality and cost of the bricks with which to build this home,” Woo writes. Abutting the Rotunda on the east side, the pavilion survived the Rotunda fire of 1895 by dint of a bucket brigade, which covered its north side with wet blankets.“It is a house with significant history, and history is always a burden, even as one learns from it,” she continues. “In moving into the pavilion, I did not have the freedom of the typical homeowner to do as I pleased—the kind of willful and rebellious ignorance one sometimes yearns for, and is politely denied, at the University of Virginia.” When she steps out the back door, though, she is glad that individual taste doesn’t always prevail. The terraced garden, enclosed by serpentine walls and presided over by an ancient bigleaf magnolia, is a favorite spot. A quiet refuge, it’s been cultivated with care. For Woo, it recalls “what John Donne might have called ‘a little world made cunningly,’” and, like the entire Academical Village, she says, it is a place meant to be shared.PAVILION FACTNext: Pavilions III and IV »{pagebreak}Harry Harding, dean of the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public PolicyHarry Harding gets a forceful reminder of Jefferson every time he walks into his basement kitchen: He has to duck. The extremely low doorways on the ground floor are but one of the quirks that he has adjusted to since becoming a tenant in April 2010. “Jefferson was an absolutely brilliant amateur architect,” says Harding, “and so as one appreciates his brilliance, one also occasionally curses or suffers under the amateurish features here and there.” Considering the fact that Jefferson himself was quite tall—over 6 feet, like Harding—his decision to shrink proportions is curious. The pavilion’s original windows have “the soundproof quality of a sheet of paper,” he adds, but the doors are absolutely solid, capable of blocking out most of the Lawn’s ruckus. Add it all up and Harding, an architecture buff, is unequivocal: “This is the most magical experience of my life in terms of a place to live.” Pavilion III was the most expensive pavilion to build. The Corinthian capitals of its two-story portico, which are Carrara marble, were considered highly extravagant by everyone except Jefferson. Inside, Harding has supplied his own exotic touch. Most prominent is his collection of Asian art, many of the works by Toko Shinoda, a Japanese contemporary female artist. Harding inherited the sizable collection from his father, who began acquiring her paintings in the 1960s. Antique travel posters are also on display.It’s an eclectic backdrop for an equally unusual event that Harding has enjoyed hosting since becoming a pavilion resident: flash seminars. These ad hoc intellectual discussions bring students and professors together outside class for the sheer love of learning—no grades, no credits. “They are very easy to arrange,” he says. “We get a bunch of chairs and what students like in terms of snacks and drinks, and we just go at it.”Larry Sabato, director of U.Va.‘s Center for PoliticsLarry Sabato counts himself unbelievably lucky to have had “two turns at bat,” he says. He lived in Room 16 East as a fourth-year and, since 2003, has called Pavilion IV home as a professor of politics. “I love the community spirit. There is always something going on,” Sabato says. “Every student resident has at least a half dozen passions, and you learn about them as you get to know your neighbors.”With so many gatherings held in the pavilions and gardens, he gets to meet people from throughout the University and beyond, visiting for conferences or to conduct research. “All universities are compartmentalized today,” says Sabato, “but the Lawn is an interdisciplinary antidote to overspecialization.”PAVILION FACTNext: Pavilions V and VI »{pagebreak}Patricia Lampkin, vice president and chief student affairs officerOne Lawn family has bounced around a bit more than others. They lived in Pavilion VIII from 1988 to 1992; in Pavilion III from 2005 to 2008; and in Pavilion V since 2008. Their children, born while the family lived in Pavilion VIII, probably consider it normal to have grown up in a UNESCO World Heritage site.Pavilion V, with its impressive six-columned portico, is by far their favorite—“although I would say, when we were in Pavilion VIII, that it more than suited our needs,” says Pat Lampkin (Educ ‘86). But for entertaining, their current home wins hands down. “It’s the most commodious and the kitchen is on the main floor,” adds Lampkin’s husband, Wayne Cozart, vice president of development for the U.Va. Alumni Association. Pavilion III, which was originally the largest of the pavilions, is now the smallest; it doesn’t have an addition, and a flight of narrow steps connects its basement kitchen with the dining room on the first floor.Each pavilion is quite different on the inside, but they all possess the same inimitable quality. Tenants often remark on it. “The size and height of the rooms and Jeffersonian features make it a very calm and pleasant environment,” says Cozart. “When I come home, my anxiety level drops by half.”With their unprecedented record of pavilion hopping, the couple is often quizzed by other faculty who are considering the invitation to live on the Lawn. Says Cozart: “We ask them what they want or enjoy when they come home,” and how they answer that question usually indicates whether they will like or loathe the arrangement.The couple has always considered their first floor to be public space, available for classes and special functions, some of which have slipped into annual tradition. “The event that we try to do every year is a midnight breakfast for Lawn residents during exam week,” says Lampkin. The menu varies, but not the hungry hordes. “The group usually broadens beyond Lawn residents, but we try to provide a home-cooked breakfast,” she says.Bob Sweeney, senior vice president for development and public affairsWhen Bob Sweeney opens his pavilion to visitors, he likes to open all of it—all three floors. “So people get the flavor of it,” he says. There isn’t a careful division between public and private. If he sees a tourist or total stranger looking in, he often surprises them by asking, “Would you like to see what it looks like?”By his own reckoning, he has hosted more than 60 events in his pavilion this year. “You might think that because of my job it would primarily be donors, but I have almost as many students and faculty groups, programs and classes in my house.”Equally impressive? “I don’t have a housekeeper,” he says. “I clean up.”PAVILION FACTNext: Pavilions VII and VIII »{pagebreak}The first structure to be built in the Academical Village, its cornerstone was laid on Oct. 6, 1817, in the presence of James Monroe, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. The pavilion housed the University’s library in its upstairs rooms until the Rotunda was completed in 1826. It also served as an unofficial faculty center and, in 1832, as a place of worship when the University hired a chaplain. It is the only pavilion that is not a faculty residence. Since 1907, it has been the address of the Colonnade Club, organized to enhance social and intellectual interaction among faculty and alumni. The club also functions as a hotel. John Colley, professor of business administration, Darden School of Business“The first thing I wanted to make sure of was that it had an indoor bathroom,” says John Colley. Surveying the Lawn from the balcony of his new digs, he is grinning from ear to ear. It’s a quiet morning in May, a few days before graduation, though U.Va. police told him the Lawn was aswarm with 30 streakers last night and 40 the night before. No matter: With brick walls a foot thick, Colley’s second-floor apartment is remarkably insulated. Unlike the other pavilion residences, Pavilion VIII is not a single-family home; the first floor contains the University Guides office and classrooms. Another apartment on the terrace level is occupied by Pamela Pecchio, an assistant professor of art.Colley gives a visitor a tour of his rooms, high-ceilinged and still half-furnished, often interrupting himself to exclaim over the craftsmanship evident everywhere, from the cornices to the white marble Corinthian columns. In April, he became the first Darden professor who is not a dean to live on the Lawn.A recipient of the 2010 Thomas Jefferson Award, Colley sees his presence as an important link between Darden and the Grounds, a connection he has tried to foster during his 44-year teaching career at U.Va. His “Reading Seminar on Jefferson,” taught with help from U.Va. and Darden alumni, is full every year and has been completed by about a thousand Darden students—small groups meeting in eight sections a year over the past decade. The huge dining room table in his apartment—inherited from the previous tenant—should be perfect for another Lawn seminar he wants to introduce for smaller groups of students.In a small room facing the Lawn that he has made into his home office, Colley points out another treat; in winter, when the trees are bare, the Rotunda will all but fill his view. “I’ve got to say this is the honor of my life to have the privilege to live here,” he says.PAVILION FACT“We’re always working to find a balance between making sure we have viable systems and minimizing our effect on the historic fabric,” says Brian Hogg. Pavilions typically undergo major renovation every 20 or 30 years, with minor work done whenever the building changes tenants. Eight have been fully restored. The recently overhauled Pavilion IX was the first Jefferson-era building at U.Va. to conform to LEED standards, the construction industry standard for environmentally responsible and sustainable construction. The project involved updating systems, such as fire suppression and appliances, installing access for cable television and wireless stations, and replacing air-conditioning units and old cast-iron radiators with a central heating and air system. Next: Pavilions IX and X »{pagebreak}Dorrie Fontaine, dean of the School of NursingNominees for pavilion residency often decline the offer because of the anticipated lack of peace and privacy, frequent social demands and the unavoidably semi-public lifestyle. It is fair to say that Dorrie Fontaine, who moved into Pavilion IX in July, hopes that this rental deal comes as advertised.“I’m going in with the attitude, ‘what a privilege it is to live here and be part of the students’ life,’” she says.Fontaine took the house keys from Karen Van Lengen, former dean of the architecture school, who shared her knowledge of its history, unusual spaces and architectural flourishes, from the exedra—the curved, recessed entrance that Jefferson modeled after the Hotel Guimard in Paris—to the triple-sash windows residents can throw open to stroll across the rooftop walkway.More mundane matters, like traffic (students will steal your parking spot) and noise (one side of the house faces the amphitheater) are combated with ear plugs and the right attitude. Fontaine accepts all of it with the unfazed enthusiasm of an adventurer. “Everything is doable,” she says. “Just as students can be noisy, I might have some noisy parties while they’re trying to study,” she adds. “We should talk about this as a two-way street, right?”In recent months, as she has checked on the progress of renovations before her move, Fontaine has surveyed all the blank plaster walls and seen the potential for making her own mark. “There are these long hallways on each level, and I want some rotating exhibits of some of our nursing history pictures,” she says. “We have one of only two nursing history centers in the States, and we have beautiful old portraits from the early years.”Fontaine has a great many other plans, too, that will have much of the University community knocking at Pavilion IX’s door. “I’m going to be keeping it very busy,” she promises.Carl Zeithaml, dean of the McIntire School of CommerceWhen his 10-year lease runs out this summer, Carl Zeithaml says he will miss his strong friendships with his younger neighbors. Each group of 54 “Lawnies” has its own personality and culture, he says, and though these students move out every year, they circle back quite often. “Lawn students have stayed with us when they were sick or injured, and they frequently come back to visit us after they graduate,” he says. “We have attended their graduation parties, their weddings, and we stay in touch with them years later.” Two Lawnies remain in very close touch: Two of Zeithaml’s children are married to them. PAVILION FACTWhen the Garden Club of Virginia restored the gardens—the west side between 1948 and 1952 and the east side from 1960 to 1965—to evoke the kind of appearance that Jefferson likely intended, swept away were all those service buildings, old dependencies and the accumulated rubble of backyard living. Faculty, Grounds & Buildings, History 2011-08-22T19:14:57+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/features/article/our_national_time_bomb/ http://uvamagazine.org/features/article/our_national_time_bomb/#When:15:56:53Z Though the nation’s financial situation has been in the spotlight for years, recent events have brought a new sense of urgency and alarm. The federal debt, the deficit, spending, taxes—these issues have galvanized the public’s attention and dominated the national debate for months.In early August, as Virginia Magazine was going to press, Congress passed legislation to raise the federal debt ceiling and trim deficits by at least $2.1 trillion over 10 years.Peter G. Peterson and the bipartisan foundation he created have been shining a light for years on the fiscal challenges threatening America’s future. In a “citizen’s guide” to the state of the nation’s finances published in April 2010, before the federal debt ceiling became prime-time news, the foundation urged action to address the long-term issues in “our fiscal time bomb.”Last fall Peterson was awarded a Thomas Jefferson Foundation medal, the University’s highest external honor, for his role in addressing the nation’s fiscal situation. Harry Harding, dean of U.Va.’s Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, describes him as a personal hero “because he was so far ahead of his time in focusing on this issue of import today.”One of Peterson’s rallying cries is for citizens to be informed. To that end, Virginia Magazine tapped various resources, from Peterson’s foundation to University faculty and alumni, to present information about the debt, deficit and other fiscal issues.The U.S. deficit hit $1.3 trillion in fiscal year 2010.A trillion is a stunning figure—one digit with 12 zeros. It’s so big it dwarfs normal ideas of “big.” English doesn’t have a trillion words (more like 750,000). Earth has only about 344 million cubic miles of water. The farthest galaxy we can see is a mere 11 billion light years away.Equally daunting as the deficit’s size is its complexity. And in the context of the heated debate playing out on the national stage, it’s important to keep an eye on the basics.The federal government needs money to operate. Much of that money comes through taxes (some comes from fees, such as those charged at national parks). The government spends that revenue on everything from bullets for Marines to spaceships for astronauts to education for children.Government expenses are either mandatory or discretionary. Mandatory ones get paid year-in and year-out without Congress’ annual approval. Examples include Social Security (benefits for the retired, unemployed, disabled and survivors), Medicare (health insurance for people over 65 as well as some younger disabled people) and Medicaid (health insurance for the poor). Unlike mandatory expenses, Congress approves discretionary ones annually. These include costs for defense, foreign relations, air traffic control, education and thousands of other areas.If taxes don’t cover costs, then the government has a gap—a deficit—between what it takes in and what it spends. The government covers the gap by borrowing, using debt instruments, such as U.S. bonds.Deficits now are common, but they weren’t always, notes The State of the Union’s Finances, a report by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation.“Up until the Great Depression in the 1930s, the U.S. experienced more budget surpluses than deficits. Since World War II, we have balanced the federal budget only a dozen times, with only four of those, fiscal years 1998-2001, occurring in the past 40 years. Of the four years when we had surpluses, only in fiscal year 2000 did the federal government have an operating surplus (which excludes consideration of the Social Security surplus). In the past 40 years, deficits as a percentage of the economy have averaged slightly over 3 percent,” the report says.303 PERCENT of GDP: The level of federal debt projected by the Peterson Foundation to be held by the public by 2040 if certain policies continue. If certain laws, such as ending some tax cuts, take effect, the CBO projects the debt to be 79 percent by 2035.The U.S. government’s deficit in 2010’s budget is gargantuan—$1.3 trillion—but it’s dwarfed by the size of the gross federal debt—more than $14 trillion.The size of these numbers begs the question “Why are they so big?” Mike Gallmeyer, a professor in the McIntire School, puts it in simple terms: “We’re paying for a lot of things.”The U.S. is fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. We also are engaged in a Libyan conflict that is anticipated to cost $1.1 billion by September. Spending on Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, in addition to diminished revenues, feed the picture.Although the country has run deficits for decades, ones of recent years have increased dramatically. For that, says Darden School professor Alan Beckenstein, we can thank the recent financial crisis. It shocked the economy severely, causing the deepest plunge in U.S. gross domestic product since the Great Depression. (GDP is the total market value of all domestically produced goods and services.) As Beckenstein notes, business slowed as the economy weakened. People lost jobs; tax revenues shrank at the same time that expenses rose. Determined to prevent an economic free fall, Washington pumped money into failing banks and auto makers, provided stimulus packages and paid benefits to a growing number of unemployed people. With improvements in the economy, the need for emergency financial programs will wane. But that’s not necessarily the case with big federal budgets, says Frank Warnock, another professor in the Darden School. Under policies existing before the Aug. 2 debt ceiling deal, annual federal spending—already at $3.5 trillion—was projected to almost double over the next 30 years.“Here’s the truly damning aspect of the fiscal situation. If you project a few years out and keep in mind the spending that’s ‘hardwired’ [mandatory spending], we’ll still be running big deficits. To handle them, we’ll have to borrow money. Certainly, you can borrow in bad times, but you can’t borrow all the time,” he says.The increase in mandatory expenses—Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid—in particular concerns Warnock and many economists. “It’s a straight line that marches upward,” Warnock says. “It’s all due to the aging of our society and the greater expense of medical procedures. We’re talking about a big chunk of government spending.”Warnock estimates that Medicare/Medicaid costs now are about 5.5 percent of GDP. With the baby boom generation aging and requiring more health care, this spending could rise to 7 percent of GDP by 2020 and 10 percent by 2030. Before August, costs of the Social Security Administration were projected to rise by 2035 “so that taxes will be enough to pay for only 75 percent of scheduled benefits,” Stephen C. Goss (Grad ‘73), chief actuary for the Social Security Administration, said in a 2010 analysis. “This increase in cost results from population aging—not because we are living longer, but because birth rates dropped from three to two children per woman. Importantly, this [economic] shortfall is basically stable after 2035.”3 PERCENT of GDP: The average U.S. deficit level over the past 40 years. In 2000, the deficit was 0 percent—the federal government operated with a surplus. 8.9 PERCENT of GDP: The federal deficit at the end of 2010. As a percentage of GDP, it’s the most since the end of WWII; in dollar terms ($1.3 trillion), it’s the largest in U.S. history.Spend more than you take in, and you have to borrow. That’s true for governments as well as individuals.The U.S. has done this for years. Now, we owe creditors roughly $14 trillion. That’s a record. It’s also a problem, says Alan Beckenstein.“The legacy of debt is a ticking time bomb,” he says.Darden colleague Frank Warnock agrees. “Debt is the issue,” he says. “Borrowing is not necessarily bad, but persistent borrowing is a problem.”Though the financial pattern has gone through cycles, the U.S. government typically has spent more than it has brought in for decades, creating deficits funded by loans. The U.S. deficit in 2010 was just under 9 percent of GDP; the federal debt held by the public was 62 percent. International standards call for deficit levels limited to 3 percent and public debt levels at 60 percent of GDP to avoid threatening economic growth. Piling up big debt can hurt a nation. Paying the loans, for example, is a burden for future generations, Warnock says. The Peterson Foundation projected that spending on net interest would grow from 1 percent of GDP in 2010 to 14 percent in 2040, under pre-August policies. “Servicing that debt would absorb increasing shares of the national income, diverting resources away from productive investments that would create jobs and economic growth, like education, research and development, and infrastructure,” Peterson says.Beckenstein also notes that a deeply indebted United States may not have the means or flexibility to cope with future emergencies—economic or otherwise.The McIntire School’s Mike Gallmeyer sees other risks. For example, the U.S. government may need to borrow so much that businesses are squeezed out of the bond market. As a result, companies might not get funds for new technologies or facilities, and be unable to expand and create new jobs, products and services. A heavily indebted U.S. also may find that creditors stop buying our securities out of fear the government can’t pay. Interest payments also could divert cash that otherwise would be used for roads, education and research.While the situation is serious, history shows it can be fixed. America did deal successfully with its World War II debt. “Other countries, including several in Latin America during the 1980s, have faced similar problems and were forced to make sharp, painful budget adjustments,” Peterson says. The greatest obstacle to a solution lies in what Beckenstein calls “political asymmetry.” In brief, voters love government services but hate paying taxes. Thus, cutting the former and raising the latter, which is a logical response to the situation, is a tough sell.Things might be easier, Warnock suggests, if we choose our national priorities wisely, then develop a disciplined spending plan that backs them. The last-minute negotiations that preceded the Aug. 2 debt ceiling deal raised concerns about a U.S. default at a time when other nations are struggling economically.“Countries like Hungary, Greece and Ireland have faced problems selling their debt,” Peterson says. Because the dollar is a reserve currency (it is used and held in large quantities by countries around the world) and the U.S. economy is still viewed as sound, the U.S. is unlikely to share a similar fate. “However, without warning, international investors could become spooked,” Peterson says. “The consequences—a sharp spike in interest rates—would be devastating to the economy, especially during the current, weak recovery.”A new law and numerous studies address the nation’s fiscal situation. Here is a short guide:According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, “the deficit reduction stemming from this legislation would total at least $2.1 trillion over the 2012-2021 period” (relative to a baseline projection made in March). The joint committee is charged with achieving part of that—at least $1.5 trillion—in budgetary savings over 10 years; automatic reductions, or “triggers,” are in place to require spending caps if the committee does not meet its goals.The law established a procedure to raise the debt limit by $400 billion initially, with two additional increases allowed, for a cumulative increase of between $2.1 trillion and $2.4 trillion.While the legislation was hailed as a positive step toward averting financial crisis by some economists and pundits, others were less sanguine. “The Congressional action did nothing but (a) avoided a crisis of their creation and (b) put a Band-Aid on the problem. It was all very superficial,” says Darden professor Frank Warnock. View the CBO analysis at www.cbo.gov.“As the president’s fiscal commission and other groups that have produced deficit reduction plans of their own have made clear, the solution to our long-term fiscal challenges will have to involve a mix of both spending cuts and revenue increases,” says Diane Lim Rogers (Grad ‘91). A veteran economist and tax analyst who has worked in various administrations, in academia and with nonpartisan think tanks, Rogers writes a blog, http://www.economistmom.com.Just as it has touched nearly every aspect of life in the U.S., the nation’s financial situation has had a profound effect on the political landscape.The policy origins of the Tea Party, for example, can be found in the crisis, says politics professor Larry Sabato (Col ‘74), founder of the Center for Politics at U.Va.“Other than jobs and the economy, nothing registers more prominently with the public now than the deficit and the debt,” Sabato says. “People look at the accumulated national debt of $14 trillion and their eyes pop. Both parties now acknowledge the need to get the debt under control.”The Center for Politics held a forum on the federal debt and deficit this spring. Leaders like former U.S. Sen. Alan Simpson of Wyoming gathered at the University to discuss health care, the nation’s debt limit, tax cuts and other facets of the issue.While debate in Washington has been heated and largely partisan, Sabato has long predicted public pressure would force action. “This may surprise cynics, but ‘we the people’ still run things in the U.S. Most politicians want to get elected and re-elected.” In early August, Congress passed a last-minute debt-ceiling deal, though only after extended, acrimonious confrontations.Agreement on how to balance the books, however, eludes officeholders. “Republicans want all the savings to come from spending cuts, while Democrats prefer a combination of spending cuts and tax increases,” Sabato says. “Emboldened by the Tea Party, the Republicans who run the U.S. House of Representatives forced a no-new-revenues deal to raise the debt ceiling on a reluctant President Obama and a Democratic U.S. Senate. The battle is far from over, though. A special committee of Congress will report in November about the next round of debt reduction, and the 2012 election results will determine the path forward.“Given the continuing unhappy state of the economy, plus the influence of the Tea Party in GOP politics, the deficit is guaranteed to be a major issue in 2012. Even if the economy picks up by then, a national debt that will be around $16 trillion at election time ensures the salience of this issue.”Sabato sees something else at work, too. “Political leaders on both sides will tell you privately that they finally ‘get it,’ that they realize the medium-term and long-term dangers of unbridled debt are so great that they have to find a way to handle the problem. “I’m never absolutely certain of anything,” Sabato says, “but there’s reason to believe the political system will find a way to ensure some sound economic fundamentals for younger generations.” During the last several years, faculty and students at U.Va. have paid close attention to the nation’s economic downturn, examining the root causes of the recession and incorporating the growing debt and deficit into their analysis of current events.For example, two students majoring in economics put together an interdisciplinary course in 2009 called “Anatomy of a Financial Crisis.” They geared it to non-economics majors without a background in finance, and the response was overwhelming.“We had a wait list of 100, but they limited it to 35 to ensure a discussion atmosphere,” says economics professor Charles Holt, who was the faculty sponsor for the class.The organizers,Vadim Elenev (Col ’09) and Grace Ng (Col ’09), who were also student instructors for the course, focused on readings and exercises to make students more financially literate.“Vadim and Grace had worked on Wall Street [during summer internships], and this allowed them to add a lot of perspective,” Holt says.William Johnson, also an economics professor, found a “teachable moment” with undergrads in analyzing changes in the labor force, employment and unemployment. “The dramatic changes in 2008 made an especially vivid illustration of the relations between these basic concepts in labor economics,” he says.At the McIntire School, the deficit also has found its way into professor Mike Gallmeyer’s “Advanced Investments” course, which focuses on bonds and derivatives. In learning how to value securities and manage credit risks, students must take into account the United States’ deficit. Gallmeyer says he hopes the course gives students a context for thinking about investments in the “real world” after graduation. Because deficit and debt developments have been unfolding rapidly, little relevant information is available in textbooks. So Gallmeyer turns to recent academic papers and articles from the financial press for material.Not surprisingly, the debt and deficit also are factors in case studies used by graduate business students at the Darden School. And the Darden School recently combined with the Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy to create a dual master’s degree program in public policy and business administration.The Peterson Foundation report asks a central question: “What can we do as citizens?” The answer is to become informed about the budget and other key issues. To that end, below is a list of resources for learning more about the situation. Faculty, Politics 2011-08-22T15:56:53+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/in_your_words/article/greatest_u.va._baseball_comeback/ http://uvamagazine.org/in_your_words/article/greatest_u.va._baseball_comeback/#When:15:00:07Z I was lucky enough to be invited to the final baseball game of the Virginia Super Regional against UC Irvine on June 13, my birthday. Being an ‘83 alum, I never pass up an opportunity to go to any game.  So my cousin, Jim Ragsdale (Col ’96), my daughter and I entered Davenport Field not knowing we would see one of the greatest games in Virginia baseball history. The place was rocking. You could sense that this game was going to be big, and that feeling grew as the game progressed.  In the top of the ninth with the game tied at one run apiece (thanks to Kenny Swab’s sixth-inning home run), our closer, Branden Kline, was on the mound with runners on the corners and no outs. Everyone was on their feet. A young teenager across the aisle from me, wearing an orange shirt emblazoned with ”U.Va. Forever” on the front, said, “We’ve got to stuff that runner on third.” An older guy behind him, who had taken off his U.Va. baseball cap and was hitting it against his leg, responded, “Get him in a run-down. They have to keep him from scoring.” Kline delivered the pitch with Drew Hillman of UCI hitting a grounder right to Chris Taylor, our shortstop. It looked like Taylor didn’t pay any attention to the runner on third that was racing toward home. Taylor threw the ball to second baseman Keith Werman who cleanly stepped on the bag, turned and fired a rope to Jared King at first base for the double play. But the ”bang, bang” quickness of that was immediately followed by a collective gasp from the fans. “Why did he do that?” the woman festooned in bright blaze orange behind me exclaimed. Her husband also vented his frustration, and the kids that were lined up along the front rail at the bottom of the stairs all put their heads in their hands and gave a synchronized groan.I agreed with the decision to go for the double play. Get two sure outs when you know you still come to bat in the bottom of the inning. Coach Brian O’Connor and his players trusted their offense.The Cavs finally got the third out, and it was our turn to bat. When the Anteaters started taking the field, we fans got into our white-knuckle state and waited for the Anteaters’ ace, Matt Summers, to take the mound. My daughter Ryan, the eternal optimist, said, “We’ve got this. Danny is the next batter and Kenny is gonna hit another home run.”Things didn’t turn out the way we wanted. Hultzen struck out. Mr. Clutch slipped. But the fans didn’t panic. We all knew that Kenny Swab was on a tear. After all, he had hit the game’s only home run. “Orange Lady” behind me yelled, “Smack it over the fence!” After the ringing in my ear stopped, I watched as Swab hit the ball in an easy bounce to first. Now there were two outs.The crowd was stunned.  The air had a sense of urgency to it.  Orange Lady dejectedly said, “Aw. Now what do we do?”I responded, “David Coleman will just have to get on base.”The hat-banging guy across from me quickly pointed out, “He’s batting over .300, you know.”The fans were quieter now, but as I scanned the faces I did not see the look of despair. This Cavalier team had the reputation of playing hard till the final out. During the season, we had seen the Hoos come from behind to win games at the last moment. The fans were hanging onto that.Coleman stepped up to the plate. I saw the same look in his eyes that he had in the third game of the weekend series against Duke—confidence. He always looked focused on getting a hit. And he did just that. Coleman’s shot up the middle missed going between the legs of the UCI pitcher by inches. The hit turned Summers around on the mound. The expression on Coleman’s face had not changed. Now he had the look of someone determined to get to second base.Jared King stepped up to the plate. He was hitless, so the fans felt it was his time. You could feel the excitement rev back up in the crowd. Coleman had relit that Cavalier spark, and it was flowing through the stands. An interesting situation was developing in the on-deck circle. Werman was standing in the back of the circle. O’Connor had his ear, and Werman was listening intently.I said to Jim, “Keith’s a decoy. O’Connor is going to replace him.”Orange Lady’s husband heard me and quickly said, “He’s not going to pull the Worminator. Keith is just too valuable for O’Connor to do that now.”I turned around and replied, “O’Connor would never put a .200 hitter at the plate with two outs and the game on the line. No coach would do that.” Hat-banging guy backed me up with, “He’s right.” Our attention shifted back to the field as their pitcher wound up to deliver his pitch. King copied Coleman and smacked one up the middle, too. The ball ricocheted off the pitcher’s foot and went out onto the grass. Coleman was safe at second with King at first and all of us waiting to see who was next.Now the chess match started. O’Connor came out of the dugout and was standing next to Werman. UC Irvine’s coach, Mike Gillespie, came out to the mound to talk to Summers. Werman ducked into the dugout and pinch-hitter Reed Gragnani came to the plate. Then O’Connor replaced Coleman at second with pinch-runner Mitchell Shifflett, the fastest guy on the team. The crowd energy was escalating. But Reed never hit the ball. He drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases. We were all cheering for Gragnani and how easy he made that look. Most everyone was now standing on their seats to get the best view possible. We had Shifflett on third, King on second and Gragnani on first. Then O’Connor sent speedy Corey Hunt into the game to pinch-run for King at second. So with bases loaded, here comes the top of the order to the plate, Chris Taylor. There was a deafening roar coming from every inch of Davenport Field. Taylor was having a good day, a hit and a walk. He was in one of the biggest games of his career; one run down and bases loaded with two outs. You couldn’t ask for a better finish. The kids standing down along the rail were bouncing up and down, giving high fives, and talking some smack. “Y’all Anteaters need to head on home now. Game over,” they yelled. Another one hollered, “Watch out, Summers. He likes to hit pitchers.”With Taylor at the plate, another little piece of drama was unfolding in the dugout. I noticed something going on between Hultzen and O’Connor. Hultzen began running around the dugout and looking on all the benches as if searching for something.“He’s trying to find his glove,” Jim said. It looked like O’Connor had told Hultzen to get in the bullpen and start warming up. Finding his glove, he headed that way. O’Connor was going to be ready with our best pitcher in case we tied it. After all, if we lost, there was no tomorrow.Summers wound up to pitch and delivered a strike to Taylor. The intensity of the crowd buzz dropped, but the kids on the rail never let up with their cheering. The next pitch from Summers looked like a fastball, but Taylor was swinging this time and sent the ball right up the same path that Coleman and King had taken. This shot went into center field, and the stands were shaking from the fans jumping up and down on their seats. Arms in the air, hands waving around, and loud screaming drowned out the noise coming from the players surrounding home plate as Shifflett crossed with Hunt rounding third. Associate head coach Kevin McMullan was jumping up and down with his right arm spinning like a windmill telling Hunt to move it. With U.Va. players crowding around Shifflett as he crossed the plate, every eye was on Hunt as he came in and did a popup slide on home plate. The stadium erupted.The decibel level had to be the loudest it had ever been at Davenport Field. People were double high-fiving, others were jumping up and down, and I even had Orange Lady smack me on the back with both hands two or three times. I didn’t care. I was screaming along with everyone else. All eyes from the stands were glued to the field as we saw the U.Va. players rush the mound to dog-pile near second base. Ronnie Shaeffer, the catcher for UC Irvine, got mowed over by rushing players. He got up, and then was mowed over again. The rest of the Anteaters looked like the sky had just fallen. They were slowly wandering towards right field as the Cavaliers were still dog-piling. We watched as Coach McMullan jumped on top of the pile. The players were ecstatic. High fives were still being slapped. Strangers embraced, forever bonded forever by having witnessed the most dramatic baseball comeback in U.Va. history. The kids on the front railing continued the high-pitch cheer that had begun with Taylor’s hit and seemed to have no end.We all saw our players, who had now risen from the pile, begin to run to the bleachers in left field carrying a banner with bold print that read, ”We’re Going to Omaha.” Players jumped up, smacking the hands of the Hoo faithful who leaned over the rail to touch their new heroes. From bleacher to bleacher, our players showed their appreciation to us, their fans, for supporting them and cheering them to victory. Alumni, Sports, Baseball 2011-08-22T15:00:07+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/retrospect/article/1825_old_school/ http://uvamagazine.org/retrospect/article/1825_old_school/#When:20:21:25Z Francis W. Gilmer, struggling with health problems, faced a daunting task as he set sail for England in May 1824. The youngest of 10 children, the 36-year-old Gilmer had known Thomas Jefferson his entire life and, over the years, had won Jefferson’s trust and admiration. Now, as the University of Virginia prepared to open its doors, Jefferson entrusted Gilmer with the important job of hiring a large portion of the first faculty. “We have all from the beginning considered the high qualifications of our professors as the only means by which we could give to our institution splendor and preeminence over all its sister seminaries,” Jefferson wrote. With the exception of the professors of law and ethics, Jefferson believed that the best-qualified professors were to be found overseas—an opinion that drew considerable criticism from many in the United States.Gilmer arrived in England armed with a letter of introduction written by Jefferson: “We have determined to receive no one who is not of the first order of science in his line … But how to find out those who are of the first grade of science, of sober correct habits and morals, harmonizing tempers, talents for communication, is the difficulty. Our first step is to send a special agent to the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, and Edinburgh to make the selection for us and the person appointed for this office is … Mr. Francis Walker Gilmer—the best educated subject we have raised since the Revolution.”During the course of the next year, Gilmer recruited and hired five faculty members, who ranged in age from 24 to 28. He sailed back to the States in October 1825 with his mission accomplished, but at a steep price. Upon returning to Charlottesville, Gilmer was too ill to assume his duties as chair of law, which Jefferson had offered to him in 1823. Despite his accomplishments, Gilmer received little sympathy from Board of Visitors member Chapman Johnson, who wrote, “Make up your mind to get well or to go to heaven without another murmur or complaining word.”Just a few months later, Gilmer “made up his mind,” dying in February 1826. Faculty, History, U.Va. Tradition 2011-08-21T20:21:25+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/presidents_letter/article/the_second-story_walk/ http://uvamagazine.org/presidents_letter/article/the_second-story_walk/#When:20:14:23Z The cover story in this issue of Virginia describes the experience of living in the pavilions in the Academical Village. These original buildings, designed by Thomas Jefferson, give us a physical connection to the earliest days of the University, when the first professors and students converged on Charlottesville to give life to Jefferson’s great experiment in higher education. By Jefferson’s design, the first floors of the pavilions served as the classrooms, where faculty members and their student-neighbors came together to learn. Each of the early professors taught in a specific field —law, medicine, mathematics, natural history, and other disciplines spanning the realm of what Jefferson called the “useful sciences.” The professors lived on the pavilions’ second-story levels above the classrooms, and between pavilions, at that second-story level, Jefferson included walkways. These walkways permitted the professor of one field to stroll over for a conversation with a neighboring professor of another field.Those second-story walkways provide a useful metaphor for our modern University. Today’s discoveries and innovations frequently emerge, not only in isolated fields of study, but also in the spaces between disciplines. The complex, multifaceted problems facing society—climate change, disease prevention, economic turmoil—demand a multidisciplinary approach to solutions. Our faculty members and students in various schools and disciplines thrive most fully, and deliver the greatest benefits to society, when they take the second-story walk to connect with colleagues working in other disciplines. The U.Va. Bay Game is one example of a successful second-story collaboration. In 2009, faculty members from a range of academic units came together to develop a large-scale, participatory simulation of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Participants take on the roles of farmers, policymakers, land developers, watermen and concerned citizens to test the long-term effects of their decision making. This project has given us a better understanding of the Bay as a complex system, and it holds great promise for improving stewardship of the Bay and other watersheds. Faculty members who are involved in this project today represent a wide range of disciplines—environmental sciences, architecture, law, business, public policy, education and systems engineering.Another second-story conversation led to a new screening tool for diabetic retinopathy, the leading cause of blindness among adults. This disease affects more than 10 million patients in the U.S. alone and causes more than $500 million annually in direct medical costs. Screening is essential for prevention, but more than half of patients fail to get screened because of the high cost and limited availability of exams. Paul Yates, an assistant professor of ophthalmology, and Shayn Peirce-Cottler, an associate professor of biomedical engineering, met when discussing how stem cells could affect blood vessel development and repair in the eye. They realized that a low-cost solution for imaging the retina was a great unmet need. With support from the U.Va.-Coulter Foundation partnership, they designed and built a new low-cost camera system called the CavCam to screen for eye disease by creating images of the blood vessels in the retina. The CavCam can be produced for less than $1,000, making it possible for patients in rural areas and underdeveloped nations to get screening exams.In another second-story initiative, a group of faculty representing architecture, nursing, biomedical engineering, medicine, and business have developed a course called BioInnovation that generates innovations in health care. Students from a range of disciplines come together to analyze units within the U.Va. Health System, including an operating room, a nurses’ station on a hospital floor, the echocardiography unit, the waiting room in the Kluge Children’s Rehabilitation Center and other sites. They look for opportunities to improve health care delivery and safety, the quality of the patient experience and employee satisfaction. The course has now been offered three times, with growing enrollment each time, and will be offered again in spring 2012.The Chaco Digital Initiative is a cross-disciplinary effort to create a digital archive that integrates widely dispersed archaeological data collected from Chaco Canyon in the late 1890s and the first half of the 20th century. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Chaco Canyon holds ruins that have immense ancestral importance for many Native Americans of the Southwest. But research records are currently scattered around the country in various repository institutions. U.Va. faculty members from anthropology, computer science and the Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities are integrating Chaco Canyon data in this digital archive so that archaeology scholars can more easily access and assemble information relevant to their research. The Chaco Digital Initiative is a model for the use of new technologies in archaeological scholarship, and a prime example of second-story collaboration. We have many other second-story projects under way. Faculty members from psychology and the Health System are working together to install virtual windows and surround-sound systems in the Cancer Center infusion rooms where patients receive chemotherapy. Most of these rooms have no windows, and the virtual windows and sound systems will create a more soothing, restorative environment for patients. Another project known as ESPRIT (Energy Systems Prototyping, Research, Innovation and Translation) brings faculty from engineering, architecture, chemistry, and business together with staff from the Office of the Architect and Facilities Management to address major energy issues. The ESPRIT team is applying systems approaches to develop energy-conservation solutions, including low-loss energy transmission and energy-efficient buildings and communities.In addition to these specific projects, the broad OpenGrounds initiative, led by associate professor of architecture and associate vice president for research Bill Sherman, fosters creative research at the confluence of science, technology, arts and the humanities. OpenGrounds provides support for faculty members who push the frontiers in their fields and who work across traditional boundaries. With a new studio space opening this fall, OpenGrounds will host workshops and lunch-table discussions in which faculty members and students can engage in dialogue and debate across disciplinary boundaries. Faculty, Research, Students, University News 2011-08-21T20:14:23+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/arts/article/bestsellers_at_the_u.va._bookstore_april_through_june_2011/ http://uvamagazine.org/arts/article/bestsellers_at_the_u.va._bookstore_april_through_june_2011/#When:20:09:35Z Arts & Entertainment, Books 2011-08-21T20:09:35+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/arts/article/new_notable13/ http://uvamagazine.org/arts/article/new_notable13/#When:20:08:46Z Alumni, Arts & Entertainment, Books, Faculty 2011-08-21T20:08:46+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/arts/article/required_reading_gary_gallagher/ http://uvamagazine.org/arts/article/required_reading_gary_gallagher/#When:20:04:56Z History professor Gary Gallagher recently published his sixth book about the Civil War, The Union War.What book first ignited your interest in the Civil War?The American Heritage Picture History of the Civil War, published in 1960, featuring a gripping narrative by Bruce Catton and an array of stunning illustrations. This book, more than any other factor, put me on the road to being a historian of the Civil War era. It is still, more than 50 years later, the best book to give any young person interested in the topic.What primary sources did you use while researching The Union War that illuminate the zeitgeist of the common Northerner?I examined soldiers’ and civilians’ letters and diaries, a variety of Republican and Democratic newspapers, lyrics from popular songs, patriotic envelopes used to mail letters, early postwar histories of Union regiments and other sources to explain for modern readers why the loyal citizens in the United States decided it was worth fighting a brutal war to restore the Union. The Union represented the cherished legacy of the founding generation, a democratic republic with a constitution that guaranteed political liberty and afforded individuals a chance to better themselves economically. From the perspective of loyal Americans, their republic stood as the only hope for democracy in a Western world that had fallen more deeply into the stifling embrace of oligarchy since the failed European revolutions of the 1840s. Untold Unionists believed fervently that slaveholding aristocrats had established the Confederacy—and that they and their incipient nation posed a direct threat not only to the long-term success of the American republic but also to the broader future of democracy. Should armies of citizen-soldiers fail to restore the Union, forces of privilege on both sides of the Atlantic could pronounce ordinary people incapable of self-government and render irrelevant the military sacrifices and political genius of the Revolutionary fathers. Abundant evidence leaves no doubt that, first to last, most loyal citizens would have said the overriding goal of the war was restoration of the Union.Which two books about the Civil War best portray the viewpoints of the North and South? Arts & Entertainment, Books, Faculty, History, Research 2011-08-21T20:04:56+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/arts/article/how_muchor_littledo_college_students_learn/ http://uvamagazine.org/arts/article/how_muchor_littledo_college_students_learn/#When:20:00:31Z In President Obama’s first speech to Congress, he said, “By 2020, American will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.” In the past decade, the number of college students has risen steadily and higher education has become a political priority. Josipa Roksa, an assistant professor of sociology at U.Va., explains why this might be. “In an increasingly globalized economic system, individual economic success and our nation’s ability to compete on the global stage depend upon our commitment to educate future generations,” Roksa says. However, Roksa’s research reveals that while access to education might be increasing, American college students may not be learning much.With New York University professor Richard Arum, Roksa recently published Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses, a study that concludes that during their education many college students do not measurably improve in at least three important areas: complex reasoning, critical thinking and written communication. These are the areas that presumably would propel graduates into successful careers in the globalized economy. They are also the areas that most colleges claim to emphasize. Yet students seem to be falling short.Following a few thousand students through four years of college and using a test known as the Collegiate Learning Assessment, Arum and Roksa’s study finds that not only are students coming to college unprepared to work hard, but they also choose courses with the lowest amount of required reading and writing. While college instructors generally recommend 25 hours, on average students spend only 12 to 14 hours per week studying.But the problem isn’t just with students. The study concludes that many professors, too, come into class with low expectations and require little work of their students. This may be caused in part by university administrations rewarding publishing over teaching.Citing other studies, Curry School of Education professor Margaret Miller says, “All arrows are pointing in the same direction. Employers have been telling us for decades that they are disappointed in [higher education’s] results. And things are getting worse.”Miller claims financial strain on students is a large factor for under-performance.Academic performance suffers when students work too many hours in outside jobs.The book proposes several solutions for both universities and government, but Roksa says parents can help, too. “They can ask crucial questions about how much their children are studying and learning, and they can ask those questions of both their children and the institutions,” Roksa says. It is incumbent upon parents, faculty and administrators, Roksa says, not to cede academic rigor in the face of parties, leisure time pursuits and other college activities that can throw a student’s study time out of whack.But how does U.Va. fit into Academically Adrift’s alarming claims? U.Va. was not one of the institutions included in Arum and Roksa’s study, according to Lois Myers, associate director of U.Va.‘s Office of Institutional Assessment and Studies. But it’s included in other surveys of student engagement and performance. The University’s Institutional Assessment & Studies office provides data from 2008 that shows that U.Va. students are indeed performing at the higher end. On the National Survey of Student Engagement, U.Va. students scored higher than the national average in the area of “academic challenge,” which includes time spent studying, complex reasoning skills and rigor of written course work. Miller contends that students at the University are somewhat wealthier than average and have been selected for, among other things, academic excellence. So they are under less financial strain and are better prepared to do the kind of work that leads to learning than other college students. Though U.Va. students score slightly higher than average, this does not mean that the University can be complacent. Arts & Entertainment, Books, Faculty, Research, Schools & Departments, College of Arts & Sciences, Curry School of Education 2011-08-21T20:00:31+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/arts/article/jewel_box_in_the_woods/ http://uvamagazine.org/arts/article/jewel_box_in_the_woods/#When:19:58:19Z When architect Olle Lundberg (Arch ‘79) bought 16 acres overlooking the virgin forests of the Gualala River canyon in California, the first thing he and his wife, Mary, did was plant a garden. “We started with tomatoes, but now after several expansions we have a citrus orchard, olive trees, grapes, kiwis, figs, Padrón peppers, and every heirloom tomato Mary can put her hands on,” says Lundberg. “At its height, the garden feeds my office.”Then Lundberg, founder of an architectural firm in San Francisco, began construction of a cabin—work he does himself by hand, largely using salvaged materials. “In a world where we all become further and further removed from the act of making something, from the handmade, from the craft that produces individual works—it has been quite an experience to actually build my own house.”The cabin is open plan; the only separate room is the bathroom. The windows are steel industrial units salvaged from various remodeling projects. “They give the cabin a ‘warehouse in the woods’ look,” says Lundberg. The deck surrounding the cabin features a reclaimed redwood water tank that has been transformed into a swimming pool. Alumni, Architecture, Science, Environment 2011-08-21T19:58:19+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/arts/article/chick_lit_flick/ http://uvamagazine.org/arts/article/chick_lit_flick/#When:19:54:35Z You know you’ve arrived when you have a cameo in a movie based on your bestselling novel. Emily Giffin (Law ‘97) appears in the movie adaptation of her book Something Borrowed, starring Ginnifer Goodwin and Kate Hudson. Giffin’s sitting on a bench reading her second novel, Something Blue, next to Goodwin and actor Steve Howey during a scene set in a New York City park. The plot of Something Borrowed—a New York Times best-seller that has been translated into 35 languages—follows Rachel, a young lawyer who’s in love with her best friend’s fiancé. On her 30th birthday, Rachel confesses her feelings and romantic comedy ensues. Like her protagonist, Giffin was a lawyer in Manhattan before she became an author. Giffin points out other similarities. “Rachel was generally a rule follower and risk averse until the summer after her 30th birthday,” says Giffin. “Upon turning 30, I, too, re-evaluated my life and decided to make a major change.”Luckily for her readers, Giffin’s big change was a move to London to devote herself to writing full time. In the past decade, Giffin has written five books; her most recent novel, Heart of the Matter, was published in 2010. In a review, Redbook raves, “Giffin’s latest novel delves deep into the all-too-tricky matters of the heart … this juicy read will make you feel like you’re sneaking a peek into your best friend’s diary.”Giffin was deeply involved in the production of the movie version of Something Borrowed, partly because the producers, including Hillary Swank, appreciated her insight into the characters. She says she was especially pleased by the film’s casting. “For once, Hollywood didn’t butcher the book,” says Giffin. “I honestly never thought that would happen.” Alumni, Alumnae, Arts & Entertainment, Books, Film 2011-08-21T19:54:35+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/arts/article/becoming_tina_fey/ http://uvamagazine.org/arts/article/becoming_tina_fey/#When:19:50:00Z In Tina Fey’s memoir Bossypants, she explains how a shy, Greek girl from the suburbs of Philadelphia eventually became the head writer for Saturday Night Live, and later, the creator and star of the critically acclaimed TV show 30 Rock. Her memoir explores the career moves, hairdos and bad dates—some at U.Va.—that got her where she is today. An idol for many, Fey (Col ‘92) inspires for reasons beyond her résumé. Unlike some comics, her strength is sensitivity. On 30 Rock, Fey uses sympathy as a comedic tool, often finding humor in moments of cultural misunderstanding, asking us to see how both sides could be right. Her characters are complicated, defined by dueling motivations, resulting in funny, honest sketches. She’s our modern comedienne, both ambitious and self-deprecating. When NBC decided to pick up 30 Rock, Fey describes feeling “blorft.” “‘Blorft’ is an adjective I just made up,” she explains. “It means ‘completely overwhelmed but proceeding as if everything is fine and reacting to the stress with the torpor of a possum.’”In Bossypants, Fey changes her tone frequently, and serious insights are quickly balanced by incisive wit. While Fey’s memoir might not offer substantial life advice to her fans, it does demonstrate what to do when someone hands you a rubber chicken at a photo shoot. And perhaps that kind of wisdom is just as valuable. During my first year, I had a crush on a brainy, raven-haired boy from my dorm ... he would ask me at least once a day if I had ever seen the movie Full Metal Jacket and I would remind him that I had not ... After several weeks of mistaking this for flirtation, I tried to kiss him one night by the Monroe Hill dorms and he literally ran away. Not figuratively. Literally. In 1997 I flew to New York from Chicago to interview for a writing position at Saturday Night Live. It seemed promising because I’d heard the show was looking to diversify. Only in comedy, by the way, does a white girl from the suburbs count as diversity.If you are a woman and you bought this book for practical tips on how to make it in a male-dominated workplace, here they are. No pigtails, no tube tops. Cry sparingly. (Some people say “Never let them see you cry.” I say, if you’re so mad you could just cry, then cry. It terrifies everyone.)I’ve learned a lot over the past 10 years about what it means to be the boss of people. In most cases being a good boss means hiring talented people and then getting out of their way. ... Contrary to what I believed as a little girl, being the boss almost never involves marching around, chanting, “I am the boss! I am the boss!”So my unsolicited advice to women in the workplace is this. When faced with sexism, ageism, or lookism or even really aggressive Buddhism, ask yourself the following question: “Is this person in between me and what I want to do?” If the answer is no, ignore it and move on. Your energy is better used doing your work and outpacing people that way.Another night to remember: Around three a.m., [30 Rock producer and writer Robert Carlock] and I were leading a rewrite in my living room and realized that we had both fallen asleep while talking. When we woke up a few moments (or hours?) later, the other writers were just sitting politely, awaiting further instruction. That is a dedicated staff. Alumni, Alumnae, Arts & Entertainment, Books, Career 2011-08-21T19:50:00+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/first_person/article/witness_to_revolution/ http://uvamagazine.org/first_person/article/witness_to_revolution/#When:19:39:11Z I’m in a safety education session held in an orphanage where the children speak Russian, and their heads are shaved to prevent lice. It’s my first week in the Peace Corps. I’m exactly halfway across the world from America, in an icy and mountainous corner of Central Asia. The long history of this country’s conquest—Genghis Khan in the 13th century, the Qing Dynasty in the 18th, then the Russians in the 19th—is written in the faces of its people, who used to be red-headed Siberians, but now appear uniquely Asiatic.A Peace Corps staffer comes into our classroom and announces that we’ll all be going home early today. Just as a precaution, he asks us to please refrain from leaving our houses for the rest of the afternoon and evening. “Nothing to worry about,” he says. “But please don’t leave your houses.”We go home in herds on the tiny minibuses that constitute public transportation in Kyrgyzstan. The dust floats off the road in the center of the village and drivers speed past in cars older than we are—older than this fledgling republic—with steering wheels placed indiscriminately to the right and to the left. This country is a crossroads: The cars are from Germany, the alcohol is from Russia and the religion is a loose form of Islam transmuted from the Middle East. In the last century, the Kyrgyz alphabet has been changed from Arabic to Roman to Cyrillic script. At dinner, I can’t understand the conversation so I watch the small TV for news. There are people gathering in the capital city square. My host brother speaks English, and I ask him what’s going on. “The president is bad,” he says. I’m awakened a few hours later by gunshots from the TV and then screaming. My heart beats fast. I hear another round. When I walk into the living room, the family turns off the TV. The brother tells me that it’s nothing. They’re trying to keep me from being afraid.In the morning, I go to language class. The other volunteers saw the news, but no one knows what happened. At the morning tea break, our teacher receives a phone call from Peace Corps and tells everyone to meet in an hour with two days’ worth of clothes and our passports. With our bags, we climb into vans and try to use the map on the back of our textbook to see if we’re crossing the northern border to Kazakhstan. We’re all giddy with alarm, making frantic jokes. We see the airport loom suddenly, but the bus turns left into a hidden maze of barracks. This is the base where U.S. missions to Afghanistan start and finish. It’s about 20 miles from a Russian airbase, a fact that pleases no one. Kyrgyzstan is the only country in the world to host this uncomfortable combination.At a barbed wire gate, American soldiers ask for our passports and check our names off a list. I head to a building that, inside, feels like the newest sports bar in a midsize town. Listless soldiers play pool or poker and stare at photos of their children. The soldiers next to me, 20-year-olds from Kansas, tell me that Afghanistan was their first time out of the country. We receive an orientation, which is interrupted when the soldiers clutch their guns and shout for us to evacuate in a single-file line. “Head to the adjacent tent, now. Now. NOW!”Once in the tent, absolutely nothing happens. All the soldiers leave. The adrenaline rush subsides. People pull out their laptops. The Kyrgyz government had blocked the Internet briefly, but it’s running fine now. We see that last night wasn’t a protest; it was a coup. The capital city is in flames. The former president is running for his life. Fifty people are dead. I think about my host family’s mute, blank faces as they turned off news footage of their nation’s capital burning, about the two decades of corruption and rising commodity prices that drove their country to desperation. A millennium ago, Silk Road outposts in Kyrgyzstan had running water, bountiful gardens and palaces. Now, it’s a land of subsistence farmers, and water must be drawn from wells. Since that brief flowering, Kyrgyzstan’s history has been bleak. Dwarfed between Russia and China, an independent nation only 20 years old, Kyrgyzstan and its citizens have tasted freedom and democracy only in these flashes of revolution.I watch the news footage of my new home and take comfort in the fact that the Kyrgyz, like all of us, are clutching opportunities when they find them, striking out in hope that they can keep afloat on the tides of empire, conflict, goodwill and fear that have brought us all to this place. Alumni, Alumnae, International, Politics 2011-08-21T19:39:11+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/alumni_news/article/admission_faqs9/ http://uvamagazine.org/alumni_news/article/admission_faqs9/#When:19:38:26Z The University has several groups of alumni volunteers that work to educate and engage prospective students through various events and programs. Two of these are UVaClubs and the Virginia Alumni Admission Network (VAAN). While these alumni do not interview prospective students in the admission process, they work to supplement the outreach of the Office of Undergraduate Admission. With clubs in each of the 50 states as well as 16 countries, UVaClubs give alumni the opportunity to reach out to prospective U.Va. students. Each year, the Schools Committee of each UVaClub works with the Office of Admission to host fall information sessions, during which students and parents can attend an evening program with one of the U.Va. admission deans. Many UVaClubs’ Schools Committees also make congratulatory calls to admitted students and host a “summer sendoff” party to wish the students well in their years at the University. As needed, members of the Schools Committee also represent U.Va. at college fairs and other programs. If you’re interested in joining a UVaClub in your area, visit http://bit.ly/uvaclublocations.VAAN volunteers work to extend the efforts of the admission office by reaching out to underrepresented high school students in seven metropolitan areas: New York City, Baltimore, Miami, Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Atlanta. Admissions, Alumni, Alumni Association 2011-08-21T19:38:26+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/alumni_news/article/pregame_talks/ http://uvamagazine.org/alumni_news/article/pregame_talks/#When:19:28:38Z The American Civil War, turmoil in the Middle East, changes in health care, and aspects of social media—all will be discussed in the popular “More Than The Score” programs this fall.The lectures, offered by the Alumni Education Program in the Office of Engagement, in collaboration with the U.Va. Alumni Association, will be held at 10 a.m. before each home football game. Talks are free and open to alumni, parents and friends; registration is encouraged (to sign up, go to http://www.hoosonline.virginia.edu/morethanthescore).Sept. 3: “Our University: Things That Change and Things That Stay the Same,” Kenneth Elzinga, economics professor Sept. 24: “Will an Arab Fall Follow the Arab Spring?” Nathaniel Howell (Col ‘61, Grad ‘65), public affairs professor; Frederick Hitz and John Norton Moore, law professors Oct: 1: “The American Civil War on Film: How Hollywood Shapes What We Know,” Gary Gallagher, history professorOct: 15: “Crystal Ball Prediction and Kennedy Project,” Larry Sabato (Col ‘74), politics professor and director of the Center for PoliticsOct: 22: “The ‘Art’ of Aging,” Dennis Proffitt, psychology professor, and Deborah Roach, biology professorNov. 12: “Will Health Care Reform Change the Way Nurses and Physicians Work Together?” Dorrie Fontaine, dean of the School of Nursing Alumni, Alumni Association 2011-08-21T19:28:38+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/alumni_news/article/facing_the_future/ http://uvamagazine.org/alumni_news/article/facing_the_future/#When:19:25:56Z The transition from the Grounds to the “real world” can be exhilarating for new graduates, but a list of practical considerations often tempers that excitement. Finding a place to live, gaining a foothold in a career, making friends, shaping a new identity without sacrificing existing ties—the challenges can be daunting.Help is available, however, through a U.Va. program called What’s Next?“It’s an educational tool designed to make the transition from being a student to a new alumnus as seamless as possible,” says Mary Elizabeth Luzar, associate director for student and young alumni programs at the Alumni Association.Through its website, emails, brochures and fliers, What’s Next? provides resources and practical advice on topics ranging from finding a job to locating apartments in major cities. The process begins with two emails sent to fourth-years. Each welcomes them to the transition period and reminds them of the available services, which are listed at http://www.whatsnextuva.com. In April, the Cities Fair event helps students meet alumni from cities where they anticipate moving after graduation. Brochures, fliers and follow-up emails continue through Finals and their first six months, then the new grads come under the umbrella of the young alumni programs of the association.Career services are a big part of What’s Next? In particular, the UCAN element of http://www.hoosonline.com combines the networking power of more than 20,000 alumni. In addition, young alumni can find UVaClubs in their area and get information about Alumni Interest Groups, student loans, handling finances, budgeting—even how to fill out tax forms. Admissions, Alumni, Alumni Association, Students 2011-08-21T19:25:56+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/sports/article/balance_of_power/ http://uvamagazine.org/sports/article/balance_of_power/#When:19:18:13Z During her first year at U.Va., Simone Asque pounded opponents with such force and regularity that she was named to the ACC All-Freshman team. During her second year, Asque’s game improved, and she paid the price of excellence.“All the teams would send two blockers over to my side of the court right away,” says Asque (Col ‘12). “It made it a lot more difficult.”Last year, any teams trying the same tactic found themselves pounded from other directions, most notably from first-year McKenzie Adams (Col ‘14). The two became the first Cavalier duo since 2007 to reach 20 kills each in one match (against Clemson), and Adams’ 29 kills in that game broke U.Va.‘s single-match record for a first-year student. Adams went on to reap statewide and conference honors, including being the first Cavalier to be named NCAA East Region Freshman of the Year. The accomplishments were all the more impressive because Adams missed the first five matches after injuring an ankle in a preseason conditioning drill. It wasn’t the way she wanted to start her career at U.Va. “It was frustrating. I’ve always wanted to go out there and do my best,” Adams says. “I had some rough moments, but you’ve got to work hard to get back and work even harder to be able to play. All of the other players were there for me.”That includes Asque. She not only valued Adams’ role in bringing balance to the team, but she could also relate to Adams’ adversity in her own way. Asque watched her mother successfully battle breast cancer; she also watched an aunt die from it. The experience strengthened her as a leader, she says.“It definitely inspires me a lot. I think of myself and I’m just playing a game and my mom was fighting to live,” Asque says. “It’s sometimes an extra push; I think ‘My mom beat cancer; I can’t be a wimp.’”Few would make such an accusation—Asque plays with fist-pumping intensity. Her high-voltage approach serves to spark the team and power her own game. “I’m a very aggressive hitter; I hit the ball very hard,” she says. “A lot of that has come through acquired strength over the years, but also a lot of my coaches, including Lee [Maes], have stressed using my speed and athleticism to bear down.”Adams shares the same strength—an uncanny knack for pinpoint kill shots—but both athletes know their games need balance. When Asque tried out for the Canadian team this summer (she lives in Chicago), the coaches there emphasized improving her passing, an area Adams says she needs to upgrade as well.Balance will be the byword for the team this coming season, as the team seems poised to improve on last year’s 14-16 record. With players like all-state hitter Jessica O’Shoney (Col ‘13) feeding the attack, the Cavaliers will benefit from distributing the ball to exploit openings in the opposition.“When you have so much diversity like we do and so many great players like we do,” Adams says, “it’s hard to be able to just think, ‘Oh you need to block this girl—don’t worry about anybody else.’”For Asque, having those opportunities will be a welcome contrast to her first season. Sports, Volleyball 2011-08-21T19:18:13+00:00 http://uvamagazine.org/sports/article/building_on_both_sides/ http://uvamagazine.org/sports/article/building_on_both_sides/#When:19:07:24Z They say Rome wasn’t built in a day. The same can be said of London—the Mike London era in U.Va. football, that is.Implementing cultural change takes longer than one season, no matter what schemes you adopt, personnel you have or schedule you play. Still, the Cavaliers are showing signs of real progress. After their first season, London and his staff generated enthusiasm on the recruiting trail while simultaneously building support and excitement among the program’s fan base. That was achieved with only a 4-6 record, a difficult task considering the environment of immediacy that pervades the college football world.Two of London’s top assistants, offensive coordinator Bill Lazor and defensive coordinator Jim Reid, took time to answer questions about the state of their respective units and the implementation of their philosophies. Schemes are always hot topics among fans and the media, but is the idea of scheme a little overvalued?Lazor: I think they overvalue the name of it. What’s important is how well you put together your system. You can do it any way—you can be a running team or a passing team—but what’s important is that you know what you want to be and you know what kind of players you want to recruit for it. Most important, probably, is that you can coach your current players to be good at it.Reid: There’s a system of play, but you’ve got to be flexible. We went to the 4-3 and we were moving safeties to linebacker and linebackers to defensive end, and it was a huge change. I believe you recruit to a system, but you can’t be so inflexible that you try to push athletes into a system when there’s another system that might fit their talents a little bit better. You always have to recruit speed and you have to recruit size, so the faster big men you have, the better off you are. How much did cornerback Ras-I Dowling’s absence, from injury, affect the defensive unit in 2010?Reid: When we went through spring football, we thought we had two great corners, and we did have two great corners. The system of coverage that we employed certainly allowed Chase Minnifield to go from “Oh yeah, he’s the nickel and sometimes starter” to All-ACC, so I think that was the correct decision. Ras-I Dowling was in and out, but he was mostly out. The thing is, we always thought he was going to be in, so we kept our system of coverages. If we’d known that we weren’t going to have him at the start, we’d have changed our system a little bit. It really had a major effect on what we did and why we did it. Minnifield is obviously a cornerstone, but the rest of that secondary looks seasoned and solid, too. How is that group shaping up?Reid: [Cornerback] Rijo Walker had a really good spring—mentally, he’s tough and physically, he’s tough. [Strong safety] Rodney McLeod really runs everything back there, a guy who’s made a lot of improvements, setting everybody up, calling out formations and getting us into our coverage. He’s the guy you always search for—tough, physical and he’s really a complete player and a complete student and a complete man. And Corey [Mosley] is a tough nut. The position he plays [free safety] shows a lot of his toughness, but he’s very good in coverage. For example, he had a couple of huge interceptions in the game against Miami and allowed us to win that game. I like all those guys, but I like every position—like linebacker, these guys are great. Steve Greer came back and played really well. Aaron Taliaferro, we call him Lazarus because he came back from the dead this year [starting six games in 2010 after appearing in only six plays the prior season]; LaRoy Reynolds was extremely active in his first year. Can the first-year players, a class that includes a number of highly regarded defensive playmakers like Daquan Romero and Demetrious Nicholson, make an impact?Reid: You recruit great players in with a plan, but you have another plan with the players who are already here. As the players come in and progress through training camp, we have to make a decision to redshirt them or play them. But you try to recruit the best players you can and then you fit them where you think they go. You’re not going to turn down a 6-foot-4, 230-pound, 4.6 (40-yard-dash time) runner and say, ‘We just have enough of those guys.’ You never have enough of those guys. In 2009, before London became coach, the offense was ranked 118 out of 120 teams in total offense and 105 in scoring. Last year, those numbers improved to 37 and 75, respectively. How did the statistical jumps affect this season’s preparation?Lazor: For us now it’s going to be a challenge going from where we ended in 2010 to where we want to be in 2011, because the teams that we want to pass [in the national statistics] now offensively are better teams. It’s harder to make improvements, but the good thing about this offseason is that the players can go at a much faster rate and take a lot more responsibilities on their shoulders. How has the open competition at quarterback between sophomores Michael Rocco and Ross Metheny, freshman Michael Strauss and early-enrollee David Watford played out so far? It’s appeared from the outside to be a healthy situation. Lazor: It’s been indicative of what you expect a U.Va. quarterback to be. When I met with Coach London about coming to Virginia and running the offense here, I told him that, in my vision, Virginia should always have a great quarterback, one who can really be the face of the program. I think these guys are just those kinds of people as far as their quality of character, the way they approach things and how hard they work. Will veterans like senior wideouts Kris Burd and Matt Snyder be able to help the younger offensive players come along?Lazor: What’s exciting for me on the offense this year is that we have more guys who have proven that they’re ready to take on leadership roles than last year. Maybe it’s because I know these guys better or that they’re more comfortable being in the system for a year, but there are a lot of guys in that position. Kris Burd and Matt Snyder—I expect a lot out of them. On the offensive line, we’ve got a large group of guys back, and everyone who’s played for us in the past you can mention as a potential leader. Whenever I’ve been around a good team and a good offense, they’ve always gotten a lot of leadership out of the offensive line. And at running back, the most obvious one is Perry Jones, who is a returning starter and a captain. I think we can spread the leadership role pretty thickly throughout the offense. Sports, Football 2011-08-21T19:07:24+00:00