This statement intrigued me because it ties together intelligence and social interactions, which don't always go hand in hand. I think it shows that even from the beginning, the purpose of the university was to help students become educated and respectable enough to be successful contributors to society. I think it shows that the mission of the school was to produce young adults that would make marks on history, much like its founder. I think it's funny that currently UVA has a reputation of being uppity and pretentious because of its academic prestige, and this statement shows that the founders, in some sense, wanted it to be that way.

I found this statement particularly interesting because of the use of the word "youth." It reminded me that UVA's first students were around fifteen upon their arrival. We begin our first years as young adults, having gone through roughly thirteen years of prior education and eighteen years of prior life experience. I wonder how differently we would all turn out as adults had we gotten here three years ago. When it says "enlarge their minds cultivate their morals" I think about how these first students were probably much more impressionable than we are (not to say we are completely mature), so these values were probably more prominent at that time than they are today.

I found this passage really interesting because it shows that their initial vision has remained a part of our university. These details describe the lawn as it appears now very accurately, even after renovating original structures. I think this shows that UVA respects its traditions and values the vision of its founders. It's a nice representation that both literally and metaphorically the students and staff are at the center of the university.

I think in light of recent events it is very easy to see UVA as one of the more progressive universities in the state, and we often pride ourselves on our diversity and our resistance to racism. However, saying that the University of Virginia was built on racism is not an exaggeration. It was literally the deciding factor when choosing where to establish the school. I cannot say I'm surprised that this was taken into such serious consideration given the time period, but it is pretty unsettling to envision our school as a racially biased institution at any point in history.