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News

Prof.'s manslaughter charge dropped

By Dawn Saur | September 11, 2003

An involuntary manslaughter case against Commerce Prof. Michael Atchison was dropped only minutes after it began Tuesday due to a lack of evidence concerning the victim's cause of death. Without testimony from medical personnel verifying that 29-year-old Charlottesville resident Yu Ching Yeh's death was caused by Atchison's failure to stop at a red light, further hearings could not proceed and the charges were dropped at the request Albermarle County Commonwealth Attorney James Camblos.

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New architecture school department chair announced

By Cavalier Daily Staff | September 11, 2003

The Department of Architecture announced yesterday Professor Daphne Spain had been named chair of the Department of Urban and Environmental Planning at the University School of Architecture. William Lucy, associate dean for academics in the Architecture School, said he was looking forward to working with Spain in her new capacity. "She's very quick, very experienced, an excellent researcher and teacher," Lucy said.

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New group reaches out to gay Greeks

By Natasha Altamirano | September 11, 2003

While a myriad of advertisements and solicitations adorn bulletin boards and columns across Grounds every day, flyers sporting the catchphrase "Tired of Gay.com?" might have caught students' attention Tuesday. These and other flyers advertising the Greek Men's Club were posted around Grounds and along Rugby Road Tuesday morning. The club's purpose is to provide "a space and a place" to foster support for gay fraternity men, said Aaron Laushway, associate dean of students and director of fraternity and sorority life. "It is important because these issues are not discussed openly in general, and clearly not in many student organizations, including fraternities and sororities," Laushway said.

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UTS bus allegedly runs student on bicycle off road

By Cavalier Daily Staff | September 10, 2003

About 10 a.m. Monday morning, a University Transit Service bus allegedly ran fourth-year College student Eliza Evans off her bicycle and onto the curb in front of the McCormick Road Residence Area. An eyewitness helped Evans up and told her that the bus was #2636 and advised her to report it. Evans suffered a skinned elbow and two skinned knees, several cuts and bruises and a hurt shoulder. Evans said she was in shock, so she went home.

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For teaching assistants, a lesson learned

By Cavalier Daily Staff | September 10, 2003

To many students, a discussion section at 7 p.m. on Thursday is a dreaded responsibility -- but one that only lasts for 50 minutes. But for the teaching assistants leading the discussion, that brief classroom session is preceded byhours of preparation, office visits, readings and lectures. These hours of work simultaneously help future professors learn to teach, give graduate students jobs that pay their bills and make undergraduate instruction possible at the University. Learning to Teach Teaching assistants come from different countries, various colleges and universities, and usually carry a few years of work experience.

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RIAA pursues lawsuits against 261 file-sharers

By Jon Breece | September 10, 2003

Member companies of the Recording Industry Association of America have filed 261 civil lawsuits against "major" Internet file sharers, the trade association announced Monday. The filings, which occurred across the country, came as little surprise to many in the University community and the industry.

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University, City plan events to remember 9/11

By Jordan Dresnick | September 10, 2003

To commemorate the second anniversary of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the University and the Charlottesville community have planned a series of events to take place tomorrow. September 11 will be remembered on Grounds by a candlelight vigil at 8 p.m.

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Duke revises honor code to include clause

By SR Sidarth | September 10, 2003

Honor has been a term synonymous with the University since 1842, when the Honor Code first was established.

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Historic Court Square to undergo renovations

By Preston Gisch | September 10, 2003

Court Square, the frequent meeting place of Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and James Monroe, is undergoing a facelift. The area surrounding Court Square and nearby streets, but not the actual courthouse, will be the focus of the "Court Square Enhancement Project." Court Square includes the area between High Street and Jefferson Street and 4th Street and Park Street, about one block north of the Downtown Mall. "Court Square is the oldest part of the city and its original seat," Charlottesville Vice Mayor Meredith Richards said. The project's aim is "honoring, preserving and promoting Court Square [because] it has not been maintained and certainly not enhanced as a historic area," Richards said.

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Sterling residents cope with bus woes

By Spencer Baumgardner | September 10, 2003

Transportation woes at the newly-built Sterling University Apartments have spurred calls for reform over the past week. Residents of Sterling were forced to combat overcrowded vans that rarely arrived or departed on schedule when attempting to travel to Grounds last week.

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University to begin faculty hiring

By Anthony LaMesa | September 10, 2003

After over two years of budget cuts and an only recently lifted hiring freeze, many University officials say they are pleased with the resumption of a number of searches for new faculty members in departments and schools across Grounds. The majority of the faculty members being recruited will replace retiring faculty or fill positions left vacant during the hiring freeze, resulting in the need for little additional funds for the new hires, University officials said. The College of Arts and Sciences, one of the hardest hit schools from the recent budget slashing, will initiate a total of roughly 34 faculty searches for the 2004-05 academic year, according to Associate Dean for the Sciences George Hornberger and Karen Ryan, associate dean for the arts, humanities and social sciences. While faculty recruitment requires a tremendous investment of time and monetary resources, Hornberger said the 10 searches being conducted for new science faculty is great news for the departments he represents. "This is a giant step toward really improving things," Hornberger said.

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Martha Jefferson launches center for outpatients

By Rachele Byrne | September 9, 2003

Following a successful summer in its ongoing quest for further expansion, Albemarle County's Martha Jefferson Hospital celebrated the opening of its brand-new Outpatient Care Center last Tuesday. The OCC's opening followed closely on the heels of the Aug.

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Court ruling favors construction company

By Kai Mun Tham | September 9, 2003

The Albemarle Circuit Court upheld a zoning decision allowing the Charlottesville-based Faulconer Construction Company to build its new headquarters and equipment yard in the Ivy neighborhood. "We've felt all along that this was the correct decision," County Spokesperson Lee Catlin siad.

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MERGING TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN

By Cavalier Daily Staff | September 9, 2003

Soil to the east of the Architechture School's Campbell Hall is slowly being shaped into a ziggurat, a sloped earthen mound, in a project using GPS technology to guide digital construction plans (top left and bottom right).

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CIOs work with small budgets in new year

By Lauren Pappa | September 9, 2003

After limited financial resources restricted Student Council's allocation of funds to Contracted Independent Organizations last spring, many groups on Grounds are struggling to survive the year on a tight budget. "There was a shortage of money last year," said Eli DeJarnette, Council vice president of student organizations.

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National group to study early decision, early action processes

By Cavalier Daily Staff | September 9, 2003

The organization that oversees college application processes will launch a two-year study of application and admission procedures, focusing specifically on the controversial early decision and early action options. The Alexandria-based National Association for College Admission Counseling has circulated a memo to its college and high school members declaring a moratorium on enforcement of rules governing early admission practices, said Joyce.

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Hopkins says ecstasy study was incorrect

By Christopher Jones | September 9, 2003

A Johns Hopkins University study claiming that users of MDMA, the drug popularly know as ecstasy, could suffer from permanent brain damage has been completely retracted after its authors discovered that another drug was accidentally used in the study. According to the retraction written by the Hopkins researchers, "the drug used to treat all but one animal in [the original study] came from a bottle that contained d-methamphetamine instead of the intended drug, racemic MDMA." Researchers attributed the mix-up to an error in labeling by the company that supplied the MDMA. The study, published in the September 27, 2002 issue of Science magazine, concluded that even occasional use of ecstasy could cause irreparable brain damage.

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Study finds anti-alcohol programs ineffective

By Sarah Gatsos | September 9, 2003

Campaigns to reduce college drinking through the emphasis on social norms do not have an effect on students' drinking habits, according to a Harvard study released July 2003. However, James C.

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Commission on diversity gathers for first meeting

By Angela Manese-Lee | September 8, 2003

A commission of students, parents, administrators, faculty members and community leaders met for the first time Friday morning, charged by President John T.

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Warner plugs education reform package

By Kara Rowland | September 8, 2003

Speaking to a standing-room only crowd in the Newcomb Hall Art Gallery, Gov. Mark R. Warner came to the University Friday afternoon to advance his Education for a Lifetime Initiative. In a six-point reform package, Warner addressed statewide issues of teacher retention, workforce and career preparedness for high school seniors, increased economic development and accountability in public education and higher quality child care. Acknowledging what he referred to as the "worst fiscal crisis in 50 years," Warner emphasized the importance of securing adequate funding for education. "Every state is going through a fiscal challenge, let me tell you," he said, adding that Virginia was one of only a few states that "didn't cut a single dollar from education." Warner said his budget for the next biennium will satisfy the state Board of Education's recommendations to increase education funds by $525 million to meet its Standards of Quality.