The University Board of Elections announced changes to its election policies at an informational meeting last night, one of which included the printing of official petition packets for referenda sponsors.

Students who wish to place a referendum on a student election ballot will be given a packet from the UBE after submitting their proposal. The packets will have the exact text of the proposed referendum printed on the top of each signature page.

UBE regulations require that every page of signatures collected contain the full text of the referendum.

“We understand how hard it is when you’re collecting 950 signatures to make sure every student sees the exact texts,” UBE member Matt Madden said.

An attempted referendum was dismissed last fall by the UBE when it was discovered that some of the signature sheets did not contain the referendum’s text.

The failed referendum called for an addition to the University’s Standards of Conduct, enforced by the University Judiciary Committee to include a standard for hate crimes.

The petition was ruled invalid when some of the signatures were thrown out, causing the referendum to fall below the 900 signatures that were required at the time for a referendum to appear on the ballot.

In addition to the failure of that referendum to garner enough signatures, the sponsors wished to pull the referendum because of concerns that a hate crime Standard would be unconstitutional and would open the University up to possible litigation.

The new UBE regulations also stipulate that a referendum cannot be removed by its sponsors after it has garnered the requisite number of signatures. However, should there be a question of the referendum’s legality, the University General Counsel’s Office has the right to inform voters.

“That came about after the fall referendum issue,” UBE Chair Sara Anderson said.

According to Madden, the UBE is trying to help the proponents of referenda establish their final wording well before the election.

The UBE announced changes at last night’s information session, one of three meetings candidates can attend to learn about the election process. The UBE will be holding additional meetings tonight and tomorrow night.

The University’s Nursing School announced yesterday that it has been awarded a $5 million grant by the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation of Fairfax, Va. The money will be used to fund construction of a new building, which will likely open in the fall of 2009, Nursing School Dean Jeanette Lancaster said.

“For us, it was just astounding,” Lancaster said. “We had never been given a gift that large.”

The foundation awards grants on an annual basis to both schools and other entities, David Black, assistant vice president for Health System Development, said.

The Nursing School will use its grant to create an academic and social building which will accommodate a projected 25 percent increase in its student population, Lancaster said. Construction will begin this spring.

The design for the new building was influenced by the preferences expressed in focus groups consisting of Nursing School constituents, Lancaster said.

“People wanted an emphasis on health, natural light and windows that open so people have fresh air,” Lancaster said. “We’ll have things like bike racks, to encourage students and faculty to ride, not drive.”

Lancaster also said that the new building will provide a student life center, as well as a café and other areas where students and faculty can gather.

“There’ll be more of a nursing school community feel,” Nursing Council Treasurer Caroline Durkee said. “Everyone’s very excited about it.”

The new nursing buildings will also meet the increasing technological needs of students, Lancaster said.

“It’ll be wireless from the get-go,” Lancaster said. “The building will be highly technologically sophisticated.”

The new construction will “allow the school not only to expand, but to improve everything it does,” Black said.

After the new building is constructed, McLeod Hall will undergo renovations in order to reconfigure existing classroom and laboratory space, Black said.

“We will be expanding our simulation laboratories and our nursing research areas, among a whole slew of other upgrades,” Dory Hulse, Nursing School director of communications, said.

As a result of the grant, the Nursing School is currently only two to three million dollars short of the $12 million needed for the construction of the new building, Lancaster said.

“We will now be approaching individuals and foundations with a history of providing money for renovations,” Lancaster said.

Claude Moore, the namesake of the foundation, was a 1916 graduate of the University’s Medical School. He and his foundation have previously given money to the University’s Health Sciences Library and Medical School, Lancaster said.

The Miller Center of Public Affairs released the first selection in its Reagan administration interviews from the Ronald Reagan Oral History program on Sunday, a subcategory of the Presidential Oral History program at the Miller Center.

The Reagan project compiles information taken from people close to the former president, said Michael Greco, director of the Scripps Library at the Miller Center.

“This is an attempt to preserve the memory of the top officials in the Reagan White House,” Greco said. “They interviewed 45 of the top officials in Reagan’s administration, and, then, they went to the process of being transcribed and being ready for publication.”

Transcripts of 25 of the 45 interviews were released Sunday, Greco said.

“They did audio recordings of interviews starting in 2001,” he said. “These were all transcribed, copy-edited and turned into something that is releasable. They took the audio recordings and transcribed them for scholars, but it’s open to the public as well.”

Though much of the project covers Reagan’s period in the White House, it is not restricted to his presidency. The collection includes information from both before and after Reagan’s terms as president, explained Stephen Knott, who headed the Reagan oral history program.

“There is quite a bit of material on his start in politics, which began in California,” Knott said. “That’s where he learned his first political lessons. We thought it was important to cover that period as well.”

The interviews were conducted by Miller Center faculty members Knott, Darby Morrisroe, Russell Riley and James Young, director of the Presidential Oral History program. University students and faculty members from other universities across the country played an integral role in the interview preparation process, Knott said.

“We rely heavily on U.Va graduate students to prepare briefing books for us for these interviews,” he said.”In other words, if I’m going to do an interview with [former secretary of state] George Shultz, we would have a graduate student prepare a very large briefing book of his career, timeline of his life, suggested topics,” he said.

In honor of the release of the more than 2,500 pages of transcribed conversation, the Miller Center will be hosting an event featuring seven former White House officials and numerous Reagan scholars Feb. 6, explained Greco.

Stanford University introduced a new policy concerning graduate students and maternity leave last week, becoming the second university in the United States to offer paid maternity leave for graduate students.

The University currently does not have a uniform policy concerning maternity leave for graduate students and the University is not considering creating a policy similar to Stanford’s, according to Roseanne Ford, associate vice president for research and graduate studies.

Under Stanford’s new policy, female graduate students are able to apply for an “academic accommodation period,” which lets them remain full-time students with the opportunity to postpone assignments and exams. Graduate students serving as teaching or research assistants can also request up to six weeks of paid leave from those jobs.

Only one other university, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, offers maternity leave for graduate students, Gail Mahood, the associate dean for graduate policy at Stanford, said.

“We recognized that there was a need to address the intrinsic conflict between the biological and research clocks [of female students],” Mahood said. “The prime childbearing years overlap with the time when most students [engage in] graduate studies and establish careers. We didn’t want the birth of a child to cause women to leave graduate studies.”

At the University, students who become pregnant during their graduate studies would have to work out an individualized program with their specific department of study, Ford said.

“We don’t have a standard policy,” Ford said. “It’s hard to say whether the needs of grad students are being met. We value grad students and want to make sure they are able to be as productive as possible while they are here.”

Ford said it is difficult for the University to create a uniform policy like Stanford’s because the funding of graduate education comes from numerous sources which often stipulate maternity leave policies.

“For graduate students working on research funded by federal research grants, we would have to be in compliance with federal policies,” Ford said. “That makes it a little tough to do a standardized policy, because students might be funded by research grants that have separate policies associated with them.”

Gavin Reddick, Graduate Student Council president, said he had not heard of any problems concerning the University’s current policies for graduate student maternity leave.

“I only know a couple of graduate students who are women and have had children while at grad school,” Reddick said.

Though maternity leave has not come up as a problem within the Graduate Student Council, Reddick said they would be willing to look into the issue if a graduate student brought it up.

“In terms of maternity leave, we haven’t had anyone raise that issue,” Reddick said. “But if someone did, we would definitely take it on board and act for that.”

Yesterday’s News article “Honor explores separate deliberation of seriousness clause from act, intent,” reported that Honor Committee Commerce School Representative Matt Miller said “It depends on who you are trying to help. Jury members would like that committee members would decide. If they know that [the responsibility for expelling a student] is not on them they feel a little bit better. A student being accused, I don’t know if they would like the committee deciding.” The quote should have been attributed to Honor Committee Architecture Representative Morgan Miller. The Cavalier Daily regrets the error.

For the fourth year in a row, the University of Virginia is the number one producer of Peace Corps volunteers among medium-sized universities, according to a Peace Corps press release, that came out yesterday.

Eighty alumni currently serve as volunteers and 838 University alumni have served as Peace Corps volunteers since the institution’s inception.

University spokesperson Carol Wood attributes the high number of students involved in Peace Corps to University students’ dedication to volunteerism.

“I think the University attracts students who are committed to public service,” she said, citing student involvement in volunteer organizations such as Madison House.

The interest in Peace Corps at the University is so strong that University Career Services has established a Peace Corps representative University graduate student Matt Hural.

Ladd Flock, director of Career Services for the College, said both the University and the surrounding Charlottesville community tend to attract Peace Corps volunteers. However, Flock said, University Career Services does not attempt to influence students’ decision to join Peace Corps.

“We don’t encourage people to do anything,” he said.

Fourth-year student Christy Gillmore said she recently submitted her application to join the Peace Corps. She says she hopes to go to Africa, but “will have to think about it” before making a final decision.

“The worldwide poverty is just so ridiculous, and I just want to be part of the process of helping to end poverty and raising awareness,” Gillmore said.

Gillmore attributes her interest in the Peace Corps in part to her University education, where she said that her decision to major in anthropology has broadened her world view. Although she said her parents are wary of her intention to move to Africa, they support her plan to join the Peace Corps.

“They would rather have me out doing something than just staying at home,” Gillmore said.

William Speidel, former director of Peace Corps in China, commented on the history of the organization and its volunteers.

“Peace Corps volunteers exhibit a pragmatic idealism,” Speidel said. “They’re trying to be of service but, at the same time, help themselves.”

Still, Speidel said that there are faults in the organization, many of which he attributes to bureaucratic slowdowns and language barriers.

“I wish there was a much stronger requirement to speak the language of the country to which you are being assigned,” Speidel said. “But it’s a reality that we Americans don’t do very well with languages. We don’t see the importance of really bearing down with a language; too many people in the world speak English.”

While many people think their Peace Corps contribution ends when they return to the U.S., Speidel said he views the experience as providing continued benefits.

“A major result is how much the volunteer brings back with himself or herself to our country,” Speidel said. “They understand that we don’t have all the answers, that our political system may not be the best for everyone.”

Speidel is currently teaching a course on the role of Peace Corps in China at the Jefferson Institute of Lifelong Learning at the University of Virginia.

Speidel could not give an explanation for the University’s high rate of Peace Corps enrollment.

“I don’t know how you can explain that certain campuses consistently send more than average [to the Corps].”

Resiliency is one of the most important attributes for a team while navigating through the highs and lows of the ACC regular season. Virginia went to Durham Saturday evening on a high created by a three-game winning streak. Saturday’s 82-63 loss to No. 2 Duke, however, quickly brought Virginia (10-7, 4-3 ACC) back to earth.

When asked if there was anything that his team could learn from the loss, Virginia coach Dave Leitao said that only time would tell.

“The only way I can answer that is if the practices become better as a result,” Leitao said. “Sometimes we have bad moments in games because we still have a lot of bad moments in practice. We’ve got to continue to work at that aspect of it before we can start to use these games the right way and to take anything positive or negative out of it.”

Sophomore point guard Sean Singletary, who scored 13 points in the loss, seconded his head coach.

“We are just going to have to turn a page and fix things in practice,” Singletary said. “We’ve got a special group of guys and we’re not selfish at all. We’re going to come together and turn it around. I think we’ll see [Duke] again, maybe in a tournament or something.”

Both Leitao and several of his players said that the intense atmosphere in Cameron Indoor Stadium did not affect the outcome of the game. Freshman forward Laurynas Mikalauskas was not that impressed by the famed Cameron Crazies.

“I don’t think Cameron Indoor was any different from Virginia Tech or Gonzaga,” Mikalauskas said. “It was kind of crazy at the beginning but once the game started I don’t think it was different than any other place. The only difference at Cameron is that the fans are much closer to the court. We played against a very good team, and that is the reason we lost.”

Leitao was more impressed by Duke’s players than Duke’s fans.

“I don’t think Cameron was anywhere near as intimidating as were the five guys they had on the floor,” Leitao said.

Mikalauskas battled down low all night with Duke’s senior forward Shelden Williams. Williams posted 17 points, 10 rebounds and eight blocks against the Cavaliers.

“I got to play against a really good player,” Mikalauskas said. “[Williams] is a really strong guy. He’s a great player. I got some good experience.”

Mikalauskas also commented on J.J. Redick’s 40-point outburst.

“We really tried to guard him,” Mikalauskas said. “On some days you can’t stop a player. I mean, Kobe Bryant got 81 the other day.”

After leaving Virginia’s Jan. 24 win over Miami with a concussion, junior guard J.R. Reynolds started and played 33 minutes while leading the Cavaliers with 19 points on six of 12 shooting.

“I don’t think he had any ill-effects,” Leitao said of the injury. “If anything, I think he didn’t quite have the same rhythm that he’s had. Maybe that’s a byproduct of the missed practice time.”

Reynolds and Redick are both from Roanoke and are familiar with each other from the past. Reynolds went to Oak Hill Academy, while Redick starred at Cave Spring High School. Redick has lit up Virginia over the past four seasons, averaging 20.9 points per game against the Cavaliers, while Duke has notched a perfect 9-0 record against Virginia during Redick’s career.

At the start of our term as the new sports editors, it seems only fitting to share which games we’ll be looking forward to the most.

Men’s Tennis vs. Baylor — Feb. 4

Going to a men’s tennis event is doubly worthwhile, because you get to see the number-one team in the nation while spending time in the incredible Boars Head Sports Club. Baylor is No. 7 in the country in the preseason rankings, and the Bears are the defending national champs. After falling to top-10 teams Pepperdine and Illinois early this season, the Cavaliers need this bounce-back win.

Baseball vs. Clemson — March 17, 18, 19

For the last two years, Virginia has had a habit of salvaging their season by not only defeating but sweeping the first-ranked team in the ACC. This year that’s Clemson. This year there’s also a good deal of animosity between the two teams — Virginia defeated Clemson twice last year en route to the ACC championship game.

Men’s Lacrosse vs. Top 10

If you want to see the top lacrosse teams in the country, your best bet may be just to pitch a tent outside Klöckner Stadium for the spring semester. Virginia is ranked No. 3 in the preseason polls. The Cavaliers scrimmage No. 7 Navy this Saturday and No. 6 Georgetown Feb. 11. In the regular season, Virginia hosts No. 5 Syracuse March 4, No. 1 Johns Hopkins March 25, and No. 2 Duke April 15. That’s a whopping five of the preseason top-10 teams coming to Charlottesville.

Women’s Lacrosse vs. UNC — March 18

They may be preseason No. 4, but the women’s lacrosse team is looking to finish the season No. 1. No team would like to derail the Cavaliers’ plans more than North Carolina. The preseason No. 7 Tar Heels fell at home to Virginia last year and will come North looking for payback. Virginia will do its most important work in the ACC and NCAA Tournaments, but look for both teams to rise to the occasion in the mid-season match.

Women’s Basketball vs. UNC — Feb. 12

The magnitude of this game will be evident when fans in attendance notice the “ESPN2″ banners all over U-Hall. After downing then-No. 1 Duke earlier this week, the newly No. 1 Tar Heels will most likely come to Virginia with an unblemished record. You won’t see a better matchup in the point guard slot than Virginia’s Sharnee Zoll against UNC’s Ivory Latta.

Women’s Tennis vs. Miami — April 9

Look for a revitalized women’s tennis program as the team spends this year working with an all-new staff — including coach Mark Gilbeau, the first new coach in 23 years. Gilbeau has implemented a much tougher regimen for the team this year. The changes seem to be having a very positive affect on the team, which is 3-0 so far this season. This turnaround still probably won’t be enough to allow Virginia to take a win against No. 10 Miami, but the game will at least be a good indicator as to how far the team has come, with the bonus of some great tennis.

Softball vs. Florida State – April 8, 9

Anyone who thinks softball is just a watered-down girls’ version of baseball has clearly never seen a game. Florida State travels up to Charlottesville about a month before the Cavaliers enter the ACC Tournament. Not only are these teams conference rivals, but FSU also received votes in this year’s preseason USA today/NFCA poll. The game should be a competitive demonstration of just how tough softball can be.

Club sports

We don’t care which sports; we don’t care which games — just so long as you get a glimpse of this side of college sports. U.Va. is home to plenty of club sports that have no counterparts in varsity — hockey and rugby being prime examples. Hockey has their A.C.C.H.L. playoffs starting Feb. 24 at the Charlottesville ice rink starting at 4pm.

Track and Field, Lou Onesty/Milton Abramson Invitational — April 14, 15

Considering that it is their only home meet all season, this invitational is the track and field meet to see. Come in for just one or two events or bring some homework and stay all day. Either way, with around 10 teams invited, the meet should boast some really fast races. If running’s not your thing though, there is still the pole vaulting, high-jumping, discus throwing, shotput and long jump to tempt you.

Golf — April 29, 30

Both the men’s and women’s golf teams will participate in the annual Cavalier Classic this year. If you want to see the golf team play in Charlottesville this year, this is going to be your only chance. Myrtle Beach, S.C., Orlando, Fla. and Coral Gables, Fla. are among the places the men and women will play while they are not at home. With a schedule like that, it makes you wish you had spent a little bit more time at the range, doesn’t it?

While tour guides often harp on the marvelous traditions that this fine University has embraced, one tradition is often ignored in the U-guide speech. Outside of the Rotunda or the honor code, a growing tradition has taken hold of Virginia the past four years — the inevitable collapse of the men’s basketball team.

It seems each year around this time there is an aura of optimism around the University that the team could make a postseason appearance. Each time this hope is quickly shattered as the team regresses in play and finds itself grappling for an NIT bid.

After Hurricane Redick tore apart the much-improved Virginia defense this past weekend (and made one unnamed sports columnist quite happy), the wreckage was severe. Like a scene from the horror flick Hostel, the Wahoos were gored to the tune of 20-2 in the opening five minutes and left for dead without a single blood platelet in hand.

The ghosts of Gillen once again appeared to be on the prowl for another February debacle. Yet, I will go on the record and say this season will be different. This year’s Blue Devil team is more the exception than the rule in a weaker ACC conference. More importantly, this year the Virginia faithful have a true coach to rally the troops for the second half of the ACC season.

Maybe I’m just a poor fourth year who wants to see just one NCAA tournament bid in my years at the University, but I don’t think a bid is out of the question.

Currently, the squad stands at 4-3 in the ACC. Any ACC Tournament talk must begin with the five teams from the conference that are a reasonable lock for the tourney (B.C., Maryland, N.C. State, UNC and Duke). 

While the ACC is not having an incredibly strong year, it is still ranked in the top three of conference RPI rankings. In the new 12-team alignment of the ACC, it seems quite reasonable to assume that at least six ACC teams reach the tourney. 

So the question remains, what does Virginia need to get that last berth? Let’s keep in mind that a 7-9 ACC record has gotten teams into the tourney in previous years. With Virginia’s weak out-of-conference record, a stronger record of 9-7 will be necessary to go dancing come March.

Next, a glance at the remaining schedule shows a less daunting task than in previous years. In forecasting a final record, two assumptions were made: This is a tough Virginia team at home, and Leitao will improve this team as the season continues. While point one is a fairly obvious and universal facet of collegiate basketball, the second point is slightly more controversial. Some will argue that a young team would hit a wall and become fatigued by the end of a tough ACC season. However, Leitao’s ability to command the respect of this young squad yields a glimmer of hope that the team will continue to improve over the course of the rest of the season.

A look at the remaining road games shows this team could reasonably finish with two more road wins and three more road losses. Road games at N.C. State, Maryland and UNC appear to be tough competition, while Clemson and FSU appear to be very winnable contests.

While the home schedule is not easy, with the tenacity this team has shown at home, I would take my chances with them any day. Virginia should be able to handle both Virginia Tech and Wake Forest easily at home. Although Boston College and Maryland will clearly be a challenge, this team has already shown a propensity to defend the U-Hall court in convincing wins against tough foes UNC and Miami. Both Boston College and Maryland come to Charlottesville towards the end of the season, which should give the Hoos an edge. Coach Leitao has often said in interviews that this team is just starting to understand his coaching style. This leads one to believe that this will be an even stronger Wahoo team after a full season of coaching.

To be realistic, let’s say the team loses one of those winnable games. This puts the team at a final conference record of 9-7. An opening win in the ACC tournament should be enough to send the Hoos dancing in March for the first time since 2001.

I completely understand that these are lofty expectations for an extremely young team. Yet, I maintain my stance that this team under the tutelage of an amazing coach has a very reasonable chance to make a March Madness run and break the tradition of a February collapse. Even Mr. Jefferson would admit that some time–honored traditions are better off changed.