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A computer theft from an academic building at the University has compromised valuable student information including names, grades and student identification numbers, according to an e-mail sent by Provost Gene Block to hundreds of potentially affected students. The theft occurred from an academic building in early April and contained information about students who took classes in that building in the fall 2005 semester, Assoc.
Engineering School Dean Jim Aylor will return from China this Wednesday after a two-week visit overseas to meet with professors and students in hopes to strengthen ties with the country's developing programs. Aylor was accompanied by Computer Engineering Professors Lloyd Harriott and Zongli Lin, according to Senior Associate Engineering Dean Barry Johnson. "We're looking to strengthen relationships with universities in East Asia for a number of purposes --one is for student exchanges,"Assoc.
University President John T. Casteen, III addressed the University community in his annual State of the University speech Friday afternoon, which included discussion of issues such as state budget cuts, the Capital Campaign, student safety, the Living Wage Campaign and academic advances made in the past year. Casteen asked those in attendance to be mindful of the risks to the University posed by a budget impasse in the Virginia General Assembly, which adjourned March 11 without agreeing to a spending plan. "I have confidence, as I hope you do, that the General Assembly and the governor will resolve this impasse and conduct the public business," Casteen said.
The Board of Visitors met Saturday to approve increases in tuition fees by $665 for in-state undergraduate students and $1,845 for out-of-state students. New tuition rates are aligned with the University's Six-Year Plan, a strategy approved in September 2005 that binds the University to fixed, annual allocations in exchange for moderate tuition increases and observance of state-directed mandates.
The Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Schools has hired Cheryl Burgan Evans as the director of graduate student diversity programs, a new position in the administration. Provost Gene Block, a member of the group who interviewed Evans for the position in February, explained that the decision to hire Evans is part of a broader University goal to expand the diversity of its student body. "She was hired in response to a recognized need of continuing the effort to diversify the student body," Block said, adding that the University needs "more aggressiveness in this issue." Block said Evans will play a key role in designing a diverse portfolio of prospective students. "If you want to have a diverse graduate student body, you have to identify techniques for reaching students from diverse backgrounds," Block said.
The Downtown Mall now boasts "The Community Chalkboard and Podium: A Monument to the First Amendment," a monument dedicated by the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression in a ceremony held yesterday morning. The 42-foot-long monument, designed by architects Peter O'Shea and Robert Winstead, bears inscriptions of the First Amendment and the words of U.S.
Yesterday, Charlottesville City Council candidates discussed election issues with The Cavalier Daily that affect the University and Charlottesville communities.
English Prof. Herbert Tucker joined students on the steps of the Rotunda yesterday at the Living Wage Campaign "teach-in" to read a letter endorsed by 223 faculty members.
Debate is growing over the legality and potential consequences of implementing a "living wage" as a result of differing interpretations of the Virginia Public Procurement Act. The University has indicated it cannot enact a "living wage," citing an advisory letter from the Attorney General's Office to the University.
David J. Prior was officially inaugurated as the seventh chancellor of the University of Virginia's College at Wise last Friday. More than 800 faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends of the College attended the event. President John T.
Students and professors discussed the University's history of slavery last night at the forum, "Acknowledging Slavery at U.Va.," sponsored by the Office of African-American Affairs.
Former University student William Beebe was indicted by a grand jury Monday, 22 years after allegedly raping University alumna Elizabeth Seccuro, according to several media reports. One indictment of rape was handed down along with one indictment of animate object penetration.
The recently elected members of Student Council, who assumed their new roles Tuesday night, will continue to deal with concerns related to the possible perception of a Conflict of Interest for Council members with regard to fundraising appropriations. According to Student Council president Darius Nabors, Student Council does not have a policy in place that regulates Council members' involvement in other CIOs for which Council allows fundraising options. "I wouldn't say that there's a specific policy but generally speaking ... to be fair with any group [with which] you're dealing," Nabors said.
The Living Wage Campaign held a teach-in yesterday on the steps of the Rotunda after the University ordered the removal of the tents of protesters from Madison Hall by yesterday morning. The teach-in followed a weekend in which 17 campaign members were arrested for sitting in at Madison Hall. "I was really pleased with the content and turnout," Campaign organizer Benjamin Van Dyne said. Topics of the teach-in, which drew approximately 140 people, included speeches from faculty members about the economics, history and moral imperatives of the "living wage." Van Dyne attributed the high turnout in part to the notoriety spurred by the 17 arrests. The greater visibility of the Living Wage Campaign has also drawn critics. Fourth-year College student and Market Wage Campaign organizer Karin Agness said the Living Wage Campaign relies mainly on emotional and moral arguments, but that economic theory and practice are against imposing a high artificial wage floor. "We care just as much about these low-wage workers" as the Living Wage Campaign, Agness said.
The Student Council Appropriations Committee enacted cuts across the board in the allocations it distributed last night for next year's CIO funding. Of the $600,000 allocated to the committee for distribution, $395,341.20 was awarded to the 288 CIO funding requests, leaving approximately $200,000 for rolling-basis allocations that will be awarded throughout fall 2006 and spring 2007. The committee made cuts based on Student Council goals and popular demand, Appropriations Committee Co-Chair Michael Love said. "No group received 100 percent of its request -- everyone would have been cut a little," Love said.
Student Council members officially transitioned into their new positions at their meeting last night. In her parting words, outgoing Council President Jequeatta Upton discussed Council's accomplishments over the past year, including its work with housing and its response to the reported incidents of racism. "I've learned so much from working with the executive board," Upton said.
