News

Students face obstacles obtaining visas

The perceived difficulty of acquiring a visa to study in the United States remains a discouraging factor for international students and is partially responsible for a drop in applications from international students, said Laura Tischler, spokesperson for the Bureau of Consular Affairs. The problems facing international students seeking visas were discussed briefly Tuesday during a Congressional hearing on the weaknesses of the visa system. "The bottom line was that perception counts a lot," said Thomas Costa, a professional staff member of the House subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations.

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First Amendment wall planned for Downtown

Visitors to the Downtown Mall will soon have an opportunity to publicly celebrate free speech. Construction of a monument on the Mall recognizing the First Amendment is expected to be completed by the end of November. The monument, which is located across from City Hall, will consist of two chalkboards and a podium.

UPC extends Homecomings activities, events

The traditional Homecoming weekend has been extended to nearly a week of events, according to the University Programs Council. The events are scheduled to begin Monday, Sept.

Casteen names first chief diversity officer

President John T. Casteen, III appointed William B. Harvey as the University's first vice president and chief officer for diversity and equity yesterday. Harvey, who is nationally recognized as an expert on improving diversity in higher education, will begin his work at the University Nov.

University Health Systems receives national award

The University Health System will accept an award today for creating programs to ease communication between doctors and patients with communication barriers. The award, which will be presented by the American Medical Association and the American Hospital Association, is the latest honor to give the Health System national recognition. Claudette Dalton, lead physician for the patient communication project, said the initiative was created to address the needs of a large portion of the University Health System clientele.

Council focuses on recent acts of intolerance

Student Council unanimously passed a bill last night to create an ad hoc committee to address acts of intolerance at the University. Council President Jequeatta Upton, Executive Vice President Darius Nabors and Engineering School Rep.

Charlottesville's Growing Residential Landscape

With new properties and construction on Jefferson Park Avenue and throughout the Corner district, the market for new student housing is booming around the University.

Students gear up for new MCAT test

Since The Association of American Medical Colleges announced its decision to change the Medical College Admissions Test from a paper exam to a computer-based one, many students have expressed concerns about the new method of assessment. The move from a paper test to a computer-exclusive exam, which was decided over the summer, is projected to take place in the spring of 2007 and will bring many changes. Students taking the MCAT will have a shorter test with one-third the number of questions in the original test.

Study finds enrollment to increase to 17 percent by 2014

Student enrollment at public colleges and universities is expected to increase 17 percent by the year 2014, according to a recent report by the National Center for Education Statistics. The report, which was made available online Sept.

Survey suggests lack of student-teacher interaction

According to recent survey information released by the Office of the Dean of Students, University students trail their peers at comparable universities in several markers of student-faculty interaction, but administrators and professors questioned the seriousness of the survey's implications. Of the 13 index markers used to survey faculty-student interaction, University students outscored students at other doctoral, research-extensive universities in four indexes and lagged behind their peers in the other nine indexes, according to the survey. "Even though there were a lot of differences between U.Va.

City, County, U.Va. emergency teams hold disaster drill

Emergency response representatives from the University worked with Charlottesville City and Albemarle County officials this weekend in a disaster-preparedness drill, which included a mock plane crash at the Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport. "We have an annual requirement from [the Federal Emergency Management Agency] to do a community disaster drill, just to test our readiness for an emergency situation," Albemarle County spokesperson Lee Catlin said. Over 300 people from fire and rescue teams, social services, law enforcement and transportation groups participated in the four-hour drill.

City arrests resident for rape

Charlottesville resident John Henry Agee, 37, is being held without bond in connection with the Sept.

Study raises concerns over preparedness

A nationwide survey conducted by the University of California, Los Angeles, found that professors raised concerns regarding the level of academic preparedness of undergraduate students. The study, The American College Teacher: National Norms for the 2004-2005 Higher Education Research Institute Faculty Survey, found that, of the professors polled, overall only 36 percent think most students are sufficiently prepared for collegiate work. The report, which was originally administered in 1989, has been reissued every three years.

Rainey to spearhead Capital Campaign

As part of an approach to make the University one of America's best educational institutions, former University Rector Gordon F.

Remembering 9-11

Last night approximately 150 University students came together in the amphitheater to hold a memorial for those who lost their lives in the Sept.

Honor approves funding for faculty survey after debate

The Honor Committee voted unanimously last night to move forward with a faculty survey regarding the honor system and appropriate up to $23,000 to complete it. The survey will poll faculty members and teaching assistants on their knowledge, practice and opinion of the honor system as well as their thoughts on the effectiveness of the system. At the advice of the Faculty Senate, the survey will be conducted by Center for Survey Research Director Tom Guterbock. The vote also created an ad hoc committee to aid Guterbock in the creation of the survey.

Beta Bridge vandals issue apology letter

Three University students responsible for the graffiti on Beta Bridge, reported to Charlottesville and University Police Aug.

Mathematics scores have reached a record high, the College Board announced in late August in the release of their annual report, 2005 College Bound Seniors. This year's 1.5 million test takers scored an average of 520 on the mathematics section of the test, up two points from last year and 14 in the past 10 years. The average verbal scores have risen much more slowly, with an increase of four points over the past 10 years.

Hundreds seek Madison House opportunity

Strong interest in the Medical Services Program at Madison House left prospective volunteers in lines lasting longer then two hours and stretching from the doors of Madison House to the Mad Bowl yesterday. While the doors to sign up officially opened at noon, students arrived as early as 9 a.m.