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Aging buildings, gleaming
visions factored into bond package |
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Photo
by Andrew Shurtleff
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| The
current generation of University students will likely see little
benefit from the projects included in this November’s higher
education bond referendum. But as Virginia Gov. Mark Warner
reminded students Monday at a bond rally at the Rotunda, today’s
students are the beneficiaries of a similar bond vote held 10
years ago. He urged the students to be good stewards of the
University for the next generation. |
The signs tell a story.
In
Brooks Hall, where leaks and water damage are a constant problem,
a sign outside a restroom reads: “Archival material is in the
room below. DO NOT get water on the floor.”
In
New Cabell Hall, the ceiling in one classroom is spotted with four
pizza-size brown splotches from leaks. One looks fresh.
“For
classroom repair, please dial ‘FIXIT’ 3-4948,” says
a sign by the door.
There’s no sign outside an office in Cocke Hall. The space
reeks of mildew, despite the rattle of a dehumidifier going full
blast in the corner. Because of the conditions, the professor prefers
to hang his hat at Alderman Library, said Joe Grasso, associate
dean of planning and operations for the College of Arts & Sciences.
“Many
faculty work at home because of the poor conditions,” Grasso
said during a summertime tour of the facilities. That makes it more
difficult for students to drop by and undercuts a sense of community
among faculty.
Brooks,
New Cabell and Cocke halls are not included in a Nov. 5 bond referendum
that would provide $68.3 million for projects at U.Va. and $846
million for educational facilities around the state. But the plight
of these and other buildings is symptomatic of why officials say
the issue is so vital to U.Va. and other schools in the Commonwealth.
Full story.
Board of
Visitors, University departments chip in
$6 million fund to bridge gaps
By Anne Bromley
Using
creativity and efficiency, U.Va. administrators have rounded up
$6 million to retain faculty and support graduate students, President
John T. Casteen III told Faculty Senate members at their annual
fall retreat Sept. 13.
In
addition to the Board of Visitors’ commitment of $4 million
from the unrestricted endowment, several self-supporting units of
the University will chip in to address academic needs in these tough
financial times.
Casteen
said Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Leonard
W. Sandridge “took up a collection” from auxiliary services.
The housing division, the University Bookstore, the athletics and
intramural recreation departments, Parking & Transportation
and Student Health came up with a combined $1 million to soften
the effects of the state’s budget reductions. In addition,
the University Real Estate Foundation is chipping in a $1 million
surplus from its earnings.
“The
$6 million will go to core programs,” Casteen said — to
protect undergraduate teaching, course offerings and sections, to
aid in retaining faculty and to provide ways to start new programs
that are essential to U.Va.’s mission. The president said he
would like to be able to reward extraordinary faculty efforts, as
had been done before with a donation from late David A. Harrison
III, for example. “I would like to go back to that model,”
Casteen said.
The
College of Arts & Sciences will be the fund’s main beneficiary
because that it is the most dependent on state funds for operations,
he said. Full story.
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