They Give a Hoot

Corks & Curls was last published in 2009. The Cavalier Daily has scaled back its print edition to twice a week. Now, a long-dormant secret society wants to do something about the demise of print publications at the University.

With an open letter to the University community in October, the O.W.L. society announced its return to Grounds. “We resurrect the O.W.L. to support, cultivate and enrich literary culture at the University of Virginia,” read the letter.

Founded in 1887 to “promote the cultivation of literary arts,” the society remained active for several decades before fading away. The recent cuts to student publications, along with a concern that the University’s history be preserved in a permanent way, prompted the return of the O.W.L.

“There is something special, something to be cherished, about the written word,” the letter concludes. “It endures for years, even centuries, and has the power to transport its reader back to a forgotten age. At this University, it must be cared for and nurtured if we are to see it flourish.”