Winter 2009 Table of Contents
Features
How Did We Get Here?
A “pocket guide” to why this debate is happening and what circumstances have propelled reform initiatives, as told by U.Va. faculty experts.
Bringing the Hospital to the People
Inside beige tents, medical staff from the University of Virginia provide free health care to anyone who comes to the Wise County Fairgrounds. Meet a few of the people who depend on the Remote Area Medical clinic for medical treatment, as well as those who volunteer their services.

Did You Know?
Do you know which popular soft drink is named for a U.Va. alumnus? Or how about the top-secret military experiments conducted in the shadow of the Rotunda?
Lunar Lunacy
Phil Plait (Grad ’90, ’94) has a simple lesson plan. Known Webwide as “The Bad Astronomer,” he wants to stop bad science, especially the spread of misinformation about all things celestial.
Space Odyssey
Beginning in the 1960s and continuing through the most recent shuttle flight, U.Va. alumni have journeyed beyond the earth's bounds to work--and walk--in space.
University Digest
Small Town, Big Acts
Renovated venues have helped bring an impressive assortment of musical headliners to Grounds.
Space-Age Eraser
Conservators used a laser to clean 180 years of grime from the column capitals of Pavilion II.
Breaking Through, Looking Back
More than two dozen alumni recently returned to Grounds to commemorate their role in desegregating the University of Virginia during the 1950s and ’60s.
Story Genius
Short story writer Deborah Eisenberg was awarded a MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant in September.
Minding Manners
Lack of respect and courtesy constitute a serious national problem, according to a study conducted in 2002, and most people interviewed saw the problem as getting worse.
Verbatim
For 20 years, our state has put essentially every other priority ahead of education. It has done this for so long that most people simply take it for granted now that the state can dodge this most basic of its obligations.
Holding Steady
This year’s U.S. News & World Report’s rankings of America’s best colleges yielded a familiar outcome for the University.
The Campaign for the University of Virginia
More than 77,000 alumni have contributed to the campaign. Here are the five largest gifts to U.Va.
Campaign Hits $2 Billion
Against the backdrop of the deepest recession since the 1930s, the University announced on Sept. 14 that it had reached the $2 billion mark in its $3 billion fundraising campaign.
RESEARCH & DISCOVERY
Supersized Ring
Astronomers recently found the largest planetary ring in the solar system swirling around Saturn.
Burning Question
Our ancestors may have begun warming the planet 8,000 years ago.
SPORTS
Sports Shorts
ACC honors Bakhtiar Former U.Va. gridiron great Jim Bakhtiar (Col ’58, Med ’63) is now officially an ACC legend. Bakhtiar was...
Confidence Game
Whitney Neuhauser stood over her second shot in a playoff for the state championship and committed the golfer’s ultimate sin. She doubted.
ALUMNI NEWS
Admission FAQs
How is the University using social media in its admission process? From dispelling rumors to engaging students in a...
Sharing a Vision
Jennifer Tsai was so moved by the beauty and symbolism of the Rotunda, she knew it would be hard to leave when she graduated
China Connection
A collaborative effort is strengthening Chinese connections among U.Va. alumni, students and officials.
ARTS
Bestsellers at the U.Va. Bookstore:July through September 2009
Fiction/Poetry
1. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
2. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and...
New & Notable
Reasons for and Advantages of Breathing Lydia Peelle (Grad ’06) Harper Collins This collection of short stories explores lives derailed...
Couture Construction
Two alumnae, an urban planner and an artchitect, formed Chromat Garments. They make fashion that borrows heavily from architecture.
Required Reading: R. Jahan Ramazani
Professor R. Jahan Ramazani (Col ’81), chair of the English department, edited the Norton Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Poetry, co-edited the 20th-century volume of the Norton Anthology of English Literature and published a book of poetry.
Do You Hear What I Hear?
Michael Rasbury is a sound designer, a composer and a professor of drama at U.Va., and he co-wrote a play inspired by his son, a musical about a boy with autism named Max.
The Philosopher Mechanic
Crawford argues that physical labor that offers tangible results—a motorcycle that starts, a plumbing system that doesn’t leak—provides satisfaction, both intellectual and psychic, that office work often lacks.
DEPARTMENTS
Letters to the Editor
Addiction Research
I found the article “Targeting Addiction” (Fall 2009) very intriguing. I especially was curious if Dr. Bankole Johnson...
Student Life: Food for Thought
The bounty of dishes available at the University’s dining halls could easily be mistaken for a gourmet restaurant.
First Person: Terrorism on Trial
Over the last year, Edward B. MacMahon Jr. (Col ’82) has been working as a defense attorney in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Short Course: Saving Green
During the month of August, it cost $21,769.85 just to cool Newcomb Hall. The University is making eye-opening numbers like these available on its online “Building Dashboard,” which displays energy use in Newcomb Hall.
Retrospect: The Kennedys at Virginia
In March 1958, then-Senator John F. Kennedy, his wife, Jackie, and his brothers Robert and Ted attended Law Day at U.Va.
ONLY ONLINE
In addition to our print offerings and related only-online supplements, uvamagazine.org offers a wide variety of only-online content. Be sure to check out:
- The List
Top fives? Tops tens? Just-for fun-lists from around Grounds and alumni around the world. - Top University News
The top monthly stories from around Grounds - In Your Words
Alumni stories in their own words. Be sure to submit your own story! - Polls
Cast your vote in interactive polls and learn what other alumni think - Quotes
Comments, opinions and insights from members of the University community. - Only-online articles
Fresh content not seen in our print edition, typically published through our award-winning e-newsletter. - Photo galleries
Browse pictures of Grounds, alumni, C'ville and events. Submit your own photos, too!
- Video
All of our videos, all in one place. Feel like you're back on Grounds.
- Class Notes
Browse your classmates' updates, and submit your own class note. Our online version features extended text, photos, and links. - Browse by category
You can also browse all of our content by category that interests you.









Go inside the scrum with the men and women of U.Va. rugby.
Meet the new director of the Virginia Film Festival, which featured several movies by alumni.

