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News

Students receive major scholarships

By Riley McDonald | January 16, 2004

Two accomplished College students will head overseas this fall to earn masters' degrees as recipients of prestigious Mitchell and Marshall fellowships. Fourth-year David Buckley, a political and social thought major, is bound for Northern Ireland to study comparative ethnic politics as a Mitchell Scholar. Buckley is writing a thesis on religion and international peacemaking in Northern Ireland and Israel and Palestine.

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Penn State launches file-sharing program

By Natasha Altamirano | January 15, 2004

Within the first 24 hours that Pennsylvania State University made its pilot legal file-sharing service available free of charge through the campus network, over 3,000 students registered to use it, university officials announced Tuesday. The university purchased an 18-month subscription to Napster 2.0 in an effort to fight music piracy on its campuses, according to an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education. University officials did not disclose how much they paid for the contract, which was first announced in November. Students will be able to access about 500,000 streaming audio files in the Napster library and download the songs to their computers for the duration of their subscriptions. Students will be charged 99 cents per song to record music on a CD or to transfer it to a portable music device such as an MP3 player. University officials plan to make the service available to nonresidential students and faculty members by the fall semester. They also plan to expand the service outside Penn State's University Park campus to its other campuses.

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ISC adopts one-week rush schedule

By Natasha Altamirano | January 15, 2004

While the first couple weeks of the semester can be a hectic time for many students, those involved in the shortened Inter-Sorority Council recruitment process this week are facing new stress in addition to the frenzy to buy books and course-action into classes. The ISC reduced its recruitment calendar from the traditional two weeks to just one week this year. "It makes it easier on the sisters and potential members, aka 'rushees,' if we're only coinciding with two days of class instead of seven or nine," said Jessie Swisher, ISC vice president for recruitment.

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National, local blood banks suffer critical shortages

By Angela Manese-Lee | January 15, 2004

With local and national blood supplies dipping to dangerously low levels, Virginia Blood Services spokesperson Nancy Deane offered a frightening scenario: a bad accident lands you in the emergency room and you need a blood transfusion -- fast.

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Buses return to 10-minute service interval

By Anthony LaMesa | January 15, 2004

Fewer students living in North Grounds housing or the Rugby Road neighborhood will be forced to walk to class or suffer cramped buses thanks to a decision by University Transit Service to return blue and orange bus service from 12-minute to 10-minute intervals on weekdays, among several other service adjustments implemented this week. The increased frequency of bus service is being made possible by the addition of 15 new student drivers trained over winter break and two new full-time adult drivers recently hired, Parking and Transportation Dir.

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James Madison resumes sale of contraceptives

By Christopher Jones | January 15, 2004

The James Madison University Board of Visitors voted 10-2 at its meeting last Friday to allow the JMU Health Center to distribute emergency contraceptives to students, reversing a ban stemming from a previous Board vote in April. The Board also added language which "further grants authority for all future health-related decisions pertaining to students to the administration and its medical staff." The vote came after members of the new Board, whose composition has changed since April, stated a desire to avoid involvement in decisions over emergency contraceptives and other drugs that they characterized as not within their area of authority. After Del.

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Letter allegedly threatens officials

By Matt Galati | January 15, 2004

A former doctoral candidate at the University currently is being detained at the Charlottesville-Albemarle joint security complex for mailing allegedly threatening communications to 47 addressed recipients, including University officials and members of state and national governments. Charlottesville resident Charles A.

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Legacy admissions ban sparks debate in Texas

By Natasha Altamirano | January 15, 2004

Although Texas A&M last week eliminated its policy of giving admissions preference to relatives of alumni, or so-called "legacies," the university's admissions policy remains a controversial topic among area politicians. The university's ban on legacy admissions preferences did not quell the concerns of local politicians who were angered with the university's favoring the predominantly white legacy applicants over minority applicants. Some local legislators are calling for the reinstatement of affirmative action in order to promote diversity. "The new policy takes away the advantage of some students, but it does not remedy the obstacles faced by students of color and women," said State Rep.

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Freezing temperatures cause pipes to rupture

By Alexis Unkovic | January 14, 2004

Many Charlottesville residences and businesses, such as The Virginian restaurant on the Corner, were forced to cope with water line ruptures last weekend because of cold temperatures which caused pipes to freeze and subsequently burst, as reported in The Daily Progress. Jerry Stenger, research coordinator for the State Climatology Office at the University, told The Daily Progress that such freezing of pipes typically can occur when temperatures drop below 10 degrees or if three or four days of below-freezing weather occur in a row. Warm temperatures early this week allowed pipes to thaw, but if cold temperatures return this weekend as anticipated, more problems could occur.

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U.Va. black graduation rate highest in peer group

By Katie Montgomery and Jason Amirhadji | January 14, 2004

Black students at the University had the top graduation rate among major public institutions for the 10th year in a row, according to a report in the Autumn 2003 Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. The graduation rate for black students at the University was 85 percent, according to NCAA statistics cited in the report.

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ITC implements anti-spam e-mail service

By Whitney Garrison | January 14, 2004

In addition to the usual inundation of beginning-of-the-semester e-mails, many University students and faculty must deal with the increasing number of junk e-mails -- or spam -- which crowd their inboxes. To combat this growing problem of unwanted spam in University e-mail inboxes, University Information Technologies Communications now offers an anti-spam service.

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Bowl proceeds to benefit music festival

By Corinne Shamy | January 14, 2004

Thanks to Virginia's appearance at the second annual Continental Tire Bowl Dec. 27, the entire University community will benefit from a gift given by the athletics department. University Athletic Director Craig K.

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University seeks autonomy from state

By Anthony LaMesa | January 14, 2004

With private funds surpassing state funds in the University's operating budget and the prospects for a significant infusion of higher education dollars meek across Virginia, the University plans to ask for fewer state tax dollars in the future in exchange for more fiscal and procedural autonomy.

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General Assembly to debate tax reform

By Kara Rowland | January 14, 2004

The debate over tax reform in Virginia will heat up today as the General Assembly convenes for the new legislative term, charging members with the task of agreeing to a state budget for 2004-2006.

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Democrats look for votes in Dixie

By Josh Goodman | January 14, 2004

As the Democratic presidential campaigns kick into high gear in preparation for the first primaries and caucuses later this month, candidates must reach out to voters in all corners of the country, from the cornfields of Iowa to the snowfields of New Hampshire and eventually to the South. South Carolina holds its presidential primary Feb.

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Warner to lead National Governors Association

By Alexis Unkovic | January 14, 2004

The National Governors Association announced yesterday that Virginia Gov. Mark R. Warner will serve as the next chair of the association, according to the Associated Press. Warner will serve as chair for a one-year term, replacing current chair Dirk Kempthorne of Idaho. Warner was elected to serve as vice chair in December and will assume his new position as chair at the association's annual meeting this summer.

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Semester in review: Top headlines from the term

By Cavalier Daily Staff | December 4, 2003

With final exams lurking and winter break just around the corner, it is easy for students to forget the events of the past semester. Just as the Cavalier football team prepares for a return trip to the Continental Tire Bowl, some important headlines from last year have remained in the news while others have been replaced by a new crop of issues and concerns. The extreme droughts and water shortages of 2002 were overtaken this semester by record rainfall and a hurricane which caused the cancellation of classes and significant damage to Grounds. Diversity remained a hot topic on Grounds this semester, following several racially-charged incidents last year.

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City Council settles Adelphia dispute

By Christopher Jones | December 4, 2003

During its meeting Monday, the Charlottesville City Council settled a dispute over fees with Adelphia Communications and is set to reach a new 10-year franchise agreement with the company. Under the terms of the settlement, Adelphia will pay the city $21,632 in unpaid franchise fees from 1999 to 2001, instead of the $41,037 the city asserted the company owed.

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Online course evaluations to operate this week

By Matt Galati | December 4, 2003

Starting this week, students have a chance to turn the tables by grading their professors. Online course evaluations, available to students on the Toolkit Web site, were opened for operation Monday. Director of Advanced Technology Timothy Sigmon said the online evaluations carry a new innovation this fall. "For the first time, the faculty has the ability to add questions to the evaluations," Sigmon said. The evaluations will be opened for specific time intervals determined by each department, Sigmon said. "About a half or so will close at 9 a.m.

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Committee seeks to reinvigorate arts

By Carling Boyles | December 4, 2003

A lack of interest for the University art department has sparked concern throughout the surrounding community.