When applying for college, students have the option of revealing their racial or ethnic identity on their applications.
Off-Grounds housing at the University has come a long way. With the recent opening of the Student Council off-Grounds housing office and plans in the works for a City inspector to evaluate the quality of privately-owned student housing, improving the off-Grounds experience for students has become a major priority for Council, as well as University and City officials over the past year. Off-Grounds Housing Manager Vicki Hawes said she began her position as director of Council's new off-Grounds housing office last year intent on fulfilling the goals, plans and dreams of Council.
This evening, in an unprecedented event, the Class of 2006 will commemorate third-year students who embody aspects of excellence within the University. According to Kate Haffey, a member of the Third-Year Council Outreach Committee, selected third-year students, faculty member and administrators will gather in Alumni Hall for a dinner celebrating the students' contributions to the community.
Council rejected a bill last night to send a referendum concering hate crimes to the spring ballot. The bill needed three-fourths of Council approval, and it failed by a vote 8-13.
Minority enrollment in American colleges has doubled over the past decade, according to a recent report from the American Council on Education. Though the report has yet to be released to the public, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported yesterday that the overall number of African American, Native American, Latin American and Asian American students in higher education institutions in the United States has increased from two million in 1991 to 4.3 million in 2001. Valerie Gregory, assistant dean and outreach director in the Office of Admission, said the number of minorities at the University has "definitely not doubled," but "keeps creeping up a little each year." Attempting to increase minority enrollment, the Office of Admission has employed a personal approach to attract students to the University, Gregory said. The personal approach is exemplified by the "reach out and touch method," she said.
For many, elementary school may evoke memories of recess and nap time, but for others, elementary school reminds them of the class bully stealing their lunch money and beating them up after school. Virginia Delegate Rob Bell, R-Albermarle, proposed a bill earlier this year that would try to curb bullying behavior in Virginia schools.
University Business and Administration Professor Edward Freeman was honored at yesterday's 19th Annual Outstanding Faculty Awards Ceremony.
After contested election results, on Monday and Tuesday of this week Law school students will participate in a runoff election for the second of two Honor Committee Representative Positions available to Law school students. The original election held last Monday and Tuesday included races for UJC representatives, Student Council representatives, and the Executive board of the Law School Student Bar Association -- the Law School's governing body -- along with Honor Committee representatives. Unlike undergraduate elections, which are conducted online, Law school elections were administered using paper ballots.
Adderall XR was taken off the Canadian market last Wednesday. Health Canada cited 20 reports of sudden death in patients taking any form of Adderall in their decision. The drug is prescribed to patients diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Nationally, five million children and three million adults take the drug, including a large number of students. The Food and Drug Administration has approved the drug for use in the United States and has no immediate plans to change the drugs status in the American market, FDA spokesperson Brad Stone said. "Whenever another health agency takes an action or issues a statement or a study on a drug that we regulate, we certainly look at it very carefully," Stone said.
Binge drinking among college-age persons in Virginia has increased, while use of illicit drugs other than marijuana stabilized after an earlier rise, according the U.S.
Student Council is expected to vote tonight on a spring ballot referendum to add a provision for hate crimes sanctioning to the University Judicial Committee Standards of Conduct. The referendum is a general question that asks students if they would support an amendment to the UJC Standards of Conduct that would allow for harsher sanctioning in cases motivated by "hate". The referendum was proposed in response to recent racially-motivated incidents on Grounds. "What we are trying to do is make the punishment more strict for those convicted of crimes motivated by hate," said Tom Gibson, one of the Student Council representatives who introduced the legislation. The referendum is intended to gauge student opinion on the issue. A hate crimes Standard would change the judicial process because judges would need to investigate motive during a Trial For Guilt, UJC Chair Angela Carrico said. Currently, a Trial For Guilt only deals with the particular incident while a Trial For Sanction looks at other factors such as previous record, character and motive. Although there is no specific mention of hate crimes in the Standards, UJC by-laws allow judges discretion, especially in exceptional cases. "In the Trial For Sanction, judges always take motive into account," Carrico said. Any change to the UJC Standards of Conduct requires the approval of the Board of Visitors. The UJC Standards of Conduct was recently amended, with the Board's approval, in order to extend the jurisdiction of two of the Standards. The hate crimes referendum was brought before the UJC at a meeting last Sunday, and the Committee has not yet had a chance to vote on it. According to Carrico, some UJC members have questioned the need for a hate crimes amendment because other Standards already govern such conduct. "The general sense I've gotten is that Standards shouldn't overlap," Carrico said. The referendum can be placed on the ballot through a combination of a two-thirds majority of Council representatives and 25 signatures, a three-fourths majority of Council and no signatures, or a petition signed by around 900 students. Gibson said he expects the Council vote to pass and the referendum to be placed on the spring ballot. "The decision is ultimately up to the students," Gibson said.
The Virginia General Assembly recently passed the biennial state budget amendments in both the House of Delegates and the Senate. As in accordance with tradition, the houses have exchanged their proposed bills and are currently in the process of reviewing and debating the other's suggested amendments. Later this week, conferees will be selected from the General Assembly to review each house's proposed amendments.
A bill prohibiting the admission of illegal aliens into institutions of higher education has passed the Virginia House of Delegates and now will be considered in the Senate. The official title of the bill, HB2910, is "Prohibiting admission of illegal aliens to public institutions in higher education." The bill passed the House Feb.
The Honor Committee voted last night for a resolution to support debate on the sanction reform referendum expected on the spring election ballot. The resolution passed by a vote of 14-4 with four abstentions. Through the resolution, the Committee endorsed the general referendum question "Should the Honor Committee seek alternatives to the single sanction?" The resolution allows the Committee to support the debate on sanction reform, but stipulates the Committee will take no official position on either side of the question. The referendum on sanction reform is expected on the spring ballot through a student petition supported by Hoos Against Single Sanction. Vice Chair for Trials Nick Staubach said the endorsement of the Honor Committee will not affect the referendum, which is expected to appear on the ballot regardless. "This is more about us endorsing the use of honor resources for the debate," Staubach said. The resolution would allow the Committee to support educated debate on what has been a controversial issue at the University. "This is an appropriate and swift response to something that has had a lot of conversation throughout the University," Secretary Elisabeth Epps said. Much of the opposition to last night's resolution stemmed from the wording of the ballot referendum. Committee member Sunit Shah questioned the use of the word 'seek' as opposed to 'explore'. Other committee members expressed concern about the general effect of the language. "The question seems unfairly weighed in the 'yes' direction," Committee member Matt Miller said. Committee member Jeremy Chason said he questioned what sort of mandate the student body would perceive if the referendum passed.
Twenty-year-old Commerce student Shawn Bryant was killed early Saturday morning in a car accident.
Candidates running for Student Council offices were announced on the University Board of Elections Web site Friday. Third-year College student Thomas Gibson said he is running for Council president to improve the position. "My number one priority is student safety," Gibson said.
University Arena Project Manager Richard B. Laurance introduced a new University construction project Feb.
The Lawn Selection Committee notified47 students chosen for a Lawn room last Friday. The students underwent an application process last month in order to be considered for selection.
