Tag: University of Virginia
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Was UVa’s Vax Mandate Justified? We’ll Never Know.
by James A. Bacon This academic year the University of Virginia mandated that all students get vaccinated. With few exceptions, all have done so, as have most of the university’s 30,000 faculty, staff and employees. According to the Daily Progress, only 173 are estimated to be out of compliance. They have until January 4 to…
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Jefferson Defended
by James A. Bacon I was proud of the University of Virginia last night. The Young Americans for Freedom organized an event, “Defending Thomas Jefferson,” featuring National Review editor Rich Lowry and Texas Congressman Chip Roy, both UVa alumni. Organizers believe it was the first time that conservative speakers from outside the university had been…
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Hey, Show Some Respect!
by Walter Smith There is a new conservative meme loose in the land. It is profane and disrespectful, and it does nothing to elevate the civic discourse. But it gets the point across. It seems that crowds in football stadiums around the country have taken to chanting, “F— Joe Biden!” Hilariously, one sports commentator…
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This Is It! Act Now to Save the UVa Honor Code, or It Dies!
Letter from Bert Ellis, president of The Jefferson Council to All Friends of the University of Virginia. I am writing this letter as Bert Ellis, a passionate Double Hoo (College ‘75, Darden ‘79) and as a Founder and President of The Jefferson Council. Our University is under attack from multiple sources and at multiple levels.…
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Charlottesville a Pioneer of Woke Architecture
A dustup over classical architecture at the University of Virginia prefigured the controversy over Donald Trump’s architecture executive order. by Catesby Leigh When Donald Trump ordered a traditionally oriented reform of federal architectural patronage in his final days as president, its life expectancy was exceedingly short. Sure enough, his successor soon revoked the order and…
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With a $14.5 Billion Endowment, Are UVa Leaders Accountable to Anyone But Themselves?
by James A. Bacon The University of Virginia endowment racked up a breathtaking 49% investment return in the year ending June 30, 2021, bringing the total value of the university’s investments to $14.5 billion, reports the University of Virginia Investment Management Company (UVIMCO) in its 2020-21 annual report. I’m not sure that’s a good thing.…
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How Not to Create a Diverse, Welcoming Workplace
by James A. Bacon Michelle Vermillion was raised an old-fashioned liberal. She grew up thinking that people should be treated as individuals, judged, as Martin Luther King once dreamed, by the content of their character, not the color of their skin. She supports civil rights causes and endorses diversity in the workplace. Getting to know…
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UVa Petri Dish Update
by James A. Bacon About a month ago I suggested that the University of Virginia would make an interesting real-world experiment in the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination mandates during the Delta Variant phase of the epidemic. The Ryan administration required vaccinations for all students, allowing only a handful of medical and religious exceptions. Vaccinations were…
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Intellectual Enslavement at UVa
by Jock Yellott “This year, members of the Class of 2025 are required to attend a historical tour and debrief discussion centered around the history of enslaved laborers at the University.” — Sydney Hertzog, Cavalier Daily, Sept. 22, 2021. Why does this rankle? The University of Virginia, after all, has many mandates: • Social Sciences…
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Flag Vandalism at UVa a False Alarm, Ryan Says
by James A. Bacon A few days ago I reported an alleged act of vandalism against 2,977 tiny American flags planted in the ground as part of a 9/11 commemoration at the University of Virginia. The evening after the service, which was sponsored by the conservative Young Americans for Freedom and attended by President Jim…
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A Small Victory for Pluralism at UVa
by James A. Bacon I’m beginning to have a smidgeon of sympathy for University of Virginia President Jim Ryan. On the 20th anniversary of 9/11, Ryan attended an event sponsored by the Virginia branch of the Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) to commemorate the lives lost in the terrorist attacks. YAF is an avowedly conservative…
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UVa, COVID, and Jim Ryan’s $200,000 Bonus
by James A. Bacon Like many other University of Virginia alumni, I was taken aback to hear that the Board of Visitors had granted President Jim Ryan a $200,000 bonus for the great job UVa had done in addressing the COVID-19 epidemic. Rector Whittington Clement put it this way: “When the situation this year became…
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Is Anyone In Charge Over There?
The new rules for occupying a prestigious room on the University of Virginia’s Lawn allow students to post comments and materials on two message boards affixed to each door. An addendum to the “Terms and Conditions for Lawn and Range Residents, Housing and Residence Life” states: “Any materials placed on the message boards must fit…
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Bacon Bits: Reality Sucks Edition
Bye, Bye, Brackney. The City of Charlottesville will not renew the employment contract of Police Chief RaShall Brackney, who took on the job in June 2018, the City announced on its website yesterday. No explanation was given. However, the announcement follows less than two weeks after publication of a survey of Charlottesville police officers showing…
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Unequivocal Support for Free Speech… but Not Transparency
by Walter Smith To the tune of “Unforgettable”… Unequivocal you’re not at all Unequivocal nowhere this fall Like an empty phrase that runs from me How your illusion does things to me Never before has something been less Unequivocal in every way The University of Virginia formed the Free Expression and Free Inquiry Committee in…