Tag: University of Virginia
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Should UVa De-Platform Mike Pence?
by James A. Bacon One might think that former Vice President Mike Pence would have earned a little cred for standing up to Donald Trump in overseeing the counting of electoral votes that resulted in the 2020 election of Joe Biden. So furious about this supposed betrayal is Trump that he has declared he would…
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No Woke-ism to See Here, Move Along Now: UVa Update
by James A. Bacon As Woke-ism deniers ramp up their obfuscations of the implementation of Woke social-justice ideology in Virginia’s schools and colleges, the evidence keeps pouring in. Yesterday, a source forwarded to me the following communication by Elyse Girard (She/They) at the University of Virginia regarding the hiring of a new Dean for Inclusion,…
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Speech on Virginia Campuses Less Unfree than Elsewhere
by James A. Bacon Three of Virginia’s universities scored in the top 25 in the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) 2021 annual free speech rankings of more than 150 higher-ed institutions across America, but Virginia Tech, once in the top 10, fell precipitously to the bottom third. The College of William & Mary…
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A Disastrous Week for UVa
Open letter from Bert Ellis, president of The Jefferson Council, to members of the University of Virginia community. Last week will go down as one of the worst weeks in the history of UVA. The Honor Code is Effectively Dead By a margin of over 4 to 1, UVA students voted in a referendum to…
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UVa Board Extends Ryan Contract for Three Years
by James A. Bacon The University of Virginia Board of Visitors voted unanimously Friday to extend President Jim Ryan’s employment agreement for three years to 2028. His existing contract doesn’t expire until 2025. “Jim Ryan has been a strong and focused leader for this community under extraordinary circumstances,” University Rector Whitt Clement said, as quoted…
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UVa Needs Facts and Reason, Not an Opinion Survey
by Charles L. Weber, Jr. Recently Jim Bacon argued that the University of Virginia needs to conduct another Climate Survey to compare the results with the one conducted in 2018. He argued as follows: The premise of the Ryan administration is that making African-Americans feel more welcome at UVa requires rooting out the racism endemic…
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Decline of the Honor System: UVa Edition
by James A. Bacon In elections this week, University of Virginia students will vote on a measure to reduce the punishment for honor-code violations (lying, cheating, stealing) from expulsion to a two-semester suspension. At least 10% of the student body must participate in the referendum, and of those who vote 60% must vote in favor.…
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Alumni Are Mad as Hell — and They’re Organizing!
by James A. Bacon College alumni, to borrow the classic phrase from the 1976 movie Network, are mad as hell and aren’t going to take it anymore. Unlike the fictional TV newsman played by Peter Finch, who had no idea how to channel his frustration, alumni groups around the country are organizing to push back…
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How Wokism Is Destroying UVa and Charlottesville
by Walter Smith A few months ago, Jim Bacon wrote an article asking, What’s the Matter with Charlottesville? My answer: UVa. Charlottesville used to be the proverbial sleepy, college town in a beautiful setting, blessed by a rich history centered around a giant of the Western world. The University of Virginia stuck to educating students…
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UVa Needs A Follow-Up Campus-Climate Survey
by James A. Bacon In 2018, during the last months of the Teresa Sullivan presidency, the University of Virginia conducted an extensive survey — polling some 6,000 students, faculty and staff — to provide guidance for ongoing “institutional transformation.” In a key question, respondents were asked whether they agreed or disagreed with the statement that…
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Who’s “Marginalized” at UVa? Political Conservatives, That’s Who.
by James A. Bacon What does it tell you about the freedom of speech and expression at the University of Virginia when in 2018 one-fifth of the university community (students, faculty and staff) described itself as various degrees of conservative and three-fifths identified as various degrees of liberal — a three-to-one ratio — but two…
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Is It Even Possible to Get More Lopsided Than This?
by James A. Bacon Two years ago, University of Virginia President Jim Ryan issued remarks outlining his vision for making UVa an institution that is both “great” and “good.” In his view, a critical strategy for achieving that goal was recruiting and retaining the “best people,” whether students faculty, or staff. “To do this we…
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Undocumented Aliens vs. Undocumented Vaccinations
by Walter Smith Prior to the fall 2021 semester, the University of Virginia disenrolled 238 students, including 49 who had already registered for classes. What was their offense? Take a guess. Entering and residing in the country illegally, or Refusing to get COVID vaccinated in violation of a university policy that has since been overturned.…
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No CRT to See Here. Move Along Now.
The University of Virginia paid $32,500 to Critical Race Theory popularizer Ibram Kendi to discuss “racial equity” for an hour. The university contracted with Penguin Random House Speakers Bureau, according to an agreement obtained by The Daily Wire through the Freedom of Information Act. The virtual event took place April 21 last year, and 876…
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DEI For Thee But Not For Me
by James A. Bacon On Jan. 16, the University of Virginia announced that Provost Liz Magill had been chosen to serve as the President of the University of Pennsylvania. The same day, President Jim Ryan announced her replacement, Ian Baucom, dean of the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Baucom had been widely…