The University is known for many things, such as being Thomas Jefferson's most prized invention, girls with pearls, a "Sea of Orange" and a complicated system of abbreviations and acronyms that make up a large part of the vernacular on Grounds.
Twenty-four professors from the Architecture School issued an open letter yesterday addressed to the Board of Visitors, the administration and the University community at large accusing the University of mimicking the Jeffersonian architectural style rather than constructing buildings in the spirit of the University's founder. The professors claimed in the letter that by merely copying the architecture it serves to belittle the legacy of Jefferson's original "Academical Village." "There is a growing and fundamental break between what we value and what we teach in the School of Architecture and how architectural themes are trivialized on Grounds," Architecture Prof.
The Education Committee of the United States Senate introduced its version of the Higher Education Act this week, an act which will determine federal education policy for the next six years. The Senate's bill differs from the corresponding legislation passed by the House of Representatives in July of this year on multiple points, including interest rates for federal student loans, college reporting requirements and the recommended maximum Pell Grant. The Senate Committee's bill seeks to lower the interest rate on student federal loans to a fixed rate of 6.8 percent from the current variable rate of 8.25 percent. The Senate legislation also includes numerous reporting requirements for colleges, requiring that they report the costs of tuition and attendance, the amount of financial aid awarded to students and teacher training, among other things.
Political scientists from all over the world met in Washington, D.C. this week to discuss whether college students taking political science courses are able to take the concepts learned in the classroom and apply them to real-world situations. At the Annual American Political Science Association Meeting entitled "Mobilizing Democracy," some professors said they would characterize their students as generally apathetic and unaware of the current events that are relevant to their course of study, according to an article in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Members of the APSA panel found they could better engage their students civically and intellectually by integrating articles from The New York Times into their classroom discussions, The Chronicle reported. "We professors have a duty to teach the academic literature and its reasonable applications in the world of politics," University Politics Prof.
The University of Virginia's College at Wise nursing department will receive a grant of $90,256 from the Appalachian Regional Commission to expand its Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program. Congressman Rick Boucher, D-Abingdon announced offering of the grant, and according to Boucher's press release, this grant will ensure that the students in the nursing program receive a comprehensive, state-of-the-art education. According to Jane Dean, the director of college relations at U.Va.-Wise, the grant is being used to purchase equipment for advanced cardiac life-support training, EKG training and pediatric nurse training. With this grant, "U.Va.-Wise becomes one of the few schools in the state to certify in advanced cardiac life support prior to graduation," Dean said.
Dozens of students met in Newcomb Hall Ballroom last night to discuss possible changes to the University Judiciary Committee's treatment of hate crimes.
The University has been plagued by racial tensions for most of its history. The legacy of slavery and discrimination in the American South has meant that the most visible social fault lines are often along the color barrier.
History Prof. Stephen Innes died Monday afternoon after a long battle with leukemia. He taught at the University for twenty-eight years. "He was a great scholar, a firm friend and a devoted father," History Department Chair Charles W.
The University Faculty and Staff Career Services is once again offering employee benefits in the form of tuition waivers, reimbursement and assistance since the program has seen an increase in enrollment, said Emily Bardeen, director of Faculty and Staff Career Services. This growing program allows University employees to enroll in one class at the University free of charge or receive financial assistance for job-related classes attended at other accredited universities, according to Bardeen.
The completion of an online tutorial now will be required for all faculty members participating in tenure or tenure-track faculty search committees.
Fourth-year College students Benjamin Sachs and Stewart Ackerly introduced a student initiative titled the Neighborhood Watch Program in an effort to increase nighttime security. "Right now there appears to be a real security problem across Grounds and we wanted to try something new," Sachs said. The program sends out two student patrol teams every night between the hours of midnight and 3 a.m.
Late Wednesday, Sept. 7, Charlottesville police released Christopher Lynn Matthew from custody after DNA testing cleared him as a suspect.
Charlottesville City officials met with local business and community leaders Thursday in an attempt to organize public and private Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in Charlottesville. According to Vice Mayor Kevin Lynch, public contributions from the local area have been augmented by private efforts. "There are a number of private groups in the City that have already mobilized," Lynch said.
Charlottesville's Planning Commission and the City Council currently are considering the possibility of adding land behind the Corner, between 14th Street and Rugby Road, to the designated historic district called the Venable Neighborhood. "The City is wrestling with how to integrate a historic district with the higher-density district adjacent to the University," Mayor David Brown said. City Council will vote next month on whether to include the area in the protected Venable Neighborhood. The proposed change would place limitations on what property owners could do with their land.
Recent acts of vandalism near 14th and 15th Streets, involving repeated incidents at one construction site, have prompted the Charlottesville Police to increase patrols in the area to target vandals. The construction site, a housing project under development by Veliky L.C.
An impressive fireworks display followed the football season opener Saturday, bringing the fireworks back after a two-year hiatus. "This was the first weekend evening game we have had in a couple of years," said Hunter Yurachek, director of marketing and promotions in the Athletics Department.
