News

Police to use new video for students safety instruction

In response to the April 2007 Virginia Tech shootings, University Police have recently purchased an instructional video that has been prepared to inform University students and staff about how to respond in emergency situations on Grounds.While the video, titled ?Shots Fired,? is a new means of preparing for an emergency, discussions concerning emergency training have been an ongoing process.?We?ve been working on appropriate training for months,? Director of Emergency Preparedness Marge Sidebottom said.

Prof. finds link between popularity, teen alcohol use

In an ongoing study of adolescents, University Psychology Prof. Joseph Allen has found correlations between popularity and alcohol use.

Hoos Ready obtains new group status

Hoos Ready, an emergency preparedness awareness organization originally created as a contracted independent organization late last fall, recently acquired ?special status,? after its membership surpassed 1,700.

Community should prepare for possibility of hurricanes

Charlottesville residents and University students should be prepared in case of flooding or other storm-related damage later this week, when Hurricane Hanna is forecasted to make its way up the East Coast, according to Charlottesville Director of Communications Ric Barrick.

Test shows unconscious election opinions

Preliminary findings based on an online ?implicit association? test developed by University researchers in conjunction with other higher education institutions show that ?undecided voters? in the 2008 presidential election may have an ?automatic preference? for candidate John McCain.University Assoc.

Summer trials prove difficult

While many University organizations and activities take a hiatus as students leave Charlottesville for the summer, the Honor Committee continues its work as summer classes are held and cases move forward.With fewer Committee members in Charlottesville, Committee Chair Jess Huang said conducting fair investigations and trials during the summer can be difficult.?The trials are a little harder because we need to make sure we have enough people to run the trials and enough jurors,? Huang said.Still, Huang maintained, the process remains the same.?We follow the same procedures, the same bylaws,? Huang said.This summer saw the first open honor trial held in more than two years when third-year Architecture student Emily Bauer was acquitted of charges of cheating and lying during her fall 2007 ?Introduction To Design? ARCH 201 course July 20.Only students enrolled in summer classes are eligible to be jurors, Huang said.

City job growth slows since 2006

While the number of jobs in Charlottesville continued to increase in 2008, the growth rate of those jobs has slowed since 2006, according to the Chamber Jobs Report released by the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce yesterday.

13 students charged with misdemeanors

Thirteen members of the University?s chapter of Theta Delta Chi fraternity were arrested Aug. 20 for breaking into the Union College Theta Delta Chi fraternity house and damaging more than $2,000 worth of property through actions including urinating on two couches.?Our campus safety folks were on routine patrol when they noticed an individual outside of the house and asked what he was doing,? Phil Wadja, director of media and public relations at Union College.

StudCo to encourage more Unity

Now that the University Unity Project has announced its theme for the school year, ?Beyond our Grounds, Within our Community,? Student Council is working to reach out to students in order to facilitate involvement with the project.?We want students to embrace a sense of ownership in the community,? Student Council President Matt Schrimper said.

More students turning to federal loans for aid

Because of the current national economic troubles, more than 100 financial firms have ceased to offer private student loans, including Wachovia, which stopped accepting applications for private, undergraduate student loans at the beginning of August.

Honor discusses bylaw amendment

Last night, members of the Honor Committee discussed education and outreach plans for the upcoming semester and debated a bylaw amendment at their weekly meeting.In an effort to increase involvement of Honor educators in the honor system, Vice Chair for Education Ryann Burke noted the Committee made substantial changes during the summer to the procedure of planning education events.?Educators were not very involved in the system and they did not have enough responsibility,? she explained.Now, educators, with the assistance of the Committee, are responsible for planning and executing nine to 10 Honor education events this semester.

Exchange students face blocked registration

Thirteen members of the University?s chapter of Theta Delta Chi fraternity were arrested Aug. 20 for breaking into the Union College Theta Delta Chi fraternity house and damaging more than $2,000 worth of property through actions including urinating on two couches.?Our campus safety folks were on routine patrol when they noticed an individual outside of the house and asked what he was doing,? Phil Wadja, director of media and public relations at Union College.

Attacker to serve 40 for sex assault

Christopher Noakes, the 39-year-old Charlottesville resident who pled guilty to two charges of sodomy in an February attack on a University student, was sentenced Tuesday to serve 40 years in prison, Assistant Commonwealth?s Attorney Katherine Peters said.Peters said she believes this is a positive outcome for the commonwealth?s attorney?s office and noted that given Noakes? age, ?a 40-year sentence is considerable and it is tantamount to a life sentence.?Peters added that Noakes may be eligible to apply for geriatric release if he maintains good behavior, but added that is ?unlikely that Mr. Noakes will be going anywhere.?Nicholas Repucci, Noakes? attorney, said Noakes accepted his sentence as part of a plea agreement.The charges against Noakes were in reference to an assault that occurred Feb.

Trays disappear as dining halls try to conserve

As the Class of 2012 faces the challenge of adjusting to college life, the University?s upperclassmen are also having to adjust to a change on Grounds: the disappearance of trays in the dining halls.Though it may have come as a surprise to many students, Director of Dining Brent Beringer said the abolishment of trays in the Newcomb, Runk and Observatory Hill dining halls has been two years in the making.

U.Va. combats decreasing science funding

Federal funding for academic science and engineering research and development failed to outpace inflation for the second year in a row, according to a report recently released by the National Science Foundation.

First-year class boasts higher average SAT score than in 2007

The average SAT scores of Virginia?s graduating high school seniors remained nearly the same as last year?s average, as recently reported by the College Board, while the average SAT score of the incoming first-year class at the University is up 15 points from last year.This year, the average total SAT I score in math and reading for a first-year University student is 1322, compared to last year?s average of 1307.

Student Council announces

Student Council announced the theme of the 2008 University Unity Project yesterday: ?Charlottesville: Beyond Our Grounds, Within Our Community.? The project is intended to bring students together while simultaneously improving the University and Charlottesville community throughout the fall semester.?The unity project is based on the idea that all of the students at the University want to come together and direct all of their talents and resources towards a common vision,? Project Committee Chair Rob Atkinson said.

Safety alerts to be announced through sirens

University restricts water usage in dry weather

In anticipation of a dry fall, the University is implementing new measures to cut down on its water usage.

University maintains high status in 2009 U.S. News & World Report rankings

Though many high school juniors and seniors will likely pore over the recently released 2009 U.S. News & World Report rankings of national universities, University Dean of Admissions John Blackburn