The University was recently ranked 35th on the list of Top 50 Colleges for African-Americans released by Black Enterprise magazine Monday. According to Tanisha Sykes, consumer affairs editor of Black Enterprise magazine and project manager of the Top 50 list, the evaluation process began with 1,423 colleges and universities.
Though they may not get a star on the Hollywood walk of fame, the Class of 2007 is ready for their close-up, and a group of students is taking a close look at the figures and events that will shape the year. University students are preparing a documentary on this academic year to premiere before Commencement in May. Fourth-year College student and project coordinator Mostafa Abdelkarim said he conceived of a project documenting the year last January as his final year approached and the idea of graduation crept up on him. Abdelkarim said he had previous experience with film and wanted to make a project with a wider scope. "I wanted to do something with a bigger exclamation point," he said. The project is not just a documentary about the academic year--it is a documentary that will distinguish this year from every other year to come, according to Abdelkarim. "We wanted to capture the original flavor of the class," Abdelkarim said. Abdelkarim said he and 12 other students are working to capture all of the special moments of the year by filming several events like the Rotunda Sing and the first day of classes, as well as going out and filming spontaneous events two to three times a week. The goal is for the project to become a yearly tradition so students years down the road can go to Clemons and view what each year was like, Abdelkarim said. "If each fourth-year class did this, you'd have a continuing record of life at U.Va.," he said. Media Studies Prof.
Today marks the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, an event that had a profound impact upon a group of students and administrators whose lives have changed most because of the storm. The University continues to aid students from the Gulf Coast by providing social and financial support, Dean of Students Penny Rue said. "Dean Lampkin is offering a gathering in her pavilion [tonight] for students who were affected by Katrina and I think the Student Financial Services Office continues to be sensitive to the financial needs of those students," Rue said. One such New Orleans native continuing to cope with the aftermath of the storm is third-year College student Jessica White. "My dad lost his business ... it was destroyed in the storm, the land was commandeered by the Corps of Engineers and for nine months he was out of a job," White said.
University faculty and students are mourning the loss of Marcie Thomason, a 2003 graduate of the McIntire School of Commerce.
The University's new Anheuser-Busch Coastal Research Center (ABCRC) was officially dedicated at a ceremony last Saturday. Located on the Eastern Shore in Oyster, Va., the facility is part of the Long Term Ecological Research project (LTER) administered by the University environmental science department.
Yesterday the University added a fifth section to CHIN 101, "Elementary Chinese," reflecting how the increased national demand for Chinese language skills has impacted the University. While the federal government has increased funds for critical languages such as Chinese, some fear the University has not been sufficiently responsive to this added need. "The whole nation and other schools are experiencing this increase, but the University is behind in terms of improving the program and adding additional sections," said Shu-Chen Chen, Asian and Middle Eastern language coordinator. President Bush introduced a $114 million plan in January to increase the number of "critical" languages to be taught in schools throughout the United States.
University students were the victims of theft this weekend when an unknown man was discovered by two residents of 506 Rugby Road, nicknamed "The Alamo." A purse was stolen from the residence. The theft occurred at approximately 4:10 a.m.
A new study from Harvard University found that private high schools can provide students with a multi-faceted academic advantage over those who attend public school.
This summer two large public universities settled lawsuits relating to speech codes on college campuses by backing away from provisions of their policies that restrict expression of certain viewpoints that were directed at other students. At Georgia Tech, students Orit Sklar and Ruth Malhotra accused the school of restricting their ability to voice their opposition to homosexuality.
Nicole Eramo, special advisor to the Honor Committee, announced her resignation at the first meeting of the Honor Committee in the 2006-2007 year last night. Eramo will become an assistant dean in the Office of the Dean for Students beginning Sept.
George Mason University recently announced that starting next fall it will no longer require some applicants to submit their SAT scores.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced yesterday that it approved the over-the-counter sale of the emergency contraceptive pill, better known as the 'morning after' pill, to women 18 years or older. Many University organizations, including VOX: Voices for Planned Parenthood, praised the decision as "a huge step" in preventing unplanned pregnancies.
University students helped elementary school students set a new reading record. Over 150,000 children nationwide participated in Reading for the Record, which set the record for children reading the same book at the same time. Setting the record is not the most important thing, University Jumpstart Coordinator Sarah Rude said, rather, the primary goal is to promote early literacy.
A pilot program which would allow teachers to assess the literacy skills of Spanish-speaking students is set to begin field testing this fall in the Curry School of Education. PALS, or Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening, is an assessment used by teachers to gauge the English language comprehension of children in kindergarten through third grade.
The former home of James Madison, the fourth U.S. President and second rector of the University's Board of Visitors, is undergoing major renovations to restore it to its original form.
s 338 incoming first-year MBA students at the Darden Graduate School of Business adapt to their courses and life as graduate students, faculty and staff are working equally hard to accommodate the largest enrolling class in school's 52nd year history. Darden faculty normally anticipate the arrival of about 300 to 310 students, according to Jim Clawson, Director of the First Year Program; this year, however, a high yield resulted in a history-making first-year class. Clawson attributed the high yield to a number of factors, including global economic activity and the increased number of students from India, where economic conditions are increasingly favorable. This year's yield "is a function of increasing the reputation of the school internationally, the booming global economy, and the booming economy in India," Clawson said.
The national Delta Tau Delta fraternal organization revoked the charter of its University Beta Iota chapter over the summer, according to a Delta Tau Delta press release made available Tuesday. The Beta Iota charter was withdrawn after DTD's national Arch Chapter investigated a number of policy violations involving hazing and abuse of alcohol. One of the primary reasons for the investigation was a hazing incident that occurred during the last school year, DTD national Executive Vice President James Russell confirmed. Neither former Beta Iota president Kyle Estep nor Russell commented on the details of the incident, though Russell said it was "against both the spirit and the rules of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity, in addition to the student code of conduct at the University of Virginia." The Beta Iota chapter was suspended April 6, according to Russell.
As Senator George Allen's poll numbers continue to fall in the wake of his reference to University student S.R.
The University was named one of the 25 "New Ivies" in Newsweek's 2007 edition of the Kaplan College Guide, which profiled 25 of the top schools in the nation. The guide attempts to show that universities do not need ivy on their walls to give their students a top-notch education, according to Brandon Jones, one of the contributing editors of the article.
Disagreement continues between University officials and Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine's office surrounding the contested power of appointment of the Virginia state climatologist.
