- Dec 2017
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engagements2017-18.as.virginia.edu engagements2017-18.as.virginia.edu
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would weigh heavily with parents in sending their sons to a school so distant as the Central establishment would be from most of them. Districts of such extent as that every parent should be within a days journey of his son at school, would be desirable in cases of sickness, and convenient for supplying their Ordinary wants and might be made to lessen sensibly the expense of this part of their education.
It seems as if the commissioners placed a lot of significance on sons being very far away from their families. Did the commissioners believe that this would help students focus more on their work? Personally, I could not imagine being days away from my parents (I fee like 2 hours is a lot). I also wonder if Jefferson believed that schooling in rural areas was not w as worthy as schooling in large districts. Why did he believe this? Is there any personal experience that would lead him to this belief? As someone with a lot of leisure time due to his wealth, I believe Jefferson does have some personal bias to urban, wealthy educations.
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To know his rights; to exercise with order & justice those he retains; to choose with discretion the fiduciaries of those he delegates; and to notice their conduct with diligence with candor & judgment.
While I see the idea of self governance in this statement, it also highlights the contradictory beliefs of Jefferson and the commissioners. A slave owner and a believer of eugenics, TJ view of self-governance was quite limited in reality. In this era, TJ, his commissioners, and much of the U.S. believed only white men deserved rights. Slaves didn't have the right to vote, demand justice, or receive equality from the population. With a lack of diversity within the University, I believe some of these ideas hold true today.
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- Oct 2017
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engagements2017-18.as.virginia.edu engagements2017-18.as.virginia.edu
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It will be then for the wisdom & discretion of the visitors to devise & perfect a proper system of government, which, if it be founded in reason & comity, will be more likely to nourish, in the minds of our youth, the combined spirit of order & self respect, so congenial with our political institutions, and so important to be woven into the American character.
I find it interesting how many annotations on this passage have been ones of praise, stating that it is admirable that a document written so long ago mirrors the UVa we attend today. However, this passage automatically makes me think of the Board of Visitors which in my opinion (and many others) holds too much power of the University. The Board of Visitors is unrepresentative of Virginia and the University's demographic makeup, therefore, the voices of minority groups are often left unheard. Jefferson and the University places great emphasis on the idea of self-governance and democracy, but in actuality these two ideals are not all that present within the University. Majority of University operations are run by the Board of Visitors whose members have little to no background in education. This board interferes with both democracy and self-governance--principles UVa prides itself upon.
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It is therefore greatly to be wished, that preliminary schools, either on private or public establishment, would be distributed in districts thro the state, as preparatory to the entrance of Students into the University. The tender age at which this part of education commences, generaly about the tenth year, would weigh heavily with parents in sending their sons to a school so distant as the Central establishment would be from most of them. Districts of such extent as that every parent should be within a days journey of his son at school, would be desirable in cases of sickness, and convenient for supplying their Ordinary wants and might be made to lessen sensibly the expense of this part of their education.
This passage exemplifies the exclusionary nature of which the University was founded on. Not only were women and minorities not able to attend UVa, but also poor white males were not able to attend. It is implicitly stated in this passage that the students that are to attend UVa must have a background in Latin and Greek, English grammar, geometry, and geography. Only those that could afford to employ tutors or send their sons to boarding school would have this luxury. Furthermore, this exclusionary nature continued as women were not admitted until 1970 and African Americans in 1951. However, the University continues to struggle with diversifying the demographic which is most likely caused with the roots on which UVa was founded upon. Malia Valentine (mv4pc)
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