Medical students at the University no longer will receive letter grades during the first two years of medical school.
The large pine tree by Brooks Hall, which was knocked down by Hurricane Isabel's powerful winds last Thursday night, recently was discovered to be the oldest tree on Grounds by a student who counted the rings of its immense trunk. According to University spokesperson Carol Wood, the student counted 256 growth rings, which means the tree likely was over 250 years old and pre-dated Thomas Jefferson's founding of the University. In total, 20 large trees were brought down on University property due to the hurricane.
University students and Student Council members engaged in a free-flowing discussion of topics ranging from diversity to transportation to housing last night, just as planners envisioned when developing Council's first annual Student Forum. Around 100 students, including at least 30 members of Council, attended the forum in Old Cabell Hall, which was named I-N-vision. The event, which was moderated by Council Chief of Staff Noah Sullivan, included multiple 10-minute blocks of time for students to tell Council members their views on first-year life, student groups, diversity, housing, transportation, academics and other concerns. Last night's event did not feature any major confrontations over the diversity initiative that members of the University administration are developing.
The Commonwealth Transportation Board has approved University plans for a North Grounds Connector road, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation.
Because of the cancellation of a number of equestrian events along the East Coast last week in the wake of Hurricane Isabel, Foxfield race officials now expect record numbers of participants at its annual fall races this Sunday. While last fall only 60 horses competed in the races, this year organizers expect more than 100 horses to compete in a diverse assortment of races. The hurricane actually should improve race conditions as the recent heavy rains have softened the track, which is the best condition for horse racing. Even though the fall Foxfield races typically attract a significantly smaller crowd than the spring races, Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control agents still will patrol the race grounds in an effort to ensure Foxfield's compliance with an ABC order issued last spring to crack down on underage drinking. Last spring, Foxfield paid an $8,000 fine and only was allowed to keep its state liquor license as long as it agreed to adhere to recently imposed stricter security requirements. Approximately 15 Albemarle police officers will provide traffic control at the race entrances Sunday.
Now a week since Hurricane Isabel unleashed her fury on Virginia, local and state officials are still working to assess what many are saying could be monumental cleanup costs from the storm. According to Director of Facilities Operations Chris Willis, facilities management finance employees currently are adding up the cost of University cleanup efforts. "Because it was a statewide emergency, we're going to track those charges and try and submit those to some federal or maybe state agencies that may be able to help with some of the cost," Willis said. Willis also said the University might be able to pay for some of the damages to buildings around Grounds -- mainly flooding and roof leaks -- by seeking insurance reimbursements. If the University is not able to fully recoup the costs of storm damage from outside sources, the funds will have to come from the facilities management general operating budget, which could affect other maintenance initiatives, he said. "Whatever they don't reimburse us or give to us, then obviously we take it out of our operating costs and that's something else that can't be done," he said. The most expensive aspect of the storm cleanup has been dealing with damaged trees, many of which need to be removed, Willis said. The City of Charlottesville, which has been declared a federal disaster area, also still is evaluating the mounting costs of its recovery efforts, City Spokesperson Maurice Jones said. "We are in the process of compiling those numbers and will be moving forward with that process in the coming days," Jones said. Like the University, the City also is hoping to recover the majority of its cleanup expenses from state and federal authorities, he said.
About 75 students and faculty members at Duke University staged a protest Monday in response to a fraternity theme party they deemed racially offensive. The Duke chapter of Sigma Chi issued invitations for a Sept.
There will be some new sights and sounds at the soon-to-be completed parking garage near the intersection of Emmet Street and Ivy Road, according to Donley's Project Superintendent Scott Maulding. Donley's Inc., the construction company which began work on the parking garage last November, now has begun constructing turn lanes onto Ivy Road this week.
Defenseman Matt Oliver and the Cavaliers played tough in a hard-fought thriller last night, but lost in overtime to William and Mary 3-2, ending Virginia's winning streak after three big victories, including upset wins over nationally ranked North Carolina and Wake Forrest.
The Student Council disability and access committee, in conjunction with the CIO Deafness Education and Awareness for Students, is celebrating Deaf Awareness Week this week. Events already held included bowling, a coffee chat and an ice cream social to provide an opportunity for students to learn about American Sign Language and deaf culture.
Heavy storms across central Virginia and tornados in the Richmond area set back power companies already working to restore electricity to more than a million customers after Hurricane Isabel swept through the Commonwealth. An additional 40,000 Dominion Virginia Power customers lost electricity as a result of Tuesday's twisters and storms. Still, Albemarle county spokesperson Lee Catlin said she expected electricity to be restored to almost the entire area by the end of the week. Flooding also became a concern in central Virginia as already-saturated ground got a second dose of rainfall.
Calling the current athletic culture at colleges nationwide "unsustainable," Vanderbilt University Chancellor Gordon Gee announced a major restructuring of the school's athletic department earlier this month. As a result of the reorganization, Vanderbilt no longer will have an athletic director.
After a two week debate, the Honor Committee voted unanimously Sunday to change the way it statistically reports cases that appear before the Committee. The Committee's old system involved reporting cases concerning students in the different schools separately.
Students assigned educational essays for violations of the University Judiciary Committee's standards of conduct now will have a clearer set of guidelines to work with. At UJC's Sunday night meeting, a list of seven guidelines for essay sanctions passed unanimously.
Due to increased demand for on-Grounds dining, construction and recent weather conditions, students have faced increased congestion at Newcomb Hall dining facilities. According to dining hall supervisor Hagel "Hamburger" Morris, students have been patient and understanding despite lines that can span the length of the hallway. She attributed recent difficulties to Hurricane Isabel. "This week we've been shorthanded because of Isabel.
U.S. District Judge Lee R. West ruled Tuesday in Oklahoma City that the "Do Not Call" list created by the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission is unconstitutional. The FTC began working on the list after over 64,000 citizens expressed interest this winter in blocking calls from telemarketers to their home and other telephone numbers. "When over 64,000 people ask for this to be done, it really shows how much they want this," FTC spokesperson Jen Schwartzman said. The FCC and FTC commenced registration in June and since have registered over 50 million people. "We had a wildly successful first couple of months," Schwartzman said. The FCC and FTC, along with state and local governments, planned to start enforcing the list Oct.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency opened a hotline to provide information for Virginians affected by Hurricane Isabel.
For decades it has provided an opportunity for students to go to college who otherwise would not have been able to pay their tuition costs.
Attorney General John Ashcroft issued new guidelines to federal attorneys Monday, instructing them to push for the heaviest charges they can prove in criminal cases, and to limit their use of plea bargains.
Still reeling from Hurricane Isabel, southside and central Virginia was hit by at least four weak tornadoes stemming from one supercell thunderstorm early yesterday morning. Trees falling under the force of the high winds of the storm, passing through Henrico and Hanover counties, knocked out power that was only recently restored in the wake of Isabel. The National Weather Service reported the storms' winds reached up to 112 mph. Citizens, some who had cars and homes severely damaged, were shocked at the destruction the thunderstorm wrought.
