(Commentary by Louis Jacobson of UVA’s Center for Politics) Will there be Democratic and Republican conventions this summer? The coronavirus pandemic, and the social distancing needed to combat it, are putting these quadrennial festivities in doubt – an unprecedented situation that is leaving party officials, politicians, and the media in a quandary, with a fast-ticking clock.
As the scale of the coronavirus pandemic came into view, UVA President James E. Ryan called Allen W. Groves, the dean of students. Telling students not to return to Grounds wasn’t some mere inconvenience, Groves recalled the president telling him; it was likely to strike students on a deep, emotional level. “He said, ‘Allen, I think what they’re about to go through is grief. What they’re about to go through is loss,” Groves said.
(Commentary by Bethany Teachman, professor of psychology) You have a choice to make when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic. Do you treat this time as an insurmountable threat that pits you against everyone else? Or do you treat the coronavirus as a collective challenge that will require shared sacrifices to achieve a difficult but not impossible goal?
(Commentary by Teresa A. Sullivan, president emerita and University Professor) My latest book details the fundamentals and significance of the 2020 census. By April 1, every residence in the United States will be contacted, usually by mail, to answer only seven questions. This year you may respond online, although there are options for paper, telephone and even talking to a census worker. The census will cost billions of dollars. All this effort and expense raises the issue of whether there is an alternative. The short answer is no, not unless the U.S. Constitution is amended.
A former All-American and NCAA champion at the University of Virginia, Danielle Collins made a name for herself during a spring surge in the 2018 season -- and was fully riding a wave of momentum by the time she qualified for the main draw in Miami. With her run to the final four, Collins became the first qualifier in Miami Open history to reach the semifinals, where she was beaten by former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko.
Like many mathematicians, Ken Ono cherishes the dense Japanese chalk that brings his work to life on slate blackboards. The professor often hands those white Hagoromo sticks to students so they, too, can wrestle with theorems and proofs in front of the class. It is a tactile ritual, he believes, rooted in the math traditions of the ancient Arabs and Greeks. Now Ono must make do with a digital pen, an iPad and a Zoom video link as he launches a remote session of Math 3354 for the University of Virginia.
Trump’s flurry of activity could also have a political impact as he attempts to show that he is not “aloof” as the country faces a national crisis, said Barbara Perry, a presidential historian at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center.
Neuroscientist James Coan especially worries about those individuals requiring medical care during this pandemic, either for COVID-19 or some other condition. Many hospitals are barring visits from loved ones, which makes sense to prevent the virus’ spread. But that also reduces touch when people need it most, says Coan of the University of Virginia. His work suggests, for instance, that handholding can reduce physical pain.
No matter what the format, Trump’s rivals are gaining little national attention. “For the time being, there is no real way for Biden or Sanders to break through,” University of Virginia professor Larry Sabato, an expert on United States politics, said. “The pandemic is the only story that matters.”
UVA physicist Louis Bloomfield described the math behind social distancing in a video posted on his YouTube channel earlier this month. “At present, each person with COVID-19 transmits coronavirus to an average of about two to three people. With such a large multiplying factor, we have rapid exponential growth,” he said in the video.
State epidemiologist Lilian Peake said in an interview Friday state officials are looking to different entities, such as the University of Virginia and individual hospital systems, that are doing scientific modeling to project possible numbers of infected people and needed resources, but the state does not have one model it’s relying on.
It's not clear what statistics McMurtry was referring to when he said Massie was in the bottom 3% of effective legislators in the House of Representatives. But a 2019 study by the University of Virginia and Vanderbilt University found Massie was the 229th-most effective Republican legislator in the House out of 245 members. That same study gained notoriety when former presidential candidate Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., repeatedly cited its conclusion that she was the most effective Democrat in the Senate.
A fundraising effort is helping feed nurses on the front line of the coronavirus fight at the University of Virginia while pumping cash into restaurants forced to close by the pandemic.
University of Virginia organization HooHacks has kicked off its annual hackathon with some notable changes due to the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic. The event, which is typically held in-person every year at UVA Engineering, is being held virtually for the first time ever.
So hear this, college presidents: Your students paid for that graduation. With sweat, tears and foldable cash. It’s the checkered-flag to a life-altering four-year endurance race to get it done and the sacrifices involved are not insubstantial. Thus, cancellation of graduation is not an especially useful option to you or anyone else. Get creative instead. Think about alternatives. Employ some imagination. University of Virginia President Jim Ryan appears to be doing just that. The campus is actively exploring the “doable.”
When UVA-Wise was founded in 1954, it was called Clinch Valley College of the University of Virginia, and it was the commonwealth’s first public college west of Radford. More than a decade before the General Assembly voted Virginia’s community college system into existence, the legislature gave the college a $5,000 operating budget its first year, with the promise of another $5,000 in its second year if the college lasted that long.
Some future physicians at the University of Virginia are using their voices to encourage others to do their part to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
(Commentary by W. Bradford Wilcox, sociology professor and director of the National Marriage Project; subscription required) On March 13 – the day my wife informed me that our weekend date night was off because our governor had declared a state of emergency – I had an inkling that big changes were in store for our marriage. A few days later, as we found ourselves barely managing to home-school six children, work two jobs and run a big household on lockdown, I knew that the loss of a regular date night was going to be the least of our marital challenges.
With nearly everyone focused on the coronavirus, discussions about other health issues have taken a back seat. However, UVA Health wants people to know other medical problems are alive and present. If you’re experiencing any sort of medical difficulties, there are still doctors and nurses ready to provide you care.
(Commentary by Arlene W. Keeling and Kenneth R. White of UVA’s School of Nursing) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are telling nurses to reuse masks or, if necessary, “use a bandana.” This is an outrage.