Calendar Girls Not Seen As Typical

Luis Alvarez, Jr.

Cavalier Daily

Cavalier Daily

1985-09-09

Calendar Girls Not Seen As Typical
It offends my sensibilities to read of the intentions underlying the circulation of Pi Kappa Alpha's "The Girls of UVA” calendar (The Cavalier Daily 3, 1985). While the interest of gaining advance publicity is dismissible as a clever self-help rush device, I find it more distressing that Carla Gray — Phi Mu's Vice President – passes the calendar off as a vehicle "to show pretty, typical U.Va. sorority girls." Typical? Carla, where were you born, anyway? On the infield of Churchill Downs?
However harmful or harmless the calendar turns out to be, if Carla's sentiment is the “typical” one behind it, then we should all withdraw from Virginia by default of bigotry, if not prejudice. Carla's comment, and Pi Kappa Alpha's calendar, are purblind products of "traditional' Virginia sympathies that are long dated and contrary to the fact of the diverse composition of our student body. Both products are crimes insofar as they impose images and definitions of what is “typical" at Virginia, where indeed no such absolute pertains – especially in 1986. And perhaps most tragically, both products predispose first-year women and other potential rushees to adopt a closed attitude and appearance that they believe is the "true” measure of admission to Virginia sororities – to the disrepute of Virginia's sorority system and the dismaying homogenization of each woman who enters rush as an individual.
Luis Alvarez Jr.
LAW I