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Department of Pathology

Yi He, PhD, 2023

Islet-On-Chip and 3D Bioscaffolds for Islet Transplantation Abstract: Rationale: Pancreatic islet transplantation is a promising cell-based therapy for replacing damaged β-cells and helping restore insulin independence in Type 1 diabetes…

Karolina Dziewulska-Cronk, PhD, 2023

Mechanisms of G6PD-deficient RBC Hemolysis Mediated by Oxidizing Drugs Abstract: According to estimates by the World Health Organization, around 250 million people contract Plasmodium spp. worldwide every year. While drugs…

Marissa Gonzales Stevens, PhD, 2023

Modulation of Mitochondrial Dynamics and T Cell Metabolism Abstract: Following an encounter with a pathogen or vaccination, a population of memory CD8+ T cells specific for the encountered antigen remain…

Anupam Prakash, PhD, 2023

Cellular and Molecular Regulators of RBC Alloimmunization Abstract: The vast majority of RBC transfusion recipients do not generate antibodies against alloantigens expressed on the RBC surface. We therefore set out…

Wei Feng Ma, PhD, 2023

Investigating Atherosclerosis and Chemotherapy-Induced Cardiomyopathy at the Single Cell Resolution Abstract: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and cancer are the leading causes of death worldwide. Central to many cardiovascular diseases, including myocardial…

Zollie White, PhD, 2022

The Role of LKB1 in Erythropoiesis Advisor: Goldfarb, Adam, Department of Pathology, University of Virginia Abstract: Erythropoiesis is a tightly regulated multistage process in which hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) proliferate…

Md Jashim Uddin, PhD, 2021

Type 2 immunity and amebiasis Advisor: Petri, William, Medicine, Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology, and Pathology, University of Virginia Abstract: The protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica is the causative agent of…

Aaron Stevens, PhD, 2021

Intratumoral T Cell Responses to Therapeutic Vaccination and Intracranial Melanoma Advisor: Bullock, Timothy, MD-PATH Research, University of Virginia Abstract: CD8 T cells are crucial in the fight against cancer. Despite…

Morgan Simpson, PhD, 2021

The Binary Toxin CDT and Toll-like Receptor 2 Contribute to the Pathogenesis of Clostridioides difficile Infection Advisor: Petri Jr., William, Infectious Disease, University of Virginia Abstract: Clostridioides difficile, the causative…

Jeremy Shaw, PhD, 2020

Evaluating the Ceramide Nanoliposome as a Therapy for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma - Circumventing Resistance, Characterizing Death, Utilizing Dual Therapies, and Manipulating Metabolism Advisor: Kester, Mark, MD-PHAR Pharmacology,…

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An advanced degree represents demonstrated scholarship as well as intellectual independence and stands as a symbol of continuing development. The Graduate Program in Chemistry will provide a platform from which one may build expertise and continue a life-long process of inquiry and growth. It is not the intention of this program to provide detailed training in every aspect of chemistry or its applications. Rather, it is our goal to provide the fundamentals for a much-expanded personal development, provide the environment where intellectually active people may thrive, and provide the facilities to conduct research to learn new chemistry. The faculty provides a number of aids in this process of preparation including graduate courses, seminars, examinations, and considerable personal assistance and advice. Although the emphasis of graduate education is on student initiative, all programs have several mileposts to assist both the faculty and students.

PhD Degree Requirements

• Successful completion of 18 hours of graded research relevant coursework (typically six courses) and the  CHEM 7010-7031  professional development courses with course grades of B- or better.
• Total course credit accumulation of at least 72 hours (that may include hours of research but must include at least 24 graded course hours) with at least a B cumulative average.
• Successful completion of the Candidacy Examination.
• Presentation of research in the third year poster session.
• Completion of a written dissertation that describes the research and presents results suitable for publication in the scientific literature. The dissertation must be approved by a Doctoral Examining Committee comprised of the student’s Advisory Committee and one or more faculty members from outside the Chemistry Department.
• Successful oral presentation of the dissertation work in a seminar to faculty and students.
• Successful oral defense of the dissertation to the Doctoral Examining Committee

It is expected that these requirements will be satisfied before the end of the student’s fifth year in residence. Extensions to this five-year rule may be granted with approval of the research advisor and the Graduate Studies Committee.

Failure to satisfy these requirements will preclude readmission to the Chemistry Department Doctoral Program. In such cases the student may be eligible for the M.S. or M.A. degree.

Financial Support for PhD Students

All students admitted to the Ph. D. program in Chemistry are offered a financial package providing full remission of tuition and fees, a single-person health insurance premium, and salary (for 2024-25 the salary support is  $32,500 ). Salary support is typically provided for first-year students in the form a Teaching Assistantship (TA), for working up to 20 hours a week as a TA, and through a Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA) for students in years two through five. (Although TA positions are available to PhD students in years 2-5, the majority are supported from research grants or fellowships). This award package will be renewed for five years, contingent on satisfactory academic performance, successful fulfillment of assigned duties as a teaching or research assistant, and compliance with all applicable University, School, and departmental policies.

Apply to Graduate School

Doctor of Philosophy in Data Science

Developing future pioneers in data science

The School of Data Science at the University of Virginia is committed to educating the next generation of data science leaders. The Ph.D. in Data Science is designed to impart the skills and knowledge necessary to enable research and discovery in data science methods. Because the end goal is to extract knowledge and enable discovery from complex data, the program also boasts robust applied training that is geared toward interdisciplinary collaboration. Doctoral candidates will master the computational and mathematical foundations of data science, and develop competencies in data engineering, software development, data policy and ethics. 

Doctoral students in our program apprentice with faculty and pursue advanced research in an interdisciplinary, collaborative environment that is often focused on scientific discovery via data science methods. By serving as teaching assistants for the School’s undergraduate and graduate programs, they learn to be adroit educators and hone their critical thinking and communication skills.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Pursuing a Ph.D. in Data Science will prepare you to become an expert in the field and work at the cutting edge of a new discipline. According to LinkedIn’s most recent Emerging Jobs Report, data science is booming and data scientist is one of the top three fastest growing jobs. A Ph.D. in Data Science from the University of Virginia opens career paths in academia, industry or government. Graduates of our program will:

• Understand data as a generic concept, and how data encodes and captures information
• Be fluent in modern data engineering techniques, and work with complex and large data sets
• Recognize ethical and legal issues relevant to data analytics and their impact on society 
• Develop innovative computational algorithms and novel statistical methods that transform data into knowledge
• Collaborate with research teams from a wide array of scientific fields 
• Effectively communicate methods and results to a variety of audiences and stakeholders
• Recognize the broad applicability of data science methods and models 

Graduates of the Ph.D. in Data Science will have contributed novel methodological research to the field of data science, demonstrated their work has impactful interdisciplinary applications and defended their methods in an open forum.

A Week in the Life: First-Year Ph.D. Student

Ph.D. Student Profile: Jade Preston

Ph.D. Student Profile: Beau LeBlond

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Online PhD defence is a formal ceremony

Interview with Tjebbe Gerverdinck, the first online PhD candidate at the Amsterdam Law School

23 June 2020

The corona crisis is a given, Tjebbe says. He is happy that his thesis defence ceremony could continue this way. Delay was not an option, because the PhD defence ceremonies agenda was completely full: 'The alternative would have been that I would have had to wait a very long time. I am glad that modern technology has made this possible.'

Prepared and supervised

The first online PhD defences of the UvA did not have an audience. In the meantime, an open YouTube channel is being used on which everyone can watch. The public link was shared within the tax world shortly before the ceremony. But Tjebbe does not know exactly who was watching or how many people were online. 'I saw the members of the committee, the promoter and co-supervisor, the chairman and the beadle. The Zoom host could see that at some point 36 people were watching.' He wasn't afraid of failing technology: 'I sat down at my employer's office, but I could have gone to university. It was one of the two, because of the stable internet environment.'

Tjebbe thought it was fine. He was well informed in advance about what was going to happen. That's no different than a physical defence in the auditorium. But then, of course, there will also be a prep session, with a real practice session'. The participants in the Zoom ceremony are prepared in advance. If something goes wrong, they can let it know via the chat function. Behind the scenes, the Zoom supervisor solves any problems. But if something had happened to me, the ceremony would have come to a standstill. You can't hide that,' says Tjebbe.

Formal atmosphere

Tjebbe tells how the atmosphere was during the online ceremony. 'You call in half an hour in advance. Then the atmosphere is informal and everyone makes jokes. Next the committee retreats into pre-consultation. When they come back, the tone changes. Suddenly it's formal.' And that's the way it's supposed to be, he thinks. 'You want to be taken seriously. I've prepared extremely well. This is the result of five years of research and a formal atmosphere fits in with that.'

Would he have prepared differently if it had taken place in the Aula or Agnietenkapel? Not according to Tjebbe. 'It's not just a cosy Zoom conversation. It's really formal, but I can imagine you're more nervous in front of a group of people in the Aula or Agnietenkapel.' He sees the fact that an online thesis defence is less exciting than a public defense as the only advantage of online promotion.  'Surely you're vulnerable for a company. Now you see exactly who's there.'

What happens when the ceremony is over?

What happens when the online ceremony is completed? Tjebbe says: 'Once the final formalities have been completed, no one knows what to do. There is no more protocol. How do you deal with the end of the ceremony? In the auditorium, all the professors get up and walk away. Now it fell silent. Maybe the chair should say something like: it's over, but stay put, or feel free to shut down. It's the first time for everyone.' Tjebbe celebrated his promotion with a lunch for a very small group. He says that later in the year the UvA will organize a ceremony for all online PhD candidates. 'I think that ceremony is the right time to organise something myself.'

He does not expect that after this corona crisis online promotion will remain possible, because it misses so many egards. Many PhD candidates find it a pity that the  thesis defence currently takes place online. It is a ceremony to give the doctoral candidate his moment,' says Tjebbe. But it is also a networking moment for the audience, because people from all over the country are coming. It's a social event. I've received dozens of reactions from people who were sorry that they couldn't be there. Fortunately, I can still share my personal link with interested parties.'

Thesis Property Law and Taxation

Tjebbe Gerverdinck obtained his doctorate on 9 June 2020 from Peter Wattel, professor of European Tax Law with the research 'Property Law and Taxation'. This subject has received a lot of attention within Dutch legal practice in recent years. Taxpayers in the Netherlands are dissatisfied with formal tax legislation, but these are measures taken by the States General that cannot be encroached upon on the basis of the Constitution. Taxpayers can only invoke international treaties, such as the ECHR. In the field of taxation, the right of ownership included in the First Protocol to that convention is particularly relevant. According to Tjebbe, what was still lacking was an overarching study in which all possible aspects of property law were examined. Among other things, he examined where the boundary lies between permitted taxation and unauthorised arbitrary confiscation.

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Congratulations to Niquana on successful defense of her PhD proposal!

Niquana successfully defended her PhD proposal entitled "Design of Ultra High Temperature Ceramics for Oxidation Resistance." Nice job!

Upcoming PhD ceremonies

A list of previous PhD ceremonies can be found here .

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PhD defence in the spotlight: Lars Nickolson

From Liberty to Equality. Religious freedom in normative theory and Dutch politics'.

4 March 2024

What are the limits of religious freedom? What should be done when that freedom clashes with the rights and interests of others? For instance, are religious schools allowed to discriminate based on sexual orientation when hiring teachers? How has thinking about these questions evolved in the Netherlands, and within Christian political parties?

In this PhD thesis, Lars Nickolson analyses the debate surrounding freedom of religion, both within the political and jurisprudential arena as well as within the corridors of Dutch parliament. He sheds light on a fundamental tension between two perspectives: freedom and equality.

Divergent Views on Religion and Autonomy

This clash arises from divergent views on religion as a phenomenon, the autonomy of religious communities, the nature of religious freedom as a right, and the balancing of interests protected or harmed by this freedom. Nickolson's findings indicate that the equality perspective is gaining ground, both in philosophical discussions and in Dutch politics.

Influence of Equality on Church-State Relations

Historically, equality, in various forms, has increasingly influenced the relationship between church and state in the Netherlands. Parliamentary debates on the General Equal Treatment Act (Awgb) in 1985, 1993, and 2014 illustrate how parties are compelled to reason within a framework of equality.

Shift in Position among Political Parties

Even parties that were once staunch opponents of the Awgb, such as the Reformatory Political Federation (RPF) and the Reformed Political Alliance (GPV) - later merged into the Christian Union - and the Political Reformed Party (SGP), are being swept along in this tide of equality thinking. This makes their position more vulnerable and has led them to be less critical of the prohibition of discrimination, with the interests of, for example, homosexual teachers increasingly prioritised over those of orthodox Christian schools.

Examining Religious Exemptions

The thesis also highlights the issue of religious exemptions, with Nickolson developing a classification of various forms and degrees of potential harm. This can assist courts in determining proportionate harm in conflicts.

Framing Arguments within Equality

Also interesting is the observation that even far-right parties such as the Centre Democrats (CD) and the Party for Freedom (PVV) are increasingly framing their arguments within the framework of equality, albeit with a different interpretation and selective application. This turns the parliamentary debate into a struggle over the interpretation of equality, with even secular factions being flexible in their approach to this concept.

Nickolson's thesis sheds important light on the changing dynamics between freedom of religion and equality in Dutch politics and society, providing food for thought on the limits of religious freedom in an increasingly diverse society.

PhD defence

From Liberty to Equality: Religious freedom in normative theory and Dutch politics’ by Lars Nickolson.

Supervisors: Prof. R.H.M. Pierik and Dr M.J.M. Maussen.

8 March 2024 | 10:00 -11:30 | Agnietenkapel

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PhD Defence Adeel Pervez

Structural Constraints in Neural Network Representations

This thesis examines structural constraints on neural network representations as a way of encoding prior knowledge in neural networks. Neural networks have proved to have excellent ability to process perceptual data by mapping between perceptual entities and predicting missing or future information. Despite their modeling prowess, neural networks do not encode or represent general knowledge or concepts and generally do not provide understanding or insight into the modeled object. One possible way of employing neural networks as tools that allow scientific analysis and understanding is to examine ways of combining prior conceptual knowledge with perceptual information extracted from data. This thesis examines graph partitions, subsets, discrete variables and differential equations as specific structural constraints on neural network representations for representing prior knowledge with the aim of making neural networks more interpretable and analyzable.

Singel 411 1012 WN Amsterdam

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Institute for Logic, Language and Computation

News and Events: MoL and PhD defenses

Please note that this newsitem has been archived, and may contain outdated information or links.

15 December 2023, PhD Defence, Mario Giulianelli

Mario Giulianelli will defend his PhD thesis on Neural Models Of Language Use on 15th December. The defence will take place in the Aula (Oude Lutherse kerk, Singel 411) at 11 am.

PhD Defense: Advanced Techniques for Reconstructing Objects and Scenes from Variations in Lighting and Viewpoint

Capturing the shape and material of objects and scenes is a cornerstone of computer vision research, with significant applications across augmented reality, e-commerce, healthcare, real estate, and robotics. This thesis explores two primary capture methods: Multiview Stereo (MVS), which leverages varying viewpoints, and Photometric Stereo (PS), which utilizes changes in lighting. To address some of the limitations inherent in these techniques, we introduce several novel methods. In the first part, we present a user-friendly PS setup requiring only a camera, a flashlight, and optionally a tripod—simple enough for home assembly. To support high-resolution captures from this setup, we introduce RecNet, a novel recursive architecture trained on low-resolution synthetic data yet capable of predicting high-resolution geometry and reflectance. RecNet demonstrably outperforms state-of-the-art PS systems, even with only a few input images. Traditionally, PS assumes that lighting is distant, which is impractical for large objects or those in confined spaces. Building on RecNet, we propose a novel method that integrates per-pixel lighting estimates and recursive depth estimation to address the challenges of near-field lighting, thus broadening PS's applicability.

While PS excels at capturing fine details, it often struggles with global geometry, introducing low-frequency distortions that complicate the stitching of multiple views into a complete object. Conversely, MVS captures global geometry effectively but tends to miss finer details. In the second part, we address the so-called Multiview Photometric Stereo (MVPS) problem, which leverages variations in both lighting and viewpoint. Our feedforward architecture, inspired by both MVS and PS techniques, enables geometry reconstruction that matches or exceeds the state-of-the-art in quality, while being orders of magnitude faster. In scenarios where adjusting lighting conditions is impractical, such as in large or outdoor scenes, changing viewpoints often proves more feasible, especially when cameras are mounted on mobile platforms like drones or vehicles. Large field of view (FoV) cameras are preferable for these expansive scenes, as they enable faster and easier capture. However, adapting MVS models developed for small-FoV to large-FoV requires significant modifications and traditionally depends on scarce large-FoV training data. In the third part, we introduce novel architectures and data augmentation techniques to train networks on the abundant small-FoV data but allow them to generalize to large-FoV scenarios. This approach demonstrates strong generalization capabilities across both indoor and outdoor datasets, effectively eliminating the need to acquire costly large-FoV-specific datasets for training large-FoV MVS models. Through these contributions, we aim to streamline and enhance the capture of shape and material, making it faster and more practical for a broad range of users—from casual hobbyists to industrial systems.

A Mother's Day to remember. This mother and son will graduate from Virginia State together: 'My mama did it'

ETTRICK, Va. -- Tanya Mccoy and Kevin Mccoy Jr. are among the thousands of college graduates who will receive their diplomas this month in Central Virginia.

Unlike most of the graduates who walk across the stage, the Mccoys share a very special bond.

The Virginia State University graduates are mother and son.

Tanya Mccoy was moved to tears during graduation practice on Friday.

She began her music degree at VSU in 1987 but left to sing in a gospel choir internationally. The drive to create a legacy is what she said drew her back to finish her degree.

“I accomplished what I started. I can’t believe I did it. I did it,” she said.

Kevin Mccoy Jr. also said he didn’t have a linear path towards a college degree. He spent the last seven years identifying his passions and finding his purpose.

During that time, he said he built his character and put him on a leadership path in the military and with a business management degree.

“There is going to be a whole lot of pride from me when I walk the stage,” he said.

While mother and son may have taken different paths, they’ll walk together to become college graduates.

They beamed with pride reflecting on how they both conquered life's challenges.

Kevin also shared the pride he will feel when his mom walks across the stage.

“Most people don’t follow through with what they say they are going to do, especially when it comes to finishing their degree and my mama did just that,” he said.

It’s a family achievement that will give this Mother's Day weekend a whole new meaning.

“I don’t need no flowers. I don’t need no gifts. I have won,” Tanya said.

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Ph.D. student earns Department of Defense scholarship

Thursday, May 02, 2024 • Brian Lopez : contact

Nolan Gutierrez, a doctoral student in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at The University of Texas at Arlington, has received a prestigious Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation (SMART) scholarship from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).

“This scholarship will help me pursue a more permanent career within the Department of Defense,” Gutierrez said. “I hope to work with my mentor and their team at the Army Research Lab to delve deeper into my research and propose my own projects that align with their research goals.”

Gutierrez will use the scholarship to build upon research he started last year during an internship with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, or DEVCOM, in the Army Research Lab. Specifically, he will focus on enhancing the adaptability of pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras through multitask learning.

He will see if training a PTZ control system on a variety of motion profiles—such as square, circular, and straight-line movements, both forward and backward—will improve its adaptability and performance. This approach includes deploying a PTZ-equipped robot in scenarios that mimic real-world operational conditions relevant to the Army.

Gutierrez works with UTA computer science Assistant Professor William Beksi in the Robotic Vision Lab. He is Beksi’s second student in as many years to earn a SMART scholarship, following Minh (Jerry) Tram in 2023.

“Not only does Nolan's SMART scholarship strengthen the ties between the DEVCOM Amy Research Lab and UTA, but it also shows UTA's commitment to train and provide the DoD with STEM Ph.D. graduates,” Beksi said.

SMART scholarship recipients earn full tuition, a significant annual stipend and a book and health allowance. They also complete a summer internship at a DoD facility and are assigned an experienced mentor. The full scholarship and other benefits allow participants to focus on complex research to further the DoD’s mission and create a lasting impact. The program is a one-for-one commitment: For every year of degree funding, the recipient commits to working for a year with the DoD as a civilian employee.

- Written by Jeremy Agor , College of Engineering

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Biden-Harris Administration Announces Partnership to Supply Federal Facilities in Virginia With 100% Clean Energy

The Department of Defense (DoD), on behalf of all Federal agencies, today announced its partnership with Dominion Energy Virginia (Dominion Energy) to work jointly toward achieving the carbon pollution-free electricity targets established in President Biden's Federal Sustainability Plan and Executive Order 14057 of December 8, 2021, reestablishing federal government as a sustainability leader.

President Biden's Federal Sustainability Plan directs the Government to lead by example to help tackle the climate crisis.  It establishes an ambitious path to achieve 100% CFE for federal government operations by 2030, including 50% on a 24/7 hourly matched basis, along with aggressive goals for electric vehicles and net-zero emissions buildings.

"The Department of Defense is the largest energy consumer in the federal government," said Hon. Brendan Owens, assistant secretary of defense for energy, installations, and environment chief sustainability officer. "As such, our relationships with our energy service providers are critically important. Working in partnership with Dominion Energy to ensure that our installations are supplied with resilient, reliable, and clean electricity enhances military readiness and strengthens the communities where our service members and civilian teammates live."

Federal demand for new sources of locally supplied carbon-free electricity will save taxpayer money and create good-paying jobs, a more stable and resilient grid, and cleaner air for local communities.

"To achieve the goal of resilient, reliable, clean electricity, DoD and Dominion Energy are jointly exploring several potential solutions, including on-site clean power generation, building level energy efficiency and a variety of other resilience and efficiency enhancing distributed energy resources. These efforts will deliver enhanced military readiness and community resilience," Owens said.

"For several years, Virginia has been at the forefront of our nation's clean energy transition," said Ed Baine, President of Dominion Energy Virginia. "We're excited to work with the Department of Defense to build on that progress and help achieve the federal government's clean energy goals."  "This is a great example of how the public and private sectors can work together to promote a cleaner environment, create jobs and economic opportunity, and strengthen our nation's energy security."

DoD and Dominion Energy have identified three areas of opportunity for collaboration to help meet federal targets and each organization's decarbonization goals:

• Regulated tariffs: Dominion Energy offers multiple regulated tariff products and is exploring opportunities to expand options that can provide clean, resilient, and cost-effective sources of clean electricity
• Onsite generation development: Dominion Energy is exploring opportunities to build CFE generation assets on DoD land in Virginia.  These projects can improve the resiliency of military installations and support the overall decarbonization of the region's electricity grid.
• Energy efficiency: Dominion Energy offers multiple energy efficiency programs that can support DoD and other federal agencies' overall energy and resilience goals, while reducing the overall load on the electric system.  DoD is exploring the opportunity to enroll in these programs at installations in Dominion Energy's service territory.

"President Biden charged the federal government to use our buying power, as the nation's largest energy consumer, to support the growth of America's clean energy industry — and to do so in ways that are good for taxpayers and communities," said Andrew Mayock, federal chief sustainability officer at the White House Council on Environmental Quality. "Strengthening and deepening partnerships with utilities will spur new clean electricity production, creating good-paying jobs, increasing our resilience to climate change, and enhancing our national security." 

DoD will continue to seek partnership opportunities that enable the agency and other Federal partners to achieve President Biden's CFE goals and build a robust, clean, and domestically based electricity supply chain by 2030.

Background:

With more than 300,000 buildings and 600,000 vehicles, the U.S. Government is the nation's largest energy consumer. In December 2021, President Biden issued the Federal Sustainability Plan , which directed the Government to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 by transitioning to zero-emission vehicles, energy efficient buildings, and carbon pollution-free electricity. In particular, the Plan directs the Government to transition to 100% CFE by 2030, at least half of which will be locally supplied clean energy to meet 24/7 hourly matched demand. Over the past three years, the U.S. Government has signed agreements to provide federal facilities in 16 states with 100% CFE by 2030, which will increase the U.S. Government's reliance on clean energy from 38% to 47% en route to 100% by 2030.

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Updated response to Graduate Life Center protest

Mark Owczarski

29 Apr 2024

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Editor's note: The number of individuals arrested Sunday has been updated.

Process for claiming abandoned and lost items collected from the Graduate Life Center lawn.

A message from President Tim Sands to the Virginia Tech community .

Virginia Tech Police can confirm that 82 individuals, 53 of whom are current Virginia Tech students, were arrested and all were charged with trespassing.

The Graduate Life Center is open and all activities that were scheduled are taking place.

Incident at Graduate Life Center has stabilized. Police presence remains. Urgent, avoid area. No further updates unless situation changes.

April 28, 10:50 p.m.

On Friday morning, protestors began to occupy the lawn of the Graduate Life Center. Virginia Tech officials informed the protestors that the gathering was in violation of University Policy 5000 (University Facilities Usage and Events). Virginia Tech values free speech and the protestors’ right to be heard, but only if the rights of others and public safety can be assured.

Through constant dialogue between university officials, the Virginia Tech Police Department, and protest organizers, we were able to maintain a safe and peaceful environment through much of the weekend.

As Sunday progressed, protestors continued to refuse to comply with policy and took further steps to occupy the lawn of the Graduate Life Center and outdoor spaces next to Squires Student Center. Given these actions by protesters, the university recognized that the situation had the increasing potential to become unsafe.

Those who gathered were advised by university officials to remove their possessions and to disperse voluntarily; those who failed to comply were then approached by Virginia Tech Police and were again asked to leave and advised that anyone who failed to comply would be charged with trespassing, in accordance with Virginia law.

At approximately 10:15 p.m., police approached protesters to ask them to disperse within five minutes. Those who remained were subject to arrest.

In the interest of public safety, the university issued a VT Alerts at approximately 10:15 p.m. asking members of the community to avoid the area.

For the safety and welfare of all students, faculty and staff, Virginia Tech requires that all members of its community comply with all university policies and the Code of Virginia.

Original post, April 26

Earlier today, a small gathering of members of the university community and others not affiliated with Virginia Tech convened at the Graduate Life Center and placed tents on the lawn. This gathering was not a registered event consistent with university policy. University officials and Virginia Tech Police responded on site to explain the university’s facility use and event policy ( University Policy 5000 ) and related public safety policies. The university will continue to act in accordance with its policies.

The university has communicated to the participants:

• The current event is not compliant with University Policy 5000 , and members of the community are expected to follow that policy.
• All organized events must be compliant with University Policy 5000.
• Event participants cannot erect temporary structures without prior approval as a matter of public safety.

The safety and welfare of all members of the Virginia Tech community is the university’s primary responsibility while we remain unequivocally committed to upholding freedom of speech and academic freedom . This is expressed and upheld through our Principles of Community .

Virginia Tech Police would like to remind all community members of the following:

• Call Virginia Tech Police at 540-382-4343, or 911 if an emergency, to report all suspicious people and circumstances.
• For additional safety and security resources, visit emergency.vt.edu for a wide range of resources.

Members of the university community who seek support or assistance are encouraged to contact these resources:

• Cook Counseling Center  at 540-231-6557
• Dean of Students Office  at 540-231-3787. Referral to a campus cleric may be made through this office.
• Anthem at 855-223-9277
• Aetna at 888-238-6232
• Kaiser Permanente at 866-517-7042
• Optima Health Vantage HMO at 866-846-2682
• Hokie Wellness  at 540-231-2233 (students) or 540-231-8878 (employees)
• Housing Services at 540-231-6205
• Residential Well-being at 540-231-1139
• Equity and Accessibility  at  540-231-2010
• Women's Center at Virginia Tech at 540-231-7806
• University Ombuds Office  at 540-231-3125
• Graduate Office of the Ombudsperson  at 540-231-9573

540-231-5396

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• Virginia Tech Police

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