As a queer University student, I embrace tolerance, diversity and the right of free enquiry. I believe that no one should be marginalized or mistreated merely because they are different, or forbidden to pose or to attempt to test in an ethical fashion any hypothesis simply because some find the hypothesis distasteful. Thus, I am saddened that some would misuse these principles to defend those who would marginalize and mistreat others as Josh Hess did in his Tuesday opinion piece (“In pursuit of true diversity,” April 21). By absurdly reducing bigotry to a viewpoint and making an appeal for a “true diversity” that welcomes all views no matter how evil, he makes a mockery of tolerance and diversity. Would he condemn Jewish people for decrying an anti-Semite because true “intellectual diversity” includes that viewpoint? Or latinas and latinos for condemning anti-immigrant hate groups even though their views are common?

A twisting of words cannot make the unreasonable reasonable. In the Washington Post article to which Hess refers, Wilkinson argued against a constitutional amendment. His words, however, were still both hurtful and unacceptable. A person who, aware of widespread animosity toward queer folks, would write about “biological complementarity” and not mention homosexuality in other mammal species, appeal illogically to a history of discrimination to support its continuation, and intimate without evidence that allowing same-gender couples to marry threatens the “strong family structures” without which “there will be no stable and healthy social order” is not engaging in free inquiry or merely stating an opinion from a diverse viewpoint. Such a person is, instead, engaging in a rhetorical attack against an already marginalized population.

While I agree with Hess that diverse views should be encouraged, we should not allow bigotry to gain free reign by playing the victim. That is a false tolerance, and should rightly be rejected.

Patrick Graydon
SEAS V

Almost four years ago, when I first came to the University, I wrote to The Cavalier Daily after a racial slur was shouted at me by a passing truck as I left O-Hill on my second day of classes. As outraged as I was by the act, I was even more disillusioned that a group of students was standing around me when it happened and not one person took any action or said a word. Shortly after that, the University established the bias reporting system and while incidents still occurred, they were not as prevalent as they had been. Unfortunately, the incidents of discrimination have flared up once again. Vigils and rallies are wonderful and the University administration and campus police response has been appropriately swift, but our responsibility does not stop there. We pride ourselves on our community of trust, but that extends outside the classroom. Campus police cannot be everywhere at all times, so the students have to be their eyes and ears. When we see or hear incidents like these, the right response is not apathy, but taking an active stand against it and reporting it. Otherwise, we are no better than the bigots committing these acts.

Shannon Benson
CLAS IV

The Virginia baseball team gears up to play its first home series in more than two weeks this weekend, as the squad hosts N.C. State in a three-game series starting tonight at Davenport Field.

The Cavaliers (32-8-1, 11-7-1 ACC) eased past Georgetown 9-3 Wednesday in their return to Charlottesville following a long hiatus because of away games and rain-outs. Sophomore center fielder Jarrett Parker smashed his 12th home run of the season against the Hoyas, tying him for the eighth most home runs in Virginia single-season history.

Parker emerged out of his worst slump of the season with his performance yesterday. After going two for his previous 17, including 10 strikeouts last weekend against Boston College, Parker went 3-for-4 with two RBIs against the Hoyas.

Sophomore second baseman Phil Gosselin also added a three-run shot of his own — his fifth on the year ­— to help boost Virginia to its midweek win.

The Cavaliers will look to continue the success of their heavy-hitting lineup this weekend against the Wolfpack (19-22, 7-14 ACC), who hope to rebound from a recent late-season spiral. Slumping into the weekend on a five-game losing streak, N.C. State will need the help of Friday starter and junior southpaw Jimmy Gillheeney if the visiting squad hopes to pounce on Virginia early.

Although the Wolfpack might not boast as impressive numbers as conference powerhouses Miami and North Carolina, Virginia coach Brian O’Connor said there is still a lot at stake for Virginia this weekend.

“It’s a big weekend,” O’Connor said. “I feel like we’ve done the job and done what we need to on the road to put ourselves in this position to have this home series and then Duke a couple of weeks from now, and we’ve got to take advantage of that.”

In addition to Gillheeney, who has averaged close to seven innings per outing this season while notching a 3.48 ERA and a 5-2 record in nine starts on the spring, N.C. State has also depended on a powerful bullpen. Senior righthander Kyle Rutter is one of five Wolfpack relievers with at least one save this spring; he has also notched a 2-2 record with a 4.30 ERA.

“They’ve got a few real good arms,” Gosselin said.

Virginia will likely see junior lefty John Lambert toeing the mound to start either Saturday or Sunday; Lambert has a 4.50 ERA while striking out 37 batters in 34 innings pitched. Sophomore righthander Jake Buchanan has been the Wolfpack’s third starter for much of the season, but after using Buchanan in relief last Saturday against Florida State — against which he gave up a grand slam en route to a 4-2 Seminole victory — freshman righthander Cory Mazzoni started on Sunday. Mazzoni, whose 9.82 ERA and 1-5 record are the team’s lowest numbers, allowed six earned runs in 2 2/3 innings in a 13-2 loss against the Seminoles.

At the plate, the Wolfpack have not been as impressive, as their .265 batting average is the worst in the ACC. Senior infielder Devon Cartwright leads the team with a .299 batting average and has added 25 RBIs. Leading the team with 31 RBIs, freshman catcher Pratt Maynard joins junior outfielder Drew Poulk as one of two Wolfpack players to have slugged five home runs.

In comparison to this weekend’s opponent, Virginia, has proven itself more capable at the plate this season. Eight starters are batting higher than .300, and together, the team has compiled an ACC-best .347 batting average and is currently averaging 8.8 runs per game.

Sophomore Dan Grovatt leads the offensive attack with a .390 batting average, while together, Parker and Gosselin have combined for 97 RBIs on the season. Freshman third baseman Steven Proscia has proven to be yet another Cavalier offensive threat. Proscia smacked a grand slam in the team’s 8-1 victory against Virginia Commonwealth Tuesday and is hitting .354.

Offense aside, staying focused on the mound will be a priority for Virginia. Freshman left-handed pitcher Danny Hultzen, who is scheduled to get the start Friday night in the series opener, has racked up a perfect 5-0 record and boasts a 2.36 ERA ­— the lowest amongst Cavalier starters. Senior righty Andrew Carraway has also put together an unblemished spring, going 4-0 on the year with a 3.46 ERA. Sophomore righty Robert Morey has emerged as a potentially dominant Sunday starter, after throwing 7 2/3 shutout innings in a 2-0 win last Sunday against Boston College.

“I think our pitching’s in a pretty good place right now in that ­— going down the stretch run and when we go into tournament time — we have a lot of versatile pitchers on the staff,” O’Connor said.

The Cavaliers also possess a number of impressive relievers, including sophomore right-hander Tyler Wilson. Wilson’s ERA of 2.82 has led to a 6-2 record this spring. Sophomore righthander Kevin Arico, meanwhile, has proven himself as a solid closer in the wake of junior lefty Matt Packer’s struggles in that role. Freshman righthander Shane Halley, freshman lefthander Sean Lucas and freshman righthander Justin Thompson also could prove to be good choices in late-game situations this season.

Following a Tuesday matchup against Liberty after the weekend series, Virginia will take an extended rest period during exams. After the Cavaliers take on Duke at home, the team will conclude its regular season schedule with a series against in-state rival Virginia Tech on the road. Both Duke and Virginia Tech sit at the bottom of the ACC Coastal Division.

The Virginia men’s lacrosse team hopes to continue its success as it prepares for the ACC Championships in Chapel Hill, N.C., this weekend.

Fresh off a 13-6 victory against Dartmouth this past Saturday, in which Virginia (13-1, 2-1 ACC) outshot the Big Green 30 to 10 in a decisive 10-1 second half to overcome a two-goal halftime deficit, the Cavaliers have regained their No. 1 overall national ranking after spending a week at No. 2.

Virginia had been the top-ranked team in the nation since beating then-No. 1 Syracuse in February, but relinquished the top spot to Princeton two weeks ago after a 15-10 loss to ACC rival Duke in Durham, N.C. The Cavaliers are scheduled to face the Blue Devils (10-3, 2-1 ACC) again in the first round of this weekend’s tournament.

“It’s time to start thinking about a little rematch with Duke,” senior attackman Danny Glading said.

Senior attackman Garrett Billings said the team needs to play with more consistency to ensure that a loss does not repeat itself.

“We haven’t played offense well for a month, except for [in] the fourth quarter,” Billing said. “We just have to get on track, especially for Saturday. We want to play half-decently this time around.”

During a dominant 10-game stretch to begin the season, Virginia averaged more than 14 goals per game. But the Cavaliers have seen that total drop to an even 11 goals per game during the past month as they entered the challenging conference portion of their schedule.

Virginia’s defense has also trailed off from its strong statistical pace at the start of the season. The Cavaliers allowed less than seven goals per game in those first 10 contests, but surrendered 10 per game in the past month against stiffer competition from their in-conference opponents.

Goals allowed played a pivotal role in the seeding of this weekend’s tournament. When Virginia, Duke and Maryland ended conference play tied atop the ACC, with each 1-1 against the other two, the tie was broken according to how many goals each team had surrendered in its games against the other two.

Maryland, having given up 18 goals in those games — Duke and Virginia allowed 21 and 24, respectively — was awarded the top seed and a semifinal matchup against North Carolina, which is hosting the tournament but went winless in conference play this season.

To improve their defense going forward — both for this weekend’s tournament and the NCAA Tournament in May — the Cavaliers have increased playing time for some of the younger players on their roster, including sophomore midfielder Rhamel Bratton.

“A lot of times, you don’t really see him out there because he’s playing defense,” Rhamel’s brother, sophomore midfielder Shamel Bratton said. “He can play defense with the best of them.”

This weekend’s ACC Championships, with all four teams ranked in the top 15 nationally, will test Virginia’s commitment to improving its effectiveness on offense and defense.

The tournament’s other semifinal features No. 12 Maryland, which took the Cavaliers to seven overtimes before falling in a memorable 10-9 contest in Charlottesville this March, and No. 8 North Carolina, which Virginia defeated 11-10 in a closely contested match earlier this month at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

With The Cavalier Daily wrapping up its production for the semester and the school year drawing to a close, it seems as if Virginia spring sports should be finishing up, too, right?  Well, as Lee Corso says on College GameDay, not so fast my friend.

While students head to the beach, take up summer jobs, or simply catch up on some much-needed sleep following a taxing school year, many Cavalier athletes will continue to grind out at least another month’s worth of practice — whether it be on the field, the court, or the diamond. Their postseason results might get lost in the layover between the spring and fall semesters, but that is not to say they deserve to be entirely disregarded.

To save students the trouble of keeping tabs on their Cavaliers during the break, The Cavalier Daily called in a special sports’ psychic to predict the final outcomes for the orange-and-blue’s spring teams.  Due to high fees for foreseeing the future, however, postseason predictions had to be scaled down, and only the Big Three — men’s lacrosse, men’s tennis, and baseball — were fortunate enough to have their postseason plans forecast by our hired seer.

Will the future hold triumph or despair?  Victory or defeat?  Trophies or tears?  Without further ado, let’s take a peer into the crystal ball and see what’s in store for the Cavaliers.

Men’s Lacrosse

In allowing six Syracuse goals in the fourth quarter, playing an epic seven overtimes against conference rival Maryland and entering the final period tied with unranked Dartmouth in the regular season finale, No. 1 Virginia has lived on the edge all season. While the Cavaliers managed to squeak out “Ws” in all three nailbiters and have dropped only one game this season — on the road against Duke — Wahoo fans have nevertheless found themselves sweating through the team’s nine-weeks atop the national rankings.

Murmurs of an undefeated spring rippled through Grounds at the season’s outset, but with the loss against the Blue Devils — who boast a perfect 6-0 record against the Cavaliers during their recent meetings — and the team’s failure to focus for a full 60 minutes, Virginia’s spot on the top rung appears shaky at best.

What will this mean come postseason time?  Although coach Dom Starsia has proven during his 16 years at the helm that he is more than capable of peaking his squad at just the right moment, this latest edition of the Cardiac Cavs could be on a different playoff track.

Virginia may boast all the talent required of national champions, but its luck is bound to run out. In 2007, the then-No. 3 Cavaliers lost only two games in the regular season but were tripped up by No. 15 Delaware in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The plucky Fightin’ Blue Hens took advantage of a sluggish start by the defending national champions, dealing sleepy Virginia a stupefying 14-8 loss at home.

Cavalier fans might want to do themselves a favor and brace for a similar outcome this spring. Before looking to the NCAA Tournament, Virginia must first worry about an ACC semifinal matchup against Duke this Friday. Duke evidently has Virginia’s number, and unfortunately for the Cavaliers, this will lead to an early exit in the conference tournament and a slightly lower seed in NCAAs. A first round stumble against a smaller, quicker, simply more inspired first round opponent — à la Delaware — will end Virginia’s bid for a fifth team title and will finally push the Cavaliers off their tightrope into an offseason abyss that will see four starters graduate from this year’s team.

Men’s Tennis

This wasn’t supposed to be Virginia’s year. The Cavaliers had their shot last spring, when — after waltzing through the regular season schedule largely uncontested with arguably the greatest player in collegiate tennis history conducting the tune of the perfection — coach Brian Boland’s squad emerged as the clear-cut favorite to take home the program’s first national championship. An inopportune slipup against Georgia in the national semifinals left Virginia empty-handed at season’s end, however, and the graduation of three of the top six from the nearly-perfect 2008 squad signaled the passing of the Cavaliers’ halcyon days.

Virginia was apparently not informed of this, though, as rather than crying over spilled milk, the Cavaliers have rebounded from last year’s setback by putting together their second straight unblemished regular season. Rising to No. 1 in the country after winning the National Team Indoor title for a second straight year, the Cavaliers followed up that stunning performance with a road win against No. 10 Texas — a preseason favorite to win the national championship. The team has compiled a 45-match win streak in the ACC and enters the NCAA Tournament fresh off claiming its third straight conference crown via three 4-0 sweeps in the ACC Tournament.

Although the team’s results thus far might sound eerily familiar, fans need not fear a similar May disappointment. This year’s installment of unbeaten Virginia might not boast Somdev Devvarman at the top of its lineup, but it does, however, possess the depth that last season’s squad lacked. The Cavaliers have proven their dominance in doubles, having dropped only one doubles point all season, and the team’s strength lies in its top-to-bottom attack.

Unlike the men’s lacrosse team, Virginia shouldn’t be tripped up in the early rounds of tennis’ Big Dance. As long as four points are all that’s needed to hoist the national championship trophy May 19 in College Station, Texas, senior captain Dominic Inglot and co. will be able to get the job done this time around.

Baseball

If less was expected of the Virginia men’s tennis team this season than last, the bar was set even lower for the Cavaliers on the diamond, as the young squad toed the mound at the start of the spring inexperienced, unproven and unranked. Nineteen Virginia wins later, however, and the green Cavaliers found themselves off to the best start in program history, ranked No. 18 in the national polls and one of only two unbeaten teams remaining in Division I.

While the squad dropped series to ACC baseball powerhouses Miami and North Carolina in heartbreaking fashion, it did pick up a big win on the road in its most recent series against Boston College. The remainder of the regular season should be smoother sailing for the Cavaliers, as they face softer ACC foes N.C. State and Duke at home during the next two weekends before closing with a three-game road series against struggling in-state rival Virginia Tech.  

This doesn’t mean, however, that the general wear-and-tear from a 54-game schedule won’t begin to take its toll on a team unused to playing such a lengthy season. While the Cavalier bats were bound to cool off a little after their red-hot start, the arms of the Virginia bullpen have begun to show signs of fatigue recently. Last year’s national ERA title winner Matt Packer has seen his ERA balloon to 4.55, and Cavalier relievers have proven shaky at best in late game situations.

Despite a newfound ability to hit the long ball — Virginia has already slugged 13 more home runs than it managed all last season — the Cavaliers still aren’t quite ready to embark on the road to Omaha for the College World Series. The team has never advanced past the regional round in eight appearances, and this season will again see the No. 13 Cavaliers struggle to dispel the demons of postseasons past. As has been a common theme in Virginia’s losses this spring, the squad will jump out early but see its lead evaporate late. The Cavaliers might manage one win in the round robin play, but for the sixth consecutive season, they will fail to make it to the elusive NCAA Super Regional. Wahoo fans need not despair, however, as this was never meant to be Virginia’s year anyway. Next spring, the Cavaliers will be one year older and will have all the tools needed to make a long-awaited trip to Omaha.

The Virginia softball team travels to Florida State this weekend for its final series of the regular season, hoping to pull an upset and finish the season strong against the No. 19 Seminoles.

Virginia (25-18, 2-12 ACC) has struggled in ACC play this season, as the team managed its only wins against conference opponents early in the ACC schedule. Offensive production has been hard to find for the Cavaliers, who have averaged about two runs per game against conference opponents this season.

Adjusting offensive play will be critical if Virginia wants to overcome Florida State’s potent pitching. As a team, Seminole pitchers boast a total ERA of 1.26, including 19 shutouts. Florida State (35-13, 11-4 ACC) is led by two pitching standouts, sophomore Sarah Hamilton and junior Terese Gober, who combined have kept opponents’ batting averages below .200 and totaled more than 400 strikeouts.

Because the Seminoles have been able to significantly minimize their opponents’ opportunities to score this season, Virginia junior pitcher Nicole Koren said the Cavaliers will need to take advantage of any opportunities they receive on offense.

“We need to string our hits together more,” Koren said, adding that it will be important to “focus on our contact points, and attack pitches.”

Virginia has gone up against several teams this season that have displayed impressive pitching, so what the Seminoles bring to the table is nothing new for the Cavaliers. Senior outfielder Casey Steffan said she believes that Virginia can play successfully against any pitcher the team faces.

“I really feel like our offense can score on any pitcher,” Steffan said. “We were able to score three runs off of [North Carolina’s] Danielle Spaulding, who is a notorious pitcher in the ACC.”

Florida State also brings an impressive offense to complement its pitching. Though the Seminoles do not rank high in runs scored per game, they have proven an ability to hit with power, boasting impressive extra base numbers. They are also a threat to steal bases, ranking second only to Virginia in the conference in number of bases stolen this season.

Though Virginia has not seen much success against ACC teams this season, it has shown that it can compete against the top teams in the conference.

“This past weekend was a good example that we can bring it and we can beat teams like that,” Koren said. “I think we all know we can, so that is why we are working this whole week to fix things that have been going wrong every now and then in games so that when we come out we come out strong right from the start.”

Unlike most weeks of the past few months, the Cavaliers did not play any games in the middle of this week, allowing the team time to recuperate and potentially return to form.

“I think we are getting back on track offensively, with base running, and defensively,” Virginia coach Eileen Schmidt said. “Now it’s getting consistency in the circle like what we had towards the beginning of the season.”

Student Council spent some time at Tuesday night’s meeting discussing work to be done during the summer to organize next semester’s initiatives and activities. Photo by Nadia Minai, Cavalier Daily Graphics Staff.

Summer Break is quickly approaching, but hard work — not relaxation — is what is on the horizon for Student Council’s newly elected administration.

“I do think we’re off to a really strong start on every level,” Council President John Nelson said. “Now I think we’re in a position where we have a lot of great people and we’re ready to get started.”

Vice President of Administration Nikhil Panda recently presented a series of proposals outlining Council’s primary goals for the upcoming semester, including a desire to increase outreach within the University community.

“What I want to see over the next year … is to make sure that this well-oiled machine is one that is for the student body,” he said. “We want to develop an organization that is seen by the University community as one that’s a central resource for all students and all student initiatives.”

Council hopes to improve its outreach efforts through a revamped contracted independent organization consultant program that aims to assist CIOs. The program will help CIOs construct efficient budget plans and advise them through the appropriations process. Panda said Council will divide the University’s CIOs into groups of about 20 and pair each group with both a representative and a CIO consultant.

“The [representatives] can focus on the outreach and CIO consultants can focus on administrative [issues],” Panda said.

Panda also acknowledged, however, that these initiatives may not reach all members of the University community.

“We’re definitely missing out on a significant chunk of the student body that doesn’t identify themselves with a … CIO,” he said.

To reach a wider body of students, Council hopes to publish a column in The Cavalier Daily in addition to a monthly online newsletter that will include an executive report and a report from the representative body to better inform the University community of Council’s current projects and initiatives.

Additionally, Council plans to use Speak Up UVA as a platform for students to voice their opinions and as a tool to gauge student interest in Council initiatives. The Web site was created by Chief Technological Officer William Reynolds and will link to Council’s current Web site. Panda said he hopes the site will not only allow students to post their ideas, but also help empower the entire University community.

Nelson said he believes Council’s outreach initiatives will benefit both Council and the University community.

“Improving outreach with student groups, writing columns in The Cavalier Daily, producing a newsletter with a listserv throughout the University, and Speak Up UVA all together really will make a big difference on Student Council and for the student body,” he said.

Increasing outreach is not Council’s only goal, though; several Council members have discussed other initiatives they would like to see through.

Catherine Hartmann, Buildings and Grounds Committee co-chair, said her committee has plans for a publicity push for its “Don’t Sign It!” campaign in the fall.

“We plan on increasing awareness … especially to first years as they come in,” she said. “Pressure to sign leases so early really hits these kids early,” adding that the committee will begin flyering and chalking near first-year student residences to relaunch the campaign as soon as possible in the fall.

Hartman also added that her committee is currently working with landlords to ensure that students aware of their options before they sign leases. The committee also is trying to schedule a forum with a panel of upperclassmen to “open up the subject to discussion,” Hartman said.

In addition to the “Don’t Sign It!” campaign, Council is working with the administration and the Office of the Architect to help construct a sustainability house — a “green dorm” for about 10 to 20 students, Environmental Sustainability co-Chair Michelle Henry said.

Henry added that her committee will look next year to achieve the same level of success it saw in implementing its University Garden Project idea this semester.

“Our biggest accomplishment was the community garden,” Henry said. “We’re going to have volunteers working on it this summer and hopefully working with Madison House to have people working in the garden next year.”

Though many committees, including Henry’s, achieved success this year, many other committees also faced challenges that hindered some projects’ progress.

For example, the Building and Grounds Committee faced significant challenges with its plan to build a bridge by the train tracks near the Corner to create a safer place for pedestrians.

“That hit a lot of road blocks, so unfortunately we won’t be able to do that moneywise,” co-chair Catherine Hartmann said. “That was tough.”

Council as a whole will look to take advantage of a significant planning period this summer, during which several Executive Committee members will be in Charlottesville to iron out details of various projects, Nelson said, noting that the summer months are very important for the development of Council’s projects and initiatives.

“FreeRide, the parking garage initiative and the Newspaper [Readership Program] were conversations that started and really materialized over the summer,” Nelson said. “We’re planning to do the same this year.”

He also added that this summer Council will assess the data collected from trial programs of projects like FreeRide and will analyze costs and address budget issues to determine how to best implement similar projects in the fall. Nelson said Council may also discuss changing its appropriations process.

After a semester filled with open trials, amendment proposals and a good deal of discussion, Honor Committee members reflected on the past year and discussed goals for next.

To help fund new initiatives, the Committee has been granted a maximum approved amount of $84,000 from the Alumni Endowment fund, Committee Chair David Truetzel said. He said while the commonwealth provides the Committee with money for operating costs such as office supplies, the endowment fund of alumni donations allows the Committee to explore ”special or additional initiatives.”

One such initiative is the creation of an online case processing system, which will improve the efficiency and expediency of case processing, Truetzel said.

Vice Chair for Investigations Mary Siegel added that she hopes to “work closely with the technology ad-hoc committee to develop ideas as to how Honor should best outline the investigation process once it gets online.” Siegel noted though that the module may not make it online this year.

In addition to the possible online case processing system, a large amount of the funds from the Alumni Endowment fund will be directed toward education and outreach efforts. The amount of funds has been “beefed up” from previous years in hopes of pursuing more events and projects on education, Truetzel said.

Truetzel said he hopes to build on the previous Committee’s education successes such as the “revamping” of the educator pool. Before the change, educators worked in a few large groups and could not oversee many outreach projects at one time. The change in the educator system created about 17 smaller groups of educators to carry out several outreach projects at once.

“This made [the educator pool] a much more effective group,” Truetzel said.

In addition to the revamped educator pool, Vice Chair for Education Rob Atkinson said he believes one of the Committees’s most successful endeavors this past term was an education campaign informing the University community about conscientious retractions.

“Before the campaign only two conscientious retractions were filed, [after] we had something like 18 filed,” Atkinson said.  

Siegel hopes to continue this effort on conscientious retraction education. She said she hopes to collect professors’ overall opinions about conscientious retractions as well as discuss the positive and negative aspects of a conscientious retraction with them.

In connection with education, outreach will also continue to be a major goal for the Committee. In the coming year, Committee educators hope to target international students in particular. As more and more international students come to the University, it has become an important goal for the Committee to educate them and ensure they do not commit offenses. With $7,000 to spend toward diversity initiatives, Truetzel said he also hopes to reach out to other minority groups. He said he recognizes that while the Committee can form relationships with minority group leaders next semester, they will have a limited time to work with these groups before the Committee members graduate in the spring. He said he hopes, though, that the committee can form lasting relationships that will carry on as leaders and members change.

“We want to get to know these different communities better and on a more personal level” Atkinson said, adding that he believes reaching out through co-sponsorships and dialogue will help promote personal connections between the Committee and these groups.

Vice Chair for Trials Alex Carroll added that reaching out to these groups will hopefully increase diversity in the committee as well.

“One thing we work on every year is diversity,” Carroll said, citing diversity improvement within the committee and officer pools.

JJ Litchford, vice chair for community relations said while he plans to continue dialogue with minority communities, he also hopes to reach out to other groups, such as alumni and businesses on the Corner.

“So many of the restaurants have a Virginia Honor sticker,” he said, “[They should know what] their role is in the community of trust so that the sticker is meaningful.”

In terms of trials, Carroll said past Vice Chair for Trials Sophie Staples made “great strides towards improving our system procedurally” before the end of her term.

Carroll cited, for instance, the bylaw amendment enacted this semester that created the 10-day “Trial Request Period,” and required accused students to choose a trial date from a list of possible dates provided by Honor. The amendment is meant to improve trial processing efficiency and expediency, Carroll said.

The Committee also discussed another amendment this past semester that would no longer require two students from an accused student’s school on their jury panel.

These initiatives “are great steps in right direction” Carroll said.

After two open trials this semester, there has been a good deal of discussion regarding the Committee’s transparency.

“Transparency is going to be a big issue for us [over the next term],” Honor Chair David Truetzel said.  

Truetzel said he plans on inviting members of the University community who work with the Family Education Rights and Prvacy Protection Act, a program that restricts the Committee from releasing certain information about students, to speak to the Committee. He expressed hope that this opportunity will give Committee members a foundational knowledge of the law so that they can then begin discussing the relationship between protecting students’ rights and making the Committee more transparent.

For the summer, Truetzel said there will be a time set aside for the Committee to learn all the details and nuances of their positions without the added stress of schoolwork that is present during the year.

“We’re setting all of this up now so that when we do want to start we’ve already got the wheels in motion,” Atkinson said.

Looking back on the 2008-09 academic year, University Judiciary Committee members expressed optimism about both this year’s developments within the organization and potential future efforts.

Members of the current Executive Committee said they were satisfied with UJC’s recently instituted online system. In particular, they cited the position of Senior Data Manager, which was created this past semester to help ensure that UJC’s online system and Web site remain well-maintained, as a positive addition.

The position, which is now jointly filled by College Graduate Rep. Gavin Reddick and Engineering Rep. Yiding Li, is responsible for formally updating and maintaining UJCs Web site and online case processing, providing technical support to UJC, gathering statistical data for the Executive Committee and archiving electronic trial records and recordings. The amendment to create the position was drafted by Vice Chair for First Years Will Bane, who said he believes that the position will aid UJC in several ways as the organization heads into next year.

“We want to be up to date with our online system,” and ensure that it remains streamlined and free of errors, UJC Chair Michael Chapman said. The online system and the information it provides helps UJC to be “as transparent as we can be without breaking confidentiality,” which, Chapman added, helps to educate the University community about UJC.

The Senior Data Managers are required to collect data about the number of cases UJC judges throughout the semester, how many times each Standard of Conduct was violated and demographic data for both UJC as well as students who go through the system, including complainants and accused students. The data is released every semester, a process started at the beginning of this past year.

Data released this semester showed that certain minority students, such as black students, students participating in the Greek system and males were reported at a higher rate than other members of the University.

Chapman said improving diversity outreach and UJC representation have been major goals for the organization this past year and remain efforts that UJC will pursue in the future.

Throughout the semester, UJC “did a lot of discussion with different groups,” such as a joint meeting with the Minority Rights Coalition, Chapman said. Chapman added that he hopes to start forming relationships between UJC representatives and student leaders from different contracted independent organizations across Grounds.

With these liaisons, UJC will be able to better communicate with different student groups and CIOs will be able to more readily bring their concerns about the body’s performance to UJC, Chapman said.

Chapman also said that he hopes to promote diversity within the actual committee so that UJC is representative of the entire student body.

“The student body is always changing their views, and opinions are always changing … we need to be representative of that” Chapman said.

Vice Chair for Trials Marnie Coons also expressed her hopes to diversify UJC as well. Coons said UJC members attended the Office of African American Affairs’ activities fair, which helped UJC to “reach out in other communities that haven’t been represented that well.” In addition, Coons said she plans to continue to work with MRC through discussions and symposiums to help these efforts.

Though a great deal of effort will be placed on reaching out to minority groups in the coming year, education and outreach efforts apply to all members of the University community, UJC members said.

“I think one of UJC’s biggest goals is absolutely going to be outreach and education into the greater University community” Coons said. “Our least favorite question to hear is ‘What’s the difference between UJC and Honor?’”

UJC will target first-year students in particular, especially during orientation and their first few weeks as students.

“I’ll be giving orientation speeches to first years in the summer, so that they feel they have a sense of ownership over UJC,” Bane said.

Moving forward, more specific bylaw changes also could be an area of emphasis for the organization. Though UJC made some changes to its bylaws, such as the creation of Senior Data Manager, members voted against adding a referendum to the spring ballot that could have increased the number of College representatives from three to five.

“We will continue to look critically at our constitution and bylaws to make sure they are the best possible vehicles to serve the University community,” Bane said.

Overall, UJC also hopes that students will uphold the Standards of Conduct during the summer months while they are away from Grounds.

“Safety and respect are things that don’t end over the summer … they’re year-round,” Chapman said. “We as UJC wish to maintain and promote this sense of safety and respect.”

During the past 12 months, the University suffered several financial setbacks and was forced to enact several budget cuts for the 2009-10 academic year to cope with the recession. Despite the economic slump and its unavoidable impact on University operations, officials are actively seeking to expand programs and services as they look to the future of the institution.

“Virtually all revenue sources have been affected,” said Colette Sheehy, vice president for management and budget, about the past year’s economic crisis and budget reductions.

The University’s service units, for example, have received less money, as their customer bases have reduced spending levels. In addition, the Medical Center has seen fewer patients, because several patients with elective procedures have often chosen to defer their appointments, Sheehy said.

In October, the University’s state funding for 2008-09 was cut by $10.6 million, Sheehy said. The University also had to plan for a reduction of $12.3 million for 2009-10, Sheehy added.

The University’s endowment — which increased by more 25 percent in 2006-07 and 6 percent in 2007-08 — fell by about 25 percent during the six-month period that ended Dec. 31, according to an e-mail from Leonard Sandridge, executive vice president and chief operating officer. Since the decrease, the endowment has remained relatively flat since January, Sandridge’s e-mail stated.

“Although none of us feel good about an absolute decline of this magnitude, we believe the endowment is performing well on a basis relative to similar endowments,” Sandridge stated. “We are a long-term investor and we will work our way through this period.”

To adapt to the budget reductions, the University continues to use some of the same policies that it implemented during the past year.

“Across the University we are holding positions vacant, reducing and deferring discretionary expenditures, looking at the feasibility of consolidating departments with like responsibilities and creatively looking for new revenue opportunities,” Sheehy stated.

The University, however, is required to pay for some committed costs, such as utilities, research and teaching, said Anda Webb, vice provost for administration and chief of staff.

“No one’s salary has been cut,” Webb said. “One of our priorities is to preserve the core mission of the University, which [includes] teaching [and] research.”

Although the budget cuts have affected several University entities, federal grant money for research in the sciences has changed little since last year and may possibly increase as the University applies for grant money funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, said Jeffrey Blank, assistant vice president for research. In addition, the commonwealth recently approved $10.7 million of stimulus money for the University’s 2009-10 operating budget, according to an e-mail from Sheehy.

“The stimulus money is just being applied for now,” Blank said. “By the coming year we hope some of the money will be flowing into the University’s research programs.”

The stimulus money will increase funding for the National Institutes of Health — the University’s largest source of research grant funding — by about $10.4 billion, or one-third of the pre-stimulus NIH budget, Blank said. In addition, the National Science Foundation — which is the University’s second largest source of research grant funding — is receiving $3 billion from the stimulus, he added.

To receive NIH stimulus money, researchers who already have NIH grants can apply for a supplement to their current state of money, Blank said. In addition, the NIH will review applications for additional grants that it did not provide before the stimulus act passed.

University researchers may also apply for money from other federal research-supporting agencies, such as the Departments of Commerce, Defense and Energy, as well as from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Blank said. These agencies, however, have not yet finalized their proposal guidelines for stimulus-funded grants.

The University, meanwhile, must also remain mindful that stimulus money will only be provided for two years, Blank said.

“We’re hoping those [federal] agencies can maintain the research funding at a high level … so we can maintain the great research that we’re doing here into the future,” Blank said.

University-wide projects among different schools have continued through the recession.

“There are many collaborations between and among schools that exemplify the spirit of collaboration at the University of Virginia,” University Provost Arthur Garson stated in an e-mail.

The Commission on the Future of the University, for example, is continuing to work on its first six initiatives, which are intended “to further distinguish the University,” Garson said. The University also hosted a Leadership in Academic Matters Group and started a University-wide process “to develop cross-school collaboration in research,” Garson added.

Even as the University’s pocketbooks continue to be squeezed by the nation’s financial downturn, University administrators still are seeking ways to grow and provide enhanced services to community members. To reach desired performance benchmarks and goals, officials have begun to employ careful budget-planning and decision-making tactics, Garson stated, and despite the challenges posed by the economic climate, the University believes it must achieve its aims eventually.

“We are mindful that in times of budget stress that we must spend wisely,” Garson added. “If we fail to act on the recommendations made by the faculty, staff, students, and alumni who contributed to the Commission, five years from now, the lack of progress will be remembered, not the budget issues.”