News

Honor debuts sanction Web site

As the single sanction debate heats up on Grounds, students now can go online to read about and discuss the issue through a new Web site sponsored by the Honor Committee. The site, www.singlesanction.com, officially was launched on Friday, and finishing touches will be completed today, Sanction Reform Committee Chair Sara Page said. Page said the goal for the site is to engage students who may not have a clear position on the single sanction issue and might not be familiar enough with the honor system to make an educated decision about whether the sanction should be reformed. "I think the Web site is an awesome resource that will let students look at the single sanction issue with the full information they need to make the best decision on the issue," Page said. The site presents a summary of the arguments for and against the single sanction that traditionally have been raised in public debate over the issue. Zach Williams, chair of the Web site subgroup of the Sanction Reform Committee, said he thinks the presentation of the opposing arguments is the site's strongest feature. "I like how students can go to the site, make two clicks and be fully informed about how leaders on both sides of the debate are thinking," Williams said. The site also incorporates the faculty's perspective on the single sanction with links to two statements by the Academic Affairs Committee of the Faculty Senate as well as a resolution by the Arts and Sciences Council. Also, the site contains a "useful resources" page with a link to honor case statistics posted on the Honor Committee's Web site and a link to the National Center for Academic Integrity. In addition to literature about the single sanction, the site also has an interactive discussion board where students can post comments and take part in an online discussion about the issue. "I see people sort of exploring the issues" on the discussion board, Page said.

Professor identifies youngestknown galaxy

Astronomy Prof. Trinh Thuan recently identified the youngest galaxy ever discovered in the universe. Thuan and Yuri Izotov, an astronomer at the Kiev Observatory in Ukraine, were able to determine the age of the I Zwicky 18 galaxy after requesting that the Hubble space telescope be directed at the galaxy. They identified the galaxy as only 500 million years old, compared to, for example, the Milky Way galaxy, which is 12 billion years old. The galaxy "sat around as a cloud of gas for 13 billion years," Thuan said.

U.Va. to host first international undergrad research conference

This April, the University will host the first-ever international undergraduate research conference. "The purpose of the conference is to bring students and faculty together to celebrate undergraduate achievement," said Nicole Hurd, assistant dean and director of the University's Center for Undergraduate Excellence. The 2005 Undergraduate Research Conference is sponsored by Universitas 21, an international network of leading research-intensive universities.

MONTY WELLS...AGAIN

Third-year College student Monty Wells gives a repeat performance at Open Mic Night in Kaleidoscope.

University: Watch out for bogus bank e-mails

University inboxes have been cluttered recently with fraudulent e-mails claiming to be from banks and requesting from recipients personal identification information, such as bank account and credit card numbers. A warning was sent to students Wednesday in the weekly Connections e-mail, distributed by the Vice President for Student Affairs' Office. "Please be aware that banks and other financial institutions are highly unlikely to request sensitive information from you in an e-mail," the warning said. Shirley Payne, University director for security coordination and policy, said it is vital to improve online security awareness, as e-mails such as the bank hoaxes are becoming increasingly common. "The bottom line is, when you receive unsolicited e-mail that's requesting personal information, you should get really suspicious," Payne said. She advised students to use the same common sense in cyberspace as they would in the physical world. "If someone walks up to you, even if they're wearing a Wachovia shirt, and asks to verify your credit card number, you're not going to give it to them," Payne said. Whenever a student provides his or her e-mail address to a Web site, they are at risk for spam, said Chris Husser, technology coordinator for student activities. "When you enter your e-mail address in a Web site, companies collect e-mail addresses and send them to spammers," Husser said. Spammers also have other means of obtaining e-mail addresses.

School system audit reveals gap in scores

Black students "are not being served as well in Charlottesville City Schools" as white students, according to an audit recently completed by the Bloomington, Ind.-based Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation. The audit's critique of the City's school system offered hope for some parents who responded to the document at the Charlottesville School Board's meeting last night. "This is going to drive what we do in the foreseeable future," parent Charles Morel said. The audit cited a disparity between the test scores of white and black students and the low number of black students receiving advanced curriculum instruction as evidence that the City's school system is not providing equal public education. While white students compose 45 percent of the school system, they account for 77 percent of gifted educational programs.

Students bemoan late-night evacuation

Residents of Echols were forced to evacuate their residence hall at 2:57 a.m. yesterday morning after a fire alarm sounded.

ROBOT RACE

Va. candidates prepare for 2005 elections

As the presidential election fades into the past, Virginia politics is already focused squarely on the 2005 elections, and the wealth of legislative and executive positions up for grabs. In the highest-profile race, Democratic Lt.

Student groups offer feedback on U.Va. sexual assault policy

On the heels of protests and increased media attention to the University's sexual assault policy, the Sexual Assault Leadership Council held a "community concerns" meeting last night in the Physics building to collect input.

High winds cause minor problems for University

High winds yesterday felled trees and knocked down power lines in the area, causing some power outages both on and off Grounds. Several power lines reportedly were knocked down near the intersection of Madison and Preston Avenues yesterday because of the unusually heavy winds.

County raises money for police dog

The Albemarle County Police Department has raised more than enough money purchase a new police dog, the County announced in a press release yesterday. After Ingo, a German Shepard, was fatally shot while responding to a reported burglary Oct.

Student database raises privacy concerns

A recent proposal by the Department of Education to create a new database of enrollment records on all students attending colleges and universities across the country is raising concerns among advocacy groups over the loss of privacy rights. In the past, the government only has requested specific student information on individuals who apply for financial aid.

Harvard Law to resume policy barring military recruiters

In response to a federal appeals court ruling that colleges and universities may bar military recruiters from their campuses without losing federal funding, Harvard Law School announced it will resume its ban on military recruiters, Dean Elena Kagan announced Tuesday, according to the Associated Press. On Monday, the third U.S.

Sandwich boards return to street

Pedestrians need to look where they're going, since Charlottesville officials recently decided to once again allow businesses on West Main Street to display sandwich boards on the sidewalk. The issue first arose in September when businesses were forced to remove their display boards from the sidewalk.

Nursing School plans facilities expansion

The University's Nursing School received a record-high number of applications last year for this fall's incoming class, Nursing School Dean Jeannette Lancaster said. The Nursing School received 310 applications, but the school only could accept 49 new students.

Council promotes course evals.

Student Council announced the launching of an initiative last night to encourage student participation in completing online course evaluations for classes this semester. Under a new plan approved by the Office of the University Provost, six questions about the course formulated by Council will accompany normal course evaluations produced by individual academic departments. The data collected through this system will be made available to students on the Course Offering Directory if 65 percent of students enrolled in a given class fill out evaluations for the class. "This has been a project that's been in the works for about half a decade," said Daniel Young, Council academic affairs chair.

Warner discusses Va. health issues

With obesity and obesity-related diseases on the rise, the United States is facing a national health crisis, and the issue especially is hitting home in Virginia, Gov.

Area cost of living increasing

Residents of Charlottesville and Albemarle County as well as University students will face an additional rise in the cost of living in the upcoming year. City and County assessors forecast another year of real estate assessment increases, which means higher property prices, a rise in taxes and higher rental prices. In the past six years, the City and the surrounding area have experienced an annual increase of 10-12 percent in real estate assessments, City Assessor Roosevelt Barbour said. Preliminary numbers suggest that this year's increase in real estate assessments for the City may be as much as 12-15 percent, Barbour said. Real Estate assessments are determined for each of the City's 30 residential and 12 commercial neighborhoods on an annual basis. A rise in the values of homes for sale has a direct bearing on surrounding homes that are not for sale, Barbour said.

Court recognizes colleges' right to bar military recruiters

A federal appeals court ruled Monday that colleges which ban military recruiters from their campuses cannot be penalized with the loss of federal funds.