News

News

Courses promote language learning

By Michelle Davis | September 18, 2012

A short-term language program set in motion by the University’s International Center aims to provide students with a jumpstart in the basic phonetics, grammar and conversational phrases of a foreign language, according to a University statement released Monday. The program, open to anyone in the University and Charlottesville communities, will require participants to take two three-hour courses, followed by small group practice with native speakers.

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City holds first pride festival

By Lavanya Yaleswarapu | September 17, 2012

The City of Charlottesville hosted its first ever gay pride festival Saturday afternoon in Lee Park to show support for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer communities. The festival, which was held at the site of last year’s Occupy Charlottesville protests, drew hundreds of individuals and featured live entertainment, food from local vendors and activities for children.

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BOV talks strategic plan

By Anna Perina | September 17, 2012

A desire for innovation lingered in the small auditorium of the Harrison Institute Friday as the Board of Visitors convened its inaugural meeting of the special committee on strategic planning.

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Mead awards faculty grants

By Jasmine King | September 17, 2012

The Mead Endowment Advisory Board recognized 10 professors’ commitment to honoring a tradition of mentorship and off-campus learning.

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Board appoints Martin vice rector

By Krista Pedersen | September 14, 2012

The Board of Visitors appointed attorney George Keith Martin as its new vice rector Thursday evening following the June resignation of former Vice Rector Mark Kington.

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Task force debates human rights commission creation

By Donald Sensabaugh | September 14, 2012

The Charlottesville Human Rights Task Force held its second open forum Thursday night to hear community members’ ideas about the possible creation of a more permanent commission to study discrimination within the City. City Council launched the task force in February in response to a request from the Dialogue on Race, a local group that advocates discussions on racism and diversity. The committee, if created, would investigate instances of bias or injustice in Charlottesville. About 60 community members attended the event, hosted in First Baptist Church.

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Sullivan presses Board to raise faculty salaries

By Audrey Waldrop | September 14, 2012

The understated elegance of the room the Board of Visitors met in Thursday disguised the tensions underlying many of its discussions. Two days after the University found it had escaped the June ouster of President Teresa A.

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JPMorgan Chase CEO discusses collaborative leadership

By Lizzy Turner | September 14, 2012

Students, faculty and Charlottesville residents met Thursday afternoon to hear Jeffrey Walker, the former CEO of JPMorgan Chase and current chairman of the University’s Council of Foundations, discuss collaborative leadership and reflect on the leadership lessons learned from the June ouster and reinstatement of University President Teresa Sullivan. Batten School Dean Harry Harding moderated the panel, which took place in Garrett Hall.

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Community seeks closure

By Krista Pedersen | September 13, 2012

The storm may have dissipated, but a few clouds still linger from University President Teresa Sullivan’s botched ouster as the Board of Visitors convenes on Grounds Thursday for the first time since June. A disconnect remains between the University’s attempts to move forward from the events of the summer and its desire to learn from them.

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Panel talks U.Va.’s future

By Donald Sensabaugh | September 13, 2012

Community representatives invested in the events that occurred during the summer around University President Teresa Sullivan’s forced resignation sat in front of an eager audience Wednesday afternoon.

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Board committee hears sustainability update

By Grace Hollis | September 13, 2012

In a Board of Visitors committee meeting Wednesday afternoon, University Architect David Neuman presented strategies to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent from the University’s 2009 levels.

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Reber proposes voting student BOV member

By Kelly Kaler | September 13, 2012

The Board of Visitors may find itself with a voting student member, if some members of Student Council have their way. But the proposal’s supporters face significant obstacles, not least of which is the legal requirement in Virginia that Board members be approved by the State Senate, House of Delegates and governor. Fourth-year Engineering student Alex Reber, chair of Council’s representative body, is leading an effort to add a student position with voting power to the Board, which is the University’s governing body.

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U.S. News ranks U.Va. second

By Kaelyn Quinn | September 13, 2012

The University maintained its position as the second best public university in the nation in the U.S.

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Sullivan ouster mirrors ODU dismissal

By Krista Pedersen | September 12, 2012

Rector Helen Dragas’ history with firing presidents runs deeper than her botched ouster of President Teresa Sullivan this June. While serving on the Old Dominion Board of Visitors in 1988, her father George Dragas helped force the resignation of President Joseph Marchello citing poor communication with the Board and a general unease with the executive’s management style, according to news reports at the time. Marchello, an accomplished fundraiser, drew praise for his ideas but did not have a positive relationship with the state’s legislators.

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Honor hosts integrity talks

By Abby Meredith | September 12, 2012

The Honor Committee hosted a panel of roundtable speakers in Old Cabell Hall Tuesday to discuss the current state of the University and the honor system.

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StudCo introduces budget

By Emily Hutt | September 12, 2012

Student Council introduced its 2012-2013 budget Tuesday evening, appropriating about $90,000 for initiatives this year.

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Exemptions affect school enrollment

By Kelly Kaler and Olivia Patton | September 12, 2012

A study released Tuesday by the University’s Law School Clinic showed that more than 7,000 students in Virginia were exempted from attending primary or secondary school on religious grounds last year. Virginia law requires a school board to excuse students who hold a religious belief that conflicts with the principle of classroom education.

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Olympians inspire students

By Katie Lewis | September 12, 2012

Three Olympic athletes had a message for University students assembled Tuesday evening at John Paul Jones arena: Don’t be afraid of failure. Gymnast Jonathan Horton knows what defeat feels like.

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U.Va. students mobilize vote

By Emily Hutt | September 11, 2012

As the 2012 presidential election approaches, pundits are speculating about whether young voters will turn out in large numbers, as they did four years ago.

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Collaborators launch contest

By Monika Fallon and Anna Milligan | September 11, 2012

University students hoping to voice their ideas about the future of social messaging will now be able to, thanks to a partnership unveiled Monday night between the University’s OpenGrounds initiative and national communications company Vonage.