The University’s Health System named R. Edward Howell as its first CEO last week. Howell will take over next month in the new position of vice president and chief executive officer.

Howell, 52, has worked for almost 25 years as a teacher and administrator in medical schools at the Universities of Minnesota, Georgia and Iowa. For the past seven years, he has been director and CEO of University of Iowa hospitals and clinics and worked as managing partner of University of Iowa Health Care.

Howell has an extensive background in teaching, dating back to his 20s, when he taught high school biology in his hometown of Zanesville, Ohio. He plans to begin teaching at the University by 2003.

“My roots are in education and in the values of academic institutions,” he said in a University press release.

Howell also draws on his experience coaching high school baseball, football and track. He plans to collaborate with the University of Iowa women’s basketball coach on a book discussing the similarities between coaching and management.

-by Martin Olivier

Mentally Ill May Be Threatened By Budget Cuts

Advocates for Virginia’s mentally disabled warned that proposed state funding cuts could cause more than 13,000 people to lose drugs, treatment or other assistance in the next year.

The activists, including the Coalition for Mentally Disabled Citizens of Virginia and the Virginia Association of Community Services Boards, urged Gov. Mark R. Warner and the General Assembly not to make more than the proposed $25 million in proposed cuts for community health services.

Those cuts, which would take effect over the next two years, would come on top of $5 million in cuts in this year’s budget that will take effect next month.

The spending cuts would not actually save the state money, the advocates warned, because many mentally disabled people who lost treatment could wind up in mental institutions or jails.

Over 1,000 Virginians already are on a waiting list for “urgent care” under Medicaid. Mental health officials say there has been a spike in demand for services since Sept. 11.

– Compiled by Martin Olivier

Much to the chagrin of students, the University will not provide free parking between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. at the Central Grounds Parking Garage as previously was anticipated.

Student Council thought free parking at the garage would come with the 24-hour Clemons Library program, which officially began last fall. But because University Parking and Transportation required funding to compensate for the revenue loss that would arise through the program, the initiative proved unfeasible.

“The deal was contingent on us getting funding,” explained Sarah Jobe, a College representative and member of the Parking and Transportation committee.

Funding was denied, however, from organizations such as the Parents Program and the University Security and General Safety Committee because such groups did not view the issue as a relevant safety concern.

Also, the program would have needed permanent funding, and many officials believe the program does not affect enough students to warrant continual funding, said William Sowers, Council parking and transportation committee chairman.

Ronnie Mayhew, a student member of the University Security and General Safety Committee, presented the proposal to his committee on behalf of Council last semester.

The committee is comprised primarily of faculty members and a few student representatives whom Council appoints.

“Their determination was that it wasn’t a valid enough safety concern to receive funding from our committee,” Mayhew said.

Council’s Parking and Transportation Committee now is evaluating alternative ideas for improving late night student parking options.

“With budget cuts and the current bad economy, I don’t see free parking at the Newcomb garage in the foreseeable future,” Sowers said.

Council will publicize alternative options for students. One possibility is allowing students to park in lots on Grounds that are restricted to authorized vehicles at all times.

“We will be using publicity options to let students know where they can park for free at night,” Jobe said. Such options include leaving maps at Clemons Library and advertisements around Grounds.

Committee members also stressed that students may receive a 25 percent discount on parking if they pay with a Cavalier Advantage card.

The University Arts and Sciences Council presented a $5,000 gift to the South Lawn project at its annual Rotunda dinner last night.

The $125 million South Lawn project will encompass the destruction and rebuilding of New Cabell Hall and renovations to Cocke and Rouss Halls. It also will include the construction of a new building across Jefferson Park Avenue from the South Lawn, currently the site of a University parking lot.

“Instead of JPA being the back of the University, JPA will become a new entrance,” said Joseph E. Grasso, associate dean for planning and operations.

The University and the College Foundation, an alumni organization, will split much of the project’s cost. Yet the ASC contribution was “symbolic,” Grasso said.

The primary task of ASC, a student run organization, “is to act as liaisons between the students and the faculty,” said ASC representative Mollie Sledd, a second-year College student.

The South Lawn project also hopes to bring students and faculty together by creating communal spaces such as a cafe, Grasso said.

“We’re not only building buildings. We’re building community,” he said.

The money for the gift comes from a nine-year surplus of funds allocated to ASC by the University, Sledd said.

“This is money that ASC has accumulated from previous students and we’re giving it to future students,” said ASC president Lauren Purnell, a third-year College student.

The council wanted to do something that would be both lasting and of great benefit to students, said third-year College student Chris Husser, the ASC chief technology officer who spearheaded the idea of giving to the South Lawn project.

University officials planning the South Lawn project also liked the idea of having the first gift come from students.

“This gift is a way to open the door and to involve you in the most robust way possible,” Grasso said, addressing the council.

Student participation in designing the project also was important.

The University relied on student input for the South Lawn project through both focus groups and individual contributions. A Web site for the project also was in the works, he said.

Although design and fundraising efforts had just begun on the project, construction might begin in 18 months, according to University Architect Samuel A. “Pete” Anderson.

“The gift will really be the cornerstone in creating an extension of the Academical Village,” Grasso said.

If a bond package in the General Assembly gains legislative approval, Virginia voters then will decide whether to float over $90 million in bonds for University capital construction projects.

A series of bills proposing $1.6 billion worth of seven-year bonds has passed both the House and Senate finance committees in Richmond.

The package of bills calls for $1.2 billion of the bond revenue to go toward higher education capital projects. University projects would receive $92.8 million of that total. The rest of the $1.6 billion not set aside for education capital would go toward parks and recreation facilities. Most of the bonds, including the money earmarked for the University, would be subject to approval by voters in November.

The bond revenue would allow the University to build the long-planned studio arts building and new Special Collections library, two projects which were “frozen” by former Republican Gov. James S. Gilmore III because of the state budgetary shortfall, said Nancy Rivers, the University director of state governmental relations.

The University also would be able to take on projects listed on the six-year wish list it submitted to the General Assembly. These include renovating Clark, Cocke, Fayerweather and Gilmer Halls and constructing buildings for medical research and materials science as well as nanotechnology.

The bond proposal “certainly meets a lot of our high-priority projects,” Rivers said.

The legislature probably will pass the bond issue, said Larry J. Sabato, professor of government and foreign affairs.

Democratic Gov. Mark R. Warner has not given his opinion on the bond package.

“My guess is that he will sign it,” Sabato said. However, “a serious and major campaign has to be run to get the voters to approve it in November.”

The bond issue might not be the only question on the November referendum ballot.

Warner has expressed his support for a statewide referendum on whether to raise the sales tax and devote the revenue to education.

He also continues to promote one of the major planks in his campaign platform, a referendum in Northern Virginia on whether to raise the sales tax to pay for transportation improvements.

The practice of holding referenda “is politicians not wanting to vote for any tax increase, so they say, ‘Let the people decide,’” Sabato said. “It’s direct democracy, when we have a representative democracy.”

Politicians also turned to bond issues to raise money during the last recession in Virginia, under former Democratic Gov. Douglas Wilder, he said.

The weather finally seems warm enough for a quick swim and the Virginia men’s and women’s swimming teams are preparing for their final home meet against the University of Pittsburgh on Sunday.

Entering the contest, both Cavalier teams sit among the nation’s 25 strongest. The College Swim Coaches Association of America poll places the Virginia women (8-0) at No. 14 and the men (6-2) at No. 12.

Coach Mark Bernardino said he is pleased with the progress of his women’s squad this year. The Cavaliers are ranked first in the ACC, a position many did not expect at the beginning of the season.

On Jan. 19, the women pulled a 156-144 upset in Chapel Hill against ACC rival North Carolina. At the time, UNC was ranked 12th in the country and was considered the conference’s best team.

“Not many people gave us a chance against UNC,” Bernardino said. “But the women truly believed we could do something special.”

Last weekend, in Columbia, S.C., the Cavaliers kept their perfect dual-meet record alive against the University of South Carolina squad, finishing with a final score of 131-111. Led by junior Cara Lane, the women won seven of 13 events. Lane was named ACC Women’s Swimmer of the Week for the third consecutive week, posting victories in the 1000-meter freestyle, 500 free and 200 butterfly.

Virginia’s upcoming opponents, the Pittsburgh women (3-5), dropped their last two meets against Maryland and Villanova. But Bernardino noted the Panthers’ top-25 finish for the 2000-2001 season and predicted that Sunday’s meet will be competitive.

Meanwhile, in their loss to the No. 8 Gamecocks, the Cavalier men fell to 6-2 on the season. Currently first and undefeated in the ACC, the men’s other loss came against fourth-ranked Tennessee on Jan. 11.

“The meets against No. 4 Tennessee and No. 8 South Carolina were [the men's team's] pivotal tests thus far,” Bernardino said. “We haven’t passed that test. In both meets, a combined total of less than four-tenths of a second has been the difference between victory and defeat. I don’t feel a good team should lose close, pivotal races and maybe right now, that’s what’s separating us from being a top-10 team.”

Virginia sophomore Ian Prichard, who won the 500 free against USC, concurs.

“We would really liked to have won those meets,” he said.

This year, the men lack a strong senior leadership that defined them in previous seasons. Bernardino speculated that his young team may have enjoyed too much success last season. He also pointed to Virginia’s challenging and upgraded schedule.

Indeed, the unbeaten Panther men (6-0) arrive in Charlottesville ranked No. 18, making them Virginia’s third ranked opponent in as many meets. Most recently, Pittsburgh posted wins over Maryland and Villanova.

“On paper, they’re not as good as we are,” Pritchard said. “But they’re not a team we’re going to walk all over. We can’t go in with a complacent attitude.”

Indeed, as the regular swimming season enters its final stretch, Bernardino aptly dubs Sunday’s meet “a severe test” for both teams.

Five faculty members confronted the altered role of the black intellectual in the post-Sept. 11th era yesterday evening in an interdisciplinary discussion organized by the Woodson Public Policy Forum.

The five faculty members were drawn from separate disciplines in order to tap the broadest possible range of ideas.

“This forum is designed to bring faculty from across the University together to discuss issues that are pertinent to each of their fields,” said Corey D. Walker, scholar-in-residence at the Carter G. Woodson Institute, who helped organize the event. “We’re looking for the variety of faculty to be as diverse as possible.”

During the course of the discussion, the participating faculty often touched on how an altered sense of American identity has redefined the role of blacks in American society.

“It’s interesting that we seem to feel that, in the post-Sept. 11th era, American identity has surged,” Psychology Prof. Stacey Sinclair said in her opening remarks. Sinclair went on to cite research, which suggested that, for European-Americans, American identity often exacerbates feelings of racism and inequality.

“For European-Americans, the more American you feel, the more conservative you are, the more racist you are, the more you support a social hierarchy and the more you oppose affirmative action,” Sinclair said.

Law Prof. Mildred Robinson added to Sinclair’s evidence that nationalism can contribute to racism, citing the Supreme Court’s decision to support Japanese internment camps during WWII as evidence.

Though there were periods of debate, the participants had no trouble finding common ground to bring each of their fields into play.

“These are issues that traverse those boundaries,” Walker said. “We want to bring a disciplinary agenda to the dialogue.”

Personal identity as a black American was another issue that received attention during the course of the forum.

“I don’t agree that there is one philosophical sense of blackness that all of us should sign on to,” said Matthew Holden Jr., professor of government and foreign affairs.

Anthropology Prof. George Mentore disagreed with Holden’s position.

“When you go out into the world, blackness hits you in the face,” he said.

Since the forum was intended to entertain a variety of ideas and raise important questions rather than find concrete solutions, the participants did not reach any consensus on what the responsibility of black intellectuals is in the post-Sept. 11 world.

A common sentiment, however, was that black intellectuals, more than ever, are needed to address exactly the sorts of issues that were discussed at the forum.

“Black people who are active are not just sitting around and thinking,” Darden Prof. Martin Davidson said. “They’re acting.”

Robinson agreed that blacks should not be passively patriotic, but recognize that racism remains a real concern in America.

“It’s not about my country, right or wrong,” Robinson said. “It’s about my country as I hope it will be.”

Third-year College student Liana Kuyumciyan was killed and two other students were injured in a car accident on Ivy Road Tuesday night.

The Volkswagen Cabriolet, driven by Elvin Altun, 20, and carrying passengers Kuyumciyan, 22, and Dilara Baydarnazikogu, 23, collided with a Dodge Dakota pickup truck at 10:24 p.m.

Kuyumciyan was reported dead later that evening, and by Wednesday afternoon, University students Baydarnazikogu and Altun both were in good condition, said David Haugh, staff administrator at the University Medical Center.

The driver of the Dodge, Alexander Goetz, is currently in serious condition. The 20-year-old from Afton, Va., is not connected to the University.

The accident occurred when the Cabriolet traveling east on Ivy Road lost control and skidded into the west bank, according to Sergeant Dan Blake of the Albemarle Co. Police Department.

The pickup truck, heading west, struck the Cabriolet’s right front side, causing it to tumble into the embankment on the roadside.

The students were returning to school from Wintergreen Ski Resort.

The Cabriolet’s speed of 55 mph and the road conditions were not contributing factors to the accident, Blake said. There was no alcohol involved in the car crash.

Blake anticipates that it will take about two weeks for the police to determine the cause of the accident and finish their investigation.

All of the victims’ families have been notified.

Kuyumciyan was a foreign affairs major and an international student from Turkey. She also was a member of the Turkish Student Association.

“I never saw her have any conflicts with anybody,” said Emre Celebi, president of the Turkish Student Association.

In college, she “had become more prepared with her classes and was holding life more tightly,” Celebi said.

The Virginia baseball team will enter the 2002 season ranked eighth out of the nine teams in the ACC. Virginia’s 25-31 overall record and 9-15 conference record in 2001 garnered them 24 votes in the preseason poll, which is voted on by the head coaches of all nine conference teams.

Clemson took the top spot in the poll coming off a 41-22 record in 2001 that placed them second in the ACC’s end-of-the-year standings. The Tigers will be returning ten players from last year’s team, including three starting pitchers.

Florida State, the returning ACC regular season champion, closely trailed Clemson with a second place ranking in the poll. Last year’s ACC tournament champion, Wake Forest, rounds off the top three spots after finishing 2001 with a 44-18 overall record.

The Cavaliers open up their 2002 season on Saturday, Feb. 16 with a home doubleheader against Bucknell.

Three Cavaliers chosen to ACC All-Academic Team

Virginia junior cornerback Rashad Roberson, senior guard Evan Routzahn, and senior defensive end Ljubomir Stamenich were named to the 2001 ACC All-Academic Football Team. Routzahn and Stamenich, both three-year starters, are among a group of ten players in the ACC who made the academic team for the second year in a row.

Eligibility for the All-Acadmic team requires a player to earn a 3.0 grade point average in the fall or maintain a 3.0 cumulative average during his career.

Routzahn’s other accolades include honorable mention All-ACC for last season.

-Compiled by Jason Somensatto

Despite being a state champion at Williamsport High School in Maryland, redshirt senior Jimi Massey was not a highly touted wrestling recruit.

“I wasn’t a stud recruit,” Massey said. “I came in to help give a workout partner and maybe be a starter by the end of my career.”

But Massey, driven by an unmatchable determination, has blossomed into one of the top wrestlers in the ACC, winning the conference championship last season in the 184-pound weight class.

“He is one of the harder workers on the team,” coach Lenny Bernstein said. “One of the things that Jimi brings to the table is experience as a guy who did not have a lot of success right away but earned it.”

Last season, Massey started to see that success, as he went 18-10 last season and led the team with 10 dual meet victories. Despite winning the ACC and advancing to nationals, he felt that he could still improve greatly.

He spent the summer working out with the University of Minnesota wrestling team, the defending national champion. He wrestled two of the top 11 ranked wrestlers, as well as the world runner-up, in his weight class all summer long.

“Last season at Nationals, I felt like I could have been All-American,” Massey said. “I dedicated myself to wrestling in terms of my technique.”

Massey also has taken an enlarged role off the mat, being named captain by Bernstein. With the team struggling with a 1-5 record, Massey said he feels somewhat responsible.

“I ask myself, ‘Are you doing the right thing to lead these guys?’” Massey said. “But we’re always ready for the end-of-the-season tournaments.”

Massey, as defending ACC champion, has commanded a lot of respect from his teammates.

“He’s a pretty vocal leader,” sophomore Time Foley said. “The fact that he won ACC’s [demonstrates] his ability and he’s a very competitive guy.”

Massey graduated last spring with a double major in economics and history and currently is working towards his masters in social foundations of education. He hopes to finish at the end of this semester and pursue a career in finance or investment banking. For now, though, he is focused on wrestling.

As if facing the No. 1 team in the nation wasn’t enough for one week, the Virginia men’s basketball team will turn around to face No. 3 Maryland tonight at University Hall.

Regardless of the final score, the fallout from tonight’s game will be crucial for Virginia’s reputation. After their performance in the Duke game, a win would further convince critics that Virginia (14-3, 4-3 ACC) can contend with the nation’s elite teams.

A loss, however, could cast doubt on the Cavaliers’ ability to withstand their current rough stretch of games, featuring Duke, Maryland (16-3, 6-1 ACC) and No. 24 Missouri.

The Cavaliers are looking to rebound from their loss to Duke on Sunday, with the home court advantage on their side.

The last four times Virginia has faced the Terps, the home team always has walked away with a win.

“Our home court is always an advantage,” Virginia coach Pete Gillen said. “We are making improvements in every phase of the game, but we are playing a rough stretch.”

To the Cavaliers, the Maryland attack will look all too familiar. Maryland has lost only one member of last year’s team, and sophomore Chris Wilcox (11.1 points, 7.7 rebounds) fills that void with a mix of athleticism and touch.

Joining Wilcox in the front court will be All-ACC performer Lonny Baxter (15.1 points, 8.2 rebounds), who is similar to Virginia’s own junior Travis Watson (12.8 points, 10.8 rebounds). Like Watson, Baxter is a banger who comes across most of his points in the low post. Watson will need to control Baxter down low for the Cavaliers, while staying out of foul trouble.

Maryland’s swing forward will be senior Byron Mouton (10.4 points, 4.5 rebounds) who can play in the paint or move out to the perimeter. He will split time with Drew Nicholas to give the Terrapins a three-guard look.

Running the game for Maryland will be junior point guard Steve Blake (7.3 points, 7.6 assists) and Juan Dixon (19.3 points, 3.5 steals). Dixon is one of the best guards in the ACC becoming the ACC’s third best career steals leader with 307, while coming in second in scoring in the conference this season.

Calling the plays will be Blake, who is one of the better point guards in the conference. Maryland is at its best when Blake consistently connects on his jump shot, effectively creating a two-pronged offensive threat.

Dixon and Blake are sure to put the pressure on Virginia freshman point guard Keith Jenifer. If Jenifer can come up with the effort he had against Duke (no turnovers in 33 minutes), Virginia will be in good hands.

“We are right in the middle of a tough stretch so we have to be ready,” senior Chris Williams said. “They have so many good players on that team. We need to be ready to play.”

For the Cavaliers, they will need Roger Mason Jr. (17.9 points, 4.6 assists) to shoot his way out of his slump, as he is the team’s leading scorer. Williams (14.4 points, 6.5 rebounds) also will have to come up big to give Virginia enough of a scoring threat to beat the Terrapins.

While the Cavaliers hope to have Adam Hall back on the court – his status still is up in the air – they will have a valuable sixth player in the stands.

Students have been camping out in self-proclaimed “Hooville” for over a week and a half, in order to secure prime seating for tonight’s game.