The Bibliographical Society will honor the winners of its 45th biannual student book collectors competition today at 4 p.m.
This is going to be more of a rant than an informational piece. I think this is on my mind because this past week was "Match Day" - the day when fourth-year medical students across the country find out where they will be going for the next part of their training, the "residency." Looking back at the process of getting to this day, and my experiences over the past year, I have to conclude that it is time for a change: Our undergraduate requirements for medical school applicants are in desperate need of reworking. I grew up in Texas and went to school at Texas A&M University.
An informal discussion last night addressed the University's policy on sexual assault in the wake of public criticism from a parent who alleged that her daughter, a University student, was raped. Student Council President Daisy Lundy said the idea for the meeting was first addressed several weeks ago. As a member of Sexual Assault Facts and Education, Lundy said she thinks the University needs to increase its sexual assault education, awareness and resources. "I was surprised to learn how many people did not realize sexual assault was a problem at the University," Lundy said at the beginning of the meeting. The discussion focused mainly on University outreach and education. Participants said they were concerned with student ignorance about what constitutes sexual assault, a term encompassing everything from rape to unwanted sexual advances. "We need to hold our students to higher standards," Lundy said. The forum also addressed the University's punishment of convicted sexual offenders. On a Web site she created Sunday, the mother of a University student who reported her daughter had been raped by another student said the University did not adequately respond to her daughter's accusations. In a letter she wrote to the University, the mother said she received dozens of e-mails from other students disappointed in the University's treatment of sexual offenders.
The University announced this week it will change its student loan provider from the Federal Direct Loan program to the Federal Family Education Loan program.
Student Council passed a bill to streamline its current committee structure Tuesday night, reducing the 16 existing standing committees in the presidential cabinet to nine. According to the bill, the new structure will combine committees that have similar goals and handle related issues. "This legislation will allow committees to be more flexible and take up issues normally given to ad hoc committees and efficiently allocate limited Student Council funds," said Will Sowers, Council vice president for administration and a co-sponsor of the bill.
Ninety-five high school seniors competing for the University's Jefferson Scholarship arrived in Charlottesville yesterday for the final round of this year's competition.
Virginia state legislators held a forum on the 2004-2006 state budget last night at the Albemarle County Office Building, allowing citizens to speak their mind on the unprecedented impasse between the House of Delegates and Senate. Sen.
The University Sexual Assault Board held a mock sexual assault hearing last night in Wilson Hall, depicting the schematics of a "he said/she said" assault case. The mock hearing, led by SAB Chair Shamim Sisson, pitted a date rape scenario complaint brought forth by first-year "Cindy Elliot," played by second-year College student Cecilia Perez, against second-year "Rob Hicks," played by second-year College student Will King. The scenario depicted the two at a party where both had been drinking.
The Multicultural Greek Council and the Black Fraternal Council recently have begun making strides toward establishing permanent housing facilities.
Over 100 college, university and high school students gathered at the U.S. Capitol yesterday to meet with congressional leaders about political issues pertaining to young people. The event was sponsored by Mobilizing America's Youth, a nonprofit organization aimed at promoting political participation among young people, according to Selena Shilad, the group's spokesperson. "Youth are often underestimated and discounted in politics," said David B.
The Multicultural Greek Council voted Tuesday to give the student interest group Out on Rugby permission to pursue the establishment of a chapter of Delta Lambda Phi fraternity at the University.
In its continuing effort to catch the serial rapist, the Charlottesville Police Department is utilizing a database of contacts -- primarily black men -- to eliminate potential suspects. "The description given by the victims of the serial rapist is of an African-American male, so the database specific to this investigation is full of contacts that are African-American males," Police Chief Tim Longo said. The department has asked some of these contacts to voluntarily consent to a DNA test -- also called a buccal swab test -- in order to eliminate their names from the database. Graduate Education student Steven Turner recently criticized the investigation method as a violation of privacy in an article he submitted to "The Hook," a weekly Charlottesville newsmagazine. The Charlottesville police asked Steven Turner for a DNA sample in August and again March 18. "The Charlottesville police department has created a list of young black men who have not submitted to the DNA test and has instituted a disturbing tactic of home visits to those men with buccal kits in tow, as if they were selling benign door-to-door.
While some students voice concern over ever-present red barriers surrounding the University's seemingly endless construction projects, the University's enrollment continues to increase along with the need for expanded research facilities, affecting the landscape of both the University and its surrounding area. The University Architect, David Neuman, who was hired in February, said he plans to balance such varied expansion projects as housing and dining construction while maintaining the University's original landscape integrity. "One of the aspects of importance about the original Jeffersonian plan is how well it is connected," Neuman said.
The 10th annual Virginia Festival of the Book, held each March in Charlottesville, begins today and will run through Sunday. Every year, the festival draws hundreds of authors and publishers to discussions, book signings and readings, Program Director Nancy Damon said.
In an effort to promote scrutiny of the use of race and ethnicity in higher education admissions policies, the National Association of Scholars sent letters to presidents at top public institutions in 20 states requesting information about admissions processes and data, NAS Executive Director Bradford Wilson said. "We asked for information about admissions policies with respect to how they group people when they are considering them for admissions," Wilson said.
As the University continues to expand, a group of concerned students are working to integrate some "green" into the new red brick buildings that are being built on Grounds. Last night, Student Council unanimously approved the creation of a Green Grounds Committee.
Student Council Executive Vice President Rebeen Pasha retained his position as EVP last night despite rumors of a possible motion to impeach him.
The Board of Directors for the National Collegiate Athletic Association is considering a proposal to institute a more rigorous system of academic incentives and disincentives for Division I athletic programs at colleges and universities across the country. The new system will evaluate several aspects of student-athlete academic performance, including graduation rates, and will punish schools that fail to graduate at least 50 percent of its athletes, according to the Board's report. The University, however, does not expect to be impacted by a stricter system, said David Storm, Athletic Department director of compliance.
Since the Department of Homeland Security mandated the creation of the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System after the Sept.
Police charged two University students with felony breaking and entering after they were found walking away from Monticello early Sunday morning, according to Albemarle Police Lt.
