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Breneman gives testimony before Senate committee

By Shelley Johnson | February 10, 2000

Education School Dean David W. Breneman spoke to the United State Senate's Committee on Governmental Affairs yesterday, addressing the rising cost of college tuition and the effectiveness of government financial aid. Breneman prefaced his written testimony with the admonition that the media focuses too much attention and criticism on a "relatively small number of the highest-priced private colleges and universities, enrolling a tiny share of the nation's college students." He said the media has sensationalized the upward trend in the cost of higher education and unnecessarily has made parents and students "terrified" about paying for college. He added that he believes public universities and community colleges are quite affordable and offer extremely reasonable tuition rates, in contrast to the high-priced private colleges and universities the media often targets. Breneman said one of the main causes of the debate over college tuition is that "higher education doesn't have any absolute standards on how much they should spend on educating a student.

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Bush stresses youth activism in politics

By Emily Roper | February 10, 2000

In a packed Newcomb Hall Ballroom yesterday morning, former First Lady Barbara Bush appealed to students and community members to involve themselves in politics, reminding them to "pay attention, get involved, and never stop saying, 'Yes, I can.'" Bush, accompanied by Virginia's first lady, Roxanne Gilmore, spoke to a standing-room-only crowd on issues like her experience as a first lady and the role of today's youth in politics. "I came to encourage you to learn as much as you can about this great democracy," Bush said.

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College grad students earn lower salaries

By Katherine Zinder | February 9, 2000

Wages and stipends for University graduate students vary significantly across and within academic departments, with those in the liberal arts arena earning much lower wages than their colleagues in the sciences. "Graduate students do complain about their level of support.

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Sisson forms committee for dean search

By Jaime Levi | February 9, 2000

The Office of the Dean of Students is forming a search committee this week to replace Asst. Dean of Students Michelle Samuels, who announced last month she will leave the University at the end of the semester. Assoc.

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Council seeks legislative funding

By Sarah Marchetti | February 9, 2000

Student Council members traveled to Richmond Monday to seek funding from legislators for University renovations and construction. Legislative Committee Co-Chairman James Johnson said the committee picked five projects to take to the General Assembly. The projects include funding for the renovation of Fayerweather Hall, construction of a new studio art building and reducing the maintenance backlog. Before traveling to Richmond, the Legislative Affairs Committee consulted Nancy Rivers - executive assistant to Collette Sheehy, vice president for management and budget - to discuss what areas of the University need more funding. Related Links Student Council &nbsp Committee members paired off at the General Assembly offices before setting out to speak with the senators and delegates from their home districts.

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Posters educate first years about alcohol

By Jaime Levi | February 9, 2000

In order to curtail high-risk drinking among first-year students, the Office of Health Promotion has been placing posters featuring facts about alcohol and other drugs in bathroom stalls of first-year dormitories, after a survey showed that students may have a misperception of the level of alcohol use at the University. The series is entitled "U.Va.'s The Real Grounds" and includes seven different posters that will be rotated about every month. The posters are part of a social norms campaign begun in 1998. Social norms marketing is the attempt to raise awareness about various social behaviors, including alcohol and drug use, to University students. University Social Marketing Coordinator Elena Bertolotti said the campaign began because there is a "tendency among people in general to misperceive the amounts of drinking and smoking among their peers." One of the posters instructs how to care for an intoxicated person; another describes the symptoms of alcohol poisoning. The posters are based on a survey conducted last year of 888 random first-year students. Students responded that they drink on average between zero and four drinks per week. Students also indicated that they believe other University students drink about 10 drinks per week, Bertolotti said. Despite the high number, she said she said the results are in line with national numbers. The results of the survey were used to determine the common misperceptions about smoking and alcohol among students and what information first years may need to have to combat them. In addition, some Resident Staff members received training about social norms. Reaction to the posters among first-year students has been mixed, Bertolotti said. "Some students don't trust the data," she said, but there has been some positive feedback. First-year Architecture student Katie James said she has seen the posters and thinks they carry a powerful message. She said the location of the posters ensures she will read them.

News

Daugherty describes hopes for city future

By Michael Loatman | February 8, 2000

In her State of the City address at the City Council meeting last night, Charlottesville Mayor Virginia Daugherty said she hopes to see a decrease in the number of private homes being rented out as apartments as well as an increase in the quality of life."We have seen a trend toward an increase in rental homes.

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Number of black applicants declines by over 25 percent

By Jacqueline Roper | February 8, 2000

According to recent statistics by the Office of Institutional Assessment and Studies, the number of black applicants for fall admission to the University dropped by 326 applications, or 25.3 percent, from the previous year, prompting University-wide concern. Although the overall number of applications dropped 16 percent - from 17,090 in 1999 to this year's 14,298 - the significant drop among black applicants has led to alarm among some faculty. African-American Affairs Dean M.

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Blue Ribbon issues new proposals

By John Teschner | February 8, 2000

After 18 months of deliberation, Gov. James S. Gilmore III's (R) Blue Ribbon Commission on Higher Education has recommended that colleges and universities be more accountable to the state government in terms of academic performance. Although each college and university across the Commonwealth conducts self evaluations in the areas of administration and academics, they are not required to release their findings to the public, Commission Chairman Edward Flippen said. Right now "there isn't a lack of accountability, but it's all internal," Flippen said. The lynchpin of the Commission's recommendations is the establishment of "institutional performance agreements" for every public institution.

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CD selects Bednar as editor-in-chief

By Meg Scheu | February 7, 2000

After almost 21 hours of debate and discussion in Jefferson Hall Saturday, the Cavalier Daily staff elected its 111th Managing Board and new leaders. The staff elected third-year College student Thomas A.

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IFC board creates pledge study halls

By Maria Tor | February 7, 2000

The Inter-Fraternity Council presidents' council and executive board voted Thursday to institute mandatory weekly study halls for fraternity pledges. Each fraternity house will be required to send its pledges to one of three two-hour study halls in one of the auditoriums on Grounds. Attendance will be monitored by the IFC governing board. IFC Scholarship Chairman Dave Katz said he hopes the study hall program will emphasize the value of academics in the Greek system. "This will start a habit that every fraternity man will carry throughout his four years at the University," Katz said. The program should be implemented within the next two weeks, he said. IFC President Wes Kaupinen said the study halls will provide added structure to the pledging process. "This program will help ensure the continued academic success of fraternity members," Kaupinen said. Kaupinen said the decision was "very, very close to unanimous" but declined to comment on both the vote count and on how many fraternities voted against the proposal. "It puts the kids pledging together in an atmosphere away from the brothers to get their work done," said Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity president Todd Marsh.

News

Honor questions seriousness clause

By John McArdle | February 7, 2000

The Honor Committee discussed the possibility of removing the seriousness clause from some types of Honor cases at its meeting last night. Now, if the Committee finds a student guilty of cheating that student may not be dismissed from the University if the trial panel views the act of cheating as trivial. By removing the seriousness clause from honor offenses involving cheating, a student brought up on charges would only need to be found guilty on act and intent to be found guilty of the offense.

News

Darden group backs corporate ethics

By Katie Archer | February 7, 2000

Using the eco-friendly example of the trendy European-based furniture company, IKEA, a group of students from the Darden School are working toward encouraging socially responsible business practices. Students for Responsible Business, a Darden student group formed in 1994, is a chapter of the national organization, Net Impact, a network of emerging business leaders committed to using the power of business to create a better world through ethical practices. From 1982 to 1992, IKEA faced a crisis. Formaldehyde emissions from the particleboard and lacquer used on its bookshelves exceeded regulation limits. Sales dropped significantly and the company drew negative attention from the outside world.

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Council alters plans for graduate elections

By Margaret Chipowsky | February 7, 2000

Student Council has decided to provide the University's graduate schools with an opportunity to schedule and conduct their own elections for Council, Honor and Judiciary Committee representatives. Previously Council scheduled both graduate and undergraduate elections to be held at the same time, but Council leaders said several factors make it more convenient for the graduate schools to conduct their elections at any time. Vice President for Administration Brock Jolly said Council has been working to provide graduate schools with this option for the last year. The current Elections Committee Co-Chairs, Nancy Peterson and Jonathan Bertsch, made the final decision last week. They sent letters to the governing bodies of the graduate schools, saying that they could schedule their elections for the fall. Jolly said he believes the Darden School and the School of Law may hold their elections in the fall. Darden students only attend for two years, so with the current system of spring elections "the only people who have the opportunity to run for Council are first years," he added. President Taz Turner said holding elections in the fall also will solve another recurring problem - unfilled seats. Turner said unfilled seats now are filled by the graduate school councils in the fall, and fall elections will "eliminate the first step of the process" of trying to fill all the available seats. He also said that he feels fall elections for graduate schools will spark more interest in Council, Honor and the Judiciary Committees as well as greater publicity for running for positions.

News

UNC boosts safety efforts after fire

By Jaime Levi | February 4, 2000

After the fifth fire the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill has seen in recent months, UNC officials are planning to crack down on improper student behavior during fire alarms by issuing criminal citations to students who do not evacuate the building. Dan Jones, UNC's fire chief, said if students do not evacuate a building in which a fire alarm has sounded, they will be charged with a fine ranging from $50 to $148.

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