News

Virgil Goode receives citizen's indictment

U.S. Congressman Virgil Goode, R-Va., was issued a citizens' indictment April 6 after allegedly failing to meet the demands of constituents protesting his support for the war in Iraq. The indictment came after the trial of 11 protesters who were arrested for staging sit-ins at Goode's Charlottesville office during the month of March. Jennifer Connor, one of the protestors arrested, said the group felt "obligated" to indict Goode since he is not representing the views of his constituents concerning the war in Iraq. "We are required to speak out against the crimes being committed in Iraq, and it's Goode's obligation to speak out on these things," Connor said. Goode said in most cases his views and decisions represent the views of his constituents. Goode said he had tried to contact the group by responding to letters written by constituents and spoke with one of the constituents. "I got the impression that they weren't interested in anything but getting arrested and getting publicity," Goode said. The protestors received a 30-day jail suspension pending two years of good behavior. -- compiled by Marisa Roman

Council revisits two appropriation verdicts

The new members of the Executive Committee oversaw their first meeting when Student Council voted last night to allocate traveling funds to the Virginia Rifle and Pistol Club, after denying the club money in the first round of appropriations. Council also approved a resolution recommending changes to the Lawn Pavilion selection process. According to the club's initial appropriations request, "their travel fees were in the form of weekly requests," Student Council President Lauren Tilton said.

City approves budget

After two months of debate, Charlottesville City Council adopted a $100 million budget for the upcoming fiscal year at yesterday's meeting. In a four-to-one vote at City Hall, Councilor and Mayor David E.

Jefferson "Muzzle" awards focus on free speech

While there are many awards that recognize individuals for upholding the ideals set forth by Thomas Jefferson, the Muzzle Awards are some of the few that recognize individuals believed to undermine the values he espoused. The Charlottesville-based Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression, an autonomous, non-profit group advocating freedom of expression, announced the recipients of the 2007 Jefferson "Muzzle Award" yesterday. According to Josh Wheeler, associate director of the Thomas Jefferson Center, the awards are given annually on or near Thomas Jefferson's birthday and are presented to institutions or individuals who impeded free expression during the preceding year. "When the program first started 16 years ago, it was just us keeping our eyes and ears open for violations," Wheeler said.

Goldwater award goes to students

Three University undergraduate students will be able to pursue scientific research after being awarded thousands of dollars in recognition of their achievements in math, science and engineering. Second-year College students Jennifer Cano and Sean Cantrell and third-year Engineering student Gary Shambat have been named recipients of the Barry M.

Students report visits by illegal solicitors

Residents of Lambeth Field Apartments and the International Residential College have reported several incidents of illegal solicitation in past weeks. University Police Capt.

The State of StudCo

Cavalier Daily Associate Editor Student Awareness. Increased student involvement in Council. Renewed focus on student councerns.

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.

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.

Kaine selects new BOV member

Gov. Tim Kaine selected former CarMax president, chief executive officer and co-founder Austin Ligon to serve on the Board of Visitors Friday. In addition, Kaine reappointed L.F.

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.

Raising money for charity

Study finds college students know more about politics than pop culture

College students care more about politics than pop culture, according to recent nationwide study by Tufts University.

Transportation bill gets green light

Drivers on clogged highways in Virginia may get some relief as a result of compromise legislation passed in a reconvened General Assembly session Wednesday. Gov.

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.

General Assembly gains support to override Gov. Kaine's vetoes

he Virginia General Assembly overturned multiple gubernatorial vetoes and rejected gubernatorial recommendations for a proposed smoking ban during its reconvened session that concluded Wednesday. The Assembly did, however, approve Gov.

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.

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

Getting ready for days on the lawn

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.