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(01/15/09 8:33am)
The University’s decision to suspend classes for three hours next Tuesday will allow more students to watch the swearing-in of the nation’s 44th president, but if it is cancelling some classes on that day, the University might as well cancel them all. In future inauguration years, the University should plan sufficiently far in advance to allow students to attend the inauguration.Cancelling classes from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. does not provide nearly enough time for students to travel to Washington to experience the event in person. It will, however, let students watch on television without worrying about missing class. For students who were debating whether to skip class anyway, this arrangement is a relief. Many professors likely would have cancelled class themselves, but those who did not would have been asking their students to miss out on a historic event. Suspending classes avoids the confusion that would have occurred otherwise and affords all students a chance to witness democracy in action. Though it is a step in the right direction, the adjusted schedule fails to benefit from one of the University’s particular assets: its proximity to the nation’s capital. It is no coincidence that a university just down the road from the District of Columbia has a large number of students majoring in politics. Its geographical location is one of the University’s draws, and Inauguration Day is an opportunity to exploit it. Not every school in the country can offer its students a chance to observe government in person. It is a waste for the University not to do so by offering a day off for Inauguration Day. This semester’s unusual schedule — starting on a Tuesday (but with Monday’s class schedule), followed by a three-day weekend — means that Inauguration Day is the first time Tuesday-only classes will meet. This made cancelling classes for Inauguration Day impractical. But in the future, schedules could be planned around inauguration events. If classes had started only a day earlier, cancelling all classes on Tuesday would not have been a problem, since Tuesday classes could have met during the first week of the semester.Planning in advance will also eliminate the accusations of partisanship that have accompanied the University’s action. We do not believe the administration intended to endorse a political view with its decision. For whatever reason — President-elect Barack Obama’s historic candidacy and the massive student participation in his election both likely contributed — there are clearly far more students interested in watching this inauguration than there have been in past years. Acknowledging this fact is not a partisan act. It is easy to see, however, why those people who are convinced academia is a mechanism of liberal indoctrination would interpret the suspension of classes as an endorsement of Obama’s presidency. Establishing a day off for Inauguration Day as a permanent University policy would render such accusations unfounded. Though we wish the University had planned years in advance to allow students to attend the inauguration, it is now too late for it to cancel all classes. The administration can still encourage professors to forgive students’ absences from class if they choose to go to Washington, and it should ask that the professors make their intention to do so clear as soon as possible.
(01/15/09 8:27am)
Washington, D.C. awaits epic inaugurationWith pundits speculating that President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration will have the largest attendance in U.S. history, America’s capital will be bouncing for days. A total of 10 official inaugural balls will be held Tuesday, alongside 10 unofficial balls. Saturday through Monday will see several other balls — the Huffington Post ball and the Green Inaugural Ball hosted by Al Gore — as well as concerts involving Will.i.am, Common and Miley Cyrus. Celebrities such as Oprah, Kanye West and Jay-Z are rumored to be in attendance throughout the weekend. —by stephanie garciaRadiohead’s first three albums re-issuedEMI has announced plans to reissue Radiohead’s first three albums. The re-releases each comprise three discs — one CD containing the original album, another filled with B-sides and rarities, and a DVD containing music videos and live performances. The label has also announced plans to reissue all of Radiohead’s first singles on vinyl. Radiohead, who split with EMI for the release of In Rainbows, has not sanctioned these releases. —by ethan hamlinSlumdog wins Golden Globe for DramaFor the 66th annual Golden Globe awards, Slumdog Millionaire took home a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture in Drama (along with Best Director and Best Screenplay accolades), while Vicky Cristina Barcelona won for best musical/comedy. In television, Mad Men won the drama category and 30 Rock took home the prize for musical/comedy. 30 Rock swept the best actor/actress category for television, with Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey both winning awards.—by ethan hamlin
(01/14/09 5:00am)
Yesterday’s News article “Honor case highlights procedures,” in which an anonymous student who has been expelled from the University on honor charges alleged improprieties in her trial and appeals process has sparked some controversy. Though we had hoped for the article to inspire conversation about possible flaws in the appeals process, all of the conversation seems to be about the article itself. We agree the article could have been improved if it included more specific and detailed comments from the Honor Committee. However, even though the Committee chair said her position prevented her from discussing the specifics of a particular case or her own opinions about the honor system with our reporters, we decided the article contained enough of each perspective to constitute a well-balanced story.The purpose of the article was to explain how the appeals process functions through the lens of one specific case, given that information about other cases is not available. As many good news stories do, it also intended to point out controversial aspects of the status quo and give readers an opportunity to consider them. The article thus included the student’s accusations and a lengthy discussion of the issues involved, citing information that the Honor chair was able to provide.Some students have questioned our decision to allow the student making these allegations to remain anonymous. The Cavalier Daily allows anonymity at the discretion of the editor-in-chief. The Cavalier Daily Book of Policies and Procedures states, “Sources who make legitimate requests that their names not be used and offer important information will be cited anonymously.” In this case, the reason the source requested anonymity was obvious enough: Making her expulsion public knowledge threatened her prospects for the future. The Honor Committee itself makes the same consideration. The student’s first-hand observations of the honor system in action were sufficiently important information to make the decision to grant her anonymity reasonable. If The Cavalier Daily had refused, the article would not have been possible, and the opportunity for the University community to examine the honor appeals process would have been lost. The names of the other individuals mentioned in the article were pertinent information, and since the article would not threaten, for example, their future career prospects, there was not reason for us to take the unusual step of granting anonymity.Reporting on the honor system is difficult but important. The Honor Committee must be subject to its fellow students. Since most students cannot observe most aspects of the honor system first-hand, it falls upon The Cavalier Daily to report on it. This is the role of the press.The role of the press is also to be fair. Several students are outraged that the article did not contain an answer to the anonymous student’s allegations. In fact, we would have preferred to print such a response. The reporter responsible for the article asked Honor Committee Chair Jessica Huang to comment on the allegations, and she explained that she was unable to do so. Instead, the reporter made an effort to include the next best thing in the article, resulting in an back-and-forth discussion of honor policies in hypothetical situations between Huang and Hoos Against Single Sanction President Sam Leven.The result was an even-handed discussion of the current appeals process that accompanied the specifics of the student’s allegations. We agree the story would have provided a more complete picture of the honor system if it had included a response from the Committee. It is disappointing that Huang could not provide one. Perhaps if the Honor Committee allowed students who wish to have their trial discussed publicly to waive their privacy rights voluntarily, the Committee could provide more detailed information about those trials. Such a system would allow us University students to understand their honor system better.
(01/14/09 5:00am)
Charlottesville resident Reynold Samuels Jr., 40, was sentenced yesterday to 24 years and four months in federal prison after pleading guilty to one count of conspiring to distribute controlled substances and one count of copyright infringement.According to U.S. Attorney spokesperson Brian McGinn, Samuels was selling bootleg DVDs out of a storefront on the Charlottesville Downtown Mall and “admitted that he was the supervisor of a distribution organization that distributed over 3,000 kilograms of marijuana.” Charlottesville Police Lieut. Don Campbell said Samuels had been investigated for three to four years before he was indicted in February 2008 for conspiracy, adding that Samuels was dealing cocaine as well as marijuana. McGinn said several other members of Samuels’ organization have also been indicted, including Reynold Samuels’ brother, Carl Samuels, 37, who — along with Jevon Barnett, 22, Reginald Bly, 37, Joe Williams, 29, and Andre Williams — has been sentenced to at least 12 months in prison. Other co-conspirators Travis Barnett and Penny Miles — whose ages were not available as of press time — have both pled guilty but have not yet been sentenced.McGinn added that it is unclear whether Jevon and Travis Barnett are related or whether Joe and Andre Williams are related, but the U.S. Attorney’s office is not calling it a family conspiracy. McGinn and Campbell both said there has been no evidence to show that Samuels’ business had dealings with University students. McGinn added, however, that these arrests have removed a significant source of drugs from Charlottesville. “This takes a substantial amount of marijuana off the streets of the city,” McGinn said.—compiled by Kelly Morenus
(01/13/09 5:00am)
At the beginning of a new year, the Managing Board of The Cavalier Daily — like many of the newspaper’s readers, no doubt — likes to take the opportunity to consider its faults and resolve to address them. In that spirit, we publicly resolve to continue to strive for excellence in journalism — to bring you accurately reported, well-written content every day we are in publication. Of course, we are not the only organization on Grounds that aims to improve itself annually, and with that in mind, we offer the following resolutions for some of the others.The Honor Committee should resolve to kick its drinking habit — its Kool-Aid drinking habit, that is. A diversity of opinion strengthens any organization, and that would be especially true in the leadership of an honor system that suffers from a lack of credibility and is in desperate need of reform. Talking to most members of the Honor Committee, one would think the system is as strong as it ever was — and that the single sanction worked perfectly. It is unclear what percentage of the student body supports the single sanction, but it is clearly far less than the percentage of Committee members and support officers who do. Almost three years have gone by since University students asked the Committee to investigate alternatives to the single sanction, and 2009 should be the year the Committee finally does so in earnest.Student Council needs to get organized this year. Council’s agenda is cluttered with minor initiatives that are the pet projects of individual Council members, as well as other programs that likely will not be sustainable in the long run. Council should reevaluate some of them and establish mechanisms for the others to be continued under future Council administrations. One such project that needs to become a more stable institution is the University Unity Project and the several initiatives that were established along with it last semester. Matt Schrimper’s brainchild does not need to expire along with his administration, but unless a permanent committee on the project is established and guidelines for it codified, it could easily become just another casualty of Council’s short institutional memory.The athletic department should resolve to read more often. Specifically, it should read all of the bad press its actions have generated. From the “Sea of Orange” to last year’s ban on signs, the athletic department has been slowly watering down the University’s athletic traditions. Judging from the public reaction to these policies, it seems as if most fans preferred a poor football team with rich traditions to the current mediocre team that resembles every other program in the country. When the department finishes reading the volumes of writing critical of this priority shift, it can get started on the many editorials and blog posts calling for an end to Al Groh’s tenure.Applied to individual students, these resolutions are a recipe for a successful semester in the classroom: reading the requisite material, staying organized and drinking less — or at least responsibly. They leave out something important, however. Rather than finishing their degree, padding their resume and getting out of here, they should resolve to make the most of their remaining time at the University by effecting positive change in the community.
(01/13/09 5:00am)
The University will suspend classes Jan. 20 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to allow members of the University community to watch the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama.The University also plans to open John Paul Jones Arena to the public and will be showing live coverage of the inauguration that afternoon beginning at 11:30 a.m., University Provost Arthur Garson said.The decision was made, Garson noted, after a number of individuals contacted him and President John T. Casteen, III to push for a schedule change.“We have heard that a number of our students are planning to be in Washington next Tuesday but we knew that all would not be attending in person and we wanted to be able to allow students here in Charlottesville to participate in this great exercise in democracy,” Garson said.Rather than doing nothing to recognize the inauguration or cancelling classes for the whole day, Garson and others “wanted to strike a balance” between the two, he added.Students planning to go to Washington likely will still miss their Tuesday classes before and after that time slot.Second-year College student Meredith Davis said she thinks that there should be no classes Inauguration Day. “It only comes once every four years,” she explained. “And this one especially is a historic one.”Second-year College student Ja’anai Delaney, however, said she expected no kind of academic break from classes and is thankful that the University is providing a three-hour break.“I don’t see any reason why they would cancel classes for the whole day,” she said. “[The new schedule is] reasonable,” Delaney said.Garson similarly noted that he thinks the schedule should work well.“We have a small window ... to allow our students to participate via long distance and we are pleased to be able to offer them this opportunity,” Garson said. —compiled by Bethel Habte
(12/05/08 8:48am)
Douglas Emory Loyd, a University Information Technology and Communication faculty technical advocate for the Law School, was arrested Wednesday morning by the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office. He was charged with three counts of attempted indecent liberties with a child and three counts of use of electronic communications device to solicit a juvenile, according to a Stafford County Sheriff’s Office press release.University spokesperson Carol Wood confirmed that Loyd, 61, is a University employee. She said Loyd most likely will remain an employee until he is either convicted or acquitted of the crimes, but has been suspended pending the investigation.According to the press release, Stafford County Detective Darryl Wells posed as a juvenile child during two months of Internet communications with Loyd.“Loyd had been talking about having oral sex and intercourse with the child,” the release states. “Douglas Loyd set up a meeting in Stafford for Wednesday, December 3 for the purpose of having sex with the juvenile.”Stafford County detectives staked out the spot where Loyd was planning to meet the juvenile and arrested him without incident at about 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, the release states. Wood said it would have been difficult for the University to have known of Loyd’s alleged criminal nature prior to or during his employment at the University. She also noted that it is often difficult to prevent a person who commits an act such as the alleged one from gaining employment at the University if he or she does not have a prior history of arrest.“In the past, there have been several other incidents like this,” Wood said. “And I believe that in each of those instances, the employee was terminated.”The University and its police department, Wood said, is currently cooperating and working closely with the Stafford Sheriff’s Office’s investigation. Loyd is being held at the Rappahannock Regional Jail, according to the release.—compiled by Thomas Madrecki
(12/05/08 8:45am)
A bicyclist traveling eastbound on McCormick Road struck a vehicle Wednesday night and had to be transported to the University Medical Center, according to a University Police Department press release. The bicycle was not equipped with a headlight — a violation of Virginia road safety law — the release states.“In Virginia every bicycle, when in use between sunset and sunrise shall be equipped with a white light on the front emitting a white light visible in clear weather from a distance of at least 500 feet to the front and a red reflector visible from a distance of at least 600 feet to the rear when directly in front of lawful lower beams of headlights on a motor vehicle,” the release states. According to the release, University Police want to remind community members to follow safety precautions and be aware that “both bicycles and motorists must share the road.” Bicycle riders should always wear a helmet, remain alert, make sure their bicycle is fit for riding and obey all traffic laws.The injured cyclist was treated and released from the University Medical Center, the release states.—compiled by Thomas Madrecki
(12/05/08 8:42am)
When and why was the Office of Economic Development created? The University officially created it about ... two years ago and the impetus for it was goals that were established as part of the restructuring initiative ... The University in addition to Virginia Tech and William & Mary went to the state for additional autonomy in finance, financial and administrative areas ... The state in return asked that they meet 12 goals and those ranged kind of all over the place from ensuring access to ensuring quality to an increase in research dollars just to make sure that we maintained ties to the state. Well, one of those 12 goals was economic development, and I think it was felt that it was important to have somebody that was paying attention to that all the time. It doesn’t mean we weren’t doing it in the past; it just was probably hard to fill out to different people’s jobs and this brought it into greater focus. What are the other goals and other missions of the Office of Economic Development? Our main goal is to link the assets of the University with communities and companies to address their economic development needs — in a nutshell, that’s what we do. And that can happen in lots of ways. If you’ve visited the Web site, you’ve probably seen kind of lots of different projects and programs. We want to be good partners with the local community, with the state as a whole and we also, as part of restructuring, [are] committed to partnering with a lag area or a lag region ... that [fell behind] in things like employment, income, maybe education. And since we have ... U.Va,’s College at Wise ... we decided that made sense for us to choose a seven-county southwest Virginia area as our partner in that. How does the Office of Economic Development go about fulfilling those goals? Thinking specifically about companies and sort of a traditional economic development model, you can attract companies to an area, you can support the ones that are currently here and help them grow or at least keep them profitable or you can grow your own ... Supporting faculty entrepreneurship is one way that we do that. ... Statewide, there’s something called the Virginia Economic Development Partnership and [it is] the state’s recruiting arm to bring in jobs to Virginia and, locally there’s something called the Thomas Jefferson Partnership for Economic Development and [it does] the same thing on a regional basis. I think they have somewhere between five and seven counties that are part of that. So one example of how we work with them is ... we recently worked with the state and Virginia Tech to recruit Rolls-Royce to Virginia ... so that’s kind of a new model that helps people see how universities and economic development work together. Our relationship with Virginia Tech was a big draw for Rolls-Royce and helping them decide to land their jet engine facility in Petersburg, [Va.] So they want access to highly trained workers and they want access to research. They don’t really have a large [internal research and development program], they work with the universities to get that ... And, the trend lately has been to outsource more of that because it’s very expensive to keep scientists ... on-staff and support the facilities so now companies are finding that if they can tap into that through universities or small start-ups, then that’s a better way for them to go. So, everybody got something out of this deal. The state got Rolls-Royce to come to Virginia and bring some really good-quality, high-paying jobs. Rolls-Royce gets access to the research at the ... Engineering [School] here at U.Va., the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech and the [University’s] ... Commerce [School]. And there’s money for sponsored research, there’s money for student internships, there’s money for faculty members. All those things are ways that the University certainly can grow and improve so everybody won on that deal. What are your duties as director of economic development? I think probably, most concisely, just to serve as [the University’s] primary point of contact for economic development-related matters and that’s, you know, with community groups and corporate groups ... We work with the county of Albemarle, we work with the Small Business Development Center. So any of those groups that — the Chamber of Commerce — any of those groups that want to partner with the University, I can help them get to the places they need. And the same with companies, if the companies want to hire students, I can point them in the direction of career services. If they want to sponsor some research in a particular area, I can help them find the right faculty member. If they want to get some advice on how to run their business, we can direct them to the ... Commerce [School] or the Darden ... School ... both of which have executive education programs and consulting faculty to assist with things like that. How does the Office of Economic Development go about creating and facilitating research projects as well as community and industry partnerships?...What we do is really develop relationships with the groups that can put these pieces together — so knowing the people, knowing the agencies or the resources, having a good idea of what we have to offer at the University and knowing what else is out there in the state, the region, the country and making sure we’re clear on what each group’s goals are so that as we move forward in a partnership everybody is getting something out of it, because that’s really critical to any successful collaboration.Could you please tell me about the T100 Alumni Mentoring Program?This is a pretty neat program and it’s ... unique. We’ve been looking and we haven’t found another program like it in the U.S. It was the idea of ... an [alumnus] named George McCabe who recognized that there were a lot of young alums out there like himself that had achieved a certain measure of success in the technology world and that they wanted to give back to the University and in ways that involved more than just writing a check, and so what we are able to do through his leadership is put together teams around faculty startups so these could involve alumni [who] are lawyers, marketing people, [and venture capitalists] to help them find money ... And this group of three to five mentors gets together with the faculty startup once a month and they have an hour-long conference call and they talk through the issues, they talk through the goals of the company. They help them identify next steps and what they need to do, what milestones they need to achieve to keep their company moving forward and they serve as sort of a pre-board of directors as these companies are getting up and running and advice — a source of advice — a sounding board. They open their Rolodexes, they’ve provided a number of valuable connections. They review documents, they just really do an extraordinary amount for these companies in addition to donating $3,000 to the program, which we then turn back to the company in the form of grants to help them do things like set up a Web site or if they need to hire somebody to do a marketing analysis ... they as a group decide is needed to get them to the next step.Could you please describe the partnership with the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority?[It is] the agency in Southwest Virginia that we work closely with to make sure that we’re working on the right projects that are going to be of value to the community and make sure they’re in line with what’s already happening ... We were sort of starting from scratch, there [were] just a few lines in the legislation talking about stimulating economic development so it was quite broad. And as a result of the number of focus groups, interviews and visits with key leaders in the area we came up with three focus areas that we thought made sense based on what we heard the needs were and based on what we were able to offer as a university. So one was access to health care, one was K-12 support and the third was business support. And, you know, at first glance some people may wonder how access to health care is related to economic development, and if you look at the old model where it’s just about creating jobs, it is hard to see that connection. But when you think about what the employers really need when they’re considering establishing a base in a region or expanding their operation, they need healthy workers ... [An organization called] Remote Area Medical Clinic [goes] all over the world. They go to jungles of Africa and South America and bring in a team of doctors and nurses for a finite period of time, whether it’s a couple days or weeks and provide health care. Well, they’ve been doing that in Wise for six or seven years at the Wise County Fair Grounds and it’s amazing to see the number of people that come the night before. They spend the night in their cars so that they can get in line to see a doctor or a dentist. VCU brings up a big team of dentists, we send a big team of doctors and nurses, there [are] a number of other groups that contribute and volunteer that effort. And I think we all recognize that while that was that was very valuable work and extremely appreciated, it was really just a Band-Aid and to help provide additional access, you know, throughout the year, not just for a weekend in July. We’ve been exploring ways that we can really extend our health services to that area. [Pediatrics Prof.] Karen Rheuban has been working with telemedicine efforts in that area for years and years and years. Our pediatric group, our neurology group have been seeing patients in that area at speciality clinics for decades. And so we’re trying to figure out what other models we can use because telemedicine is great but having in-face person-to-person contact is obviously ideal. So we’ve started through the help of some funding from the President’s Office and also some funding that we’ve received from the Tobacco Commission ... So this is just getting started, and the idea is for these to come down three or four times a year. The doctors would see the patients, do a lot of screening, help train some of the workers in the area to do some of the procedures and really kind of build the capacity in that area and then follow up with the patients in between visits in telemedicine. And working with local doctors, a lot of them are general practitioners who do things called tumor boards where the doctors can get together via a satellite link and look at X-rays together and look at MRIs, talk about what pathology slides revealed and make recommendations about treatment. So it’s not just about bringing them all up to Charlottesville to get treated, which is what happens with a lot of the patients, but to help, you know, build the infrastructure in the area that people can get served in their region and just continue providing whatever support and expertise that we have that we can.What are some of the University’s most recent start-up enterprises and companies?There are a couple that might be [of] interest. The one that’s gotten a lot of press lately is a company called Adenosine Therapeutics, and that’s not a new startup, but the reason people are excited about it is because it’s a very successful startup, and the success rate is not great for any new ventures I think, it’s between 40 and 70 percent for any new business not necessarily tied to a university. This is a company that’s been around for a number of years. It’s based on the research of faculty members at U.Va. and [it was] recently bought by a company called Clinical Data, which is a global biotech firm. It’s a good model because over the years as the company was ramping up, [it] used knowledge that was created in the labs at U.Va., went into the company where [employees] were developing real-world applications for extending this out in the community — they were taking the information they got during that application process to then feed back into the lab. It was sort of a circle, an iterative circle between the basic research happening in the lab and the implied research happening in the company. And over the years, Adenosine sponsored more than a million dollars worth of research at U.Va. and have a number of licenses from the University, so it’s a nice circular iterative process, which we like to see....One of my favorites is PluroGen, which was started by [Plastic Surgery Profs.] Adam Katz ... and George Rodeheaver ... They have both developed a product ... [that is] a topical antimicrobial cream. They’ve been using their own concoction on patients for years in the burn unit and they found that it really did a nice job of healing the skin better than anything else they could find on the market. And at some point somebody decided that maybe they ought to be looking into commercializing this so it could be available more broadly ...Is there anything else that you would like to add?I guess something that we sort of started with ... combining forces and looking at new ways of partnering with communities and companies, not just to help them, but to help us. We learn a lot as we’re doing this. Again, it reinforces our knowledge, it creates new knowledge and it helps both parties. ... I think the communities are really starting to realize that universities are a great asset. Just by sort of sitting here we contribute to the Charlottesville [Metropolitan Statistical Area], ... through paychecks, the payroll, it’s through paying for the construction of new facilities, visitors who come in who spend money at the restaurants, the shops, hotels — that’s sort of half of it, that sort of is just the impact based on being here. But the economic development piece is a much more proactive, directed approach and the people like [at] Rolls-Royce [who] are very interested in cutting-edge technology and research that’s coming out of the universities are looking at universities in a new way. And I think economic developers across Virginia and across the country are looking at universities in different ways as a real partner and working with companies. It used to be about, you know where can you find the cheapest land, where can you find the cheapest labor so that traditional manufacturing companies could be profitable. That’s no longer the model; it’s really more about helping the companies find high-skilled workers and access to cutting-edge knowledge. They’re going to base their decisions on where to locate or expand based on how easily they can access that and so I think people are recognizing that higher [education] can be a really critical asset in attracting new investment.Conducted by Stephanie Kassab
(12/05/08 8:22am)
On the 12th day of finals, The Cav Daily gave to me...12 years representing (before Virgil Goode lost to Tom Perriello)11 years a-chairing (before University professor Julian Bond announced he will step down as chair of the NAACP)10 Republicans electing (before Virginia voted for a Democratic candidate for president for the first time since 1964)9 Olympians competing (current and former Cavalier took how several medals in Beijing) 8 Lawns a-lighting (this time, using energy-efficient bulbs)7 Society a-giving (14,777.77 to a student-proposed project)6 percent a-voting (in a fall student referendum)5 football wins!4 Unity initiatives (FreeRide, Lighten’ Up, Don’t Sign It!, and a request for free parking at the Central Grounds garage)3 more years of Al Groh2 shipboard trials (prompting the Honor Committee to amend its Semester at Sea policies)... and a flaming manhole on the front page. (See yesterday’s Cavalier Daily)
(12/04/08 7:24am)
Students on their way to class yesterday found the McCormick Road pedestrian crosswalk on Monroe Hill blocked off by University Police and Charlottesville Fire Department vehicles. Flames were observed coming out of the manhole cover in the eastbound lane of McCormick Road by Clark Hall, and authorities were notified shortly after, University spokesperson Carol Wood said.“By the time police and fire responded, there [were] no visible flames but there was smoke coming up from the tunnel,” Wood said. “They think that someone may have dropped something through the grate on to the tunnel floor below accidentally.”No one was in the tunnel when flames occurred, Wood said. The eastbound lane of McCormick Road may require some work, most likely by Facilities Management, she added.Overall, the disruption was handled well, Wood said. “Police and fire and facilities responded very quickly to the incident,” Wood said. “All the necessary measures are being taken to ensure the safety of everyone who passes that way.” —compiled by Matt Denton and Emily Poe
(12/04/08 6:54am)
In January, students will return to class on a Tuesday, but they’ll attend their Monday classes. Although the schedule sent to students in an e-mail Tuesday is unusual, it is clearly the best choice, given the University’s start date for classes.Traditionally, the University has begun courses on a Wednesday. This meant that Monday- and Tuesday-only classes did not meet during the first week of classes, but since they met at the beginning of the second week, that was not really a problem. In the spring semesters, however, that arrangement has caused problems because the start of the semester is closely followed by Martin Luther King Day. In past years, the University has dealt with the issue by not giving students, professors and support staff a break from classes on Martin Luther King Day. Refusing to honor King with a day off was always controversial, however, so last year the University cancelled classes for the holiday.A day off less than a week into the semester seemed strange, though, and more importantly classes that met only on Monday were left with one less week of classes. They did not have their first meeting until after most classes had been meeting for two weeks. The schedule for this spring’s first classes avoids this delay in Monday courses while still affording a day off for Martin Luther King Day. Moving Monday classes to a Tuesday is a little confusing, but we trust students will have no trouble figuring it out. The e-mail from the provost’s office students received this week was a good step toward making sure students are aware of the new schedule, and it ought to send another e-mail as the semester approaches.Giving every course adequate opportunities to meet should be the first goal of the University Calendar Committee, but as demonstrated in the committee’s creative solution for this year, that goal does not have to prevent the University from giving students a day to honor King’s legacy.Unfortunately, this year the schedule might prevent some students from celebrating that legacy in an exciting and unique way — attending the inauguration of Barack Obama. The inauguration is on the day after Martin Luther King Day, which is the first day that Tuesday-only classes will meet. Since professors are allowed to drop students from classes if they do not attend the first meeting, many students who would otherwise attend the inauguration might instead be stuck in Charlottesville for a course meeting that will likely consist of a quick glance at the syllabus and an introduction.Professors teaching classes on Tuesday this spring should forgive absences for students who attend the inauguration. They should make their intention to do so clear to students beforehand, so no one feels obliged to miss an historic opportunity.The inauguration issue is only a problem this year, however. There most likely will not be another presidential inauguration for another four years, and even then it will probably not attract as much interest as Barack Obama’s swearing-in. The schedule proposed by the University Calendar Committee should become the standard for future spring semesters.
(12/04/08 6:34am)
Music: 10. Cut/Copy — In Ghost ColoursThese dance-punkers came into their own this year with an album populated by catchy melodies, upbeat grooves and “Hearts on Fire” – one of the year’s best singles.9. Hercules and Love Affair — Hercules and Love AffairHercules and Love Affair’s self-titled debut was the spiritual heir to LCD Soundsystem’s Sound of Silver, offering up this year’s selection of disco anthems.8. M83 — Saturdays = YouthM83’s love letter to the 1980s is at once nostalgic and refreshing, filled with fresh tracks that sound as though they could be coming from vintage radio.7. Lil’ Wayne — Tha Carter IIIThis year’s album from mainstream rap’s resident eccentric was his biggest and best yet — who could deny chart-toppers like “A Milli” and “Lollipop”?6. Nine Inch Nails — The SlipTrent Reznor’s no-strings-attached free download for this album may have gotten the blogs talking, but even more impressive was the music — his best since the 90s.5. Portishead — ThirdAfter a long hiatus, trip-hoppers Portishead returned with an album that was instantly heralded as an equal to their fantastic work from last decade.4. Fleet Foxes — Fleet FoxesFleet Foxes’ self-titled debut heralded the arrival of 2008’s most promising new band, sounding like the Beach Boys camped out somewhere in the Cascade Range.3. Deerhunter — MicrocastleDeerhunter’s Bradford Cox continues to turn out music at an incredible rate, and each release betters the last — at this rate, the band’s next will be one of the decade’s best.2. Vampire Weekend — Vampire WeekendThe debut from Cambridge University’s finest distilled Paul Simon’s Graceland into no-frills pop songs that were fun and preposterously, unpretentiously catchy.1. TV on the Radio — Dear Science Realizing the enormous potential of Return to Cookie Mountain and then some, TV on the Radio’s latest opus is funkier, catchier and more immediate than its forebears.Movies: 10. Quantum of SolaceThe latest Bond flick didn’t quite match the excellence of 2006’s Casino Royale, but it was still one of the year’s most engaging and enjoyable action flicks.9. AustraliaAlready hailed as one of the best films of the year, Australia merges drama and beauty without the usually requisite cheesiness — a must-see.8. Smart PeopleThe quirky, yet sassy indie-flick of the year.7. Sex and the CityFans waited long enough for the TV show to hit the big screen and luckily, few were disappointed.6. Burn After ReadingA star-studded cast of George Clooney, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich and Brad Pitt served as the tinder for one of the Coen Brothers’ greatest comedies yet.5. Tropic ThunderThe funniest film of the year, without a doubt. With some of comedy’s heavy hitters and a meta concept — a film within a film — there’s little not to “lol” about. 4. Iron ManWhile this editor was skeptical, the film met all expectations and earned actor Robert Downey, Jr. double accolades on tableau’s top 10 of 2008.3. WALL-EOne of the finest Pixar movies was also, without a doubt, one of the most endearing films of the year. Who knew that robot romance could be so adorable?2. The Diving Bell and the ButterflyThis French film was both heart-wrenching and magnificently produced, earning its place as one of the year’s finest and most affecting feature films.1. The Dark KnightCombine Bale, Ledger and Eckhart with the classic Batman tale, bake until golden brown, then sit back and enjoy the most deliciously epic film of the year.
(12/04/08 6:30am)
Colbert versus Kanye — it’s on!Earlier this week, Colbert challenged Kanye West to a sales figure showdown. Pitting his own hubris against Mr. West’s, he challenged Colbert Nation to humiliate Kanye and dethrone 808s & Heartbreak as the #1 iTunes album by buying up Colbert’s holiday compilation, A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All. With that, Colbert christened his spirited album promotion as “Operation Humble Kanye”. Kanye responded in kind by asking, “Who the f*** is Stephen Colbert?” A showdown between the two figures may well be in the works, though neither Comedy Central nor Kanye West’s publicists have said anything as of publication time.— by ethan hamlinOdetta Holms dies at 77Folk singer and civil liberties champion Odetta Holmes passed away on Tuesday from heart disease. Classically trained in folk, blues and gospel, her rich and distinctive voice was used as a mouthpiece for African-American music and issues for over half a century, beginning with the 1950s folk revival. She is said to have influenced musicians as varied as Bob Dylan and Janis Joplin. She earned various accolades and awards throughout her long and distinguished career — including a National Medal of Arts bestowed by President Bill Clinton in 1999. — by ethan hamlinLawn lights up tonightA venerable University tradition, the eighth annual Lighting of the Lawn takes place tonight. While the actual lighting is a supposed secret (maybe plan for 9 p.m.?), the festivities start early. Beginning at 6 p.m., various a capella groups groove to holiday tunes, the Class of 2009 presents its class poem and each Lawnie will have holiday goodies and drinks to share. Grab your pea coat, snag some cocoa and rock out with your friends — holidays at the University are not to be missed! — by stephanie garcia
(12/03/08 5:51am)
For former Virginia basketball star and proud Golden Gopher parent Ralph Sampson, the matchup between Virginia and Minnesota in the ACC/Big 10 Challenge was a win-win situation. With Sampson in attendance for the contest in Minneapolis, Minn. last night, he and his son, Minnesota’s Ralph Sampson, III, went home happy, while Virginia (3-3) went home with a .500 record to start the season. The Cavaliers concluded one of their most trying road trips of the year with a 66-56 loss at Williams Arena. Minnesota (7-0) came away with its seventh straight win to start the season, while Virginia saw its third consecutive defeat.The Cavaliers shot just 31.4 percent from the field and committed 19 turnovers. Freshman guard Sylven Landesberg had easily his worst game in a Virginia uniform, shooting just 1-11 from the floor, adding eight of 10 free throws for 10 points. Sophomore forward Mike Scott also had a tough night, held without a field goal in 18 minutes of action.Minnesota freshman forward Colton Iverson led all scorers with 14 points. Junior forward Jamil Tucker hit four of eight 3-point field goals to lead all Virginia scorers with 12, while freshman point guard Sammy Zeglinski also added 10.After the teams traded leads on their way to an 18-17 stalemate in the first 12:37, two free throws by junior guard Lawrence Westbrook gave Minnesota an edge it would never lose. The Cavaliers battled back from a 12-point second-half deficit to 4, and again later in the period from 11 to 6. With the score 55-49 with 4:23 remaining, however, Minnesota hit back-to-back layups to put the lead back at double digits going into the next TV timeout, and hit seven of its next nine free throws, all within the last two minutes, to ice the win.The loss for Virginia concludes a two-game road trip that many considered would be a measuring stick for the team at this point in the season. Coming off a home loss to Liberty Nov. 25, the Cavaliers fell at Syracuse 73-70 after leading by 11 at halftime Friday.Virginia now has a two-week break for final exams before returning home for a matchup with Longwood Dec. 17.—compiled by Paul Montana
(12/03/08 5:24am)
Almost two weeks ago, the Honor Committee held its heavily publicized open forum on the single sanction, aimed at fostering discussion between Committee members and students who are not involved in the honor system. Unfortunately, that discussion was cut short. Somehow, the Honor Committee and Resident Staff had both booked the Chemistry Auditorium for the same time period through the System Of University Reservations and Calendar of Events, better known by its acronym, the SOURCE. Resident Staff was granted the second hour for which the Honor Committee had reserved the room, but no e-mail was sent to the Honor Committee members to inform them of the change.Unfortunately, this kind of problem does not seem to be rare when it comes to the SOURCE. Adam Trusner, chair of the Single Sanction Ad-hoc Committee and the student who booked the Chemistry Auditorium, said it was not the first time he has had a meeting location given to another group without warning. Sam Leven, president of Hoos Against the Single Sanction, was also at the meeting and said his group has had meeting places taken away multiple times.The problem seems to be a lack of respect for student organizations’ claims to space. According to Leven, some of his group’s problems have been a result of professors and teaching assistants reserving a room through their departments, rather than on the SOURCE. Academics come first at any university, but at this University, student-run organizations are given significant responsibilities and need reliable access to resources like meeting rooms. At the very least, the SOURCE ought to send e-mails to groups whose space has been double-booked to allow them to make alternative plans.It does not seem, however, as if there is any need for professors to have the right to override pre-existing reservations. Reserving space for regular class meetings takes precedence, of course, and should be handled outside of the SOURCE. For events like special review sessions, however, there is not such a lack of space on Grounds that professors need to be able to override student claims to classroom space. Solving this problem would be simple — the University Registrar, UREG, would just have to require anyone who wants to reserve a space on Grounds to use the SOURCE, rather than allowing academic departments to override the system. Within the SOURCE system itself, no space should be reserved for two different organizations at the same time, and space should be meted out on a first-come, first-serve basis. If an organization that has reserved a space agrees to forfeit its time there, as Trusner said the Honor Committee would have been happy to do for Resident Staff, that’s fine — so long as it is told well in advance of the conflict.If all space requests were handled through the same system, those requests could be handled much more quickly. In fact, the system could become completely automated.Professors and TAs do not need to use the SOURCE themselves to avoid some conflicts. Even if the University does not require them to use the same system as students to book rooms, they can check the SOURCE to see if a space has already been reserved — though the time it takes to process requests means the SOURCE’s online information is typically a little out of date. If the SOURCE says a room is taken, they can respect the needs of student organizations and find a different room or time.
(12/02/08 6:45am)
The University officially launched its U.Va. Today Daily Report yesterday, University spokesperson Carol Wood said, noting that the new electronic daily newsletter seeks to better deliver and “push” University-related news, updates and headlines into the hands of students, faculty and staff.An e-mail announcing the launch sent by Leonard Sandridge, University executive vice president and chief operating officer, stated that people signed up to receive the newsletter “will receive top stories about University staff, faculty and students, calendar items and general information about what’s happening.” Links to other media outlets and University blogs will also be included, the e-mail stated.Wood said the report is an outgrowth of the current U.Va. Today Web site. Since last year, when the University halted printed production of Inside UVA — the former daily University communications release — because of budget concerns, Wood said her office has researched alternative means of delivering information to readers.“We know people are busy,” Wood said, noting that the automatically delivered releases “going right to the inbox” will be easier and quicker to access for recipients than the current U.Va. Today Web site.Wood said initial distribution of the report will go to University students, faculty and staff who register online. She added that more than 2,600 people, including many students, have already signed up to receive the report.The University probably will announce the report to University alumni and other potential recipients sometime early next year via a similar mass e-mail, Wood said.—compiled by Thomas Madrecki
(12/02/08 6:30am)
After the Virginia men’s basketball team dropped its home bout with Liberty a week ago, it seemed unlikely that the Cavaliers could hang with Syracuse on the road in their next game. That is exactly, however, what Virginia did Friday night, as it led the Orange by as many as 13 before falling 73-70 in the Carrier Dome.After trailing 40-29 at the half, Syracuse (6-0) knocked in nine of its first 12 field goals to open the second half, taking back the lead 58-56 with 7:54 remaining. The Syracuse lead never grew larger than 6, but Syracuse never relinquished the lead as time wound down.Virginia freshman guard Sylven Landesberg led all scorers with 16 points, while junior guard Calvin Baker and freshman guard Sammy Zeglinski each added 14. Syracuse had four players in double figures, led by junior guard Andy Rautins and sophomore guard Jonny Flynn with 15 points apiece, including 12 points for Flynn in the second half.The Cavaliers (4-2) wrap up one of their most trying road trips of the season tonight against Minnesota at Williams Arena in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Coach Tubby Smith’s Gophers come in unblemished at 8-0, including wins against Bowling Green and Georgia State.This is Virginia’s last contest before it has a two-week break for final exams. The game starts at 9:30 p.m. and is being televised by ESPN2.—compiled by Paul Montana
(12/02/08 6:29am)
The Virginia women’s basketball team went 2-1 in the three-game Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Classic at Marquette during the holiday break. The team defeated Utah 65-57 Friday and host Marquette 76-71 Saturday before falling to Gonzaga 69-62 Sunday.In Virginia’s first game against Utah, the Cavaliers (5-2) won without having to rely on star junior guard Monica Wright, who struggled to 8 points on four of 12 shooting. The offensive effort was led by freshman guard Whitny Edwards with 15 points on four of six shooting, including three of four from 3-point range. Senior center Aisha Mohammed tallied her third double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds.After the rough first contest, Wright dominated the Cavaliers’ offense by scoring 31 points in the victory against Marquette, in which Virginia trailed by 14 with 15:37 remaining. Similar to the previous contest, however, Virginia scored 10 unanswered points to cut the lead to 5 and later went on an 8-0 run to take the lead with 5:58 remaining. Marquette took another 1-point lead with 2:36 remaining, but a Wright tip-in on the next possession gave Virginia the lead for good.The Cavaliers’ momentum failed to carry over to the loss against Gonzaga in the final game of the tournament Sunday. Wright led the scoring effort for the Cavaliers, netting 26 points on her way to being named to the All-Tournament Team.With the 2-1 weekend, Virginia moves to 6-2 on the season as it prepares to face Illinois in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge Thursday night.—compiled by Jack Bird
(12/02/08 6:25am)
Student Council’s proposal to the University’s Parking and Transportation Committee for free late-night parking in the Central Grounds Parking Garage will benefit student safety if implemented. Though The Cavalier Daily criticized the initial proposal earlier this year, recent adjustments make that make the program better able to accomplish its goals. The main problem with Council’s original plan was enforcement. Free late-night parking is a great idea — but one that will only work as long as it is not abused. Since the proposal requires validation of parking tickets and, according to a press release, states that the users would only be “exempt from the parking fee they would have accrued between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.,” no one can park in the garage during the night and leave their car all day for free. Only those using the libraries in the appropriate time period benefit from the program. This change allows the program to accomplish its goals without affecting the availability of parking spaces for paying customers. The free parking program is also much more affordable than other programs aimed at improving student safety, such as the recently implemented FreeRide program. While FreeRide requires Council to cover costly taxi fares, Council would expect to pay $230 per week on average for late-night parking, according to data collected by Council. This program would be a practical alternative to the FreeRide program since it serves many of the same purposes but is much more affordable. Though Student Council President Matt Schrimper said that the FreeRide program is targeting a different subset of students needing late-night transportation, this need is already addressed by SafeRide. Instead of competing with a University provided service, Council should complement it. Free late-night parking accomplishes this, and any left-over funds budgeted for FreeRide can be given to SafeRide for improvements. Schrimper said that, if approved, the program will most likely start next semester and that Council is willing to subsidize the program this spring. One concern with this program is the safety of the parking garage late at night. The garage is open to anyone, and increased traffic may also increase the number of robberies and attacks. Council’s press release stated, “the parking garage will become safer for all those that park there late at night, as the traffic in the garage will undoubtedly increase with this new system.” While there may be safety in numbers, Council should not assume that more cars in the garage will mean more people at all hours of the night. Security must be increased in order to ensure the program is safe for students. “The University Police Department has been incredibly helpful,” Schrimper said, noting Council will recommend regular patrols of the garage would be a recommendation if the program is approved. On the whole, the proposal for free late-night parking is an a worthy alternative to the expensive FreeRide program. If this program is put into place, it will contribute to a safer On-Grounds environment to the benefit of the University community.