News

Honor Committee seeks to address honor debts

The Honor Committee's Community Relations Committee announced that it was looking to address more than $6,000 in honor debts accrued by past and current University students at the Student Book Store. An honor debt is defined as an extension of credit by a local merchant based on the retailer's reliance on students' adherence to the honor system to repay it. "We're looking into the possibility of suspension and bringing honor charges against students who do not pay," Vice Chair for Services Trevor McFadden said. According to Student Book Store Manager Jeremy Hunt, more than 80 students have incurred outstanding balances since fall 2000, so the retailer decided to bring the issue to the Community Relations Committee. "Really we've never made an attempt to collect any of it other than sending out statements to students with outstanding bills," Hunt said. The Student Book Store allows students the option of a student charge, which mails the book bill to the address of the student's choice. "Most students have it sent home," Hunt said. Hunt said he had the idea of bringing the matter to the Community Relations Committee after a Committee member visited the bookstore a few months ago. The Community Relations Committee will not be dealing with all 80 cases right away, McFadden said.

Two U.Va. students robbed Sunday

Two University students were robbed in two separate incidents Sunday, the first by a group of individuals on Madison Lane and the second at gunpoint on Shamrock Road. The first robbery occurred at 2 a.m.

Provost alters academic calendar for J-term

The Office of the Provost changed the academic calendar for the January term, replacing class on Monday Jan.

Trick or treat

Students design affordable housing

University students, working together with the Piedmont Housing Alliance, are a few weeks away from completing the first prototype of three affordable modular housing projects known as ecoMOD. The goal was to "use strategies that will reduce financial burdens on the people in the house," Architecture Prof.

New student elects to have open Honor trial

Another student has opted to have an open honor trial on Nov. 13, entirely unrelated to the cancelled open trial that had been scheduled for Nov.

University hires LGBT coordinator

The Office of the Dean of Students has hired the University's first full-time program coordinator for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Resource Center. Joy Pugh, the University's choice for the position, comes from James Madison University, where she was an administrator in the university's honors program. "We're very pleased that we were able to identify her for this," said Senior Associate Dean of Students Shamim Sisson, to whom Pugh will report.

Student health insurance premiums expected to rise

The University's insurance provider, The Chickering Group, has proposed a 21 percent increase in student health insurance premiums for next year, and benefits are not expected to change significantly, according to members of the Student Health Insurance Committee. Many members of the Committee questioned the need for such a large cost increase at a meeting with Chickering last week, Committee Director Susan Davis said.

bridge to a new season

Students are often victims of identity theft; fraud

College students are increasingly becoming victims of identity theft, prompting the Department of Education's Office of the Inspector General to publicize the issue and crack down on crooks who use stolen information to fraudulently obtain financial aid. Department of Education Inspector General John P.

Man arrested for seven burglary counts

The Albemarle County Police arrested a man Wednesday and charged him with several burglary offenses in the area. Albemarle County Police Lt.

The Flu reborn

The 1918 Spanish flu is back. Earlier this month, U.S. scientists announced they had created a living copy of this deadly pathogen, which has not been seen on Earth for the last 85 years.

Serial rapist reward increases to $55,000

The Parents' Program of the University of Virginia Alumni Association announced yesterday it is donating an additional $30,000 to the existing $20,000 to any person who can provide information leading to the apprehension and conviction of the serial rapist. A concerned parent anonymously donated an additional $5,000, boosting the total reward to $55,000, which more than doubled the previous amount. The serial rapist is responsible for seven reported incidents of sexual assault over the past eight years, some of which affected University students. "The Parents' Program has long been very interested in student safety and security, and when they met last week, the issue of the serial rapist was brought up by some of the parents, and they felt a need or a desire to make a contribution that might help in the apprehension of the serial rapist," University spokesperson Carol Wood said. According to Parents' Program Co-Chair Jeff Hillebrand, the group meets twice a year to allocate funds donated by non-alumni parents to student programs and handle proposals from the University's administration and academic deans.

To eat or not to eat, that is not the question

In science, there is often a predilection toward conceptualizing cognitive events in a discrete, measurable fashion.

Survey shows first-year medical students largest class to date

This fall, over 1,700 students -- the largest class on record -- began their first year at the nation's 125 accredited medical schools, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. The AAMC said in a press release that this class size represents a 2.1 percent increase from the class that entered in 2004. "For the last several years, enrollment has hovered at around 1,600, so this is the first time it broke 1,700," AAMC Public Relations Director Retha Sherrod said. In addition to the increase in class size, the AAMC also said medical schools experienced a 4.6 percent increase in the number of applications they received from 35,735 last year to 37,364. Mirroring this national trend, the University's Medical School has seen a slight increase in its class size as well as in its number of applicants, Medical School Admissions Director Beth Bailey said. Sherrod said the AAMC was concerned earlier this year that there could be a potential future shortage in the nation's number of physicians, due in part to a high number of "baby boom" physicians who will retire soon.

film festival preparation

Student opts out of open honor trial

What would have been an open honor trial slated to begin Nov. 6 will now proceed as a closed trial at the request of the accused student. The student's name and his motivation for closing the trial were not released.

Groups study U.Va. energy use

A recent study by the University's Energy Program and the Green Grounds Group shows that while the University is making efforts to prevent unnecessary expenditure of energy, it can do more to conserve energy and funds. Last week, a group of students met to determine instances of wasted energy on Grounds, Energy Program Manager Paul Crumpler said. Students observed 150 buildings on Grounds and noted the number of lights that were turned on inside various unoccupied buildings. According to Crumpler, the Green Grounds Group, a Contracted Independent Organization, contacted him to ask for opportunities to collaborate on energy conservation projects, and one of the projects they discussed involved identifying buildings with lights left on at night. Students were able to observe buildings across Grounds, from the Darden School to University Hall, as well as athletic facilities, that leave lights on at night when no one is there, according to Crumpler. While Crumpler said he has yet to complete a synopsis of the students' findings, he was able to identify positive and negative energy consumption practices. "In a majority of buildings, lights were turned off," he said.

Clarification

The News article "Council to expand access to Newcomb" implied that student groups would have to pay a fee to rent a room in Newcomb Hall.

Groups voice Middle East views

Students for Peace and Justice in Palestine held a protest yesterday in the Amphitheater as part of Palestine Week.