University and Charlottesville police officials saw a dramatic decrease in the number of reported crimes on Grounds and in surrounding neighborhoods this Winter Break compared to last year during the same period. The number of larcenies reported on Grounds decreased from 28 in December 2009 to 12 in Dec.
[caption id="attachment_39112" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Sens. Donald McEachin and "Chap" Petersen have proposed separate pieces of legislation, both partly prompted by the attorney general's 2010 investigations.
Del. Tim Hugo, R-Centreville, is proposing legislation that would require at least 75 percent of accepted students at state universities and colleges to be Virginians. If passed, the bill would mandate a 75-25 ratio of in-state students to out-of-state students to be reached in the next three years at the University, as well as at all other public institutions except for the Virginia Military Institute, Norfolk State University and Virginia State University. Currently the ratio at the University is nearly 70 percent to 30 percent.
President Obama appointed former University President John T. Casteen, III to the Board of Trustees of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars earlier this month. The Board of Trustees is comprised of 17 members, nine of whom are appointed by the president of the United States. Casteen said the center works with issues concerning internal government affairs in Washington, D.C., but also sponsors and presents scholarly work related to public affairs, foreign relations and foreign policy. Executive Vice President Michael Van Dusen said Casteen is one of the first two of Obama's appointees and has high hopes for his time on the board. "Dr. Casteen's expertise in higher education both in the U.S.
[caption id="attachment_39051" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="A suspect robbed a Charlottesville resident at gunpoint early Saturday morning on Washington Avenue before departing in the victim's car.
Avery Catlin, former computer science professor and executive vice president of the University, passed away Saturday at Westminster-Canterbury of the Blue Ridge from pneumonia.
[caption id="attachment_39048" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="The proposals intend to clarify students' understanding of the language of what constitutes an honor offense, according to Committee members.
[caption id="attachment_38963" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Even as the University's budget remains tight, the eighth president promised not to jeopardize the jobs of any employees.
[caption id="attachment_38961" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Although Honor Committee members hoped to see higher turnout at the mock trials, they still believe the sessions provided a good opportunity for students interesting in learning about the system.
[caption id="attachment_38959" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Student Council worked to address safety concerns this semester in light of a spree of criminal activity committed against students near Grounds.
The University Judiciary Committee will end the semester after making several changes to case processing procedure, offering new education initiatives and achieving racial parity with the student body for the second year in a row. UJC's most vigorous effort has involved cutting delays for trials to ensure that cases are handled within an appropriate amount of time after they are filed. UJC Chair Will Bane said although the time-table modifications are internal in nature and not immediately obvious to the student body, there have been significant decreases in case processing time. "It does have a great effect for the accused students who go through our system who are having their cases tried two or three weeks after an offense occurs as opposed to two or three months after the offense occurs," Bane said. Trial statistics will be released in March, which will allow UJC and the student body to examine exactly how the case processing procedure has been affected. Vice Chair for Trials Halley Epstein said her focus has been on accountability in scheduling, which begins with consulting both parties to determine a convenient trial date.
[caption id="attachment_38892" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="The University will continue expansion of on-Grounds facilities, such as housing for students, in wake of possible enrollment increases.
The University's capital campaign, an effort to raise $3 billion by Dec. 31, 2011, is entering its final stretch. The campaign is currently behind schedule despite having secured more than $2.2 billion since its inception at the start of 2004.
The University received a 'D' grade this semester for the amount of core courses it requires for graduation from the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. ACTA's study - which graded more than 700 universities - entitled "What Will They Learn?" spanned the past two years and assessed the schools in seven areas - composition, literature, foreign language, U.S.
The Federal Communications Commission unveiled last week a plan to retool the nation's emergency response system to allow for alerts in more forms than the traditional 911 phone call.
The Inter-Sorority Council and the Multicultural Greek Council recently held elections for their respective executive boards for the upcoming term. The ISC elected Alexis Tarbet as president, Katie Beyer as vice president of the judiciary, Leah Truitt as vice president of administration and Kendall Galant as vice president of recruitment. Meanwhile, the MGC elected Chufan Zhai as president, Nathan Park as vice president, Huyen-Trang Thai as treasurer, Esther Na as parliamentarian and Jessica Andrews as representative for the Inter-Greek Council. Both groups' executive board members will begin their terms next semester. Tarbet, a third-year Commerce student, emphasized her enthusiasm for the coming year of sorority affairs.
[caption id="attachment_38834" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Student Council met last night to discuss a program allowing students to walk instead of ride home with a trained safety official.
Charlottesville and Albemarle County will receive state funding to expand the area's prisoner re-entry initiatives, local officials announced Monday. Some of the funding, which will come from the Second Chance Act, will go toward hiring a case manager who will work out of Offender Aid and Restoration. "At OAR, the re-entry program has been around for 40 years," Re-Entry Program Manager Jason Ness said.
Virginia officials have submitted the state's revised plan to fix the Chesapeake Bay watershed, meeting the Environmental Protection Agency's Nov.
[caption id="attachment_38830" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="McCormick Road participants in this year's First Year Dorm Energy Challenge managed a dramatic 19-percent decrease in energy consumption from last year's residents.
