Officials have discussed ways to make shared road space safer for cyclists in Charlottesville. Photo by Thomas Bynum.

In late April, graduate student Matthew King collided with a Charlottesville utility truck at the intersection of West Main Street and Fourth Street Northwest while riding his bicycle along West Main Street. King, who was wearing a helmet, was pronounced dead at the University Medical Center shortly after the accident.

Early Tuesday morning, a SafeRide van was making a left onto Alderman Road from McCormick Road when it collided with a biker traveling on McCormick Road. The biker, first-year College student Patrick Monk, underwent surgery to repair a broken ankle, and suffered a torn calf muscle and bruised bone in his right leg. Charges against the driver, who is a University Police officer, are pending an investigation by the Virginia State Police.

For those who travel on two wheels, safety on the streets seemingly has become more of an issue and has drawn the attention of local officials and community members.
In September, a survey of 586 local cyclists revealed overwhelming support for more on-road bike lanes, specifically along Ivy Road and West Main Street, where King’s collision took place.

The results were discussed during a summit organized by Bike Charlottesville and the Alliance for Community Choice in Transportation. Local government and University officials spoke at the event.

Although Charlottesville allocates $50,000 in its 2011 fiscal year capital improvement budget toward bicycle infrastructure, funding to create bike lanes and improve bike safety remains difficult to obtain. Albemarle County Supervisor Dennis Rooker cited a $5.7 million drop in transportation funding during the past five years.

“Our primary challenge is that we have an already-built city, and in order to create more bike lanes, we would need to take more cars off the road,” said Ric Barrick, director of communications for the City of Charlottesville.

Still, given that the University community overlaps with that of the city, many bicyclists are students or employees at the school.

“Most bicycle infractions deal with U.Va. students and faculty, which is why we’re working on ways to partner with the school,” Barrick said.

During an Oct. 20 community discussion about bike safety, the Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition showed members of the Charlottesville City Council video clips from their trip to Davis, Calif., which is known as one of the more bicycle-friendly communities in the United States. The group described how Davis changed traffic lanes and patterns to create “cycling boulevards,” accommodating both motorists and cyclists.

Davis first implemented its bike system during the 1960s, Heather Higgins of Bike Charlottesville said, and while groups see Davis as the gold standard for bike safety, they understand that they are faced with challenges to update infrastructure for cyclists.

“What we’re looking to do is to bring about a community that is more interconnected, safer for all vulnerable users of the roadways and provides safer, more vibrant streets and communities,” Higgins said at the meeting.

Higgins’ group has suggested new regulations that would improve safety without the added infrastructure of bike lanes. One proposal would allow law enforcement officials to sanction drivers who speed past cyclists in an unsafe manner, without having to penalize them with a severe reckless driving charge. The group also wishes to increase the legal distance for drivers to pass bikers, which is currently two feet.

While the Charlottesville community is working to rein in unsafe behavior from drivers, students recognize that some of the responsibility lies with the bikers themselves.

“I think people do need to be more aware of the dangers of biking in the dark. It just doesn’t occur to them,” said biker and third-year College student Reedy Swanson.

The city has started operation “Share the Road,” where police officers will patrol West Main Street, sanctioning bicyclists and motorists who do not obey traffic laws.

The community of local cyclists sees Charlottesville’s efforts as an occasion to bolster more options for reliable transportation.

“This is an opportunity to look fresh at where cyclist travel and accommodate them as well as motorists,” Higgins said.

On the ballot for Tuesday’s midterm elections are three initiatives that would change the state’s tax and budgeting policies.

For two consecutive years, the proposed constitutional amendments have received bipartisan and nearly unanimous approval when put to a vote before the General Assembly. Amendments must be approved twice before facing voters statewide.

The first initiative proposes giving localities the power to make their own decisions about property tax relief for elderly and disabled residents. State Sen. George Baker, D-Clifton, who sponsored the measure, said it would allow localities to meet the needs of their citizens better.

“What I have found is that there are a number of elderly people in their 80s and 90s who have helped build their communities but are not able to enjoy retirement,” Barker said, adding that many elderly people do not currently qualify for tax relief because of the size of their assets and that this amendment would help them to receive some benefits.

The second initiative, sponsored by state Sen. Linda “Toddy” Puller, D-Mount Vernon, would provide a property tax exemption for veterans with 100 percent service-related disabilities.

Puller, who said she was asked to introduce the amendment by the Department of Veterans Services, stressed two main benefits of the proposal.

“It would send a very strong message [to veterans] that their service is greatly appreciated in Virginia,” she said. “Also, this might save them a little bit of money, maybe even enough to buy a home.”

Maryland — where Puller and her late husband, a former injured veteran, almost moved to — is one of many states that already allow qualified injured veterans to be exempt from property taxes.
“Forty-five states give some kind of property tax relief to veterans,” Puller said. Virginia, as a state with a significant military presence and more than 7,000 veterans who have 100 percent service-related disabilities, should also provide a property tax exemption, she said.

Del. Joe Morrissey, D-Henrico, expressed his support for the initiative but also stated some concerns.

“With respect to giving those veterans a benefit in their taxes, I’m concerned about the number of entities or organizations that might request similar benefits,” Morrissey said. “It’s hard to argue against tax benefits for a veteran who has a 100 percent permanent and total disability. Similarly, it is hard to argue that a first responder also with injuries should not have the same benefits of exemption. We need to be prepared for that.”

Ballot Question No. 3 proposes increasing the cap on the state’s Revenue Stabilization Fund ­— commonly known as the rainy day fund — from 10 percent to 15 percent of the commonwealth’s average income and retail sales tax revenues from the preceding three years. Doing so would provide a greater cushion for the state during economic downturns.

“We want to put us in a better position when the next recession hits,” Barker said. “We did not have enough revenue in the fund when the recent recession hit.”

Morrissey said he also supported the third initiative, as well.

“Anybody who has witnessed the economic downturn that we have experienced in the last three months knows that we need a cushion,” Morrissey said. “Last year was the first time in eight decades that we have had a decrease in revenues two years in a row. That itself gives me a great reason to be concerned about the stability in revenue, and it is all the more reason to have a bolstered rainy day fund.”

After evaluating nine categories relating to green energy practices, the Sustainable Endowments Institute’s Green 2011 Report Card gave the University an overall B grade, an improvement from last year’s B-.

The report provides in-depth sustainability profiles and includes those institutions with the 300 largest endowments in the United States and Canada.

“The goal of the report card is to highlight schools that are excelling in promoting sustainability on campus in their operations and within their endowment opportunities,” said Susan Paykin, director of communications for the Sustainable Endowments Institute.

The average grade given to the surveyed colleges was a B, with 56 percent of surveyed colleges receiving the mark.

The University received As in six of the nine grading components, doing well in administration, food & recycling, green building, student involvement, transportation and investment priorities. For failing to make its shareholder voting record public, the University received a failing grade in the area of endowment transparency. It also was among the 41 percent of reporting schools that received an F in shareholder management.

Sustainability groups on Grounds said the University’s overall grade increase since last year reflects a greater awareness regarding environmental issues.

“I’ve noticed that there’s been a convergence of sustainable thinking and sustainable practices at most sectors of University life,” said Halley Epstein, co-chair of Student Council’s Environmental Sustainability Committee. “We have found the administration more accepting than ever of projects that we want to push through. This is not only at the student level but also at the very high level of decision-making.”

Leonard Sandridge, executive vice president and chief operating officer, addressed in an e-mail the University’s failing grades in areas related to its endowment, which is managed by the University of Virginia Investment Management Company.

“It is not UVIMCO’s policy to make public its voting or investment decisions,” he said. “UVIMCO aims to optimize investment return and is currently invested in funds that make renewable energy and clean technology investments.” The University earned an A grade this year in its investment priorities after receiving a C in last year’s report because of the greater emphasis it has placed on green technologies.

Sandridge added that with the appointment of UVIMCO’s new chief executive officer, Lawrence Kochard, the group plans to review its policies related to transparency.

Other Virginia universities also achieved positive recognition. Virginia Tech received a B+ on the Green Report Card, and Virginia Commonwealth University, one of the overall leaders in college sustainability, scored an A-. Paykin reported that only 16 percent of universities received an A grade.

Paykin said she has noticed a dramatic improvement in sustainability efforts since the creation of the Green Report Card five years ago. Forty percent of universities reported having a sustainability committee in 2006, while this year, 95 percent have established similar bodies.

At the University, the President’s Sustainability Committee, which advises senior officials on all matters related to sustainability, is comprised of “a lot of highly motivated and very capable folks who are pulling in the same direction,” said Bill Keene, a member of the committee, who stressed the importance of “leading by example.”

“We have to walk the walk and talk the talk,” he said. “If we want to educate others about sustainable solutions, we have to be a sustainable institution.”

The former University president will be the first recipient of the award. Photo by Toby Loewenstein.

The University has established an award to honor individuals who have committed themselves to diversity and equity.

The award — named for former President John T. Casteen, III — will be given to individuals who have made a significant impact on the University’s diversity and inclusion, said Marcus Martin, interim vice president and chief officer of Diversity and Equity.

“We would like for the recipient to have achieved a sustainable and quantifiable impact on diversity, equity and inclusion at the University of Virginia,” Martin added.

Recipients of the John Casteen, III Diversity-Equity-Inclusion Award must be current University students, faculty or staff members.

The first recipient of the award is Casteen himself, who demonstrated a commitment to diversity and minority outreach throughout his time on Grounds, Martin said.

While dean of admissions from 1975-82, Casteen worked to increase the number of minority applicants to the University, Martin said. He then influenced the state’s college desegregation efforts as the Virginia secretary of education from 1982-85. He did not return to the University until 1990, when he began his tenure as president. In 2003, Casteen established the creation of AccessUVA, a financial program that aims to extend financial aid opportunities to all lower-income, academically eligible students. Casteen also established the President’s Commission on Diversity and Equity during his time in office.

The recipient of the award, who will be chosen by a selection committee comprised of University officials and community members, will be announced each spring.

—compiled by Radina Belberova

The Federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices announced Wednesday that teenagers should receive a booster dose of the bacterial meningitis vaccine rather than a single dose.

Officials noted that recent studies have revealed that a single dose is not as effective as previously believed. Consequently, Student Health will begin recommending the booster to University students next year, Director James Turner said. The recommendation will be given only to students who received the meningococcal vaccine in 2005, which will mostly be incoming first-year students.

Bacterial meningitis is an infection of the meninges, the layers of tissue that encase the brain and the spinal cord. The disease first makes itself apparent by causing an upper respiratory tract infection, then travels through the bloodstream to the brain. Bacterial meningitis is spread through direct contact with fluid from the mouth or throat of an infected person, such as by coughing, sneezing or kissing. Symptoms can develop in a matter of hours to a few days and include high fever, headache, stiff neck, confusion, seizures and a rash. Surviving victims may suffer from mental disabilities, hearing loss and paralysis.

High-school and college students are highly encouraged to get vaccinated against meningitis, as the risk of getting the disease increases in crowded areas, such as dormitories. In 2007, an ACIP panel said the vaccine should be given to children ages 11-12 and would be effective for the next 10 years. More recent studies, however, have shown that the meningitis vaccine is only effective for less than five years.

“We hoped the antibody levels in young people that got [the vaccination] would stay rather high for several years,” Turner said. “But as it turns out, they’ve done some additional studies and the antibody levels start dropping in four years after receiving the vaccine.”

With the vaccination, experts hope antibody levels will remain high and ward off infection.

“Now we have time to see how well the vaccine is working in the kids who got the vaccine three to five years ago,” said Amanda Cohn, an expert with the Centers for Disease Control.
The panel debated a second option before making its recommendation, also considering whether doctors should give the single dose to students when they are between 14 and 15 years old. By a vote of 6-5, the majority decided that it would be easier and less confusing to implement the booster shot.

But there have been some doubts as to whether this booster shot is actually necessary because the occurrence of bacterial meningitis in the United States is at a historically low level. A survey of 207 universities and 2 million students found that during the 2008-09 academic year, only 11 cases of bacterial meningitis occurred, leading to three deaths.

“The rates of meningococcal disease are much lower than they were 10 years ago. The general population is not at high risk for this disease,” Cohn said.

Nearly 100 percent of people who come in contact with the bacteria do not contract the disease, Turner said, and instead, they became carriers for it. Once they develop antibodies against meningitis, the bacteria go away.

“But the people who do get sick get critically ill,” Turner said. “There is a 15 percent mortality rate for young adults. Even though it’s a rare disease, it’s extremely serious.”

During the last 10 years, there have been two cases of meningitis at the University, but both students had underlying risk factors, Turner said.

In September 2006, fourth-year College student Jennifer Leigh Wells, who lived off Grounds with her family, contracted bacterial meningitis and died shortly after being taken to the University Hospital. Three years later, in March 2009, another fourth-year student was taken to the hospital for meningitis but was treated in time with antibiotics.

The University became one of the first schools to start vaccinating against meningitis during the 1990s, and it was not until 2001 that the vaccines were required for undergraduate students. Although students can sign a waiver to avoid vaccination, 95 percent of University undergraduate students and 77 percent of the entire student body are vaccinated, Turner said.

Turner said he believes the vaccination is worthwhile to provide maximum protection to University students. “It’s to prevent future cases. We don’t want to wait for more cases to appear before we start giving the booster,” he said.

Cohn said the booster will cost about the same as the vaccine Menactra, which costs about $90.

Senior Keith Payne rushed for 69 yards on 13 carries against Eastern Michigan last weekend. Payne’s two rushing touchdowns brought his season total to 10, the most by a Cavalier since 2005. Photo by Thomas Bynum.

After earning its first win against an FBS opponent last week, the Virginia football team faces No. 22 Miami tomorrow as it hopes to even its overall record and gain headway in the ACC standings.

The Hurricanes (5-2, 3-1 ACC) have played exceptionally well in the ACC, losing only to Florida State, the top-ranked school in the Atlantic Division. Miami currently sits at second in the Coastal Division behind Virginia Tech.

Led by junior quarterback Jacory Harris, the Hurricanes are averaging 339 yards per game. But Harris has struggled with accuracy this year, completing only 54 percent of his passes while throwing 10 interceptions. Still, Harris is a playmaker and has thrown for 1,561 yards and 14 touchdowns on the year.

“[He’s] a guy that’s not scared to throw it up there,” junior cornerback Chase Minnifield said. “It’s going to be a good challenge for us as a defense and as a secondary.”

Miami’s offense will provide a challenge to the Cavalier defense as Virginia currently ranks 114th in the FBS against the run. The Cavaliers, however, rank second in the ACC in pass defense and should be able to force turnovers against Harris.

On the offensive end of the ball, the Cavaliers will face a tough Hurricane defense that has held its opponents to only 18 points per game on average. Senior quarterback Marc Verica has continued improving throughout the season, throwing two touchdowns and no interceptions against Eastern Michigan last week. Senior running back Keith Payne has taken charge as Virginia’s leading rusher, averaging 4.9 yards per carry, and has accumulated 10 touchdowns for the season. Of Miami’s 13 touchdowns allowed this season, 10 of them have come on the ground.

“We have to be creative in moving the ball around, doing things up front to stop the run, just play as many people as we can,” Virginia coach Mike London said. “We’re going to need luck and good bounces. We’re going to need a lot of things in our favor to help us.”

The game is scheduled to begin at noon at Scott Stadium.

Junior midfielder Brian Ownby leads the Cavaliers in goals scored with seven and has started all 14 games this season. Photo by Jack Prominski.

After a two-week break from men’s soccer, Klöckner Stadium will open its doors Friday night for one of the ACC’s fiercest rivalries, as No. 3 Maryland squares off against the No. 11 Cavaliers.

During the previous two seasons, Virginia (9-2-3, 2-2-2 ACC) has won two matches, lost two matches and tied once against the Terrapins.

“This game is for pride. Maryland is our biggest rival. So we go in, we beat them, we’ll have so much going for us going into the postseason,” redshirt junior midfielder Jimmy Simpson said.

It seems, though, that familiarity does indeed breed contempt. During the past five matches, the teams have combined to receive a staggering six red cards.

Sophomore midfielder Ari Dimas said the close distance between the two teams explains much of the shared hostility.

“There’s the geographic factor,” Dimas said. “We recruit many of the same players, and so all of these guys on Virginia or Maryland are guys that could have played at either school and for whatever reason went with the other.”

Maryland (11-2-1, 5-1-1 ACC) owes much of its success to junior Matt Kassel. The midfielder leads his team in goals with six and has notched an ACC-leading eight assists on the year. Defensively, Maryland is led by junior goalkeeper Zac MacMath, who has the most shutouts in the ACC thus far with eight. Maryland currently is second in the ACC to North Carolina, which defeated the Terrapins early in the season and have clinched the regular season title.

Trailing MacMath in the ACC shutout count is Virginia’s Diego Restrepo. The senior goalkeeper has seven shutouts on the season and has allowed only eight goals, which leads the ACC and ranks 11th best nationally. Junior forward Brian Ownby has been in form as of late, scoring five goals in the previous five matches and now leads the Cavaliers with seven goals on the season. It is still unclear, though, whether he will be able to play alongside fellow forward sophomore Will Bates, who was injured early in the James Madison match Oct. 12 and has yet to return.

Restrepo and the rest of the Virginia squad, ranked fourth in the ACC behind Wake Forest, will be looking to improve their seeding heading into the ACC Tournament, which starts Nov. 10.

The match begins at 7 p.m. at Klöckner Stadium.

It is rare that a keeper scores a goal for her own side, but N.C. State goalkeeper Kim Kern did just that last night against the Cavaliers, airmailing a free kick into the goal from midfield less than four minutes into the game. Despite the early goal, though, the team managed to recover behind scores from sophomore midfielder Erica Hollenberg and freshman forward Gloria Douglas, earning Virginia the 2-1 home victory.

Kern’s free kick, taken at the 3:23 mark, soared untouched through the area as players jostled for position to come down with it. Virginia junior goalkeeper Chantel Jones said she was fouled during the scuffle.

“I don’t want to blame anyone, but I went up to get [the ball], I had a clear shot at it, and I saw [an N.C. State player] come out of the corner of my eye and just hit me and the ball went in,” she said.

The equalizer came in the 14th minute, as Hollenberg gathered a Jones free kick from midfield in the box. Jones, with a defender on her arm, made a dribble move and tapped the ball into the back of the net from six yards out.

“Well, Chantel kicked it, and I always look for behind the defenders if someone gets a flick on it, and it just so happened that I got on to it,” Hollenberg said. “The girl was pulling me, but you just gotta fight through and get a scrappy goal sometimes — it’s not always going to be pretty.”

After a Cavalier-dominated end to the first half, it was Douglas who finally got the advantage for the Cavaliers off a pass from senior midfielder Sinead Farrelly outside of the box. She took two dribbles to her left to get around the defender and blasted a shot to the upper right corner past a stunned keeper. It was Douglas’ third game-deciding goal of the season.

“It’s hard to contain her one-on-one,” Virginia coach Steve Swanson said after the game. “She got past just the one kid, and you know she did a great job finishing it. She’s really saved us on a couple of occasions, just provided a good spark for us.“

But despite getting the win, the Cavaliers squandered chances throughout, taking a total of 25 shots. The number of goals Virginia scores is particularly important this late in the conference schedule, when goal differential becomes a factor in tie-breakers.

“I just didn’t think we were as sharp as we have been,” Swanson said. “Our decisions weren’t as consistent as they normally have been either. And our finishing wasn’t as good as it has been.”

Virginia (12-3-2, 6-2-1 ACC), currently tied for third in the conference, will finish off its ACC schedule with a match Sunday against Clemson (6-12-0, 0-9 ACC) in South Carolina. The Tigers have lost 11 out of their last 12 games, the lone win coming Oct. 24 against non-conference opponent Francis Marion. During its 11 losses, Clemson has only scored seven times, a mere fifth of its opponents’ 31 goals.

The Cavaliers trail North Carolina (15-2-1, 7-2 ACC) in the standings, and each team only has one game remaining in its regular season. The orange and blue still have the potential to finish first in the regular season — but that would require defeating both Maryland and North Carolina. It is more likely that Virginia will take a third- or fourth-place finish and see an opening round ACC Tournament game against Wake Forest.

“It’s going to be a tough game, you know,” Jones said. “They have nothing to lose. We have everything to lose right now. We could potentially be in the top spot, so we just have to go down … and just focus on beating them.”

Junior midfielder Rachel Jennings will face her sister Tara Saturday for the fourth time in her career Saturday. Photo by Toby Loewenstein.

The third-ranked Virginia field hockey team will head south to Durham to face Duke Saturday for its final regular-season game. The Cavaliers are riding a three-game winning streak and will look to extend their momentum heading into the ACC Tournament next week as the likely No. 3 seed.

The No. 18 Blue Devils (8-9, 0-4 ACC) are fighting for a postseason berth, having struggled in a competitive conference this year. They are coming off a 2-1 loss against Penn State last Saturday and will funnel their attack through freshman midfielder Emmie Le Marchand, who has eight goals and three assists on the season.

“Duke is in a must-win situation,” Virginia coach Michele Madison said. “We have to bring our best game to the field. We’re going to look at what went right in the [win against] Wake Forest, build from there and prepare for Duke.”

During the Cavaliers’ 4-1 win against Wake Forest last Saturday, the Cavaliers (14-2, 2-2 ACC) took 18 shots to just eight by the Demon Deacons, while the defense gave up just one penalty corner. Madison said Virginia’s performance during that contest was one of the team’s most effective and complete showings.

“Our performance against [Wake Forest] was positive. We started out strong and played really fast, improving on maintaining possession of the ball and keeping things simple,” Madison said.

Madison said the Cavaliers’ practice sessions have focused on maintaining possession, a sticking point for the team this season. “The best defense is keeping possession of the ball and staying on the attack,” she said.

Next week, the Cavaliers will enter the ACC Tournament, where they may face No. 2 North Carolina and No. 1 Maryland — the only teams that have defeated Virginia this season.

“It’s a tough conference, obviously, the best conference for field hockey,” senior goalkeeper Kim Kastuk said. “We know we’re a good team so our [conference record] isn’t disheartening, but we want to finish 3-2 in the ACC.”