‘The people organized will never be defeated’: United Campus Workers lead the way
Brianna Cobbs, Contributing Writer The United Campus Workers of Virginia, a union representing higher education workers statewide, convened at the State Capitol for their fourth annual Lobby Day on Jan. 17. The event united faculty, staff and students from institutions across the Commonwealth, including Virginia Commonwealth University, to demand collective bargaining rights, affordable education and […]
VCU to begin paying athletes after NCAA settlement
Harshini Kanala, Contributing Writer VCU has entered into a settlement agreement for House v. NCAA, a class-action antitrust lawsuit seeking to fairly compensate collegiate players. Plaintiffs have until Jan. 31 to file objections, opt out or enter the settlement. Once it is approved by the presiding judge, final approval of the agreement is expected on […]
Richmond’s water disaster: VCU delays move-ins, semester starts on time
Jack Glagola, News Editor A momentary power outage at Richmond’s water treatment plant following the snowstorm on Jan. 5 caused a water quality catastrophe, leading the Department of Public Utilities to issue a boil notice and advise people to conserve water on Jan. 6. Richmonders collected snow to flush the toilet and do laundry until […]
VCU cancels federal work-study program for spring semester
Emily Grinstead, Contributing Writer Virginia Commonwealth University will freeze hiring for the Federal Work-Study program ahead of the spring 2025 semester, according to an email sent to FWS students shared on Reddit. Students enrolled in the spring semester Federal Work-Study program received an email announcing the decision to “not open Work-Study hiring for the spring […]
Trial by water: Avula spends first days in office tackling outage, community fills gaps
Andrew Kerley, Contributing Writer Danny Avula, inaugurated as the 81st mayor of Richmond on Jan. 1, was quickly met with a trial by fire — or rather, water — as a winter storm wiped out the city’s water utility. It started when Richmond’s water treatment plant lost power in the morning hours of Jan. 6, […]
House holds hearing for free speech policies on Virginia campuses
Molly Manning, Contributing Writer Max Walpole, Contributing Writer The Virginia House of Delegates Select Committee on Campus Safety and First Amendment Expression held a hearing on Nov. 20 regarding the Virginia college protests last spring against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, as well as new policies introduced by many Virginia colleges in the months following. […]
Spreading holiday cheer: VCU community members team up to donate winter clothing
Annabel Granger, Contributing Writer Harshini Kanala, Contributing Writer The College of Humanities and Sciences collaborated with the Latinx Student Association to hold its annual coat drive for Southwood Apartments, located at 4602 Southwood Pkwy. They collected around 50 coats alongside sweaters and other winter clothing this past month, which will be delivered to the apartments […]
Comm arts department discusses AI after controversial online use
Jack Glagola, News Editor Eliza Eyre, Contributing Writer The Department of Communication Arts held a roundtable discussion on artificial intelligence on Nov. 8 in the Commons Theater after controversy bubbled up over the usage of AI-generated pictures posted on the department’s Instagram page, according to a previous article The Commonwealth Times. The roundtable featured a […]
VCU introduces land acknowledgment, honors Indigenous peoples
Harshini Kanala, Contributing Writer Max Walpole, Contributing Writer VCU and VCU Health released a land acknowledgment statement on Nov. 1 recognizing the former Native occupants of the land the campus is built on, according to VCU News. “Virginia Commonwealth University and the VCU Health System acknowledge that we live and work on the traditional lands […]
Despite Richmond’s growth, vacant properties remain
Bilan Osman, Contributing Writer Richmond has grown tremendously — 11% in the past decade, according to Richmond Economic Development. However, boarded-up and vacant buildings still line the streets, especially downtown on Broad, Grace and Hull streets. The current number of vacant properties listed is 546, less than in previous years. The city’s Property Maintenance Division […]