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Yancey: Universities, like some local governments, get pulled into issues beyond their reach
The students and others at Virginia Tech who were protesting Israeli actions in Gaza had multiple demands. Some were beyond the power of anyone in Blacksburg: “Ceasefire now!” Others were more specific to the university, such as wanting a meeting with Tech President Tim Sands. I’m struck, though, by one sign that I saw on what appeared to be a bedsheet. “Our demands,” it announced in red. Below there were three of them.
Disagree with student protesters, but don’t silence their voices
As student protests grow on college and university campuses in Virginia, as they have across the nation, presidents of these commonwealth schools have lost sight of their mission. Quelling peaceful protests with excessive force — calling in law enforcement to arrest, manhandle and use tear gas against their own students — unnecessarily inflamed situations that needed a more measured, thoughtful response. This is an opportunity for education — for lectures, discussion, study and everything else the academic heft of a school can bring to bear on a subject — and these young people should be heard, not silenced.
Petersburg’s financial adviser informally recommended Cordish
Did City Council choose to ignore the advice of its longstanding financial adviser in picking The Cordish Companies as its preferred casino vendor? According to language in a report Davenport & Co. sent the city on the same day council chose Cordish, the adviser informally said Cordish appeared to be the most financially viable of the five bidders. However, Davenport recommended a list of questions the city ask of all the vendors before it would make “a firm and final recommendation.”
Petersburg mayor says gaming union is threatening to sue ‘with no regard’ for citizens
Mayor Sam Parham drew a line in the sand with a hospitality union over its threat to sue the city, calling its claims “baseless” and adding that if the suit is filed, the city would see the union in court with the tables turned. In an exclusive statement to The Progress-Index Tuesday afternoon, the mayor said Petersburg “did everything by the book” in agreeing April 24 to accept The Cordish Companies and Bruce Smith Enterprise’s $1.4 billion to build a casino-anchored mixed-use community on 92 acres of land off Wagner Road. The 7-0 vote that followed a 90-minute closed session last week sparked intense criticism over the legitimacy of the vote, especially from the sponsor of the legislation that is bringing a November casino referendum to Petersburg.
State funding for Norfolk’s flood wall could fall short
Norfolk’s plan to build a flood wall downtown to block damage from catastrophic storms could fall short by $48.8 million in state funds in the next fiscal year, according to changes to the proposed city budget. The city’s fiscal 2025 budget plan includes $25 million allocated to the Coastal Storm Risk Management project, less than anticipated because of a likely reduction in state funding. City officials said that will not affect the immediate next phase of the project, but it could change how the city allocates money to the flood mitigation project later on.
Officials identify 13 people arrested on VCU campus at pro-Palestine protest
VCU officials on Tuesday identified the 13 people who were arrested Monday night on the lawn outside the James Branch Cabell Library after hundreds of protesters pitched a makeshift encampment in the park to protest Israel’s offensive in Gaza.
Pro-Palestinian protesters at UMW take break after arrests
A group of local college students who have been protesting in support of Palestinians and against the Israeli government have temporarily suspended activities following a weekend in which nine of them were arrested, a group organizer said. Amirah Ahmed, a student at the University of Mary Washington and the president of the university’s Students for Justice in Palestine, said Monday that her group has suspended protest-related activities for the rest of the semester, which is nearly over.
Police arrested 13 at VCU pro-Palestinian protest
Protests on Virginia’s university campuses have continued to escalate, with police using pepper spray to disperse a crowd and arresting 13 individuals connected to a pro-Palestinian demonstration at Virginia Commonwealth University on Monday evening. The university said in a statement that those arrested were charged with unlawful assembly and trespassing. Six were students who will go through the university’s conduct process, according to the statement.
As hazing reports increase at UVa, documents show fear of retaliation keeps students, parents from coming forward
Serious hazing complaints on another Virginia college campus have more fraternities in hot water. The University of Virginia has shut down one of the oldest fraternity chapters at the school, Pi Kappa Alpha, for what the university called “serious hazing behavior” in a statement to WUSA9. … Pi Kappa Alpha said the termination of its UVA charter will last for at least four years. Meanwhile, UVA said it has suspended activities at three other fraternities – Kappa Sigma, Theta Chi and Sigma Alpha Mu – pending hazing investigations in those houses.
Demonstration for Palestine at CNU remains peaceful
As protests pop up at colleges and universities across the nation, community members at Christopher Newport University are some of the latest demonstrators to support the Palestinian people and push leaders toward a ceasefire in Gaza and Israel. Community members began organizing at the university’s Great Lawn at 7 p.m. Tuesday as the school’s sprinklers watered the grass.