Mara Lugo

Sigma Chi's Derby Days week of philanthropy events a success

The Sigma Chi fraternity held its annual Derby Days philanthropy event last week, and this year included participation from an independent team, nicknamed Team Three Chopt. "In the past, we've had trouble getting participation from other organizations," said sophomore Ryan Stastny, who serves as philanthropy chairman for the fraternity. "We're glad we were able to expand outside of the Greek community this year," he said. Natasha Berg represented Team Three Chopt in the spelling bee held last Thursday at the Ukrop's Auditorium. All proceeds from the spelling bee event went to Connor's Heroes, a local philanthropy the fraternity has worked with in the past, which provides backpacks to pediatric cancer patients receiving treatment at the Children's Hospital of Richmond, Stastny said. The 12 participants of the spelling bee could be bought back into the competition after one incorrect spelling for a $10 donation, and $20 for subsequent mistakes. The vocabulary ranged from words such as "metamorphosis" and "pomegranate," to the last names of brothers in the fraternity. Berg, who was bought back twice by members of her team, finished second place to Charlotte Denoyer, a member of Pi Beta Phi. Denoyer, who was bought back once by a fellow sorority sister, won the trophy after correctly spelling "Chobanian," the last name of Sigma Chi junior John Chobanian. Donning all black, Team Three Chopt participated in the Powderpuff Football Tournament at the President's Field on Friday afternoon, the final event of the Derby Days week. Senior Lizzie Ruggieri came out to support her team, Team Three Chopt. There were several women in sororities that joined the independent team, said Ruggieri, who is a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma. "We felt like it was time," she said.

Zipcar program expands with addition of third vehicle

The Zipcar program at University of Richmond has recently expanded with the addition of a red Ford Focus, dubbed "Beavis," which now joins two other cars brought to campus with the start of the program during the fall 2011 semester. Over the summer, a representative for the Zipcar company contacted Natalia Green, director for parking services, about the possibility of adding another vehicle to reflect an increase in the number of reservations, Green said. There are currently 385 members of the program at Richmond, including faculty, students and staff, she said. Although Green hoped the new car would be of a slightly bigger model, the hatchback-style sedan stayed within the goal of remaining environmentally friendly, she said. The three cars are stationed next to Westhampton Lake, which might make it obvious for prospective students and their families that bringing a car to campus is not a necessity, Green said. Before to the addition of the new car, there were occasions when the Zipcar vehicles were not easily accessable without booking far in advance, freshman Alex Beman said. "It's been useful when they are available," he said.

Honor Week 2013 incorporates guest speakers

The University of Richmond Honor Council held its annual Honor Week last week at Jepson Hall, with new programming that included a guest speaker from Harvard University and a business panel on ethics. The Honor Council carried out its traditional events, with a mock hearing performed by members of the councils on Tuesday, and a screening of the movie, "School Ties," on Thursday to conclude the week's festivities. Because the Honor Council operates under a two-strike system, the group tries to be both educational and punitive, said senior Lacie Horak, the previous chairwoman for the Westhampton College Honor Council. During Honor Week 2013 the councils wanted to emphasize the educational component by raising awareness about statutes, what the honor code is and what the honor council does for the community, Horak said.

Men's lacrosse beats GW with strong third quarter

University of Richmond's men's lacrosse team regained a solid lead during Saturday's game against George Washington University after returning from halftime one goal behind the Colonials. Stronger playing during the third quarter in particular allowed the Spiders to advance from a 7-7 tie and close with a 14-7 win. Most of the year, the team typically has struggled to maintain its endurance in the third quarter, senior Clay Palmer said. But the Spiders silenced the Colonials as soon as freshman Greg Stern delivered an underhand shot while he was falling down, which brought the score to 8-7. From that point on, the Spiders kept up a strong defense and continued to make goals until the final 7 seconds, with Palmer making the last shot. The win was significant for Richmond because the team had lost five of its six prior games, Palmer said. The game also marked an important victory for the Spiders because both teams are currently in the South Eastern Lacrosse Conference, which is part of the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association league, Palmer said. "With the win this weekend, we are now 3-1 in the SELC, and if we continue to win in the SELC, we will go to our conference tournament in Atlanta," he said. Last month, the athletic department announced that the men's lacrosse team had joined the Atlantic Sun Conference as an affiliate member, starting in the spring of 2014, when the team officially shifts into an NCAA Division I sport. Despite the slow start during Saturday's game, Richmond was confident that the team could deliver during the second half, given the smaller number of players on George Washington's team. "They had a small bench so we knew that if we played a fast game, we'd tire them out, and that's what happened in the second half," coach Glenn Carter said. Nevertheless, freshman Matt Potolicchio said that the Colonials had a great performance during the first half.

Roosevelt Institute to host justice film festival

The Roosevelt Institute is hosting its second annual social justice film festival at the Greek Theatre, and this year's topics include sexual assault in the military, public hospital emergency rooms, cyber hacking activism and the war on drugs. The event, dubbed Documentaries in the Greek, will begin at 7:30 p.m.

Robins Center renovations plan approved by board of trustees

Although the details are still in the works, the University of Richmond board of trustees recently approved plans for the remaining $13.6 million of a $15 million proposal to upgrade the Robins Center, university architect Andrew McBride said. Over the summer, $1.4 million was spent to improve existing facilities associated with the basketball and football programs, McBride said.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author gives advice to students

An audience of about 250 people, primarily comprising of students, attended a guest lecture by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Junot Diaz on Tuesday at the Jepson Alumni Center. Diaz was the second speaker in the Performing Texts series, which is sponsored by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Princeton Review recognizes UR in list of best-value schools

The Princeton Review has included the University of Richmond on its list of 75 best-value private universities for the 10th year in a row. The publication selected Richmond for having the academic opportunities of larger universities, with the advantages of being a smaller liberal arts college. "The value proposition and the return on investment is very high here at the university," said Gil Villanueva, assistant vice president and dean of admission. Despite the economic downfall since 2008, the university administration continues to add to the campus, particularly to the academic enterprise, he said. Construction and renovations totaling almost $90 million and a growing faculty size that has reduced the student-teacher ratio to 8-1, are evidence of the university's effort to enhance the value of students' educational experience, Villanueva said. Richmond's dedication to financial aid support was emphasized as another top factor toward the recognition of the university as a best-value institution. "Our commitment to financial aid that ensures Richmond's exceptional experience remains accessible to qualified students, regardless of their financial circumstances," President Edward Ayers said, in to information provided by the university administrators. Richmond has a need-blind admission policy and promises to meet 100 percent of demonstrated need. "This is a very expensive proposition for many institutions," Villanueva said.

Justice Carrico remembered for dedication to UR law students

Justice Harry L. Carrico loved University of Richmond so much that his family arranged for his funeral to be held at the Cannon Memorial Chapel on Friday, where a large crowd came to honor the longest-serving Virginia Supreme Court jurist. "The church was full of the highest dignitaries from the state, as well as people of all different walks of life," law professor Clark Williams said.

Male cheerleader is the squad's first in more than a decade

University of Richmond freshman Joseph Berselli joins presidents Ronald Reagan, Franklin Roosevelt, Dwight D.

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