Academic success, according to data compiled by the Inter-Sorority Council, isn't Greek to members of the University's chapters. For the fall 2007 semester, the average GPA of each ISC-affiliated chapter was well above the University's female average of 3.226, according to ISC president Stuart Berkeley.
Through a program the Provost
Last Tuesday, a record number of registered voters arrived at various sites in the Charlottesville area to participate in what has become one of the closest presidential primaries in recent memory. Ric Barrick, director of communications for the City of Charlottesville, said 36.7 percent of registered voters cast their ballots in the Feb.
Members of the Honor Committee discussed an upcoming open-community forum Sunday along with ongoing efforts to update the Honor Committee's Web site. According to Josh Hess, vice chair for community relations, the current Committee, as well as previous committees, have held open meetings in the past. "Last semester the Committee held an open-committee meeting in first-year dorms," Hess said, adding that "the Committee would like to do things in that view but switch the format so it is more interactive." Committee Chair Ben Cooper noted that open-committee meetings held by former committees have traditionally been successful but added that the Committee hopes to further engage the community in discussion. "The whole purpose is to allow students to feel more comfortable to raise issues," he said. The open forum, tentatively scheduled for the third week of March, will occur outside of the Committee's weekly meeting, unlike last semester, Hess said.
Despite national concern about a downturn in the economy, college endowments have shown explosive growth.
In cooperation with the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, the University has chosen Sen. John Warner, R-Va., U.S.
University students who sent Valentine's Day sentiments to Gov. Tim Kaine yesterday were seeking a response of more than just love from their governor.
An asteroid discovered in October recently passed Earth, giving astronomers only a small window of opportunity to capture the cosmic event on camera.
The Inter-Fraternity Council held elections for its 2008 Executive Board last night, electing third-year College student Taylor Richardson president. Richardson said he is "extremely excited" about his new position and will have some "big shoes to fill" in the coming year.
Though Gordon F. Rainey's term on the Board of Visitors ended last week, his long record of service to the University is not yet over; Rainey will continue to hold the position of chairman of the University's Capital Campaign?. In addition to serving the University as a Board member for two four-year terms and chairing the Capital Campaign, Rainey also held the position of rector of the University from 2003-05 and previously served as president of the Alumni Association's Board of Managers. "In my opinion, Gordon Rainey is one of the most important volunteers in the modern history of the University," Bob Sweeney, senior vice president for development and public affairs, said, noting that Rainey has served on virtually every volunteer committee. Rainey "has taken the lead in forging two major University/industrial partnerships, each of them the largest of its kind in our history," President John T.
Following a record-breaking spring recruitment, the University's Inter-Sorority Council is considering adding a new chapter. According to Sally Kline, assistant dean of fraternity and sorority life, "the main situation is that we had a wonderful turnout for sorority recruitment," noting that the most recent sorority pledge classes were larger than usual. "The chapters feel there is a lot of interest, and another group may best suit the needs of our population," Kline said. According to Stephanie Hobart, outgoing vice president of recruitment for the ISC, expansion will only be considered if sororities are showing signs that they are growing. "After this spring, with pledge classes of 40 girls, we're definitely showing that we're having growing pains," Hobart said, adding that now is a good time to start considering expansion to alleviate the growing house numbers. According to Kline, expansion is a complex and structured process.
The commonwealth of Virginia may be almost $1 billion short of its expected revenue by June, according to the latest figures released by the governor's office, and that shortfall likely will impact the University. Revenue projections made last fall originally estimated that the shortfall for the budget year ending June 30 would be about $641 million.
Businesswoman Sheila C. Johnson and classicist Hunter Ridley Rawlings, III will speak during this year's Graduation Weekend, the University announced yesterday. According to Fourth-Year Trustees President Christine Devlin, Johnson will deliver her speech during Valedictory Exercises Saturday, May 17, while Rawlings will give the commencement address during Final Exercises Sunday, May 18. Rawlings is a visiting professor of classics at the University who formerly served as president of Cornell University and the University of Iowa.
University authorities are continuing to investigate Housing-required power allocators possibly connected to a fire last Thursday in Metcalf dormitory. Last week, first-year Architecture student Beth Hughes said she reported a small fire near her room's power allocator at about 9:30 p.m.
The Board of Visitors Special Committee on Diversity discussed concerns that minority administrators continue to be underrepresented on Grounds at last week's meeting. According to Marcus Martin, assistant vice president for diversity and equity, there are currently eight senior administrative searches underway, and the University must take advantage of this opportunity to hire qualified minority candidates.
Gene Nichol, former president of the College of William & Mary, resigned yesterday in response to the William & Mary Board of Visitors' recent refusal to renew his contract.
Jack Ford, a former trial lawyer and award-winning anchor of CourtTV, addressed Law School students and faculty yesterday afternoon regarding the impact of the 2006 Duke lacrosse case on the institutions of law and media. In his speech, Ford described the case as a "defining moment" for both law and media, comparing it to Watergate and the O.J.
