Student Council discussed student safety during fraternity rush, plans for a memorial garden and student debt in Virginia at its general body meeting Tuesday.
While the body was discussing community concerns, the issue of Resident Advisors not providing coverage in dorms on weeknights — including weeknights during fraternity rush — was acknowledged.
Second-year College student Maeve Curtin, who serves as an RA, speculated the cause for this may be because the University does not want to encourage a rush process involving alcohol, although she did not speak on behalf of Housing and Residence Life.
“From the University’s perspective, rush is dry, although this is not functionally the case,” Curtin said. “By putting people on coverage, the University [would be] acknowledging that it is not.”
Curtin also said while there may not be RAs officially on coverage, there are typically RAs in the building who can be contacted if there are any problems.
Later on, the body discussed the lack of progress on an ongoing initiative of the Building and Grounds Committee –– renovating the Student Memorial Garden between Newcomb Hall and Clemons Library.
The garden was originally founded in 2007, but the committee stated its intent to renovate it in its 2015-16 white paper.
“The Student Memorial Garden project will improve an existing memorial space dedicated to the memory of U.Va. students who have passed away during their time at the University… we have collected much student input and met with architects who helped redesign past blueprints,” the white paper read.
Abraham Axler, third-year College student and Student Council president , expressed his appreciation for the plans but said the initiative was not moving forward due to a lack of funding. The project could cost between $200,000 and $500,000, he said.
“It is my very, very sincere hope that we never redo the plans again,” Axler said. “It is really a fundraising issue.”
The meeting concluded with Axler sharing his thoughts on student debt in Virginia, in light of a roundtable on the subject he attended on Jan. 27 in Washington, D.C.
Due to public funding and loans, only approximately 500 students at the University are on private loans to pay for their education, Axler said, a number which is much higher at other colleges in Virginia.
“We, as a school within a larger state, have to think about how we can use the resources and the privileges to help the rest of the state, while still not being complacent in realizing that there are many people who struggle to pay for U.Va,” Axler said.
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