With the goal of facilitating enhanced communication in their classrooms, several University professors have begun to use a new Web site, NowComment.com.
Despite last year's trying economic times, the City of Charlottesville saw a $1.7 million surplus at the end of the 2008-09 fiscal year, which will most likely go toward balancing the $2 million deficit predicted for the 2009-10 fiscal year. "This is a combination of revenues about $255,000 over what was expected, and expenditures that were way down," Charlottesville Commissioner of Revenue R.
Results from the National Survey of Student Engagement, released Monday, reveal that more than 41 percent of higher education institutions surveyed showed some level of improvement in at least one area of student engagement since the last survey period. This year, about 400 colleges and universities participated, said Jillian Kinzie, associate director at the Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research, which conducts the survey annually.
The University Department of Parking and Transportation will introduce a new car-sharing program on Grounds next Tuesday, in hopes of decreasing the volume of cars in Charlottesville, Director Rebecca White said. "It's an alternative to owning a car or bringing a car to Grounds," she said.
Student Council will run buses to the Richmond and Charlottesville airports this Thanksgiving break, Student Life Committee Co-Chair Aagya Mathur said. Five Richmond buses and four Charlottesville buses will run the Tuesday before break.
[caption id="attachment_31907" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="The General Faculty Council discussed possible collaboration with the Faculty Senate and a copyright proposal yesterday at its meeting.
University Mediation Services is holding Mediation Awareness Days this week to inform the University community about its services and mediation in general. The two aspects of UMS are service and education, the latter of which is the overall purpose of MAD, Director of Public Relations Zoe Neale said.
As the Honor Committee continues to debate whether to further define plagiarism, University students continue to debate the Committee's definitions and policies as well, expressing varying opinions on the types of plagiarism cases the Committee should pursue and the level of knowledge students have about the subject. Intent - whether an act of cheating was purposeful - especially remains a topic discussed at the Committee's weekly Sunday night meetings.
Student Council's Building and Grounds Committee and University Dining Services recently reached an agreement to extend Wilsdorf Cafe's hours of operation by two hours until 5 p.m.
[caption id="attachment_31883" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Architectural History Prof. Richard Guy Wilson spoke to the University community yesterday afternoon about the history of architecture on Grounds, as well as the need to preserve Thomas Jefferson's vision.
The 22nd annual Virginia Film Festival attracted a record 19,000 attendees during its four-day run last weekend - a dramatic increase from the 14,700 that attended last year's festival.
The University Judiciary Committee, in a joint effort with the Office of the Dean of Students, added two new community service sanction locations during its weekly meeting Sunday. The University's Facilities Management Department and Parking and Transportation Department are now community service locations that University students may be assigned to when sanctioned by the committee for violating one of the committee's 12 standards of conduct, UJC Chair Michael Chapman said. Work for Facilities Management will be seasonal, based on supervisors' needs and possibly include jobs like raking leaves or collecting trash, Vice Chair for Sanctions Eric Schneiter said.
[caption id="attachment_31836" align="alignleft" width="251" caption="The search for President John T.
[caption id="attachment_31833" align="alignleft" width="267" caption="Mayor Dave Norris, pictured above, was reelected last Tuesday to Charlottesville's City Council.
Student leaders from various organizations across Grounds met last night at dinner to announce the Cross-Cultural Leadership Initiative, a new program launched by the Office of the Dean of Students. The initiative is co-sponsored by Student Council, the Minority Rights Coalition, the Honor Committee, the Office of Diversity and Equity, the Vice President for Student Affairs, the Latino Student Alliance and the Middle Eastern Leadership Council. Student Council Vice President Colin Hood, who worked closely with the Office of the Dean of Students and other organizations to solidify the foundations of the initiative, said the new project is similar to the contracted independent organization leadership project Student Council announced recently. "This one has more of a focus toward cultural programming," Hood said.
Last week, Governor-elect Bob McDonnell announced the leaders of his transition team, which will include Thomas Farrell, the current Dominion Power CEO and a former member of the University's Board of Visitors. The leaders will advise McDonnell's appointment of administrators and cabinet members as he takes the reins in Richmond from current Governor Tim Kaine.
Six months ago, regular donors to the University were worried about even discussing philanthropy because of the serious recession.
[caption id="attachment_31776" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Briceland drew distinctions between intentional and ignorant plagiarism last night while speaking to the Honor Committee.
[caption id="attachment_31774" align="alignleft" width="252" caption="Volunteers from Charlottesville, Albemarle County and the rest of the commonwealth met this weekend in hopes of finding Morgan Dana Harrington or any information about her whereabouts.
As part of a $100,000 grant to the Engineering School, Lockheed Martin is awarding up to five $3,000 scholarships to undergraduate students or groups to work on high-value, sustainability-oriented engineering design projects. "Lockheed Martin has donated $15,000 for grants specifically to fund sustainable research in the Engineering School," former Rodman Council Co-President Ian Czekala said.
