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(11/03/20 4:45am)
Last month, the Senate confirmed President Donald Trump’s third and most recent appointee to the Supreme Court of the United States — Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Filling the seat of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Barrett could not be more of a staunch opposite of her predecessor. On the most divisive issues, Ginsburg and Barrett fall on polar ends of the spectrum of judicial philosophy.
(04/03/20 2:21am)
Soon after the University decided to hold online classes and asked students not to return to Grounds, Aramark laid off a large number of its employees contracted to work at the University. All that is left is a “skeleton crew” that keeps Observatory Hill, the only operating University dining facility at this time, running for students who could not leave. Although the closures of the dining facilities are consistent with the University’s pleas to students not to return to Grounds, the abrupt firing of countless contracted workers by Amamark demonstrates the need for the University to finally break this contract and give all workers at University the care and respect that they deserve.
(03/06/20 7:51pm)
In the past three and a half years the Maxine Platzer Lynn Women’s Center has been able to almost double its counseling staff thanks to a grant from the University Provost Office. Although this grant allowed the center to add another three full-time physicians to its team, they will no longer be able to take on new clients for the time being. In fact, for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year, the Women’s Center will no longer accept students to its waitlist for professional counseling. This ongoing demonstrated need for women’s center counseling makes it undoubtedly clear that it is time for an increase in funding to the Women’s Center.
(02/12/20 6:17pm)
Valentine’s Day 2020 will be the 22nd anniversary of V-Day, an international movement “to end violence against all women and girls (cisgender, transgender, and those who hold fluid identities that are subject to gender based violence).” The day coincides, however, with Valentine’s Day, one of the most commercialized holidays embedded in American culture. This leads one to wonder why the days are paired together in such a way. Perhaps, to answer this question, one could address V-Day’s four core beliefs, one of which is a dedication to “lasting social and cultural change … spread by ordinary people doing extraordinary things.” The V-Day movement brings attention to the problematic traditions that we associate with our celebrations of Valentine’s Day.
(01/15/20 7:27pm)
In early December 2019, the University announced that it approved an increase in student housing rates by 3.5 percent for the coming academic year. This affects first-year residence halls as well as upperclassmen who live on Grounds, with increases between $250 and $270 per academic year. This increase is meant to fund many housing projects to improve the quality of life on Grounds, such as facility repairs and new housing complexes like Bond House. Although these projects may improve on-Grounds housing in many ways, the increase in rates will likely decrease student interest specifically in upperclassmen University housing, which would put more pressure on the housing market in Charlottesville. On-Grounds housing is becoming increasingly inaccessible and undesirable, contributing to the housing issues students already face in Charlottesville.
(12/03/19 5:07am)
In Brown v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court overturned the constitutionality of the "separate but equal" doctrine established in Plessy v Ferguson. As such, many see Brown as the end of segregated schooling in the United States, but further examination of public schooling all over the country reveals a discriminatory system that favors rich white kids and families. The United States has not yet achieved equitable schooling for all students, and there is still a lot of work to be done in order to achieve it.
(11/20/19 3:20am)
The Board of Visitors held a public comment session pertaining to the proposed tuition increases earlier this month. Liz Magill, who serves as the University’s executive vice president and provost, attempted to ease concerns about the proposed increases by explaining foundational goals that would offset some of the higher costs. Most notably, she explained that the administration hopes to find ways to strengthen AccessUVA, the financial aid program that meets 100 percent of demonstrated undergraduate financial need. In addition to covering tuition costs, AccessUVA also helps students cover housing costs up to $6,720. However, as housing is one of the largest costs levied on students upon entering the University, financial aid policies must shift accordingly in order to address these expenses.
(11/11/19 7:08pm)
One of the most notable legacies of the violent white supremacist marches on Aug. 11 and 12, 2017 is the distrust that it furthered between Charlottesville residents and the Charlottesville Police Department, that was already present due to a history of racialized policing. Not only were the police criticized for their undemanding handling of the violent demonstrations, but their failures have also been the basis for later protests. This distrust has even affected policing in Charlottesville — since last year CPD has seen a “mass exodus” with many officers leaving the department because of the aftermath of Aug. 11 and 12 and low salaries, amongst other reasons.
(10/09/19 10:31pm)
Earlier this month, the Charlottesville Planning and Coordination Council began discussion concerning the first steps to dissolve and redesign the organization. The group, organized 33 years ago, was created to “encourage collaboration between Charlottesville, Albemarle County and the University of Virginia” on matters pertaining to land-use policies in the community. The newly revamped council, which will be called the Land Use and Environmental Planning Committee, would remove elected officials from the group and replace them with city- and county-appointed staff members.
(09/10/19 3:42pm)
Since Hurricane Dorian stormed through the Bahamas earlier in September, inhabitants of the islands have lost their homes, loved ones and even their own lives. As of September 9, the death toll has risen as high as 45 people, but it’s expected to rise significantly in the coming weeks. Additionally, over 13,000 homes and businesses have been destroyed — humanitarian and reconstructive work must be done on the islands before its inhabitants can return to normalcy.
(08/29/19 8:31pm)
On Aug. 5, DACA students at the University and members of U.Va. DREAMers on Grounds received an email about the University’s decision to allow DACA students to be eligible for financial aid through Access UVA. With this decision, the University has made a critical step forward in the inclusion of DREAMers on Grounds. Hopefully, this will be only the first step in making sure undocumented students have a place here at the University.
(08/23/19 8:18pm)
In 2018, the national assessment organization Niche rated Charlottesville City Schools within the top three percent of public school systems in the nation. Soon after the release of this ranking, the New York Times published an article about the realities of public education in Charlottesville. While Charlottesville City Schools may provide ample opportunities for some students, there are many who get left behind. Often, these are low-income and students of color. Finally, the City School Board has introduced equity policy to remedy these disparities, but any policy must specifically address the intricacies that contribute to inequitable education in order to be effective.
(06/27/19 11:57am)
The University announced its plan in late May to implement an early decision admission option for prospective applicants. This option will be available to prospective students as early as the next admissions cycle in fall 2019.
(06/02/19 11:46pm)
In the midst of controversy surrounding various state abortion legislation, the House of Representatives passed a groundbreaking bill to protect the rights of LGBTQ individuals. Specifically, the “Equality Act” would expand protections laid out in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to “include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected characteristics.” Most notably, this would mean that employers, housing officials and public accommodations such as restaurants, cannot discriminate on the basis of someone’s gender identity and/or sexual orientation. Furthermore, the bill explicitly cites conversion therapy as a form of discrimination. Nevertheless, this bill is not expected to pass in the Republican-controlled Senate. While there was some conservative backing of the bill, it passed largely due to House Democrats. Of the 236 representatives that voted in favor of the bill, only eight were Republicans.
(05/07/19 3:46am)
The Cavalier Daily recently released an article featuring data about the discrepancies in male and female faculty salaries here at the University. This report, based on data from a Freedom of Information Act request, showed that on average, female faculty earned $33,939 less than male faculty in 2018-2019. Furthermore, out of the 20 highest earning faculty members at the University, only 6 of them are women. Additionally, on average, male professors, associate professors, assistant professors and lecturers earn more than their female counterparts. There exists only one academic rank in which female faculty tend to earn more than men — female instructors, who usually provide one-on-one teaching to students, are within the only academic rank to earn more than male faculty. The FOIA report does not necessarily take into account “different factors like education and tenure,” but does reveal the comparatively limited role of female employees in University faculty.
(04/18/19 3:15am)
In late March, Secretary of Education Betsy Devos went before Congress to defend the Education Department’s new spending proposal. While the proposal includes cuts to a number of departments, culminating in a $7.1 billion slash in spending, the Federal Work Study program may see only half the funds it has recieved in the past. The 2018 Education budget allotted $1.13 billion for the program, while the 2019 budget aims to reduce the funding to only $500 million by the year 2020.
(04/03/19 9:15pm)
Last month, University President Ryan distributed an electronic survey to students concerning sexual assault and sexual misconduct on Grounds. This is the third climate survey that the administration has sent out to students, following similar surveys dispersed in both 2015 and 2017. Students at the University — which is one of only 33 members of the Association of American Universities to participate in the 2019 Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Assault and Sexual Misconduct — are in a unique position to provide vital feedback about critical policies and procedures on Grounds.
(03/21/19 3:54am)
Earlier this month, President Jim Ryan’s released a statement promising that University administration would implement a $15 minimum wage for both university workers and contracted employees starting on Jan. 1, 2020. The statement followed a report that came from Ryan’s community working group, which he created to improve the relationship between the University and larger Charlottesville community. In the report, the working group released results to a survey that showed living wages to be the issue of top priority amongst Charlottesville workers and residents. In response, not only did Ryan propose a minimum wage of $15 per hour for University employees, but he also assured contracted workers that he and his team would find a way to pay them a similar wage, despite current legal barriers.
(02/24/19 11:12pm)
Marsh Pattie, assistant vice president of student affairs, met with the University Judiciary Committee earlier this month to discuss the UJC’s mission as well as some state and federal policies that may influence the judiciary processes here at the University. Most notably, Pattie discussed new policies from the Civil Rights Office of the U.S. Department of Education that could reevaluate the standards of evidence in student cases.
(01/24/19 2:30am)
The price of off-Grounds housing in Charlottesville is a large concern for students and Charlottesville residents alike. In fact, Charlottesville has one of the most expensive rental markets in Virginia, leading many to believe that the City is in the midst of its own housing crisis. Affordable housing in Charlottesville has become so scarce that there are nearly 1,600 people on waiting lists for rental assistance programs. This shortage makes it especially difficult for low-wage employees in the City to find cost-effective housing. While the City is able to intervene and help those in need of housing, the University must realize the impact of student housing on Charlottesville’s lack of affordable housing and take action.