Student Council convened for its weekly general body meeting Tuesday, where they heard an opening address from William Rudeseal, SGA president and fourth-year College at Wise student. This visit from the College at Wise representatives comes after several months of strengthened collaboration between Clay Dickerson, Student Council president and fourth-year College student, and Rudeseal and their respective councils.
The partnership has culminated in a memorandum of cooperation which outlines the schools’ joint commitments to upholding student self-governance and a reliable, trustworthy line of communication between campuses. In his remarks, Rudeseal said he believes that this memo will prove to be a valuable stepping stone in the University and the College at Wise’s united effort to continue this relationship.
“Though our campuses differ in setting, they remain united in academic excellence, student self-governance, and the shared belief that students are stewards of their institutions,” Rudeseal said. “We as student leaders have come together to strengthen the bond between our campuses and elevate the voices of students.”
Rudeseal also made special mention of his appreciation for Dickerson’s spirited collaboration over the last several months. He highlighted Dickerson’s integral work in pushing this partnership forward.
“I would be remiss if I didn't take a moment to extend my sincere thanks to President Dickerson, not only for his willingness to work alongside me to bring about this partnership, but more importantly, for his friendship, his leadership and his shared commitment to collaboration and service of our students,” Rudeseal said.
Later in the meeting, Dickerson addressed a recent article in The Daily Progress where some University faculty accused University President Scott Beardsley of using bribery as means for gaining student council support for his position. Dickerson rejected these accusations and emphasized his general frustration over these faculty members’ attempts to spread such rumors.
"It's disgusting to me to think that there are faculty at the University of Virginia accusing students of something that nasty,” Dickerson said. “It takes a unique kind of naive privilege to criticize student self-governance as a non-student.”
Dickerson also mentioned that he is in conversation with some of these faculty members.
The Council also heard from Kasey Michaud, chair pro tempore and School of Law representative, who shared developments in some of the dining initiatives at the School of Law.
Michaud highlighted the success in securing 24-hour dining options at the School of Law, as well as continuing meetings with Aramark to work on improvements to the dining experience on the Law campus. He also discussed a new “Food for Fines” program as part of a partnership with the University Director of Parking and Transportation that provides students a means to pay reduced parking fines in exchange for donating food.
Philippe Hempel, third-year Architecture student and representative for the School of Architecture, also shared news around an initiative to increase materials accessibility and reduce waste through a potential partnership with sustainability-focused organization JunkLabz, founded by U.Va. doctorate candidate Zack Landsman.
“His organization is currently one of the organizations that we might be working with … to try to create this bridge between schools, programs and students to have a much more efficient and thought out recycling program, or something along those lines, for material distribution at U.Va.,” Hempel said.
During the meeting, the Council passed a resolution calling for sufficient dining accommodations for students with dietary restrictions on Grounds with 27 affirmative votes and one abstention.
The Student Council general body will reconvene at 6.30 p.m. on Tuesday.
Read More
What to expect during this year’s Honor Week
By Michael Racz | 2 hours agoDuring Honor Week, the Committee will host events to discuss issues such as the use of artificial intelligence in the classroom, academic integrity and ethical research.
A preview of the upcoming University student elections
By Abigail Larkin | YesterdayAn email will be sent Feb. 24 to the University email address of every eligible student with a personalized link.
Rosner, Beardsley and Ryan with top three 2026 University salaries
By Lauren Seeliger and Grace Little | YesterdayThe University’s top three highest-paid employees include University President Scott Beardsley, Jim Ryan, tenured Law professor and former University president, and Mitchell Rosner, U.Va. Health chief executive officer.
