News

News

Honor keeps grievance panel in 7-7-1 vote

By Edward Hock | September 13, 1999

Honor Committee Chairman Hunter Ferguson broke a tie vote and decided to retain pre-trial grievance panels after the Committee voted 7-7-1 on the issue in its meeting last night. Students are able to appeal cases to a grievance panel after being accused of an honor offense but before going to trial. Ferguson decided against eliminating the panel because the Committee has not fully discussed its merits, he said. Several Committee members expressed concern about the panel because the current bylaws concerning the panel allow the Executive Committee to appoint itself as a grievance panel and dismiss a case.

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Proposed Board plan raises racial concerns

By Rakesh Gopalan | September 13, 1999

In response to growing criticism over the legality of using race as a factor in admissions, the Office of Admissions and the Provost's Office have drawn up a proposal for a summer program to help recruit students from diverse backgrounds. The program, which will target underprivileged and minority middle and high school students, will be a two-week session at the University where students are exposed to various academic and social aspects of the University, Dean of Admissions John A.

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Rue encourages involvement in Hereford residential life

By Christine Buurma | September 13, 1999

Situated on the University's outer fringes, Hereford College has established a reputation as a community unto itself, which was affirmed at last night's convocation for Hereford College students at Runk dining hall. The eight-year old residential college provides programming for residents to give the college a sense of community. "The horizons of Hereford are only beginning to be articulated," Hereford College Principal Daniel Bluestone said. The convocation ceremony included the induction of Hereford fellows, who are deans and professors responsible for "organizing programs that resonate with the people who are living here," Bluestone said. Among the inductees was Dean of Students Penny Rue, who was hired in the spring to replace former Dean of Students Robert T.

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Group plans to finalize cultural board structure

By Rakesh Gopalan | September 10, 1999

A group of students and administrators are finalizing their plans to implement a cultural programming board, which has been allocated more than $30,000 to bring diverse programs to the University. The board will be composed of students and administrators, and will report to William W.

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Faculty disagree with web notes

By Katie Dalton | September 10, 1999

Several Web sites now are offering University students money for posting their course notes on the Internet, a practice University and Honor Committee officials say may challenge the University's ideals of intellectual integrity. Two such sites, www.studentu.com and www.allstudents.com, offer students up to $300 and $400 per semester, respectively.

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Students battle language lab lines

By John Clark | September 10, 1999

The University's newly renovated digital foreign language lab faced growing pains this week as students flooded the center with their first week's assignments. Students were forced to sign up on waitlists and wait up to 20 minutes for a vacant lab computer. The lab was crowded because hours were cut back to accommodate student and faculty training. "Instructors were scheduled to bring in classes as a whole for training," said David T.

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Bloomfield energizes physics

By Tina Hong | September 10, 1999

Are you interested in why balls bounce and planes fly? Many students graduate from the University knowing the answers to these and other questions, all about "How Things Work." Physics Prof.

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Couric criticizes Gilmore policies

By Clark Williams | September 10, 1999

State Sen. Emily Couric, D-Charlottesville, Del. Mitch Van Yahres, D-Charlottesville, and House of Delegates candidate Ed Wayland (D) held a press conference on the steps of the Rotunda yesterday, lambasting Virginia Gov.

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University follows stadium plan

By Thomas Hall | September 10, 1999

Despite recent complaints by Jefferson Park neighborhood residents over the appearance of elements of the Scott Stadium expansion, Board of Visitors members and University administrators said it is unlikely that the Board will initiate any major project facelift. "I don't foresee any action on this item" at the Board's October meeting, University Rector John P.

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Honor questions pre-trial procedures

By Edward Hock | September 9, 1999

Continuing review of the Honor Committee's bylaws has prompted Committee members to question how an honor case should be handled in between the Investigative Panel and the trial stages. Recent discussion has centered on the possibility that a biased Executive Committee could abuse their power by unjustly dismissing a case. "Some cases may be fundamentally unfair to the accused student, and there is the need for a mechanism to dismiss them," Graduate Arts and Sciences Rep.

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Administrators call for more diverse faculty

By Jessie Kokrda | September 9, 1999

(This is the first in a two-part weekly series on faculty diversity) Although a recent study shows that universities and colleges have hired more women and minority faculty members in the last seven years than ever before, University officials say all its departments will have to step up efforts in recruiting or the door of equal opportunity may slide shut. According to an American Association of State Colleges and Universities newsletter, the report, published by the National Center for Education Statistics, shows that faculty who have seven years or less experience tend to be more diverse than faculty with more experience and tenure.

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Sigourney Weaver to attend film fest

By James Aldige | September 9, 1999

Entitled "TechnoVisions," this year's Virginia Film Festival hopes to draw a large audience by featuring big-name actress Sigourney Weaver and Stan Winston, a University alumnus and special effects guru. In contrast to last year's "Cool" theme, the technological aspects of this year's Festival will be "more of a visceral experience" for filmgoers, said Richard Herskowitz, festival director and drama professor. "We're having many more rides and virtual reality experiences ... We're emphasizing movies as thrill rides.

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Sept. 9, 1999 represents first in Y2K problems

By James Tsai | September 9, 1999

If the world hasn't ended when you read this article, then the first hurdle of Y2K has been passed and the lesser-known cousin of Y2K, the September 9, 1999 Problem, has been bypassed. The Y2K problem stems from the fact that in a memory-precious era of computing, only the last two digits of a year are encoded.

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Candidates discuss political platforms

By Jaime Levi | September 9, 1999

The election season is coming on full force at the University, where last night students had an opportunity to hear both Democratic and Republican candidates for state and local offices pitch their platforms. The candidates, who, coincidentally, were invited by the University Democrats and College Republicans on the same night in Cabell Hall, went on to discuss the issues that most concerned them, including education and health care. Ed Wayland, a Democratic candidate for the state House of Delegates, spoke first at a meeting of University Democrats, where he stressed that this election cycle is crucial, since the majority in the Virginia General Assembly is up for grabs.

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Professors investigate natural heart disease defense molecule

By Lisa Ann Kaufman | September 9, 1999

University researchers may shed light onto the body's natural defenses against inflammation of arteries, which ultimately can lead to heart attacks and strokes, in a study published last month in Science. University Biomedical Engineering, Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics professor Dr. Klaus Ley and Dr. Yuqing Huo, began investigating epoxyeicosatrienoic acid -- or EET -- during the summer of 1996. They collaborated with colleagues at Brigham & Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School. EET is a short-lived product of metabolism that can prevent inflammation in heart arteries.

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City residents debate land-swap proposal

By Daniel Rubin | September 9, 1999

Charlottesville residents packed City Council chambers late Tuesday evening, debating for over two hours about a proposed land-swap that would make three acres of park land available for residential development. Local developer Stan Tatem has offered to trade the city nearly 16 acres adjoining Riverview Park for three acres of park land near Pen Park and the Locust Grove neighborhood. Following Tuesday's hearing, which was the first public discussion of the proposal, City Council moved to vote on the issue at their Sept.

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Students, faculty irked by overcrowded classes

By Jacqueline Roper | September 9, 1999

As University students and faculty settle into their second week of classes, many again are faced with overcrowded rooms and long waiting lists -- problems that some faculty members trace to a lack of resources. The College appears to be the hardest hit when it comes to overcrowded classes and the problem especially is prevalent in the government, English and foreign language departments, faculty members said. Robert Fatton, professor and chair of the government and foreign affairs department, recognized the problem, but said his department cannot add enough new courses because it has "exhausted it's money for new sections and" teaching assistants.

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Psychologists delve into virtual world

By Juliana Chan | September 9, 1999

The gadgets in Psychology Prof. Dennis Proffitt's lab don't look like they could be of much use outside of an amusement park.

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New study shows college women risk depression

By Emily Roper | September 8, 1999

Depression is common in about half of all female students as they try to adjust to college life, according to a recent study conducted at UCLA. The study found depression is now more prevalent among first-year females than in any other college population.

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Parking & Transportation reveals large debt in budget

By Amy Shapiro | September 8, 1999

Parking tickets, summonses and even a part of students' tuition help pay for the $10 million debt accrued over the past few years by the University's Dept.