News

Site allows students to outsource homework

Some computer science students across the country have been taking advantage of new Web sites offering students the opportunity to outsource their homework to computer programmers worldwide. The Web site, rentacoder.com, functions like other auction Web sites, where students can put their homework assignments up for bidding alongside businesses and others in need of computer programming code.

Survey finds SAT too long

A majority of recent SAT test takers would have preferred to take the newly expanded test on several different days, according to survey results released by Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions on Tuesday. According to Kaplan's press release, 65 percent of the 525 Kaplan students surveyed said they would have preferred to take the different sections of the test on different days.

University to offer graduate pre-medicalcertificate

The University will offer a one-year pre-medical certificate program to post-Baccalaureate students beginning this summer, following the Board of Visitors Finance Committee's decision to approve the program by setting tuition Thursday. The program allows individuals without the necessary science prerequisites to complete them in one year.

MacArthur Foundation awards grant

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation recently awarded the University a $4.5 million grant to support the final phase of research about mental health social policy.

Fans'steelin away

BOV Loans

Phi Delta Theta fraternity became the first member of the Inter-Fraternity Council to successfully apply for a Board of Visitor's loan to buy property Thursday, pending expected full Board approval on Feb.

U.Va. only school to field two Mitchell Scholars

Two University graduates were selected in January to receive Mitchell scholarships they can use to finance graduate study at any university in Ireland or Northern Ireland.

BOV assesses fundraising, diversity

Newly hired chief officer for diversity and equity William Harvey addressed the Board of Visitor's Special Committee on Diversity yesterday, proposing new committees and goals that he believes will help further the University's effort toward tolerance and equity.

Advocates seek more funding for universities

The state youth advocacy organization Virginia21 launched the Save $1,246 campaign to plug the gap between the recommendations of the State Council on Higher Education and current budget appropriations. According to Virginia21 Communications Director David Solimini, the Save $1,246 Campaign was initiated to convince lawmakers to close the funding gap between Virginia college and university base adequacy requests and current appropriations.

Correction

The Jan. 19 article, "U.Va. alumnus arrested for alleged 1984 rape," incorrectly labeled William Beebe as an alumnus in the headline.

Virginians favor Warner over Allen in poll

Virginians favor former Gov. Mark R. Warner over current United States Senator George Allen by 49 to 32 percent if they were to square off against each other in a bid for president in 2008, according to a poll conducted by the University's Center for Politics released Wednesday. The poll found Warner led his fellow Virginian in every demographic questioned except for Republicans.

BOV assesses fundraising, diversity

The University exceeded its Capital Campaign fundraising projections for 2005, representatives of the Development Office told the Board of Visitor's External Affairs committee at yesterday's BOV meeting. The philanthropic cash totaled $128.88 million, 16 percent more than what was raised in 2004 and the second largest fundraising year in the history of the University, according to the briefing led by Robert Sweeney, senior vice president for development and public affairs.

Students jam ISIS, cause bottlenecks

Students across the University have faced extreme difficulties logging into the University's Integrated Student Information System, the computer registration and billing system, in the opening days of the spring semester. Students say the system, known as ISIS, is constantly busy and impossible to access, preventing them from finalizing spring semester schedules or completing final registration. Anda Webb, associate provost for management and budget, said University experts are working on improving the program. "We've tried to take steps to try and mitigate the problems by moving administrators off the system, making some improvements to the code," Webb said.

Honor to hold open trial Jan. 28

Another student accused of an honor offense has elected to hold an open trial, making this the second open trial during the current academic year.

U.Va. adopts new bias reporting system

The University administration unveiled a bias incident reporting system Tuesday. The new system allows members of the University community to file complaints online, by phone or in person. The University chose to define a bias incident more broadly to encompass incidents that would not necessarily meet the threshold under existing regulations, according to the incident reporting Web site.

BACK TO SCHOOL

Architecture graduate program rises in rankings

Architectural, engineering and design professionals rewarded the University's graduate program in architecture with a third-place ranking in the 2006 annual Design Futures Council survey published last November in DesignIntelligence.

Man arrested for alleged 1984 rape of alumna

A 22-year-old incident of alleged sexual assault has resurfaced after William Beebe was arrested Jan.

U.Va. boasts highest black graduation rate

A recent study conducted by the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education showed that of the "public Ivies," the University has the highest graduation rate of black students at 86 percent. The study, which compared the graduation rates and enrollment of black students at high-ranked public universities, also concluded that the University has one of the highest percentages of blacks in its student body at 8.5 percent.

University to offer Semester at Sea program

This summer, the University will become the academic partner of the Semester at Sea study abroad program. The program, whose origins date back to 1926, has allowed almost 40,000 students to spend a semester aboard a "floating college," the MV Explorer.