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(04/01/24 4:50pm)
In 2020, a study from the National Center for Science Education graded Virginia’s state science standards for climate change with a failing grade — “F.” Notably, compared to neighboring states, Virginia was the only one with a failing grade. In short, Virginia is facing one of the greatest regional threats of climate change, yet we have the least comprehensive state plan to educate citizens about it. In response to this obvious failure, the Virginia legislature recently created a bill which would require the Virginia Board of Education to provide local public school boards with instructional materials on climate change and environmental literacy. Laudably, the bill passed the Virginia Senate and House of Delegates this spring and is currently awaiting Governor Glenn Youngkin’s response by April 8th. In short, this bill should be applauded as a step in the right direction which can and should be built upon. Comprehensive climate education represents a way to teach future generations about the threat of climate change which will, in turn, enable them to mitigate its impacts and solve future crises.
(04/05/24 3:03am)
Earlier this semester, the Biden Administration announced that it wants to amend an Obama-era policy that established the inclusive access textbook program for students across the nation. This program gives college students automatic access to online versions of textbooks from the beginning of the semester and — here at the University — the cost of these textbooks are ultimately charged directly to students’ financial services accounts. The Biden administration’s proposed change would prevent students from being automatically opted into the inclusive access program at their universities, instead forcing them to opt in themselves. The Biden Administration argues that this shift in policy will give students more autonomy over what course materials they choose to purchase. However, in reality, making such a change will deal a blow to students by undoing the part of this policy which has played a fundamental role in driving down the cost of course materials.
(02/14/24 10:50pm)
This semester, the Student Council once again tabled a resolution that would have called on the University to allow students to carry pepper spray at University events. Conversations around the policy change were promising, but ultimately were delayed so that representatives had ample time to review the current policy with University leaders. Student-initiated calls for change come as a result of growing student safety concerns following the attempted abduction of a female student last October, among other incidents that have occurred on Grounds. In light of these concerns, the University should change their current policy in order to allow students to bring pepper spray to all university sanctioned events.
(01/19/24 12:38am)
According to a report released in late November from the Virginia governor’s office, fire and Emergency Medical Services — two systems which provides skilled pre-hospital care during emergencies — have experienced a nearly 40 percent increase in calls over the last three years. This report also notes that 18 percent of localities said they could not meet state EMS staffing standards, and 70 percent of localities could only sometimes, never or rarely meet federal fire safety standards. These shortages are unacceptable and are the direct result of the state failing to sufficiently fund EMS services in the Commonwealth. As suggested by the report, the state must begin to directly fund the EMS services of its counties — failure to do so compromises the effectiveness of these services and exacerbates existing burdens on emergency personnel in a way that fundamentally threatens public safety.
(11/06/23 1:54am)
One of the main challenges of this time of year is keeping voters informed and getting them to the polls. This is especially the case in Virginia, where 140 seats in the General Assembly are up for election Nov. 7. Early voting in Charlottesville began in late September, but it came with a slow start, as few people showed up to vote early. Despite this, the University’s Center for Politics’ work to boost voter registration on Grounds through a variety of sign-up events highlights the importance of the younger voter demographic — both here and beyond the greater Charlottesville area. The Center for Politics’ work is vital because it fosters engagement with this demographic to help them be educated civic participants — and this is a healthy example of how the University can help our democracy function properly.
(10/31/23 11:58pm)
With Student Council approving new Contracted Independent Organizations every semester, there are well over 700 CIOs on Grounds. The University has made a commitment to cultivate “a vibrant and unique residential learning environment marked by the free and collegial exchange of ideas” and CIOs are an integral part of this mission. These student organizations are not just fun pastimes or things to put on our resumes — CIOs get students ready for the workplace and foster professional opportunities, inspire change in both University and Charlottesville communities and allow students to express themselves. CIOs are more than extracurriculars — they are an integral part of the University’s mission and they serve as excellent supplements to a liberal arts education.
(08/24/23 8:54pm)
As politicians have continued to amplify claims of fraudulent elections, faith in our election system has steadily declined in the past few years. Now more than ever, we need a voting system that incentivizes candidates to build bridges as opposed to planting seeds of doubt and confusion. Earlier this summer, voters in Arlington County were faced with ranked-choice voting for the first time — despite its challenges, ranked-choice voting could be the perfect step toward restoring voters’ confidence in our election system. While ranked-choice voting can combat political polarization by limiting negative campaigning and forcing candidates to appeal to the majority of the electorate, failure to appropriately implement this system can — and has — caused unnecessary confusion for voters. There must be better outreach methods taken in both Arlington County and across the state to better educate voters before a ranked-choice election. Otherwise, this method of voting will just add more confusion and uncertainty to an electoral system that is already fraught with distrust.
(11/07/22 2:43am)
When the Supreme Court started its 2022 session on the first Monday of October, all eyes were on the justices and the docket of cases prepared for the term. Not only was it the beginning of the 2022 session with the newly appointed Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, but the first case of the docket, Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency, is sure to have great influence. This case has the potential to change not only what and where the Environment Protection Agency can regulate with the Clean Water Act and subsequently change national climate laws for the worse. This case is an attempt to rewrite what waterbodies and specifically wetlands the EPA can regulate.