Students, faculty and staff participated in a “We Are U.Va.” rally Tuesday to mark the beginning of the 2025 Fall semester and to express unity across Grounds. The Student Council and Faculty Senate hosted the rally as an effort to express strength in the wake of former University President Jim Ryan’s resignation.
The rally began at the Amphitheater, with participants marching along McCormick Road chanting “We are U.Va.” and “Hands off U.Va.” — a slogan that has signaled opposition to the Department of Justice’s pressure on Ryan to resign. The march paused at the north steps of the Rotunda, where Jeri Seidman, Faculty Senate chair and McIntire professor, addressed the crowd.
In her remarks, Seidman thanked several campus organizations for their support, including the Faculty Senate, Staff Senate, American Association of University Professors and United Campus Workers. Seidman also thanked Wahoos4UVA — a coalition of students, alumni, parents, faculty and staff that aim to protect the University from political interference.
Following the speech, the rally continued south across the Lawn to the Homer statue. There, the crowd joined together in a circle and sang “The Good Old Song.”
Participants in the rally, who included faculty and students from all years, held up homemade signs that showed dissatisfaction with recent University events, such as Ryan's resignation and rising political influence over University affairs.
One sign read, "If ideas aren’t free neither are we.”
“Who you are should not impede how you learn,” another sign read.
The event was advertised on the Student Council Instagram as an opportunity to unite and celebrate the University community. Students, faculty, staff, parents and alumni were invited to gather at the Amphitheater.
“‘We are U.Va.’ is a rally to celebrate the first day of classes and the vibrant community we create together — faculty, staff and students who live, work and learn together on Grounds,” the post caption read.
Both the Faculty Senate and Student Council have issued statements opposing the Board of Visitors and Ryan’s resignation, including resolutions of no confidence in the Board. The University chapters of the AAUP and UCWVA also passed votes of no confidence.
When asked about the decision to hold a rally, Seidman explained that the event aimed to uplift the community in the face of ongoing concerns.
“We wanted to change the tone a bit and remind people that yes, there is still a lot of uncertainty and we don't have confidence in the Board so there are reasons to be upset, but that despite all of that, there is still a lot that is great at U.Va. right now,” Seidman said.
Seidman also noted that the Faculty Senate chose to collaborate with Student Council to show solidarity between University students, faculty and staff.
“If [students] were concerned that things would have changed significantly with the leadership changes, we wanted to reassure them that the faculty and staff would continue to be here for them,” Seidman said.
Clay Dickerson, Student Council president and fourth-year College student, emphasized the rally’s mission to bring together the University community after a turbulent summer apart and off-Grounds.
“Folks spent all summer on calls, on texts and on Zoom. It's nice to get to know people face to face, particularly at the moment. Whenever a university loses our tenured figurehead, it's nice to come together,” Dickerson said. “We make up this community, not just one person.”
First-years were also in attendance, although they have only witnessed many of the recent events from afar. First-year College student Sophia Johnson also joined in on the rally, noting that it was discouraging to learn that Ryan would no longer be president during her time at the University.
“I was really upset when [Jim Ryan] was forced out — not by popular vote — but by a small minority of people who don't represent our best interests as a university,” Johnson said.
Fourth-year College student Jeffery Wooters emphasized the importance of showing that the University community will not back down, noting the Trump administration' s federal research funding cuts, which resulted in the University losing over $60 million in research support.
“I think it's important for people to understand that we love U.Va. We are U.Va., and that's what we were trying to show. We're not going to accept the assault on our research, we're not going to accept the assault on academic freedom and we're not going to accept any of this from an administration that is attacking higher education every single day,” Wooters said.
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