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Opinion


Opinion

Moral fabric

University of Virginia Bookstore director Jon Kates is taking a stand for garment workers’ rights, and beginning next semester, students, alumni, and fans will have the opportunity to join him. This coming fall, the bookstore will offer Alta Gracia Apparel, a company that is changing the collegiate garment industry by offering an alternative to sweatshop labor.


Opinion

The clothespin vote

Not only do I have no idea who will be receiving my vote — because I’m not thrilled about either frontrunner — but I’m also lacking my normal level of inspiration when it comes to the possibilities of politics. Virginia’s gubernatorial election has caused me to reflect not only on the lack of effective bipartisan ideas in politics but also on the un-electability of strong independent candidates.


Opinion

A comment on comments

Searching for praise in a thread of online comments is a fool’s errand, and positivity is not a metric we use in determining which comments to delete. But we hold that obscenities, defamation and ad hominem attacks have no place in respectful public dialogue.


Opinion

A silent epidemic

One in four college women have been sexually assaulted or have experienced attempted rape, according to a 2010 Department of Justice study. Women between the ages of 16 and 24 will experience sexual violence at a rate that is four times higher than the rate for all women. And approximately 32 percent of college students are victims of dating violence.


Opinion

Ordinary places

Humanities Week, a celebration of the humanities that kicked off Sunday evening and runs through Friday, provides a compelling example of how an organization can empower students to make effective use of common space.


Opinion

More equal than others

Proponents of large-scale income redistribution as an answer to our growing inequality run into a problem: if the rich don’t deserve their money, who does?


Opinion

A tailored solution

So how could appropriate actions have been taken without blindly inflicting punishment? The first step has already begun — investigate any incidents of hazing aggressively and punish them severely.


Opinion

A loaded debate

Mr. Falwell’s university has a notoriously strict campus code in many respects. The school prohibits students from kissing or from listening to music that is not “in harmony with God’s word.” But when it comes to firearms the school grants its students a bit too much liberty.


Opinion

All bark, no bite

I perceive North Korea’s threatening rhetoric as a mechanism for Kim Jong-un to consolidate power. He is only recently in a position to lead his nation and needs to secure his position. Military victory is generally a way to secure and legitimize power. Essentially, Kim Jong-un’s threats are empty.


Opinion

It’s all Greek to me

The Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life’s FAQ page addresses questions about alcohol and hazing by saying that such organizations are “expected to comply with the policies and regulations concerning alcohol that are outlined by the University,” and that the University “does not condone hazing in any form.” Show those answers to a fraternity brother, and I bet the most common reaction would be a chuckle.


Opinion

Wall of separation

A group of North Carolina Republicans recently introduced a resolution that would give the state the right to establish an official religion. That religion — most likely Christianity — would be introduced via clauses in the bill that deny the power of the First Amendment at the state level.


Opinion

Alphabet soup

Monday’s frenzy escalated to comic proportions for two primary reasons. First, and most critically, an interconnected student body linked by social media and other forms of instant communication caused false reports to run rampant. Second, a climate of fear surrounding alcohol use, sparked by ABC’s crackdown and last week’s request from Dean of Students Allen Groves for fraternities to end new-member initiation for the sake of student safety, led students to believe that police officers could or would enter their rooms without permission — and against what the Constitution allows — at a school that, on a sunny afternoon, lies in Monticello’s shadow.


Opinion

The creativity conundrum

Students often view requirement courses as obstacles to overcome rather than opportunities for introspection. A course on creativity, or a course that is explicitly designed to teach students how to be creative in their work, should fall into the latter category. But how can universities mandate teaching creativity without sacrificing the voluntary, liberating attitude that should accompany creativity-oriented courses?


Opinion

The harm in standing by

The message consoles but also offers a challenge: how can we band together to decrease gender violence and re-strengthen our community of trust? I believe the answer lies in educating and engaging students to refuse to idly stand by when possible wrongdoing occurs.


Opinion

The ducks in the Dell

As I walk, a thousand things flash into my mind: future meetings, dance team practices, upcoming programs and classes. Despite my constant need for haste, however, I somehow manage to latch on to the little details in my surroundings: I notice the lady who waits at the Chemistry bus stop every morning, the color of certain buildings and the way in which the employees at the dining halls interact with one another. I notice many minute details like these, and it was by chance the other day that I stumbled upon three little ducks that, in a way, have taught me so much about my own University experience.


Opinion

Pledge allegiance

The spring tumult of fraternity pledge-ship came to a halt 6 p.m. Sunday — the deadline the University set, with little warning, for Inter-Fraternity Council organizations to end pledging activities and initiate new members. The University requested Thursday that fraternities make new members full brothers by 6 p.m. Saturday. The school later granted a one-day extension. But many fraternity men, if past initiation trends hold, would have liked an extension of 24 days, not 24 hours.


Opinion

Spreading the sunshine

This week, I’ve witnessed everything from encouraging Post-it notes around my dorm to loving posters hung on lampposts and columns. I’ve seen a podium set up outside of Clark Hall encouraging passers-by to “Say Something Nice,” and the entire Amphitheatre transformed into a petting zoo.

Latest Video

Latest Podcast

With the Virginia Quarterly Review’s 100th Anniversary approaching Executive Director Allison Wright and Senior Editorial Intern Michael Newell-Dimoff, reflect on the magazine’s last hundred years, their own experiences with VQR and the celebration for the magazine’s 100th anniversary!