Hundreds of University employees were honored for their volunteer work at the "Celebration of Community Spirit" in Newcomb Hall Ballroom yesterday. The 650 employees raised more than $600,000 for the 2003 United Way Laurence E.
Despite an ever-increasing high school graduation rate across the nation and in Virginia, the University does not plan to significantly expand its undergraduate population. According to a report released yesterday by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, the number of high school graduates will rise by 17.7 percent in the Commonwealth over the next 14 years. Nationwide, the graduating class of 2008-09 is projected at 3.2 million students, the most in the history of the United States.
University of Virginia Art Museum officials announced the winners of the museum's 17th annual Writer's Eye competition this week. Ranging in age from third-graders to adults, more than 940 students participated in the event, which was organized by museum docents.
In a rare convening of the Student Council Rules and Ethics Board, Curtis Ofori appealed Council Executive Vice President Rabeen Pasha's decision to prematurely end his term as a College representative to Council. "Rep.
Students from colleges across Virginia gathered at Richmond City Council chambers Wednesday to lobby for and against abortion and emergency contraception regulations.
The Charlottesville Police Department and the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives held instructional training sessions last week in an attempt to educate officers and the community on bias-based policing. City Police Chief Tim Longo invited representatives from NOBLE, of which the University is a member agency, to explain racial profiling and help train officers how to utilize race-neutral means of law enforcement. "We care about the issue," Longo said.
Maybe it is from watching Bowling for Columbine too many times, but whenever I see a huge news story about the horrific potential of (fill-in-the-blank) I am automatically suspect. When news stories began to surface about SARS during 2002-2003, I began to look closely at the numbers that were being discussed.According to the World Health Organization, the number of deaths reported during the outbreak period between November 2002 and August 2003 totaled almost 1,000 persons. I admit that any number of deaths from infection is frightening, largely because of the "equal opportunity" nature of the agents.True, poorer conditions lead to greater chance of infection, but such things equalized, a virus such as SARS doesn't take into account whether you are a young father of three kids or a one-hundred-year-old great grandmother in her last few days of life -- it will infect you regardless.
Mary Washington College's days are numbered: soon, the 95-year old school officially will be renamed the University of Mary Washington. The Virginia Senate yesterday approved the name change by a 37-2 vote.
"There still is a tremendous amount of unpredictability in this race." This was he message presented to the audience in Newcomb Hall last night by Rhodes Cook, author of "The Presidential Nominating Process, a Place for Us?" Cook, the featured speaker at a discussion on the presidential primary system hosted by the University Center for Politics, explained how the circumstances in this election's primary race are rare. Cook said the leading fundraiser for the primary election has won every race since 1984.
The United States Senate last week passed an omnibus spending measure that shot down a Department of Education proposal to change the federal aid formula while also approving many transportation and building projects throughout Virginia.
As students routinely spend hundreds of dollars on textbooks each semester, some members of the University community have made efforts to make books more affordable. In response to an expanding market, the University bookstore has ordered a greater quantity of used books than it has in the past. "We are trying to get as many used books as we can," said Jon Kates, executive director of the University Bookstore and Cavalier Computers.
The Inter-Fraternity Council is running a tighter ship during rush this year. IFC officials said they plan to be more strict about the invite and final hours portions of the rush process, working closely with the Housing Division to ensure that fraternities act in accordance with University policies while extending invites and bids. During final hours tomorrow night, the 16 IFC board members, along with 14 other men who perform duties for the IFC, including judges and party patrol, will be present in each of the 30 IFC fraternities. "We want to be there in order to make sure that the rushees have the opportunity to go to all of their choice houses without any interference," IFC spokesperson Scott Cohen said. Cohen added that the IFC also was involved more in the first days of open house than in previous years, checking rushees off to make sure they were paid for and registered. "This makes it easier to keep track of the men, rather then having a free-for-all," Cohen said. Also, the IFC, in conjunction with the Housing Division, now is complying with the official University Housing Division guest policies. According to the guest policy, no person is allowed to go unescorted into University dorms without a resident of that dorm. Patrica Amberly, fourth-year College student and co-chair of the residence staff, said the Housing Division's main concern this year was the IFC rush invite process.
Eleven newly-selected members of the inaugural University Board of Elections will be responsible for overseeing a wide range of University elections this spring. The UBE selection committee notified selected members for the opening board Jan.
After a winter storm dropped up to four inches of snow in areas across Virginia Sunday, many universities kept their doors closed Monday. In response to icy conditions yesterday, James Madison University cancelled all classes beginning after 5 p.m., and the College of William and Mary cancelled classes for the day.
This weekend one of two University mock trial teams competing in a national invitational at Columbia University placed second among a field of 32 other teams. Although the University's mock trial program has competed in only one other competition this school year, it defeated teams from all over the country, including Yale and George Washington University.
With state-funded higher education dollars decreasing and tuition rates increasing, a student advocacy group called Virginia21 and student governments across the Commonwealth are petitioning the Virginia General Assembly to increase funding for student financial aid through the recently launched "Campaign for Financial Security." Sen.
On the eve of its 25th year serving Charlottesville and its surrounding communities, the University's largest volunteer organization, Madison House, will be operating in the red if measures are not taken soon to insure its financial viability. Five years ago, Student Council voted to start de-funding Madison House in an attempt to make the organization completely self-sufficient and save student activities fees for less independent student organizations. However, Council overestimated the organization's ability to be financially independent, according to Council Vice President for Organizations Eli Dejarnette, and now the financial future of Madison House is in jeopardy. As a result of this situation, Council President Daisy Lundy and Dejarnette currently are working out the details of a bill which will modify Council's bylaws in order to permanently reinstate Madison House's yearly funding allocation. Mark Straub, a fourth-year Commerce student who serves on the Madison House Board of Directors, emphasized the importance of Council's continued support of Madison House because of its contributions to the communities surrounding the University. "This decision is one over thousands of dollars, but it has a very tangible result," he said.
Four new e-mail worms have been squirming their way into students' inboxes since last week. The viruses -- Beagle, Dumaru.z, Dumaru.y and MyDoom -- infect machines by mass mailing themselves to other users once the recipient has opened an attachment in an infected e-mail, said Shirley Payne, director of security and policy at ITC.
Four college presidents from across the Commonwealth presented their concerns to members of the Senate Finance Committee last Thursday in an effort to increase support for higher education. The presidents of Emory & Henry College and Randolph-Macon College, both private institutions, offered arguments for an increase in tuition assistance grants while the heads of Virginia Tech and the Virginia Community College System made a case for greater state funding. "We were talking to a very supportive group of influential legislators," said Glenn DuBois, Virginia Community College System chancellor. With the proposed transformation of Virginia's three flagship colleges and universities into charter schools likely to be placed on hold for another year, alternate methods for correcting budget shortfalls now are being considered. The committee has begun debating its own tax plan, sponsored by committee chair and President pro tempore of the Senate John Chichester, R-Stafford, which could help close the gap in state funding for higher education. In addition to the tax plan Gov.
In spite of the constraints caused by a shrinking budget over the past five years, programs sponsored by Madison House continue to give students an opportunity to contribute to the community. Though there is a lack of funding, Elizabeth Argeris, student co-chair of the Madison House Board of Directors, was adamant that Madison House still provides well-trained volunteers and quality programs. "The problem is that the budget covers the bare necessities, and often the program directors have to use their own money to go the extra mile," Argeris said. Dwindling funds As a student-run, non-profit organization, Madison House is responsible for coordinating the largest group of student volunteers on Grounds.
