News

Living wage group reacts to remarks

In a press conference yesterday, Living Wage Campaign members called President John T. Casteen, III's recent statements about the Living Wage Campaign a "willful misrepresentation" and "misleading at best." Living Wage Campaign members also expressed some dissatisfaction with the administration's recent decision to raise the minimum wage of direct University employees to $9.37 per hour, reemphasizing their desire to institute a "living wage" of $10.72 per hour. In comments published in The Cavalier Daily yesterday, Casteen said he had "never seen a computation base for the wages mentioned in local living wage publications." Living Wage Campaign member Benjamin Van Dyne said that members have been denied meetings with the administration on multiple occasions, including when they tried to schedule a meeting yesterday. "We have done everything in our power to educate the community," Van Dyne said, "[Casteen] was repeatedly given the information he said he never got." University spokesperson Carol Wood explained that Casteen's statement was misinterpreted. "He acknowledges that he had received what [a campaign member] had sent, but he didn't think it was sufficient," Wood said.

Altercation occurs at Delta Upsilon house

In the early hours of Friday, March 3, an altercation occurred when unidentified individuals entered a gathering at the Delta Upsilon fraternity house on Rugby Road. Initially, two individuals entered the unlocked door of the fraternity house, during a gathering of fraternity brothers and their guests on the last day of school before Spring Break, Delta Upsilon President Thomas Bannard said. "The individuals went to the house and were informed that there was no party and were asked to leave," said Aaron Laushway, associate dean of students and director of fraternity and sorority life. The two initial individuals later returned with more people and then tried to gain entry to the house, which is when the altercation transpired, Bannard said. The police were notified by the students at Delta Upsilon after each individual incident, Bannard said. "We called the police immediately after the two initial students entered and then again after the altercation," Bannard said. Laushway said students cooperated fully with the University and Charlottesville Police and an investigation is ongoing. None of the students was seriously injured during the exchange, Bannard said. "Nobody went to the hospital; several students suffered head injuries, but at this point, everyone is OK," he said. At this point, the identities of the students are not confirmable because the investigation is still pending, Laushway said. Tomorrow, students involved with the incident will be meeting with the police, which may eventually lead to charges being filed, Bannard said. Andy Paradis, president of the Inter-Fraternity Council, said the IFC fully supports the Delta Upsilon fraternity and is concerned about the incident. As a result of the incident, improving safety had been made a new goal, Paradis said. The IFC is forming an ad hoc committee on safety to discuss the safety concerns and potential risks facing brothers and their guests, he said. In the past, there have been very few issues regarding safety at fraternities, he added. "This is the first incident we've seen, but it is very important as a self-regulatory agency to make sure everyone is safe," he said.

Solomon Amendment upheld

The Supreme Court unanimously upheld the Solomon Amendment March 6, requiring law schools to provide military recruiters with the same access granted to other employers in order to conduct business and interviews on law school campuses. Schools who fail to meet this requirement will face a cut in their federal funding. While various schools nationwide submitted amicus briefs expressing opinions on the case, University Law Prof.

Contractor selected to replace ISIS

The company PeopleSoft has been selected to replace the University's Integrated Student Information System (ISIS). Charles Grisham, director of the Student System Project, said yesterday that the new system will not be implemented immediately, as members of the University community need to study how to effectively install and use the system.

Groups prepare to transition

Newly-elected Student Council, Honor and University Judiciary Committee members will soon take over their respective positions. Student Council will officially induct their new members in late April, according to Student Council President-elect Darius Nabors.

Cancer claims University student over Spring Break

First-year College student Lauren Munchak died March 5 of cancer at the Children's National Medical Center in Washington D.C., where she was admitted three weeks before due to continued medical complications. Lauren Munchak, of Clifton, Va., was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma during her senior year of high school in 2004, said her mother, Mary Munchak. Lauren Munchak's status as a student was deferred for one year in 2005 because of her medical condition. "She found a lump on her left thigh," Mary Munchak said.

Casteen announces wage raise

University President John T. Casteen, III. said that the University will increase its wages to provide market-competitive compensation to it's lowest paid employees. In a statement issued March 7, Casteen said the minimum hiring rate, or the salary provided to entry-level employees, is expected to rise by $0.49 to $9.37 per hour. The increase will go into effect later this month, University spokesperson Carol Wood said, adding that the University participates in local market study surveys each year, and this wage increase is a result of the most recent survey. "We do the surveys on a regular basis," Wood said.

Honor Committee to hold open trial March 26

The fourth student this academic year has announced an intention to have an open Honor trial, which will take place March 26, according to a press release issued by the Honor Committee Monday. Approximately 45 tickets for the open trial are available this week at the Information Desk of Newcomb Hall.

College elects Aronstein, Siegel, Fox to Honor

By Maggie Thornton Cavalier Daily Associate Editor The University Board of Elections announced the newly elected members of the University Judiciary and Honor Committees last night. The new Honor Committee will be composed of third-year Lauren Shirley and second year Linda Bartusiak from the Architecture school, fourth year Julia Benner from the School of Continuing and Professional Studies, first year Katie Ball and second year Rebecca Green from the Nursing School, graduate student Vanessa Wynn from the Education school, third years Toby Zhang and Shannon Spurgeon from the Commerce school, Jay Trickett and Laura Holland from the Law School, third year Alison Tramba and second year Justin Starr from the Engineering school, graduate students Maria Fitzpatrick and Diane Gigantino from the College and third-year students A-J Aronstein, Kendall Fox and Andrew Siegel from the College. "We need to work on education," Fox said.

Consensus clause fails; triviality, UJC hate referendum approved

The University Board of Elections announced last night that five out of six proposed referenda were approved by the student body. Although the one failed referendum, known as the consensus clause, did not gain the 60 percent of the vote needed for an Honor constitutional amendment to pass, it received a majority of votes cast, 55.2 percent.

STUDCO President-Elect Darius Nabors

Nabors elected StudCo president

Newly elected Student Council and class council officers were announced last night as candidates gathered in Newcomb Hall to await results. Third-year College student Darius Nabors was elected Student Council President with 2,779 students ranking him as their first choice in the second round of instant runoff voting, defeating second-place finisher Greg Jackson. Nabors gave a short speech after his victory was announced, congratulating election winners and encouraging all candidates to stay involved with the University. Second-year College student Nicholas Jordan was elected executive vice president, while third-year College student Anna Popova was elected vice president for organizations. Second-year College student Jeffrey McLaughlin was elected vice president for administration as he claimed 2,493 first-choice votes, over former VPA Okey Udumaga, who earned 1,896.

StudCo passes syllabus resolution

Student Council unanimously passed a resolution at their meeting last night to encourage professors to post course syllabi on Toolkit 10 days before the start of classes. The resolution was introduced at Council's meeting last week by members of the Academic Affairs Committee and by Executive Vice President Darius Nabors, sponsor of the legislation.

Students, panel discuss "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

Last night, military servicemen spoke at the University as part of the Call to Duty Tour, a national program aimed at raising awareness about the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Specifically, the speakers discussed how the policy has directly affected their experiences in the military, and how they hope to bring about changes in the legislation. According to Sharon Alexander, an attorney with Service Members Legal Defense Network, the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy marks improvement in the treatment of gays, lesbians and bisexuals in the military, but leaves much to be desired. "'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' is an advance over its predecessor regulations," Alexander said.

Setting the Bar

Originally an intersection where the University entryway met Charlottesville's main road, the Corner is now five blocks of student-friendly restaurants and watering holes.

Being all they can be

Departments assess SAS course credit

A week and half after faculty concerns about the Semester at Sea program became public, administrators and faculty continue to discuss the issue in the hopes of reconciling differences. Two departments are currently formulating policies with regard to granting credit for classes taken through the Semester at Sea program.

Ballot errors prompt special vote

A special election will be held for the position of second-year vice president since one candidate in a contested race was left off of the ballot, according to University Board of Elections officials. Additionally, a candidate in an uncontested race for University Judiciary Committee Education representative, third-year Catherine Robinson, was accidentally omitted from the ballot. The special elections will be held from Wednesday, March 1 at 6 p.m.

Lawn residents for 2006-2007 academic year selected

All of the 47 University students selected to live on the Lawn for the 2006-2007 school year accepted the offer, head Lawn resident Jenni Allen said.

Projections call for rise in faculty retirements

The University will face a changing faculty population over the next decade, as nearly one fifth of the faculty is expected to retire. Approximately 277 of 1,500 currently tenured or tenure-tracked professors will retire over the next 10 years, according to a model developed in December, said Gertrude Fraser, vice provost for faculty advancement. The predictions for future faculty retirement are based on University retirement data from 2000-2005, said Bob Lake, director of the Office of Learning and Development for the University's Human Resources. The large number of retirees will create both challenges and opportunities for the University in selecting new faculty members, Fraser said. "The problem is that one has to begin planning for a market where, nationally, other institutions are going to be hiring a lot of faculty too," Fraser said.