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Winter's reduced light leaves people feeling SAD

Every year the holiday season brings many Americans tidings of sorrow and loneliness rather than peace and good cheer. About 20 percent of Americans suffer from some sort of increased depression during the wintertime, and 5 percent of Americans endure symptoms of severe depression during the winter months, Asst.


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U-Guides introduce tour about women, minorities

The University Guide Service is introducing a new tour focusing on the history of women and minorities in an effort to integrate more inclusive history into its tours. Still in its preliminary stages, the new tour was given to a few small groups of students, administrators, faculty and staff members yesterday. Tour organizers said they have not decided when the tours will be given in the future, but are planning on making them available regularly starting next semester. Peter Yu, assistant dean in the Office of African-American Affairs, attended one of the tours and applauded the Guide Service's initiative. "It's a good alternative for minority students to learn about their past presence at the University," Yu said. All students could benefit from this information, he said. "It's a good and natural learning experience," he added. Asst.


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Charlottesville and Albemarle County officials continue to negotiate problems in their fire services contract as the December deadline for renewal approaches.


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University officials question state faculty salary goals even after funding increase

A 6.5 percent increase in state funding for faculty salaries went into effect Thanksgiving Day, but questions remain over whether this boost will be enough to keep the University on top of its competitors. The increase is the final step in a state plan to bring the average faculty salary up to the 60th percentile of the average salary among its peer group institutions, which include Boston University, Duke University and the University of California at Berkeley, among others (see box). Members of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, who proposed the 60th percentile benchmark in the late 1980s, created the peer institution list. But University and state officials disagree over whether the 60th percentile truly is the best target for which to aim. "I don't think the 60th percentile is an adequate goal.


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Burress reinstated, can wear $8 button

James English, senior director of Nutrition Services at the University Health System, announced yesterday that Hospital cafeteria employee Richelle Burress will be reinstated and that she would be allowed to wear her $8 pin to work. Burress was asked to leave her job last Wednesday because she refused to remove a pin that supported the living wage campaign, a campaign to raise the minimum wage of all University and contracted employees.


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Officials work for more Interstate 81 safety

Intimidating traffic and severe accidents on state roadways, especially Interstate 81, have prompted state and federal government officials to take steps toward improving highway safety. High traffic volumes on I-81 have attracted the attention of U.S.


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Senate members deliberate

Representatives from Dining Services and the Faculty Senate met Nov. 18 to discuss the state of the Garden Room dining facility, which opened last fall to help foster the Faculty Senate "intellectual community" initiative. Robert Grainger, Faculty Senate Academic Affairs Committee chair, said the meeting's participants focused on thinking of new ways to revitalize the Garden Room rather than whether to close it. "The meeting wasn't to decide the ultimate fate of the Garden Room - it was more of a serious look at how we stand," Grainger said. Dining Services Director Edward Gutauskas said he discussed "what might be done differently to reduce costs." "The Faculty Senate [has] a real interest in it staying open," Gutauskas said. Faculty Senate Chairman David T.


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Out-of-state tuition supports salaries

How is a University student's tuition determined and where does it go? As the University's two-volume budget reveals, tuition comprises about 22 percent of the total revenue for the 1999-2000 fiscal year, a number weighing in at $719.9 million. The tuition cost for Virginia residents is determined first at the state level in the Governor's Office. "It starts with the governor and legislators who set broad tuition legislation," said Colette Sheehy, University vice president for management and budget. The Board of Visitors, which must approve tuition, then looks at factors such as national and state rank of the school as well as how many tax dollars the state will provide to the school, Sheehy said. Last year, the Board moved to cut Virginia residents' tuition by 20 percent from the previous year. When Gov.


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Project consolidates informational systems

In the next five years, the ISIS man may become a thing of the past. The Integrated Systems Project, a five-year effort to overhaul the University's administrative software, advanced from its planning stages to implementation today.


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Budget reveals allocation priorities

From the English Department with a yearly budget of over $5 million to the Women's Studies Department with its share of the budgetary pie at just over $200,000, University allocation of funds to different departments is influenced by several factors. Department size, the technology it uses, and the faculty it attracts all contribute to how money is allocated.


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Vandals damage student artwork, Buddha figures

Following the vandalism of a Chinese mosaic outside Brown College last Tuesday night, the University students who worked on the project hope to put the incident behind them and finish building the piece. The vandalism occurred between 12:30 and 1 a.m.


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Blue Ribbon Commission calls for funding changes

Gov. James Gilmore, III's (R) Blue Ribbon Commission on Higher Education is recommending that all state public institutions of higher learning should receive funding based on how well the colleges and universities meet performance standards.


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Hospital employee fights to wear pin

The Labor Action Group sent letters to two top administrators yesterday to request support for a University Hospital cafeteria employee's right to wear an $8 living wage campaign pin under freedom of speech laws. Richelle Burress, a Hospital cafeteria cashier, was sent home Wednesday after refusing to remove her $8 pin.


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Center gets $1 million in funds for youth program

The Center for Governmental Studies will receive $1 million in funding from the federal government to use to further develop its Youth Leadership Initiative -- a program designed to introduce young people to politics. The million-dollar appropriation was attached as a part of the Department of Education's budget for the 2000 fiscal year, Center Program Director Alex Theodoridis said. But the government funding is less than half of the amount needed to implement the Initiative on a state-wide level, Youth Leadership Initiative Director Ken Stroupe said.


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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.