News

Where is the merit?

Despite recent concerns regarding the inequity of the selection criteria, the College Board decided to continue its relationship with the National Merit Scholarship Corporation in a March meeting of the Executive Board. Many higher education officials, especially those in the University of California system, said they are concerned about the selection criteria, the validity of the use of the College Board's PSAT to determine awardees and the adverse impact sponsoring the program has on disadvantaged students at participating institutions. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation was made aware of numerous concerns regarding its scholarship program but had "nothing of this nature" brought to them before, NMSC Director of Public Information Elaine Detweiler said.

Council unanimously passes Medical School parking resolution

Last night, Student Council unanimously passed the Medical School Parking Resolution, which encouraged the University to establishing 15 to 20 University-provided parking spots for Medical students within walking distance from the hospital. "The current situation with parking is that Medical students park in Scott Stadium and can take a shuttle to the hospital," Medical School Rep.

Faculty salaries out of step with inflation

For the first time in eight years, the increase in faculty salaries at universities and colleges across the country did not keep up with the rate of inflation, according to the Annual Report on the Economic Status of the Profession for 2004-05 released Monday by The American Association of University Professors. Although the average salary increase was greater than that seen in 2003-2004, this year's 2.8 percent increase still is less than the 3.3 percent rate of inflation reported between December 2003 and December 2004. The report also found that faculty members at public institutions, while receiving an average salary less than that of their peers at private institutions, saw a greater percentage increase in their salaries than did faculty members at private institutions. University spokesperson Carol Wood said the Board of Visitors identified compensation as one of the key issues facing the University two years ago. "At that time, they launched a plan to increase compensation levels among all University employees, including bringing faculty salaries up to nationally competitive levels," Wood said. Colette Sheehy, vice president for management and budget, said the University went through a period of two or three years at the beginning of the administration of Gov.

Dean delivers inaugural state of APA affairs speech

Assistant Dean of Students Daisy Rodriguez gave the first annual State of Asian-Pacific-American Awareness address last night in Newcomb Hall, speaking about issues of diversity, segregation and racial unity.

Interim Miller director named

The Miller Center of Public Affairs recently appointed an interim director, Eugene V. Fife, to lead while the search for a permanent director continues. Fife currently serves on the Center's Governing Council and chairs the Center's Management Committee. The director position opened up in February when the previous director, Philip Zelikow, was appointed Counselor of the U.S.

Council questions Census report of population drop

According to new estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, the population of Charlottesville decreased by 8.7 percent between 2000 and 2004 -- yet not everyone believes the population of Charlottesville is shrinking.

Pick On SomeOne Your OWn Size

U.Va. announces new arts center

The Office of the Architect for the University announced a new home for performing and visual arts on Grounds late last week.

BFC restructures, elects board

Members of the University's division of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, formerly known as the Black Fraternal Council, revised its executive board structure yesterday when the outgoing and recently elected officers met. Instead of having two co-chairs and a vice chair, the University's NPHC now has one president and two vice presidents.

CTS considers improvements

After over a year of conducting research to evaluate possible improvements to the Charlottesville Transit Service, BMI-SG Transportation Planning presented their suggested changes to City Council last night. Proposed changes for the next year include adding buses to increase reliability but not changing the routes. "The problem is that the buses are caught in congestion," said Frank Spielberg, P.E.

Faculty address mental health

Faculty members can take a more active role in curbing the rising number of mental health problems among students by being attentive to academic performance and being open to students' personal concerns, Dean of Students Penny Rue said. This semester, Rue and Russ Federman, director of the Counseling Center with U.Va.

Leitao named new basketball coach

In a press conference yesterday afternoon, Virginia athletic director Craig Littlepage officially announced former DePaul University coach Dave Leitao as the next men's basketball coach.

Spring Fling best attended in recent years

Approximately 200 prospective students attended Spring Fling over the weekend, marking unusually high attendance for the annual event initiated in the 1970s to attract African-American students to the University. The weekend was designed to give the prospective students a first-hand experience of University life. "The weekend helped give prospective students an idea of what our experience here as students is like," said third-year Engineering student Isaac Agbeshie-Noye, who serves on the Black Student Admissions Committee in the Office of Admissions.

SPEEDING ON THE WAY TO THE Arena

Honor discusses point of contact for initators

The Honor Committee last night heard a proposal for an Honor representatives system which would assign each department at least one Representative to act as a contact point for students' honor concerns.

New alcohol enforcement more visible

The Corner district has observed increasing Department of Alcohol and Beverage Control activity in recent weeks in response to the efforts of a new ABC officer to fully enforce regulations and have a greater presence in the area. Recently, restaurant owners have met the new officer and worked to improve compliance, including the elimination of post-dinner-hour drink specials and the use of more stringent criteria when checking IDs.

Derby Days features more emphasis on philanthropy

This year's annual Derby Days fundraiser, organized by the Sigma Chi fraternity, placed a greater emphasis on the philanthropic value of the event than in previous years. The changes came in response to concerns that last year's Derby Days fueled competitive conduct among the Inter-Sorority Council chapters and the sororities' desire to ensure compliance with national regulations. ISC President Christina Valencia said the changes included switching the scavenger hunt and Mr. Derby Days pageant to a trivia night and a lip sync competition. The event's tone also was impacted by its increased focus on philanthropy. "Overall, the biggest changes were in the activities in that they were focused on the philanthropy aspect so that the houses could focus on coming together for a cause," Sigma Kappa President Katie Leavitt said. Sigma Chi has made steps toward decreasing the atmosphere of rivalry by emphasizing entire chapter involvement as opposed to participation from the pledge class, according to Valencia. "Hazing can be broadly defined as doing something as a group that others do not have to do, so scavenger hunts go against national policies," Valencia said.

Study shows students' spirituality

Spirituality is a top concern among college freshman, according to the results of a survey regarding college students' attitudes about spirituality and religion recently released. The survey, prepared by the Higher Education Research Institute of the University of California at Los Angeles, found that more than three-quarters of freshmen are looking for meaning in life.

Mentor program seeks to ease first-year transition

A new program recently was established to help first-year students find their niche at the University through the aid of a mentor. Adopt a First Year, a mentoring program started by second-year College student Elizabeth Tran, connects first years with upperclassmen who have matching academic, extracurricular and other personal interests. While mentoring programs in previous years have focused more on minority students, the program is the first attempt to broaden mentoring opportunities to the entire first-year class.