1 .BOO – THE 25 facts I didn’t want to know about you trend on Facebook. While it may have inspired this informative and enlightening editorial, it is basically another platform for self-important/emo-inclined people to talk about themselves. As if all your 1,000 close friends and not-so-close acquaintances wanted to know that you hate people touching your hair (… but I do apologize for the one time I did that. I honestly had no idea!)
2. Hoo – The fact that said trend is slowing. Hopefully, this puts the last nail in the coffin. The news feed hasn’t alerted me of a 25-random-facts-about-me-post in 48 hours.
3. Boo – Valentines Day. For singles it is depressing – who wants to be alone on a day that celebrates the already hegemonic social pressure to pair off? For couples it can be equally depressing – the forced faux—romance of the day can come off as uninspired and routine.
4. Hoo – VOTING! Wahoo student self-governance!
5. Boo – The fact that nobody does it. Student self—governance only becomes a joke when you let it. If you want the right to complain or praise the actions of the University Judiciary Committee, Honor, Student Council, Class Council, etc. you need to vote. I know you want to be able to complain, so go do it. Now.
6. Hoo – Online voting! Who doesn’t wish that we could have voted in the state and national elections this past November via a Web site? It makes the whole process extremely convenient and fast, and hands—down beats waiting in line outside Venable.
7. Boo – Online voting: the fact that it is so easy is a double-edged sword. It could be a contributing factor to the low turnout rates in the student body by creating a sense of diffused responsibility on a massive scale. If everybody thinks they don’t have to vote because other people are, then many people will attempt to ‘free ride’ and less people will vote overall.
8. Boo – Easy voting sometimes leads to uninformed voting. Before jumping online to vote on a referendum that you only know about because of that brightly colored flyer you passed, you should actually take the time to figure out what the consequences of your choice could be in the long-term.
9. Boo – The trifecta of self—important organizations: Honor, University Judiciary Committee, and University Guide Service. How competitive does serving the University community in these roles really need to be? If these organizations were truly concerned with expanding education about the organizations and the University, they would greatly increase their membership at their most basic level. The best way to educate people is to engage as many interested people as possible. Instead, like a union trying to artificially inflate the wages of current laborers by keeping others out, these organizations pump up their ego by making entry overly competitive.
10. Hoo – Easy opportunities to get involved in the community through Madison House. Service shouldn’t be unnecessarily competitive, and Madison House offers a range of programs that let practically every interested student get involved.
11. Hoo – The new Global Development Major. Students and faculty finally pulled together an interdisciplinary program that is long overdue in today’s global environment.
12. Boo – Lack of respect for interdisciplinary programs at the University. Restrictions placed on upper level classes in departments such as philosophy and psychology make it hard for interdisciplinary majors to get in to these courses. This is further highlighted by the recent denial of tenure to Assistant Anthropology Prof. Wende Marshall, who works in the Carter G. Woodson Institute for African—American and African Studies.
13. Hoo – Having non-commerce classes in the Rouss and Robertson Hall. Sharing is caring, and those classrooms are nice.
14. Boo – Denying College students access to the computers in the Rouss and Robertson Hall. Apparently, they have to draw the line somewhere.
15. Hoo – Lots of outdoor space integrated into the University’s layout. While the lawn is nice, it isn’t even the beginning of all the awesome outdoor nooks and crannies that are all around grounds. The University should preserve these as it continues to grow.
16. Boo – Railroad tracks separating residential and commercial sections of the corner. Not a great example of pedestrian-friendly urban planning.
17. Hoo – Increase in applications from diverse backgrounds. The switch to the Common Application has increased the number of students applying to the University from ethnically and culturally diverse backgrounds.
18. Hoo – 65 degrees in January! I knew there was a reason I moved south! Spring is almost here and it is by far my favorite season in Charlottesville. The days are getting longer and warmer, and there is far more to do outside to fill them up.
19. Boo - 40 degree temperature swings. Virginia’s schizophrenic weather makes it near impossible to know how much, or little, to wear (within reason) and I always end up too warm, too cold, or too wet at some point in the day.
20. Hoo - Spring break. I’m ready.
21. Boo - Professors scheduling tests either the day before, or the day after spring break. Honestly? Are you evil?
22. Hoo - Tearing down Balz and Dobie houses this summer to make room for two new dormitories. The University is finally going to start on its much needed multimillion dollar face lift to bring first-year dorms into the 21st century.
23. Boo - The fact that these dormitories were originally built to last only thirty years ... over thirty years ago. These dorms were a quick fix to the sudden doubling of the University’s population when women were officially admitted. Let’s hope the University can plan ahead a little better this time around.
24. Hoo – Sustainable practices for all new buildings built around grounds. Finally, the University seems to be catching the green wave with the elimination of trays, expanded recycling programs, and drought-resistant landscaping. Tree-huggers everywhere: rejoice!
25. Boo – Those trees around grounds that shed the stinky berries in the fall. Before I realized the pungent aroma’s unexpected source I was literally looking around, trying to avoid what I could only guess was a hidden pile of vomit on my way to class. I don’t care how much we love trees, these need to go.
Matt Dickey is a Viewpoint Writer for The Cavalier Daily.
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