In response to retailer and customer concerns over the changing nature of Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall, the City Council will vote on an ordinance next week that could add new restrictions to Mall vendors.

The proposed changes, which include physical restrictions on vendors’ stands, a new permit application fee and a requirement that vendors pay rent, passed a first reading at the Council’s Nov. 17 meeting and will be voted on during the Dec. 1 meeting.

A board composed of Mall vendors, Mall merchants and members of the City Board of Architectural Review recommended the changes after several retailers expressed concerns about the atmosphere vendors were contributing to and the competitive advantages they held over merchants.

“There were a number of people who spoke to a desire not to have the mall look like a bazaar,” City Council member Kevin Lynch said.

Accordingly, the changes include several physical restrictions on vending stands. For example, vendors would be required to display all merchandise on tables and could not use clothes racks, could only use black table skirts and umbrellas and would have to ensure that stands had at least one employee on duty at all times.

Many retailers also expressed concern regarding vendors’ competitive advantages over them, Director of Neighborhood Development Services Jim Tolbert said.

“There was concern over the fact that the vendors were not paying rent for their space, while the merchants were paying rent and property taxes and utilities,” Tolbert said.

Addressing this issue, the proposal would require vendors to pay a $400 permit fee. The City would also require a rent of $2 per square foot of space taken up by the vending stand.

Finally, measures requiring vendors to immediately move their stands in case of an emergency and requiring vendor stands to be located at least 15 feet away from storefronts were proposed for consideration to alleviate concerns over public safety, Lynch said.

“There is a specific part of the mall you have to keep open to get a fire truck down, but that’s often obstructed,” Lynch said.

Several vendors, however, objected to the fee and rent requirements. Tolbert acknowledged these concerns but reiterated that the committee recommending the changes included several vendors.

“There have been some concerns about a couple of things,” Tolbert said. Some vendors “weren’t supportive of everything.”

Lynch emphasized that the regulations were not punitive and that the City viewed vendors as an asset to the Downtown Mall.

“We have a number of vendors who observe all the regulations and are good citizens,” Lynch said. “These regulations are trying to lay down the parameters of what appropriate vending would look like.”

Gov. Mark Warner unveiled the details of his plan to overhaul Virginia’s tax code yesterday, proposing to garner an extra $500 million a year through extensive reform that would include tax hikes for cigarettes, sales and the highest income bracket while lowering income taxes for less wealthy Virginians.

The initiative, arguably the largest of Warner’s term, comes after months of secrecy. Warner Spokesperson Ellen Qualls said the governor has been working to ensure a proposal that is equitable and sensible.

“The Governor has worked for months with his finance team to come up with a plan that he thinks is both fair and addresses some of the quirks of our tax code, but also brings more money into a state that has shortfalls through the end of the decade projected,” Qualls said.

The proposal will go to the General Assembly in January, where Qualls said Warner is prepared for a struggle.

“It’s an ambitious plan,” Qualls said. “They’ll have their say on it — we’ll be fighting for our plan.”

Virginia Republican leaders expressed concern over the proposed reform, particularly increasing taxes, in statements yesterday reported by the Associated Press.

Politics Prof. Larry Sabato predicted that the bill is unlikely to pass through the General Assembly without significant compromises.

“It’s difficult to get a tax increase even out of a Democratic legislature in Virginia,” Sabato said. “Imagine how difficult this is going to be with a heavily Republican legislature — there may be some compromise, that’s possible, but it will be difficult to get them to bite the whole enchilada.”

Warner’s plan as it stands would reduce the tax on food from 4 percent to 2.5 percent while increasing the sales tax from 4.5 percent to 5.5 percent. The cigarette tax would increase from 2.5 cents per pack, the lowest in the nation, to 25 cents, with an option for local governments to levy their own tax of up to 50 cents.

Warner promised 65 percent of Virginians actually would save money under his plan, which would expand lower income brackets and increase personal and dependent exemptions to offset the raised sales tax for low- and middle-income residents. Only people in the top 10 percent of income would pay a higher income tax, up to 6.25 percent from 5.75 percent.

Qualls said a chunk of the $500 million would result from closing loopholes that allow out-of-state corporations to avoid paying taxes in Virginia.

The revenue from the revamped tax code — $500 million, Warner predicts — would go to existing under-funded programs, Qualls said. $140 million would be divided between public colleges and universities.

The additional funds still would not remedy a predicted $1.3 billion budget shortfall over the next two years, said John Knapp, research director for business and economics at the University’s Weldon Cooper Center.

Knapp noted that Warner’s proposal excludes a tax on services and makes little mention of transportation needs, two areas he sees as vital to Virginia’s developing economy.

“It makes a rather modest contribution toward tax reform,” Knapp said. “It’s moving in the right direction to pick up the results of inflation.”

The percentage of under-represented minority students in University graduate and professional schools falls well below that of peer institutions, according to a report presented to the Educational Policy Committee of the Board of Visitors Friday.

The report from the University-Wide Recruitment Initiative Task Force, led by Provost Gene Block and Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies R. Ariel Gomez, found that in the fall of 2002, under-represented minority students — African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans and Native Americans — comprised 12 percent of the University graduate and first-year professional studies population, placing the University near the bottom third of 61 included schools. At the University of California-Berkeley, on the other hand, that figure is 24 percent, the third-highest ratio among those surveyed.

Peter Brunjes, Assistant College Dean for Graduate Programs and Research, said many factors contribute to these statistics, which do not necessarily indicate that the University is at fault.

“I think there’s a small pool of minority graduate students,” he said. “We could do better if we could induce more to come here.”

Because many other institutions have unified minority recruiting programs, Brunjes said, they tend to recruit more underrepresented students. Currently, minority recruiting offices at the University operate autonomously within the school they represent.

University Senior Vice President William Harman, who presented the report, called the schools “uneven” in their under-represented populations and said a coordinated effort is necessary to provide consistency in minority recruitment.

Some graduate and professional schools within the University fared better than others in the report. The College of Arts and Sciences, the most diverse school, has approximately 12 times the ratio of under-represented minorities as the Schools of Architecture and Nursing, which are the least diverse.

The College of Arts and Sciences currently awards between 5 and 6 endowed graduate fellowships every year, Brunjes said, far less than the number many private schools offer. Because the University is state-funded, it also is able to channel some of that money toward providing 40 additional fellowships, though the combined total remains far less than the 100 fellowships offered at Stanford, he added.

“In general our graduate fellowship programs have less money than a lot of other places,” he said.

A key component of the University’s next capital campaign, already in the planning stages, will be to increase funding for graduate student scholarships, said Board education committee member Terence Ross.

“At the end of the day, the BOV has to make sure [the money] is there,” he said.

Still, Ross said he is not convinced that throwing money at minority graduate students will necessarily solve the problem, adding that the report did not provide a concrete explanation for low recruitment rates.

“If you want to fix a problem, you have to know why it exists,” he said.

In addition to detailing the University’s current minority population status, the report outlined eight recommendations to increase the number of under-represented students that apply to graduate and professional programs, including an increase in financial aid and the creation of a centralized administrative function for recruiting.

Despite these proposals, Board education committee member Syd Dorsey said the report did not go far enough in establishing a clear course of action.

“I’m not sure we have a well laid out game plan,” she said. “I think there need to be actionable items.”

Departing from a career that has included everything from licensing and insuring vehicles to growing the University’s endowment from $60 million to over $1.8 billion, University treasurer and UVIMCO president Alice Handy will step down Dec. 1 to establish her own company.

Handy, who came to the University 29 years ago, has been praised for her many achievements as the institution’s first and only investment officer.

The University’s $1.8 billion endowment is currently one of the five largest among public universities and one of the 25 largest among all institutions in the nation.

At the Oct. 3 meeting of the Board of Visitors, Handy reported an endowment return of 9.2 percent for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2003. Of the nation’s 30 largest universities, only Harvard could boast a better figure.

For Handy, however, the growth is meaningful only for the opportunities it provides.

She said one of the highlights of her career came three years ago when the head of the Financial Aid Office told her that because the endowment had performed so well, most financial aid could be provided through scholarships rather than loans.

“The endowment is now a significant resource to the University of Virginia,” Handy said. “It provides over $80 million a year in income that can be used for the University.”

In 2003, $83 million of endowment earnings was spent on scholarships, fellowships, buildings and professorships.

Leonard Sandridge, University executive vice president and chief operating officer, said Handy’s influence will be greatly missed.

“Alice had considered going into business for herself from time to time, I think we all hoped that day would never come” Sandridge said in an interview with Top News Daily. “Alice is recognized as an outstanding professional, but just as importantly, she has been a constant advocate for what is best for the University.”

After she leaves the University next week, Handy won’t be resting on her laurels for long.

She said her company, which will provide investment office services to medium-size endowments in the range of $150 to $900 million, will take its first client Jan. 1.

Ultimately, Handy said she hopes her Charlottesville-based firm will grow to a staff of seven to 10 and manage four to 10 clients and $3 to $4 billion.

At present, the search for Handy’s replacement is in its mid-stages, according to University spokesperson Carol Wood.

Wood said she believes officials will begin talking to candidates in the next month, noting that whoever officials tap will have a tall order to fill.

“Alice is a tough act to follow; there aren’t many people like Alice out there,” Wood said.

However, Handy expressed confidence that the staff she leaves behind is fully capable of continuing her work.

“No one person would ever have produced all this, I’m just lucky to have been the constant figure,” she said. “The staff can carry on just fine.”

While someone with Handy’s resume, which includes a stint as state treasurer, could easily have left to start a company earlier, Handy said she remained because she knew she could make a difference.

The University “was a place growing in excellence and it had room to grow its endowment to be equally excellent,” she said. “Working in a college, what you do has tangible results: You borrow money and see Scott Stadium go up; people get higher raises; people get scholarships; wonderful things happen, and I think that’s what draws all of us here.”

Despite administrators’ concern over the “fourth-year fifth,” a yearly trend practiced by some fourth years during which they attempt to consume a fifth of liquor the day of the last home football game, both the University Medical Center and Police Department have confirmed that no serious alcohol-related incidents occurred Saturday.

“Everything I have heard about the weekend was good, and I am grateful to the students and student organizations for that,” University President John T. Casteen, III said yesterday. “The crowds I saw on both nights were good-spirited and in the best sense, gentle.”

A clinician in the emergency medicine department who manned the first-aid tent at Saturday’s football game against Georgia Tech said that no one suffering from alcohol-related injuries was brought to the tent, according to Abena Foreman Trice, a Medical Center spokesperson.

“Things were relatively quiet overall,” Trice said.

One person, not a University student, was arrested in Scott Stadium for being drunk in public, said University Police Capt. Michael Coleman.

The only other alcohol-related arrests made between Friday night and Monday morning were two driving under the influence incidents, Coleman said.

One of the DUI arrests definitely did not involve a student, but Coleman was unable to confirm whether or not the other incident involved a student.

University police have increased the number of officers on duty during weekend nights, partially as a result of recent violent incidents involving University students, he said.

“We have heightened awareness of alcohol uses and abuses and we’re doing what we can to make sure they do not occur,” Coleman said. “We want people to have safe visits at the games and we want students to be safe on Grounds.”

Charlottesville police have taken similar measures.

“In a nutshell we’re having extra officers on weekends working special assignments to respond to those exhibiting disorderly conduct,” Charlottesville Police Sgt. Steve Dillon said.

University administrators say they interpret students’ behavior this weekend as a positive response to an e-mail issued Thursday by Casteen, in which he urged students to be responsible when consuming alcohol.

“As far as I can see they did just that,” said Aaron Laushway, associate dean of students and director of fraternity and sorority life. “I’m happy to note that our students seemed to behave very responsibly.”

Casteen said he received positive feedback from community members.

“My letter seems to have done little more than lay out on one page what many people in the community had been thinking and feeling,” Casteen said. “One student’s note said, ‘thank you — it was time for someone to say these things.’”

University Athletic Director Craig Littlepage said he was pleased with the overall behavior and enthusiasm of the crowd, which numbered over 55,000.

“I think our message has always been that we certainly are sensitive to each and every one of the thousands of people who come to the games,” Littlepage said. “We want our fans to have an experience that makes them want to return and continue supporting the team.”

Littlepage said he expects the upcoming football game Saturday against Virginia Tech to set an attendance record.

While the high level of security present at all football games will remain unchanged for Saturday’s game, University and Charlottesville police will increase their presence around Grounds and in areas immediately off-Grounds, Dillon said.

First year Engineering students (from right) Brad Uhl and Matt Saxton try out a robot they built in the “Free-shot” competition, part of a Robot Pentathalon yesterday in Newcomb hall. The event was a component of an introductory Engineering class. First year Engineering student Lauren Barba (left) looks on.

The story “City Council to consider new highway proposal” incorrectly implied that McIntire Park will be handed over to VDOT. Only a small section of the park will be given.

The Housing Division has sent an e-mail to all students living on Grounds asking for their opinion on a possible laundry surcharge. For $100 per scholastic year, students living in University Housing could have unlimited laundry privileges. According to the Housing Division, the $100 charge is the equivalent of washing and drying about forty loads during the course of the 38 weeks that the University is in session for both the fall and spring semesters.

One of the Housing Division’s vendors suggested the laundry surcharge since such a charge has been implemented successfully at other schools in the region.

Housing Director Mark Doherty said the Housing Division tries to keep basic rental increases as low as possible but the laundry surcharge “is significant enough that clearly we want to see what our students thought about it.”

If students approve, the program could be implemented as soon as next school year.

—Compiled by Whitney Garrison

Two reportedly unrelated armed robberies occurred last Saturday in Charlottesville. According to both Albemarle and Charlottesville police, no arrests have been made as of yesterday afternoon but the investigations are ongoing.

In the first incident, the Charlottesville Police Department received a call at 7:24 a.m. Saturday reporting an armed robbery of an undisclosed amount at the Red Roof Inn at the intersection of 13th and W. Main Streets.

According to Charlottesville Sergeant David Jones, no one was injured.The suspect came in and demanded money and escaped on foot, according to the hotel clerk who was held at gunpoint.

The hotel clerk gave a described the suspect to the police as a black male, about 5-foot-8, with slight facial hair on his chin. The hotel clerk added that the suspect may have had braided hair but his head was wrapped in a white towel during the alleged robbery. The robber also used a white towel to wrap around his hand purportedly to disguise the handgun he brandished. At the time of the incident, the suspect was reportedly wearing multiple layers of shirts with a plaid shirt on the outside. He was last seen by the clerk running eastward on West Main Street, according to the WINA Web site.

The second alleged armed robbery occurred around 8 p.m. Saturday night at the Mexican grocery store at the Village Green Shopping Center, near the intersection of Commonwealth Drive and Hydraulic Road.

A store clerk told the Albemarle police that two Hispanic males took several thousand dollars.

According to Albemarle Lieutenant Earl Newton, the clerk also told police that the alleged robbers were about 20-25 years old and about 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-8.

Virginia wrestling coach Lenny Bernstein has quietly moved the wrestling program forward for 10 years now. Note to Cavalier fans: Bernstein’s boys won’t be quiet for much longer.

Virginia is coming off its best season in 28 years and the signs of progress are everywhere. They can be found in the new improvements courtesy of an anonymous donor and in the difficult schedule the Cavaliers face this season. More importantly, they can be found on the faces of Cavalier upperclassmen Tim Foley and Scott Moore, each of whom have national championship aspirations. Virginia wrestling has arrived, and it will be hard to not pay attention this season.

The Cavaliers finished 12-5 last season and went 4-0 in the ACC. They upset North Carolina and N.C. State during the season and sent three wrestlers to compete at nationals last March. Virginia sputtered in the ACC championship, however, finishing a distant third. The disappointing finish has provided Cavalier wrestlers with a clear goal for the 2003-2004 season. “Beyond going 4-0, our goal is to win the ACCs,” graduate student Tim Foley said. “To win ACCs, it means everybody has done their jobs.”

Virginia received two strong boosts to their title aspirations this past summer. An anonymous donor completely refurbished the wrestling practice facility, providing money for new mats, new cardiovascular machines and top of the line weight equipment. The donation has also had a positive psychological affect on the team.

“The off-season improvements have added a lot of confidence in our system,” Foley said.

Perhaps more importantly, the Cavaliers reeled in Penn State star Scott Moore, a wrestler the likes of which Virginia has not seen in recent memory. Moore entered the season ranked third nationally at 141 pounds and has already defeated the wrestler ranked fourth.

“He’s the most dangerous wrestler in college right now,” Bernstein said.”Consequently, he’s exciting to watch. He led the nation in pins last year.”

Moore has not disappointed the preseason hype. He went undefeated and placed first in Virginia’s first two tournaments. At last week’s Body Bar Invitational, Moore pinned all five of his opponents, downing three of them in less than 53 seconds.

“He can take you down pretty quickly, or get you so scared that it takes you out of your game,” Bernstein said.

Foley agreed that the addition of Moore will help the team greatly.

“He’s nuts,” Foley said. “He’s great for team morale and he’s always in a great mood.”

Moore’s only downside is that he will only be a Cavalier for one year. Yet, Bernstein relishes his opportunity to coach Virginia’s best national contender in years.

“I’d like to have him for more, but I’m glad to have him for one,” he said.

Moore and Foley should prove to be the leaders of the Cavalier squad. For Foley, the leadership role is something he has earned with consistent success. He won a match at nationals last season and is ranked as high as 12th going into this year. The role of leader should actually provide more challenges than some of his opponents.

“You have to get used to that,” Foley said. “It’s been more than I thought it would be to get everyone on the same page.”

Virginia is a relatively young team aside from Foley and Moore, and Bernstein feels its youth will make it a difficult team to forecast. One of the Cavaliers’ best young wrestlers, sophomore Brian Sticca, has yet to wrestle because of injury.

When Sticca returns, Virginia will have three wrestlers who can compete with anyone on the national level. Not bad for a team without a national championship finalist since 1999. Should Moore or Foley win the national title, or should Sticca repeat his brilliant freshman season, it will be a season to remember in Onesty Hall.