Bryer Haywood, Staff Writer
Students and concerned Richmonders warned VCU against unchecked expansion and disinvesting in the Richmond community at the VCU Board of Visitors meeting on Feb. 26 and 27 — the first since the General Assembly removed l three of its members.
Those removed were real estate developer Lara Tyler Chambers, tech employment founder Lori Jennings and CoStar CEO Andy Florance, according to a previous report by The CT.
In his report, President Michael Rao addressed the cuts to the board and expressed sadness about the departure of Chambers, Jennings and Florance. He reflected on each of their contributions to the board and looked back fondly at their achievements.
Rao mentioned that Florance — whose company is the namesake of VCU’s new arts and innovation center — was a good friend of his. He said he will miss him in Richmond.
The Office of the Provost declined to comment on the removals. The Office of the President did not respond by deadline.
Board reforms stall in General Assembly
Currently, there are four representatives on the board of visitors who represent undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty members and staff respectively. All four of them are non voting members and are not allowed to sit in on the closed sessions of the board meetings.
This legislative session, the Virginia General Assembly has proposed several changes to university boards throughout the state, according to a previous report by The CT.
Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Charlottesville, is now carrying a bill that would increase board members’ terms from four to six years, prohibit consecutive terms and require a two-year gap, and add nonvoting advisory members who represent students, faculty and staff.
Other board reform proposals were incorporated into one larger bill that added some of their administrative reforms and mandated nonvoting representatives from the faculty and student bodies.
That bill continues to move through the legislature — but the legislation no longer incorporates calls to add voting students, faculty or staff to university boards, and other proposals to that end did not make it past the committee stage.
The student representative having voting power and being able to sit in on closed sessions would allow them to represent as many students as possible and ensure that the BOV can make accurate decisions about the student body based on feedback, according to Asia Williams, the board’s current undergraduate student representative.
Natalie Bowen, press secretary of the Student Government Association, said the SGA firmly believes that the board should be reformed so that the undergraduate student representatives can actually have voting power.
“The process for [appointing] members to the BOV is flawed and should be changed to prevent political extremes and include student and faculty bodies,” Bowen said.
Speakers decry expansion, board decisions
The meeting otherwise focused on quantifying VCU’s financial impact on Richmond and the state, and on the university’s plans to address pedestrian safety. The board heard comments from people representing the interests of staff, graduate students, the sports community and others.
Maria Rivera, the current nonvoting faculty member representative on the board decried VCU’s newly adopted tenure policy as unpopular among faculty and said the university needs to do more to support faculty members.
During the public comment portion of the meeting on Feb. 27, several community members voiced their frustration with the board and recent decisions they have made, primarily about campus expansion and graduate student compensation.
Jennie Dotts, a realtor who advocates for the preservation of historic buildings in Richmond, criticized recent efforts by VCU to expand into the greater Richmond area.
“When demolition becomes default, we lose history,” Dodds said. “Rather than working with the community, VCU treats what stands in its way as collateral damage.”
Ashley Brown, president of the VCU NAACP chapter, called on the university to reinvest in public transportation infrastructure in Richmond, rather than pulling back support.
Dixon Kerr, a resident of the Church Hill area in Richmond, also called out the university’s rapid expansion.
“The question is whether VCU will be remembered as a steward of Richmond or a giant that could not see what was lost beneath its feet,” Kirk said.
EDITOR’S NOTE: A previous version of this story referred to community members Jennie Dotts and Dixon Kerr as ‘Jennifer Dodds’ and ‘Dixon Kirk’. The story has been updated with their proper spellings.