U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan last week reinstated a fine against Virginia Tech for failing to notify students in a timely manner about the 2007 campus massacre. Then-undergraduate Seung-Hui Cho shot two Virginia Tech students in the early morning before going on to kill 32 individuals in total.
The Republican National Convention, which concluded last week in Tampa, directed national conversation to reflect upon the changes the country has undergone in the past four years; similarly, changes at the University affect the experiences of many. From budget freezes to changes in financial aid policies, from growing class sizes to construction around Grounds, the University too has experienced innumerable changes in the last four years.
Some students are concerned that policy changes implemented by the University in the two and a half years since former University student Yeardley Love was murdered by her ex-boyfriend George Huguely haven’t been as effective at making the community aware of the signs of relationship abuse as administrators intended. The changes since the high-profile murder include revisions to the Sexual Misconduct Policy and procedure, as well as a new criminal disclosure requirement instructing students to inform the University of violations if they are more grave than a minor traffic infringement.
A Virginia voter identification law set to take effect this fall will likely have a limited effect on the election’s outcome, pundits say.
The Democratic National Convention kicked off last night from Charlotte, N.C. with appeals to youth voters who will likely prove central to the political conversation in the coming weeks. Kal Penn, comedian, former White House staffer and the DNC’s host, earned a prime-time spot last night to encourage young adults to get out and vote.
Charlottesville City Council members met Tuesday evening and unanimously approved a Downtown Mall ambassador program — a scheme intended to curb recent downtown behavioral problems and to help welcome tourists to the area. The proposed plan would provide a resource for tourists who have questions while visiting the Charlottesville area and would also help ensure law enforcement. The pilot program is anticipated to fund four seasonal, paid ambassador positions and to cost about $80,000, which will come out of the City’s strategic investment fund. Despite complaints about recent juvenile behavior on the Downtown Mall, some residents said they worried that such a program could take the enforcement aspect too far.
Virginians noticing higher gas prices during Labor Day weekend can blame Hurricane Isaac’s visit to the Gulf Coast last week.
The University has increased licensing revenue since 2010 but still remains middle of the pack among a recent study of 157 universities.
GOP supporters expecting to listen to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney speak at a political rally at Richmond International Airport Friday were likely disappointed when only his second-in-command, vice-presidential nominee Paul Ryan, addressed them.
After University President Teresa A. Sullivan’s ouster this summer, the Honor Committee has decided to try to reinvigorate what its members said at a Committee meeting Sunday night is a compromised “community of trust.” Events that unravelled during the summer necessitated an open dialogue between students, faculty members and administrators to restore lines of communication, said Honor Committee Chair Stephen Nash As part of a campaign to engender student engagement, the Committee is hosting a roundtable event on Sept.
The hazing allegations levied against the University’s Lambda Zeta Chapter of Omega Psi Phi, a historically African-American fraternity, paint a picture of routine humiliation, intimidation and physical violence. After an informant told University Police about potentially dangerous pledging practices, officers launched a formal investigation into the fraternity, according to a medical records search warrant issued Aug. 27.
Former University student George Huguely was sentenced to 23 years in prison Thursday after a judge effectively reduced his jury-recommended sentence by three years. His lawyers say he will appeal the sentence.
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University faculty are eligible to receive a three percent bonus from the state of Virginia with their November paychecks this year, University Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Susan Carkeek announced Tuesday.
More than 7,500 Barack Obama supporters flooded the Downtown Mall Wednesday afternoon to see the president speak at the nTelos Wireless Pavilion. Obama covered a breadth of campaign issues, including the economy, his signature health care bill, the war in Afghanistan and gay marriage in a speech meant to appeal to the same kinds of young voters who in 2008 flocked to the polls in large numbers to propel him to victory.
Hours before President Barack Obama addressed a crowd gathered on the Downtown Mall Wednesday afternoon, the Jefferson Area Tea Party staged a rally a couple streets away to show Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s commitment to the youth vote.
Students taking courses in the Engineering School now pay an additional $32 per credit hour to cover lab expenses, even if the Engineering courses they take don’t have lab components. The fee, instituted this semester, applies to Engineering students and also students in other schools who enroll in Engineering courses.
The Republican National Convention kicked off without a hitch in Tampa yesterday — one day after events were postponed because of Hurricane Isaac’s movements in the Southeast. Only minor adjustments have been required since the convention was rescheduled, said fourth-year College student Alex Reber, the chair of Student Council’s representative body, who attended the event as an alternate delegate.
University President Teresa Sullivan spoke to the Faculty Senate at the Darden School of Business Tuesday evening for the first time since her June 26 reinstatement, addressing many of the issues raised by her ouster and encouraging optimism for the institution’s future. For Sullivan the time had come to address the elephant in the room — the tumultuous summer.
The City of Charlottesville underwent massive preparations to accommodate President Barack Obama’s campaign stop in the City Wednesday.
