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Faculty discuss merits of ethnic studies in curriculum

By Franny Corneliussen Cavalier Daily Associate Editor A panel of professors and administrators met last night to discuss how an ethnic studies program could fit into the University's curriculum. In an opening statement, the moderator of the panel, Student Council Diversity Chair Ryan McElveen, said such programs would help internationalize the University. "Ethnic studies programs can provide a launching pad for learning how the marked 'other' functions in our society," McElveen said.


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Princeton adds family benefits

Princeton University recently announced the expansion of its family-oriented initiatives to improve support for students with families. Joan Girgus, Princeton professor of psychology and special assistant to the faculty dean on matters relating to gender equity, said the most notable change is providing graduate students a semester delay of academic work, which had been previously given only to faculty members. "What we've tried to do is to take all the programs that support families at Princeton and make them available to graduate students at Princeton as well as faculty and staff," Girgus said.


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Honor reviews bylaw proposals

Honor Committee members proposed two amendments to the bylaws during the new Committee's first meeting last night. These amendments change the language of the bylaws to clarify and redefine the position of vice chair for community relations and update several discrepancies that have arisen in the bylaws. Josh Hess, vice chair for community relations, proposed one amendment to redefine the position he is serving.


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Bird heads back to Blacksburg

A group of University fraternity men is under criminal investigation for the theft of a Hokie bird statue recently stolen from downtown Blacksburg, Va. Blacksburg Police Lt.


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Fire forced AFC to close yesterday A fire in the Aquatic & Fitness Center yesterday forced the early closure of the facility. Facility attendant Travis Hodges said fire alarms sounded when smoke infiltrated the downstairs area of the AFC. Director of Intramural-Recreational Sports Mark Fletcher said the cause of the fire was an item in a clothes dryer. It was "probably a small piece of lint that caught on fire," Fletcher said. The Charlottesville Fire Department responded to the call at 1:27 p.m., Battalion Chief Pete Sweeney said. Fletcher reported that there was minimal damage. "There was damage to the clothes dryer, as well as water damage," Fletcher said. Fletcher said the AFC emergency facilities, including the sprinkler system, proved to be in working order when the fire broke out. The AFC planned to reopen today at 6 a.m.


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Pughsley named director of Darden/Curry outreach program

The University recently named James L. Pughsley executive director of the Darden/Curry Partnership for Leaders in Education. The PLE program teaches business practices to school districts, which in turn take these principles and use them to help underachieving schools succeed, according to Darden spokesperson Ken White. Pughsley will direct the training of principals and administrators at struggling schools, White said. An example of the business principles that the program translates into the educational sector is the


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StudCo reps. fail to meet quorum

Two contracted independent organizations were unable to receive decisions about their appeals for appropriations because of Student Council's failure to meet quorum at its meeting Tuesday. Student Council leaders attributed the lack of attendance to confusion related to Tuesday's officer transitions. "It was unprofessional and I was kind of annoyed," said Scott Geiser, vice president of Student Game Developers.


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Roof restoration nears completion

As part of the University's efforts to preserve the historic architecture of the Lawn, steps are underway to restore the unique roofing structure that crowns Jefferson's pavilions.


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Committee responds to potential for pandemic

If an influenza pandemic were to break out in Charlottesville, it could potentially kill 170 people per week of the 210,000 inhabitants of the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County. This risk prompted the University to create the Pandemic Planning Committee in June 2006, which aims to combat the University's lack of preparation for a potential pandemic, said Committee Chair James Turner, who also serves as the director of Student Health. According to Turner, the Committee consists of eight subcommittees, each focused on a different aspect of University life: academic affairs, student support services, human resources, communication, administrative operations, healthcare and infection control, information technology and faculty and staff. "The impact of a pandemic on the University will be widespread across virtually all disciplines, and in order for the University to provide appropriate healthcare services, it's going to take an extraordinary amount of planning," Turner said. The Pandemic Planning Committee is part of a group of Charlottesville subcommittees that all work together to plan measures that would be necessary in the event of a pandemic, according to Lilian Peake, director of the Thomas Jefferson Health District and head of the Charlottesville pandemic planning subcommittees. Peake and Turner both agreed the threat of a pandemic is very real and according to Turner, the University is at an especially high risk. "We have hundreds and hundreds of faculty and students traveling internationally, so we are quite vulnerable to a pandemic -- if there's a pandemic it will most certainly hit Charlottesville," Turner said. In response to this possibility, the University's Pandemic Planning Committee has developed a plan to work with the University's existing emergency response plan that evolved after Sept.


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