News

News

Albemarle County eliminates gun law at Sheriff's request

By Ben Sellers | April 22, 2002

The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Wednesday to remove a national background check from its concealed weapons ordinance. The board elected to repeal a 1997 county law that required a national record check for those applying for a concealed weapons permit. The decision to amend the law came at the behest of Albemarle County Sheriff Edgar Robb, who told the Board the system was ineffective, Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Sally Thomas said. "It doesn't sound like a dramatic change," said former sheriff Terry Hawkins, who served during the introduction of the second background check.

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Wal-Mart earns top spot on Fortune 500 list

By Adrienne So | April 22, 2002

Attending college as a first year means making certain adjustments. For many students, this is the first time they will be wrestling with the constraints of a budget.

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Protesters support Palestinians

By Chris Wilson | April 22, 2002

Protesters flocked to downtown Washington, D.C., by the thousands Saturday afternoon to bring national attention to several causes, including the plight of Palestinians in the Middle East. First-year College student Reema Hijazi, who was among a number of University students who attended the demonstration, stressed that the purpose of the protest was simply to support the Palestinian people and to bring attention to the injustices they have suffered. "I don't support suicide bombing at all," Hijazi said.

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U.Va. officials visit Arizona telescope site

By Nikki Rohrbaugh | April 19, 2002

The University came closer to resolving the continuing controversy over a proposed Arizona telescope this week, as several officials visited the Mount Graham site in question. Five University representatives visited the mountain where astronomers plan to house the Large Binocular Telescope project, on land that Apache Indians consider sacred. With a $10 million gift from University alumnus Frank Levinson, specifically earmarked for the astronomy department, the University hopes to achieve its priority of joining the LBT project.

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News

News in brief

April 19, 2002

A Monticello Association committee has recommended that descendants of Thomas Jefferson's slave Sally Hemings not be allowed full membership in their organization. According to the Richmond Times Dispatch, James T.

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Graduate students may face more duties

By Abby Fox | April 19, 2002

The administration and various faculty members are working to soften any added constraints graduate students may experience, including teaching more classes next year, as a result of University-wide budget cuts. "I'm trying to create new courses and sections for undergraduate students next year, as well as new opportunities for graduate students to teach," College Dean Edward L.

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Spring Fling hosts more prospectives

By Jenn Roberts | April 19, 2002

This year's Spring Fling - a weekend of social and informational events for prospective black students at the University - enjoyed a heightened turnout during its official kick-off last night in Webb Lounge, where guests were welcomed and registered. Of the approximately 600 black students offered admission to the University for next fall, approximately 130 students and their families are expected to participate in this weekend's events.

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General Assembly approves referendum

By Paul Quinlan | April 19, 2002

Gov. Mark R. Warner earned an important political victory when the General Assembly reconvened Wednesday and approved a Northern Virginia sales tax referendum that could alleviate traffic congestion in the region. The proposal to increase the region's sales tax by a half-cent, to a level of 5 percent, incited strong partisan conflict early in the legislative session, when House and Senate lawmakers insisted that a portion of the funding be earmarked for education.

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Board of Visitors to review plans for new arena

By Alexis Unkovic | April 19, 2002

While University students spend hours at the library studying for finals, the University will take another step forward on plans for the new basketball arena set to replace University Hall by April 2006. On May 9, "we are taking the schematic drawings to the Buildings and Grounds Committee of the Board of Visitors," University Architect Pete Anderson said.

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Black Voices relinquishes funds prior to audit

By Chris Wilson | April 18, 2002

The Black Voices vocal group withdrew its request for financial support from the Student Activities Fund at the Student Council meeting Tuesday evening after receiving notice that the appropriations committee had introduced a bill to audit the group's finances. Council is in charge of allotting the SAF to student groups based on their demonstrated financial needs.

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Why do I feel more awake after drinking coffee?

By Cavalier Daily Staff | April 18, 2002

The simple answer is coffee's high caffeine content. Whether you get your fix from sodas, coffee or tea, this natural compound is involved in two distinct mechanisms that get your heart racing. Caffeine blocks the body's natural tranquilizing ability by inhibiting the way brain cells interact with another chemical called adenosine. Caffeine also increases the amount of dopamine, the 'feel good chemical' in the body. Dopamine is a member of the class of chemical compounds known as neurotransmitters, which facilitate communication between nerve cells. "Adenosine acts as a sedative in the brain - it makes you sleepy," said Joel Linden, professor of cardiovascular medicine and biophysics and molecular physiology.

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University's affirmative action plan remains intact

By Josh Goodman | April 18, 2002

While legal challenges progress against affirmative action, the policy still remains a very real part of the University, affecting both student admissions and faculty recruitment. The University is legally obligated to use affirmative action in both hiring and admissions, said Karen Holt, director of the Office of Equal Opportunity Programs. The Office of Equal Opportunity Programs is the University's administrative branch that is largely responsible for developing and implementing affirmative action programs. The University's affirmative action policy in faculty recruitment is multi-faceted. Affirmative action in employment "is more than just opening the door to anyone who wishes to apply, but requires taking affirmative steps to review and alter policies, as well as undertaking recruiting targeted to groups who have not historically been represented," Holt said. Annually, the Office of Equal Opportunity Programs reevaluates the University's employment practices and analyzes employment data to see whether minority groups are underrepresented in comparison to their availability, Holt said. All of this information plus the University's plans to address any problems that the data reveals is laid out in a massive report known as the Equal Opportunity Plan. Though the University's policy on affirmative action in employment is complicated, University President John T.

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MGC selects executive board members

By Sharon Lynch | April 18, 2002

A new set of faces was selected Monday to fill the positions on the executive board of the Multicultural Greek Council Third-year Engineering student Emmanuel Smadja was elected president, while third-year College student Chieko Clarke became vice-president. Other important elections to head the council were second-year College student Melody Han as treasurer, third-year Nursing student Po Soo-Hoo as secretary and third-year College student Virginia Min as historian. This year, MGC plans to try to raise awareness of its presence by working to improve communication between fraternity and sorority councils within the University and the local community, Smadja said.

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Students attend Anti-Oppression Day rally

By Martin Olivier | April 18, 2002

The Big White Tent outside Newcomb Hall hosted speakers from around the country for Anti-Oppression Day yesterday. The event, in its second year, brought together spokespeople from different advocacy groups to give speeches about what they see as injustices against populations around the world. "We wanted to unite all the forces fighting oppression around the world," said Bokar Ture, vice president of the Griot Society.

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Broadband links University hospital to rural areas

By Rebecca Brooks | April 18, 2002

Doctors in earlier times traveled far and wide to treat patients. With cutting-edge telemedicine technology, however, doctors now can visit the same patients without ever leaving the clinic. Telemedicine takes advantage of modern video conferencing equipment and other technologies to conduct patient consultations and public health classes, giving even rural areas easy access to specialized medical care. This month, Congress approved a grant allocating $25,000 to a project linking Patrick County Community Hospital with the University, making the rural Virginia hospital the 14th of its kind. The grant is the first of six to be awarded to different rural communities nationwide, housing more telemedicine sites in southwest Virginia than anywhere else in the country. "We have a world class medical center right here, but there are many places in Virginia where one is hard to get to," Telemedicine Deputy Director Richard Settimo said. "If a patient out in southwest Virginia was told they needed to come all the way to Charlottesville to see a specialist, they just wouldn't come," Telemedicine Medical Director Karen Rheuban said.

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When music sounds like chocolate

By Andy Kinley | April 18, 2002

For one person, the taste of mint is described as the shape of "cool glass columns." For another, hearing music conjures up images of gold balls, flashing lines and oscillating waves. These individuals exhibit synesthesia, a strange and uncommon condition that scientists have yet to unravel. The word synesthesia is derived from Greek words meaning "joined sensation." The condition broadly is defined as the inability to differentiate between assorted sensory stimuli. "There are people who feel shapes when they taste.

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News in brief

By Cavalier Daily Staff | April 18, 2002

House passes parental consent abortion bill The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill yesterday that would make transporting a minor across state lines in order to avoid parental consent laws for abortions a federal crime. The bill now will go to the Senate for approval. Proponents of the bill said it was designed to prevent pregnant teens from skirting state abortion laws. "Right now, a parent in Charlotte, N.C., must grant permission before the school nurse gives their child an aspirin, but the parent can't prevent a stranger from taking their child out of school and up to Maryland for an abortion," said Rep.

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News in brief

April 17, 2002

Supreme Court Justice Byron White died Monday of complications from pneumonia. Appointed by President John F.

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A new generation of segregation?

By Chris Wilson | April 17, 2002

The University has a checkered history in its relationship with the black community. On one hand, the first black student did not enter the College until 1961 - on the other hand, the University now has the highest graduation rate for black students compared to any other public university. The series of assaults committed by Charlottesville high school students against University students, which occurred between September 2001 and January 2002, awoke new interest in racism at the University.

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City approves permit parking measure

By Adrienne So | April 17, 2002

If you live in off-Grounds housing, your parking problems soon may get even worse. Charlottesville City Council members passed an ordinance Monday to adopt permit parking policies on individual streets in the University area, Council member Kevin Lynch said. Council met with residents of the Venable, Jefferson Park Avenue, Lewis Mountain and Fifeville areas before passing the ordinance.