Author: roxana-mullafiroze

If college students were given the chance to design and teach their own classes, what would they pick to study? Judging by this semester’s student-initiated courses program at UVA, the bulk of their curriculum might be TV shows.

But we’re not talking about MTV reality shows or “Lost” reruns. Rather, students who take “The West Wing: Where Hollywood Fantasy and Reality Collide” or “Political Satire in the New Media Age” will explore the politically charged world of today’s television, both fictional and non. 

Matthew Moran, a junior at UVA, teaches the three-credit “West Wing” course, in which students will watch full episodes of the popular drama and compare what they see to the realities of the American presidency. According to Moran, the aim of his class is to show students “that our perceptions of the presidency are reinforced by Hollywood and the media.”

“Political Satire in the New Media Age,” co-instructed by media studies students Bri Rizzo and Courtney Stokke, examines the evolution of nightly news from traditional network broadcasts to more entertainment-based news media—a transition that “has huge implications for the way we view politics and traditional news outlets,” says Stokke. Politics aside, who wouldn’t want to take a class where homework assignments include viewing clips from “The Daily Show,” “The Colbert Report,” and “South Park”?

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On March 26, UVA released online admissions decisions to 22,520 high school seniors—a record number of applications for the university. Of this number, 6,907 students were granted admission, making for an offer rate of 31 percent, the second lowest in over 30 years. (The lowest rate, 29 percent, was last year.) 

The targeted entering class size is 3,240 students—less than half of those granted admission. The Office of Admissions’ selection committee divided the total pool of applications among 15 full-time and 10 part-time employees, who each read roughly 1,200.

“This is perhaps the most talented class academically that we’ve ever offered to,” said Dean of Admissions Greg Roberts in a press release from the university. And the press release didn’t shy away from some particular talents. The release also singled out a few students in the running for the prestigious Jefferson Scholars Foundation Scholarships, among them two published authors, a pipe organist and a world chess champion.

 On March 17, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors voted to advertise a real estate tax rate of 74.2 cents per $100 of assessed value, the same rate as last year. Advertising a tax rate means that, while the supervisors may decide on a lower rate before the budget is finalized, a higher one is extremely unlikely. Maintaining the same tax rate would give most county residents a tax break, considering a decline in home assessments.

Recently, many county residents expressed disapproval at the Supervisors’ decision to keep the same rate. A March public hearing on the county budget, for instance, brought multiple calls to increase the rate to direct more funding to Albemarle schools. 

And while cuts to Albemarle County Public Schools now seem far less drastic, there’s sure to be some more thought on whether 74.2 cents is an appropriate price to pay. Have a look at the tax rates of surrounding counties to see how Albemarle stacks up.

On March 1, Charlottesville’s Public Works Department began a free service to collect fallen tree limbs and other debris stemming from this winter’s heavy snowstorms. Limbs are hauled to Panorama Farm in Earlysville and ground into mulch, which the farm sells commercially.

The service is funded by the department’s contingency monies for emergencies and unexpected events, but a supplemental appropriation from City Council will be requested once all snow costs from all departments have been calculated, says city spokesman Ric Barrick. The projected cost to the city is approximately $100,000; no new equipment was purchased for the project, although three dump trucks and drivers were contracted by the city. 

The job reached its halfway point on March 9. Check out a few numbers from the haul.

 On most days, the Quality Community Council (QCC), a grassroots coalition located in a small space on West Main Street, attacks tangible problems facing Charlottesville’s most troubled neighborhoods—voter education, affordable housing and crime prevention, to name a few. However, on Wednesday afternoons, QCC takes on the more abstract agenda of reconciliation, and opens its doors to UVA students for a course called “Race and Repair.”

Co-facilitated by Frank Dukes, Director of the Institute for Environmental Negotiation; Phyllis Leffler, Director of UVA’s Institute for Public History; and Karen Waters, Executive Director of the QCC, the course was designed to create dialogue between University students and Charlottesville community members. The trio has developed a curriculum that tackles many ugly truths about the University’s history, beginning with slavery and working through contemporary issues of employment and the impact of University construction on local communities. 

“It seems to me that the University has had a major impact on the community in many, many ways, and most of them not positive,” says Leffler. 

The course’s provocative content is tempered by an open and inviting atmosphere. Waters’ robust laughter punctuates conversation, and Dukes and Leffler offer a more muted warmth. The physical space of the QCC also adds to this dynamic, with one long table designed to seat all 25 students together, and blooming seedlings from the Council’s community garden brightening the room. 

“Every class, I’ve come away feeling energized,” says Dukes. 

“Race and Repair” is jointly sponsored by the QCC and the University Community Action for Racial Equity (UCARE). Following a resolution passed by the Virginia General Assembly in 2007 offering a declaration of “profound regret” for slavery in Virginia’s history, the University’s Board of Visitors created UCARE and tasked it with fostering an understanding of UVA’s racial history and repairing its relationship with the larger community. 

With this goal in mind, Leffler approached Dukes, also Project Director of UCARE, to collaborate on designing a class. Leffler thought a partnership with the QCC would legitimize the course in the eyes of community members.

“There are some things that are painful for people who have either directly lived it, or it’s a part of their family,” says Dukes. “The students really value having the community members sitting there, being able to talk with them, being able to hear from them.”

Because the three facilitators currently volunteer their efforts, it is uncertain whether they will be able to reconvene and teach the course again. Still, they view “Race and Repair” as a beginning, not an end: Leffler references the students’ final group research projects, which are expected to “develop new knowledge” and leave a legacy about the community’s public history. 

Waters agrees. “We’ve put the facts and put the truth out there, and each person who is in the class can in turn carry that water a little farther.”

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“People come in here and ask, ‘Why are there so many vacancies?’ It gives them the impression that the Mall is going under,” says George Benford, owner of Siips Wine Bar and board member of the Downtown Business Association of Charlottesville (DBAC). Benford explains that increasing vacancies on the Downtown Mall are fueling a vicious cycle: Empty storefronts weaken the Mall’s image and hurt sales, which in turn causes more stores to go out of business, leaving more vacancies.

Recognizing the growing number of empty spaces on the Downtown Mall, the city’s Office of Economic Development began conducting a semi-annual “vacancy report” in July 2008, when the Mall faced a 3 percent storefront vacancy rate. By July 2009, the rate had jumped, and 9 percent of the Mall’s 193 storefronts were vacant.

According to Chris Engel, the city’s Assistant Director of the Office of Economic Development, January 2010’s numbers are right around that 9 percent mark, which represents 18 empty storefronts of the 193 total. While that percentage might not sound like much, the sight of bare windows and consecutive “For Lease” banners along the Mall makes the increase in Downtown Mall vacancies since 2008 far more apparent. Throw in the Charlottesville Ice Park, which recently went on the market for $4.1 million, and the threat of empty space looms a bit larger.

Though the economic downturn is a key factor, it is not solely to blame for slower business, says Benford. This winter’s record snowfall and the structure of the 2009 calendar year also played a part. The December snowstorm, which occurred the week before Christmas, kept many consumers from trekking to the Downtown Mall. Also, with Christmas, New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day falling on weekends, mid-week sales did not enjoy the boost that holiday shopping typically provides. 

“We’re struggling to get to April. I’m hearing it from so many businesses,” says Benford.

Local realtors, on the other hand, largely see the vacancies as a product of the nationwide economic slump. “Those spaces will fill up when demand returns, and the tenants and landlords find the level of pricing that works for both parties,” says Bob Kahn, of Bob Kahn Realty and Investment. In fact, city spokesman Rick Barrick says a few businesses have already seized some empty spaces. 

“We are aware of three new businesses coming to the Mall area in the next two months,” wrote Barrick in an e-mail. “In the old Order from Horder space, a popcorn retailer and an iron works art gallery, and in the 500 block of East Main a toy store will arrive next to the Hallmark store.” 

Also, many realtors are advertising reduced rents on their online listings as a way to adjust pricing to meet demand. For example, commercial realtors Kabbash, Fox & Gentry recently reduced their 422 East Main Street property to $10 per square foot from $14 per square foot.

However, price reduction is an option dependent upon the specific space, says Kahn, referencing his agency’s listing at 104 East Main Street, which has received “quite a number of inquiries” without reducing the price from $17 per square foot. 

Benford still sees the general increase in vacancies as a concern that deserves attention from the city. He cites tax credits, low-interest loans, and hiring a full-time business developer (the DBAC is run on a volunteer basis) as ways other cities have actively worked to improve business. 

Currently, the Office of Economic Development serves more as a liaison between property owners and potential tenants; its mission is “to serve as a catalyst for public and private initiatives.” According to Engel, budget constraints limit the city in providing more direct assistance to local businesses. “I’m sure we could do more with additional resources,” he says. “With this level of sustained vacancies, it might become more of a priority.” 

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