By persuading my best friend not to watch the ACC championship, I am absolutely certain that I prevented his horrible luck from costing Maryland the title.
Acceptance letters from the University began appearing in 4,724 mailboxes this week, but for the first time, more than half of the accepted students found out Wednesday through a password-protected Web site, Dean of Admissions John Blackburn said. The original 15,000 applications revealed an increased number of black and Hispanic applicants, Blackburn said. Students offered admission held more competitive academic credentials than in past years, he added. The number of applicants who applied online increased from 48 percent last year to 65 percent this year. Blackburn said he anticipates all students will apply online in coming years. "Next year we are going to expect students to apply online because it simplifies the kind of data entry that has to been done here," Blackburn said.
About 50 percent of the University's undergraduate students are engaged in some form of out-of-the-classroom research, according to Nicole Hurd, assistant dean and director of the College Fellowships Office. The Undergraduate Research Network is shedding light on that population this week, hosting a wide range of events for Undergraduate Research Week. "The fact that so many students are involved in research says a lot about this generation," Hurd said.
Student Council's executive board announced Tuesday it placed $20,000 of its own funds into the appropriations process. The money is part of the $24,000 Council received this year through an ongoing agreement between Council and the Student Activities Committee, which stipulates Council receive 15 percent of unclaimed money in the Student Activities Fund every year. With this increase, Council appropriated over $600,000 this spring. "We felt that since it is student activities funds intended for student organizations, it was important to reallocate the funds to different organizations in order to help them realize their goals," Council President Daisy Lundy said. Vice President of Organizations Eli Dejarnette, a member of the executive board, said he was satisfied with the decision. "Because we had such success with fundraising, we did not really need the money," he said.
Students from 11 Virginia public universities presented 200,000 pennies to the General Assembly Thursday to show their support for a one-cent sales tax increase dedicated to education, according to Jesse Ferguson, executive director of Virginia21, the Commonwealth-based advocacy group for 18- to 24-year-olds that organized the event. Members of Virginia21 and student leaders met at the steps of the State Capitol to deliver the pennies to Virginia Treasurer Jodi Wagner. "We would rather increase the sales tax than have to have the buck passed on to us," Ferguson said.
University graduate schools maintained strong positions in the U.S. News & World Report rankings released yesterday afternoon, with some small gains in the Education, Medical and Law Schools. The Education School tied at 20th overall, moving up one spot from last year's tie at 21st.
Student Council posted a Web page outlining towing rates for parking violators on University-owned property last Wednesday. The new Web page follows a Council meeting with Rebecca White, director of University parking and transportation.
Award-winning author and University alumnus Daniel Mendelsohn read excerpts from his memoir, "The Elusive Embrace: Desire and the Riddle of Identity," at the University Bookstore Wednesday night. According to English Prof.
Student Council unanimously passed a resolution last night recommending that five student questions written by Council be included within course evaluations and that students have access to the data produced as a result the questions. Currently, students fill out course evaluations, but the results are usually kept within the departments and not revealed to students. "Council has been working hard for the past few years in order to give the administration an idea of what students want to see on course evaluations," said College Rep.
Charlottesville ranks as the nation's best place to live, according to the popular travel guide company Frommer's. Yesterday, Frommer's released "Cities Ranked and Rated," a guide to more than 400 of the country's communities. The guide scored metro areas in 10 categories -- economy and jobs, cost of living, climate, education, heath and healthcare, crime, transportation, leisure, arts and culture and overall quality of life -- and then averaged the scores to compute the area's overall score. Charlottesville scored especially high in the health and healthcare and the economy and jobs categories, ranking eighth and 12th, respectively, out of the cities evaluated. City government officials credit Charlottesville's top-notch ranking to a wide range of qualities and strengths, including the City's economy, environment and residents. "I think there are a number of issues that illustrate Charlottesville's strengths," City spokesperson Maurice Jones said.
Army Lt. Chris Goodrich used to attend the University, participate in ROTC drills on the Lawn and eat at Pavilion XI.
Since 1988, the Consortium of University Publications has allowed student publications at the University to pool resources and equipment, permitting them to put money toward publication and distribution costs. In addition to the 11 organizations comprising the cooperative, the COUP itself is a Contracted Independent Organization which also is eligible to receive appropriations from Student Council. According to COUP President Andrew P.
It's time to turn in your get-out-of jail-free card. The University Judiciary Committee voted unanimously Sunday to dissolve the Student Legal Defense Fund, putting to rest a service that provided bail to University students for more than 30 years. Those in favor of abolishing the fund said it has become an underutilized resource in recent years. "There just isn't really a need for this service anymore," outgoing Committee Chair Alexis Gregorian said. Several factors contributed to the elimination of the fund.
At an off-campus party Sunday, a Virginia Tech student was injured after falling from a third-story window. He is the 12th student to be killed or injured this year as a result of a fall, the largest number of such incidents within a school term, according to a Roanoke Times article. Alcohol consumption links all of the incidents, and three accidents happened this month, officials said. Virginia Tech officials said all the incidents have occurred off-campus.
It was a dark and stormy night, and profiles of black birds were projected onto the walls of Memorial Gymnasium, looming over the crowd. The atmosphere was completely appropriate for the centennial anniversary of the Raven Society, said Alexander G.
With the number of Contracted Independent Organizations at the University growing every year, Student Council has faced the increasingly daunting task of allocating Student Activities Funds to student groups on Grounds. This year, 320 CIOs requested a total of $1.5 million in appropriations from Council funds.
The Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society last night held a debate between representatives from the College Republicans and the University Democrats entitled "Education in America: A Political Perspective." The debate pitted the two student political organizations against one another in a series of prepared questions on educational political topics. Phi Eta Sigma Vice President Joshua Wu moderated the debate, which drew a crowd of about two dozen attendees. Wu opened the debate on the question of school vouchers' effectiveness in society and improving the educational system. "Educational attainment is directly tied to economic status," former University Democrats President Ian Amelkin said.
Virginia's community colleges experienced an increase in tuition per credit hour because of state budget cuts. According to Frank Friedman, the president of Piedmont Virginia Community College, the price per credit in the 2001-2002 school year to the 2003-2004 school year increased from $37.12 to $59.60 equating to a 60 percent hike in a two-year period. Even with the tuition hike, Piedmont administrators cut some courses and shortened the library hours. However, total enrollment at Piedmont has increased since the tuition hike. More students under the age of 20, especially those coming straight from high school, have been enrolling at Piedmont.
The University Athletic Department plans to implement a new online student ticketing system for the 2004-2005 men's basketball season, according to Director of Sports Promotion Andrew Rader. "In the last several years there has been an increased concern for the Athletic Department [because of] a declined interest and support in the Virginia basketball program," Rader said.
Multiple break-ins at three of the Alderman Road residence halls early Saturday morning have many first-year residents on edge. In total, $5,700 in electronics and $25 in cash were taken from several suites in Dunglison, Dunnington and Courtenay dormitories sometime after 2:30 a.m., according to University Police Sgt.
