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Task force to picture future of sports

What does the future hold for sports at the University? Perhaps robots will serve as referees or improved shoe technology will force basketball hoops to be raised to 20 feet. Such changes may be in the cards, but members of the Strategic Planning Task Force for Athletics plan to tackle more realistic issues pertaining to the future of University athletics. The task force, a component of the University's long-term planning initiative, Virginia 2020: The Agenda for the Third Century at the University of Virginia, has been assigned to set long-term goals for the University athletic department in areas ranging from playing fields and other facilities to athletes' academic performance to Title IX compliance. Members of the task force include several directors of the University's Athletics Department, current and former student athletes, and faculty members in several non-athletic departments. The task force already has had two meetings -- one in December and one Monday. Task force members have received background information on the Athletics Department budget, intramural and recreational sports programs and National Collegiate Athletic Association graduation rates, said Amy D.


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Different Santa Clauses across world join together into mainstream figure

If you were to meet the Santa Claus of the past, you would find an unmarried, slim religious man living in Europe. Far from a jolly round man with a long white beard who dresses in red, the historic characteristics of the Christmas figure are unfamiliar to the current conception. This is not surprising, said Natalie Kononenko, associate professor of Slavic language and literature, because pagan tradition slowly has invaded what was once a predominantly Christian holiday. Kononenko said the idea of Santa Claus originated from an actual man, Saint Nicholas, who was the patron saint of children.


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Up on the rooftop

Santa Claus is coming to town in a few weeks, and at the nation's top watch-center of the North American skies, North American Aerospace Defense Command, some people are checking their lists and watching for the fabled gift-giver. Although the folklore of Santa Claus, the bringer of presents to all good children on Christmas day, has been around for several centuries, the technologically modern tradition of "tracking" Santa Claus for Canadian and American children has been around for 45 years. The practice began in 1955 when a Sears store put an advertisement in a local newspaper, saying children could call a hotline to get an update on where Santa Claus was, Project Coordinator Maj.


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Alta Vista buys Raging Bull

The Alta Vista company, a leading online media and commerce site, announced Monday Nov. 29 that it acquired Raging Bull, a financial-oriented Web site with stock quotes, news and message boards. Alta Vista acquired Raging Bull for an undisclosed sum.


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Does anyone know the bottom line on Y2K?

My friends often ask me questions they feel I can deal with, since I'm a computer science major and thus, a "techno-geek". The questions range from what kind of computer to buy to the more esoteric ones where they try to stump a computer science major. But recently, the most popular questions have been about Y2K. "On the eve of the new millennium should I avoid flying?


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Direct student loans save federal funding

U.S. Department of Education officials told Congress Tuesday that the five-year-old direct-student-loan program will save the government more money than the federally guaranteed loan program. "Department of Education analyses indicate that overall per-loan Federal costs for the William D.


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Council takes first steps for new student activities offices

A plan for a new student activities center is in its initial stages, after several members of Student Council met yesterday to discuss the logistics of the installation of such a facility at the University. The need for a new student activities center was first proposed by last year's Executive Committee under the direction of former Council President Howard A.


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Center to sponsor democracy talks

Several of the nation's leading political figures will meet Monday in the Rotunda for American Democracy Conference '99, addressing "the health of democracy" in the United States today.


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Casteen taps faculty for Harrison Awards

In a yearly attempt to promote excellence in teaching, the University bestowed its annual Harrison Teaching Awards on eight outstanding faculty members. The awards first were given out three years ago to reward exceptional professors who demonstrate dedication, creativity and leadership in their classroom endeavors. Members of the Provost's Promotion and Tenure Committee, department chairmen and students were eligible to nominate award recipients.


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University offers option for degree in speech pathology

Local speech pathologists that need to fulfill a recently enforced master's degree requirement now can apply to the University if they want to work at state public schools. Carol Dudding, part-time program coordinator for the Communication Disorders Program, said the Virginia Department of Education is enforcing a requirement that all public school speech pathologists must have a graduate degree by 2005 or they will lose their jobs. "The Virginia Department of Education requires that all speech pathologists working in the schools have a master's degree or were grandfathered in," meaning that they received sufficient training and education equivalent to the master's instruction, Dudding said. "Five percent of speech pathologists currently have a bachelor's degree and a provisional license from the Board of Education - those are the people who need a master's by 2005," she said.

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Since the Contemplative Commons opening April 4, the building has hosted events for the University community. Sam Cole, Commons’ Assistant Director of Student Engagement, discusses how the Contemplative Sciences Center is molding itself to meet students’ needs and provide a wide range of opportunities for students to discover contemplative practices that can help them thrive at the University.