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Author decries capital punishment as unjust

Over 200 students, faculty and community members rose to their feet and gave Sister Helen Prejean a standing ovation at the end of a presentation she gave yesterday in Wilson Hall on the ethical implications of the death penalty.


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Council decides to restructure Elections Committee

At Student Council's Tuesday night meeting, Council members established new guidelines for the structure of the Election Committee and a calendar for spring elections. In the past, the Elections Committee consisted of one chairperson and one vice chairperson. However, members voted to establish two co-chair positions and four vice-chair positions for the upcoming election.


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Monticello inquiry supports Hemings,

After over a year of study, Monticello officials announced yesterday that research has nearly conclusively proven that University founder Thomas Jefferson fathered at least one and maybe more children with his slave, Sally Hemings. Monticello officials commissioned the study after former University Pathology Prof.


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Couric pushes for internet voting

State Sen. Emily Couric (D-Charlottesville) announced yesterday that she has proposed a resolution to the General Assembly that would form a study on Internet voting in state elections, with the University's Center for Governmental Studies providing staff for the study research. "Internet voting sometime in the not too distant future will be available to the states," Couric said.


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Faculty propose

The Faculty Senate's Student Faculty Interaction Subcommittee is seeking to promote better student-faculty relations at the University through specific proposals that members said they hope to present to administrators this semester. Robert Davis, environmental science professor and subcommittee chair, said the proposals originated from a Senate-sponsored student and faculty retreat in the fall of 1998 where participants discussed ways to improve faculty-student relations. At the retreat, participants stated impediments to faculty-student interaction, including incompatible faculty and student schedules, faculty members' perceived inaccessibility, the difficulty of initiating contact between faculty and students outside of class and the size of the University. "Some of the ideas were photo class lists and [requiring that] every faculty member have a Web page," Academic Affairs Committee Chairman William R.


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Conference to discuss aspects of mentoring

Members of the University and Charlottesville communities will meet at a conference tomorrow in order to discuss new mentoring programs and find ways to improve existing ones. The conference will "bring together a wide variety of community leaders ... to share ideas about best practices in mentoring," Madison House Assoc.


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Students feel pressure to sign leases

First year students, some officials say, may feel pressured to sign a lease prematurely without knowing what they are getting into. When dealing with off-Grounds housing, problems can range from irresponsible landlords and unplanned expenses to inconvenient locations. But most of all, Dean of Students Penny Rue said she believes students feel pressured to find a place to live in too much of a hurry. "Students get in a market frenzy because housing is limited, so they decide very fast, making decisions far in advance of when they need to.


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Program promotes nursing

A Nursing student and a Charlottesville resident have created a program in the School of Nursing that will provide health services to countries that lack adequate medical facilities. Third-year Nursing student Matthew Walden along with Charlottesville resident Rodney Hughes created the group, called Nurses Without Borders, late last semester.


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Study indicates high levels of stress for college students

First-year college students feel more stressed now than ever before, according to a nationwide study released this week by the University of California-Los Angeles. Out of over 360,000 first-year college students surveyed, 30 percent reported being "frequently overwhelmed" by all they have to do.


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Classes cancelled?

Although Gov. James S. Gilmore III (R) declared a state of emergency in Virginia yesterday because of a storm that unexpectedly dumped more than eight inches of snow on the Commonwealth, University officials decided to hold classes and conduct business as usual. The snowstorm quickly made its way to the East Coast, dumping more than 10 inches of snow in the Richmond area, 14 inches at the North Carolina border, and shutting down the federal government in Washington, D.C. Although climatologists said this was the worst storm to hit the East Coast since 1996, Charlottesville accumulations reached only eight inches. Leonard W.


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Institute of Substance Abuse Studies decides on new name

Gradual changes in the mission of the University's Institute for Substance Abuse Studies have led it to rename itself the Center for Alcohol and Substance Education. Originally founded in 1987 primarily as a research center, CASE became a prevention and education organization as time passed, CASE Interim Director Alison Houser said. "Over the years the office has evolved to better serve the needs of the University," Houser said.


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Off-Grounds housing sprawl may contribute to 'slumization' of city

College students move in, rents go up and middle-class families move out: A scene that has been played over in college towns across the nation and in the city of Charlottesville, according to Charlottesville Mayor Virginia Daugherty. University students who seek off-Grounds housing are a potential cause of "slumization," a phenomenon that once affected cities like Chicago and New Haven, Conn., the hometowns of the University of Chicago and Yale, repectively, as a result of college students who can pay higher rents encroaching on formerly middle-class areas, Daugherty said.


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Students suggest new 'wellness dorm'

Members of the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Team are proposing the creation of a new "wellness dorm" that would cater to students interested in healthier living. ADAPT hopes the wellness dorm will provide a substance-free environment where students can participate in programs that will contribute to healthy lifestyles, ADAPT Peer Educator Marc Olsen said.


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Building codes, state laws back living standards

The toilet just flooded, the heat doesn't work, the screen door has been hanging on its hinges since move-in day: For which of these problems is a tenant allowed to take action against his landlord? According to Charlottesville building code, a landlord is required to fix things that break - but within reason. If serious things remain unfixed, the tenant may take action, and in extreme cases, even sue. That means the toilet and the heat must be seen to, but the screen door may continue to hang on its hinges.


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E-school offers new major degree

The Engineering School now is offering students the option of a degree in computer engineering, officials announced yesterday. The Engineering School has been planning to offer a degree in this field for several years, and had been waiting for approval from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, Engineering School officials said.


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Goode leaves Democrats for

U.S. Rep. Virgil Goode (I-5th) announced yesterday that he is leaving the Democratic Party and will run as an Independent in the upcoming November election.

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Latest Podcast

The University’s Orientation and Transition programs are vital to supporting first year and transfer students throughout their entire transition to college. But much of their work goes into planning summer orientation sessions. Funlola Fagbohun, associate director of the first year experience, describes her experience working with OTP and how she strives to create a welcoming environment for first-years during orientation and beyond. Along with her role as associate director, summer Orientation leaders and OTP staff work continually to provide a safe and memorable experience for incoming students.