Switching formats: WVAI picks up where WUVA left off

On September 18, WUVA listeners who tuned in to 92.7 FM, the only urban station in Charlottesville, were surprised by the country twang pouring out of their radios. “Obviously, the main reason is economic,” station manager David Mitchell says about WUVA’s sudden transition from one genre to another. Over the past few years, Mitchell says […]

#MarteseJohnson: Scarred, still alive and seizing the moment

March 17—St. Patrick’s Day—was a pretty typical day for third-year Martese Johnson at the University of Virginia. A Tuesday, it was one of the heaviest academic days for the media studies and Italian major, and he was in class until mid-afternoon. That evening, “I hung out with friends on the Lawn for a time,” he […]

Dangerous time of year on Grounds

Those heady first weeks of freedom as a college student have a name: the red zone, the time when freshman females are most at risk for sexual assault. And this year, the University of Virginia is mandating two online classes on alcohol and substance abuse, and sexual violence for both male and female students. UVA […]

Julian Bond: Death of a civil rights icon

President Barack Obama called Julian Bond “a hero,” and many thought the man who was the telegenic face of the civil rights movement since he co-founded Students Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in the 1960s would be America’s first black president. Bond, who was professor emeritus at UVA, died August 15 at age 75 following a short […]

New BOV members: What’s changed since Sullivan ouster?

Since University of Virginia President Teresa Sullivan was fired—and reinstated—in 2012, there have been calls for change in both how the Board of Visitors is governed and who is on the board. With Governor Terry McAuliffe’s last round of five appointees, critics say there’s still too little diversity in who gets appointed. And one tradition—that […]

Former UVA swimmer files lawsuit against five ex-teammates, alleges hazing

A former member of the University of Virginia swim team has filed a lawsuit against five of his former teammates for incidents including hazing, false imprisonment, and assault that occurred last fall. Anthony Marcatonio’s suit, filed in federal court on June 26, alleges that in the late night/early morning of August 27/28, Marcantonio and other […]

UVA spending $450K to give Rotunda that ’70s look

The Rotunda is the central structure of University of Virginia’s present and past. It’s a neoclassical architectural masterpiece designed by the founder, Thomas Jefferson, that has become so revered that the UN named it a World Heritage Site. And now, as part of a $52-million renovation, it’s getting a rooftop paint job costing over $450,000. […]

Sabato, Center for Politics nominated for Emmys

UVA’s pundit emeritus and head of the Center for Politics, Larry Sabato, has been nominated for an Emmy for his massive open online course The Kennedy Half Century. And the center snagged a nomination for best historical documentary for its Bombs Away: LBJ, Goldwater and the 1964 Campaign that Changed it All, directed by Paul […]

Sullivan extended

The University of Virginia Board of Visitors voted May 19 to extend President Teresa Sullivan’s contract until July 31, 2018. Her current contract is set to end on July 31, 2016. A provision in the newly passed contract stipulates that Sullivan’s successor could assume office as early as November 1, 2017. If the board has […]