A UVA Alumna’s Student Experience

In “Live from the Hook“, I talk about the fact that I stayed clear of the Rugby Road fraternity and drinking scenes.  I think walking through pools of vomit and waking up to strangers using the urinals on our floor had something to do with it.  I lived in the old dorms where even the women’s bathrooms had urinals, so hung over guys sometimes thought they were on the men’s floor.  Community Building and UVA focused on the UVA student experience beyond the mainstream.  This post continues the conversation.

Creative students and the adminstration provided vehicles for many of us to develop diverse interests and activities that have had lifelong applications.  Student organization leadership is still relevant more than 20 years later including being a floor representative to First Year Council and getting a friend on the ballot for the Judiciary Committee.  The student government seemed to have unlimited funds that they dished out to student organizations.  I don’t remember ever being turned down for funds. Presiding over the Japanese Club and Asian studies committees combined learning the art of  proposal writing,  academics, personal interest. 

The entertainment committees provided diverse events.  There were a million speakers.  I met Spike Lee, Juan Williams, Maya Angelou, the guy who wrote Biko…  The original movie the Manchurian Candidate was featured when it was re-released.  The classic films at the Psyche building across the street from the old dorms were a must see.  Road tripping to the Asian Art Museum in D.C. and viewing all kinds of galactic phenomena at the UVA observatory are still vivid memories. 

And yes, I danced and stood in line for step shows in Newcomb Ballroom and the Student Activities Building (SAB) with the Kappas, Alphas, Deltas and even NSBE.  I will always remember the underground hip hop parties at Faulkner put on by the Sigmas.  These same groups held formals at mansions in Albermarle County and in the mountains near Monticello.

Some experiences cannot be categorized.  Somehow when some of the victims of the Armenian earthquake were flown to Charlottesville, I was indirectly involved through classmates who were in OT school.  My roommate was part of an internship that started the Fridays after five on the downtown mall.  I attended the Virginia Film festival at an independent theater on the downtown mall which showed Spike Lee’s student film.  I witnessed antiapartheid demonstrations.  

So despite the reputation of UVA and its party scene, there were plenty of other things to do.  Oh yeah and the academics were pretty neat too.