Technology aids in UT emergency

Wednesday's shooting at the University of Texas, Austin has highlighted the ever-expanding role that technology and social media are playing behind security and relaying information on college campuses. At the time of the shooting - in which Colton Tooley, a 19-year-old mathematics major, opened fire on campus before killing himself - the campus had in place e-mail and text message alerts, a siren system, police department patrol car announcements, fire-panel systems and flat-screen televisions to spread safety information to the university. "The university community there responded quickly and took action," said Kirby Felts, assistant director of the office of emergency preparedness at the University of Virginia.

Virginia guns appear in other states

In the wake of yesterday's shooting incident at the University of Texas - in which a student opened fire and then killed himself - gun control is once again at the forefront of public dialogue, and results from a recent study about gun use show that Virginia could be a focal point in the ongoing debate. The study - which was released Monday and conducted by Mayors Against Illegal Guns using data from the U.S.

Long dry period harms farmers

[caption id="attachment_36390" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Although the rain came as a nuisance to students Monday, more precipitation is needed to replenish diminishing groundwater reserves in the Rivanna area.

StudCo deems water distribution success

Members of Student Council have expressed satisfaction with the success of their water distribution system, which premiered at Saturday's VMI football game. Although the program was established last year, Saturday was the first home football game at which the heat index was expected to reach 90 degrees, the designated point at which the program calls for water to be distributed. Athletic Affairs Committee Co-Chair Ben Powell reported that student volunteers handed out nearly 6,000 bottles, the cost of which Council paid to the athletic department, Council President Colin Hood said. "We were nervous going into it because it was such a large-scale operation, but everything worked perfectly the first time," Powell said. Overall, students seemed pleased about the program - which was initially born out of concerns that cups of water at the stadium were too expensive - and the ready accessibility of the bottles near the student section. That is not to say, however, that the initiative did not encounter any "hiccups," as Powell said.

UTS introduces carpool system

NuRide, an organization that promotes "green" transportation, is now collaborating with the University to make carpooling easier for students. In an effort to broaden the environmental benefits of minimizing daily commute, the University has sponsored the NuRide program for 257 participants in the local Charlottesville and Albemarle County area, including Martha Jefferson Hospital and Charlottesville city employees. Membership eligibility will be regulated by the University and is limited to users with pre-registered e-mail domains, such as virginia.edu, said Rebecca White, director of the University's Department of Parking and Transportation.

Honor weighs critiques

[caption id="attachment_36339" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="The Honor Committee discussed Families for Honor's proposed revisions to various bylaws and training procedures.

Two groups honor English professor

University English Prof. Rita Dove recently received two awards for her work in poetry - the 2010 Ohiona Poetry Book Award and the Oklahoma Center for Poets and Writers' Ambassador Award. She received the Book Award for Poetry for her recently published book of poems, "Sonata Mulattica." Linda Hengst, executive director of the Ohioana Library, said the Ohioana Book Award was created to bring attention to outstanding works of Ohio authors or authors who were born in or have lived in Ohio for at least five years.

Troubles continue for Haiti after earthquake

[caption id="attachment_36284" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Politics Prof. Robert Fatton, originally from Port-Au-Prince, addresses a crowd in Alumni Hall on the state of the nation nine months after the earthquake that devastated it.

Audit uncovers unused funding

An audit of the Virginia Department of Transportation, released Thursday by the Office of the Governor, has uncovered $1.45 billion available for transportation projects. [caption id="attachment_36285" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="According to the audit, the Virginia Department of Transportation was "hesitant" to use all available funds because of the economic downturn.

Police investigate shooting incident

A Charlottesville resident was wounded in a shooting that took place yesterday at about 2:30 a.m. on 13th Street. The wounded individual fled the scene on foot and sought treatment at the University Medical Center.

Recession

The United States is officially out of the longest recession since World War II, but unemployment continues to present a challenge both nationally and locally. The Business Cycle Dating Committee, a division of the National Bureau of Economic Research, announced Monday that business activity hit its lowest point in June 2009 since the recession officially began in December 2007 and that the figure has since moved out of the declining phase of the business cycle.

The National Science Foundation has presented a University research team with a $2 million grant to produce "smart building" energy systems, focusing on reducing energy use. Computer Science Prof.

Women surpass men in earning PhDs in 2008-09

The 2008-09 academic year marked the first time that women in the United States earned more doctorate degrees than men, according to a report issued by the Council of Graduate Schools. Following trends of the past decade, the percentage of doctorates that are awarded to women each year slightly increased and edged out the men with a majority of 50.4 percent.

Research places value on college degree

Despite the rising cost of higher education and the rough state of the economy, college is still a worthwhile investment, according to the College Board's third edition of its Education Pays study. Those without bachelor's degrees are currently struggling to find jobs, the study found.