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Course Web site offers interactive education

University History Prof. Brian Balogh hopes his students will lose themselves in U.S. history, spending hours viewing interactive maps of the Manhattan Project installations, photos of Hiroshima after the atomic bomb and reviews of the Spike Lee film "Boyz 'N The Hood" - all on the Internet. For his HIUS 316 course, "Viewing America: U.S.


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UJC appoints Dillavou to vacant Law School representative post

The University Judiciary Committee last night officially appointed second-year Law student Jim Dillavou to fill an empty representative position. The Pasadena, Calif., native was selected from a pool of eight hopefuls who filled out applications and then were interviewed by the executive board of the Law School's Student Bar Association, said Tillman Breckenridge, UJC vice chairman for trials. Dillavou said he is pleased about his selection and looks forward to beginning his duties as a Committee member. He said he applied for the position because he has "immense respect for the student-run honor system." He added that he feels he has the necessary integrity for the position and he will be fair-minded when deciding UJC cases. "It is important that we understand the power of our decisions and their potential ramifications on the lives of the individuals who come before the Committee," Dillavou said, adding he thinks it is critical that the UJC uphold the "integrity of the system" both within the University and in the outside world. UJC Chairwoman Lissa Percopo said Dillavou seemed very qualified and eager to serve on the Committee. "He seems willing to put everything into this," Percopo said, adding that she thinks he will "bring a lot to the judge pool." She also said she was thrilled with the high number of applicants for the position and that the applicants who were not selected still would be eligible to run for the Committee in the spring. Dillavou now serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Law and Politics at the Law School and is a member of both the Criminal Justice Society and the Phi Alpha Delta law fraternity. He graduated from Southern Methodist University in 1999 with a degree in political science. Breckenridge, who is the other UJC Law representative, said while he and Dillavou never have worked together on UJC-related matters, he knows Dillavou and thinks he is qualified for the position. "I know he'll do a great job," Breckenridge said. The seat was left open when former UJC Law Rep.


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E-tailer offers healthful alternative

When parents send store-bought care packages during exam season, they now have the option to swap Snickers bars for green tea and other health-conscious goodies with the new online care package company, Buddhaplanet.com. The brainchild of Marga Odahowski, associate director of Student Health, the company aims to provide students and parents with alternatives to the standard care package fare by paying close attention to mental and physical health. Each package, ranging in price from $35 to $78, is filled with spirited bits and pieces to enhance the mind, body and spirit and arrives in a reusable canvas bag.


News

Student falls from Lefevre dorm window

A male University student remained hospitalized yesterday after falling from a second-story window in Lefevre House Saturday, police said. He "was sitting on the windowsill ... and fell out," University Police Sgt.


News

Clinton honors professor for sanitation research

Thanks to the research of Garrick E. Louis, University assistant professor of systems engineering, developing nations from South America to Africa may be better able to handle their waste management systems effectively. Recognizing Louis' vital research, President Bill Clinton last week honored Louis and 58 other national researchers with the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.


News

Presidential Issue Series:

(This is the fourth in a five-part weekly series examining issues in the upcoming presidential election.) The moans and howls of college students and parents can be heard every year as the cost of higher education rises. Presidential candidates Vice President Al Gore (D) and Texas Gov.


News

Boyd, Harris clash on key black issues

In a confrontational debate last night in Clark Hall, Del. Paul Harris (R-Albemarle), and John Boyd, president of the National Black Farmers Association and Democratic congressional candidate, tried to convince the audience that voting for their respective parties in the upcoming election would confer the most benefits on the black community. Harris, who spoke first, accused Democrats of "pitting blacks against whites" by affording opportunities to people based on skin color. "The Democrats have ennobled the whole idea of suffering," he said.


News

School of Nursing receives $4.1 million grant

The University's Center for Complementary and Alternative Therapy has received two grants totaling more than $4.1 million. The money will support an interdisciplinary effort between the center and the schools of Nursing, Medicine and Engineering at the University. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health provided the grants, which will go toward studying non-traditional therapies such as massage and acupuncture.


News

University, community participate in technology outreach programs

Charlottesville residents may soon be able to access free health information from the University's Medical Center over the Web and underprivileged children will have access to computers and personal technology training. These are just two of over 250 programs the University now is offering area residents through two new initiatives unveiled this week. The first initiative, Outreach Virginia, a Web site maintained by the Office of the Vice President for Research and Public Service, now provides online access to programs and services formerly little known to the community. The site offers a comprehensive listing of successful outreach efforts such as publications, teaching materials, medical care, public policy analysis, demographic information, training opportunities and degree programs. The Web site was one of the early recommendations of the Public Service Commission of the Virginia 2020 planning process at the University. Although the University offered many of these online programs in the past "it was difficult to find specific programs, for example, opportunities for high school students," said Gene Block, vice president for research and public service. Over 250 programs now are online at www.virginia.edu/outreachvirginia.


News

Lack of funding forces library to cut resources

If you've noticed that the library's research materials are looking a little sparse lately, blame the lack of state allocation for library funds. The General Assembly has not increased the $5.4 million library materials budget since the 1994-95 school year. As a result, the University has been forced to decrease the number of periodicals, books and other resources available to students.


News

VDOT proposal dams area beaver populace

Those dam animals are everywhere. Beavers are posing a major problem for the Virginia Department of Transportation as the woodland creatures build dams near many roads throughout the Commonwealth. Once the beavers build dams, the water level of the stream tends to rise, causing massive flooding problems on nearby roads, said Colin Ceperich, public relations coordinator for VDOT. Not only does the flooding cause inconvenience and dangerous driving conditions, the water also loosens the dirt, sand and rock that make up the foundation of the road, Ceperich said. He said the problems have become more severe in recent years. "There just seem to be a lot more beavers now than there have been," he said. Drainage tubes located underneath the roads also are plagued by the beaver problem when the toothy critters build dams in the drainage system. "If they hear running water they automatically want to dam up that hole," said Stephanie Boyles, wildlife biologist for the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) a group that has worked with VDOT to solve the beaver problem in an animal-friendly manner. In late September, the Commonwealth Transportation Board voted to spend $272,000 to hire USDA-Wildlife services to trap and kill the offending beavers, much to the dismay of PETA, which claimed the traps used would "cause immeasurable suffering" to the animals. To avoid euthanizing the beavers and bringing about their untimely deaths, PETA currently is working in conjunction with VDOT to develop a plan that will save both the beavers and the conditions of the roads. PETA and VDOT "had a meeting last week and we seem to be on the same page right now," Boyles said. One solution calls for the use of perforated pipes in all drainage tubes under roads.

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Latest Podcast

In this episode of On Record, we hear from Dr. Amanda Lloyd, director of the Virginia Prison Education Program, which offers Virginia’s first bachelor’s degrees to incarcerated individuals. Dr. Lloyd discusses how and why the University chose her to lead this historic initiative.