ISC, MGC elect boards

The Inter-Sorority Council and the Multicultural Greek Council recently held elections for their respective executive boards for the upcoming term. The ISC elected Alexis Tarbet as president, Katie Beyer as vice president of the judiciary, Leah Truitt as vice president of administration and Kendall Galant as vice president of recruitment. Meanwhile, the MGC elected Chufan Zhai as president, Nathan Park as vice president, Huyen-Trang Thai as treasurer, Esther Na as parliamentarian and Jessica Andrews as representative for the Inter-Greek Council. Both groups' executive board members will begin their terms next semester. Tarbet, a third-year Commerce student, emphasized her enthusiasm for the coming year of sorority affairs.

Act seeks to aid former inmates

Charlottesville and Albemarle County will receive state funding to expand the area's prisoner re-entry initiatives, local officials announced Monday. Some of the funding, which will come from the Second Chance Act, will go toward hiring a case manager who will work out of Offender Aid and Restoration. "At OAR, the re-entry program has been around for 40 years," Re-Entry Program Manager Jason Ness said.

State revises plan for Chesapeake watershed

Virginia officials have submitted the state's revised plan to fix the Chesapeake Bay watershed, meeting the Environmental Protection Agency's Nov.

Students conserve energy in dorms

[caption id="attachment_38830" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="McCormick Road participants in this year's First Year Dorm Energy Challenge managed a dramatic 19-percent decrease in energy consumption from last year's residents.

Body scans have yet to hit airport

[caption id="attachment_38777" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="The Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport uses magnetometers rather than the full- body scanners that the TSA is requiring in major airports to scan for materials.

U.Va. awards fewer Ph.D. degrees as U.S. sees rise

Despite a nationwide trend of increased doctorate degrees being awarded, the University has seen a decrease in awards during the past few years. The number of doctorate degrees awarded to candidates from schools in the United States increased from 48,763 in 2008 to 49,562 in 2009, a rise of 1.6 percent, according to a recent survey by the National Science Foundation.

WikiLeaks release may affect future relations

The nonprofit organization WikiLeaks published the first of a large cache of confidential communications between the United States State Department and embassies in more than 250 foreign countries last Sunday.

Council offers holiday leisure

The Student Council Diversity Initiatives Committee has established Hooliday Dining, a new program to provide food and entertainment for students who will remain on Grounds for Thanksgiving Break. As part of the program, The Crossroads at Observatory Hill Dining Hall will continue to serve students during the break and also will allow students to use meal plan swipes for the first time, said Aquiles Damiron, manager of the Hooliday Dining taskforce.

Schools see rise in applications

[caption id="attachment_38723" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Much like other schools, the University's Office of Admissions, located in Peabody Hall, above, has seen an increasing amount of applications recently.

UTS will alter bus schedule during holiday

The University Transit Service has announced that it will run an altered bus schedule during Thanksgiving Break. UTS buses will run full service until 8 p.m.

College student receives 2010 Rhodes Scholarship

Fourth-year College student Laura Nelson stands among the ranks of astronomer Edwin Hubble, former president Bill Clinton and Politics Prof.

Library acquires, digitizes civil rights footage

[caption id="attachment_38667" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="The National Endowment for the Humanities has offered the University Library a $250,000 grant to digitize rare footage from the civil rights era.

Health System adds facility for long-term treatment

Officials announced Wednesday evening the opening of the latest addition to the University Health System. The Transitional Care Center is a 40-bed long-term acute-care center with specially trained staff and the latest medical technology, Associate Chief of Operations Michelle Hereford said. The facility provides services to patients who require more long-term care and additional time during the healing process, with an average stay of about 25 days, Hereford said. "Extra time in a calm environment aids in the healing process," she said. Patients with complex wounds and multiple medical conditions will be housed in the center, as well as those who are on ventilators.

Council reviews 2010 finances

Survey analyzes effects of GI Bill

A survey by the RAND Corporation has found that the GI Bill played a significant role in motivating veterans to obtain post-secondary education after returning from service. About 24 percent of survey respondents told the RAND Corporation that the new GI Bill, otherwise known as the Post 9/11 Government Issue bill, was the driving force behind their decision to enroll in college. The new GI Bill was instated in August 2009 and increased the higher education benefits that were originally available to veterans through the first GI Bill, which was passed after World War II. The survey revealed, however, that a prevalent issue surrounding the bill is one of clarity - 38 percent of respondents reported having difficulty interpreting the bill and the benefits it provides. "[The benefits] are quite complex and depend on where you live, the kind of classes you are taking and your institution," said Jennifer Steele, associate policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. Steele also noted that participants reported problems transferring military training credits to their academic institutions, in addition to several cases of veterans having trouble transitioning to campus life. Mike Smith, executive director of the University's Accelerated Master's Programs in systems and information engineering, said his program encourages veteran recruitment and helps ease the transition process. "I think the more effective thing is using the network of contacts to help get the word out," Smith said. Steele said it was important for institutions to portray themselves as friendly toward veterans and help with the transition process. "Veterans have particular needs and goals, so from a student services perspective, it's really important for institutions to make the investment so that they become known to take good care of veterans and do attract [potential student-veterans]," Steele said. Michael Wilcheck, a student at the University's Darden School who is a veteran, said the bill played an important role in helping veterans obtain education upon returning home. "[The GI Bill is helpful] for a lot for the guys here who are applying and considering an MBA coming out of the military; it certainly is impactful in their decision," said Wilcheck, who is a beneficiary of the bill.