The University Police Department celebrated the completion of a new evidence room Thursday that will feature a state-of-the-art computerized tracking system and consistent temperature regulation, University Police Lt.
University graduate, scientist and entrepreneur Greg Olsen will be the next private citizen launched into space by Space Adventures, Inc., the company announced yesterday. Olsen, who earned his doctorate in materials science from the University in 1970, will become the third man launched into space by the Arlington, Va.-based Space Adventures, a privately-owned company that engages in space tourism and other space opportunities. Space Adventures, through an arrangement with the Russian Federal Space Agency, is set to send Olsen to the International Space Station for eight days in April 2005. Olsen said he is honored to be selected to travel into space. "I can't wait to get up there," Olsen said.
Fourth-year College students and Sigma Chi fraternity members Kurt P. Rupprecht and John P. Selph were found not guilty yesterday of assault and battery charges stemming from an altercation in front of the Sigma Chi house Nov.
An increased number of adult students are seeking enrollment in the University's Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies program than in the past, BIS Student Services Coordinator Barbara Bragg said. "The program is growing by leaps and bounds," she said. Bragg said there currently are 150 students in the BIS program, adding that adult students are attracted to the educational atmosphere at the University. "It's U.Va, it's quality," she said.
The University Art Museum announced Friday it would feature a multimedia installation entitled "The Jefferson Suites," by contemporary artist and photographer Carrie Mae Weems, according to a University press release. The press release reported that Weems' work is meant to explore issues of racial and gender identity by examining advances in genetics and DNA technology.
The University's tradition of student involvement may get an additional boost in the College. The Arts and Sciences Council, comprised of students representatives from the College, hopes to start a program that would increase student involvement in faculty hiring within the College. Although still in its preliminary stages, Council members said they hope the initiative will allow students to give input into who will be their next professor.
As part of Sigma Chi Fraternity's philanthropic 'Derby Days' activities, first-year Chi Omega pledges Annie Coghill (center) and Libby Muldoon (right) performed a Western-style dance with their fellow pledges Saturday afternoon in the Amphitheater.
Two University of Wisconsin students have sued two dozen local bars, alleging the bars' agreement to end drink specials on weekends violates federal antitrust laws. According to a report in the Chronicle of Higher Education, the bar owners said they were convinced by Wisconsin Chancellor John D.
As the time for Virginia public universities and colleges to set their budgets for the next fiscal year approaches, the Virginia General Assembly's budget impasse continues to keep those spending plans uncertain. With no state budget, universities and colleges are unsure how much money they will receive from the commonwealth next year and how much will have to be made up through tuition. Despite the uncertainty, most universities are dealing with the impasse by using tuition and financial aid estimates based on last year or based on proposed budgets in the General Assembly and waiting to see which budget will pass, according to school officials. James Madison University spokesperson Fred Hilton said a Board of Visitors meeting scheduled for last Friday was canceled because of the lack of a state budget.
Virginia General Assembly members adopted a bill last Monday that would create a commission to protect the Rivanna river basin for Charlottesville and surrounding counties. The Assembly sent the bill, which passed without any objections, to the office of Gov.
Student Council President-elect Noah Sullivan is not the only student of that surname set to hold a high-ranking office next year.
The Recording Industry Association of America continued its efforts to stop illegal online music swapping by filing federal lawsuits against users of university computer networks across the nation Tuesday. This round of lawsuits names 89 people with IP addresses from 21 different universities, including the University of Maryland at College Park, George Mason University, George Washington University, Georgetown University, Stanford University and University of California at Berkeley.
An organization of campus judicial administrators called on universities across the country Monday to examine whether their policies protect their students' right to freedom of speech. The Association for Student Judicial Affairs passed a resolution urging colleges to review their rules for student conduct to ensure that the free speech rights of all university students are protected. ASJA President David Parrott said the group is concerned some college environments may stifle the expression of a broad spectrum of views. "We seek to provide resources that address the impact of offensive free speech and behavior on the university community and individual students," Parrott said.
The University Judiciary Committee elected its new Executive Committee last night, choosing third-year College student Angela Carrico to head up the Committee as chairperson next year. "UJC has meant so much to me over the past three years, and this is just absolutely amazing that I'm now in a position to represent the Committee to the rest of the students," Carrico said.
University students crowded Newcomb Plaza yesterday to listen to a cappella groups and eat free food donated by local restaurants for the first annual HooZone. HooZone, a new campaign launched by the Office of Health Promotion, was created by a group of University students who promote alcohol awareness, said Jennifer Bauerle, social norms coordinator for the Office of Health Promotion. HooZone was designed to educate University students about blood alcohol concentration and alcohol while providing a fun social atmosphere, she said. Students received wallet-sized cards that contain information about BAC. According to Bauerle, the BAC cards will help students be smart and safe when drinking.
The second annual Tasvir Film Festival opened Wednesday night with a more ambitious and diverse lineup of films than last year's debut, according to fourth-year College student Bilal Qureshi. Qureshi, along with third-year College student Shambhavi Singh, organized the festival, sponsored by the Center for South Asian Studies and Cinematheque. "This year we have films from Bangladesh and Pakistan, which is new," Qureshi said. The four-day festival will showcase seven films from across the South Asian region, ranging from the international hit "Bend it Like Beckham" to the Indian documentary screened Wednesday night. More than 50 people turned out to watch "Delhi Diary," a 2001 documentary on two critical events in the history of the Indian capital. Saturday's screening of "The Clay Bird" will be the Bengali film's East Coast premier.
The Bibliographical Society will honor the winners of its 45th biannual student book collectors competition today at 4 p.m.
This is going to be more of a rant than an informational piece. I think this is on my mind because this past week was "Match Day" - the day when fourth-year medical students across the country find out where they will be going for the next part of their training, the "residency." Looking back at the process of getting to this day, and my experiences over the past year, I have to conclude that it is time for a change: Our undergraduate requirements for medical school applicants are in desperate need of reworking. I grew up in Texas and went to school at Texas A&M University.
An informal discussion last night addressed the University's policy on sexual assault in the wake of public criticism from a parent who alleged that her daughter, a University student, was raped. Student Council President Daisy Lundy said the idea for the meeting was first addressed several weeks ago. As a member of Sexual Assault Facts and Education, Lundy said she thinks the University needs to increase its sexual assault education, awareness and resources. "I was surprised to learn how many people did not realize sexual assault was a problem at the University," Lundy said at the beginning of the meeting. The discussion focused mainly on University outreach and education. Participants said they were concerned with student ignorance about what constitutes sexual assault, a term encompassing everything from rape to unwanted sexual advances. "We need to hold our students to higher standards," Lundy said. The forum also addressed the University's punishment of convicted sexual offenders. On a Web site she created Sunday, the mother of a University student who reported her daughter had been raped by another student said the University did not adequately respond to her daughter's accusations. In a letter she wrote to the University, the mother said she received dozens of e-mails from other students disappointed in the University's treatment of sexual offenders.
The University announced this week it will change its student loan provider from the Federal Direct Loan program to the Federal Family Education Loan program.
