This was previously submitted as an impact statement for a sanctioning hearing this fall in a recent Title IX matter at the University. The author's name was omitted to protect their identity.
The problem with merit scholarships is systemic — creating a bidding war between universities for affluent students.
No matter how much we love our country, we do it and ourselves a disservice when we elect to overlook its misdeeds.
Wear your mask, socially distance and above all — treat one another as you would like to be treated, for we are all part of the Virginia community.
Memorials mean nothing when change is not being actively and appropriately sought out. Empty gestures mean nothing in a country built on the backs of others.
We should expect the students, staff and faculty leaders of FCA to give everyone the respect they deserve.
At the core of both the Trump administration and Jim Ryan’s administration is the claim that reopening the economy or school is “worth it” despite the expectation that people will die and get sick.
The University must act with brevity in unrolling new lanes of communication between Student Health’s Psychological Services and students.
Moving forward, we must hold the Board to this higher standard of committing to and fulfilling the values of accessibility and diversity on Grounds.
By consigning the fall semester to failure, these prophets of doom have failed to realize the impact of their statements on the wider student body.
The University administration’s negligence is directly putting student workers’ lives at risk by actively ignoring the demands of residence staff, and not providing adequate protective gear, food allowances or financial security. A safe reopening cannot exist if the lives of countless student workers are being ignored.
Black people may no longer be slaves in America in the most literal sense, but we remain slaves to the racist systems the country has in place — including policing.
Exemptions for certain gathering restrictions place undue strain on Charlottesville, and undermine the responsibility that places of worship have to their community.
It’s ridiculous and completely unacceptable that the University would begin allowing students to move back to Charlottesville — even if they live off-Grounds — without having clear and effective protocols at Student Health to give information to students who test positive or who may have been exposed.
As we reckon with controversial and racist figures, we cannot ignore either the good or the bad parts of their history.
Maybe the University can acknowledge Jefferson on Grounds without glorifying him, but statues made to glorify Jefferson perpetuate a false history.
The University has a moral obligation to do everything in its power to keep these outbreaks from spreading to the greater Charlottesville community.
When it comes to health, the University has proven it is disgracefully incompetent.
Many universities with similar plans and initiatives have proven to be woefully unprepared for containing the dissemination of COVID-19.
Many student fees were already superfluous entering the new year, they now gain a newly resounding reminder of the University’s disregard for student interests.
