News

Council to expand access to Newcomb

Student Council unanimously passed a resolution last night that will allow student groups to have expanded access to rooms and resources in Newcomb Hall. The resolution states that Council will cover the $3,500 fee for Contracted Independent Organizations, Special Status Groups and other student organizations to hold meetings and event in certain rooms of Newcomb. The bill will take effect in November, Vice President of Organizations Rebecca Keyworth said. Groups will now have access to the Board Room, Commonwealth Room, South Meeting Room and Room 389 along with the use of Newcomb's technological equipment. "One of the main purposes of Student Council is to be a governing body and an umbrella to students," Keyworth said.

Dancing the night away

Honor debates non-toleration clause

The Honor Committee discussed the possibility of bringing back the non-toleration clause at its meeting Sunday night. The non-toleration clause, which allows honor charges to be brought on students who witness but do not report honor violations, was eliminated from the honor code in the 1970s. College Rep.

Gibbs earns annual Thomas Jefferson Award

Former Associate Dean of Students and Education Prof. Annette Gibbs was awarded the Thomas Jefferson Award at Fall Convocation Friday. One of the most prestigious awards given by the University, the Thomas Jefferson Award has been presented since 1955, according to University Relations. The criteria for the Thomas Jefferson Award states a member of the faculty must exemplify in character, work and influence the principles and ideals of Thomas Jefferson.

UJC elects 17 new first-year judges

The University Judiciary Committee welcomed 17 new judges to the First-Year Judiciary Committee last week. The new judges subsequently elected first-year College students Jamin An and Merriam Mikahil, as their chair and vice chair, respectively. According to UJC officials, the FYJC operates by the same trial procedures as the UJC, but its jurisdiction is limited to cases involving first years. "The First-Year Judiciary Committee hears cases of violations of Standards of Conduct that occur within first-year residential areas," outgoing FYJC vice chair Ben Cooper said.

Support for stem cell research grows among Americans

Support for embryonic stem cell research continues to rise among the American public and many people believe a combination of creationism, intelligent design and evolution should be taught in public schools, according to Virginia Commonwealth University's 2005 Life Sciences Survey. The survey found that a majority of Americans, 58 percent of those surveyed, now strongly or somewhat favor embryonic stem cell research, up from 52 percent last year and 47 percent in 2003. The trend of increased approval of embryonic stem cell research can be attributed primarily to the American public garnering a better understanding of the process, said David Urban, director of the Survey and Evaluation research lab at VCU. There has been a lot of public attention on the subject of stem cell research recently, in the form of political legislation and platforms on the state and national level, as well as some high-profile cases of Parkinson's disease and spinal injury that have brought attention to stem cell research as a potential source of medical aid, Urban said. Urban also said with a growing number of older Americans, as well as a general interest of the American public in scientific discoveries -- 87 percent of those surveyed said they were a lot or a somewhat interested in scientific discoveries -- it's not surprising to see a greater general interest in medical research. "I think [the survey results] show how that stem cell research issue has risen in the consciousness of the American public," Urban said. John Arras, professor of Biomedical Ethics at the University of Virginia, said as the American public learns more about the possible medical benefits of embryonic stem cell research, they will become more comfortable with it. "My prediction is that opposition to stem cell research will completely fold once real cures are on the horizon," Arras said. The survey also found that there is no strong consensus among those surveyed about the origin of biological life, and regardless of personal beliefs, nearly half of those surveyed believe that a combination of creationism, intelligent design and evolution should be taught in public schools. The survey also presented subjects with three statements, each corresponding with one of the major origin of life views -- 42 percent of those surveyed related most to the creationist statement, 26 percent selected the intelligent design view and only 17 percent selected the evolutionist view. Urban said that these results are directly related to how people think of religion in their everyday lives, and reflects the rising religious population in the United States. Urban also said the favoring of creationist and intelligent design views may be a result of the scientific community doing a poor job of making its case for evolution to the public, while religiously-based views have been more aggressively promoted. This is the fifth year that the VCU Life Sciences Survey has been conducted.

Trends suggest women will continue to outnumber men

Women now constitute 57 percent of college students nationally, according to data compiled by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education.

FCC orders schools to ready systems for surveillance

The Federal Communications Commission recently ordered an expansion of an Internet surveillance law that will require universities to redesign their computer networks in order to give law enforcement officials easier access to online communications. The FCC's final ruling is still flexible, and the University is awaiting further direction. "It's not clear exactly what will be required anywhere because the standards are still being developed," University Director of Communications and Systems Jim Jokl said.

Gov. Warner highlights '07 ring ceremony

Governor Mark R. Warner urged students of all backgrounds to strive to engage in respectful and meaningful public debate, especially in light of the upcoming Virginia gubernatorial election in a speech delivered at the Class of 2007 ring ceremony Friday afternoon in University Hall. "Public debate has become increasingly shrill," Warner said, pointing to the use of sound bytes and the practice of "demonizing [political] opponents" as examples.

Palestine Week begins today

Today marks the beginning of the University's first Palestine Week sponsored by the Students for Peace and Justice in Palestine, an event that will feature a speech by a controversial DePaul University professor Norman Finkelstein. "We are sponsoring a number of events aimed at promoting a better understanding of an underrepresented culture, including speakers, political demonstrations and charitable events," SPJP President Tarek Ismail said. A history professor and Author of "Beyond Chutzpah: On the Misuse of Anti-Semitism and the abuse of History," Finkelstein is slated to speak Tuesday evening. The event's organizers said that they are bringing a number of speakers representing many positions and that they hope these speakers will foster discussion. "We are bringing Finkelstein to Grounds not because we all espouse his beliefs, but because we hope it will spark discussion because we need everyone's input," Ismail said. Leaders of University Jewish groups said they are critical of Finkelstein's visit because they perceive him to be anti-Semitic. "Finkelstein has a career predicated on the demonization of Jewish culture," said former Hoos for Israel President Michael Wain.

Beer Pong

Anheuser-Busch, brewer of Budweiser and Natural beer products among others, pulled a promotion for "Bud Pong" last Tuesday after learning that some who took part in the promotion were using beer rather then water to play the game. The brewer responded to a flurry of criticism prompted by a New York Times article Oct.

home on the bayou

Honor discusses Engineering incident

The Honor Committee discussed the recently reported incident of homework copying in the Engineering School at its meeting last night. In that incident, a student in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 321, "Fluid Mechanics," discovered that his homework was being removed and copied without his knowledge.

Census increases C'ville population estimate

The U.S. Census Bureau has officially accepted the City of Charlottesville's challenge to its 2004 Census population estimate and increased the City's estimated population, according to city officials. Officials stated that the City's Department of Neighborhood Development Services had filed the challenge in September after the Bureau's population estimate showed a 3,494-person drop in Charlottesville's population between 2000 and 2004. As a result of the challenge, the Bureau has increased the estimate of the City's population from 36,605 to 40,745, which results in a population increase of 1.6 percent since the formal 2000 U.S.

South Korea, U.S., and Britian team up in stem cell research

Scientists in South Korea will help their American colleagues, frustrated by U.S. government barriers, create new lines of embryonic stem cells in an unusual partnership in the contentious field, researchers in both countries announced Wednesday. For the Americans, the new international consortium, which includes Britain, presents another avenue for working around the Bush administration's refusal to fund most of the research.

Faculty face confusion, limited options

In light of recent cases of cheating, it appears that some professors choose to opt out of the honor system in dealing with possible honor offenses.

Rocketmen and women

Beijing - China hopes to conduct a spacewalk in 2007 and might recruit women into its next group of astronaut candidates, a senior space program official said Monday following the safe completion of the nation's second manned mission. The Shenzhou 6 flight ended the first stage of China's plan, which focused on development of space vehicles, said Tang Xianming, director of the China Space Engineering Office.

On-Grounds housing due date extended

Housing administration extended the on-Grounds housing application due date for the 2006-2007 academic year a month to Nov.

Correction

A subhead in Oct. 20 News article, "Man charged with peeping near U.Va.," incorrectly identified the suspect as Randall S.

Playing for a cause