UPDATED: Friday October 3, 2008: 7:56 p.m.

At least 190 students have fallen victim to a campus outbreak of a highly contagious virus that can be transmitted either through contaminated food or person-to-person contact, according to university officials and the D.C. Department of Health.

Updated: Wednesday, Oct. 1, 6:23 p.m.
See Thursday afternoon's update here.

Ninety-six students have been treated for possible food poisoning late Tuesday evening, prompting the university to close O'Donovan Hall until investigations are completed.

The body that officials thought might be that of Terrance Davis (COL ’10) has still not been identified after it was recovered on Sept. 8, a South African sea rescue representative said early this morning.

The School of Continuing Studies is adding a new masters program next semester in human resources with three concentration options, including one that will be the nation’s first of its kind: diversity studies.

The university’s board of directors approved the proposal for the anthropology program to permanently split from the sociology department as its own department — the final step in its year-long push for independence.

While most seniors probably assumed they left Problem of God in the dust of freshman year, they might be surprised to hear of its new, reincarnated version: a non-credit, senior-only seminar being marketed as “Problem of God, Part Two.” Chances are, though, seniors will not be confusing this with their freshmen theology class because this seminar has no grades, no books and no homework.

While many Georgetown students have been taking in bits and pieces of the Republican National Convention from the comforts of their dorm rooms, one student has seen pretty much all of it — from the floor of the convention at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.

After dominating Big East men’s basketball for the past two years, Georgetown will now have some control over the next commissioner of the 16-team league.

University President John J. DeGioia has been named a co-chair of a search committee to appoint a new Big East Commissioner to succeed Michael Tranghese, the commissioner for the past 18 years.

Since Jill Robinson left her position as director of the university’s Women’s Center in June 2007, the center has been without a director or even a full-time staff member, relying on a team of student and faculty volunteers.

Fr. Kevin O’Brien, S.J., (COL ’88) returned home to Georgetown as the newly appointed and installed executive director of campus ministry at the beginning of this month.

“Georgetown is an exciting place to do ministry because of the type of students we have here and the variety of faith traditions represented,” O’Brien said.