There were no Honor trials this past weekend. Two appeals were denied this past week. The Honor Committee is currently investigating 20 cases and has 12 trials and 2 appeals pending.

The National Science Board released its “Science and Engineering Indicators” 2006 report last Thursday, illustrating below average scores in science and mathematics literacy levels in 15-year-old American students in comparison with those of other countries’ students of similar age.

The “Science and Engineering Indicators” report is created every even-numbered year for use by both the President of the United States and the U.S. Congress, said Jean Pomeroy, senior policy analyst for the National Science Board Office.

“This is the 17th in the biannual series,” Pomeroy said. “It’s a statutory report–that is it’s required by Congress.”

The study illustrates information compiled by the Program for International Assessment from research done in 2003 with international students fifteen years of age, said Eugene Owen, statistician at the National Center for Education Statistics.

Fifteen “is the last year that most countries have the majority of their students in an educational setting,” Owen said. “That makes PISA a good comparison.”

PISA uses information contributed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, said Mike Bowler, communications director of the Institute of Education Sciences.

The OECD is an “intergovernmental organization based in Paris–they do these assessments on a regular basis,” Bowler said.

These assessments consist of tests administered to international students averaging 15 years of age, Bowler said.

According to the last PISA report from 2003, which was used in the “Science and Engineering Indicators” report, students’ mathematics literacy scores for the United States were 17 points below the OECD average. At 483 out of 700 points, the U.S. average was lower than the averages of 23 other countries where the OECD test was administered.

Similarly, the U.S.’s science score fell short of the OECD average by nine points, according to the report.

“There’s some concern that we’re not doing that well being able to apply our knowledge in schools at the 15-year-old level,” said Bill Noxon, spokesperson for the NSB. “The Science Board wants to look at very carefully how we do K-12 math and science.”

The trend toward lower levels of proficiency is not new to mathematics, said University Prof. Ira Herbst, chair of the mathematics department.

“This is a well-known fact about math and science education in the elementary, middle and high schools,” Herbst said. “I think it’s improving, but the country has not focused many of its resources on math and science education.”

To some professors at the University, students seem less prepared for collegiate math than they did in years past, however the math department is working on increasing participation levels, Herbst explained. “We try to maintain standards, and we don’t have remedial programs in mathematics,” he said. “We’re trying to spark some interest in mathematics among non-math majors.”

The University will face a changing faculty population over the next decade, as nearly one fifth of the faculty is expected to retire.

Approximately 277 of 1,500 currently tenured or tenure-tracked professors will retire over the next 10 years, according to a model developed in December, said Gertrude Fraser, vice provost for faculty advancement.

The predictions for future faculty retirement are based on University retirement data from 2000-2005, said Bob Lake, director of the Office of Learning and Development for the University’s Human Resources.

The large number of retirees will create both challenges and opportunities for the University in selecting new faculty members, Fraser said.

“The problem is that one has to begin planning for a market where, nationally, other institutions are going to be hiring a lot of faculty too,” Fraser said. “You’re going to have schools hiring in the thousands.”

Fraser added that the University will also face competition from other professional career fields available to potential faculty members, which could affect the University’s ability to attract faculty, especially in the areas of science and engineering.

George Hornberger, associate dean of Arts & Sciences, said he is not very concerned about the large number of upcoming retirements, even though there will be extra costs associated with hiring new faculty members, including developing new laboratories and purchasing new equipment for the new faculty members.

“We certainly built [the cost] into our planning, so, overall, we’re looking at an opportunity to increase the diversity of our faculty and to go into new and exciting areas,” Hornberger said. “It’s always exciting to hire new people.”

In order to find qualified new faculty members, the University is reaching out to younger potential faculty members as well as to women, who have been gaining Ph.D.s in increasing numbers nationwide, Fraser said.

Fraser noted that the University’s provost has brought faculty members together to reexamine current tenure and promotion policies. One idea being discussed nationwide is the creation of a new tenure track that could be appealing to younger academics, Fraser said.

“There might be possibilities for people to get on the tenure track but, then, for a period of time, move off the tenure track and then move back on,” Fraser said.

Fraser also noted that the University has recognized the importance of reaching out to Ph.D. candidates from institutions with a history of producing “excellent” candidates, even when there is not an immediate job opening.

The University is similarly striving to create and maintain a diverse pool of potential faculty members who may not be familiar with the University’s programs.

“We have to be more proactive,” Fraser noted. “Depending where they come from, they don’t know what we have to offer.”

A bill requiring universities to submit the background information of newly admitted students to the Virginia State Police to determine whether or not they are convicted sex offenders was sent from the Virginia House of Delegates to the Senate last Thursday.

According to Del. David Toscano, D-Charlottesville, the House bill has been passed 99-1; a very similar bill is pending in the Senate and is likely to pass in the next few weeks.

House Bill 984 states that “Public and private two and four-year institutions of higher education are required to electronically transmit enrollment information to the State Police for comparison with the Virginia Criminal Information Network and National Crime Information Center Convicted Sexual Offender Registry.”

The bill will ensure that sex offenders are on file with State Police according to Toscano.

Concerns have arisen regarding thepotential conflicts with the Federal Education Rights and Privacy Act, which protects the amount of information one can receive involving students enrolled in a higher education institution, according to Kimberly Hamilton, the executive director for the Virginia State Crime Commission.

However, to avoid conflicts with the FERPA, background searches will be conducted as soon as a student is accepted to the college or university before they officially enroll, Hamilton said.

The Senate and House bills, products of a year-long study on sex offenders conducted by the Virginia Crime Commission, will ensure the safety of the public, as well as students on college campuses, Hamilton said.

“The Senate bill has 54 changes regarding sex offenders,” according to Hamilton.

Toscano explained that there is a “whole slew of bills designed to address this problem,” with approximately $4 million appropriated to implement the measures called for in the bills.

Currently “colleges are one of the places where background checks are not done,” Hamilton said.

One of the advantages is that school police will be more aware of the type of population they are protecting, she said.

It is important for the colleges to know what type of students make up their populations, Del. Robert Bell R-Charlottesville said.

“We want to locate and keep track of all sex offenders,” and these bills will enable the Commonwealth to do that, Bell said.

Toscano explained that the registry of sex offenders is public and available on the internet. The new bills will give State Police an organized way to keep track of sex offenders in the Commonwealth.

Hamilton said “not all [students] are predators, but it only takes one on a campus to make an unsafe environment.”

Capt. Michael Coleman of the University Police explained that it is not going to have an enormous amount of effect on current University policies. Currently, the University police investigate all reported incidents, but they do not keep records of sex offenders at the University, Coleman said.

The Virginia Senate passed a bill to address the issue of affordable housing in Charlottesville by a vote of 37-3 Friday.

The bill, sponsored by Del. David Toscano, D-Charlottesville, allows the City to make grants and loans to moderate- or low-income citizens for the purchase of homes. Additionally, the bill allows the City to offer real estate tax deferrals for current low-or moderate-income homeowners.

According to Toscano, the bill was proposed by Charlottesville City Council to the Virginia General Assembly as part of the city’s legislative package.

“It gives them more flexibility to devise new programs that they couldn’t do under the current state law,” Toscano said.

Charlottesville Vice Mayor Kevin Lynch said the bill will better prepare homeowners in dealing with property assessments, which have been steadily increasing over the past four years.

He explained there are three types of real estate in the city: commercial, residential rental and residential home ownership. All three types have the same tax rate, but only commercial and rental property owners profit from increased property assessments, he said.

“The intention [of the bill] is that people whose property values have been rapidly escalating will see less of a bite this year,” Lynch said.

City Council based their proposal on a system currently in use in Alexandria, Va., according to Charlottesville Mayor David Brown.

Under the Alexandria system, the city can grant credit to homeowners, Brown said. By defining the parameters of eligibility, this credit can be used to target certain groups of people, such as low- and moderate- income citizens, he explained.

“We can’t tax homeowners and businesses differently,” Brown said, but explained that with the passage of the bill, the City will have “a tool to selectively lower the rate for homeowners and not for businesses.”

Sen. Frank Ruff, R-Mecklenburg, was one of the three Senate members to vote against the legislation.

“It’s just a philosophical decision for me,” Ruff said. “I don’t like legislation that raises taxes. You’d be providing a benefit to a certain subset of the city and, in turn, would have to raise that tax money from the other 90 percent of the people.”

However, Toscano denied the idea that the bill would cause a hike in taxes.

“This has nothing to do with a tax increase,” he said. “The [City] Council will work within its budget.”

According to Lynch, City Council has already started working the bill into the upcoming budget.

“We’re coming up with a proposal within the next month,” Lynch said. “We will have money set aside for tax relief by April.”

Toscano said homeowners may see benefits from the bill as early as this coming fall.

The bill was previously passed by the House of Delegates and will now go to Governor Tim Kaine for his signature. If signed, the bill will go into effect July 1 of this year.

As spring draws closer, people become inspired by a heightened sense of excitement and anticipation, yet there are some who aren’t able to experience that joy.

Every year, roughly 12,500 children in the U.S. are diagnosed with some form of cancer, according to a St. Baldrick’s Foundation information pamphlet. Thursday will mark the first time St. Baldrick’s Day has taken place in Charlottesville, and third-year College student Erin Henshaw is responsible for bringing it here.

The St. Baldrick’s Foundation is an organization dedicated to raising money for children’s cancer research but not in just a typical philanthropic manner. They raise money by having people completely shave their heads at one of their St. Baldrick’s Day events.

The group originated in New York City when a group of insurance men founded the organization.

Natalie Stamer, director of communications for St. Baldrick’s, said “they wanted to give back to the community in a creative way, so they decided to shave their heads and raise money for children’s cancer research. They got 17 other volunteers and turned their St. Patrick’s Day celebration into a head shaving celebration.”

Thus, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, getting its name from a hybrid of bald and St. Patrick’s Day, was born.

St. Baldrick’s raises money for Curesearch’s Child Oncology Group, which is the leading research group for children’s cancer research in the country. According to Stamer, the Child Oncology Group does over 90 percent of child cancer research in the country and has more than 4,000 researchers working for it. Since St. Baldrick’s Day began in 1999, the organization has raised over $12 million for Child Oncology Group.

“All children with cancer benefit from our organization,” Stamer said. “Our money helps all of them.”

The members of the foundation hope this Thursday, also known as St. Baldrick’s Day, will bring that happiness not only to children with cancer but to the entire Charlottesville community.

Thursday’s event has special significance for Henshaw.

“We had a family friend named Francis who died of cancer at age nine,” Henshaw said. “In 2002, my mom shaved her head in honor of Francis. In 2003 my sister did it, and I shaved my head for her a year later. It became a Henshaw family event.”

Henshaw said she decided to organize an event in Charlottesville due in part to the positive responses she received after going bald for the cause.

“When I came back to school after shaving my head, I got a lot of support and interest,” Henshaw said.

Traditionally, St. Baldrick’s events are held at Irish pubs. Therefore, the St. Baldrick’s Day festivities will take place at O’Neill’s Irish Pub on the Corner.

“I knew O’Neill’s was very involved in the community, and that’s why we wanted to do the event there,” Henshaw said. “We’re all very excited about it, and we hope to make it as big as possible.”

At the event, there will be raffles for ACC Tournament tickets and massages, among other things, door prizes from local restaurants, music and discounted food specials.

“This event is going to be a lot of fun, so we’re really encouraging families to come out,” Henshaw said.

After the festivities, local band Navel will cap off the evening with a live show.

But it is the main event that everyone will be there to see: 18 people have agreed to shave off all of their hair for St. Baldrick’s Day.

“I felt like shaving my head was a good way to raise money for the cause,” said first-year College student Bonnie Carlson. “All I can think about is how kids have no choice when they undergo chemo about the way the look, and it seems like the least I could do is experience the same thing.”

While Carlson admitted that she’ll miss her hair, she said she couldn’t be getting rid of it for a better purpose.

“St. Baldrick’s is an amazing charity that really raises awareness about children’s cancer and is a great way to raise money for a cure,” Carlson said.

For those who want to help out but aren’t quite brave enough to get rid of their coiffeur — never fear. The organization will be accepting donations all day at the event, and Henshaw added that several businesses have agreed to match however much money is raised during the celebration. She hopes the event will raise $8,000.

“We’ve already exceeded our initial goal of $5,000, so we’re very confident that we’ll make it,” Henshaw said.

Henshaw said she hopes that St. Baldrick’s Day will become a lasting tradition in Charlottesville.

“O’Neill’s has said they want to do this every year,” Henshaw said. “We hope that everyone gets excited about it and that if they weren’t brave enough to shave their heads this year, they’ll have an opportunity to do so next year.”

It looks like everyone will get to experience some springtime joy.

The flowers are blooming, the sun is shining, the snow is melting away … and the high schoolers are here — it’s that time of year again. Along with spring comes the rush of high school students, both juniors and seniors, trying to decide if the University is the place for them. As the influx of prospective students continues, University students often have the opportunity to delight in being hosts and to relive memories of their own high school visits.

First-year College student Maria McCall said she really appreciated the University’s various hosting programs. “You get a more honest feel of what U.Va. is” when you come visit, McCall said. “You’re out of that home world. You’re more on your own without your parents saying, ‘Do you like this or do you like that?’”

McCall mentioned that hosting a student is a great opportunity for the host as well. She hosted a high school student earlier this year and found the experience very enjoyable.

“I got to show her around Grounds, but I got to realize how tied into the University I am as well,” McCall said.

Second-year College student Evan Mulvihill also visited the University as a high school student.

“I’m from Las Vegas, so I came and stayed with a guy in Old Dorms,” Mulvihill said. “I met his whole hall. I saw Old Dorms and New Dorms, so it helped me choose which dorm I wanted to live in. And I went to a math class, so I saw the structure of the class and how things work. When I was here, my host was doing work — I saw it’s not all fun and games.”

Indeed, most University students feel that visiting a current student provides a unique perspective on college life that cannot be gained otherwise.

Fourth-year College student Lee Skluzak said, while tours are greatly beneficial, they do not match the experience as visiting a student.

With tours, “that situation is very formal,” Skluzak said. “When you invite [the student] into your personal space, they can get the scoop — a snapshot of a couple of days in college.”

This is why many feel it is very helpful to spend a day or two with a host.

“When I visited here, I didn’t have anyone hosting me,” first-year Engineering student Jason Pan said. “It definitely helps a lot if you have someone to show you around. This weekend, my cousin visited and I showed him around. He didn’t need me to show him around [as far as] checking out the facilities, because the tour guides [already] did.”

Yet Pan was still able to help his cousin learn more about college life. Many students emphasized the importance of catching a glimpse of all aspects of life at the University. When McCall showed her prospective student around, she said she showed her “general things, but also social night life. There’s the academic part and the social part — it all feeds in.”

Did you know that the chief export of Chuck Norris is pain? Or that outer space exists only because it’s afraid to be on the same planet as Chuck Norris? Perhaps you were unaware that Vin Diesel can win a game of Monopoly without owning any property. I’m sure you had no idea that Mr. T is one part gold, two parts muscle, one part anger and no parts “jibba jabba.”

If you happen to know any of these things or, at the very least, believe that I am somewhat sane, you have read or heard some of the “random facts” that are sweeping the Internet. For those of you who are unaware, there are massive amounts of random quotes about Chuck Norris, Vin Diesel and Mr. T. floating about the World Wide Web. Why or how all of this started is unknown — what is known is these random facts are hilarious and everybody should have at least a few in their joke-telling arsenal. With this fad in mind, I decided I would share some random facts about the holy trinity at the University — basketball coach Dave Leitao, football coach Al Groh and everybody’s favorite mascot, Cavman.

Dave Leitao

The makers of Mortal Kombat and EA Sports have decided to team up to make a college basketball video game. While playing with Virginia, you have the option of executing a combination at the end of every game. This special move causes Coach Leitao to perform his own “Lei-talities” on every referee, ranging from his “laser death stare” to “suffocating blazer toss.”

At the beginning of this season, Dave Leitao sold his soul to Lucifer for seven ACC victories. After the Boston College game, the devil came to collect on his end of the bargain. In response to this request, Leitao merely stared at the devil, drew up a play that consisted of the devil literally “going to hell” and pointed down. The devil, in an attempt to save face, took Pete Gillen’s soul instead and promptly executed Coach Leitao’s play to perfection.

Al Groh

Against NCAA regulations, Al Groh plays every position for the Cavaliers, a la Bugs Bunny playing baseball. The constant application of Chap-Stick is his body double’s clever ruse to distract from the fact that he is, in fact, not Al Groh.

Al Groh doesn’t write up plays, he simply writes X’s and O’s on a piece of paper. The letters, for fear of Groh, arrange themselves into a pattern that they believe would be a satisfactory play.

Al Groh’s lips don’t need Chap-Stick to stay moist. Chap-Stick needs Al Groh’s lips to stay moist.

Cavman

When Cavman found out that he is merely a mascot played by various people, he decided to hunt down and “dispose of” everybody who has ever played him. His reasoning? Nobody plays Cavman …

… Later on, he confronted the computer programmers responsible for “The Adventures of Cavman” and demanded every episode include a love scene with Brooke Burke. This was actually a request from Brooke, who beat out every other female in existence for the honor.

Offended by their attempts to overshadow him, Cavman decided to eat the entire Hoo Crew for lunch. Nobody out-cheers Cavman.

There you have it, three of the University’s most recognizable personalities and several things you never knew about them. The only logical step up is a steel cage match with all three and Chuck Norris, Vin Diesel and Mr. T to determine which trio reigns supreme. Who wouldn’t want to see that?

Eric’s column runs bi-weekly on Tuesdays. He can be reached at ast@cavalierdaily.com.

There are many difficult aspects to Virginia life: Parking, for one, is miserably minimal, the traffic makes you want to reconsider higher education and lines outside of bars on weekend nights make me want to scream because I am actually allowed to be inside and yet, I’m the one waiting.

Another tricky part of being a Wahoo is that moment when you have gone on a few dates or hung out with a person you are romantically interested in and have no idea whether or not you have a boy/girlfriend. How can you know unless you have the painfully awkward “define the relationship” conversation, aka the DTR? Well, my friends, you’re in luck. Here are five ways to be pretty certain you and your romantic interest are headed down Commitment Street.

You are calling (or receiving calls) close to every day.

Calling is becoming somewhat archaic, I know, as we are ever changing how we communicate. Yet, I would argue that the majority of us in college still find calling one another the best form of communication, especially when you are interested in someone romantically. It shows that you are invested enough to actually pick up the phone and be creative in your conversation instead of simply texting movie quotes or IMing while studying.

She has something of hers in your room at all times.

If she constantly forgets her books for class, absentminded distribution of paraphernalia is essentially a DTR in itself, unless you are dealing with an extremely forgetful person. Leaving behind her stuff implies that she will return to get it, which then implies she would have a non-awkward reason to stop by and hang out. Leaving behind articles could simply imply his or her security about where you are in the path to commitment. Of course, this is also a commonly used trick by both the guys and gals out there who leave behind something to ensure a later call and continued perusal of a relationship. Either way, the intention is there on some person’s part.

Daytime outings like running errands become commonplace.

I hate ragging on how much romantic life at the University is dependent on alcohol, but it’s a reality perpetuated by the audience. So when daytime errands or activities, sans alcohol, become a common activity between you and your romantic interest, you can be pretty confident there is a more serious interest than a simple crush.

The invitation to a date function is implied.

Lots of people consider this a no-brainer and its occurrence only plausible if the two parties are actively aware of their dating status. Yet many of us have been in long-term romantic pursuits which had no definition but a lot of date functions. Yours truly spent a year with the same date to every party before I got a title, and though I knew these invitations didn’t mean we were technically dating, I was aware that they implied the potential for the future or that I was barking up the wrong tree and my interest was being polite. Whatever the case, there is pretty much no doubt that one of you hopes to seal the deal.

Invariably, people show more romantic interest in you than they did before.

Life has a sense of humor and never lets you forget it is the boss. Hence, it’s no wonder that every time you go for someone, other people find you attractive and pursue you, too. It’s quite possible the mysterious quality of the now-you-can’t-have-me confidence you exude sends out an attractive vibe that no one can ignore. I have no clue. But I am more than certain that more times than not, you will find when you’ve got one person interested, there’s at least another, if not more. I am also quite certain when the well seems dry, you’re in for a drought.

None of these situations, either independently or collectively, ensure you have a committed relationship on your hands — all they can do is imply to you and your interest that there is a chance, an investment and a hope. Hopefully, by taking a look at what you are doing and with whom you are doing it, you can gain a little more control over your romantic life than you can on Route 29 or the Corner.

Callan’ s column runs bi-weekly on Tuesdays. She can be reached at blount@cavalierdaily.com.

The third-ranked Virginia men’s lacrosse team (3-0) will look to continue its stellar play as it takes on the Virginia Military Institute Keydets (0-1) at Klöckner Stadium today at 4 p.m. The game against VMI marks the middle of a four-game home stand that will be capped off this Saturday against the fourth-ranked Syracuse Orange. Virginia has proven to be a formidable foe at home, having won 13 consecutive games so far for the second longest home winning streak in the nation behind John Hopkins. Virginia is 57-12 all time at Klöckner, an 82.6 percent winning percentage.

If Virginia is to secure another home victory, they will need to continue to win the face-offs. Against Stony Brook, midfielder Charlie Glazer was an astounding 12 of 14 on face-offs to supplement his team high 10 ground balls. On the year he is 29 of 40 on face-offs, leading the team considerably. Being able to get the ball right back after scoring is a huge advantage in lacrosse and usually is a deciding factor in determining the winner of the game.

“When we have possession of the ball, it’s tough for any team to stay with us,” senior captain Matt Ward said. “When we had the ball we were able to score. We really separated ourselves in the face-off circle.”

Ward has continued to excel this season with eight goals and seven assists, but he has gotten a lot of help from the young guys on offense. Freshmen Danny Glading and Garret Billings are in the top four in points for the team. As the season progresses and they gain experience, they could make a big impact in the ACC. Sophomore Ben Rubeour has also played well — he led the team in points before an ankle injury sidelined him for the Stony Brook game. When he returns to the lineup, look for him to stay aggressive on offense and continue to bolster his point total.

“I think this is the best we’ve played since the scrimmages began,” Virginia coach Dom Starsia said. “I think we have some of the most talented attack men in the country. We’re just still finding ways to incorporate all of them into our offense.”

VMI has some high quality attackers themselves. The Trimble brothers, Robert and David, had a big game in a 13-10 loss to Hartford, scoring a combined six goals. Robert Trimble is the team’s highest returning scorer from last season, and David has hit big shots in the clutch for the Keydets with five man-up goals and one game winner last season. This dynamic duo will look to make an impact today against the Cavaliers.

With a talented Syracuse team looming on the horizon, it would be easy for Virginia to get caught looking ahead, but the Cavaliers appear focused to not let that happen against an intrastate rival like VMI.

“We can’t take anyone lightly,” Ward said. “Every game is an important one — we’ve got to build our season brick by brick, and that’s what we’re going to try and do.”