Taking My Professor to the Frats
(01/24/25 2:00pm)
Editor’s note: This article is a humor column.
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Editor’s note: This article is a humor column.
Editor’s Note: The Cavalier Daily’s Editorial Board internally solicits applications each semester for new senior associate opinion editors and a new opinion columnist. Because of this, the Board’s membership changed halfway through the 135th term. To paint a more complete picture of our term this article includes perspectives from current and former members of the Editorial Board.
Set after set would result in a Cavalier kill. Various outside hitters would thunderously slam the ball into opposition territory. But before the kill, a strong play was almost always attributed to the set-up, always done by one player — senior setter Ashley Le.
Basketball games, Interim Coach Ron Sanchez reckons, are like boxing matches. Some go 12 rounds. Relenting after 11 means accepting defeat.
John Paul Jones Arena boasted a sparse yet impressively orange crowd Wednesday night. The fans and students who made the trip to JPJ for the matchup against No. 21 Memphis were treated to a thrilling basketball game, the most thrilling of the season for Virginia. Adding to the excitement were the Ralph Sampson-esque retro orange jerseys, appearing for the first time since 2010.
After four losses straight, a victory was not a want — it was a need for Virginia women’s basketball. Fortunately for the Cavaliers (7-5, 0-1 ACC), they earned a sorely-needed victory Tuesday at John Paul Jones Arena against Maryland-Eastern Shore. The Hawks (4-8, 0-0 MEAC) also needed a win tonight, and an early lead in the first half looked like they had it in the bag. But at home, the Cavaliers held on and managed to turn the tide in the second half with an invigorated offense — leading to an 80-64 victory, the first Virginia win since Nov. 28.
With the NIL era of college sports in full swing, there are a myriad of unknowns. Questions have arisen about how athletes will balance sponsorship deals with school responsibilities, how schools will manage compliance and fairness and how potential roster cuts will impact team dynamics. One thing is for sure, however — money matters, particularly in women’s basketball, where there is enormous revenue potential, as well as a long history of low investment.
In 2024, several Virginia women’s sports programs had high-quality seasons. To name a few examples, softball went 15-9 in ACC play — a significant improvement from a record of 8-16 the year prior. Volleyball also improved its overall record to 21-11 after an 11-17 season in 2023.
After a 6-1 start, women’s basketball appeared to be on track to have a promising season. The lone loss was a smackdown at No. 10 Oklahoma, and losing to a top-10 SEC team on the road is not cause for concern. But over the past three weeks, the Cavaliers have gone from hoping to make the NCAA Tournament to barely avoiding last place in the ACC. Frankly, for Virginia women’s basketball, the great big problem is simple. This team cannot shoot the long ball whatsoever — and as a result, is on a collision course to a complete failure of a season.
As expected, Virginia football has had an aggressive first week in the transfer portal, acquiring five transfers. With 16 of his players departing via the portal and several more graduating, Coach Tony Elliott faces considerable work in retooling the roster.
Virginia basketball fans filed out of Thursday’s game against Bethune-Cookman breathing a sigh of relief. The final score pointed to a comfortable Cavalier win, but the first half was ugly, with an eight-minute scoring drought and eight turnovers. With sloppy and undisciplined play standing out as what held Virginia to only 18 points in the half, it was easy to miss the one thing that sums up the team’s offensive woes this season — they are not taking enough shots.
This week, several members of the Virginia swim squad traveled to Budapest, Hungary for the 2024 World Aquatics 25m Championships. The event took place over six days, starting Tuesday and culminating Sunday. The list of Cavalier swimmers included senior Jack Aikins, graduate Alex Walsh, senior Gretchen Walsh, junior Emma Weber and freshman Katie Grimes, who will join Virginia swim in January. Class of 2023 alumna Kate Douglass and Class of 2021 alumna Paige Madden also competed. The Cavalier swimmers put on a clinic on the global stage, grabbing 25 medals, taking home 10 world championships and setting 14 world records.
In an email sent Dec. 9, Jennifer Wagner Davis, executive vice president and chief operating officer, warned community members that the University has been experiencing increased levels of fraudulent emails being sent to students, faculty and staff. Davis and other administrators provided guidance on how University community members can protect themselves from email scams, which includes reporting suspicious emails to University IT Services. Her email to the community also offered context on the broader trend impacting universities during the holiday season.
At its meeting Friday, the Faculty Senate debated changes, proposed by the General Faculty Council, to "PROV-004" — the policy governing the employment of Academic General Faculty. The proposal seeks to reverse a 2017 provision which requires faculty to achieve promotion to associate or senior rank in order to receive an employment commitment — a protection against arbitrary termination — from the University. If faculty are not promoted, they are left without long-term employment protections.
As the calendar prepares to turn, it is time to reflect on another year of Virginia sports. A few pieces of hardware and several momentous victories highlighted an eventful 2024 for the University’s athletic programs, which achieved national success and even represented the University on the world stage at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Editor’s note: This article is a humor column.
Everyone inside John Paul Jones Arena inhaled. They had seen freshman forward Ishan Sharma, alone on the wing, receive a pass. A stillness fell as Sharma rose up to shoot, punctured by a solitary shriek.
Finals — which occurred between Monday Dec. 9 and Tuesday Dec. 17 — can be a challenging time for students. To alleviate some of the stress that accompanies this period, organizations such as the Honor Committee, the Writing Center and Class Councils offered a variety of handouts before finals concluded, including free snacks, energy drinks and coffee. Students who used these resources said they appreciated this support as they finished classes and completed their exams.
I am disappointed by the athletics experience I got at Virginia.