Author: roxana-mullafiroze

Local Toyota dealership cancels press conference

In light of Toyota’s massive recall of 2.3 million vehicles last week due to a sticking accelerator pedal in eight of its car models, local Toyota dealers have sought to address the issue and allay consumer concerns. [A complete list of models is here.] Brown Automotive, located on Pantops Mountain, released a statement yesterday, after Toyota informed dealers that sales of recalled models should be temporarily suspended.

“Toyota has not notified us on the specific repairs for this problem, though we are aware that this recall will affect many of the consumers in our area,” said Jay Malone, director of sales for Brown Automotive. The release also mentions that Toyota has begun sending notices to owners that may be affected by the recall. Local owners are instructed to contact Lynn Yoder, Brown’s service manager, with any questions regarding the matter. She can be reached via e-mail at lyoder@brownautos.com.

Additionally, Brown scheduled a press conference to be held this morning. Upon arrival at the dealership, however, C-VILLE learned that the conference had been unexpectedly canceled; employees on-hand were unsure of when it will be rescheduled. Calls to Malone and Brown’s director of marketing, Jamie Schwartz, were not immediately returned.

 

Charlottesville unemployment rate decreases slightly

The Virginia Employment Commission’s latest Monthly Unemployment data released yesterday shows favorable statistics regarding October employment rates.
 
Compared to September, Virginia’s October actual jobless rate has decreased to 6.3 percent from 6.5 percent—the lowest rate yet in 2009. The rate has been declining since June, then 7.3 percent.  The seasonally adjusted rate remained at 6.6 percent between September and October.
 
Virginia continues to keep unemployment rates below the national average, which was 10.2 percent for October. The state’s seasonally adjusted rate is the seventh best among all states.
 
Charlottesville’s jobless rate has decreased between September and October as well, declining from 5.5 percent to 5.3 percent. The number of jobless individuals for October is at 5,570, down from 5,790.
 
According to the release, a large part of October job gains came from public and private schools and universities that were staffing for the fall semester.
 
Local government, education and health services, and professional and business services all saw increased hires. Leisure and hospitality, construction, and manufacturing, on the other hand, saw employment reductions.
 

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The ten priciest commercial properties for sale in Charlottesville and Albemarle

The parking lot at the Amtrak station on West Main is up for sale. The hefty 3.4-acre, $13.5-million property includes the unpaved lot, the Amtrak station building and Wild Wings restaurant.

It is no secret that with the current economic downturn, the real estate market has reached new lows, particularly in the commercial sector. The situation is no different in Charlottesville and Albemarle County, where, according to local property broker Benton Downer, the average amount of days that a commercial listing remains on the market has gone up two and a half times in the past year.

“From a commercial development and site-planning perspective, there is very little activity currently because there is very little appetite from the lending community to get behind these projects,” he says.

Office buildings and retail structures have taken the biggest hit in Charlottesville, where vacancy rates are higher than ever.

According to Downer, price reductions are crucial to selling commercial listings; whereas overpricing a listing by 10 percent could still lead to a sale one year ago, it would be impossible to get a property off the market with that strategy today.

However, Downer claims it’s not all gloom and doom. “In the overall scheme of things, Charlottesville is probably a little better off than other areas in the US,” he says. “We’re in better condition locally than we are nationally.”

Below are the 10 priciest commercial properties currently on the market in Charlottesville and Albemarle. They range from a parking lot in a prime city location to the Daily Progress building on Rio Road.

ANOTHER NOTABLE PROPERTY

$1.1 million
901 E. Market St.
3,658 square feet
Former Fuel Co. building/property.
Owner: KM Realty, LLC

1. $13.5 million
    820 W. Main St.
    3.44 acres
    The property includes the Amtrak and Wild Wings buildings.
    Owner: Union Station Partners, LLC

2. $9 million
    1439 Timberwood Blvd.
    54,899 square feet
    Abington Place, a residential high-rise, is located in the Hollymead Town Center development, which is home to Target, Harris Teeter, Panera Bread, Starbucks and the soon-to-be built Kohls.
    Owner: Tribal Properties, LLC

3. $6 million
    110 Avon St.
    34,407 square feet
    Inova Building.
    Owner: Hubbard Properties, LLC

4. $5.75 million
    1807 Seminole Trail
    31,446 square feet
    Office building on 29North. Tenants include Nextel, Stella One Bank.
    Owner: Ryder Enterprises, LLC

5. $4.8 million
    301 W. Main St.
    1.03 acres
    Random Row Books and Ryal’s Furniture—on the corner of Main and Ridge streets.
    Owner: Mooney West Main Street, LLC

6. $4.75 million
    1200 Stoney Ridge Rd.
    34,000 square feet
    Formerly Stock Building Supply.
    Owner: Stoney Ridge Road, LLC

7. $3.99 million
    685 W. Rio Rd. Unit 1
    43,450 square feet
    The Daily Progress Building.
    Owner: Media General Operations

8. $3.6 million
    4257 Seminole Trail
    96,700 square feet
    Badger-Powhatan building, which is currently vacant.
    Owner: HMC Holdings, LLC

9. $3.325 million
    1565 Avon St. Ext.
    41,888 square feet
    Warehouse/office space.
    Owner: Coyne Delany Company

10. $2.7 million
    722 W. Rio Rd.
    14,300 square feet
    Small shopping center.
    Owner: Balmun, LLC

C-VILLE welcomes news tips from readers. Send them to news@c-ville.com.

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Faculty debate copyrighted works resolution

Over one year after UVA’s Faculty Senate formed its Task Force on Scholarly Publications and Authors’ Rights, debate continues on a resolution regarding copyrights and faculty publications. Though this resolution was expected to be voted on at the Senate’s last meeting of the semester on November 20, lack of consensus pushed the vote back until next semester.

Brian Pusser, chair of the Task Force and professor in the Curry School of Education, says that the resolution in question would require every faculty member at the University to submit an addendum to his or her contract with a publisher. “The repository will bring attention to the scholarship of faculty at the University of Virginia,” he says. “It will also help students build a community of scholarship with students at other universities, based on what is put in the repositories.”

“A simple majority vote would not provide the legitimacy that transformative legislation requires,” says Brian Pusser, chair of the Task Force and professor in the Curry School of Education. The resolution in question would require every faculty member at the University to submit an addendum to his or her contract with a publisher. Essentially, the supplement keeps the publisher from possessing exclusive rights to faculty’s works and allows the original author more negotiation rights, compared with the contract currently in place.  

A second component of this resolution is aimed at creating an Open Access Program at UVA, centered on an online repository for scholarly publications. This repository will operate as a database of scholarly works that is open to the general public. Articles will be placed in it only 12 months after being published in an academic journal. Those wanting to opt out would have to submit a waiver, most likely in the form of an e-mail. 

By modifying the standard contract currently in place between faculty authors and scholarly publications, authors would be given more options for using their work in a noncommercial manner, such as in the classroom or for further research.   

Post-publication uses of scholarly works usually include distributing articles to students and colleagues electronically, posting works on course websites such as UVA’s collaboration site UVaCollab, printing works in course packets without fear of violating publishers’ contracts, and most broadly, allowing the free flow of information to the public. “The repository will bring attention to the scholarship of faculty at the University of Virginia,” Pusser says. “It will also help students build a community of scholarship with students at other universities, based on what is put in the repositories.”  

The Task Force consulted a variety of disciplines and schools throughout the process and found two main areas of dissatisfaction: the mandatory nature of the resolution and the implementation of the repository. These concerns came up at the November 20 meeting. A common theme appeared to be a desire for a discipline-specific approach to the issue. For example, representatives from the Physics and Mathematics departments explained that much of their research is collaborative with non-UVA faculty, and as such, coordinating publication contracts across multiple institutions would be difficult and an added burden.  

Another concern comes from faculty in the School of Architecture and the department of Art History. While the repository would be text-only, professors from these disciplines rely on illustrations to convey their work. Thus, they would be forced to opt out of the open access network. The next step for the Task Force is to consider the comments from the Senate meeting and to draft a new resolution, perhaps with the assistance of those faculty members in opposition. The Task Force expects to present an updated resolution that is quite different when the Senate reconvenes in February 2010.

C-VILLE welcomes news tips from readers. Send them to news@c-ville.com.

UVA Faculty Senate approves Masters degree in Middle Eastern and South Asian Studies

The Faculty Senate at the University of Virginia voted unanimously in support of creating a Masters degree in Middle Eastern and South Asian (MESA) Studies at its last meeting of the semester on November 20.

The Senate Academic Affairs Committee, chaired by Commerce professor Robert Kemp, presented the proposal to the Senate and claimed full support of its passage.

Prior to the vote, the floor was opened for questions directed at Daniel Lefkowitz, Chair of the MESA Department. Lefkowitz explained that the Masters program will not seek additional resources and will satisfy a sufficient demand.

Given the interdisciplinary nature of MESA studies, the bulk of the graduate course of study will come from classes in other academic disciplines, from politics and history to religious studies and anthropology. Furthermore, current upper-level language courses (500-level and higher) already grant credit to graduate students.

As a result, no new faculty hires in the MESA Department will be needed.

“Introduction of masters students will be a win-win situation,” says Lefkowitz. “Graduate students will enrich their knowledge of language skills while also increasing the vitality of courses with the added interest.”

This proposal has been in the works for a couple of years. Now, with the unanimous endorsement of the Faculty Senate, the proposal will be presented to the Board of Visitors in the coming months.

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Honor Committee to vote on definition of plagiarism

In response to a recent spate of plagiarism cases at the University, several members of the Honor Committee have introduced various proposals this fall that are aimed at improving educational resources available to students and ensuring that the integrity of the trial process is maintained aboard Semester at Sea voyages that are managed by UVA and include students from other schools.

Misrepresentation versus misquotation

JJ Litchford, vice chair for community relations on the Honor Committee, has drafted a resolution seeking to redefine “plagiarism” in the Committee’s Green Book, an educational manual detailing the standards and policies of UVA’s Honor Code.

Litchford’s proposal attempts to clarify plagiarism, particularly with regards to paraphrasing, which is where most students face honor allegations. Litchford wants to emphasize the deliberate intent of a student, rather than focusing on improper citation, which often is a product of unfamiliarity with correct research methods.  “The current definition is distractingly centered around citation,” says Litchford.

Barbara Pierson and Brent Routman, parents of expelled students on the Semester at Sea, have both addressed the Committee this fall, urging them to focus on intent when determining guilt. However, a central criticism of the proposal is the greater level of subjectivity that comes with determining the intent of a student.  The proposal was slated to be voted on November 8, but due to proposed changes, it was expected at press time to be revisited at a later date.

The Community of Trust at sea

In 2006, UVA became the new academic sponsor for the 80-year-old Semester at Sea (SAS) program.

Two years later, Mark Gruntz and Allison Routman, students at California Baptist University and Ohio University respectively, were found guilty aboard an SAS voyage for allegedly plagiarizing movie plot summaries from Wikipedia. They were sent home. This incident triggered a debate on whether UVA’s stringent Honor Code has a place in the SAS program, where not all students are familiar with the single-sanction policy. Additionally, these students are not qualified to fulfill the duties of the Honor Committee, which is not aboard ship, making it difficult to replicate the Community of Trust found on the Charlottesville campus.

In Gruntz and Routman’s case, a panel of professors assumed the Committee’s role in investigating and sentencing the students.

Seeking to address these limitations, David Truetzel, chair of the Honor Committee, has proposed a two-trial system for SAS. Under this model, a student convicted of an honor offense at sea has 30 days to request additional proceedings in Charlottesville.

“We can give [students] what we have here, but we can only do that if they’re here,” said Truetzel. “The process on the ship is appropriate for what is going on aboard the ship, but it’s not good enough to kick someone out of UVA.” In general, student opposition to the proposals does not appear to be prevalent. “I haven’t felt like there is a huge movement one way or the other,” said Truetzel. The Cavalier Daily reports that committee voted 20-0 in favor of Truetzel’s proposal.

C-VILLE welcomes news tips from readers. Send them to news@c-ville.com.

UVA appoints Eugene Schutt associate dean for arts and sciences development

The University of Virginia has appointed Eugene Schutt as the associate dean for development in the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, according to a press release from the University.

Schutt, of Charlottesville, will oversee the Arts & Sciences development office. This office is currently working to raise $500 million for the Campaign for the University of Virginia, which has a goal to raise $3 billion by December 31, 2011. The good news? They’re almost there. Last September, the campaign reached the $2 billion milestone.

A business executive for 20 years, Schutt has most recently served as president and CEO of Citicorp Trust Bank, a Citigroup company. He was also the president of Avco Financial Services Inc. and Pratt Industries Inc. prior to working with Citigroup.

An alumnus of UVA, Schutt received a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1975.

“It’s a great honor to be asked to serve the University at a time when economic stresses require new ideas,” said Schutt in the press release. “As an alum, I view this opportunity as a call to service.”
 

UVA Honor Committee votes to change Semester at Sea trial procedures

According to the Cavalier Daily, last night, the UVA Honor Committee unanimously voted to approve a proposal drafted by Committee Chair David Truetzel that would modify trial procedures of the Semester at Sea program for students who are found guilty of an honor offense on board the ship.

Prior to the amendment, a ruling made aboard the ship would determine whether a student was dismissed from the SAS program, as well as whether a student would be dismissed from the University.

For non-UVA students, a guilty verdict would also prohibit them from applying to UVA in the future.

The proposal that has been passed now allows students found guilty aboard the ship 30 days to request additional Honor Committee proceedings in Charlottesville to determine their future at UVA. However, the second trial on campus cannot reverse or alter the students’ dismissal from the SAS program.

For more on the Honor Committee’s vote, see the story in tomorrow’s UVA section.

Landlords and UVA create fund to help students with disabilities

In an effort to make off-campus housing more accessible to students with disabilities, UVA’s Office of Off-Grounds Housing, Wade Apartments, Woodard Properties, and GrandMarc at the Corner have come together to help students pay for necessary apartment modifications.

According to UVA Today, each party contributed $500 towards a fund that will aid disabled students in purchasing devices like bed shakers, flashing door lights, bathroom rails and modified door frames.

In the past, students have resorted to paying for their own modifications, said Vickie Hawes, director of the Office of Off-Grounds Housing.

Hawes also noted that Student Council’s Diversity Initiatives Committee has been the driving force behind establishing this program. The Council revealed the program at its meeting on Tuesday, amidst the University’s Disabilities Awareness Week.

The Office of Off-Grounds Housing and Student Council committee anticipate other local landlords contributing to this fund in the future.
 

 

UVA Board of Visitors begins review of potential presidents

The Special Committee on the Nomination of a President met in an open session Tuesday, followed by a private executive session to begin reviewing a list of potential candidates for the next university president, according to the Cavalier Daily.
 
Though the creation of a preliminary list of the top five candidates was listed on the executive session agenda, this did not happen, according to University spokesperson Carol Wood. In an effort to conduct as thorough a search as possible, the committee will not confine itself to a strict schedule, says Wood.
 
Before entering into executive session, the committee held an open session to collect input from members of the university community.