The University now is in full compliance with new procurement requirements set by Virginia Gov. Mark R.
A colorful chalking, created by members of the Multicultural Greek Council, greeted students passing by the Amphitheater last night. The MGC executive board decided to chalk the Amphitheater in an effort to raise awareness about multicultural fraternities and sororities at the University. The chalking consists of eight panels, one for the MGC and seven for each of its member organizations, including Lambda Upsilon Lambda, Lambda Phi Epsilon and Delta Lambda Phi Fraternities, Inc., and Alpha Kappa Delta Phi, Lambda Theta Alpha, Sigma Psi Zeta and Theta Nu Xi Sororities, Inc. The MGC is one of the four Greek governing councils at the University, including the Inter-Fraternity Council, the Inter-Sorority Council and the Black Fraternal Council. Founded at the University 14 years ago, the MGC is the youngest of the Greek Councils.
The University ranks 21st nationally -- tied with five other schools -- among research institutions that produce Fulbright Scholars, according to a report by the Institute of International Education released in the Oct.
The University Health System last Monday began using a new $2.7 million cancer treatment system. The innovative TomoTherapy Hi-Art System will allow greater precision in eradicating tumors, while lessening the side effects of radiation treatment on healthy tissue, according to a Health System press release. The Health System is the 16th center in the country to use the therapy, which was developed at the University of Wisconsin.
Student Council voted to establish fourth-year Engineering student Evan Feinman as the first University student liaison to Charlottesville City Council last night. "I applaud Student Council for making an effort to develop a consistent and long-term relationship with the City on a formal basis," City Council Member Blake Caravati said.
Battleground states. Winner-take-all. Toss-ups. Swing states and strongholds. Every four years, presidential candidates, their campaigns and followers all grapple with a complex web of geography, demographics and math to determine where, when and how they will campaign.
Student Council members voted to table a bill that would create a public record of Council members' votes in a majority vote at last night's meeting. While all members agree on the fundamental logic of the bill, some members voiced concerns regarding how constituents could construe a member's vote since the bill did not include a venue for Council members to explain their reasoning behind their decisions. Some members said Council needs a week to make changes to the bill to include a system for reporting their rationale along with their vote. "There are some more kinks that need to be worked out," Director of University Relations Peter Farrell said.
About two dozen student leaders met last night to discuss the recently released President's Commission on Diversity and Equity report, "Embracing Diversity in Pursuit of Excellence." Student Council President Noah Sullivan began by handing out a sheet that highlighted 10 of the report's recommendations. After about 90 minutes of discussion, Sullivan then took an informal poll to see which of the report's recommendations the students felt were most important and should be addressed immediately. The three recommendations that received the most votes were broadening the first-year experience to include a residential component of the Sustained Dialogue program, creating a clear system for reporting racial incidents, and supporting programs for peer mentorship education and providing cultural group assistance for the wide range of cultural groups at the University. "My hope for this year and going forward is that if students can remain in the driver seat on issues of diversity and equity than we can make sure the student voice is heard," Sullivan said. One of the major issues discussed was the report's proposal to split the non-Western perspective requirement into two requirements: Global Diversity and U.S.
Voting for fall University elections began yesterday and will continue through tomorrow night. University students can cast their ballots at www.uvavote.com. Positions up for election include a spot on the Honor Committee for a Commerce student representative and seats on Student Council for four College students, one Engineering student and one Commerce student. Students also can vote on a referendum asking whether they would be willing to pay $7 per semester in order for the University to use cleaner energy. The money would be used to purchase renewable wind energy in order to reduce the amount of fossil fuels used by the University. The renewable energy referendum was created by Students for Environmental Action and the Student Alliance for Virginia's Environment.
What issues do six year olds face in the political realm? For students involved in the University of Virginia's Youth Leadership Initiative, one six year old "was so upset that kids her age couldn't vote that she e-mailed her congressman," said Lea Brown, director of instruction for the YLI. The YLI, an online effort run by the University's Center for Politics, provides free lesson plans and resources intended to engage elementary through high school students in the political process. In the last two-and-a-half years, the number of teachers involved in the YLI has increased from approximately 1,400 teachers to 14,000, Brown said. The program is designed to reduce cynicism and apathy among youth regarding the political system and encourage them to become involved in many different facets of government, Brown said. "Targeting young voters is more effective if you don't wait until they're 18," Brown said. The program was created in conjunction with the Center for Politics at the University in 1998 by Politics Prof.
A burglary suspect remains in the University Medical Center's intensive care unit after a shooting involving a police officer early Sunday morning in Albemarle County.
An undergraduate College student was found guilty of cheating on a test in an introductory level class by a panel of random student jurors.
A member of the University Judiciary Committee announced his resignation over the weekend because of what he saw as misconduct by an ad hoc committee. J.V.
Two students allegedly were assaulted in separate incidents three hours apart Friday night near the railroad tracks behind the Corner area. A College student was walking on the tracks around 11:30 p.m.
In a letter sent to University President John T. Casteen, III and other administrators last Monday, the Graduate Labor Union requested that certain graduate fees be decreased, according to former GLU treasurer Bill Craighead, an Economics graduate student. The letter also calls for a commitment from the University to discontinue the practice of increasing the graduate fees proportionally to undergraduate tuition and fee increases.
Economic concerns were the focus of a panel discussion on United States-Latin American relations as foreign ambassadors to the United States from Argentina, Brazil and Peru met in Newcomb Hall Ballroom Friday evening. The event was co-sponsored by the Latin Student Union and 10 other University offices and organizations. The ambassadors began their discussion with opening remarks on the state of affairs in their respective countries internally and with the U.S.
President John T. Casteen, III named Law Prof. Robert E. Scott as this year's recipient of the Thomas Jefferson Award at Friday's convocation ceremony at University Hall. The award, which has been given to members of the University faculty and administration since 1955, is the University's highest honor.
With the recent proliferation of reality shows like Extreme Makeover and The Swan, it comes as no surprise that the number of people having cosmetic surgery has mushroomed, especially over the last couple of years.
Red states, blue states. Republicans and Democrats. Fox News versus CNN. In the final weeks of the presidential race, the United States of America seems anything but united. American society is more polarized today than ever before, and public discourse resembles more of a shouting match than a meaningful exchange of ideas so crucial to a democratic society, according to this year's speakers at the third annual LaBrosse-Levinson lecture series. A group of journalists and professors from around the country all spoke to the theme of "Discourse and Democracy" in the Dome Room of the Rotunda in the two-day series, which began Wednesday. New York Times columnist David Brooks addressed the Bush administration's communications strategy as well as the polarization of American society. Brooks said the Bush administration is justified in not admitting its mistakes because doing so in a polarized society would only open itself up to criticism. "The nature of Washington is such that ... you can never admit a mistake," Brooks said. Brooks also said politicians feel a tremendous sense of loyalty to "their teams," and added such loyalty can lead to distortion. "In this world, loyalty to one's brethren is more important than loyalty to the truth," he said. Brooks attributed the deep political divide in the country to a number of factors, including a more educated electorate, media and geographic segmentation as well as diverging opinions about good leadership qualities. Ultimately, people seek out people like themselves, Brooks said, and party affiliation in many cases precedes individual ideologies. "People filter reality through their partisan labels," he said. Karlyn Kohrs Campbell, a communications studies professor at the University of Minnesota, began Thursday's lectures with a discussion about corporate ownership of the media.
"Speak now or forever hold your peace" took on a new meaning at a theatrical gay marriage in Newcomb Hall yesterday. Last spring, the University's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Resource Center came up with the idea of holding a gay marriage presentation followed by a discussion, Center Director Emily West said. Students performed the marriage last night under the direction of Atlanta performer Turner Schofield.
