U.Va. students to seek new rules for civility

By: | Times-Dispatch
Published: March 19, 2009

AROUND CAMPUS

'Miss Manners' Martin to visit U.Va. for event

University of Virginia students hope to bring some civility back to civilization.

"Miss Manners" columnist Judith Martin will join students tomorrow for the launch of "The Civility Project: Where George Washington Meets the 21st Century."

The meeting at 10:30 a.m. in the Dome Room of the Rotunda at U.Va. is open to the public.

As a young man, Washington copied for his own use 110 rules for behavior and conversation. U.Va. students will attempt to set down 110 new rules of civility and manners for Americans.

Theodore J. Crackel is editor-in-chief of the Papers of George Washington, based at the university's Alderman Library. He met Martin in 2005 when they were being honored at a White House ceremony.

When the Washington Papers staff recently discussed the idea of basing a project on the first president's "Rules of Civility," Crackel enlisted Martin's aid.

Crackel said the columnist will play an active advisory role.

Traveling discussion on Iraq to stop at VCU

A traveling project that encourages nonpartisan public discussions about Iraq will make a stop next week at Virginia Commonwealth University.

"It Is What It Is: Conversations about Iraq," a new exhibition by Turner Prize-winning British artist Jeremy Deller, will visit the Park Plaza area at VCU from 1 to 5 p.m. March 27. Deller will give an artist talk at 11 a.m. in the Student Commons Theater, 907 Floyd Ave.

UR to host symposium on detaining suspects

Legal scholars, including two who practiced at Guantanamo Bay, will take part in a symposium on detaining terrorist suspects April 2 at the University of Richmond's Jepson Alumni Center.

Six legal scholars will discuss "Detaining Suspected Terrorists: Past, Present and Future," sponsored by the UR Law Review. The program will run from 4 to 7 p.m. and is open to the public at no charge.

Topics include "Detention for the Search of Laptops," with Nathan Sales of the George Mason University School of Law, and "Guantanamo Bay and Detainee Rights, Past and Future," with Kyndra Rotunda of Chapman University School of Law and Kristine Huskey of the University of Texas School of Law, both of whom practiced at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

VUU team to compete in academic tournament

Virginia Union University's Honda Campus All-Star team will compete in the 20th annual academic quiz competition for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Virginia Union's team will compete against 64 other teams during the National Championship Tournament in Orlando, Fla., from March 26 through March 30.

Virginia Union's team was selected after campus-wide competitions were held in September.

Awards and honors

Radford University English professor Rick Van Noy won the top prize in the book category of the 2009 Phillip D. Reed Memorial Award for Outstanding Writing on the Southern Environment. Van Noy received the honor for "A Natural Sense of Wonder: Connecting with Kids and Nature Throughout the Seasons." . . . University of Richmond President Edward L. Ayers joined U.S. Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter and others on a panel discussing "The Public Good: The Humanities in a Civil Society" on March 9 in Washington. . . . The O'Hara Leadership Award in Direct & Interactive Marketing Education was recently presented to Christopher Newport University professor Lisa Spiller by the Direct Marketing Association of Washington. She received the award at a dinner at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington.