The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation recently awarded Darden Prof. Greg Fairchild an $850,000 grant to support and further his study of the business models of successful community development financial institutions.

CDFIs are organizations that invest in the revitalization of minority and lower-income areas, according to Fairchild. The funds from this particular grant will be used to support a range of quantitative and qualitative research methods, through such means as covering travel costs for interviews with leading practitioners and funding a nationally-representative survey.

“The [MacArthur] Foundation invited Greg because of his background and experience,” said Michael Stegman, director of policy in housing at the MacArthur Foundation. “He’s done a lot of research in many kinds of ethnic markets, and he’s familiar with these kinds of institutions.”

Fairchild, who has been a professor in the Darden School since 2000, said he will collaborate with one of the leaders in the financial field, Harvard Business School Prof. Josh Lerner.

Fairchild said his relationship with Lerner began years ago on a teaching project.

“As the details of the present study began to come together, it was clear that we needed someone with the knowledge and creativity to help us understand the financial management challenges these organizations face,” he said. “Josh was the single best person we could think of for the study, and we were delighted when he agreed to collaborate.”

Fairchild said he first came into contact with the Foundation last year, when it invited a group of scholars, himself included, to its Chicago headquarters to discuss various research interests in his field. “Given my research stream on entrepreneurship in developing contexts, my ideas involved the strategic and leadership challenges CDFIs face in providing capital in low- and moderate-income communities,” Fairchild said. “After the convening, I was encouraged to apply for funding.”

During the past 20 years, the MacArthur Foundation has invested about $250 million in CDFIs, Stegman said.

“We thought it was really time to take stock of what our investments have accomplished, how the field has developed and take a systematic look at the business models and growth strategies that the best of these CDFIs have adopted over the years and how they’ve really adapted to market changes,” Stegman said. “We invited Greg to lead that project.”

Fairchild said his research will be conducted from January 2008 through 2011 and will focus on the best practices and key forces enabling CDFIs to grow and become self-sustaining.

“The focus of my research will be in the field of community development and understanding the evolution over the last 20 years of CDFIs,” he said, noting that he hopes to determine whether the financial models employed by some CDFIs can be applied more broadly.

Is America ready for a minority president?

A discussion sponsored by University Democrats and Sigma Gamma Rho, Inc. sorority posed that and other questions to a panel of representatives from various student groups last night.

Moderator Eugene Resnick, University Democrats minorities and women’s affairs coordinator, noted the importance of the upcoming presidential election, given that it is the first time in history several major presidential candidates are from groups typically underrrepresented in the political field.

“We are all here because we care about our country and the presidential election next year,” Resnick said. “All the panelists on this stage believe that this will be the most important election of our generation.”

One issue addressed was that the candidates must strike a balance between representing their communities and appealing to the mainstream.

Latino Student Union President Carolina Ferrerosa said Democratic contender Bill Richardson, for example, has not received as much support as might be expected from the Latino community because he has not addressed serious Latino issues.

On the other hand, Hoos For Hillary President Meg Barry said if a minority candidate “pulls the gender [or race] card, they will alienate the mainstream.”

Barry also noted how the candidates have all had to position themselves to combat stereotypes. Because some see women as weak and black men as domineering, she said to succeed in today’s political climate, “Hillary has to become more masculine, and Obama has to become more feminine.”

University Democrats President Sophia Brumby raised the debate of how appearance is more of an issue for Clinton than for male candidates.

Even her laugh has been characterized as a “cackle,” comparing Hillary to a witch, or a “giggle,” evoking the characterization of a little girl, Brumby noted. Both words connote femininity, but in a negative way, she said.

“There is always going to be that double standard,” said Brooke Howard, Black Student Alliance political action chair.

Obama also receives biased treatment, Resnick said, commenting on how the mediaj; has focused on such factors as Obama’s middle name, Hussein, the fact that Obama worships at a “black” church, his cigarette smoking and a false report about him attending an Islamic school as a child.

Fifth-year Education student Alicia Hines expressed frustration at the fact that each candidate is seen as the representative for his or her community.

“The community is not a monolith,” she said, “There’s not going to be one person that can speak for the whole community.”

According to Tamara Dottin, a representative from Sigma Gamma Rho and BSA president, the purpose of the event was to raise awareness, promote discussion and instigate excitement about the presidential race among minority groups on Grounds.

“So is America ready for a minority president?” Resnick asked the crowd.

The inquiry drew responses from the crowd that were less than conclusive. Some audience members answered with a straight “no.”

“If this is how we’re seeing it, as a ‘black president’ or a ‘woman president’ then we’re not ready.” Dottin said.

Barry responded with a stab at the current president.

“Well, we’re not ready for another George W. Bush,” Barry said, adding that though America may not be ready for a minority leader, the minority candidates themselves have the ability to overcome such obstacles, as individual candidates can trump their minority status.

Dozens of notices of claims of wrongful death or negligence related to the Virginia Tech shootings were filed by a Tuesday deadline, preserving the right of families of victims to bring charges against Virginia Tech, local authorities and Commonwealth officials in the future. Tuesday represented the six-month anniversary of the Virginia Tech shootings.

According to David Clementson, spokesperson for the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, the state has received 21 notices, and Montgomery County and the Town of Blacksburg have each received 25 notices.

Clementson and University Law Prof. George Rutherglen emphasized that the notices are a preliminary step in the legal process.

“A notice of claim merely preserves legal options for the party that filed it,” he said. “The party has a chance later to file a lawsuit.”

According to the notices of claim from the Town of Blacksburg, 17 families of students and faculty killed in the shootings and eight families of the wounded have filed notices with the town.

The claims consist of allegations against the Town of Blacksburg and more specifically against the police, leaving open the possibility of future legal action against the police department and Virginia Tech. Virginia Tech officials were unavailable for comment at press time.

A notice of claim filed on behalf of one of the victims states, “The Town of Blacksburg is being notified because the deaths occurred within the town limits of Blacksburg, and the police department of that town … participated in activities which resulted in a failure to protect both the deceased and injured students and faculty at the university on that date.”

Certain statutes protect the Town and the Commonwealth from particular legal charges, including a legal tenant called sovereign immunity, according to attorney Richard D. Heideman, who represents one of the victims.

“Sovereign immunity works the same way for a state government or town as for a monarch in Europe who you can’t bring legal action against,” Heideman said. “There is a long list of statutes that exist about what types of cases can and cannot be filed against a locality or state government.”

Despite sovereign immunity, the notices could still lead to possible charges, Heideman added.

Individual notices of claim concerning separate victims, however, are not the only notices of claim that have been filed, according to Texas attorney Mitchell Toups, who filed a notice for a class-action suit on behalf of the victims.

“The reason I filed the notice was because the majority of the people that potentially have a claim don’t know about the six-month process,” he said. “I’m trying to protect all the people who don’t know about the [time] limit and all the people who were traumatized by the shooting by putting the city government on notice.”

Because a class-action suit requires a large group of victims with the same complaint, often indistinguishable on their own, it is unlikely an actual case will be filed, Heideman said.

“In this case we know who the individual [victims] are, and it is also determinable who was injured, so while I don’t rule out a [class action] filing, I would envision it to be handled as individual cases,” he added.

According to Heideman, it is unclear what charges the victims’ families will bring to court, but because of the notices of claim, those families will have the opportunity to do so.

“As to what cases will unfold, only time will tell,” he added.

Having recently appointed its first assistant dean of diversity and equity, the Education School is seeking both to examine its own diversity and to prepare its students for the multicultural world they will encounter after graduation.

According to Education School Dean Robert Pianta, the appointment of Stanley Trent, associate professor of curriculum, instruction and special education, will advance the Education School’s efforts to become even more culturally, racially and socioeconomically diverse.

“I felt that if we were going to be serious about the issue of diversity and equity, we needed a school-wide leader position to do that,” Pianta said, noting that Trent has prior experience working with historically black colleges and is fully prepared to take on the responsibility of the new position.

Trent said being able to play a vital role in diversity issues is something he has wanted to do for a long time, adding that diversity is an important piece of the education puzzle that must be addressed.

Trent said he will focus primarily on three areas of diversity in the Education School this year.

“The first is how to best prepare our students to address diversity in the classroom,” Trent said. “The two other areas are the diversification of the faculty and the [diversification of the] student body.”

Pianta added that he hopes Trent can work toward the creation of a curriculum through which Education School students can have “meaningful” exposure to diversity issues.

Trent noted that although some courses focusing on diversity are already offered, he hopes to spark discussions that allow students to make diversity-based connections across different courses.

In his new position, Trent said he will work with an already existing diversity committee at the Education School.

“We have had a group of faculty getting together in a diversity committee, and they have certainly helped foster ideas and activities,” Pianta said. “Now what we are doing is [figuring out] how to take some of those ideas and think more broadly.”

Trent’s influence as assistant dean will not just be restricted to the Education School. Gertrude Fraser, vice provost for faculty advancement, said she will work with Trent in exchanging ideas between the Education School and the broader University community.

“One of the ways we work together is partnering around these mentoring initiatives, and I look forward to working on more decisions with him,” Fraser said. “Often, he and I have talked about how we can raise the level of conversation — meaning to think about diversity as part of the fabric of the way we work, as opposed to just adding a person or adding a course.”

Fraser said she would like the Education School to take a leadership role in promoting diversity at the University and beyond, adding that she believes Trent shares her opinion.

“The goal is to prepare students to work effectively in the diverse communities that they will be facing when they step from the University,” Fraser said. — Thomas Madrecki contributed to this article.

After a significant overhaul of its investigative procedures last year, the Honor Committee released a report last week that highlighted some of the resulting changes, including a decrease in the length of investigations.

According to Vice Chair for Investigations Linda Liu, since the changes were enacted Dec. 6, 2006, the average length of investigations decreased from 50.68 days to 32.57 days, a change of more than 18 days.

The Transformation Resolution set forth a 16-day time limit to investigate a reported offense and gather evidence. Liu cited two reasons as to why the average investigation length following the transformations was longer than the desired 16 days. According to Liu, applying the new methods and procedures to ongoing investigations took a good deal of adjustment, which added to the length of the investigation time. She also added that investigations reported before Winter Break could not be continued until the spring semester, adding about one month to the total investigation time.

Liu noted that the numbers reflect the data from only 20 cases after the transformations had gone into effect.

“I want to be cautious with these results,” Liu said at Sunday’s Committee meeting. “It’s a very small sample size … These rules are very good, but [they are] only in their early assessment.”

The investigation process underwent five other changes last year. The first transformation changed the title of “advisor for the reporter” to “advisor for the community.” The advisor for the community now provides information about procedures not only to the reporter of the offense, but also to witnesses called by the reporter, and is now also responsible for asking the reporter earlier in the investigation if there are any additional witnesses in the case, which has helped speed up scheduling interviews, according to the report.

The second change involves the Investigative Panel, which is responsible for reviewing the findings of an investigation and deciding whether to accuse the student in question. The date for the I-Panel is now determined on the first day of the investigation. Before, the I-Panel did not schedule when it would meet until the investigation had been completed. Data show the average time to schedule the I-Panel declined from 3.68 days to 1.15 days as a result of this change.

Third, only three rotating Committee members are now present at the meeting of the I-Panel. Previously, the investigated student, the reporter, investigators, advisors and any additional observers were allowed to attend. The shift to only three rotating Committee members has decreased scheduling time “immensely” for the I-Panel, as only three people need to accommodate their schedules instead of at least nine, according to the report. The decision to hold the I-Panel without the student in question or the reporter in attendance was made as part of an effort to alleviate the burden placed upon these two parties by the investigation process, according to the report.

At the meeting, Medical School Rep. Alex Hawkins noted, however, that he finds it difficult to conduct I-Panels without the accused student present.

Because the investigated student and the reporter were eliminated from the I-Panel meeting, the Committee added response interviews as a step in the investigation process. These interviews are substitutes for the investigated student’s and reporter’s comments at the I-Panel.

As a final change, the roles of investigation coordinators were expanded. Investigation coordinators previously served only to answer questions about an investigation from the support officers and to convey progress to the vice chair for investigations. Now, ICs meet with investigators on the seventh and 14th day of an investigation to ensure investigators have a complete list of witnesses and evidence as well as to review the investigation log, a compilation of the evidence and testimony.

As a result of the transformations, the report noted that more emphasis is placed on uncovering all relevant facts before the I-Panel so the I-Panel can focus more on reviewing the case, as opposed to investigating and asking questions themselves.

At Sunday’s meeting, committee members expressed their satisfaction with the post-transformation results thus far.

“It’s really reassuring,” said Josh Hess, vice chair for community relations.

Honor Chair Ben Cooper said he hopes to “see if this trend remains in the positive direction.”

The Committee will continue to examine and analyze the effects of these changes in investigative procedures in the future.

Students vociferously responded to Hoos for Israel and Students Defending Democracy’s showing of the film “Obsession” last night.

The film, an opinionated compilation of television footage and testimony, drew heated reaction from the mostly University student crowd in its portrayal of world terrorism, jihad, ideological movements and a supposed parallel between Nazi fascism and Islamic extremism.

A discussion session after the end of the movie was mediated by Law School faculty member Frederick Hitz, who formerly served as inspector general of the CIA.

“Immediately after 9/11, there was this great realization that terrorism could come to America,” said Marie Cohen, Hoos for Israel president and co-president of Students Defending Democracy. “Unfortunately, though, there has been a lack of understanding since then. Jihad, which seeks to destroy moderate democracy, still exists.”

Cohen said she believes the film succeeded in making the case that a war between radical Islam and the Western world is ongoing, adding that the groups’ intention in showing the film was to educate members of the University community in this regard.

“I wish no one had to be afraid,” Cohen said. “I wish we could all sleep safely in our beds.”

Many students, however, criticized the film as one-sided and narrow-minded, focusing on multiple occasions on what they perceived as historical inaccuracies or omissions in the film.

Graduate College student Omer Shaukat said the movie “works by the power of suggestion only” and never even attempted to define fascism and terrorism.

Shaukat added that one of the main problems inherent in the film is its use of certain speakers and figures.

In one instance in the film, a former Hitler Youth commander makes several claims regarding the world of radical Islam and the Nazis’ relationship with Mohammad Amin al-Husayni, who was then the Mufti of Jerusalem. Shaukat expressed dismay with the commander’s comments about a cause, on behalf of which Shaukat believed the commander was not fully qualified to speak.

The Hitler Youth commander “has no authority to say anything about Islam,” he said.

Shaukat also said the movie was factually incorrect on numerous occasions.

“The movie portrays half-truths, and whatever truths the movie does portray, it portrays them in the wrong way,” Shaukat said.

Muslim Students Association President Mohammad Hemyari said the movie uses its intended audience to its advantage and functions largely as a propaganda-like tool.

In several instances, the debating became too vigorous for the forum, and Hitz raised new questions or issues to foster a broader debate.

“Terrorism may be like poverty,” Hitz said. “It’s always with us; it waxes and wanes, but what’s important is that we deal with it.”

The Virginia men’s tennis team is heading down the homestretch of its fall season, starting with the ITA Mideast Region Championships this weekend. The championships began with the qualifying round Wednesday and run through Sunday, with the finals held Monday. Virginia is hosting the tournament for the first time in its history.

“The tournament has been held in North Carolina for a long time,” Virginia head coach Brian Boland said, “The tournament officials wanted to bring it to U.Va., which is a testament to how good our facilities are.”

Boland noted the benefits of holding the tournament in Charlottesville; the location allows the team to gain experience without having to miss class to travel to an away match.

The top two singles players and the top doubles team in the regional championships will qualify for the national tournament, to be held at Ohio State University Nov. 1 to 4. The Cavaliers’ top two players, seniors Somdev Devvarman and Treat Huey, will not be participating in the regional competition because they have already qualified for nationals based on their performance at the ITA All-American Tournament at the University of Tulsa earlier this month. In the finals of the doubles tournament, Devvarman and Huey defeated Jonas Berg and Erling Tveit of Ole Miss with a 6-2, 7-5 score.

Junior Dominic Inglot is the highest-seeded Cavalier in the men’s open singles, checking in at ninth. He played in the top three on the Virginia team last year, ranking as high as No. 67 in the ITA singles rankings during the season. Inglot and sophomore Houston Barrick form Virginia’s highest-seeded doubles team, at fifth overall. They were named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team last year as a doubles team.

Barrick commented on how different doubles tennis is from singles tennis.

“Doubles is both easier and harder than singles. Dom and I have to work with each other without talking, just knowing what each other’s going to do before we do it. We have been playing together for a year, so we do have that added experience.”

Other players expected to lead the Cavaliers include senior Ted Angelinos, a Tulane transfer who played No. 6 on the team in singles last year. Angelinos will team up with sophomore Lee Singer to form a formidable doubles team. Freshmen Michael Shabaz and Sanam Singh will be making their debuts in the regional tournament. Shabaz has already made a name for himself in competition, having won the Junior Wimbledon Championship in doubles playing alongside Jesse Levine, who is currently playing on the ATP Tour. Singh was one of the top players in his age group in his native home India before coming to Virginia.

The regional championships will also feature several standout performers from other schools. The top seed overall in the singles tournament is senior David North from Georgia Tech, who compiled a 17-4 record in singles matches last season and is ranked No. 25 in the latest ITA rankings. The top-seeded doubles team is junior Nicolas Delgado and sophomore Pedro Graber from Virginia Tech.

Despite the competition, Virginia’s players are quite confident about their chances in the tournament.

“The coaches have done a great job preparing us,” Barrick said. “We are in a good position to do well in this tournament.”

Peter Lalich had a date with destiny. A true freshman, Lalich was on the verge of taking the helm of the Virginia offense. Suddenly, destiny canceled and said, “It’s not you, Peter. It’s me.”

Lalich played in the first four games of the season. In addition to leading the offense on an 82-yard drive that secured Virginia’s first win of the season against Duke, Lalich has had better-than-decent numbers. Completing 63 percent of his passes, Lalich showed the ability to push downfield, averaging just under 10 yards per completion.

But since defeating Georgia Tech Sept. 22, Virginia hasn’t seen Lalich on the field, deferring to the team’s original starter, sophomore Jameel Sewell.

“Sewell brings some things to the offense that are unique to his style that fit this team at this present time,” coach Al Groh said.

Namely, the ability to scramble.

With junior tailback Cedric Peerman currently out of the picture, Sewell has had to fill in the gaps in the running game. Against Connecticut, Sewell led the team with 66 yards on the ground. As a team, Virginia rushed for 148 yards.

“The overall rushing numbers reflected about the same number had Cedric [Peerman] been in the game,” Groh said. “Take those 60 [to] 65 yards out of it, and that rushing total is not very impressive. That’s a significant quality that he brings to the offense that’s necessary for us.”

Additionally, without a go-to receiver stepping up, the offense has been more likely to throw the ball short distances. Virginia tight ends senior Tom Santi, senior Jonathan Stupar and Peerman are the team’s leading receivers, and the offense has found less need for Lalich’s strong arm.

Nevertheless, a fan buzz still exists around Lalich. Already one of the most popular players on the team, fans keep asking Groh about his presence, despite Sewell’s success.

“It’s a fan mentality,” Groh said. “There’s always a fascination at that position with the player who’s not playing, unless it is Tom Brady or Peyton Manning … Our starting quarterback has won six games in a row. That’s a pretty fascinating thing.”

Even if Lalich sees no playing time for the rest of the season, Groh is satisfied with the production Lalich has contributed to the team, and Groh does not regret opting not to use Lalich as a redshirt.

“If we won one more game than we could’ve won, as a result of his performance, [then] it would make everything worth it,” Groh said. “Which it clearly has.”

After Lalich delivered the team’s first victory, Sewell has tacked on another five. Despite fans’ desire to see Lalich on the field, Sewell has given no reason to be taken off, having completed 58 percent of his passes and thrown seven touchdowns.

“We’re going to stay behind him, and we know he’s going to make plays for us,” junior tight end John Phillips said. “We’re excited when he does.”

Lalich now stands on the sideline, often wearing the radio headset rather than a helmet. Given his new, more subdued role, Groh says he can understand the frustration Lalich must feel, but said in the end, it cannot affect the operation of the team.

“We’ve got a lot more people’s satisfaction to take in to account than one person’s,” Groh said. “We’ve got half a season left to play. Who knows? He might be the ACC Player of the Year before it’s all over with.”

Team Notes

Walk this way

With senior fullback Josh Zidenberg filling in for injured sophomore fullback Rashawn Jackson, Virginia could have four walk-ons in its starting lineup Saturday. Along with Zidenberg, juniors Byron Glaspy and Jon Copper, and freshman Staton Jobe will be in the starting lineup Saturday.

Down but not out

Though junior tailback Cedric Peerman is not expected to play, Groh said junior cornerback Chris Cook could play Saturday, as could junior Maurice Covington.

Smokin’ Joe

Groh has compared the Virginia squad to boxer Joe Frazier, crediting the team for being able to take punches, stay in the fight and then return the hits.

“That’s the way we prepare in practice,” Phillips said. “That’s the mentality our team has. That’s how we prepare — just go out there and battle and fight and give it everything we got.”

You can’t judge a book by its cover.

This tired phrase can be used to describe more than just The Great Gatsby or Naked Pictures of Famous People. For instance, you can’t judge a Snickers bar because it looks like it just emerged from a dog’s butt. You also can’t judge a president as competent just because he went to Yale. And in some cases, you can’t judge a movie by its trailer.

Michael Clayton is a film that falls into that last category. The trailer, while engrossing, touts its star-power more than its story line and comes off as convoluted. Still, it’s George Clooney. Who could possibly resist?

Not me, and I’m glad I didn’t. Michael Clayton is a suspenseful, captivating, real-world legal drama. It’s a multi-layered film that revolves around high-stakes corporate corruption while touching on everyday dysfunction. It’s also one of the best movies of the year.

And it reaffirms Clooney’s silver screen bravado. He plays the title character, a “fixer” at the prominent (and crooked) New York law firm Kenner, Bach & Leeden. It’s a strikingly different role for Clooney after his last outing in the facetious Ocean’s Thirteen. Here, he’s a man constantly struggling to both grease the palms of his clients and sort out the lingering remains of a haunted past. Oh right, and Brad Pitt isn’t by his side helping out.

Clayton’s latest assignment is his own firm’s best lawyer, Arthur Edens (Tom Wilkinson). For the past six years, Edens has devoted his life to defending the corrupt chemical company U/North in a $3 billion class-action suit. The immorality of both his firm and his clientele drives Edens crazy, culminating in him stripping off his clothes and shouting proclamations of love at a plaintiff in the middle of a deposition.

While U/North claims Edens just missed his daily medication, in reality he is a man suddenly revitalized in a world of capitalistic lies and commercial avarice. He has snapped to his senses and plans to reveal a crucial document to the families that U/North has destroyed. Tom Wilkinson does a fantastic job portraying Edens as a reborn eccentric heart set on finding justice in a sea of corporate deception. Though most of his role involves nonsensical babbling, Wilkinson’s portrayal is nuanced and not easily forgettable.

Unfortunately for Edens, intense U/North litigator Karen Crowder (played with neurotic fury by Tilda Swinton) gets ahold of his plans and sends a couple troubleshooting goons to act as her eyes in the matter. Clayton’s job, meanwhile, is to get Edens back to his old self before the firm’s defense of U/North self-destructs.

But what about that old “haunted past” part? Clayton is not only a former gambling addict, but is heavily in debt because of a failed restaurant attempt. Clooney does a spot-on job throughout the film of mixing his trademark cocky style with a rugged tiredness that matches his character’s woes. It’s a fresh, never-before-seen angle from the graying superstar. His performance — no doubt already on the minds of movie aficionados for an Oscar nod — greatly enhances the unusual background of a man with such a powerful position.

Yet Michael Clayton is not a usual thinking man — or woman’s — movie; it’s a methodical thriller (a near oxymoron in Hollywood nowadays) that makes your pulse pound without you even realizing it. It mixes power plays with stark subterfuge, yet manages to add a couple handfuls of normalcy through potent family drama. The real clincher of Michael Clayton, however, is whether Clayton himself will pull an Arthur Edens and attempt to do the right thing or capitulate under the corporate greed that engulfs him.