February 7, 2013

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Volume 123, No. 68 Distribution 10,000

Serving the University of Virginia community since 1890

The WEEKEND Cavalier Daily Dai EDITION Thursday, February 7, 2013

Check out the National Signing Day Photo Spread on B6

Cuccinelli talks state politics Va. attorney general addresses more than 400 students, discusses electoral college, social issues By Alia Sharif

Cavalier Daily Associate Editor

Jenna Truong | Cavalier Daily

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, the likely Republican nominee for governor, spoke to Prof. Larry Sabato’s introductory politics class Wednesday. Cuccinelli addressed economic policy and took shots at his likely 2013 opponent.

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, a Republican contender in the Virginia governor race, guest lectured at Politics Prof. Larry Sabato’s “Introduction to American Politics” class Wednesday. Sabato began by introducing Cuccinelli, a University alumnus who received a degree in mechanical engineering in 1990, and went on to praise Cuccinelli’s work supporting the University’s Take Back the Night event — an annual event held in support of persons affected by sexual violence.

Cuccinelli first lectured on his responsibilities as attorney general and then opened the floor to students’ questions. He spoke at length about what he believes to be his major accomplishments during his term, including gang violence reduction, fraud prevention for the elderly and cracking down on child pornography. “I heard once that politics is a good thing, and it can be if it is done right,” Cuccinelli said. Students asked Cuccinelli about a range of issues, including proposed changes to how the state distributes electoral votes, paths Please see Cuccinelli, Page A3

U.Va. declared Faculty discuss future No. 1 best value

Sullivan addresses University’s Faculty Senate, Nash fields reform questions

University overtakes Chapel Hill; McDonnell praises Sullivan, BOV, discusses higher education initiative By Kaelyn Quinn

Cavalier Daily Senior Writer The Princeton Review recognized the University as the “Best Value Public College” in the nation in its rankings released Tuesday. The University replaced the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as the top ranked school. U n i v e r s i t y s p o ke s p e r s o n Gregor McCance took the ranking as a sign “the University has been doing things right in terms of fiscal management,” he said. The survey evaluates schools

in 30 different areas, including cost of attendance, financial aid and the average debt of graduating fourth years. The University does not face an easy task in creating highquality, affordable education. It must balance tightened budget constraints and the need to provide students with financial aid, quality instruction and research opportunities, McCance said. In addition, the University is often competing with better-funded private institutions, University PresiPlease see Ranking, Page A3

Dillon Harding | Cavalier Daily

Faculty Senate Chair George Cohen, above, spoke to University faculty and staff at a meeting in the Harrison Auditorium Wednesday evening. The group heard from Sullivan, who addressed strategic planning initiatives.

By Julia Horowitz

Cavalier Daily Senior Writer

Dillon Harding | Cavalier Daily

The University took over the number one spot in the Princeton Review’s Best Value ranking, which was released Tuesday.

University President Teresa Sullivan spoke about the University’s strategic planning process at Wednesday’s Faculty Senate meeting , where she addressed what it meant to be a public university. “I would like to see us a little more aspirational,” Sullivan said. “When you’re already at the top of a lot of ratings, that can be hard. But [we have to ask], how can we still be the school everyone still wants to be at in five years? Ten years?” Sullivan spoke of the need to train a new international generation and of the University’s role in moving higher education forward. “Thomas Jefferson founded this university with the goal to create an educated citizenry, which gives us a clear sense of

tive among recruiters, echoed Sullivan’s calls for modern, relevant education. Commerce Prof. Trey Maxham explained the importance of having an advanced mathematical modeling skill set in today’s financial market . Maxham emphasized the importance of giving University students every possible edge as the finance world shifts from big banks to smaller firms. “Recruiters expressed increasing need for students to have these more advanced skills,” Maxham said. “Students themselves have been coming to [our] faculty and asking for them to offer tools for develop this broader set of skills.” The Faculty Senate also approved a new B.S. degree in astronomy. The program would replace the current B.A. in

purpose today,” Sullivan said. “Increasingly, we will be training not only national but also global leaders.” As the University ventures forward with a partnership with online-learning provider Coursera, Sullivan reaffirmed the school’s commitment to a more personal brand of education. As massive open online courses, or MOOCs, enter the market, Sullivan emphasized the importance of maintaining the value of a degree earned on Grounds. “Not to say we won’t engage with new technology, but the metaphor of the Academical Village tells us about something about the importance of faceto-face learning,” Sullivan said. Faculty Senate members, who at the meeting approved a new quantitative finance track, or concentration, for Commerce School students to stay competi-

Please see Faculty, Page A3

Sullivan absent from gun control petition 350 College Presidents representing 13 percent of public, private institutions, sign firearms safety statement, loophole enters discussion By Emily Hutt Cavalier Daily News Editor A group of 350 college presidents signed a letter to U.S. legislators Monday advocating for gun control reform. The petition follows a week of contention within the Virginia legislature, in which a Senate committee eventually rejected a recent gun control measure designed to close

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the so-called gun show loophole. University President Teresa Sullivan did not sign the document. The group – College Presidents for Gun Safety – formed after the shootings of 26 students and educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut in December. The organization is made up of college presidents

from across the United States of all political affiliations, according to its website. Signers of the letter represent about 13 percent of public and private institution presidents. The organization appeared with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan Monday in Washington to advocate for gun control reform. In the letter, the

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college presidents pledged to oppose legislation allowing guns on school campuses and asked legislators to ban military style, semi-automatic assault weapons and end the gun show loophole — a section of current law that requires only licensed dealers, not private sellers, to obtain background checks on buyers at gun shows.

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“The time has long since passed for silence and inaction on the issue of reasonable and rational gun safety legislation,” the group said in the letter. Further measures to increase gun control, such as those proposed by the college presidents, would be largely ineffective, said

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Please see Guns, Page A3

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