Art studio receives grant to raise vaccine awareness within Richmond community
Mikayla Heightshoe, Contributing Writer The unmistakable smell of ink invades the nose upon entering the glass door of Studio Two Three. Up ahead artists are smoothing vibrant shades of orange, pink and red on matrices, to transfer onto paper or fabric, soon to be merchandise, prints and banners. The Center for Disease Control Foundation announced […]
New Year, New Variant
Monica Alarcon-Najarro, Contributing Writer From booster shots to the high demand of COVID-19 tests, 2022 is bringing the same pandemic anxiety from last year, but with more cases. The new year has already been filled with people hopping between pharmacies searching for COVID-19 testing after going out and celebrating the beginning of 2022. The Omicron […]
Tea Time with Tagwa: Aaron Rodgers needs to own up to his shortcomings
Tagwa Shammet, Opinions Editor Tea timers, as we near the end of yet another coronavirus-infected year, we carry along the controversy of vaccination. Many of us are lining up to receive our booster vaccine shots, while there are others among the population who remain unvaccinated. The vaccine controversy has plagued a variety of conversations. From […]
VCU drops mask requirements for vaccinated public, updates COVID-19 safety guidelines
Natalie Barr, Contributing Writer VCU students, faculty members and staff who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are no longer required to wear masks indoors or outdoors when physical distancing can be maintained, according to a university announcement emailed to students on Tuesday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an updated mask guidance on […]
Outdoor parties can wait until the pandemic ends
Ishaan Nandwani, Contributing Writer It’s my favorite time of the year: spring. Warm weather, blooming flowers and a pervasive aura of tranquility — what’s not to love? Personally, I’ve been taking advantage of the weather by going on walks and studying outside more, soaking in the warm sun at Monroe Park while studying enzyme-catalyzed biochemical […]
Schools practice 3-feet social distancing, per new CDC guidelines
Anya Sczerzenie, Contributing Writer In the classrooms where VCU student teacher Cougar Conley teaches music class, the fourth graders stand 3 feet apart. They’re close enough together that when the time comes to learn songs on the recorder, they aren’t allowed to actually play. “We tell them to ‘decapitate the instrument,’” Conley said. “They have […]
VCU offering free COVID-19 testing amid students’ winter break worries
Sanjana Ravulapalli, Contributing Writer Mass communications major Julia Daum is heading home and traveling out of state during winter break. But due to Richmond’s case numbers, the sophomore said she will get a precautionary COVID-19 test before she returns to Fauquier County. As the end of the semester approaches, students are preparing to head home […]
Freshmen reflect on semester of limited socialization
Katharine DeRosa, Staff Writer During a semester filled with uncertainty, freshmen at VCU navigated academic and social life while trying their best to adhere to safety precautions. COVID-19 spread across campus throughout the fall semester, leading to an outbreak in the university’s athletics department and requiring exposed students to quarantine in empty dorm rooms. As […]
CDC awards grant to VCU professor researching gun violence prevention
Katharine DeRosa, Staff Writer Several researchers with VCU connections are utilizing nearly $5 million in grant money from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study gun violence prevention and its impact on minority communities. The CDC awarded 16 grants to different researchers across the country to study the prevention of violent injury by […]
VCU student, employee COVID-19 cases triple since Thursday
Anya Sczerzenie, Contributing Writer Many VCU students have seen and been close to other students on campus who aren’t following the COVID-19 rules, including those without masks and those who congregate in large groups. Senior communication arts major Keaton Mullins recalled the time he saw a group of around 15 people not socially distancing themselves […]