Libraries: the Facts, the Memories, and (of course) the Naps

Here at UVA we have 12 different libraries. This may seem like a lot, but it’s honestly really convenient because it means that there is a different study space to fit every personality.

I always tell my tourists that you can tell a lot about a person by the library they choose to study in-- since you can’t visit them for yourself, you can take this quiz to determine which of the main UVA libraries you are!!

The atrium of Alderman Library, which is currently undergoing renovation.

The Facts

One of the best things about the UVA libraries, regardless of which one is your favorite, is that they are all connected by a great system of librarians and other resources to help you with whatever you might need.

First, there is always a librarian on call to answer your questions and help you find a specific resource you might need. You can even access this Ask a Librarian resource over school holidays and breaks; I know I used it over Thanksgiving break first year when I was frantically writing a paper and it was a lifesaver. The librarians are all incredibly helpful and want you to succeed. Many have even come to my classes to walk us through how to use the databases and conduct research at a college level.

Additionally, UVA uses a system called Virgo so that you can easily access materials that are both in the libraries and online. Through this Virgo database, thousands of books and articles are at your digital fingertips-- and you don’t even have to be a Virgo to use it ;) You can also use Virgo to request books that might not be physically at UVA, and the librarians will borrow the text from another institution and get it to you quickly so that you can use it for whatever project you’re working on.

Finally, the libraries also house a host of other resources that students can take advantage of, from study rooms that you can book and use for a group project to a 3D printing lab and Virtual Reality simulator that students can experiment with.

The first floor of Clemons Library, which serves as a silent study space.

The Memories

As cheesy as it might sound, one of the best parts of the library is getting to study and work with friends. 

Kelley: One of my favorite nights I’ve spent in the library was the Sunday after Thanksgiving break, right before the last week of classes. A group of my friends and I camped out on the fourth floor of Clemons library and Grubhubbed McDonald’s-- it took literally an hour to arrive and we were completely unproductive while we waited and finally we feasted on (cold) takeout, but it was the perfect way to come back to school and face the Sunday Scaries as we got ready for finals.

Sam: During my first year, my friends and I would go to the Media Center in Clem and mess around with the VR games they had there. It was the ultimate time killer, and we sometimes caused too much of a ruckus, but it’s one of the coolest things that the libraries can offer.  

Abby: When I took History of the Internet in the Media Studies department, our professor gave us extra credit to go to the Media Center in Clem and watch the movie “War Games” on a laserdisc. It was so cool to see all of the old technology they had and experience the movie in a different way, while being able to hang out with friends and earn some extra credit. 

Leah: One time my friends and I were out on the Corner on a Saturday night and we ran into some people who had picked up a lost phone. We didn’t know who owned it, but my friend Jimmy ingeniously used Siri to “call Mom” and figure out who did. We decided to take the phone to the Clemons library front desk, and told the librarian the name of the owner. I know this doesn’t actually have that much to do with studying, but I do think it reflects the trusty old honor code! When I am in the library, I often leave my computer or other belongings while running to Starbucks, and I trust that people will not only leave my stuff alone, but watch it for me!

Mia: I am a big night owl, like for some reason I can only do work when the sun is down. And for this reason I have an obsession with Clemons library! Clem has the best fluorescent lighting, so when you are scramming to write a paper the night before it is due you can’t tell that you have been working on it for hours. I also love Clem because you get to be around other night owls and make fun ~memories~. Like going to cookout at 4am, not really because anyone is hungry, but just because we are in need of ~adventurrrre~ and the sweet sweet taste of a milkshake.  

Jada: For some reason, I’m my most productive when I’m not in a library, so I know that whenever I do go to a library for a “study session”, I’m just going to be hanging out and making memories with my friends. One of my favorite memories happened during first year, during finals week. My RA hosted a study session in Clemons - which turned into a midnight snack run to the Corner, where I had Sheetz for the first time. It was a great stress reliever and fun way to bond with my hallmates before finals!

You-Jin: On days I know I have to stay up all night I head over to Clemons Library 2nd floor. Psychologically, your brain stays or attempts to stay wide awake if you are in a bright area, and the 2nd floor is full of white desks that brightly reflect lights which makes me never know if it’s night time. However, during my first year, I mostly went to Clark Library because it was the closest to my old dorm, Emmett. Clark was literally my second home. It was a great hang out spot for my group of friends. We hardly ever actually “worked” or “studied” there. 

Ben: One chilly November evening this past fall, I headed over to the Alderman stacks after a 3 hour AVP (a cappella) rehearsal in order to finish up a paper and study for a music theory test that was coming up later in the week. Since I work best in quiet environments, I love to study in the stacks, surrounded by bookshelves and creative doodles on the desks. After about an hour of writing, one of my friends texted me to come outside. Challah for Hunger, an international charity organization with a chapter at UVA, was selling freshly baked chocolate chip challah bread, a delicious surprise that brightened up my study session. A little bit later, a bunch of students gathered outside on the steps of Alderman to listen to Hoos in Treble, another a cappella group here on grounds, sing a few songs in order to promote their upcoming concert. What started as a stressful study session turned into a joyous evening filled with music, close friends, and warm challah, quickly turning into one of my favorite library memories from my second year.

The Naps

We wanted to close out our library blog post with a list of our favorite library napping spots-- because everyone can use a quiet place to rest sometimes.

Kelley: Booths on the second floor of Clem

Sam: McGregor Room couches for sleeping, GovDocs for studying, Cafe for socializing

Jada: Listening pods in the Music Library!!

You-Jin: During the day, any spot I found in Clark Library to sit and work was where I would take naps. I preferred open, public spaces for my safety (just in case). During the evening, since it would be less crowded, I looked for larger furniture to possibly lie down fully.

This is not a staged picture. I passed out and took a power nap around 4 A.M. However, without my knowing, my friends placed their trash on top of me during that time.

Abby: In the comfy chairs in the dome room of the Rotunda (as Jefferson intended for naps to be)

Ben: Clark stacks. Not because you want to nap there, but because it just happens.

 

But actually, what the heck is a Wahoo?

Hey everyone! Hope you all had an awesome Fourth of July -- whether you celebrated patriotically (for those of you in the US) or just had another normal day (for those of you throughout the rest of the world!). 

Morgan here with another ~fascinating~ post from the admissions office. This time, I've created a guide to help incoming first years (YAY!) with some of the lingo we use here at UVA. 

It may seem daunting at first, but don’t worry – you’ll catch on quickly.  Soon your friends at other schools will look at you in pure confusion as you try to describe to them all the fun you’re having as a first year Hoo eating in the Pav on Grounds in C’ville.  (Was that even English?)

Variations of this list have been published before, but it’s always nice to have a refresher.  I’ve included all the essentials, plus some other popular abbreviations that have appeared since Instagram became a thing. 

So, without further ado, I present:

MOPAT'S GUIDE TO GETTING NEW WAHOOS HIP WITH THE LINGO

Wahoo – Unofficial mascot of UVA.  Legend has it that in the late 1800s, UVA was playing Washington and Lee in a game of baseball, and the UVA fans (in true Cavalier spirit) were getting a bit rowdy.  Washington and Lee fans, looking for a #quality burn, started referring to the UVA crowd as a bunch of “wahoos” – ouch, am I right? The name stuck, and is now the unofficial mascot of the University of Virginia.  

‘Hoo or Hoo – Variation of wahoo.  Source of several terrible puns, i.e. “Hoos ready for the weekend!? Hoo wants to do homework with me!? Hoo wishes I would stop using this pun!?”

(JK, long live the puns!)

Wahoo wah! – Battle cry of the Wahoos.  To be shouted as part of the following chant, fist pumping a la Jersey Shore, upon the conclusion of the Good Old Song:

            Wahoo wah! Wahoo wah!

            Univ-v-Virginia!

            Hoo rah ray! Hoo rah ray!

            Ray, ray, UVA!

This series of wahs and hoorahs are an excellent way of expressing your excitement at sports games or any other time you want to show a little bit of school spirit.  (In a grocery store parking lot as a Tech fan scowls at your UVA bumper sticker, for example.) You’ll want to have this memorized before your first game.

Good Old Song – UVA’s school song, sung to the tune of Auld Lang Syne.  To be sung arm in arm with those around you at the conclusion of any game, when the football team scores a touchdown, when any relatively sentimental event (Lighting of the Lawn, Convocation, Graduation, etc.) comes to an end, or if you need an excuse to get nice and cozy with the cutie from your math class.  (It’s like the “movie move,” only more UVA!*)

Lyrics are as follows:

              The good old song of wahoo wah, we’ll sing it o’er and o’er

              It cheers our hearts and warms our blood to hear them shout and roar

              We come from old Virginia where all is bright and gay

              Let’s all join hands and give a yell for dear old UVA

You’ll want to learn this one too. 

*Not guaranteed to work. But, like, probably??

Old Cabell – One of three buildings constructed on the South end of the Lawn during the Stanford White renovations of 1896.  Now the home of a cappella performances, fancy paintings, and the music library.  Quite bougie.  Pronounced “Old CAB-uhl.”  Not “Old cah-BELL.”  Made that mistake several times when touring UVA.  SMH.  

NOVA – Northern Virginia, where approximately 99% of UVA students originate (JK, but you will meet a bunch of people from here during the first few weeks of school.  As a Pennsylvania resident, I thought of Villanova at first; my New Jersey roommate thought for a hot second that it was Nova Scotia.  Both of these guesses were quickly proven false.) PSA: SOVA (Southern Virginia) is NOT a thing. 

First, Second, Third and Fourth Year – UVA’s names for freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors, respectively.  The idea supposedly stems from Jefferson, who believed that there was no end to learning.  He believed that “fourth year,” for example, better described students in their final year of study at UVA because they could never truly be “seniors,” as that term implied that their education was over upon the completion of their degree.  Alternatively, this lingo makes us sound more similar to students at Hogwarts, which is obviously a plus.

Grounds – UVA’s version of “campus.” I’ve heard that the reasoning behind it is similar to that behind the first through fourth year thing, as Jefferson believed that “campus” was a restrictive term that implied that learning stopped outside of University owned land.  I’ve also heard that “Grounds” better suggested the beauty of the land owned by the University. Not sure which, if either, are true – but if anything, it makes us even more Hogwarts-y, so I’m into it. 

Lawn/Academical Village – The original University of Virginia, with 10 pavilions and 54 student lawn rooms surrounding a central Rotunda.  Frequented by dogs, Charlottesville residents, and students alike.  Excellent spot to eat Bodo’s, take basic Instagram pictures, pet aforementioned dogs, chill in a hammock, throw Frisbees, or simply enjoy the beauty of Grounds.

Lawnie – A student who resides in one of the Lawn Rooms.  Usually has cured cancer, solved world hunger, or something of the like.  Super extra awesome person who is capable of living without a kitchen or personal shower.  Stinky? Perhaps.  Hungry? Maybe. Committed to the people and traditions of the University of Virginia? Undoubtedly.

Rotunda – Jefferson’s “temple to knowledge” that served as the University’s first library.  Recently renovated to become a place that students walk into instead of past.  Excellent place to listen to *NSYNC while completing calculus homework and marveling at the historical awesomeness of this UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Alternatively and affectionately known as Roto, Tundy, and Tunda.

 

C’ville – Charlottesville, in cool kid language.  Home of UVA, awesome food, great hiking, a thriving arts and music scene, and so! much! more!

The Corner – Hub of student life in Charlottesville and within a short walk of Central Grounds.  Home to cute shops, delicious lunch and dinner options, and student night life.  Not actually a Corner.  Sad.

Rugby Road – Location of several IFC fraternities.  Young men in navy blazers and khakis will emerge from the cracks in the sidewalk of Rugby during boys’ bid day.   

JPJ – John Paul Jones Arena, home of UVA basketball and several concerts throughout the year. 

The Pav – There may be ten pavilions on the Lawn, but the eleventh pavilion, or Pav XI, is the home of a Five Guys, Chick Fil A, and Subway.  Ha ha ha, I see you @peoplewhonamethings. Clever.

O’Hill – Short for Observatory Hill Dining Hall, a popular first year option located in the New Dorms area and home to ice milk, or the most delicious thing to ever be offered at the University of Virginia.

Newc – Short for Newcomb Dining Hall.  Popular dining spot for both first years and upper class students who will befriend you in order to mooch off of your unlimited swipes.

Runk – Dining hall located near the Gooch/Dillard residence area.  Farther away from both Old and New Dorm areas, but has ah-MAZING mac and cheese and continuously plays fire music.  Definitely check it out during your first year.

Croads – Short for Crossroads, the food court area located on the ground floor of O’Hill.  Also has a convenience store and is open late in case you get the late night munchies.  

Dumps – Not what you think, ya nasties! Short for dumplings served at the Got Dumplings food truck.  Using your meal plan’s plus dollars to get some “dumps in the amph” (amph = amphitheater) is a classic first year move.  10/10 recommend.

Libs – Short for libraries.  As this term is often texted (“yo are you in libs??”), there is heated debate over whether the word is pronounced “libs” or “libez.”  Umbrella term that also covers Clem (Clemons Library) and Aldy (Alderman Library).  

AFC –  The Aquatic and Fitness Center, home to the largest hot tub on the east coast (amazing!) and where many a first year will get #swole during their time at UVA.  Features tons of weights, an indoor track, stationary bikes, treadmills, ellipticals, medicine balls, and sweat. 

Hope you learned something new, whether you are an incoming first year trying to understand those conversations going on around you during the first weeks of class, or a prospective student who needs some help deciphering your tour guide's slang. 

Now, to test your skills, translate the following: 

Signing off from C'ville... wahoo wah!

UVA Lawn Traditions

Convocation:

You enter your First Year here just as Mr. Jefferson, or as I like to call him, TJ, would have wanted. Sitting on the lawn, facing the North with our beautiful Rotunda in the background. This event is magical for many reasons. You are sitting with all of your peers in Class of 20something, you’re all in the same position, and you will be with them for the next four years. Looking around you’ll feel the excitement in the air, and see everyone dressed up and waiting for the ceremony to begin. The speakers aren’t the exciting part, with the exception of the speech from the Sevens. Just be in the moment and appreciate that this is the only time you will be with all these people in the same place until graduation!

Rotunda Sing:

I love Rotunda Sing- it’s such a fun afternoon on the Lawn. Basically, Rotunda Sing is an acapella concert right in front of the Rotunda. It takes place at the beginning of the school year, so it’s nice and warm out. There are lots of beautiful lights projected onto the Rotunda steps and it’s just a really chill night. This is also when the acapella groups advertise their audition times—so if you’re interested in joining a singing group, be sure to check it out!

Streaking the Lawn:

Streaking the Lawn is something that most students participate in, and all are encouraged to do before graduation. It is what it sounds like, you streak the Lawn! Here is a step-by-step run through: go to the Rotunda steps at night, remove clothing, run down steps and lawn, run around the Homer statue 3 times, kiss his bottom, sprint back up the Lawn to the Rotunda, walk up the steps and whisper “Goodnight, Mr. Jefferson” into the keyhole on the door, put clothes back on. It’s fun and liberating! 10/10 would recommend doing it.

Pancakes for Parkinson’s:

Pancakes for Parkinson’s is an event that was created 14 years ago at UVA as a fundraiser for the Michael J. Fox Foundation to benefit Parkinson’s research. It’s a really fun event with lots of delicious pancakes made by the volunteers. I volunteered last year and donated to support my grandfather who has Parkinson’s Disease. It was a really great way to get involved quickly and to support a cause that is in desperate need of more funding for research. The event is also really enjoyable and for all ages, so it does a great job of bringing UVA and the Charlottesville community together.  

(here's me flipping some pancakes! Vid credit to Catherine Cura)

Trick-or-Treating on the Lawn:

My favorite childhood tradition had always been dressing up in a fun costume and trick-or-treating around my neighborhood with my brother. At UVA we host a similar event on the Lawn where the Charlottesville community comes together with the UVA students to celebrate Halloween. At 7pm on the Friday on/before Halloween, the children in Charlottesville gather on the Lawn and make a line to trick-or-treat at all of the Lawn rooms. Many students dress up even if they aren't a Lawnie to hand out candy! It's efficient, it's adorable, and it's a heck of a lot of fun.

Lighting of the Lawn:

Lighting of the Lawn, or LOTL, is the most beautiful event UVA has to offer. It began in the wake of the September 11th attacks when everyone in America and at UVA were unsure of their place in the world. LOTL was created to bring together UVA and the Charlottesville community, in order to support each other and celebrate our bond. LOTL occurs in early December on the Thursday before exams begin. Lights are strung all along the Lawn Rooms, Pavilions, and the Rotunda beforehand, and don't turn on until 10pm. Before the lighting, there's an acapella concert, a countdown, and ~boom~ the lights are on. The lights are synced to the Top 50 hits and thousands of students party together until we tire ourselves out. It's such a wonderful and meaningful event that no student should miss. 

Snowball Fights:

As per tradition: when it snows a lot, people break out into snowball fights. On the midnight of a snowstorm at UVA, students run to the Lawn to partake in the largest snowball fight you'll ever see. It's overwhelming and awesome to see the snow whizzing through the air while hearing the laughs and battlecries of your peers. Though it doesn't happen every year due to Virginia's climate, when it happens it's incredible. Don't miss out like I did because you don't believe that the entire student body would show up to the Lawn at midnight, because you'll miss out in a ton of fun.

Spring Fest:

Spring Fest is a really chill event that UPC puts on in April. Basically it's an event on the Lawn with live music, food trucks, free stuff, and lots of great people. This past year we had student bands play as well as my favorite, Misterwives! They put on a great performance and the best part is that it was free! It's also so gorgeous in Virginia this time of year, so laying on the Lawn is the best thing you can do to enjoy your afternoon on a lovely Spring day.

Graduation:

Graduation is an event that, thankfully, I won't partake in for two more years. Graduation for your class happens, traditionally, on the Lawn just as Thomas Jefferson (TJ) would have wanted it. During Convocation we face the Rotunda, as we are facing our education. At Graduation we face Old Cabell Hall which is blocking the Blue Ridge Mountains. We face the mountains because that represents our life after college and was really symbolic and important to Jefferson. Another fun thing that we do is carry really fun balloons with us as we walk.

Let's Get Traditional: UVa Lingo

Let's Get Traditional

UVA Lingo

by Will Bennett

If you have ever visited the University of Virginia or been on an historical tour, then you may have noticed some different terms used by the student body than you would here at other colleges. Here is a helpful guide to some of the terms that you will hear while coming to UVa. 


Grounds
At UVa, we call our campus Grounds instead of calling it "campus." On admissions and historical tours of UVa, the tour guide will prefer to the area of the school's campus that you are on as a specific area of "Grounds." 

First-Year, Second-Year, Third-Year, Fourth-Year
Instead of calling themselves freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors, students at UVa will call themselves first-years, second-years, third-years, and fourth-years. The reason behind this tradition dates back to the founding of UVa. First, Thomas Jefferson believed that learning was a life long process that was never completed, so therefore you could never be a senior in learning simply by beginning your fourth year of college education. Second, during the first years of UVa's function, many students would enter UVa for a year or two and then leave to return home for an extended period of time, and then they would come back to UVa to continue their college studies. Therefore, It made more sense then during UVa's early years for students to identify what year of their undergraduate education they were in rather than calling themselves a freshman, sophomore, etc. Even students that are pursuing graduate level studies here at UVa will say they are "second-year law students" rather than saying "sophomore law student."

Wahoos and Hoos 
The official name and mascot of the UVa athletics teams is the Cavalier, but our informal name for our sports teams and our students is the Wahoo, or simply the Hoo. At any UVa athletic event, you would hear the announcers say "Go Hoos," rather than "Go Cavaliers," and you will also here many professors on Grounds refer to students as simply "Hoos." The origin of this nickname for our sports teams and students goes back to a heated baseball rivalry with Washington and Lee University in the 1890s. During the 1890s, the fans of Washington and Lee's baseball team would refer to UVa students as fans as "wahoos." Overtime, this name came to be used more frequently around Grounds and by the 1940s it had become a commonly used term to refer to UVa students and athletic teams. Since then, the term has since been shortened to just "Hoos" rather than "Wahoos."

The Corner 
One of the most popular places for UVa students to go out to eat and hang out at is an area of University Avenue called "The Corner." University Avenue is one of the main streets of the area of Charlottesville near UVa's Grounds, and it serves as a kind of outline for the area of Grounds just north of the Rotunda. The Corner has some of the most popular restaurants, shops, and bars that students will go to throughout the year.

Academical Village and the Lawn
The original classroom and dorm buildings of the University of Virginia are located in an area of Grounds called the Academical Village, and the Lawn is the grassy area that divides the East and West sides of the Academical Village. The Academical Village is comprised of the 10 Pavilions, 54 Lawn Rooms, and the Rotunda that surround the Lawn. Thomas Jefferson called the original Grounds of UVa the "Academical Village," because he believed that a college should be like a village where professors and students would live and learn together during their years at UVa. The Lawn serves as the quad of UVa's original Grounds, and while there are some Quad areas in the first-year dorm areas,  the Lawn would be the equivalent of the central/original quad of UVa.