Days on the Lawn began this week and, at the same time, my graduation is just around the corner. Contemplating these two bookends of college life made me realize that I've seen a lot of change in my time at the University. I've witnessed the births of the new O-Hill and the John Paul Jones Arena.
Traveling the two hours into the glossy metropolis that is Washington, D.C. is always slightly strange to me.
Do you need some time to get away from it all? Have you considered a beach, an island, the AFC? What about the moon? Although men have not walked on the moon since 1972, plans are in the works for the United States to return.
I love storms. There was a real cracker of a storm on Monday, and I loved it; the rain made our professor inaudible, and the lightning flashes lit up our classroom even when the power failed. Storms are great here.
Although different University students get made fun of at one time or another, perhaps no group has it as bad as tablers.
If you happened to be around the Downtown Mall or the Amphitheater last night, you might have seen an unusual sight -- students coming together for the annualTake Back the Night protesting against sexual assault and domestic violence. "Sexual assault is an important issue across the country and the world," said fourth-year College student Emily Saunders, co-coordinator of the event as an external chair for the Sexual Assault Leadership Council, one of the event's sponsors.
Every year, new students join the University community and a new group of students are selected to serve on Resident Staff as Resident Advisors. These individuals serve as guides to new and returning students living on Grounds, keeping them informed of upcoming events and opportunities while enforcing University regulations. Students apply to be RAs for various reasons, including leadership opportunities, the ability to aid new residents and the chance to give back to the University. Second-year College student Alexandra Arango said her RA from her first year really helped her adjust not only to the college lifestyle but to the American culture as well.
At age 25, third-year Law student Adam Trusner has already experienced more of the world than most would in a lifetime. With a father in the United States Air Force, Trusner was born in Greece and moved all over the United States and across the globe.
So, it's the beginning of spring, and soon spring will turn into summer. Spring and summer mean one thing (other than heavy daytime drinking): outdoor concerts.
We've got royalty among us, a monarch-to-be who has been eluding detection from under our very noses for nearly four years. And I bet its news to you. "I knew about John Grisham's kid," you're thinking.
With approximately two-thirds of the undergraduate population at the University hailing from Virginia by law, it is clear that the majority of students live within reasonable proximity to their families.
Marcus Vick, Bill Clinton and Kobe Bryant all have one thing in common -- their sexual conduct were made public, and because of that scrutiny they paid a heavy price.
When I woke up Saturday morning and realized that no one had pulled an April Fool's Day prank, I was sorely disappointed in the world. When I woke up Sunday morning and found out I had been cheated out of an hour's worth of sleep, I thought, "The day after April Fool's Day ... I didn't even see it coming!
Virginia's General Assembly passed a bill March 15 that, if signed by Gov. Tim Kaine, would add a fee in addition to tuition for students who take more than 125 percent of credits required by a certain program, such as a major or minor, at all Virginia public schools. The fee will be an extra $6700 a year, or about $224 per credit.
I have come to the conclusion that there are pros and cons to choosing who you live with at the University.
Before I start giving awards to the best time-wasters the Internet has to offer, I need mention MTV2's "Wonder Showzen." This is partly because it's hilarious, but mostly because it happened to come on when I started writing this column. This show has used the tried and true "give a goofy little kid a microphone and an ear-piece and have him talk to people" method that "The Man Show" often used for instantaneous hilarity.
By definition, the word means "to set fire to," but no definition, no dictionary, no words, can describe what Ignite has come to mean to second-year College student Katherine Klem and other young adults across the nation. Ignite, according to its mission statement, is "a grassroots organization empowering young people to hold the tobacco industry accountable by directing public officials to act responsibly." The organization was founded by Klem in 2002 when she was a sophomore in high school in Louisville, Ky. "I was simply outraged that an industry that was generally accepted by the public was handing out free cigarettes to kids in Asia and saying things like, 'Today's teenager is tomorrow's potential regular customer,'" Klem said, citing a Phillip Morrisreport.
It's 2 a.m. and the guy across from you at the beer pong table is swaying back and forth, talking big game about his skills.
Disclaimer Number One: "I'm better than you" refers to the "I" in the collective sense, not in the "I, Clare Ondrey, am better than you, general Cavalier Daily reader." Disclaimer Number Two: The title of this piece is actually a phrase meant to question, and not state, the idea of the normalcy of our community and how we fit into the population of the world. Maybe I should have titled this, "Are we Normal?" but I thought it was too obvious.
Straddling the bend in McCormick Road, set back atop a handful of lengthy, slightly crooked steps, the brick façade of Clark Hall resembles most of the other nearby buildings. However, take just one step inside, and you are confronted with a less usual entryway design. The hall is surrounded on two sides by a two-story mural.
