Madison House Celebrating 40 Years

Today, from 12:30 – 5:00pm, Madison House will be holding its Interest and Registration Fair on the south lawn.  There, students new to the University of Virginia or those who don’t know about Madison House will be able to learn more about getting involved with the volunteer organization that received a Point of Light from President George H. W. Bush in 1990 for its commitment to serving the UVA and greater Charlottesville communities, that boasts 3,300 weekly student volunteers, and that, as of this year, has been in operation helping others for 40 years.  It was in 1971 that the University of Virginia bought Madison House, which had initially been associated with the Young Men’s Christian Association, and five years later it moved to 170 Rugby Road, where it has been ever since.

            The Madison House offers 19 different programs that allow UVA students to give back.  These include programs like Adopt-A-Grandparent, tutoring children, coaching kids’ sports, Hoos Against Hunger and Homelessness, and many more.  There are also many opportunities for student volunteers to assume leadership positions within Madison House, whether it be as a recruiter, a program leader, or a member of the Student Board.

            With so many different ways to give back to this wonderful Charlottesville community through Madison House, it’s hard to find a reason not to get involved.  Check out the fair on the south lawn today, or go to http://scs.student.virginia.edu/~madison/about/index.html to learn more about all the opportunities they offer.

Say Goodbye to HOT

This time of year means many different things for many different people. For some, it is the end of summer vacation. Parents have to help gear up their kids for the school year and college students are back in full swing at the University of Virginia. For others, not much is changing as they continue their busy work schedules just as they always have been. However you choose to characterize this time of year, I think we can all agree on one thing. It is HOT. Whether you’re a University student making the long trek to class or one of the many people using the public transportation system, you cannot help but feel the heat.

So I have taken it upon myself to answer the question that all Charlottesville residents are undoubtedly asking. When is it going to cool down? Well, prepare for some good news. The pleasant, cool weather that we are seeing today is just the beginning. Although this next week we still could be seeing temperatures in the nineties, starting around the week of September 12^th we should start to see highs in only the mid to high seventies. That’s right, those cool fall temperatures are merely a week and a half away. So if you’re upset about leaving the summer behind, or simply want something to look forward to, then hold out a just little longer and you will be rewarded. Before you know it the leaves will be turning, the air will be cool, and it will be fall in Charlottesville.

TGIF

Friday is arguably the best day of the week. It's the end of classes, and the start of various social activities. It's hard to find people in the dorms on a typical Friday night, but today it will prove especially difficult. Tonight, the UVA men's soccer team will "kick off" their regular season with a game against UAB at Klockner stadium. The game starts at 8pm, but it is suggested to get there before 7:50 so you can see the raising of the 2009 Championship flag. In other news, the football team will also have their first game of the season tomorrow at 6pm against Richmond. Hundreds of students and organizations will be preparing for the big game by tailgating in the parking lot a few hours before kickoff. Following the game, there will be after-parties, where students will hopefully be celebrating the team's first victory. Sunday evening, the [hopeful] celebrations will continue; Metfevre will be making smores on the grill in the quad. Everyone should go out and partake in all the activities that will be going on this weekend! Let's make it a weekend we can all remember.

--Alexis Thurmond

Let's Get Grounded

As a new school year rolls around, the University of Virginia Student Council, or StudCo, has recently endorsed the “Let’s Get Grounded” Campaign to encourage students to be more active in situations that call for it.

This program, created in this summer’s Leadership 2000 program, is designed to combat many pervasive issues in the UVa community, such as drugs and alcohol abuse as well as violence and ignorant language. As we all know, the aforementioned problems are seemingly omnipresent in college life. The “Grounds for Discussion” performance last Monday at John Paul Jones Arena illustrated many of these issues in a relatable manner. This program aims to have trained individuals engage in this program and host training sessions for other students of the University.

Let’s Get Grounded is based on three main principles that are as follows; recognize, react, and respect. Hopefully, by influencing the UVa community and encouraging action as opposed to passive bystander behavior, this program will help ensure a better sense of trust students have for fellow Cavaliers. The two major parts of the campaign include training, as mentioned before, and hosting events that will promote the program.

Far too often do many avoidable problems become worse due to a lack of action by students everywhere. Hopefully this program will enable the UVa community to unite towards a path of action.

http://www.cavalierdaily.com/2010/09/01/studco-backs-get-grounded/

MADISON HOUSE: Take Your Pick

It’s the start of the new school year and many volunteer services are trying to get the word out to all the new first years about ways they can serve their new community. Yesterday (September 1) Madison House set up camp on the lawn from 12- 5pm with a variety of different service projects that students can pick from to join.

Going around the tables I found that many of the projects dealt with helping the less fortunate children in Charlottesville. PLAY: After- School Activities is a program where students from UVA can go to youth centers around the area and tutor or play with children. Madison House Tutoring is a program that allows our UVA students to pick from elementary, middle, and high school level to tutor kids from various schools. A seasonal program is Holiday Sharing; Holiday Sharing gives UVA students the opportunity to help collect gifts and give them to families in need in Charlottesville during the winter season. Other programs I found were Bridging the Gap, Madison House ESL Tutoring, and Migrant AID.

Katie Budd, a volunteer at HAHAH (Hoos Against Hunger and Homelessness) explained to me that Madison House was a community based organization that focused on the needs of Charlottesville and how UVA students can help those needs. She also told me how new programs are started all the time by students at UVA.

There were many more service projects, other than the ones mentioned, to be looked at and if students are interested the can go to http://scs.student.virginia.edu/~madison/ to find more information on the programs Madison House offers and how to get involved.

Behind the Scenes (they walk among us)

It will be some time before the crowds shift their cheers from the Stadium to the Arena, but that doesn’t mean the players themselves are waiting. The Basketball season has a couple months until kickoff, but pre-season has begun. Students and spectators alike can sometimes be oblivious to the hard work and time that is put in to a team. We go to watch a game, leave, and then carry on with our lives. However, while we are strolling down the corner or walking down the aisles of the grocery store, players are running the drills to prepare to give the best upcoming performance of their lives. A UVA student may be walking to class and unknowingly pass a player that is on their way to the gym to train for the upcoming season. Remember when we watch these games, whether we are a student or member of the Charlottesville community, these players have devoted countless hour of their time to a sport they love. It goes far beyond game day; it is the effort they put in behind the scenes that makes game day possible.

Getting Around

     Coming from a car-dependent city, the prospect of living without a car was frightening at times. How was I supposed to explore Charlottesville, or even the far reaches of the grounds? Befriend an upperclassman with a car? 

     As the first week has passed, it has been great to discover the many buses that service UVa and the surrounding Charlottesville community. Living near the corner of campus, far away from Central Grounds, a bus is probably the easiest way to get to class (biking in traffic while not fully awake may not be a great idea). And the a/c offers a nice reprieve from the recent heat wave.

     While enjoying the a/c, a student can take buses from Central Grounds to Charlottesville's bustling downtown mall, the JPJ and other sporting venues. The Barracks Road shops are a short ride away, offering access to whatever a college student might need. For the more adventurous, there's also a connection to Charlottesville's CAT buses heading to the downtown mall and to the northern suburbs. If enough time is allotted, it's even easy to reach the one place that everyone needs: Wal Mart. As a cash-strapped college student, I can appreciate that  I can use the city buses for free after showing UVa ID.

     That UVa has taken the effort to provide transportation for all (especially car-handicapped first-years) is a good sign. It's a part of the college experience to explore new boundaries. Not only have the UTS, the trolley and CAT provided a way to get around town, it has given room for thought on the necessity of a car.

 

EC