Student Council and the Learning Needs and Evaluation center are sponsoring a series of activities for Disability Awareness Week, which began yesterday.

The events include a selection of films dealing with the theme of disabled persons. The movies will run from 1-3 p.m. in Clemons Library.

In addition to the films, the groups sponsored a workshop for students with disabilities yesterday.

Other activities include a disability resource fair to be held in the Commonwealth Room of Newcomb Hall today and a Students with Disabilities Panel Discussion and video in Clemons Library tomorrow.

–Compiled by Matt Galati

The University Democrats braved the winter weather this past weekend, traveling to the frozen tundra of New Hampshire’s presidential primary battleground in Manchester.

Members of the group ran phone banks, distributed literature, canvassed door to door and gained general visibility for their respective candidates.

“We decided to go to New Hampshire because for one week every four years it becomes the political epicenter of the nation,” said David Wasserman, University Democrats campaign party coordinator. “You basically have the entire political world crammed into a city no bigger than Charlottesville.”

Wasserman said the University Democrats brought 50 members who campaigned for individual candidates. The majority of members attending worked for presidential candidate and former Vermont governor Howard Dean.

“People signed up regardless of who they were supporting and then they broke up in groups to work for the candidate of their choice,” Wasserman said. “The greatest part of the trip was that everyone got to see their candidate in action. They got the chance to go around with the candidate or meet them — it was very positive.”

First-year College student Stephanie Bitto said she enjoyed the trip while campaigning for presidential hopeful Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C.

“We were treated really well by the campaign,” Bitto said. “Everyone was very nice. People made an effort to learn your name and to use it.”

Fourth-year College student Ryan Hughes said he noticed that the experiences of volunteers varied with their respective campaigns.

“Everyone from the Clark, Edwards and Kerry campaigns was having a good time,” Hughes said. “They went to rallies, walked precincts and did office work. The Dean campaign was different in this respect. They worked their volunteers to the bone. They sent them out from early morning till late in the evening … The first day there they weren’t even given a lunch break — they had to plead to get food.”

Bitto said the University Democrats group received a lot of exposure, even to international audiences.

“There were TV cameras everywhere we went,” Bitto said. “Lots of people got individual face time. There were cameramen from CNN, NBC Nightly News, Japanese TV and stations from around here.”

Bitto also added that the group had a brush with Hollywood royalty by meeting movie star Glenn Close.

“She came by and sat down and talked to a bunch of volunteers,” Bitto said. “She talked about how she wanted to see change and that’s why she was in New Hampshire for the primaries.”

Hughes said the group experienced numerous celebrity sightings. He said he saw hosts from CNN political shows, former and current senators, former Presidential candidate Gary Hart and Rob Corddry from Comedy Central’s Daily Show.

Despite an ideological difference between members on which candidate is best suited to be president, the University Democrats members were civil to each other on the 12-hour ride from Charlottesville to Manchester.

“There were lots of heated debates, but no fights,” Bitto said.

Old man winter arrived in Central Virginia late Sunday afternoon and likely will stick around through the remainder of today.

The region saw about four to five inches of freshly fallen powder as they left their homes yesterday morning.

Environmental Sciences Prof. Robert E. Davis said Sunday night’s storm was unusual in that it came toward Virginia from the southwest in contrast to typical Virginia snowstorms, which generally form off the Atlantic coast and then travel inland.

“As a result you might have noticed this was not your typical Virginia winter snow,” he said. “It was a little bit of a dryer storm so the snow was fluffier.”

Now a secondary low pressure system has formed off Cape Hatteras and likely will give Charlottesville a “second punch” today, Davis said.

“There’s a chance of freezing rain or snow or both [today] and it could be a significant amount of precipitation,” he said. “The secondary lows are unpredictable.”

Thus far, the temperamental winter weather has not caused the University any major problems, Director of Facilities Operations Chris Willis said. He added that facilities crews first began working on snow removal around 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon and have not stopped since, working constantly to maintain access to the Medical Center and student dining facilities.

The University does not appropriate an annual snow removal budget for the use of facilities management, but instead funds are acquired from the University vice president’s office as storms occur, Willis said.

Grounds workers, who normally would work raking leaves or performing other routine maintenance activities, are reassigned to snow removal tasks during winter storms.

University Transit Service buses could not serve the Copeley Hill, University Heights and 14th Street neighborhoods early yesterday morning due to poorly plowed roads, but service quickly was restored by about 11:30 a.m., Parking and Transportation Director Rebecca White said.

While the situation on Grounds remained relatively benign yesterday, the snow and ice has led to hazardous driving conditions on Virginia’s highways.

There have “been numerous accidents since the snow started last night,” said Sgt. David Cooper of the Virginia State Police’s third division, which covers a broad swath of Central Virginia, including Albemarle County.

Cooper said it is crucial that drivers lower their speeds during wintry conditions.

“You just basically want to drive like you don’t have breaks,” he said. “Hitting the breaks real quick — that’s what causes you to lose control and once you’ve lost control, it’s hard to get it back.”

Local residents would be well advised to remember Cooper’s winter driving tips because, according to Davis, more snow in Central Virginia is almost a certainty during the next few months.

“It’s not at all unusual to get March storms in Virginia that are pretty large systems,” he said. “We’re only halfway through the winter at this point.”

The Class of 2004 will welcome University alumnus and professional football player Atiim Kiambu “Tiki” Barber at Valediction Exercises May 15, University officials announced yesterday.

Barber, a 1997 Commerce school graduate, is a star running back for the National Football League’s New York Giants and a veteran of Super Bowl XXXV in January 2001.

“He was a great student and a great athlete who really matured into a fine young man,” University spokesperson Carol Wood said. “I think he’ll be inspirational and also a great deal of fun, and that’s what you want in a Valediction speaker.”

Barber was voted both the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Player of the Year and a first-team academic All-American in 1996 after setting the University’s all-time career rushing record, which has since been broken by Thomas Jones.

Fourth-Year Class President Justin Ferira said since Barber is a University graduate, he will be able to better connect with students.

“Tiki is a success story from this school,” Ferira said. “Everyone knows his name.”

Valediction Exercises are part of the University’s graduation weekend activities held the day before Final Exercises.

“Valediction is very important,” Graduation Committee Chair Cerissa Cafasso said. “It’s just for undergraduates and it’s a unique opportunity for us to come together as a class.”

Whereas Final Exercises include all graduating University students, Valediction is primarily undergraduate event, Ferira said.

“Graduation, because U.Va. is so large, can be sort of cumbersome,” Ferira said. “Valediction is more of an undergraduate’s award day, where parents and family can come and everyone gets seat.”

The ceremony is primarily organized by the 46-person Fourth-Year Council, or the Class of 2004 Trustees, who solicited speaker suggestions from fellow class members.

“At the end of last year we started soliciting suggestions from fourth and fifth years,” Ferira said. “We wanted people with a good image and a good speaker to attract a large crowd — a well spoken celebrity with a connection to U.Va.”

The Trustees narrowed suggestions to about 30 people and then broke the list into three tiers based on preference order, Ferira said.

The Graduation Committee wrote personal letters to the 20 choices listed in the first tier and Barber was the first to respond, Ferira said.

“I’m really excited to have Tiki come back to U.Va.,” Cafasso said. “He’s a young alum, so he will connect with students a lot. He’s not just an athlete, he’s involved in a lot, he was involved in a lot as an undergrad and he has commitments to the community in which he lives.”

The Charlottesville Commonwealth Attorney’s office announced Friday that an investigation into hazing accusations at the University’s Alpha Mu Chapter of Delta Sigma Phi fraternity last October has led to charges of trespassing and destruction of property against a University student.

Charlottesville Police Detective Sgt. Richard Hudson said third-year College student Saam Fouladgar was served two warrants last Thursday for vandalism or destruction of property and “entering property of another for the purpose of damaging” for a crime allegedly committed Oct. 28.

Charlottesville Commonwealth’s Attorney Dave Chapman said he could not comment on the specifics of the case but said an investigation into fraternity hazing led to the charges.

“The investigation revealed that there was probable cause to believe that two misdemeanors were committed that were appropriate to prosecute,” Chapman said.

According to Chapman, the office originally had considered pressing charges against the fraternity after an unidentified second-year pledge filed accusations of hazing last October.

No charges were brought against the fraternity because the allegations originally investigated did not meet the standards set by the Commonwealth’s hazing statute to merit prosecution.

“The allegations of hazing did not result in any injury that was sufficient to support any charge within the meaning of Virginia law,” Chapman said.

Fouladgar said he was frustrated by the connection made between the fraternity and the accusations made against him.

“Despite what was printed in the past in other publications, these charges are in no way related to hazing or any fraternity,” Fouladgar said. “This is a separate issue. It is a separate charge against me as a private citizen and I am confident that when all the facts are brought forward in this case my name will be cleared of any and all charges.”

Fouladgar said he is no longer a member of Delta Sigma Phi fraternity and declined to comment on the circumstances surrounding his deactivation.

Chapman confirmed that the crimes allegedly committed by Fouladgar were Class 1 misdemeanors and carry a maximum penalty of 12 months in jail and/or a $2,500 fine.

Fouladgar is due to appear in Charlottesville General District Court Feb. 20.

The University, City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County all experienced similar drops in crime from 2002 to 2003, according to statistics released yesterday.

The statistics were reported according to severity as defined under the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System, which classifies more violent crimes as Part I offenses.

Three hundred Part I crimes were committed on University property last year, a drop of over 9 percent from the 2002 total of 331. City police reported a drop of 10 percent, from over 1,300 crimes to just over 1,200, and in Albemarle County, the number of crimes fell by nearly 7 percent, from 2,098 to 1,957.

The statistics show that despite several high-profile crimes involving University students in 2003, the crime rate for the University and the surrounding area continued to decline. In the last few years, all three jurisdictions have reported a consistently decreasing crime rate.

University Police Capt. Michael Coleman praised the University community for its role in helping to reduce the crime rate.

“In general, I think the University community does a very good job of securing buildings and watching out for each other, and I think that has a significant effect on crime activity,” Coleman said. “It really is important for people to not just to look out for themselves but also for each other.”

As in 2002, no homicides were committed on University property during 2003. The Nov. 8 death of Walter Sisk, allegedly killed by University student Andrew Alston, was reported under City, not University, crime statistics because the crime occurred off Grounds.

At the University, forcible sex offenses, aggravated assault, motor vehicle theft and arson all experienced sharp drops from 2002 to 2003. Burglary remained steady, while robbery increased slightly. Larcenies, which accounted for the vast majority of all crimes in either year, decreased slightly.

Coleman said crime categories involving small numbers were susceptible to random fluctuations from year to year.

“You get one or two changes and it makes a big difference,” Coleman said.

Charlottesville Police Detective Tom McKean praised the City’s decreasing crime rate.

“Our numbers are well below” those of other comparable cities, McKean said.

Drug-related crimes, which are not defined as Part I offenses, did increase from 2002 to 2003, according to McKean, who was unable to provide numbers for specific crime categories. In addition to the fall in Part I crimes, McKean said total crimes dropped by 6 percent.

Albemarle County spokesperson Lee Catlin said the County was pleased with the continuing drop in crime, especially in categories such as burglary and larceny.

“When we look at the categories like burglary and larceny, where crime prevention and community education can have an impact, we’re seeing significant decreases, which we think is a great thing,” Catlin said.

The County also experienced a large drop in aggravated assault cases, from 86 to 55, and a slight drop in robberies, from 20 to 16 incidents. Forcible sex offenses increased slightly, from 21 to 24, while the number of homicides increased from one to five.

Engineering Prof. Brian L. Smith was recognized as the Council of University Transportation Centers’ 2003 outstanding new faculty member in transportation Jan. 10 in Washington, D.C., according to a Council press release.

The Council recognized Smith for his accomplishments in the field of transportation research, his excellent teaching record and contribution to professional engineering organizations. Smith currently is the University director of the SmartLevel Laboratory, for which he guides a $1.5 million research program to alleviate congestion and provide more dependable transportation services.

In addition to these awards, Smith’s work in the field of advanced information technology has led to his selection as a University Teaching Fellow and the 2003 Civil Engineering Teaching Award.

The award was established in 2002 by the Council and the American Road and Transportation Builders Association. The annual award is given to an educator or researcher in the field of transportation who has not been granted tenure.

In last weekend’s Virginia Tech Invitational, Cavalier McGavock Dunbar, the defending ACC champion in the 800-meter run, achieved his season best time in the event with the winning time of 1:53.79. He also took fourth in the 1,000-meter run.

Kellen Blassingame took second place in the meet and achieved the top collegiate time in the 500-meter run.

The women’s high jump duo of Rachel Marks and Meggie Schuelke tied for third and Mike Riso took third in the men’s high jump.

Caroline Harvey jumped 5.70 meters to take fourth place in the long jump. Harvey also achieved a team season-best and fastest collegiate time of 7.70 in the 60-meter dash.

No. 11 Virginia men’s team defeatedNo. 22 North Carolina Sunday, while the No. 17 women’s team fell to No. 15 UNC.

Several Cavaliers took multiple events on the men’s side. Senior Luke Wagner was the only team member to have four wins, but sophomore Fran Crippen, seniors Jon Haag and Adam Kerpelman and freshman Vanja Rogulj each garnered three victories.

Crippen not only swam to his first win in the 1,000-meter freestyle but also achieved an ACC season-best time of 8:57.84.

For the women, freshman Kimi Kelly achieved three of the team’s six wins.Kelly won the 200-meter butterfly with an NCAA B and personal season-best time of 1:59.40.

He was there, but he wasn’t really there. His number two jersey was on his back as he ran up and down the court, but he would tell you himself that he wasn’t really playing basketball.

Freshman guard J.R. Reynolds couldn’t play his brand of basketball until less than a month ago. It wasn’t until early January when the Roanoke, Va. native was able to put all injury and health concerns behind him and focus solely on basketball.

“My injury held me back from doing some of the things that I wanted to do,” Reynolds said. “I’m just trying to come back and play hard.”

An injury to his non-shooting hand was the first physical stumbling block in the young career of the 6′ 2″ off-guard.

“I had never been injured before, I never needed surgery before,” Reynolds said. “So the thumb was holding me back a little bit.”

Fully recovered, Reynolds said he no longer worries about his thumb, nor does he have to deal with the illness that kept him out of Virginia’s games against Loyola Marymount and Costal Carolina. Now that he no longer has to hold back, Reynolds is letting the ACC know what type of talent he has.

A pure shooter, Reynolds boasts a smooth stroke which proved to be lethal from beyond the arc when his three three-point shots led Virginia to a home win over Clemson. Thus far in the conference season, Reynolds is second only to Devin Smith in three-point field goal percentage among Cavaliers, shooting 39.1 percent from long range.

Though a freshman, Reynolds has exhibited a work ethic and a composure which has endeared him to Virginia coach Pete Gillen.

“He has really good poise,” Gillen said.

Reynolds was one of few Cavaliers to earn the coach’s praise after a loss at North Carolina.

“I thought he did a really good job,” Gillen said.

Reynolds is one Cavalier who has taken Gillen’s message of defensive intensity to heart. His on-the-ball perimeter defense has been a steadying influence on a team whose defense is rocky at times. Reynolds has been called on to guard some of the premiere perimeter players in the ACC. From Tim Pickett to Rashad McCants, Reynolds relishes the challenge of shutting down an opposing team’s top threat.

“I like all challenges,” Reynolds said. “I just try and not let that player score as many points on me.”

Reynolds is not one to back down from a challenge, whether he’s faced with a standout guard or 20,000 people wearing powder blue. He showed no fear in his first appearance on the hallowed hardwood of the North Carolina Dean Dome. Reynolds played with an aggressiveness and composure that led him to shoot 5-9 from the floor, ending the game with 15 points and three rebounds.

Clearly Reynolds is hitting his stride as his role in the Cavalier lineup has increased. As he has played more minutes, Reynolds has responded by shooting better from the field, connecting on 46.7 percent of his field goals in the conference season. Reynolds has also shouldered more of his team’s scoring load, totaling 34 points in last three games.

“I’m more relaxed now,” Reynolds said. “I’m just letting the game come to me. I’m not forcing anything.”

While he may not be forcing anything on the hardwood, Reynolds is forcing opponents to pay attention and realize that he is present on the court, sinking shot after shot.