With the recent proliferation of reality shows like Extreme Makeover and The Swan, it comes as no surprise that the number of people having cosmetic surgery has mushroomed, especially over the last couple of years.
Red states, blue states. Republicans and Democrats. Fox News versus CNN. In the final weeks of the presidential race, the United States of America seems anything but united. American society is more polarized today than ever before, and public discourse resembles more of a shouting match than a meaningful exchange of ideas so crucial to a democratic society, according to this year's speakers at the third annual LaBrosse-Levinson lecture series. A group of journalists and professors from around the country all spoke to the theme of "Discourse and Democracy" in the Dome Room of the Rotunda in the two-day series, which began Wednesday. New York Times columnist David Brooks addressed the Bush administration's communications strategy as well as the polarization of American society. Brooks said the Bush administration is justified in not admitting its mistakes because doing so in a polarized society would only open itself up to criticism. "The nature of Washington is such that ... you can never admit a mistake," Brooks said. Brooks also said politicians feel a tremendous sense of loyalty to "their teams," and added such loyalty can lead to distortion. "In this world, loyalty to one's brethren is more important than loyalty to the truth," he said. Brooks attributed the deep political divide in the country to a number of factors, including a more educated electorate, media and geographic segmentation as well as diverging opinions about good leadership qualities. Ultimately, people seek out people like themselves, Brooks said, and party affiliation in many cases precedes individual ideologies. "People filter reality through their partisan labels," he said. Karlyn Kohrs Campbell, a communications studies professor at the University of Minnesota, began Thursday's lectures with a discussion about corporate ownership of the media.
"Speak now or forever hold your peace" took on a new meaning at a theatrical gay marriage in Newcomb Hall yesterday. Last spring, the University's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Resource Center came up with the idea of holding a gay marriage presentation followed by a discussion, Center Director Emily West said. Students performed the marriage last night under the direction of Atlanta performer Turner Schofield.
University students are stepping off Grounds and into the region to oppose the presence of the Planned Parenthood facility on Hydraulic Rd. The facility, which offers abortion and adoption services and plans to offer pre-natal care by 2005, opened its doors Aug.
A new Amber Alert -- America's Missing: Broadcasting Emergency Response -- system formally went into effect today in Albemarle County, the City of Charlottesville and the surrounding area. The collaborative regional system has been in place unofficially for the past month.
The ancient Roman emperor Claudius was affected by it.Franklin Delano Roosevelt campaigned for awareness of it.In 1952, Jonas Salk discovered a vaccine for it.And by 1994, the Americas were declared to be free of it.So, surely the polio virus is not a concern anymore --- or is it? In 1988, the World Health Assembly launched a worldwide goal to conquer the problem, and thus the Global Polio Eradication Initiative was born.
The Faculty Senate will play a larger role this year in the promotion and tenure process with the creation of a new committee comprised of Senate members. The committee plans to encourage a stronger emphasis on evaluating Web-based research and a greater consideration for faculty members with children, said Gene Block, University vice president and provost. "We've recognized portions of the promotion and tenure process that need to be looked at from time to time," Block said. Block proposed the formation of the committee to address faculty concerns with the promotion and tenure process.
Many University students think of 14th Street -- where roads and sidewalks are often littered with paper plates, plastic cups, empty beer cans, broken bottles, chip bags and pizza boxes -- as a college student enclave. But after plodding through trash along 14th Street on their way to a field trip at the University Art Museum, a younger set of students is trying to clean up the area. Second graders from Venable School, located on 14th Street, took a trip to City Hall Monday to protest the debris. "My class was walking down 14th Street to get to the Downtown Mall to the free trolley," second-grade Venable teacher Lisa Shook said.
As the importance of a college education continues to rise in the United States, so does the cost of obtaining one. The College Board issued its annual report on the state of college pricing and financial aid on Tuesday, which found that tuition prices continued to climb over the last year.
Last night, the Kaleidoscope Center for Cultural Fluency hosted "When Words Offend: A Conversation on Political Correctness and Free Speech in College Media," a panel discussion between students and the editors of various University publications. Panelists included Individual Rights Coalition President Anthony Dick, Declaration Literary Editor Andrew Pratt, Declaration News Editor David Dexter, Virginia Advocate Executive Editor Chris Vickers, Critical Mass editorial board member Matt Kindig, All Women Attaining Knowledge and Enrichment President Jill Raney and Cavalier Daily Editor-in-Chief Chris Wilson. University spokesperson Carol Wood served as moderator. Wood began the discussion by pointing to Thomas Jefferson's belief in the necessity of the press in protecting the opinion of the people. Wood asked the audience to put themselves in the shoes of the editors and ask: Do the articles in the publications "reflect what you see and how you live in the University community?" The panelists then discussed potential reactions to media coverage of University issues. "People have opinions whether intentional or otherwise," Kindig said.
Access and affordability dominate the debate over health care in the upcoming presidential election, but both candidates sharply disagree over whose health care plan can deliver on those promises. Sen.
Students and members of the University's Safety and General Security Committee went on their semiannual Night Tour Safety Walk around the University and surrounding areas Monday night.
The University's branch of the Virginia Museum of Natural History will close Dec. 31 because of a lack of funds from the state budget.
The members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. leased a house on Fontaine Avenue in June and are in the process of getting the house officially recognized by the University as a fraternity house.
Faculty will now also have more influence over programs to enhance the University's academic departments through a new proposal. The proposition will restructure the academic review program to include Faculty Senate representation and allocate more responsibility over the review procedure to department deans, Associate Dean for Academics J.
Things have changed a lot in Yorktown, Va., since British troops last fought there more than two centuries ago.
A charter bus spewing large quantities of smoke from its roof chased bicyclists dressed in Colonial garb around Grounds yesterday afternoon. The students on bicycles were engaging in the Bike Ride for Energy Independence, sponsored by two University organizations, Students for Environmental Action and Student Alliance for Virginia's Environment. The bus was painted with a large picture of President Bush and the slogans "Yes, Bush Can '04" and "I'm Telling the Truth." Dozens of spectators gathered on both sides of McCormick Road near the Chapel to watch. Yes Bush Can is a national organization that masquerades as Bush supporters while satirizing the Bush administration. The charter bus travels around the United States, often visiting college campuses.
Student Council voted to overturn the appropriations committee's decision to deny the Pre-Dental Society access to Fall CIO Appropriations during an appeals hearing last night. Fall appropriations began last year with the intention of allowing new groups that did not have access to Spring appropriations or groups with extenuating circumstances to apply for appropriations in the Fall, Vice President for Organizations Rebecca Keyworth said. The Pre-Dental Society was denied access to Council funding on the basis that they existed at the University during the Spring Semester and they did not meet the committee's definition of extenuating circumstances. The group's executive board was not nominated until after Spring appropriations last year and reapplied as a new CIO at the beginning of the school year. "This group isn't a new group," appropriations committee member Peter Skelly said.
