the news in brief

(U-WIRE)CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – In an effort to head off future lawsuits stemming from the… (U-WIRE)CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – In an effort to head off future lawsuits stemming from the Virginia Tech shootings, the commonwealth has proposed a settlement available to all of the families of victims.

Each of the families has been offered a settlement of up to $100,000, in addition to medical and counseling expenses, if they give up their right to sue the commonwealth’s government or Virginia Tech, according to Associated Press reports.

Families also would have the opportunity to meet with Virginia Tech officials and Gov. Tim Kaine to discuss legislation and campus policies related to the events of April 16.

Other features of the proposal include $800,000 reserved for the injured, with no more than $100,000 awarded to any individual, and the creation of a special damages fund to provide free medical, psychological and psychiatric care for victims and their immediate family members, according to the AP.

The families have until March 31 to accept the agreement and have been asked not to comment on the topic.

State officials were also unable to comment, Attorney General spokesperson David Clementson said.

Currently, more than 20 lawsuits related to the Virginia Tech shootings have been filed with the commonwealth, which offered the settlement to avoid future lawsuits, according to the AP. The families have until April 16 to file lawsuits unless they accept the settlement, AP sources said, as the date will mark the one-year anniversary of the shootings.

– Betsy Graves, Cavalier Daily (U. Virginia)

(U-WIRE) MADISON, Wis. – Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean revved up a crowd of Madison, Wis., party faithfuls Tuesday, saying there is “no future” for young people in the Republican Party.

In his speech to a group of Democratic leaders and volunteers that was thin on students, Dean stressed the power of voters younger than 30 to secure a future of Democratic government leadership.

Dean said his own generation, though active in civil rights, still has consistently demonstrated disparities between ethnic groups on voter turnout, which has shaped Democratic strategy for years.

“If you’re under 30 in this country, there is no difference, whether you are black, brown or white, in terms of the turnout percentage in your generation,” Dean said. “That is, this generation sees themselves as a multicultural generation.” He added this multicultural self-identification draws younger voters to the Democratic ballot.

“When you look at the candidates on our side who stood up and debated, people under 30 … looked at that lineup of our candidates and said, ‘That looks like us in 20 years,'” Dean said. He added when those young people looked at the Republican candidates, they saw “1950s television.”

Dean said that the Republican Party has scapegoated every ethnic group and therefore can’t create a multicultural identity and reach younger voters.

University of Wisconsin College Republicans Chair Sara Mikolajczak found Dean’s comments frustrating, ridiculous and offensive.

“It’s not true at all,” Mikolajczak said. “To say the Republican Party has no grasp of multicultural society is complete and total BS, for lack of a better term.”

Mikolajczak said the ethnic identities of presidential candidates alone don’t reflect the entire character of a party.

– Beth Mueller, Badger Herald (U. Wisconsin)