The Cavalier Daily
Serving the University Community Since 1890

Jessie Kokrda


Educators criticize boards' allegiance

Some prominent proponents of higher education, including former University Rector Hovey S. Dabney, are suggesting that Virginia collegiate Boards of Visitors members could ensure quality education more effectively if members were not appointed solely by the governor. In an opinion article printed yesterday in The Washington Post, Dabney and three other authors warned that appointed board members should not follow governor's orders with "slavish obedience," but should be guided by the will of the Virginia constituency.

Administrators strive for diversified faculty

(This is the second article in a two-part series on faculty diversity.) As the University continues to strive to recruit a more diverse faculty, administrators are finding their efforts thwarted by limited hiring pools and difficulties in retaining minority faculty. The 1998 Equal Opportunity Plan, conducted annually by the Office of Institutional Assessment and Studies, stated that since 1994 the University has increased the number of women faculty in all areas of Arts and Sciences and Education while the number of women has remained unchanged or declined in Commerce, Law and Medicine.

Administrators call for more diverse faculty

(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.

SAT soon could record social factors

To help colleges and universities with the sticky admissions process, the Educational Testing Service, the company behind the SAT, may soon label high-scoring students who have overcome adverse social backgrounds as "strivers." The system still is in the research stages, but anti-affirmative action activists fear the acceptance of a model which takes into account a student's race. Using survey questions at the beginning of the test, the system would consider 14 factors in determining a student's environment.

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