The University Counseling and Psychological Services has begun hosting suicide prevention training, seeking to make the University community more aware of some of the warning signs of suicide and possible methods to approach those signals.
The Batten School’s student-run academic journal the Virginia Policy Review hosted the 2015 National Journal Conference for Schools of Public Policy and Affairs this past weekend, featuring several guest speakers and attendees from policy schools around the country.
The University announced the appointment of Phillip Parrish as the interim vice president for research Jan. 14. Currently the associate vice president for research, Parrish will assume the position Feb. 1, when current Vice President for Research Thomas Skalak steps down.
College students from around the state gathered in Richmond Monday for the Virginia Student Day of Action against Student Debt at the General Assembly.
The University’s Health System reached an agreement with Bon Secours Health System last week to expand its clinical programs and add new health services in the Richmond and Charlottesville areas.
The Virginia Supreme Court announced Thursday it will not rehear the appeal of former University student and lacrosse player George Huguely, convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend Yeardley Love — also a University student — in 2012. Paul Clement, one of Huguely’s attorneys, argued in October that his client’s Sixth Amendment rights had been violated due to the fact that one of Huguely’s attorneys fell ill during trial but court proceedings continued in his absence.
All organizations in the four Greek councils signed on to a revised Fraternal Organization Agreement, the University announced Friday afternoon.
Virginia Delegate Eileen Filler-Corn has proposed a bill which will require university campus police to report sexual assault cases to their local commonwealth attorney within 48 hours. House Bill 1343 is intended to increase prosecution of sexual assaults that take place on college campuses. Filler-Corn held a press conference Tuesday to promote the bill.
Satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo released its first issue since the terrorist attack executed by Islamic extremists on its Paris offices last week. The cover featuring a cartoon of the prophet Muhammad holding a sign saying, “JE SUIS CHARLIE,” has initiated a worldwide discussion concerning religion and free speech. The issue, available in six different languages including English, Turkish and French, hit newsstands this past Wednesday.
Del. Joe Morrissey (D-Henrico) was sworn into the Virginia House of Delegates this week after resigning his position last month following a sex scandal with an underage girl. In his most recent campaign, Morrissey ran as an Independent and defeated both Democrat Kevin Sullivan and Republican Matt Walton. He garnered 42 percent of the total votes, while Sullivan and Walton totaled 33 percent and 24 percent of the total votes, respectively.
The University is providing salary dollars for the Women’s Center to add a new position to their Gender Violence and Social Change (GVSC) program. The new coordinator will do outreach and education on Gender Violence and Social Change around grounds. Director of the GVSC Claire Kaplan said that the coordinator’s main responsibilities will be with the Men’s Leadership Program and the Survivor Support Network training. The coordinator will add to existing programs and also put new programs in place.
The Miller Center released a report Wednesday detailing a plan to create middle class jobs through entrepreneurship. Recent economic stagnation and the decrease of startup growth prompted the report. Jeff Chidester, Director of Policy Programs at the Miller Center, said startups and small business account for half of American jobs, and two-thirds of job creation.
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.
