Month: March 2003

Roberta Culbertson is not the first or only person in Charlottesville to discover, with the help of Eastern philosophy, that, as she says, “everyday stuff is spiritual. Every moment is a spiritual moment.” Indeed, the mystical and airy influence of a one-world approach to living has taken firm hold here. Just look at the meditation centers and yoga studios popping up like organic mushrooms across the landscape.

But Culbertson’s path into Tibetan Buddhism was perhaps more circuitous than most. About a year ago, she formally became a Buddhist in a ceremony called “taking refuge”—essentially, declaring a commitment to “achieve enlightenment for yourself and all beings.” Before that, she’d been a born-again Christian and an Episcopalian. She also had dabbled in Zen Buddhism and practiced yoga and shamanism. Clearly, as she acknowledges, she battled with herself about her beliefs.

“It seems so hubristic, so full of chutzpah to say ‘I can decide what I believe in,’” she says. “Belief doesn’t have anything to do with it. I can believe or not believe in gravity, but gravity still is going to pull me down if I trip.” Eventually, Buddhism’s emphasis on practice, rather than belief, drew her in.

A meditation technique called shinay—“calm abiding”—is a key part of this practice. Now 52, Culbertson had previously practiced meditation in several settings. Last summer, a trip to a Buddhist monastery in Nova Scotia helped her become familiar with its benefits on a deeper level. “There’s this wonderful stream of compassion that exists in the universe,” she says. “Normally it’s on some radio station that we don’t get because we’re only playing with the AM dial. When you meditate you kind of end up on the FM dial and you find this incredible, beautiful station. It’s very subtle.”

Culbertson, who has a Ph.D. in anthropology, says regular meditation helps her to be more relaxed and forgiving. She says this is a “physiological, biological change in your mind.”

She is comforted, too, by the way Buddhism describes the world’s structure. A key tenet to the philosophy is karma, wherein our actions have consequences that reverberate from one lifetime to the next. “Buddhism asks ‘How can I start right now in this lifetime balancing out some of the things I did, not doing more bad things, so that in my next lifetime I’ll be able to go a little bit farther?’”

Culbertson uses what amounts to Eastern-tinged affirmations to balance her karma: “‘May he find happiness and the root of happiness.’ Anytime I catch myself being judgmental I say that,” she says. “It realigns me.”

The idea of karma helps her deal with the presence of evil in the world, too. “I look at John Lee Malvo,” she says, referring to the alleged Beltway Sniper. “I see a guy who did horrible things. But what I know as a Buddhist is that he’s going to suffer to rebalance the universe. And what that brings up in me is compassion,” she says, rather than anger or judgment.

In her practice, Culbertson is involved with Kagyu Samchen Choling, a Buddhist retreat center in Ivy. The center draws lamas, or teachers, from around the world and students from around the region. For Culbertson, however, it’s simply a place to make connections.

“It is important for people, whatever their religion, to get together,” she says. “I need the guidance, the support, and the general kick in the butt” of belonging to a community.

On February 26, UVA sophomore and Student Council presidential candidate Daisy Lundy was assaulted in what police described as a possibly racially motivated attack.

By that evening, a cluster of emails and outpourings about the widely reported incident had been dispatched campus-wide, including this confronting question by undergraduate Tiffany Chatman: “Still think racism doesn’t exist at UVA?”

For Corey D.B. Walker, Associate Professor of African-American Studies at UVA and Director of the Center for the Study of Local Knowledge, the answer is, yes, of course racism still exists at UVA.

“I am not surprised that it has degenerated to this,” he says. “I am surprised at the severity of it.”

University Police Captain Michael Coleman reported that an 18- to 20-year-old heavyset white male shoved Lundy’s head against her car early on the morning of February 26. Afterwards Lundy, who was involved in a run-off election for Student Council President, reportedly told friends the attacker said, “No one wants a nigger to be president.” If Lundy wins the now-postponed election, she would be the first black woman to lead the UVA student body.

The immediate response to the assault was a flurry of activity. There was an impromptu meeting of students, faculty and staff, dubbed a “Community Reflection and Response.” A $2,000 reward was posted for anyone with information leading to a conviction.

In a mass email from President John T. Casteen III to everyone connected with UVA, he wrote, “The decades-long efforts to make this University an authentic cross-section of what we are as a people, and the hard-earned progress made toward this goal, are too important to be cast aside by some senseless acts.”

Despite Casteen’s assertions, progress in University race relations remains elusive, say critics.

Chatman, who is a member of UVA’s Black Student Alliance and an outreach group called “Building Legacies and Connecting Classes,” says the racism on campus is shrewd—not usually so overt as Lundy’s attack. “The subtle way that people are generally unfriendly to me…” she says, “I really get this feeling that I’m not exactly welcome here.”

In her courses, for instance, Chatman says, the soft racism is at its prime.

“In my French class last semester, I was so uncomfortable,” she says, “that I was afraid to speak up, afraid to make a mistake. It killed my performance. When we would divide into groups, not one person would walk up to me to be my partner.”

Indeed, racism has become a familiar reality to many African Americans at UVA. Last December, fraternities Zeta Psi and Kappa Alpha were acquitted of disorderly conduct after photos circulated of two white men dressed in tennis skirts and blackface as Venus and Serena Williams. Last spring, students at the UVA Architecture School hosted a “Medallion party.” The legend on the invitations? “Callin’ all chicken heads and thugs.”

“The party was clearly making fun of us,” says Chatman.

Walker believes change won’t come until UVA is more racially diverse. “Less than 2 percent of this faculty is African American,” he says. “What is that alone teaching?”

Indeed, undergraduate black enrollment has decreased to 1,436 in 2002 from 1,698 in 1991. And for the 2002-2003 school year, out of 18,250 students at the University overall, 9.3 percent is black, according to UVA statistics.

Still, Walker says the tense racial situation on campus has its roots in the misconception that race problems don’t exist. “The unwillingness to face it,” says Walker, “only advances it. The faculty must be charged with teaching the unvarnished racial history of our area.”

During the “Community Reflection and Response” meeting, UVA Dean of Students Penny Rue had much the same response.

“Goodwill and trust have been eroded here,” she said, making the question not how to get it back, but was it ever there in the first place?

Walker suspects what’s required is a systematic change from the senior administration down. “We need new strategies in thinking, more research of the continuing significance of race in our society,” he says. But when asked to put a timeline on when some new strategies might start to pay off, his answer is grim.

“Definitely not in my lifetime,” he says, “that’s for sure.”—Kathryn E. Goodson

 

 

You go, G.I. Joe!

Campus hawks rally ‘round the flag

On February 24 area Republicans gathered in front of the UVA Rotunda to rally around one message: It’s high time we stopped protesting the start of a war already in progress, and started supporting President Bush and our armed forces.

After a brief prayer by Reverend Peter Way, who once held Republican Rob Bell’s seat for the 58th District in the House of Delegates, the crowd recited the Pledge of Allegiance. The succession of Republican speakers began, from Bell to Matthew Rubin, head of ‘Hoos for Israel.

“How many of you support the war on terrorism,” Keith Drake, Chairman of the Albemarle County GOP asked the riled crowd. “We’re already at war. We’ve been at war since September 11.”

“We will show our support for the military,” said Ben Beliles, President of the UVA College Republicans, who organized the rally, “which is preparing to go into harm’s way to defend the freedoms we are all privileged to enjoy.”

The rally, a protest opposing recent anti-war demonstrations, drew more than 100 area Republicans armed with signs such as “Fight for peace” and “God bless President Bush! God bless our troops!” The Rotunda stairs, enshrouded with a large banner signed by College Republicans and members of the rally, read “We Support Bush!”

The overall sentiment was clear: UVA College Republicans stand in support to rid Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, even if it means going against the grain.

“I am here today because my brother’s in the Navy,” said College Republican Kristin Hendee, “and he tells me of how disconcerted they all are with the protesting. He thought it was amazing I was coming here today to show my support.”

Lindsay Brubaker, another UVA Republican added, “We’re here to express our willingness to support Bush in this endeavor.”

The pro-Bush stance wasn’t the only message delivered during the line of Republican speeches, however. Four UVA Democrats (one with a Burberry handbag in tow) came bearing signs of peace and asking for more time for inspections, not war.

“When I saw the pro-Bush rally going on,” said undergraduate Devon Knudsen, “I wanted to come and see what the [Republican] positions were. Then I realized I didn’t want anyone there to think I was supporting what was being said.”

That’s when Knudsen grabbed a yellow poster board and marker and squatted on the sidelines to scrawl a statement of her own.

“I don’t want [the speakers] to get away with this without seeing another side to think about,” she said.

U.S. Senator George Allen couldn’t attend the rally in person, so someone read a letter from the former Republican governor: “Senator Allen says he is completely behind our troops and our President. Saddam Hussein has no right to be the leader of any country.”

Congressman Virgil Goode, drawing continuous clapping and cheering from the crowd, painted his own down-home view of Saddam Hussein.

“I would love to see that Saddam Hussein has decided to destroy all these weapons of mass destruction,” he said, “but it’s kind of like being in the room with a rattlesnake. Are you just going to wait until it bites you?”

Goode, ending his speech with thanks to those who attended the rally in support, also took a minute to thank the anti-war demonstrators.

“I want to say thanks to those who came today in opposition,” he said. “This is the home of the freedom of the press and freedom of speech. But I dare say, your free speech wouldn’t be welcome in Iraq.”—Kathryn E. Goodson

 

 

You have been disconnected

But not everybody has gone surfin’ with Wi-Fi Internet

There was a time when there was only one seat in the house for Downtown regulars seeking Internet access and a cup o’ joe—the lonely workstation at the back of Mudhouse. Caroline Cobb would head there at lunchtime to check her e-mail. Same for Mike Winn, a computer-less continuing-ed student at UVA. But now, thanks to a tech trend known as Wi-Fi, Web users have their choice among the 40 seats in the coffeehouse. If they’re willing to invest an initial $50 for a wireless modem and then shell out $25 per month for service, that is.

Wi-Fi, or “wireless fidelity” access, has been a mainstay in bigger cities for the past couple of years. It’s creeping into Charlottesville, not only at Mudhouse, with several providers promising access elsewhere soon. In the case of Mudhouse, Web surfers will need to create an account with the wireless firm Airpath, which charges $25 per month or $3 per hour. Once established though, users can access the satellite Web service anywhere that Airpath, or its partners, provide service (called “hotspots”). Sounds good, but right now the only other Airpath location in Charlottesville is the Doubletree Hotel near Sam’s Club on Route 29N, not exactly the stomping grounds of coffeehouse regulars.

Internet junkies with slightly broader roaming instincts may want to wait until April when Ntelos will begin to offer unlimited wireless Internet for $50 per month. The $100 set-up fee will get you going and includes the external modem. Initial coverage in Charlottesville will be only “south of Rio Road” but, according to a rep, that should expand over time.

Still, Mudhouse’s Wi-Fi service seems custom made for Raman Pfaff, ExploreLearning’s chief architect, who says he “lives in the wireless world.” But, despite his assertion that “whenever I’m here, I’m online,” Pfaff says that after the free trial period is over, he won’t be signing up. His thinking is that since Mudhouse already pays for Internet access, it may as well provide free wireless access.

Mudhouse is not the first coffeehouse to get into the Wi-Fi game. Nationally, Starbucks has partnered with T-Mobile to provide hotspots in all its stores. The newest Charlottesville Starbucks on Pantops already has equipment in place, but, according to manager Sheri Craft, it won’t go live until the other two area stores are wired and ready to go. Access at Starbucks will not be free, either, although rates are not yet set.

“Free” is the going rate at Everyday Café, also on Pantops, but the Internet service is not wireless, it’s T1 Ethernet. Still, it might satisfy somebody like Corey Brady, a UVA graduate student who says she chooses a café “more and more based on whether Internet access is available.”

But free wireless is on the horizon locally. John Leschke will be opening a new Ivy Road café, Java Java, in April. There he will offer 14 wired Ethernet ports and up to 14 wireless connections. And the former UVA professor doesn’t plan to charge for the Web. “I’m a coffee shop!” he says.

Clearly, demand for Wi-Fi is on the rise, if for no other reason than to raise Charlottesville’s hip quotient. (Imagine the e-mail: “Hey bro, I’m sipping a café breve and smoking an American Spirit out on the Mall. Gotta run.”) Without any advertising, 25 people signed up in just two days for the Mudhouse service with about 40 total to date.—James Weissman