News

There will be far fewer plastics in the future of the University of Virginia, as it cuts back on its use of single-use plastics starting July 21. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam issued an executive order in March requiring state agencies to stop buying, selling and distributing plastic and polystyrene food service containers, single-use plastic straws and cutlery, disposable plastic bags and single-use plastic water bottles by July 21, and to phase out all single-use plastics by 2025. 

On Tuesday, the University of Virginia provided updated COVID-19 vaccination guidance for faculty and staff, stating that faculty or staff in the Academic Division will either need to provide proof of vaccination or agree to weekly prevalence testing requirements in the fall semester. 

The University of Virginia Board of Visitors on Friday approved a resolution to make modifications to the “Whispering Wall” memorial, and heard an update on the George Rogers Clark statue, which will be removed from its current location this summer. Based on the recommendation of the University’s Naming and Memorials Committee, the inscription on the Whispering Wall, originally named after Confederate soldier and Virginia politician Frank Hume, will be removed and replaced with blocks of a contrasting color to mark the change.

UVA Alerts is the comprehensive mass notification system that deploys urgent emergency messages to warn people of a threat on Grounds and provide instructions for what to do. Starting today, anyone who wishes to receive official UVA Alerts via text message may now opt in by texting “UVA” to 226787. This shortcode subscription service is available to anyone, anywhere. Previously, the alerts were sent to UVA students, faculty and staff. 

Jody Lahendro stood by a young Shumard oak – his long, chiseled face reminiscent of Gary Cooper’s (though now partially obscured by a mask) – and listened to friends and co-workers say nice things about him. Lahendro is retiring from the University of Virginia’s Division of Facilities Management, and his friends donated a tree, planted between the Rotunda and Brooks Hall, in his honor.

Shiny, brightly colored balloons have long been a staple of University of Virginia graduations, with cartoon characters and glittering inflated numbers bobbing above the heads of the smiling former students as they process down the Lawn. This year, the balloons have a second life. Patients at UVA Children’s have received, and will be receiving, the gift of balloons, thanks to the University’s Class of 2020 graduates, who celebrated their pandemic-delayed Final Exercises on Sunday. 

Vibrant flowers, honey, a notorious buzzing sound – bees are commonly associated with these simple things, despite playing a much more significant role in our ecosystem. Emily Spindler and Kelsey Schoenemann, graduate students in the University of Virginia’s environmental science department, have been thinking about bees for years.

The University of Virginia is marking Thursday’s Earth Day observance with a variety of celebrations, activities and events throughout the month, but particularly this week. 

The University of Virginia offers the most generous financial aid packages of any public school in the nation, according to the Princeton Review’s “Best Value Colleges for 2021” rankings. UVA’s No. 1 national ranking for financial aid is just one of five superior rankings the education services company announced Tuesday. 

In a meeting Tuesday afternoon, the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors voted to approve a proposal from the administration to hold base undergraduate tuition at its current rate for the 2021-22 academic year.

On Saturday, the University of Virginia dedicated the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers in a virtual ceremony. The memorial, located not far from the Rotunda and within the footprint of UVA’s UNESCO World Heritage Site, honors the legacy of the estimated 4,000 enslaved people who built and maintained UVA between 1817 and 1865.

The virtual dedication ceremony of the University of Virginia’s Memorial to Enslaved Laborers today brought together many of the people who strived to create the monument that honors the lives of those who built and sustained the early University – and whose work had been hidden or forgotten over many years.

The University of Virginia Board of Visitors will next week take up tuition and fees for the 2021-22 academic year, including a proposal from the administration to hold base undergraduate tuition at its current rate. UVA President Jim Ryan said the proposal was the result of meetings with student groups, feedback from students and families, consultation with the Board of Visitors, and thorough deliberation. 

The University of Virginia is planning to return to in-person instruction and much more normal operations in fall 2021, UVA leaders shared in an email message Thursday. “Our present plan is to return to the in-person residential, educational and research experience that has always been a hallmark of our University,” President Jim Ryan, Provost Liz Magill and Chief Operating Officer J.J. Davis wrote.

For the fourth time in the survey’s seven years, the University of Virginia ranks No. 1 among Virginia schools in SmartAsset’s recently released Best Value Colleges study, which takes into account scholarships, starting salary, tuition, living expenses and student retention rate. 

A brick is not always just a brick. In the extensive renovation of the University of Virginia’s Alderman Library, workers for contractor Skanska have found locally made, wood-molded “Monticello” bricks. The over-sized bricks, 4 inches by 3 inches by 9 inches, weighing in at 5 ¾ pounds, known in the trade as a “jumbo brick,” were found inside the chimney in the McGregor Reading Room. 

In renovating the Garden Room dining area in the University of Virginia’s Academical Village, Facilities Management workers removed two layers of wood flooring, exposing the heart pine boards of the original floor. 

The American Institute of Architects has announced that Alice Raucher, architect for the University of Virginia, has been elected to the College of Fellows, the institute’s highest membership honor. Only 3% of 95,000 member architects carry this distinction, which is awarded following a rigorous selection process by a jury of seven fellows.

Anew hotel and conference center will soon anchor the University of Virginia’s Ivy Road entrance corridor, along with the new building for the School of Data Science. On Friday, the Board of Visitors Building and Grounds Committee approved the schematic designs for the state-of-the-art, 223,000-square-foot hotel and conference center sited along the southwest corner of the existing Emmet/Ivy parking garage, defining the northern edge of the Ivy Road corridor. 

The University of Virginia is one of 150 institutions selected for inclusion in the first edition of a new college guidebook, “Colleges Worth Your Money.” According to a press release, each college profile contains more than 75 data points, including admission statistics, salary and return-on-investment figures, information on companies that recruit on campus, where students land internships and jobs, and more.

The University of Virginia Police Department has hired its first-ever diversity, equity and inclusion manager, reflecting its commitment to peace and justice. “One way to really transform the way we do business is to be intentional in the way we recruit people and how we develop policies and how we engage the community,” Associate Vice President for Safety and Security and Chief of Police Tim Longo said. “I thought one really effective way to do that was to create such a position within my command structure to keep me on track.” 

Chomp! Like a mechanical dinosaur, this ultra-high demolition excavator tore down the last part of the New Stacks building, where office space was located in the University of Virginia’s Alderman Library. Demolition will finish this month. 

In 2019, the University of Virginia-Community Working Group formed by President Jim Ryan identified four key priorities that UVA and its community partners could work on together: jobs and wages, affordable housing, youth education and equitable health care. Soon after, UVA announced that it would raise its base wage to $15 an hour for all full-time employees and followed up with an announcement that major contractors who work on Grounds would join the University and pay the same base wage. 

Every student’s experience of the University of Virginia is unique. For some, accessibility and inclusion are key components, as opportunities across Grounds are not a one-size-fits-all. For many students, this is when the Student Disability Access Center comes in.

An important part of University of Virginia’s ongoing commitment to free expression and to fully and honestly explore UVA’s complex history is moving forward this week with the creation of two new committees.