New technology soon could enable high-speed Internet access through power lines, easily reaching rural areas and providing an alternative to existing service options.

Until recently, most devices developed have been based on a capacitor making an electrical connection between the power line and the data transmission device, but a new approach modifying the current by magnetic induction shows promise.

Inductive couplers may work better at higher frequencies, and they are more resistant to power surges. Different forms of the technology are being tested at 12 sites around the country.

“We’ve seen positive results so far,” said Alan Shark, President of the Power Line Communications Association.

Power lines offer the least expensive method of providing high-speed Internet access to rural areas. The infrastructure is already in place, and the signal can be preserved with repeaters at intervals along the lines. By contrast, DSL only can reach 18,000 feet from the central office; other options such as cable, broadband or satellite are geographically limited or too expensive. “The service would be positioned [in the market] as a low-cost alternative,” said Shark.

The concept of data transmission through power lines first emerged in the 1920s, and since the 1970s utilities have used small-scale techniques to monitor remote stations. However, only recently have transmission speeds high enough to be marketable become possible.

“Five or six years ago, some companies experimented with power line communications and were not successful,” Shark said. “Through miniaturization and trial and error, engineers have developed a better understanding.”

He added that the biggest remaining obstacle is getting a useful signal through a transformer, where the voltage is reduced from medium, where the signal is injected, to the 110V delivered to users. This can be overcome by routing the signal around the transformer or by broadcasting it from the medium-voltage line using existing wireless networking techniques. Since no industry standard has emerged, different companies are experimenting with different approaches.

The data is transmitted in analog form, using the same physical medium as electrical power, but oscillating at a much higher frequency.

“[The signals] share the available bandwidth, much like AM radio and FM radio use different parts of the wireless frequency spectrum so that they can operate simultaneously without interfering with each other,” computer science Professor Tommy Guess said.

Because the signal is subjected to much outside interference as it travels, it is a noisy transmission medium.

“Devices such as vacuum cleaners with motors generate a lot of high-frequency static that makes its way back into the outlet,” Guess said.

However, the reverse is not true. The power of the data signal is too small to interfere with appliances. There are several approaches to data transmission. Some narrowband techniques switch between two different frequencies representing 0 and 1, and more complex codes assign each symbol a sequence of 0s and 1s, spreading it over a wide frequency range to eliminate noise affecting only part of the transmission band.

Another is more adaptable: “Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing transmits parallel streams of data on different frequency bands, with faster data rates on those bands that are less noisy,” Guess explained.

Another potential problem is the radiation produced by the data transmission, which may interfere with other signals in the same airspace. Because the technology is so new, the FCC is still in the process of designing regulations.

In Monday’s News Story, “Board of Visitors approves compensation for employees,” the subheadline inaccurately implied that classified University employees will receive the 1.75 percent salary increase faculty will receive.Classified employees are not included in this part of the plan.

In Tuesday’s News Story, “University ponders future tuition hike,” it was inaccurately reported that the state has mandated that the University increase faculty salaries by 2.5 percent, and that the fourth and final year of funding state-mandated base budget adequacy requirements is next year. The state has set a policy target (not mandate) for a faculty pay raise of 2.25 percent (not 2.5 percent) and base adequacy requirements are standing targets (not mandates) for funding levels for a four year period.

In Tuesday’s News Story, “BOV approves rate increase for housing,” it was inaccurately reported that the Board of Visitors approved housing rate increases. The Board had a broad ranging discussion on multiple issues related to housing, but did not change housing rates.

In Wednesday’s News Story, “Honor aims to secure credit option,” it was reported inaccurately that students who have written bad checks will be immediately suspended, and, after 14 days, face honor charges. Suspension by the Dean of Students Office is actually a last resort option that only can occur well after a process normally longer than 14 days, and, after 14 days, Honor Charges are not automatically filed. It was also implied inaccurately that the Honor Committee is actively encouraging merchants to extend students credit.

In Wednesday’s News Story, “University to upgrade main plant for heating,” it was inaccurately reported that the project was influenced by last year’s soot incident, that construction will start in 2004, that the plant has had past emissions violations and that certain materials requested by the Dept. of Environmental quality have not yet been provided by University officials. The soot incident had no bearing on the timing of the project, construction will start in April 2005, the plant has never had excess carbon emissions and all information requested by the DEQ has been provided by University officials.

The Cavalier Daily regrets these errors.

A quick glance at some of the numbers in the news these days…

17: Number of people arrested so far by the Jefferson Area Drug Enforcement Task Force in last week’s drug bust

9: Number of University students arrested so far

77,000: Estimated number of marijuana offenders in jail nationwide

$11,800,000,000: Estimated cost of the “marijuana war” on taxpayers in the United States

$20,000-$22,000: Value of drugs confiscated during the bust

$20,000: Reward on the serial rapist’s head

0: Number of serial rapists caught

1: Number of serial rapists still at large

15: Number of months spent planning for the drug bust

80: Number of months, tomorrow, since the first confirmed sexual assault by the serial rapist

$4,000-$4,400: Amount of drugs confiscated per agency involved in the bust

$1333-$1466: Amount of drugs confiscated per month spent

$250: Reward offered by police for serial rapist per month at large

$5,000,000: Amount President Bush is devoting to a program funding religious institutions that combat domestic violence

$5,000,000,000: Amount Bush said he was devoting to the program at a press conference

1: Number of collective gasps coming from the East Room of the White House when Bush said “billion” instead of “million”

9: Number of solo press conferences President Bush has had so far in his term, as of August

33: The number of solo press conferences Clinton had had at the same point in his term

61: The number that Bush’s father had had at the same point

60: Percentile, among peer institutions, that the University should be at in terms of faculty compensation, according to the State Council on Higher Education for Virginia

27: Percentile, among peer institutions, that the University actually is at in terms of faculty compensation

$157.50: Highest price, on eBay, for a pair of tickets to the Florida State game

$182.50: Highest price, on eBay, for a pair of tickets to the Virginia Tech game

9: Number of games won by the Women’s Volleyball team last year, out of 34 total games.

17: Number of games won by the Women’s Volleyball team this year, out of 21 played.

2 and 7/8: Number of games missed by Virginia quarterback Matt Schaub because of a shoulder injury

19: Out of 22 attempts, number of completions by Schaub on his second game back, against North Carolina

25: Ranking in the AP Coaches’ Poll, after the North Carolina game

1: Number of sexually-harassing, unintelligible former movie stars who have been elected governor of California

2: Florida’s new position on the list of states displaying gross electoral idiocy

She has played on junior national teams and won the Missouri Player of the Year award in high school, but at the start of this season Becky Sauerbrunn still didn’t know exactly what to expect from college competition. In Virginia’s exhibition game against Michigan State, she found out the hard way.

“I went up for a head ball, and I just got rocked,” Sauerbraun said. “I was thinking, ‘Ah, that’s never happened before, but I better get used to it.’ When you go hard into a tackle you know the forward’s going hard into you. There’s nothing wussy out there. Everything’s hard-out.”

Welcome to the world of Divison I soccer, Becky Sauerbrunn.

While the freshman defender might have been taken aback by the physicality of play at first, she has managed to adjust very well to the college game. Sauerbrunn earned a starting spot with a strong performance in training camp, and has been on the field for every second of Virginia’s 12 games this season.

“It’s amazing, every game that I’ve seen she’s improved even more,” senior midfielder Missy Somadelis said. “It’s awesome to have her back there. She’s a first year, but you can’t tell she’s a first year on the field.”

Sauerbrunn’s grasp on the starting sweeper position wasn’t so secure to begin with. She came into camp with a quartet of veteran defenders and was initially frustrated with the experience. Sauerbrunn had doubts about her place on the team when she would be assigned to run with the second group instead of the first team.

“It was tough at first, with the experienced defenders here and coach knowing those players really well,” Sauerbrunn said. “Sometimes, when we would break up into groups it would be frustrating and coach would say ‘You’re just constantly second-guessing yourself.’”

It took Virginia coach Steve Swanson and assistant coach Maren Rojas sitting down with Sauerbrunn to ease her mind and get her focused on playing the game.

“I had a talk with Steve and Maren during preseason,” Sauerbrunn said. “They told me ‘You can’t worry about that, you can’t keep second-guessing yourself. You just have to play and through your playing we’ll decide if you can start or not.’”

Sauerbrunn stepped up to the occasion and found herself scheduled to start in the Cavaliers’ season opener against West Virginia.

“It was surreal,” Sauerbrunn said. “I was definitely extremely nervous going into that game. I didn’t sleep at all that night before.”

Judging by her performance in the opener, Sauerbrunn might want to consider staying up all night before every game. The freshman played with poise beyond her years, making minimal errors and helping the Cavaliers shutout a strong Mountaineer team that won nine straight after falling to Virginia.

Sauerbrunn and the Cavalier defense continued to put forth impressive performances, including six shutouts and a 433 minute streak without allowing a goal.

“Our defense works so well together,” Sauerbrunn said. “It really doesn’t feel like you’re an individual out there; you’re always in a group. It’s like a miniature team inside the team.”

After initial confusion, Sauerbrunn has found her place in this unit and has quickly become one of the most indispensable players on the Virginia defense.

Sauerbrunn has been dealt some bumps and bruises along the way, both to her body from an aggressive Spartan defender and to her confidence from assignments in practice. As rough as it was, however, her success shows that her orientation to Division I soccer was an effective one.

In Clemson’s 21-7 loss to Maryland last week, one of very few assets was receiver Derrick Hamilton. As the visiting team in Terrapin territory last Saturday, the Tigers were held to a first half of meager offensive production, gaining only 86 yards in the first 28 minutes of the game. But with two minutes remaining, Clemson quarterback Charlie Whitehurst finally connected with his primary receiver Hamilton for a 70-yard touchdown pass. And as halftime began, the Tigers held onto the hope of victory with the score at 14-7.

While Clemson ended up losing the game, the 175-yard receiving performance of Hamilton was the focal point of the 2003 Tiger offense and was reminiscent of the offense that led them to bowl game appearances the past two seasons.

Hamilton began his career with the team after a stand-out senior year at Dillon High School in Dillon, S.C. The premiere athlete was a member of the South Carolina All-State teams in both football and basketball, and on the grass of the football field was named an All-American by several major recruiting Web sites. In spite of several other scholarship offers, including one from Tennessee, the star receiver and kick-return specialist picked Clemson as his college of choice.

During his first year as a football player for the Tigers, Hamilton was redshirted and missed a large amount of practice time because of a pulled hamstring. Yet, in 2001, he had a breakout season with 53 receptions for 684 yards, leading to his acknowledgement as a second-team freshman All-American while also being named a member of the Academic All-ACC.

In 2002, Hamilton led the Tigers to an appearance in the Tangerine Bowl with his volatile combination as a kick- and punt-return man as well as receiver. In his best season yet, he totaled 1,883 all-purpose yards, including 602 yards receiving and 208 yards rushing with four touchdowns. Heading into 2003, he was named as a pre-season All-ACC selection. And with seven games remaining in the Clemson season, Hamilton has totaled 438 yards receiving, the fourth-highest mark in the ACC this year.

Entering this Saturday’s game against Virginia, Hamilton poses the greatest threat to the Cavalier secondary. Charged with putting a stop to the spark plug of the Clemson offense this week will be Cavalier cornerbacks Jermaine Hardy and Almondo Curry.

Hamilton and the rest of Clemson’s talented receivers “present a very big challenge for our secondary, and not just for our secondary,” Curry said. “Our defensive line knows that they can’t let the quarterback get good looks at the receivers. The defensive line has an effect on how good the defensive secondary is, and vice versa.”

Hamilton, however, does not pose the only threat as a receiver for the Virginia defense. Speedy senior Airese Currie and huge 215-pound possession receiver Kevin Youngblood complete a capable group of receivers for the Tigers.

“Offensively, the wide receivers are quote a trio,” Virginia coach Al Groh said. “They’re hard to deal with.”

Clearly this week, Virginia will have to continue to play as a team on special teams and defense in order to halt the path of receiver Derrick Hamilton and the rest of the Tiger offense.

The Virginia field hockey team defeated in-state opponent Radford University (3-9) last night, 4-0, and moved to 19-0 all-time against the Highlanders.

The victory snaps a five-game losing streak for the No. 19 Cavaliers (6-6, 0-1 ACC) and kicks off a five game home stand.

Virginia earned the victory behind a two-goal effort by sophomore Katie Phillips and a shutout by junior goalie Logan Carr.

The Radford Highlanders put up little opposition to the Cavaliers, who capitalized on an early corner and never let up en route to their second shutout of the season.

Seven minutes into the game senior Katie Jo Gerfen knocked in a corner to put Virginia on the board. Gerfen’s goal set the tone shortly into the game and Virginia did not back off in intensity for the remainder of the match.

“We talked about it before the game, trying to put together a strong 70 minutes,” coach Jessica Wilk said. “We’ve had lapses the past few games and we have been working to eliminate those.”

The most prevalent lapse came during the match against Old Dominion, in which the team allowed three goals in just over a minute and a half.There was no such lapse in this game as the Cavaliers displayed a tight defense for the entire game.

Carr, who tallied a total of 25 saves in her previous two matches, added five more against Radford.Although her elevated play has been a focal point for the Cavaliers’ recent turnaround, the team defense as a whole has stepped up.

“It starts with defense,” Carr said.”We play defense as a team and it has really started to come together the past couple of games.”

It was the Cavaliers’ impenetrable defense that lead to a quick counter attack by Virginia and led to the team’s first goal.

An early goal has been difficult to come by this season for the Cavaliers, who have been forced played catch-up for most of their losses.

“We knew we had to get started fast,” Phillips said.”It has been a problem for us to get on the board early this year.”

Virginia proceeded to score on three of their six corners producing a much more efficient offense than in previous games.

“We’ve done a lot in practice to work on corners,” Phillips said. “I was impressed at how the practice paid off with our efficiency around the goal.”

Both Phillips and sophomore Allison Flynn put in goals off of corners later in the match.

The only goal not to come off of a corner was a lob by Phillips over the head of the Radford goalie in the first half.

The victory was a relief to the Cavaliers as they look to use it to build confidence and gain momentum going into the final month of their season.

“We just really needed a win and to prove to ourselves and everybody that we are a great team,” Carr said. “Our job today was to get a win and build upon the game.”

Radford offered the opportunity to work out some of the team’s problem areas with less than a month until the ACC tournament.

The team’s ability to capitalize on its opportunities and play with the same intensity for the entire game shows an accumulation of experience and adjustments

Their inability to finish goals and lapses in intensity plagued Virginia over their five game losing skid.

The Cavaliers’ next contests come tomorrow against Quinnipiac, followed by Sunday’s match with conference rival No. 2 North Carolina. Both matches are at home.

Second-ranked Miami will battle No. 5 Florida State in Tallahassee this Saturday. Both teams are struggling to maintain their undefeated records.

Miami will face their rival after squeaking by with a 22-20 victory against West Virginia last weekend in a game that cost them their best offensive player. Sophomore running back Frank Gore, the team’s leading rusher, will be out for the rest of the season after tearing his ACL in that game.

Without Gore, Miami will turn its attention to senior Jerrett Payton. Miami coach Larry Coker, while admitting that Gore’s injury does hurt the team, said he sees it as an opportunity for the team’s other players.

“We have always approached it with the mindset that it is not the University of Larr Coker or Frank Gore, this is the University of Miami and when someone has an opportunity, they have to step up,” Coker said “Jarrett Payton has that chance now.”

It will be crucial for Payton and his teammates to command the rushing offense against the Seminole defense, which currently leads the nation in scoring defense and is fifth in total defense.

“We need to buckle down, because if we don’t establish the run this week, it’s going to be a long day,” Payton said.

Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden is attempting to prepare his team for the effect the Miami vs. West Virginia game may have had on the Hurricanes.

“I thought it was the best thing that could happen to [Miami] to wake them up,” he said.

Coker agreed with Bowden’s assessment. “Our attitude is terrific right now,” Coker said. “We are anxious to play a game like Florida State in the national spotlight.”

Florida State, on the other hand, is coming off a bye week in which several of their key players had a chance to recuperate from injuries, including starting linebacker Kendyll Pope, tailbacks Leon Washington and Lorenzo Booker and guard Bobby Meeks. Coker sighted Booker and Washington as particular challenges to the Miami defense.

“We have a tremendous challenge,” he said, “but I think we are up to it and feel good about the opportunity.”

After their narrow victory against Georgia Tech on Sept. 13 the Seminoles have crushed their last two opponents with a combined score of 103-14.

This game will be the 47th in the Seminole-Hurricane series. Miami holds a 26-20 lead in the series and are coming off last year’s one-point victory. This is the first time since 1993 that the teams have faced off while both being ranked in the top five.

This game will have a tremendous effect on the Cavalier’s Oct. 18 home game against FSU, which could be for first place in the ACC. A Seminole defeat this weekend could shatter FSU’s momentum and set Virginia up for an important ACC victory. Virginia will try to take advantage of their powerful running game (they are currently ranked first in the ACC with an average of 184.2 yards per game) against the Seminole defense. Before focusing on Florida State, however, Virginia will have to try to maintain its undefeated conference standing at Clemson (1-1 ACC) this Saturday.

Virginia high school seniors could have the opportunity to enter college with a semester’s worth of credit or join the workforce with industry certification as part of Gov. Mark R. Warner’s proposed “Senior Year Plus Program.”

Under the plan, high school seniors would be encouraged to pursue either the “Early College Scholars” program by amassing college credits in high school through duel-enrollment and Advanced Placement classes, or a “Path to Industry Certification,” involving technical training that could continue after graduation.

These programs will build on previously established relationships between government, schools and educators, said Kevin Hall, Warner’s deputy press secretary.

“This opens up phenomenal opportunities,” he said.

By taking advantage of this existing framework, Warner’s plan would carry a relatively nominal annual cost of approximately $2.5 million, Hall said.

Currently, of the approximately 70,000 high school seniors in Virginia, 15,000 are engaged in duel-enrollment programs at community colleges and other institutions of higher education.

Second-year College student Kevin Maskell said the ability to apply advanced placement classes toward college credit was a deciding factor in his applying to the University. He said he plans to graduate early after coming in with 48 credits from a combination of AP classes and duel-enrollment at George Mason University.

By satisfying the College’s core requirements with AP credit, Maskell said he was able to pursue courses for his intended major as a first year.

“It allowed me a lot more freedom in course selection,” he said. “I didn’t have to worry about fulfilling the requirements for graduation.”

Prof. James Demas, head of undergraduate advising for the chemistry department, said he agreed that having AP classes available is important for high school students who intend on going to college.

“From our standpoint it’s extremely useful,” he said. “It sets students up to take higher level classes.”

Hall added that coordination with Commonwealth universities will be essential for the program’s success.

“The next step will be working with the four-year schools to make sure they are supportive in this initiative,” he said.

Acknowledging that most students who advance with AP credit are well qualified, Demas said that AP classes are not generally as challenging as college-level courses.

“By and large, credits earned in high school aren’t really equivalent to college courses,” he said. “Frequently, they’re not the same thing.”

With enrollment in Virginia’s public colleges expected to increase by 61,000 over the next seven years, Hall said earning a semester of college credit in high school could allow students to graduate early, possibly alleviating a potential strain on both university and individual resources.

“There’s an obvious cost advantage to [students] and their families,” he said.

Senior Year Plus is one part of Warner’s larger Education for a Lifetime initiative which includes programs for child care, school accountability, teacher recruitment and retention, higher education and workforce development.

Warner, who has been releasing information about these individual programs piecemeal, is expected to outline more details of his higher education plan in Newport News Tuesday.

Historic Varsity Hall, headquarters of the Air Force ROTC Detachment 890, will soon be moved to a new site.

The Board of Visitors met Oct. 2 to discuss plans for relocating Varsity Hall, coming to a decision after months of consideration.

“The site the board decided on was just east of Washington Hall; Hotel B on the East Ranges,” said Colette Sheehy, vice president of management and budget, who reviewed the Board’s findings.

The move comes as a result of the McIntire School of Commerce’s “Back to the Lawn” campaign — a $50 million expansion project. A 100,000 square foot building will be constructed alongside a newly renovated Rouss Hall to house the McIntire school.

This large addition will allow the McIntire School to create interdisciplinary courses. Plans for the new building, however, encroach on Varsity Hall’s current location, forcing relocation.

The projected cost for moving Varsity Hall is $1.2 million. The funds for this move will come from the Commerce School project, according to officials.

“If all goes well,” Sheehy said, “the schedule would be to have the building moved by June so Commerce can start its project.”

Construction on the Commerce project will begin in the spring of 2004 and will take two years to complete.

Last spring, the Board debated the idea of demolishing Varsity Hall. The Buildings and Grounds Committee later decided, during its May 23 discussion of the Rouss Hall Renovation and the Commerce School project, that the building should instead be relocated for posterity.

Varsity Hall has been an integral part of the University since the mid 19th century. It was constructed in July of 1857 as a student infirmary. In the early 1900s it became the Delta Tau Delta fraternity house. Since 1951, however, it has served as both headquarters and classrooms for Detachment 890, the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps.

University spokesperson Carol Wood said Varsity Hall is special not only because of its rich history but also for its distinctive design.

“The unique ventilation system makes it historic,” Wood said. “It is the oldest surviving example of its kind in the country.”

College administrators plan to make use of Monroe Hall after the McIntire School vacates the premises. Whether ROTC will be the future resident of the relocated Varsity Hall remains undecided, but ROTC officials said they are understanding.

“It is a good thing for the School of Commerce and the economics department, but it has been our building since ROTC began in 1951 — we love this building,” Colonel John Vrba said. “This is a very expensive building to maintain and there is no other place for Commerce to expand, so we understand.”

Wood said the University hopes to take advantage of the move to improve both Varsity Hall itself and the space it currently occupies.

“It will become top academic space,” Wood said. “But it will retain some of the flavor of the University’s history.”

Virginia legislators stressed the dismal budget situation in the Commonwealth and the many competing priorities the General Assembly is faced with when six state delegates and one state senator fielded student questions on hot-button higher education topics last night.

The legislative affairs committee of Student Council brought Virginia Senator Craig Deeds, D-25th district, Virginia Delegates Robert Bell, R-58th, Preston Bryant, Jr., R-23rd, John Cosgrove, R-78th, Steven Landes, R-25th, Davis Rust, R-86th, and Mitchell Van Yahres, D-57th, to the University for a question-and-answer session.

“We felt that students and also legislators really didn’t know each other well,” committee Chair Alex Stolar said. “We wanted to give students the opportunity to get to know Virginia politics and what it means to them and at the same time give legislators an opportunity to learn more about us as students and how their votes affect Virginia students.”

The discussion turned primarily to funding priorities as legislators debated with students and each other the relative importance of research, faculty retention and funding of higher education in general.

All the legislators pointed to the condition of the state’s budget, which is coming in with a $1 billion shortfall this session, pitting funding for higher education and the University in particular against funding for elementary schools in poor districts and other state commitments.

“I wish I could stand here and paint a positive picture for you, but I don’t think it’s in the cards,” Rust said.

Legislators and students argued the merits of general taxpayers subsidizing higher education versus increasing tuition even more.

Cosgrove drew ire from some students when he suggested universities should examine their efficiency before looking for more money.

“We need to look to our institutions and have them look inward — are they offering too much?” Cosgrove asked. “Do we need to have 10 engineering schools or can we reduce that to six?”

Students during the open forum worried that such an approach would limit the possibility of pursuing multiple interests during college. However, the beneficiaries of Cosgrove’s suggestion — faculty and research — also emerged as priorities for students and legislators.

Legislators professed their support for higher education despite difficulties in finding sufficient funds to finance it.

“Higher education is woven into the fabric of our economic growth,” Deeds said. “Right now, we are failing in our basic responsibility to fund higher education.”

Students filled the aisles of Newcomb Theater to ask the legislators questions during the open forum. Many said they were happy for the opportunity, but felt the session would not spur much change.

“I think it went well overall,” first-year College student Sam White said. “I think the issues still remain — the lack of funds is always an issue.”

Legislative affairs committee members said they were thrilled with the large turnout.

“We were so excited to see so many people come out,” said committee member Payal Maheshwari. “People were really actively engaging.”

Stolar added that Council now hopes to stage the event annually.