OLIVER: Where are our standards?
By Seamus Oliver | January 28, 2026Even those critical of the process that appointed him have admitted Beardsley’s considerable fundraising ability, but does he check any other box?
Even those critical of the process that appointed him have admitted Beardsley’s considerable fundraising ability, but does he check any other box?
By not devoting enough attention to developing English proficiency among non-native speaking ELs, these students are disadvantaged in their exams, and consequently their graduation rates and their futures.
Because there is no singular or correct approach in an educational world of individualized, class-specific policies, the University must mandate AI literacy training on the ethical, environmental and practical concerns for generative AI.
Writing allows us to clarify complex ideas, wrestle with ambiguity and engage critically with texts and concepts.
With the turmoil at the federal level dominating much of the 2025 campaign, voters did not cast their ballot with an appetite for statewide left-wing activism — they cast their ballot hoping for some semblance of normalcy.
By acting in bad faith, the Board has flouted its fiduciary duties to the University and has violated its own bylaws calling on it to protect the University from outside interference.
Earnest engagement is not represented by scheduled listening opportunities, but by an unceasing and unreserved dedication to connecting with community members who presently feel so ignored.
While perhaps not using race as a primary form of discrimination, current debates over housing unfortunately and predictably devolve into camps of rich versus poor. The crux of the issue is the same — past and present residents wrestle over how to deal with rising property value and increasing population
Study abroad programs like this one are implicit, institutional endorsements that certify the host state's compliance with the University’s ethical, educational and safety standards, all of which serve as a form of soft-power validation.
Worse still, over-policing benign practices risks driving genuinely harmful behavior underground.
Our articles are typically published under the monolithic title of “EDITORIAL.” This article, however, intends to capture the parts of the whole — the seven students behind the sign-off.
For those who voted for Jones, support comes with an obligation — to expect better from him, to hold him accountable and to remain honest about the conditions under which he is afforded trust.
Just as Jefferson viewed last-minute judicial entrenchment as a violation of democratic norms, many at the University see the Board’s actions as similarly problematic.
Furthermore, it is hard to ignore that the unanimous vote elevating Beardsley to the University’s top role was undertaken by a Board that is seemingly not legally constituted.
Students vying for a Lawn room are left with the options of not signing an off-Grounds lease on the gamble of being accepted, or putting their name on a lease and risking financial or legal repercussions for removing their name.
The critiques of Mahoney and the Board of Visitors are egregious double standards that I believe are motivated by political differences with Mahoney and the Board.
The Second-Year Council should not be alone in interrogating these systems, but rather, the University must earnestly recognize the stressors these processes mount on students.
With more immigrant constitutional rights being under fire from loopholes like automatic stay provisions, communities that take many asylum seekers like Charlottesville suffer.
While the faculty, alumni, students and multiple university organizations call for accountability and demand the resignation of the Board’s leaders, the remaining members of the Board — 11 persons in all — remain silent, unmoved, perhaps inactive.
On search committees such as the one for a provost, it is imperative that all members feel equally qualified to debate the merits of candidates without undue influence, and it was this imperative that Wilkinson deliberately undermined.