Rao delivers his State of the University address, students react to potential changes

Katie Farthing, Staff Writer

Selna Shi, News Editor

Creativity and innovation in a time of transition was the theme of VCU President Michael Rao’s State of the University address on March 29. 

Rao acknowledged the pandemic and its impact on students, staff and healthcare workers. Rao said VCU is in a unique position to succeed through adversity because of its mission. 

“VCU is not only going to survive, it’s going to thrive,” Rao said during the address. “We believe that every single person, every human being, can reach their full potential no matter where they start off in their lives, no matter where they’re coming from and no matter who they are.” 

VCU administration presented a 3% to 5% tuition increase last week to the Board of Visitors for undergraduate and graduate students for the 2023-24 fiscal year, according to VCU News. The university administration cited inflation and “increasing utility cost and operational needs” for the increase. 

The administration also recommended an increase of $190, or 6%, in mandatory fees, $165 increase in university fee, a $15 increase in technology fee, a $6 increase in health service fee and a $4 increase in library fee, according to the article. 

No tuition increase has been approved yet and the university is waiting for the state budget to make any decisions, according to Rao. 

“We saw a series of options that are possible based on a number of scenarios, including whether the state does X or Y or Z,” Rao said. “Until we know what the X is, what the Y is, or what the Z is and which one of those it will ultimately be, we really can’t make a decision about what tuition will be.”

Isabella Darko, a freshmen computer science student, said the tuition increase would be unnecessary and unfair, especially for in-state students who expect cheaper tuition. 

“College is already so expensive, so I feel like you’re just making it more unaffordable for people,” Darko said. “People want to go to college and succeed and it’s not accessible to them.”

Josephine Morfeld, a freshman biomedical engineering student, said there are a lot of issues with food and housing at VCU. 

“If they increase it [the tuition] I hope those things [food and housing] will be fixed,” Morfeld said. “If they’re not, then I don’t see why that’s happening.”

Samuel Baugher, a junior biomedical engineering student, agreed that the tuition increase should not happen. 

“I feel like it’s already pretty high as it is,” Baugher said. 

Rao announced that the VCU Massey Cancer Center will become Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center once officially designated by the National Cancer Institute in the upcoming months. “Comprehensive means that you’re serving more people, you’re doing more clinical trials,” Rao said. “It’s going to raise the level of research. It’s going to help us to have more patients in clinical trials and save more people’s lives.”

VCU’s graduation rate has increased from 57% to 68% within the past six years, according to Rao. Nearly a third of students graduated were first-generation college students. The university aims to reach 78% by 2028, Rao said.

“The world around us, the human beings around us, are changing in so many ways. It demands that we keep up and we will,” Rao said. “It demands that we stretch our creativity in uncommon ways and we will. It demands that we truly put the needs of students and patients first. We will.” 

Rao mentioned Project Gabriel, a special commission by VCU to examine the university’s historical past to slavery and illegal grave robbing of African American burial sites. 

Ananya Udyaver, attendee and sophomore undergraduate researcher for Project Gabriel, said she agrees with Rao that it is important to include students in research and job opportunities.

“Research opportunities are generally available to the student population, which is different from other universities,” Udyaver said. “There is a lot of inclusivity at VCU.”

Udyaver works with Baneshwar Singh, a VCU forensic science professor, on the dental plaques of the victims from the burial sites. 

Udyaver said she is finishing up her research and finding conclusions. She said she will be presenting her research at the undergraduate research symposium next month. 

Catherine Ingrassia, interim dean of colleges of humanities and sciences, said she has been working for VCU for 30 years and focusing on the new STEM building right now.

“Our focus on innovating our teaching practices is a college-wide mission,” Ingrassia said.

There are also disparities between STEM and art buildings, according to Darko. 

“We do have a lot of new engineering buildings which is nice,” Darko said. “I feel like our art buildings are kind of run down, and we are primarily a really good art school.”

Darko said art students should not be in old buildings and have to pay for all their supplies when they pay the same for tuition. 

A new inpatient children’s hospital, Children’s Tower, recently just celebrated the ribbon cutting ceremony and the facility will officially open on April 30, according to Rao.

“I’m more excited now than I’ve ever been,” Rao said.

Darko said she hadn’t heard about the new Children’s Tower or VCU Health news in general, but that the hospital was a nice addition. 

“I think that’s a good thing,” Darko said. “That’s pretty cool.”