As the 121st Managing Board brings its term to a close, we continue an annual tradition of recognizing individuals and groups who have made headlines this past year.
The "Baby Steps" award goes to Student Council for its recently initiated SafeWalk program, which conveniently bundles student well-being with awkward bonding opportunities. Who knows how many friendships will be created during long walks home at 1 a.m.?
The "False Start" award goes to the University's athletic department for backing down from having students design football T-shirts after only one year. Let's hope that next year's "professionally designed" shirts do a better job of distracting students from what is happening on the field.
The "Elixir of Life" award goes to Four Loko for being 2010's most potent party drink. Although it's a shame to see the original concoction gone from stores, the more financially prescient students among us likely have enough of the drink stored up to supply eager buyers for years to come.
The "School Spirit" award goes to University alumnus and Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli. Many have criticized Cuccinelli's civil investigative demands issued to the University - we are more perturbed that his office never returned repeated e-mails asking for a phone or in-person Q&A. Where's the alumni loyalty?
The "See No Evil" award goes to the Calder statue, which usually resides in front of Peabody Hall. The excitement that we all felt upon seeing it carried away could only be matched in intensity by the despair we felt upon seeing a press release noting that it was gone only temporarily for cleaning.
The "Mini-Series of the Year" award goes to StudCo Live for being the only thing that could drag us away from "Jersey Shore" and "Sarah Palin's Alaska."
The "Actions Speak Louder Than Words" award goes to the Honor Committee, whose year culminates with two amendments aimed at changing the intent and triviality clauses of the honor code. Although we will not speculate on the Committee's intent with these amendments, the changes they ultimately settled upon unquestionably represent the essence of "triviality."
The "Building Character" award goes to the black netting on the capitals of the Rotunda. We have no doubt that the construction will bring about some very noticeable capital gains.
The "It's a Jungle Out There" award goes to Amy Chua for her book, "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother," about the superiority of Chinese parenting. The stories that she relates about forcing her children to practice piano for hours on end and denying them even the occasional play date should make many University students think back more fondly on the sacrifices that they had to make to get into college.
The "Class Act" award goes to Snowmageddon 2010 for being the only thing that could get University students out of class for a day - even if it was a Friday, when half of the University was enjoying the weekend already. Even better, as of press time, it looks like there might be the possibility of a repeat performance almost exactly a year later. Stay safe out there!
Read More
CARTER: U.Va. Health owes clarity to transplant patients
By Nathaniel Carter | 2 days agoUnfortunately, this negative press is fully the fault of U.Va. Health — it failed to address significant stakeholder concerns when crafting its justification.
EDITORIAL: Upholding medical amnesty is a collective effort
By Editorial Board | 3 days agoUniversity leadership, Greek life organizations and students themselves must recommit to the safety provided by an effective and knowledgeable use of medical amnesty.
KURTZWEIL: Dockworkers’ unions cannot avoid the threat of automation
By Paul Kurtzweil | 4 days agoInstead of continuing to demand decreased automation, the union should work with the legislature in the hopes of driving investment into the reorganization of the current workforce.
