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Last updated October 22
Both Virginia Cheerleading and the Virginia Dance Team have had to make massive changes to their summer practice and tryout schedules due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Current guidelines include having 15 people or less at all gatherings, both inside and outside, wearing face masks at all times except when alone or with roommates and maintaining six feet of social distancing whenever possible.
Before lying silently still for the 15-minute “die-in,” participants sat in a large, socially-distanced circle on the Lawn to write letters that demonstration organizers plan to give to University administration.
While the return to Grounds is, for many students, a long-awaited escape from home and a hopeful promise that things will soon return to normal, the reality is less exciting for those who are confronted with personal health challenges.
As of Monday, there have been 47 reports of students violating COVID-19 restrictions, though there is significant overlap between the reports. 11 reports were from the University’s Just Report It portal, while 36 reports were made through the community portal.
The University has a moral obligation to do everything in its power to keep these outbreaks from spreading to the greater Charlottesville community.
University spokesperson Wes Hester said that the COVID-Tracker will be updated on weekdays.
The late-night Housing and Residence Life email now leaves residents with two options — submit their preference for a new housing assignment or forfeit their on-Grounds housing.
University leadership cited several reasons for their decision in the email, including improving conditions locally and in Virginia, knowledge gained from other universities who have opened, and encouraging behavior from student athletes, graduate students, and other individuals in Charlottesville over the summer.
The statement included a warning that offending chapters could face a Fraternal Organization Agreement suspension for the academic year.
The total number of cases among students, faculty, staff and contract employees since Aug. 17 is now 67, not including pre-arrival testing, according to the University community tracker.
There have been 58 total positive cases of COVID-19 among students, faculty, staff and contract employees since Aug. 17. 31 of those cases were among students.
With no promise of certainty in these next couple of months, returning to Grounds can hold many doubts and frustrations for families, friends and apartment mates.
With a limited number of people allowed in a laboratory at any given time, the Department of Environmental Sciences looks to alternatives, like outdoor field trips near Clark Hall or virtual bench labs.
As of Monday, 12,832 University students have tested negative for COVID-19.
The message comes the weekend before classes begin, which typically marks annual Block Party celebrations.
Virginia Athletics has seen no new cases of the virus among student athletes since July 24 when they reported that four total students had tested positive for COVID-19 since returning to Grounds for training.
The team hopes this website will help scientists, as well as the broader research community, find and use accurate information about the virus.
Due to the high number of people attempting to order at the same time, the website experienced technical issues during its initial operation.
Since early June, biomedical graduate students have been allowed back to labs in shifts. Yet many labs are only working at partial capacity as access is determined by the square footage of their lab spaces in an effort to follow social-distancing rules.
