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Valparaiso University is a private University located in the city of Valparaiso in Northwest Indiana . Founded in 1859, it consists of five Undergraduate colleges, a Graduate School , and a Law School . Valparaiso University is affiliated with the Lutheran University Association . The university is nicknamed "Valpo" by its students, alumni, and others. ACADEMICS U.S. News & World Report named Valparaiso University as the #2 comprehensive university in the Midwest in its annual rankings of "America's Best Colleges." It also ranked Valparaiso among the "Best College Values" based on a ratio of price to quality, and placed the College of Engineering in the nation's top 25 undergraduate-only engineering schools. The school hosts WVUR-FM , the university's student-run radio station. The university also utilizes an Honor System . Valpo is organized into the following colleges and school:
HISTORY Early decades What is now Valparaiso University was founded by the Methodist Church in 1859 as Valparaiso Male and Female College, one of the first co-educational four-year institutions in the United States . Although forced to close in 1871 , the school reopened two years later as the Northern Indiana Normal School and Business Institute. The school was renamed Valparaiso College in 1900 and gained its current university status in 1906 . Valparaiso has been a Lutheran institution since 1925, when the Lutheran University Association outbid the Ku Klux Klan for ownership of the university. Kinsey Hall Fire In 1970 , after the United States' invasion of Cambodia and the subsequent riot at Kent State University , and unrest at many other colleges and universities, many colleges either amended their remaining schedules or called off classes for the last month of the school year. However, Valparaiso administration refused student calls for a series of small group seminars or other reactions for the violence at other campuses. A large group of students organized a peaceful protest that marched from the Victory Bell to the Valparaiso city courthouse. Another protest that evening led to several discussions between student leaders and the administration, with little headway to either side. At around 2 or 3 the following morning, a group of several students (who have never been identified) set Kinsey Hall, the then-administrative building, on fire. (The building was empty at the time.) The aftermath of the fire cancelled classes for the last three weeks of the school year. It is unclear whether the students who set Kinsey Hall ablaze were a part of the larger student protest, whether their actions endorsed the views of any larger group of students, or whether they were a small group with no connections. Valparaiso University Police Department Valparaiso University's security situation is interesting in that its force is a fully functional and recognized police department. On January 5 2000 , during the University's Christmas break, Cpl. Charles Garber arrested theology professor Jon Pahl on campus for a minor traffic violation. Garber used physical force to restrain Pahl during the arrest, leading to accusations of assault {Link without Title} . The relationship between the department (VUPD) and the university community became strained in early 2006. This is due to multiple incidents, including a rise in attempts to enforce the University's drinking policy, combined with the failure to find and prosecute a rash of thefts and sexual assults on campus in late 2005. Valparaiso has a long history as a dry campus but has seen a large increase in VUPD's focus on this aspect of student life recently as noted by a 54% increase in alcohol-related arrests (from 35 in 2002 to 54 in 2004) in just two years[http://www.valpo.edu/vupd/crimestats.php . VUPD has placed increased emphasis on curbing underage drinking and is considering placing officers on the University's escort vans in an attempt to catch underage drinkers. This has led many escort van drivers to quit in protest, claiming that the consequences of this policy will be increased drunk driving, even though the intent of the vans was originally to safely escort student around campus and the surrounding community at night, and not to shuttle intoxicated students[http://www.valpo.edu/vupd/stuescort.php . The police department has also placed policemen in areas of high foot traffic in order to arrest underage drinkers who attempt to walk home. Additionally, there are reports of VUPD stopping cars for traffic violations and, rather than administer a breathalyzer to the drivers of legal drinking age, officers tested underage passengers -- in some cases, arresting them (Valparaiso University Torch, Vol. 97 Issue 20, page 2. ''VUPD Beat''). The situation was further complicated by a raid on Valparaiso's Sigma Pi fraternity house on April 21 , 2006 . According to students, police officers entered the building with guns drawn and without a warrant after claiming to have seen drug use through a window. VUPD, however, has stated that their response was due to a report by a city police officer (not a VUPD officer) of seeing a bong being lit, and that the city officer only drew his gun after being pushed out of the house by a resident. A release to the Valparaiso University Student Senate by Chief Lloyd noted that VUPD responded to a noise complaint, with no mention of drug use. No arrests were made and most events are disputed. One Valparaiso City police officer has confirmed that he pulled a gun during the incident.[http://nwitimes.com/articles/2006/04/25/news/porter_county/8b4f4eb2be8875518625715b0006e85b.txt It is important to note that the window treatments at the Sigma Pi Fraternity house make it impossible to see inside the fraternity house unless they are drawn. See link: [http://img.viacomlocalnetworks.com/images_sizedimage_115165311/lg] It is also important to note that neither the Valparaiso University Police Department nor the city Valparaiso Police Department filed police reports on this incident. Valparaiso University Presidents
The Valparaiso University office of the president was vacant (no acting president) from 1871-1873. In the 1929-1930 academic year, the presidency was administered by an executive committee consisting of John C. Baur , Albert Frank Scribner , Frederick William Kroencke and Henry Herman Kummick . Plans are underway to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Alan Harre as president in 2008. ATHLETICS Valpo's colors are Brown and Gold . The school's mascot is the Crusader , and most athletic events are held in the Athletics-Recreation Center (ARC), the primary sporting facility on campus. Valpo sports teams participate in NCAA Division I (I-AA for Football ) in the Mid-Continent Conference , except for football, in which they compete in the Pioneer Football League (the Mid-Continent Conference does not sponsor football). Valpo is well-known for its men's basketball head coach Homer Drew and his son Bryce Drew , who led the team to its improbable Sweet Sixteen appearance in the 1998 NCAA basketball tournament by making " The Shot ". Bryce is now an assistant coach. NOTABLE ALUMNI
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