News

StudCo Exec Board asked VPA to resign over performance concerns

Former Vice President for Administration Okey Udumaga, who is running for his old position in elections beginning tomorrow, offered his resignation from his position last week under pressure from fellow members of the executive board of Student Council, according to Council President Jequeatta Upton. Udumaga, who is running again for VPA in the upcoming elections, maintained he was not asked to leave his position as VPA but instead personally decided to resign upon realizing he was overcommitted. Upton said members of Council's executive board met with Udumaga last fall after he failed to complete a task in a timely manner and told him that he had a history of similar performance issues.

More students list race as "other" on college applications

A study was recently released showing that the majority of students who chose "unknown/other" as their race and ethnicity on their undergraduate college applications would later define themselves as white. The study, "Unknown Students on College Campuses," was conducted by the Association of American Colleges and Universities and the James Irvine Foundation.

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Faculty members research speech aid

The University is home to the only program in the United States utilizing the B.A. Bar device, a machine which can be used to aid people who are unable to speak or have impaired speech.

Governor, lawmakers push different transporation bills

As the General Assembly works to finalize its budget, Gov. Tim Kaine (D), members of the House of Delegates and members of the Virginia State Senate continue to debate how best to address the transportation problem plaguing Northern Virginia. Currently, Governor Kaine is promoting a four-year plan that will raise $700 million in the first year and $900 million in the fourth year by increasing certain fees, according to Kevin Hall, press secretary for Gov.

Harvard president resigns amid faculty controversy

Larry Summers resigned from his post as president of Harvard University on Tuesday, preempting a vote of no confidence by Arts and Sciences faculty at the school. While Summers reportedly retained the support of most students and faculty in other Harvard schools, some members of University faculty said he alienated too many of his constituents to continue as president and that his often inflammatory leadership style was incompatible with the academic world. University Law professor and former University President Robert O'Neil said Summers's failure was caused by a combination of an overly-ambitious agenda and a rude personality. Ultimately, he alienated too many of Harvard's Arts and Sciences faculty members -- a uniquely powerful constituency at Harvard, O'Neil said. "Harvard is the only major university that does not have some faculty governance body," he said.

Semester at Sea academic dean hired

Spanish Prof. David T. Gies has been hired to be the academic dean of the Semester at Sea program and will take over the program for the voyage of Summer 2007. "My role will be to shape the curriculum that very much adheres to the University's academic standards and is interesting and exciting to the students and faculty," Gies said. The 2007 voyage itinerary includes travel up and down the Pacific coast of Central America and South America, making this the first voyage to focus on one region, Gies said.

Correction

The article "Honor, UBE dispute student population" (Feb. 21) and its headline implied that the Honor Committee had officially discussed and taken a position on the definition of "student body." In fact, the Honor Committee has neither officially discussed nor taken a position on this issue.

A-J Aronstein Third-year College Hometown: Mount Vernon, N.Y. U.Va Housing: University Way   Activities, positions, associations:

Peter Joseph MathewsSecond-year College Hometown: Fairfax Station, Va.U.Va. Housing: MetcalfActivities, positions, associations:

Gregory Neal Jackson Jr. Third-year Engineering Hometown: Fluvanna County, Va. Housing: Off-Grounds Activities, positions, associations:

Rally for living wage held at Rotunda

Jeffrey FrankThird-year College Hometown: Newport News, Virginia U.Va. Housing: Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity house  Activities, positions, associations:

Nicholas Jordan Second-year College Hometown: West Bridgewater, Ma. Housing: Off-Grounds Activities, positions, associations:

Council amends bylaws, hears proposals

Student Council introduced two resolutions last night, one which encourages professors to post syllabi before the start of courses and the other which renews support for the existence of the Virginia Pep Band at varsity athletic events.

Anna S. PopovaThird-year College Hometown: Born/raised: Siberia, Russia Currently live in Manassas, Va.U.Va Housing: 15th St. Activities, positions, associations:

Program to recruit students to work at polls

A new joint program sponsored by the City of Charlottesville Office of Voter Registration and the University Center for Politics aims to involve young people in the electoral process by recruiting University students as election officers, according to a press release from the City of Charlottesville. Evan Smith, deputy registrar for the city who introduced the project, said the idea came from a similar program in place among high schools in Orange County. "We're hoping to get the U.Va.

Rally held on Grounds to support living wage

Over 100 students, faculty and community members gathered at the Rotunda yesterday to call upon the administration to pay the University's lowest-paid workers what supporters term a "living wage." The rally was organized by the Living Wage Campaign at the University of Virginia, which puts the minimum living wage as $10.72 per hour in the Charlottesville area, a figure that the group suggests should be indexed for inflation.

Biomed engineering receives award

The University's Department of Biomedical Engineering has been awarded a $2.9 million Walter H. Coulter Foundation Translational Partners award, University spokesperson Kathleen Valenzi said yesterday. During a three-stage review process, 63 universities applied for the grant; nine, including the University of Michigan and Stanford University, were awarded funding, Biomedical Engineering Prof.

Honor candidates gather for debate

Honor Committee candidates squared off last night in a debate sponsored by the University Board of Elections. Candidates from the College of Arts & Sciences and the School of Engineering fielded questions on issues ranging from the consensus clause to the role of the trial chair in consistent outcomes. The College candidates who attended the debate were third-year counsel A-J Aronstein, third-year counsel Brendan Connors, second-year advisor Ben Cooper, third-year senior educator Kendall Fox, third-year counsel Sam Leven, second-year advisor Brian O'Neill and third-year senior advisor Andrew Siegel. Of the seven candidates, only O'Neill supported the consensus clause referendum, which would raise the voting turnout requirements for changes to the single sanction. "It's not because I think the single sanction should be impossible to change," O'Neill said.