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THE CAVALIER DAILY Vol. 131, Issue 13 Thursday, March 11, 2021 MARTHA WILDING | THE CAVALIER DAILY MARCH 2020 JUNE 2020 229 FEB 28 New COVID-19 Cases COVID-19 New FEB 1 Checking in on the U.Va. community one year after COVID-19 sent students home last spring Pages 4-5 ADVERTISEMENT 2 | www.cavalierdaily.com The Cavalier Daily NEWS This week in-brief CD News Staff U.Va. cancels Final Exercises for Class of 2021 as planned, postpones graduation activities for Class of 2020 to May 2022 University President Jim Ryan notified graduating students that Final Exercises will not be held as usual this May in an email to the Class of 2021 March 3. Ryan said the decision RILEY WALSH | THE CAVALIER DAILY was made based on the size of gatherings permitted by the Commonwealth of Virginia as well as travel advisories. In a separate statement, Ryan also announced the postponement of Final Exercises for the Class of 2021 were originally rescheduled for the weekend of May 21-23, 2021. Final Exercises for the Class of 2020 until the summer of 2022. Final Exercises for the Class of 2021 were originally rescheduled for the weekend of May 21-23, 2021 while those for the Class of 2020 were planned for May 28-30, 2021. In a separate announcement, Ryan told the Class of 2020 that their 2022 ceremony will U.Va. reports 1,653 total spring “combine elements of Final Exercises and an early reunion” and will provide an opportunity to walk the Lawn for those who want to do so. This marks the second time that graduation activities for the Class of 2020 have been cases, of which 1,424 are students postponed — Final Exercises for the Class of 2020 were originally scheduled for May 16 Since Jan. 1, the University’s COVID-19 tracker has reported 1,653 positive cases of and 17, 2020 before being canceled last March following the outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus in the University community, which includes faculty, staff, students and con- pandemic. tracted employees. University students make up 1,424 of these positive cases. Feb. 16 marked the highest number of daily reported cases since Jan. 1, recording 229 positive cases in the University community. Since the spike in cases the week of Feb. 15 — when the University reached a record-high percent positivity rate of 4.12 percent and a seven-day average of 112.1 cases per day — cases have steadily declined. As of Wednesday, 50 cases are active. There is currently a 0.17 percent seven-day average positivity rate, which refers to the percentage of people who obtained positive test results out of all people tested, and a seven-day average of 3.4 new cases per day. 3.3 3.5 3.10 The dashboard also reports that 2 percent of the student quarantine rooms are currently occupied while 1 percent of the student isolation rooms are occupied. These numbers are only reflective of students who have tested positive through the Student Health & Wellness or the U.Va. Health Clinic. Board of Visitors reflects on past year, makes plans for the future during series of meetings Friday The Buildings and Grounds Committee met Friday the University. $4.5 million will go towards creating schol- ty has had in the face of the pandemic. morning to discuss a number of projects and plans for the arships through the Piedmont Scholars Program, with the “I think it’s fair to say that the year has been bumpy but coming years. University Architect Alice Raucher presented remainder being used to help students successfully integrate successful … I think we’ve done about as well as any other her schematics for the new University Hotel and Confer- into University life. The first cohort of scholarship recipients University in managing the pandemic,” Ryan said. “We’ve ence Center as well as a new athletics complex. Due to mold will be selected this spring for students attending in fall 2021. come to appreciate even more than we have before the inge- concerns, the committee also plans to replace the outdated Each year, around 150 students transfer from PVCC to the nuity, the determination, the resilience and the compassion heating and cooling units at Lambeth Field Apartments — University — through this scholarship program, 25 scholar- of our students, our faculty and staff.” which were installed when Lambeth was first built in the ships are expected to be awarded annually. Ryan then gave an overview of the priorities for the 1970s — for updated, more energy-efficient ones. The Academic and Student Life Committee of the Board 2020-2021 year, which include advancing key initiatives of the The Board of Visitors’ Finance Committee approved three of Visitors met Friday afternoon to approve the establish- University’s strategic plan such as the Emmet-Ivy corridor, action items and announced its delay in discussion of poten- ment of 11 new professorships and two new degree pro- investing in STEM research and interdisciplinary research tial tuition and fees increases. Tuition discussion was delayed grams — a Doctorate of Philosophy at the Darden School spaces and advancing diversity, equity and inclusion initia- due to unfinalized aspects of Virginia’s 2020-2022 budget. The of Business and a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science in tives such as increased funding and changes to the University governor has until March 31 to propose other amendments, the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. When landscape based on recommendations from newly created and the Board cannot discuss what that means for tuition compared to fall 2020, the committee projected that total Naming and Memorials Committee. until the budget is finalized. undergraduate enrollment will decrease by 2 percent over the During the Advancement Committee meeting, University next seven years. President Jim Ryan announced an anonymous donation of $5 After the Academic and Student Life session concluded, million that will go towards supporting students at Pied- the full Board met for summary and a conclusion. President mont Virginia Community College who wish to transfer to Jim Ryan remarked on the unprecedented year the Universi- NEWS Thursday, March 11, 2021 | 3 Jayla Hart and Mj Smith to serve as HRL co-chairs Their planned initiatives include increasing communication and emphasizing diversity and inclusion in residential committees Lauren O’Neil | Senior Writer Third-year College students Mj issues in their community and build increasingly accessible and inclusive Smith and Jayla Hart accepted offers connections between groups sup- community for students and staffers. to serve as resident staff co-chairs for porting diverse populations across They are already planning to increase the 2021-22 academic year on Feb 23. Grounds and HRL staff. transparency and boost camaraderie The positions — which they will hold “I think that desire to spread that by creating a lunch series for everyone until May 2022 — include responsi- feeling of home across the program in in the program and sitting in on staff- bilities such as leading Housing and an equitable way was really the moti- ing meetings. Residence Life senior staff training vating cause for me applying because “I aspire to know everyone in the meetings, reviewing applications for at HRL I had noticed how much program, which I know is a big task, and managing a team of 240 staffers growth we had made in the last two but I believe this will allow for staffers and providing recommendations for years,” Hart said. “I really felt that this to feel seen and heard within the pro- changes to Housing and Residence was a good time to start pushing for gram,” Smith wrote. “Having a diverse Life’s mission and policies. even more bold initiatives, things that group of staffers and leaders allows for HRL provides on-Grounds hous- would show that HRL is adapting more diverse stories and experiences ing for approximately 7,000 students, with the student body and the needs to help HRL grow and best serve the ranging from first-years living in of our residents and staffers.” needs of the varying staffers and resi- dorms to upperclassmen in apart- For the coming year, Hart and dents that we serve and will continue ment-style housing. Smith are using their positions to re- to serve throughout the year.” In an email to The Cavalier Daily, organize one HRL committee, dedi- HRL co-chairs are required to Smith said that at first he didn’t even cating it to addressing “Community serve as either a resident advisor for consider applying for the co-chair Development and Residential Inclu- two years or a senior resident for one position. However, at the urging of sion” instead of simply Community year. Hart, who lived in Brown College friends and other staffers of HRL, he Development. her first year, was a RA for one year realized the role was a chance for him “We really do kind of set the tone in Brown before she was selected as to make a difference in the program for the program, and we can leverage the residence’s senior resident. Smith and get to know all of his fellow staff- our authority so that we can change has served as an RA for the last two ers. a position like we’re doing this year,” years in Bice House and the Language After serving on HRL’s Com- Hart said. “This [change] was really Houses. mittee on Multi-Culturalism for the meant to take a past Vice-Chair po- Hart and Smith were selected after last two years, Hart knew she loved sition and make it more tailored to- completing both a written application acting as a leader and a coach in her wards diversity, equity and inclusion, and two rounds of interviews.