News in Brief (Nov. 17)

    IT says slow internet due to peer-to-peer applications

    p. Information Technology determined that the slowness of internet access Nov. 10 to Nov. 15 was due to peer-to-peer applications that were using up more bandwidth than usual.
    According to a Nov. 16 article on the IT website, the College limits the amount of bandwidth that peer-to-peer applications, such as Gnutella and BitTorrent, can use. Changes to the applications caused the tools that limit the bandwidth used by these applications to be less effective. The article said that IT network engineers “worked quickly to resolve the problem.”
    — by Austin Wright

    Governor Kaine welcomes Queen Elizabeth II for 2007

    p. Following an announcement from Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Phillip that they would visit Jamestown in May 2007 for it’s 400th anniversary celebration, Virginia Governor Tim Kaine released a statement of thanks.

    p. “Our Jamestown 2007 events will be elevated by the prominence of Her Majesty, and we look forward to celebrating the deep historical and cultural connections between Virginia and the United Kingdom,” Kaine said.
    — by Maxim Lott

    Commission calls for housing density to increase

    p. The Williamsburg Planning Commission voted Wednesday to recommend that the City Council allow 22 residential units per acre in one Williamsburg neighborhood.

    p. Residents favored the current eight residential units per acre, according to the Nov. 16 edition of The Daily Press.

    p. Citizens worried about the effects of more residential density, but the commission allowed the increase after hearing assurances that the residential units would be owner-occupied. The commission worried that students from the College might liv
    e in the new buildings but were reminded that wording in the special-use permits do not allow it.

    p. Another area saw its limit raised to 14 units per acre. The commission’s new Comprehensive Plan creates special-use permits that allow future increases in residential unit density on a case by case basis. City officials said that the area between Boundary and Henry Streets south of Ireland Street deserved less density, while the area along Henry Street was given more.
    — by Angela Cota

    Williamsburg Hispanics discuss integration, English

    p. Local Hispanics discussed their integration with the community and answered questions at a forum held on campus Nov. 14. Around 50 students and members of the community were in attendance, according The Daily Press.

    p. Some immigrant speakers argued that newcomers wanted to learn English, but that they were held back by the time required to hold a full time job and raise children. One speaker praised the efforts of the College in offering programs that help immigrants learn English.

    p. Aless Quintero, who moved from Mexico to Williamsburg three years ago and now helps teach locals English as a second language in conjunction with the Sharpe Scholars program, also pointed out the negative connotations of the word “alien.” “Am I an E.T., or what?” he said at the forum.
    — by Maxim Lott

    Gay and Lesbian Alumni fund reaches $100,000

    p. The College’s Gay and Lesbian Alumni association announced that its Richard Cornish Endowment Fund had reached $100,000 Nov. 6. The fund goes to purchase gay and lesbian resources for Swem Library, according to William and Mary News.

    p. College President Gene Nichol spoke during GALA’s banquet, urging them to continue their role in promoting diversity at the College. Nichol became the first president of the College to formally address the organization.
    — by Maxim Lott

    Muscarelle Museum hosts Medici painting collection

    p. The Medici paintings collection came to the Muscarelle Museum last week, making its first stop on a nationwide tour. The art collection includes a painting by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio and will be showing at the Muscarelle until Jan. 7.
    — by Maxim Lott

    The Devil Wears Prada showing Friday and Saturday

    p. “The Devil Wears Prada” will be playing in the UC Commonwealth at 7 and 9:30 Friday and Saturday, Nov. 17 and 18. Admission is $2. The movie is being shown by the University Center Activities Board. Released this summer, it stars Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway.
    — by Maxim Lott

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