News

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.

Love your Body Week begins

As part of 'Love Your Body Week' at the University, Theta Nu Xi, one of the University's multicultural sororities, hosted HerStory.

Gallaudet Univ. students protest, 133 arrested

Students at Gallaudet University, an internationally known university for the deaf and hard-of-hearing, were protesting the selection of a new university president when they were arrested Friday night after a three-week blockade of the gate leading to the university's Washington campus. Student protestors say they feel the new president-to-be, Gallaudet University Provost Jane K.

Virginia kicks off annual employee giving program

The 2006 Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign, a state workplace-driven charity giving program, begins at the University today.

Pancakes for Parkinson's raises $15k

Despite Saturday's brisk weather, the third Annual Pancakes for Parkinson's event transformed the Lawn into a veritable pancake factory serving University students, faculty and the Charlottesville community to benefit Parkinson's research. Pancakes for Parkinson's co-chair Stefin Pasternak said that along with providing pancakes free of charge, the program has two main goals of raising money for Parkinson's research and bringing the University and Charlottesville communities together. Parkinson's disease is a motor system disorder that attacks dopamine producing cells in the brain and results in muscle tremors and loss motor control.

Honor Committee hosts Dome Room town-hall meeting

The Honor Committee held a community forum meeting in the Dome Room of the Rotunda last night where they discussed by-law changes involving bad faith reporting of cases.

'Angel fund' to aid U.Va. researchers

The U.Va. Patent Foundation recently created a new "angel investment" fund, The Jefferson Corner Group, that will evaluate investment opportunities and take an active role in managing the investments. An "angel investor" is typically a reasonably wealthy person who wishes to become directly involved and invest in companies as they are still in their early years, said Executive Director Robert MacWright, chief executive of the U.Va.

Voting opens for U.Va. fall election

Voting for the annual fall student elections begins this morning. On the ballot this semester is a proposed alteration to the procedures for amending the University Judiciary Council's constitution, as well as elections for nine positions on the Arts & Sciences, Engineering and Commerce Councils, for which there are 18 candidates. Steve Yang, chair of the University Board of Elections, explained that these elections are different from the larger-scale elections held during the spring as their purpose is to offer first-year students an opportunity to run for council positions during their first semester.

Committee discusses student concerns

Student Council's Student Life Committee held an open forum Wednesday night in New Cabell to discuss the committee's function within the University and the role of Student Council, as well as to address questions and concerns of students. Dan Newland, co-chair of the Student Life Committee, explained that the Student Life Committee focuses mainly on housing, dining and transportation and parking concerns of students, but also serves as an umbrella for other concerns. Changes that have been instituted in the past by the committee include SafeRide and late-night busing, which have only been in effect for a few years, Newland said. Peter Mathews, co-chair of the Student Life Committee, said he feels it is very important to get the word out to first years about the impact of the Student Life Committee and its ability to execute change. "Late-night busing is especially a big thing [to discuss] because a lot of first years might think that it was something that has always been here," Mathews said. Students in attendance brought up a variety of concerns. Fourth-year College student Danny Jaek suggested eliminating the concept of a meal plan with a set number of meals per week and instituting a plan that only consists of plus dollars. "I don't like the fact that I am throwing away meals at the end of the semester," Jaek said. Newland said there are other alternatives to the pre-determined meal plans, but he is willing to work with dining services to address this problem. Newland said the committee plans to hold a similar open forum at the beginning of next semester and a final forum at the end of the academic year. "I really do think we need to work on connecting with the student body ... and just hearing their ideas," Mathews said. Newland said he is very optimistic about future meetings and hopes to see an even bigger turnout. "We're taking a lot of steps to become accessible to the student body," Newland said.

Google offers free e-mail program to colleges

Google recently announced that it is now offering free e-mail services for college campuses. The program, called Apps for Education, is one of several corporate e-mail providers for colleges, including Microsoft's Windows Live. According to the Google Web site, the e-mail service, which was initiated in August, offers benefits that include increased storage space and a variety of applications such as instant messaging and a page designing service, all at no cost to the college. Arizona State University was one of the first colleges to implement the Apps for Education service. Adrian Sannier, technology officer at the office of the president at ASU, pointed out that the program allows students to maintain ".edu" e-mail addresses. "We were always letting people forward their mail" from outside service providers, Sannier said.