Protests
- Data Center Fight Moves Into Greater Richmond as 17 Campuses Advance Across Eight Counties
Henrico, Chesterfield, Hanover, and Dinwiddie hearings fill with water, power, and tax-base arguments while Spanberger’s September directives and moratorium petitions set the statewide backdrop.
- Amid major federal shifts, McMahon urges Virginia universities to reform practices, restore public trust
As students prepare to return to class, U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon is asking Virginia’s college and university presidents and governing boards to review how they operate and make changes, with a specific focus on whether universities are delivering affordable, high-quality education while maintaining free speech, academic standards, and accountability to the public. McMahon […]
- Department of Environmental Quality asks Virginians how to best engage environmental justice communities during permitting process
When the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality reviews permits for proposed projects that would impact water, air, or land, the agency must consider whether projects would be in or near environmental justice communities, areas that are low-income or whose residents are mostly people of color who experience a disproportionate rate of environmental harm. Now, state […]
- Records Show Protests Led to Policy Changes at Va. Colleges
Records show policy campus demonstration discussions at VCU, attorney general involvement This year, several demonstrations by university students in response to the Israel-Hamas conflict led Virginia higher education institutions to change their policies on protests and free speech, according to records obtained by VPM News. Following the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas on Israeli […]
- Virginia lawmakers lay potential legislative groundwork in response to campus protests over Israel and Palestine
House lawmakers studying how some of Virginia’s universities handle campus protests and free speech policies faced criticism Wednesday after arranging a hearing that some in attendance felt leaned heavily toward institutional and pro-Israeli perspectives. However, House Majority Leader Charniele Herring, D-Alexandria, who chairs the House Select Committee tasked with reviewing campus safety and f