Virginia voters may find the campaign tactics of U.S. Sen. Charles Robb (D) and Republican challenger and former Gov.
(This is the fourth in a five-part weekly series examining issues in the upcoming presidential election.) The moans and howls of college students and parents can be heard every year as the cost of higher education rises. Presidential candidates Vice President Al Gore (D) and Texas Gov.
In a confrontational debate last night in Clark Hall, Del. Paul Harris (R-Albemarle), and John Boyd, president of the National Black Farmers Association and Democratic congressional candidate, tried to convince the audience that voting for their respective parties in the upcoming election would confer the most benefits on the black community. Harris, who spoke first, accused Democrats of "pitting blacks against whites" by affording opportunities to people based on skin color. "The Democrats have ennobled the whole idea of suffering," he said.
After 18 months of serving as interim vice president and chief information officer, Robert E. Reynolds will take over the position for good starting Nov.
Top state officials typically do not personally commend college organizations. However, on Friday, Virginia Attorney General Mark L.
A federal jury decided Friday to dismiss former University student Richard W. Smith's $1.25 million lawsuit against the University.
The University's Center for Complementary and Alternative Therapy has received two grants totaling more than $4.1 million. The money will support an interdisciplinary effort between the center and the schools of Nursing, Medicine and Engineering at the University. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health provided the grants, which will go toward studying non-traditional therapies such as massage and acupuncture.
Charlottesville residents may soon be able to access free health information from the University's Medical Center over the Web and underprivileged children will have access to computers and personal technology training. These are just two of over 250 programs the University now is offering area residents through two new initiatives unveiled this week. The first initiative, Outreach Virginia, a Web site maintained by the Office of the Vice President for Research and Public Service, now provides online access to programs and services formerly little known to the community. The site offers a comprehensive listing of successful outreach efforts such as publications, teaching materials, medical care, public policy analysis, demographic information, training opportunities and degree programs. The Web site was one of the early recommendations of the Public Service Commission of the Virginia 2020 planning process at the University. Although the University offered many of these online programs in the past "it was difficult to find specific programs, for example, opportunities for high school students," said Gene Block, vice president for research and public service. Over 250 programs now are online at www.virginia.edu/outreachvirginia.
Student Council moved one step closer to providing more office and performance space for student groups by asking William W.
The University concluded its defense yesterday against former student Richard W. Smith's $1.25 million lawsuit.
If you've noticed that the library's research materials are looking a little sparse lately, blame the lack of state allocation for library funds. The General Assembly has not increased the $5.4 million library materials budget since the 1994-95 school year. As a result, the University has been forced to decrease the number of periodicals, books and other resources available to students.
Those dam animals are everywhere. Beavers are posing a major problem for the Virginia Department of Transportation as the woodland creatures build dams near many roads throughout the Commonwealth. Once the beavers build dams, the water level of the stream tends to rise, causing massive flooding problems on nearby roads, said Colin Ceperich, public relations coordinator for VDOT. Not only does the flooding cause inconvenience and dangerous driving conditions, the water also loosens the dirt, sand and rock that make up the foundation of the road, Ceperich said. He said the problems have become more severe in recent years. "There just seem to be a lot more beavers now than there have been," he said. Drainage tubes located underneath the roads also are plagued by the beaver problem when the toothy critters build dams in the drainage system. "If they hear running water they automatically want to dam up that hole," said Stephanie Boyles, wildlife biologist for the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) a group that has worked with VDOT to solve the beaver problem in an animal-friendly manner. In late September, the Commonwealth Transportation Board voted to spend $272,000 to hire USDA-Wildlife services to trap and kill the offending beavers, much to the dismay of PETA, which claimed the traps used would "cause immeasurable suffering" to the animals. To avoid euthanizing the beavers and bringing about their untimely deaths, PETA currently is working in conjunction with VDOT to develop a plan that will save both the beavers and the conditions of the roads. PETA and VDOT "had a meeting last week and we seem to be on the same page right now," Boyles said. One solution calls for the use of perforated pipes in all drainage tubes under roads.
Concerned that its original name did not adequately underscore the diversity of the organization, the Fraternity-Sorority Council unanimously voted to change its name to the Multicultural Greek Council at a meeting Tuesday night. MGC also approved a more detailed constitution that clearly delineates who has voting power and how interested organizations can become members. MGC President Michael McPheeters said Fraternity-Sorority Council was "not the most creative name" and did not sufficiently describe the nature of the organization. Many people mistakenly thought FSC was the governing body of all the fraternities and sororities on Grounds, he said. McPheeters said the term "multicultural" is appropriate because it does not restrict MGC's jurisdiction to fraternities and sororities focusing on ethnicity. "All types of cultures come under Greek letter life," he said. Co-ed fraternities and Greek organizations focusing on sexual orientation are examples of non-ethnic groups that might fall under MGC's authority, according to MGC representative Amanda Crane. The MGC, founded in the fall of 1999, is the umbrella organization for fraternities and sororities that do not fall under the auspices of the Black Fraternal Council, Inter-Fraternity Council or Inter-Sorority Council. Omega Phi Beta, a Latina-oriented sorority, Lambda Upsilon Lambda, a Latino-oriented fraternity, and alpha Kappa Delta Phi, an Asian-oriented sorority, are members of MGC. The new constitution will enable MGC to become a "long-lasting, sustaining entity" at the University, McPheeters said. He said he expects the Council's membership to double or triple in the next few years. Assistant Dean of Students Aaron Laushway said he feels the name change is appropriate. The organization originally was given a deliberately vague name "with the precise intent that ... the Council would address its own needs and make changes if necessary," Laushway said.
Adam Nash, the test tube baby whose living cells were used to save his older sister, is a child whose parents love him dearly.
In Minneapolis yesterday, doctors announced that a test tube baby successfully saved 6 year-old Molly Nash. Molly, who has the rare genetic disorder Fanconi anemia, would certainly have died if not for her brother, Adam, a test tube baby created using in vitro fertilization.
One hundred candles illuminated the marble steps of the Rotunda last night, poignantly symbolizing 100 lives lost in the Middle East crisis.
A division of United Students Against Sweatshops, a nationally recognized organization, held its first meeting at the University last night. According to the University's SAS organizer, Ross Kane, the new organization wants to create a code of conduct for companies that produce University of Virginia licensed merchandise.
Aldous Huxley, author of "Brave New World," sculpted a bleak vision of the distant future of life on Earth.
The online Course Offering Directory - the Bible of many University students - might undergo its own reformation. The Faculty Senate has proposed an addition to the online version of the COD: a search engine to help students find courses by subject rather than by department only. "We want to leave the directory as it is, but create a system to cross-reference the courses," Faculty Senate Chairwoman Patricia Werhane said.
With the upcoming retirement of University Police Chief Michael Sheffield, the University has assembled an eclectic group of faculty, students and administrators to head up a search committee for a new chief.
