News

Gen. Assembly closes session

The Virginia General Assembly's short session officially closed Saturday. This session saw passage of 958 bills, including a transportation bill and a budget bill that could have an effect on higher education funding. The transportation bill will take money from the general fund, comprised of revenue collected by the state through the sales tax and income tax, according to House Speaker William Howell, R-Stafford. The general fund also subsidizes K-12 education and health and human services, among other services the Commonwealth provides its citizens, Howell said. Despite recent uncertainty about funding of the transportation bill, Howell noted that funding of the bill will only take one half of one percent of the general fund, still leaving sufficient resources for other areas. Del.

National representatives of Delta Zeta dismiss 23 sisters at DePauw chapter

In Dec. 2005, National Delta Zeta sorority representatives dismissed several of DePauw University's Delta Zeta chapter members "because the women said they did not embody what the national members wanted," Director of Media Relations Kenneth Owen said. According to a Feb.

Study shows decrease in reading skills

The National Center for Education Statistics recently released a study that shows a nationwide decrease in high school seniors' reading proficiency since 1992. The study, titled "The Nation's Report Card," examined transcripts from a sample of 21,000 high school seniors from 900 schools across the country and compared them to students' performances on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. The NAEP test is "a broad-stroke snapshot based on what experts believe students should know and do in a particular subject," said Stephanie Germeraad, National Assessment Governing Board public affairs specialist. The study shows that the percentage of high school seniors reading at or above the level designated "proficient" has fallen from 40 percent in 1992 to 35 percent in 2005. "The bottom line that we found was that while it appears that high school students seem to be doing all the right things in school, [such as] taking tougher courses, getting better grades and earning more credits during their time in high school, there is not a corollary increase in NAEP scores for 12th-graders," Germeraad said. The study also observed what Germeraad called "lackluster" mathematics scores.

Profs. advance in Alzheimer's research

Researchers at the University are currently playing a key role in the discovery of the causes of Alzheimer's disease and have come one step closer to better understanding the disease. "We are trying to understand the process that kills the cells in Alzheimer's," Biology Prof.

Va. Democrats elect Armstrong as new House minority leader

Democrats in the Virginia House of Delegates selected a new minority leader Saturday, the last day of the 2007 General Assembly's winter session, to prepare the party for this year's upcoming election season. Former House Minority Leader Franklin P.

Years later, Lundy incident casts long shadow

Four years ago today, the University was rocked by reports that Daisy Lundy, then Student Council presidential candidate, had been assaulted in an apparently racially motivated incident.

Facebook ads prompt campaign concerns

Questions regarding the University Board of Elections' policy on campaign spending arose last week after it was discovered that several candidates were using Facebook advertising without specifically citing who paid for the postings. Ryan Taylor, third-year College student and Student Council executive vice presidential candidate, said he was contacted Tuesday via e-mail by Steve Yang, chair of University Board of Elections, about the way in which he posted and cited advertisements on Facebook. Taylor said Yang did not think the "posted by" designation at the bottom of the flyer clearly illustrated the fact that it was "paid for by" the candidate. "I did not declare that I had paid for the Facebook flyer itself even though it specifically said I posted it," Taylor said.

Discussion of potential new schools arises

As the Capital Campaign gradually narrows its focus to target larger, individual donors, University faculty and administrators are discussing the use of private funds in the possible creation of several new professional schools. Current ideas include the creation of schools of public health, public policy, global sustainability and environmental science, according to Bob Sweeney, senior vice president for development and public affairs. "A number of initiatives are being discussed, which include schools along with a lot of other possibilities, but these are now just at the stage of discussion," Provost Gene Block said.

Greek councils collaborate to build Habitat house

The University's Greek community unveiled a Habitat for Humanity house Friday built as part of a cooperative effort by the Inter-Fraternity Council, the Inter-Sorority Council, the National Pan-Hellenic Council, the Multicultural Greek Council and Charlottesville Habitat for Humanity. Aaron Laushway, dean of fraternity and sorority life, said the house unveiled Friday is the fourth built with involvement from the Greek community and the second built with cooperation from all four councils. "It was great," Laushway said.

Correction:

According to the Wednesday, Feb. 21 News article "General Assembly passes grant incentive for eligible VCCS transfers," the Virginia House of Delegates and the Virginia Senate approved HB 1681, which established the Virginia two-year college transfer grant program.

Honor looks at role insingle sanction debate

The Honor Committee held an open meeting last night, during which community members voiced concern about the Committee's failure to present a viable alternative to the single sanction. Committee Chair Alison Tramba said if the referendum currently on the ballot which was proposed by Hoos Against Single Sanction fails to pass, the next Honor Committee would likely form another ad hoc committee to examine other options. Vice Chair for Trials Jay Trickett explained why the current ad hoc committee studying the single sanction chose not to offer additional alternatives to the honor system during the current election season. "The [single sanction] ad hoc committee debated the idea of having a third alternative on the ballot," Trickett said, "But we thought it would be unfair to the student body that there would be three different options because it made it unlikely that any would pass." Vice Chair for Investigations Andrew Siegel also presented a proposal at the meeting to further streamline the investigation process by switching to an electronic database. "It's going to be a lot more easy to facilitate the exchange of information throughout the investigative process, the trial process and through appeals," Siegel said. The open meeting, held in the Dome Room of the Rotunda, was headed by Vice Chair for Education A-J Aronstein.

Black Panther co-founder Seale speaks to University students

Black Panther Party co-founder Bobby Seale delivered a speech yesterday called "The History and Impacts of the Black Panther Party" as part of Black History Month celebrations at the University.

Researchers conduct adult memory confidence study

According to a study conducted by a University professor and a graduate student, older adults were far more confident when committing suggestibility errors compared to younger adults. Asst.

Alliance encourages diversity in health field

Eastern Virginia Medical School joined the Virginia-Nebraska alliance, a partnership between four medical institutions -- including the University's -- and five historically black Virginia colleges, Feb.

Darden elections see high number of candidates

The Darden School held its school-wide elections Feb. 12 to 16, electing its representatives to various University organizations.

Attempted ID theft schemes target students

University students have been victims of two attempted mass identification thefts since January, one through the University e-mail system and another through dorm phones. The most recent scam involved students receiving calls on their dorm phones.

SPRING IS IN THE AIR

Engineering prof. joins NAE

John J. Dorning, Whitney Stone Professor of Nuclear Science and Engineering and University professor of applied mathematics and engineering physics, was recently elected to the National Academy of Engineering. "It's a very nice honor," Dorning said.

U.Va. Teen Health Program to expand community outreach thanks to new funds

The University's Teen Health Program is expanding its community outreach efforts following recent fundraising efforts and an anonymous donation. The key component of the community outreach is to heighten advocacy for teens in public policy, according to Dyan Aretakis, program director of the Teen Health Center.

StudCo candidates debate

Candidates vying for several Student Council positions had an opportunity to address voters last night during a debate hosted by the University Board of Elections. Candidates for Student Council president who were in attendance included third-year students Matthew White, Ryan McElveen, Daniel Dooley, Dan Newland and Lauren Tilton.