FRANKLIN: Students and faculty deserve a real seat at the table
By Felicity Franklin | April 9, 2026Student and faculty representatives on the Board of Visitors must be given voting rights.
Student and faculty representatives on the Board of Visitors must be given voting rights.
It is imperative that state governments push back against this federal invasion — like some of the measures Virginia has recently implemented regarding non-cooperation with ICE — to protect their citizens and end agents’ impunity.
This monument is not teaching anyone about history — the statue is not even depicting any particular soldier — but rather is a trite corruption of it.
When the Audit Committee conducts its review, it should prioritize addressing many unresolved concerns over the process.
The Maxine Platzer Lynn Women’s Center is a prime example of a resource hub that the University and donors should continue to invest in, serving as a blueprint for how women within the University and in the greater Charlottesville community can be supported.
In the spirit of its need for community trust, UBE must publish a final, comprehensive decision on the Student Council presidential election with sincere consideration paid to all available evidence.
If Virginia is serious about equity, it should work on cultivating girls’ ambition in perhaps the most transformative location it has to offer — the classroom.
In light of continuing national and regional efforts to restrict reproductive rights of women, Student Council and U.Va. Health must continue to collaborate on ensuring safe and reliable access to reproductive health care.
By removing human guidance and encouraging engagement with AI, students are ultimately discouraged from engaging deeply with material and instead learn to outsource their thinking, mistaking efficiency for understanding.
UBE need only look to itself to solve its problems, but it remains unclear whether or not it has the motivation to do so.
In practice, however, the perplexing difficulties created by the Disciplines far outweigh any pedagogical benefit.
The abuse of these exemptions undermines herd immunity and in turn, creates serious health risks for everyone.
This switch can further ensure equity and accessibility for all students without large fiscal sacrifices.
Although it should not have to fall on the University, it would serve the community well to make sure the vital fields we value so much do not dwindle in our future.
Although there is no stadium at the University that makes students feel like Olympic athletes competing for gold, the major declaration process does.
Assuring property-owners and renters that the spaces owned by them are safe and free of health and environmental concerns should be a top priority of any governing body.
Though not perfect in all respects, this year’s elections should be lauded as a stepping stone to achieving greater student engagement in the future.
Open dialogue challenges students to defend their ideas under scrutiny and forces robust exposure to new and diverse ideas.
Struggles to keep up with these everyday items have become even more relevant amidst federal actions that raise the costs of University education.
A truly unbiased presidential appointment process is something of a catch-22 in that there will always be political values in play from one side or another.