News

New Spring '07 COD available today

The University registrar released the Spring 2007 Course Offering Directory online today. One new change has been made to the COD, according to University Registrar Carol Stanley: students will now be able to open both the online database which houses the University record and the COD at the same time. "You'll be able to toggle between the course descriptions and COD," she said. According to Stanley, individual schools and departments determine course offerings, rather than the registrar. "Departments determine their course offerings in concert with their faculty," Stanley said.

Law prof. to help examine Va. mental health laws

University Law School Prof. Richard Bonnie has been named to head a commission to investigate changes to the Commonwealth's current mental health laws. "We are going to conduct a comprehensive exam of Virginia's mental health laws and services and identify ways to use the law more effectively to serve the needs of people with mental illnesses," Bonnie said. Bonnie also said the commission will specifically examine access to mental health services and the presence of mentally ill people in the Commonwealth's prisons. "There are some people with chronic mental problems," Bonnie said.

Internet software to benefit disabled users

The University purchased licensing for software this fall that will allow the entire University Web site to be reformatted to benefit disabled users. The Lift Assistive software takes Web sites and reformulates them in a text-only format, said Steve Johnson, University senior web developer in the Office of Public Affairs. The software will help visually impaired users more effectively navigate University Web sites, Johnson said. "Lift Assistive is a web-based service and what it does is ... basically translate our pages into a format that is optimized for people that use browsers for assistance technologies," Johnson said.

Clarification

In Monday's News article, "Pancakes for Parkinson's raises $15k," Pancakes for Parkinson's co-chair Stefin Pasternak stated Saturday's event netted between $15-$17,000 and the groups total fundraising to date was $45,000.

Student votes approve UJC amendment

The University Board of Elections reported last night that a referendum amending the University Judiciary Committee Constitution passed and announced the results of Student Council and Engineering Council representative races.

New critical language award launched

The Fulbright Program, part of the National Security Language Initiative (NSLI), has established the Critical Language Enhancement Award, which will aim at increasing the number of U.S.

U.Va. now to offer master's in public policy

The University's five-year Bachelor of Arts and master's of public policy (MPP) program was approved by the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia Tuesday. The program will begin fall 2007 with the vision of preparing students for occupations in the field of public policy. "Until now, students interested in public policy have not been able to get the opportunity for higher education in that field [at the University], which is ironic at Mr. Jefferson's University," said Eric Patashnik, associate director for the MPP program. Modeled after the Curry School of Education's Bachelor of Arts and master's of teaching program, the MPP program will allow students to receive a master's degree in five years, with graduate work beginning in their fourth year of undergraduate study. Students are eligible to apply for admission in the their third year and would spend half of their fourth year taking the graduate public policy courses and complete their remaining degree requirements with the other half, Patashnik said.

University community prepares for Family Weekend festivities

This weekend, the University will welcome visiting parents and family members for its annual Family Weekend.

Student votes approve UJC amendment

Faculty to study broccoli's anti-cancer effects

Pathology Prof. Janet Cross and pathology department Chair Dennis Templeton recently were awarded a $1.3 million grant from the National Cancer Institute in order to conduct research on the anti-cancer benefits of broccoli. Cross said she has been researching this topic for approximately four years and began trying to acquire funding two years ago. Researchers have known for several decades that animals that are fed certain compounds identified in broccoli develop fewer tumors than animals which do not consume the compounds, Cross noted. "Nobody understood how that worked or why," Cross said.

Goode, Weed to participate in Liberty Univ. debate during quest for House seat

Rep. Virgil Goode, R-Va., and Democratic challenger Al Weed will engage in their first televised debate Monday as the two candidates strive to represent Virginia's fifth district in the U.S.

Journal appoints faculty member as editor

Pamela Cipriano, chief clinical officer and chief nursing officer at the University Health System, was recently appointed editor-in-chief at American Nurse Today, the new official journal of the American Nurses Association. Cipriano was chosen for the position by HealthCom Media and the American Nurses Association, which conducted a national search, finally narrowing the list down to 12 candidates to fill the position, according to Gregory Osborne, president of HealthCom Media. "Pam was at the top of our list, and we were able to get together with her and she was thrilled and, I believe, somewhat humbled that she was offered the position," Osborne said. Terri Haller, University Clinical Care Services manager, said Cipriano's appointment at American Nurse Today, whose first issue was published this month, will not adversely affect her day-to-day duties within the University Health System. "She will just integrate this into all the things that she is involved in, and she'll do it with ease", Haller said. According to a press release from HealthCom Media, Cipriano has worked at not only the University but also at the College of Nursing at the Medical University of South Carolina during her 30 years of experience in the field.

So a guy walks into a bar...

God on Grounds

Last week a small group of religious protestors came to the lawn to inform students that they were "sinners, sodomizers and masturbators" who were "all going to hell." A similar demonstration occurred last year when the Woroniecki family visited the lawn with banners that read, "Satan Rules!

Commonwealth adopts ethanol use initiatives

General Motors donated an E85 Ethanol-powered Chevrolet Tahoe to the Commonwealth of Virginia at a ceremony held Monday in Richmond to commemorate the opening of the first state-owned E85 fueling station.

Changes made for Thursday event parking

The combination of tomorrow night's nationally televised football game between Virginia and North Carolina, a performance of Disney on Ice at the John Paul Jones Arena and the regular traffic associated with the regular weekday operations of a major research university is expected to result in significant traffic.

Bush, Clinton enter Va. Sen. fray

As polls indicate a near dead heat in the final weeks of Virginia's U.S. Senate race, incumbent Republican Sen.

StudCo committee presents curriculum globalization plans

Students had an opportunity to learn about and to question the plans of Student Council's new committee on curriculum globalization at a forum last night. The committee, composed of students appointed by academic department chairs, plans to survey students in order to inform faculty and administrators of students' interest in a more globalized curriculum.

If a tree falls at the university...

Study: high quality of life in Albemarle

The University's Center for Survey Research recently conducted a survey of the quality of life of Albemarle County residents on behalf of the County's Board of Supervisors and found residents favorably reviewed their quality of life. Residents were asked to rate the quality of life in Albemarle County on a scale of one to 10, with 10 being the highest rating. "Quality of life includes beauty of the area, the cultural opportunities they have, the services that are offered, recreation activities, places to eat, entertainment," said Lee Catlin, Community Relations Manager for Albemarle County.