Politicians, activists seek to ban tear gas in Richmond
Jackson Rebraca, Contributing Writer “He was lying on the ground, gasping for breath and coughing so violently. At first, I genuinely thought he was suffocating. I stood with medics for 10 minutes while he fought to breathe.” This was how Sam Allen, a junior business major at VCU, described a man who was tear-gassed at […]
More Virginia colleges scrap traditional spring break
Anya Sczerzenie, Capital News Service A growing number of Virginia colleges are announcing that spring break will be canceled or modified in an effort to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Virginia Tech, located in Blacksburg, announced plans Monday. The biggest change is that the university will not have a week-long spring break. It will instead […]
Family, Richmond community join to celebrate Marcus-David Peters’ 27th birthday
Anya Sczerzenie, Staff Writer Dance performances, screen-printed T-shirts and birthday cake marked on Saturday the 27th birthday of Marcus-David Peters, a VCU alum who was killed by Richmond police while experiencing a mental crisis. Richmond community members gathered at the Robert E. Lee statue, coined Marcus-David Peters’ Circle, to celebrate Peters’ birthday. As performers danced […]
VCU cancels spring 2021 break, students react
Sanjana Ravulapalli, Contributing Writer VCU will have a phased return to campus in January but will not have a spring break, according to a university release on Thursday. Some students are critical of the decision to remove the traditional mid-semester break, while others say it is not “the end of the world.” Junior public relations […]
VCU reports slight enrollment drop amid pandemic
Anya Sczerzenie, Staff Writer More than 600 freshman students decided against attending VCU after receiving their acceptance letters –– a nearly 30% increase from the previous year –– making first-year students the most significant part of an enrollment drop at the university during COVID-19. The number of accepted freshman applicants increased, but the portion of […]
RVA Fashion Week brings inclusivity, mental health to multimodal events
Grace McOmber, Contributing Writer Only a few cameras flashed as models strutted down a makeshift runway wearing tuxedos, wedding dresses and glamorous evening gowns inside 707 Fine Clothing on East Broad Street. This year’s Runway2Life fashion show was almost unrecognizable from past shows that usually fill hundreds of seats in Richmond’s Main Street Station. The […]
Delegate plans to reintroduce quarantine pay bill next session
Zachary Klosko, Capital News Service Del. Elizabeth Guzmán, D-Woodbridge, said she is no stranger to the struggles of low-paying jobs. Guzmán said she immigrated to the United States from Peru as a single mother and worked multiple minimum wage jobs just to be able to pay rent and care for her daughter. Guzmán has a […]
VCU clinic offers free vaccinations amid flu season
Anna Chen, Contributing Writer As the flu season nears and Richmonders continue to contract COVID-19, VCU is offering free flu vaccinations. University Student Health Services is offering flu vaccinations by appointment only. VCU provided 4,038 free flu vaccines last year, Margaret Roberson, director of VCU Student Health Services, said in an email. “We have begun […]
Art students build foundations in virtual settings
Katharine DeRosa, Staff Writer Art foundation student Ken Truong found his way into the VCUarts program this year after exploring both biology and business majors. He watched his friends experience the introductory program, called AFO, and was looking forward to a similar hands-on experience himself. “Prior to the pandemic I thought I would be all […]
VCU offers virtual opportunities amid canceled study abroad trips
Katharine DeRosa, Staff Writer Senior Mika Hayashi has been planning her study abroad trip since her freshman year, getting all of her required coursework out of the way so she could spend her senior year in Japan. Now, following VCU’s cancellation of spring study abroad programs, Hayashi said she is disappointed. “I understand there’s nothing […]