News

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.

Center for Politics hosts symposium on women presidential candidates

A bipartisan panel discussed the issue of women and the presidency last night during the inaugural event of the University Center for Politics' 2006 National Symposium on Women and Politics. The event also marked the start of the "8 for '08" study by the White House Project, an organization which seeks to draw more women into political leadership roles, project president Marie Wilson said. Through the end of March, the White House Project will poll people to see which of eight women they think could best serve as president. "There are a couple of women who are being talked about over and over," Wilson said, citing Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice as examples. In addition to Clinton and Rice, the project selected three other Republicans and three other Democrats to create the list of eight potential female presidential candidates. Wilson said candidates were chosen because of their demonstrated political abilities.

"On My Honor..."

February 18 Two undergraduate students in the College were found guilty and one undergraduate student in the College was found not guilty of cheating on an exam in an introductory level course by a panel of random students.

Pitt dropped Semester at Sea due to safety concerns

Though the University of Pittsburgh ended its affiliation with the Semester at Sea study abroad program because of ongoing concerns about safety, University officials say they have no problems with the program's health and safety procedures. In December, the University began its partnership with Semester at Sea, a study abroad program directed by the Institute for Shipboard Education where students from many universities can spend a semester studying aboard a cruise ship. William Brustein, the director of Pitt's University Center of International Studies, said safety concerns were the major reason for the break between Pitt and Semester at Sea. "As with many relationships, the parties moved apart," Brustein said.

StudCo candidates debate, field questions

The University Board of Elections sponsored Student Council candidate debates for the spring elections last night.

Law professor receives award

University law professor Caleb Nelson is this year's recipient of the Paul M. Bator Award from the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies, an award that recognizes his contributions to the field of law as both a scholar and teacher. Nelson will receive the award at the society's annual student symposium, to be held at Columbia Law School Feb.

Honor, UBE dispute student population

A dispute over the definition of the term "student body" at the University has arisen in meetings of the Honor Committee and University Board of Elections in advance of spring elections where the issue dictates the prospective application of a referendum known as the "consensus clause" Josh Hess, a member of Students for the Preservation Honor, whih supports the consensus clause, said he recognized an incongruity between his percentages concerning student approval of the consensus clause and those previously given by the University Board of Elections. Specifically, Hess said he believes that 42 percent of the student body turned out in last spring's elections, not 32 percent as maintained by the UBE.

Sources say Cavs star Brooks off team this spring

Virginia football linebacker Ahmad Brooks, a 2004 All-American and Butkus Award candidate, failed a drug test within the past two weeks and will not be practicing with the team this spring, according to two sources close to the team.

Study suggests AP courses do not fully prepare students for college

Advanced Placement courses in biology, physics and chemistry do not prepare students for the rigors of introductory college courses, according to a survey conducted by Education Prof.

Honor seeks to provide info on referenda

The Honor Committee discussed possible methods of educating the student body on upcoming referenda Sunday night.

UBE publishes finalized spring referenda

With issues ranging from the wages of University employees and contractors to adding the word "triviality" in the Honor constitution, six spring referenda have been finalized and will appear on the ballot when polls open this Friday.

University among top recipients of private aid

Private contributions to universities around the nation have significantly increased in 2005, according to a survey conducted by the Voluntary Support of Education Institution of the Council of Aid to Education. The increase in donations was not the same across the board, the survey stated. While giving from private foundations and alumni increased, corporations were not as charitable to universities nationally, the survey found. Additionally, the survey reported that while the number of alumni providing voluntary support to colleges and universities decreased, the total amount of money given by alumni increased.

Faculty express concern over Semester at Sea

College Dean Edward Ayers is meeting this morning with the department chairs in the College of Arts & Sciences to discuss faculty concerns regarding the Semester at Sea program. In December, the University announced its partnership with Semester at Sea, a study abroad program that allows students to travel aboard a cruise ship to multiple locations throughout the world while taking courses. The meeting between faculty members and Ayers was partly in response to a declaration drafted by the Council of Chairs of Arts & Sciences expressing uncertainty over the academic integrity of the program.

Sources say Cavs star Brooks off team this spring

Virginia football linebacker Ahmad Brooks, a 2004 All-American and Butkus Award candidate, failed a drug test within the past two weeks and will not be practicing with the team this spring, according to two sources close to the team.

Colleges see higher levels of applications

While universities nationwide saw a spike in the number of freshman applicants seeking admission for the class of 2010, the University's applicant pool remained relatively stable, growing by 1.6 percent according to Admissions Dean John Blackburn. According to an article this past Monday in USA Today, some schools are recording as much as a 21 percent increase in applications, prompting admissions deans around the country to reduce the proportion of acceptances. "I can tell you the [University's] numbers are up slightly -- about 1.6 percent," for regular admissions, Blackburn said. For early decision, the number of applications received is not significantly different than last year, Blackburn added. Because of the modest increase in applications, Blackburn said he thinks getting into the University this year will be slightly more difficult. "Since we're going to be looking for the same size class, we will be slightly more selective," Blackburn said.

Equality in sacrifice?

Senate passes smoking ban

The Virginia Senate recently passed a bill which, if successful in the House of Delegates, would amend the current state Clean Air Act by prohibiting smoking in many indoor public places. According to Courtney Hyres, legislative aid to Sen.