This year’s fraternity rush is expected, by some, to be the safest and most supervised recruitment in recent years. Inter-Fraternity Council President-elect Ben Gorman, a third-year College student, said the negative coverage of Greek life by Rolling Stone and other media outlets has, in fact, led to a slight decrease in rush signups.
Former College Dean Meredith Woo has accepted a position as director of Open Society Foundations’ International Higher Education Support Program. The program’s mission is to facilitate higher education in countries transitioning to democracy in order to enable positive social change.
A Virginia House of Delegates bill filed Jan. 8 is moving to expand criminal DNA data banks in Virginia. If passed, the bill — submitted by Virginia House Minority Leader David Toscano, D-Charlottesville, after an effort by Albemarle County Sheriff Chip Harding — would legally require those convicted of any additional 99 Class 1 misdemeanors to submit a DNA sample to the state bank.
In an effort to improve current safety procedures, the University is requiring fraternities to sign the new Fraternal Organization Agreement (FOA) addendum by Jan. 16 or face suspension. The addendum comes out of intense scrutiny of the University Greek system following a gang rape accusation -- and later retraction -- by Rolling Stone against the University Phi Kappa Psi chapter.
The University saw a decrease in total applicants for the undergraduate Class of 2019 compared to last year, with the number of applications shrinking from 31,336 to 31,107.
Over Winter Break, 150 University students and faculty underwent a four day Green Dot program which aims to advocate against sexual assault and increase bystander intervention program within universities and other communities. Nicole Thomas, prevention coordinator for the Office of the Dean of Students, said those trained over the break will help expand the program further at the University.
The Inter-Fraternity Council elected new executive members Tuesday and will continue to face scrutiny regarding the implementation of revised Fraternal Organization Agreements.
Members of the University community gathered in the Amphitheatre Tuesday night for a candlelight vigil to remember the more than 130 victims of a December school shooting in Pesawar, Pakistan — most of which were children.
Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell was denied his request to remain free while his corruption case is in appeal, according to The Associated Press.
Two University fraternity chapters — Alpha Tau Omega and Kappa Alpha — have announced that they will not be signing new Fraternal Organization Agreement addenda required of fraternities by the University. The addendum was drafted by a variety of stakeholders, including fraternity alumni, current members and the Inter-Fraternity Council, during Winter Break, and fraternities will be required to sign it by Jan.
Last week, 10 University education scholars were named to the RHSU Edu-Scholars Public Influence Rankings, which honors 200 academics across the country who contribute most to discourse on education.
Gov. McAuliffe announced the establishment of a new Equal Opportunity Legislative Agenda Monday. The agenda aims to promote economic growth by making the workplace more comfortable for Virginians, especially women and homosexual, bisexual, transgender and queer individuals.
Student Council held their first meeting of the spring semester Tuesday to discuss student concerns, including issues with course evaluations and the hiring of a new provost.
Last Wednesday, the University Medical Center announced additional patient visitation limits due to the increase in flu cases.
In a special election on Tuesday, the 74th district of Virginia will vote to fill the seat Joseph Morrissey had until December in the Virginia House of Delegates. Throughout a controversy-ridden campaign, the candidates have challenged each other to hold a stance on specific issues. Morrissey faces Republican Matt Walton and Democrat Kevin Sullivan.
The University chapter of Phi Kappa Psi was officially reinstated by both the University and the national Phi Kappa Psi fraternity organization, the University announced in a press release Monday morning. “The reinstatement resulted after consultation with Charlottesville Police Department officials, who told the University that their investigation has not revealed any substantive basis to confirm that the allegations raised in the Rolling Stone article occurred at Phi Kappa Psi,” according to the release. The chapter voluntarily suspended its activities in November, after allegations in a Rolling Stone article that the fraternity was involved in a gang rape of a first-year student in September 2012.
The University will begin to accept applications for Resident Advisors in the next two weeks — with Focused Area applications due Jan. 16 and First Year and Upperclass Area applications due Jan. 17. Applicants, who will receive decisions in March, will complete a written application and undergo group and individual interviews to determine who will supervise on-Grounds housing.
William Antholis will begin his term as Miller Center executive director this week, leading the internationally renowned University institution into its fifth decade of scholarship in public affairs.
The University announced Thursday the appointment of Scott Beardsley, a senior director at the management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, as the ninth Dean of the Darden School of Business.
Former Gov. Bob McDonnell was sentenced to 24 months in prison Tuesday by Federal Judge James Spencer. McDonnell, who was also sentenced to two years of supervision upon release from prison, was found guilty of several corruption charges in September stemming from an improper relationship with family friend Jonnie Williams, the CEO of nutrition supplement company Star Scientific.
