A first-year student residing in the Fitzhugh dormitory has contracted a case of the mumps, a highly contagious viral illness, and Dr. James C.
A fight broke out at the Buddhist Biker Bar & Grill on Elliewood Ave. on the Corner early Saturday morning, leading to the arrest of one student and the hospitalization of three employees. Third-year College student Daniel Hardesty-Dyck was arrested for assault and battery after hitting Law student Ryan Melogy over the head with a beer bottle. According to Sgt.
The E. coli breakout that has been sweeping the nation hit the University this week as third-year Commerce student Adam Hermida spent last Tuesday at the University of Virginia Medical Center and was diagnosed with the illness. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has announced 171 cases of illness due to E.
Angus MacNeil, a member of the United Kingdom's Parliament who was involved in uncovering a Labour Party scandal earlier this year, visited the University this week to discuss politics and language.
The University has secured two senior scientists, Stephen Rich and John Yates, as part of the Board of Visitors' 2004 initiative to improve science and technology research. Jeff Blank, assistant to the vice president of research in graduate studies, said that Rich and Yates will start their appointments in January 2007. Rich and Yates were two of over 175 nominations, Blank said.
University President John T. Casteen, III announced yesterday the establishment of the National Social Norms Institute at the University, made possible by a $2.5 million gift from the Anheuser-Busch Corporation. The institute, an entity run independently of its corporate sponsor, will research the impact of social standards and customs on the attitudes and behaviors of individuals, specifically with respect to the consumption and abuse of alcohol within the University community.The institute will also analyze the data to determine the most effective policies for alcohol abuse prevention. Examples of social norms initiatives already implemented on Grounds include the Stall Seat Journal in first-year bathrooms, which offers accurate information on alcohol use at the University and is updated monthly. Casteen, who accepted the check from Anheuser-Busch, called the event "the culmination of a long partnership that began with frustration on all sides." Casteen then described the history of alcohol abuse prevention at the University throughout his tenure, saying, "The problems we're trying to address here have never found a firm solution." Casteen expressed optimism for the NSNI, calling social norms research, "the best approach." University alumnus John Nau III, also the CEO of the second largest distributor of Anheuser-Busch products nationwide, was a major force behind the creation and strengthening of the partnership between the University and the brewing company. "It only made sense to me that we try to marry these two great institutions, the University of Virginia and Anheuser-Busch, on social norms and education on alcohol abuse," Nau said. Nau said through the work of the National Social Norms Institute, "lives can be saved and will be by the promotion of good, safe decision-making among Wahoos, not only here, but nationwide." Francine Katz, spokesperson for Anheuser-Busch and parent of a current University student, represented the brewery and symbolically handed the check for $2.5 million over to Casteen.
The University's Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life is investigating St. Anthony's Hall following the inadvertent circulation of an e-mail which detailed purported plans involving drug usage for the initiation of a pledge. The Hall's president, Caylor Mark, said the e-mail was intended as "a joke" and demonstrated a "lapse of judgment" by the author, pledge educator Alexander "Zander" Strange. The e-mail includes reference to offering pledge Christian Parker a "pill [or] line" as part of an initiation process which would have taken place Wednesday. Parker called the e-mail "absurd" and said he had "no reason at all" from his pledging experience to believe the content was credible. Parker added that being a brother in the Hall requires that brothers not use drugs. "Zander knew that I would never use drugs, and Zander would never let me do that," Parker said. Mark added that he would never allow "such activity" to take place. Aaron Laushway, dean of fraternity and sorority life, said he does not consider the e-mail to be a joke and noted that the University will "investigate it fully, as it does all allegations of hazing." Laushway said the investigation will consist of interviewing the brothers and pledges of the fraternity.
Ticket holders for the upcoming Dave Matthews Band concerts at the University's John Paul Jones Arena may experience some difficulties if their event tickets were not purchased through authorized box offices. JPJ, along with other concert venues around the country, are now cracking down on ticket scalpers and the resale of event tickets at prices above face value. Larry Wilson, general manager of JPJ, said the arena reserves the right to cancel tickets. "In our user agreement, if you resell tickets, they can be canceled," Wilson said. Although the Virginia House of Delegates proposed a bill preventing unauthorized ticket sales, Wilson stressed this policy is an "artist-driven idea." "Most artists today do not want scalpers selling their tickets, because they want the patron to purchase the ticket at face value and to enjoy the show at face value," he said. The bill was proposed in January 2006 and stalled on the Courts of Justice committee floor, according to a spokesperson for the Virginia General Assembly. JPJ and its broker-prevention department, MusicToday, are not the only companies enforcing this ticket scalping policy.
University President John T. Casteen, III and Provost Gene Block attended the first meeting of the Faculty Senate for the academic semester yesterday to discuss matters related to the upcoming Capital Campaign, the University's proposed Ten-Year Plan, as well as faculty recruitment, retention and welfare. Faculty Senate chair Kenneth Schwartz opened the meeting, noting that the upcoming years' thematic phrase was "Faculty Moving Forward." Casteen then presented his President's Report, focusing on the public kick-off of the Capital Campaign next Friday and the conclusion of the first phase of this fundraising endeavor. "Faculty members have been very good in helping to shape what's happening," he said. Block then gave his Provost's Report where he presented an outline for the University's upcoming reaccredidation process as it relates to the Board of Visitor's Ten-Year Plan as well as current endeavors to raise faculty salaries. According to Block, after examination of CASE documents, Senate Planning Committee documents and feedback from deans, one issue has arisen as a recurring area in need of improvement. "Enhancing student-faculty engagement at the University is a theme that seems to resonate with a large number of people," he said. According to Block, the Board has outlined eight goals related to this issue within its Ten-Year Plan, including an increase in faculty size in order to decrease the faculty-student ratio of the University to 1:15. The Senate's newly formed Faculty Recruitment, Retention and Welfare Committee voiced similar concerns. Committee Chair Jennifer Harvey outlined issues that had been raised regarding faculty staffing, including the need for a faculty representative on the BOV Education Policy Committee and increased diversity, along with the revision of housing costs and family and medical leave policy. Harvey then asked Senate members for possible additions to the list.
The University Foundation's plan to build the West Main Clinical Building and large-scale parking garage was approved Tuesday by the Charlottesville Board of Architectural Review. The six-story clinic and seven-story garage will contribute to the new Cancer Center that the University's Medical Center is adding.
The University Medical School's Cell Migration Consortium received a five-year, $35.7 million grant extension from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, a division of the National Institute of Health.
The Sept. 30 News article "Randolph-Macon Woman's College to go coed" paraphrased RMWC spokesperson Barbara Harbison saying the decision to admit men to the college "should not affect alumnae relations." She should have been paraphrased saying that while RMWC expected a change in alumnae relations, it will not affect how the school welcomes alumnae.
Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine has ranked the University third in its 2006-2007 rankings of the "50 Best Values in Public Colleges." The rankings were based on a set of criteria weighing both academic standards and affordability. The academic criteria ranged from the percentage of incoming students testing above 600 on both the math and verbal sections of the SAT, to the University's four- and six-year overall graduation rates. The University's admissions standards are among the highest of the colleges listed in the Kiplinger article.
The Education School's teacher education program was praised in "Educating Student Teachers," a report released earlier this week.
More than half of graduate business school students in America admitted to cheating at least once during the last academic year, according to findings from an Academy of Management Learning & Education report released this Monday. The findings were presented in an interdisciplinary journal, entitled "Academic Dishonesty in Graduate Business Programs: Prevalence, Causes, and Proposed Action." The article found that 56 percent of graduate business school students cheated last year, compared to 47 percent of other graduate school students. Donald L.
The National Academies Press reported Monday that the low proportion of women on science and engineering faculties at academic institutions is a result of unintentional biases and outdated institutional policies. The report documented several findings, and concluded that women do not lack the innate ability to succeed in science and engineering positions.
The Board of Trustees for Randolph Macon Woman's College in Lynchburg announced last Saturday their decision to convert the school to a coeducational institution starting next fall. The decision was reached after a two-and-half-year strategic planning process by the Board of Trustees that reviewed the feasibility of RMWC's future as a single-sex college. "You have to look at coeducation within the context of a strategic plan," Randolph Macon spokesperson Barbara Harbison said.
As Virginia voters decide who to support in the contentious Senate race between Democratic hopeful Jim Webb and incumbent George Allen, they will also have the option of voting to support or strike down a number of amendments, the most controversial of which is the Marshall-Newman Amendment. The Marshall-Newman Amendment, known to some as the "gay marriage amendment," has provoked heated debate among Virginia citizens and elected government officials, including Democrat Gov.
