Virginia Tech has launched a voter registration portal in an attempt to make it easier for students to register to vote. The portal was created by VT Engage as a partnership with ALL IN To Vote.
Why It Matters
This portal is part of VT Engage’s mission “to facilitate leadership, service learning, and civic engagement experiences that advance community priorities, contribute to student development, and embody Ut Prosim (That I May Serve.)”
VT Engage has recently put an increased focus on the civic engagement aspect of their goals. In 2023, they hired Billy McKeon to serve as their Civic Engagement Coordinator. In this role, McKeon supports the Civic Democracy Leadership Initiative and Hokies Vote Caucus.
Virginia Tech is a recognized as a Voter Friendly Campus. This means that they have an established plan to engage their students in the election process.
The Big Picture
ALL IN was created in 2016 to and has helped solve a national concern of young Americans not participating in elections.
ALL IN is a non-partisan organization that was built around the idea that “higher education should play a role in developing an active and informed citizenry by educating students, motivating them to engage in American democracy, and instilling the value of lifelong participation.” ALL IN “inspires, supports, and celebrates colleges and universities working to improve civic learning, political engagement, and voter participation.”
Flashback
Virginia Tech students have a history of participating in elections. According to the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE), Virginia Tech had 73% of eligible voters vote on Election Day and 90.7% of all students registered to vote in the 2020 Election.
This involvement in the 2020 election earned Virginia Tech recognition as a Gold Campus for excellence in student voter engagement by the All In Campus Democracy Challenge.
Zoom Out
Outside of Virginia Tech, voting participation hasn’t been as high. According to the NSLVE, Radford University had 64.7% of eligible students vote in the 2020 election and 87.5% of their eligible students registered. Nationally, 66% of eligible students voted on Election Day.
ALL IN is currently involved with 1,072 institutions across all 50 states.
What We’re Watching
It is still unknown exactly how election participation will trend at Virginia Tech, in the region, and nationally. With this being ALL IN’s third presidential election, there are still some unknowns in terms of the impact they will have on the young voter turnout.
For now, both in-state and out-of-state students can access information on how to vote in the November 5th election through the portal online.
On Saturday, September 14th, over 800 volunteers in over 60 boats across four counties gathered at the New River to participate in the annual RenewTheNew cleanup event designed to improve conditions in the New River.
Why it matters: “The river is a special resource for this whole valley and cleaning it up, keeping it fresh for tourism, for fish and recreational use is really important.” said Brad Buchanan, RenewTheNew Montgomery County Organizer.
Organized by Giles County the annual effort includes four locations in Giles, Montgomery and Pulaski Counties, and the City of Radford. Additionally, this year the event included cleanup efforts in West Virginia and parts of North Carolina.
Locally, over 100 volunteers, many Virginia Tech students, gathered at Whitethorne Boat Ramp in Blacksburg. “We found out about this through one of their flyers and thought it would be a great opportunity to serve the broader community in Blacksburg”, said Justin Ward, Virginia Tech student.
The event provided volunteers with a ‘Fall Into the New’ t-shirt, work gloves, trash bags and water craft to pick up trash and debris scattered across the designated cleanup area.
With a focus on the river itself rather than just the shoreline, the bulk of the effort involved students in boats hand collecting trash and filling trash bags. Removing tires was also an important part of the effort.
Volunteers wore shorts, cargo pants, boots, and aquatic shoes. The cleanup fleet included kayaks, canoes, and a few small bass boats. The event in Montgomery County lasted from 9a.m to 12p.m and lunch was provided to volunteers at the end of the session.
“This was my first time going to a New River cleanup and I thought it would be a good way to get in some volunteer hours since I want to join Americore or the Peace Corp when I graduate”, said Thomas Oudekerk, Virginia Tech student.
Flashback: RenewTheNew started on July 21st, 2001, in Giles County with more than 600 volunteers and over 20,000 pounds of trash collected during the inaugural event. This event officially started Giles Counties annual after summer cleanup.
The first group was made up of river guides, river luggers and Giles County community members.
After a few years the river cleanup expanded to Montgomery, Floyd, and Pulaski counties and the City of Radford.
Participation was also expanded and opened to all members of the New River Valley community.
Context: The New River has been an important part of the New River Valley community for generations and has become a major tourist attraction for the region contributing nearly $36 million to Giles County in visitor spending in 2023.
A key attraction is the New River Water trail, a 37-mile protected stretch of river that includes the towering Palisades Cliffs. Below the cliffs, the New River reaches a depth of over 100 feet.
Rare Treasure: Considered to be the oldest river in North America, the New River is part of the Ohio River watershed running 320 miles across North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.
The river is home to a variety of wildlife including large and smallmouth bass, walleye, muskellunge, crappie, bluegill, carp, and channel catfish.
In addition to its remarkable age, the New River is one of the few rivers in the Northern Hemisphere that flows from South to North.
What’s Next: The ReNewTheNew initiative continues its efforts to keep the New River clean all year around.
Other initiatives include increasing enforcement of littering violations, erecting boat ramp kiosks for use by park officials to provide better information and resources to visitors, installation of trash pickup bag dispensers.
Improved coordination and cooperation with the Giles County Sheriff’s department has reduced vandalism along the river and in park areas.
ReNewTheNew is all about protecting the New River as a valuable asset and ensuring that it remains a vibrant part of the community.
The Red Ferns, a Blacksburg based rock ‘n’ roll band, is releasing their debut album in the coming weeks, marking a big step for the future of the band.
Why it Matters: The Red Ferns have been performing in Blacksburg for nearly two years now without any music released on streaming services. Having music released will allow for audiences to learn their songs, in turn helping The Red Ferns to grow and be able to market themselves more effectively.
Flashback: The Red Ferns have been staples in the local Blacksburg music scene over the last two years. When they started, they were comprised of Zach Gesa (Bass), Peter Nelson (Guitar), Cole Zimmerman (Guitar/Vocals), Malcolm Woehrle (Vocals/Drums), and Jackson Rosa (Guitar).
Started jamming in 2021 since “they all played guitars” said Woehrle, with Gesa and Woehrle making the move to the instruments they play now
“Really just played a lot of open mics around Blacksburg” before Zimmerman joined said Woehrle
All have “a love for The Grateful Dead” said Zimmerman, and with all of them growing up listening to that genre. Zimmerman, “is really the only person who really branches out into more indie-folk stuff like Mt. Joy” said Gesa.
Zoom In: The album is self-titled, meaning it will be called, “The Red Ferns.”
The album will be “seven songs” and will be “33ish minutes,” said Zimmerman.
It will span many different sub-genres of rock ‘n’ roll but a few songs “have a lot of influence Americana-rock” said Gesa
While taking influence from many bands from the 1970s and 1980s, “none of the songs feel like they’re from that time” and that they, “sound modern” said Woehrle.
“Malcom and Cole wrote a lot of songs, especially lyrics” said Gesa.
When writing the songs, “some came as eureka moments and I brought them to the band” but “some had to be worked out” with the rest of the band, said Zimmerman.
Forming the Record: While this first started as a project to finish before the band members graduated from Virginia Tech in the Spring of 2024, the process took longer than initially expected.
“We really locked in and committed to write the album in February or March” of 2023, said Zimmerman.
Zimmerman wrote one of the songs two years ago, and Rosa wrote one of them in the fall, 2023.
“Not having tracks already written made us write really fast,” said Zimmerman.
In spring of 2024, went to “Giles County to a studio to record every weekend for six or seven weeks” said Woehrle.
What We’re Watching: The Red Ferns debut album, “The Red Ferns” will release in mid-October.
This a “tentative date since we are still finalizing some of the tracks with the distribution group,” said Zimmerman.
They do not have many shows lined up surrounding the release of the album but, “we have a house show with Cherry Moon” around the date of the release, “which we are probably going to treat as an album release show,” said Zimmerman.
The next step for the band is “to get back to playing and writing more music” and that, “we are excited to play all of these songs live” said Woehrle.
Schools in the New River valley (NRV) area are seeing more and more students with symptoms similar to COVID-19. Some of them end up with positive COVID tests and some don’t.
Why it Matters: There are a few new strains of COVID-19 that are spreading like wildfire, and it’s important to know the distinction between these new variants and the common flu, which also surges annually around this time.
The Big Picture: Beginning the week of August 2024, “the latest mutations of SARS-CoV-2– specifically KP.1, KP.2, KP.3, and their sublineages — accounted for most infections in the United States,… according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) surveillance,” said Bridget Balch of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). ● These new strains have a, “slightly greater transmissibility, partial escape from immunity, and waning immunity from previous vaccinations and infections,” said Bridget Balch. ● “As of Aug. 3, the percentage of people reporting positive tests for the virus had reached its highest point since January of 2022,” said Balch.
Zoom in: Particularly in the NRV area, medical professionals have seen a spike in students with COVID symptoms, but not all of them have COVID. ● “We have seen a lot of COVID cases cases in the past few weeks! The wave started about 1-2 weeks after classes began, but has finally started to slow down over the past week. Now, we are also seeing some other virus that’s causing similar symptoms, but is negative for covid on PCR tests,” said Sydney Rock, a certified Physician’s assistant at Virginia Tech’s Schiffert Health Center.
• This surge seems to be slowing down, but flu will probably start up shortly and be the predominant virus causing illness in the area. I predict another covid surge around/after the holidays, as people travel and their immunity from this past surge wanes,” said Rock.
Zoom out: COVID will continue to affect students and the larger general population for a long time to come. ● “I think covid is here to stay, unfortunately. Thankfully, it has weakened enough to not cause quite as serious of illness, but is still highly transmissible. ● Recommendations for managing illness are ever-evolving. Basically, stay home until you are fever-free for 24 hrs (without fever-reducing meds), wear a mask around others for the first 5-7 days of symptoms, and demonstrate common sense hygiene measures like wash your hands frequently, cover your cough/sneeze, etc,” said Rock. ● “This strain seems to be causing more sore throat, headache, and fatigue as leading symptoms. There’s also still the typical cough/congestion, but perhaps not quite as much as past strains. Fevers and body aches seem to be hit or miss,” said Rock.
What we’re watching for: The strains of COVID continue to develop, and morph as the virus adapts to the immunity vaccines.
• “Montefiori says that the specific formulation doesn’t make a huge difference, since the latest variants haven’t mutated enough to avoid neutralizing antibodies completely. The important thing, he says, is to remain up-to-date on vaccination,” according to Bridget Balch.
• “In preclinical trials in mice, Moderna found that a previous version of the vaccine updated to target JN.1 showed high levels of neutralizing antibodies against not only JN.1 but the FLiRT variants as well, according to a Moderna spokesperson,” said Balch.
• “Montefiori predicts that we will need annual updated COVID-19 vaccines, just as seasonal flu shots are the norm,” said Balch.
• But how well the vaccines work will depend largely on people getting them. Though COVID-19 is not as dangerous as it once was, it is still deadly for some, including young children, the elderly, and the immunocompromised, and it carries the risk of long COVID,” said Balch.
With a return to the school year, Virginia Tech continues its efforts to create a more sustainable packaging system for all campus dining facilities.
“Several new initiatives are on the horizon and on-going, said Emily Williams, Dining Services Sustainability Manager. “We are continuously working on transitioning from single-use plastics to compostable options”.
In 2020 Virginia Tech adopted the Climate Action Commitment dedicating itself to being a leader in climate action to the community, the commonwealth, and the world. One of the key tenets of the commitment was for Virginia Tech to become a zero-waste campus by 2030. Dining Services is playing a key role in this effort.
Over the summer Virginia Tech Dining Services began updating packaging systems and incorporating new methods to reduce waste. One of the first steps was implementing new plastic containers that can be returned to dining halls. Single use plastics is one of the biggest sources of waste at the university. Another more recent change was the removal of plastic bags and water cups from all dining facilities. The removal of plastic bags aligns with a broader statewide initiative to charge for or remove plastic bags from many retail locations. “At the start of the semester I didn’t really notice that they were gone, but now not having them has made picking up food a little more annoying,” said Ryan Erickson, Virginia Tech student. While some students are less than thrilled with the changes in packaging, the sustainability team is confident that students will adjust, and the benefits far outweigh any inconvenience. “There has been some concern about the reduction of plastic bags in our dining centers,” said Williams. “We understand that plastic bags are a convenient option, and this change can be challenging for those accustomed to using them.”
Additionally, a new reusable tracking system is now being tested, starting at the West End Dining Hall. The program is called the West End Pilot Program. Sponsored by GrubHub and Topanga, the program is designed to track the reusable food containers so they can be returned properly and be ready for use again. Food delivery and carry out containers are another major source of plastic waste and developing a viable mechanism to switch to multiple use options is another important element of the university’s sustainability program. “The pilot at West End has only been active for a little over a week but initial results are promising”, said Williams. “We are observing about an 89% return rate for containers; this marks a significant improvement compared to past semesters.” Since the start of the semester and the Pilot, the sustainability team has seen over 2,700 containers used and returned by Virginia Tech customers.
As with most sustainability and recycling efforts, separating materials early in the process is critical to the success of the initiative. This semester students in most dining facilities were greeted by new signage providing students with clear guidance on how to properly dispose of waste. In addition to signage, trash receptacles contain unique icons and color coding designed to make it easier for students to identify the appropriate bins at a quick glance, thereby increasing the likelihood of correct waste disposal. Having a universal system across all dining halls ensures consistency, which helps reinforce proper sorting habits. This new signage is intended to enhance front-end sorting by aligning student behavior with established back-end practices with the ultimate goal of bridging the gap between students’ waste disposal actions and Dining Services’ sustainability goals.
Efficiently disposing of organic waste is another important pillar of Virginia Tech’s sustainability program. Southgate Food Center has now implemented a Biodigester into their dining hall. A Biodigester works by using a process called aerobic digestion, to break down food waste by turning it into gray water and adding it into the plumbing system. Gray water requires less sewage treatment and can be used for gardening and other uses. The first Biodigester was implemented into Southgate Food Center in January 2024. “There are plans to explore the expansion of biodigesters to other dining facilities in the future”, said Williams. “The technology has proven to be quite effective at Southgate, and there is a strong desire to extend its use across more locations”. Virginia Tech’s sustainability team does not have a current timeline on when new biodigesters will be seen in dining facilities but assure that there are plans for more.
The Dining Facilities office does not operate in a vacuum and actively collaborates with various environmental and sustainability groups at Virginia Tech. “I work closely with other sustainable departments on campus, including the Office of Sustainability and Waste Management,” said Williams. “Additionally, I engage with student groups such as Rhizome, the Honors College, and several classes within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The office is continually exploring new opportunities for collaboration to further our sustainability goals and support student involvement in these initiatives.”
Williams emphasized that although progress has been made, it is still early days, and much work remains to achieve the university’s sustainability goals. There are several new initiatives on the horizon, many with a focus on transitioning from single-use plastics to compostable options. “We have hundreds of different items to convert and it’s something that can be time-consuming to complete,” said Williams.
Another important sustainability focus area is increasing local purchasing of produce and other food products. Buying locally supports local businesses and reduces the carbon footprint associated with transporting food across the countries. The Dining Services office has internal goals to increase local purchasing. There is also an effort to expand the availability of organic products available to students. The Dining Services offices has an outreach and marketing program that targets local farmers.
With all of these new plans being set in motion at Virginia tech, there still comes the matter of cost. “Our primary goal as a department is to support the campus in achieving its Climate Action Commitment goals, this can sometimes come as an added expense,” said Williams. “We believe that the long-term benefits of these initiatives, both in terms of environmental impact and alignment with our sustainability objectives, outweigh the immediate costs”.
Virginia Tech students are being encouraged to register to vote before Oct. 15 from a variety of groups on campus.
While the issue appears to be a concern of student engagement, some voter registration groups have additional goals during classroom visits.
Traditional grassroots campaigns spread the word to encourage students to register ahead of elections, whether for a primary, congressional or presidential race. Recently, however, organized campaigns such as NextGen America have suggested students register in Blacksburg.
The organization’s representatives have visited Virginia Tech classrooms to present an argument: Students spend anywhere from nine to 12 months of the year in the town limits. They should vote for a delegate who represents the students as equally as town residents. So, Virginia Tech students should register to vote in Blacksburg.
Peyton Dofflemyer, a Virginia Tech senior majoring in graphic design, has not formally affiliated with any of the local “Get Out the Vote” campaigns but has taken it upon herself to encourage her peers to vote regardless.
“It feels like there’s a lot of apathy surrounding the idea of voting, especially for younger or newer voters,” said Dofflemyer. “These feelings are what hold some people back from casting their ballots.”
While campaigning personally, Dofflemyer is also part of a movement in the Virginia Tech School of Visual Arts to create and distribute informational flyers around campus encouraging students to register.
“I think enthusiasm is important, and being a voice that’s coming from someone else who’s in the same boat as you can really be what pushes some people to see the value in it,” Dofflemyer said.
Dofflemyer also believes that it is important to raise voter awareness as early as possible, as it can encourage students to participate in state and local elections. She further argues these elections are more important in terms of voter turnout.
According to VT Engage, the university-affiliated Center for Leadership and Service Learning, which compiles statistics about student voter registration, during the 2020 presidential election, while 90.7% of students eligible were registered to vote, only 80.4% actually voted.
In 2016 VT Engage reported a 73% actual voting rate for the presidential election, and while this demonstrates a 15.1% increase, other groups are aiming to fill the remaining 9.3% for the 2024 election.
According to Dr. Cayce Myers, a communication law professor in the Virginia Tech School of Communication, voter registration groups often aggressively target large lecture-based classrooms in order to yield a higher return of voters.
Myers also believes that while faculty are supportive of the push to encourage students to register, they may not be aware of the underlying motivations of the organizations that target such classrooms, or that they have a right to say no to such visits.
NextGen America is an organization that aims to improve voter registration on college campuses including Virginia Tech. The organization is paid for in part by NextGen Climate Action Committee, a super PAC which aims to raise awareness of climate-related issues among young voters.
According to their mission statement, “NextGen America is the nation’s largest youth voting organization, using innovative digital and field strategies to turn out young voters in key states. We’re empowering the largest and most diverse generation in American history through voter education, registration, and mobilization. At NextGen, we share lessons learned with the broader progressive community to build a stronger and more effective democracy. By working with young people across the country, we’re shaping a government that respects us, reflects us, and represents us — not just for an election cycle but for generations to come.”
In classroom visits, NextGen America has used tactics such as having representatives visit early in the instruction period. The representatives share their platform for registering to vote in Blacksburg. Following class the representatives wait in the hallway to collect completed registration forms from students.
Once students are registered to vote, their name, address, and party affiliation becomes public. According to Virginia Code section 24.2-406, the Virginia Department of Elections can “furnish at reasonable price” lists of persons who voted at any primary, special, or general election held in the preceding four years to political party committees, and political action committees which can only collect such records for political purposes only.
The statute additionally cites that the Commonwealth can sell “members of the public or a nonprofit organization seeking to promote voter participation and registration by means of a communication or mailing without intimidation or pressure exerted on the recipient, for that purpose only.”
“I’ve always had an awareness for voter registration and there’s also been leveraging of voter registration drives in classrooms,” said Myers. “I think it largely is presented as a nonpartisan drive, although there are questions around whether or not it actually is partisan, and that’s to benefit one party or another.”
Myers also believes this raises concerns of transparency regarding political speech on campus, as to whether the groups are truly nonpartisan or a political group encouraging a political registration for a certain outcome, though he also notes that classroom visits must be conducted with permission from the professor instructing the course.
“I think that the university has to stay aware of this as a movement,” said Myers. “It’s an evolving sort of movement and in the past, there have been very aggressive attempts to do voter registration on campus by some groups with the faculty and allowing them to come to their classes.”
NextGen America did not return requests for comment at the time of publishing, however, Myers has experienced requests for such visits in his classes and has declined to accept visits from voter registration organizations. Myers elaborated on the ethical issues raised by such visits.
“What I think is concerning to some people is organizations that are super PACs that may be more Democratic leaning than Republican, but it could be either side– that disrupts the educational mission of the class,” Myers said.
While the university has not addressed the issue directly, VT Engage provides resources on how to register, which voting method to use, upcoming election information, candidate information, and local governance information for university students.
Additionally, students can view voter registration guides or utilize a personalized response form for questions not frequently asked.
“The 2024 election season is a very tight election nationally,” Myers said. “Voter registration is a big part of changing the votes. It could be either side doing the registration because we have such a razor-thin margin in November, and I think folks are very aware of that on both sides.”
“As early as January of this year, we were told there was no way that Norfolk Southern is going to let us on their tracks,” said D. Michael Barber, Mayor of Christiansburg.
Colin Burch, senior planning manager for the VPRA, described the transaction as “an in-kind exchange of roughly 28 miles of the Virginian Line (V-Line) for about 24 miles of the Manassas Line (M-Line).”
“This new agreement with Norfolk Southern allows passenger rail to reach Christiansburg years earlier and at a better location,” said Secretary of Transportation Shep Miller after the VPRA announcement Thursday.
Barber says it will take about one and a half years to prepare the site and restore the 1906 Passenger Rail Station in Cambria to full operation. If the project stays on track, the doors to the new NRV passenger station will open in 2027.
“We’d like to think sooner,” Barber said, “but we don’t know. We’re just much closer than we were when we started.”
In 2022, the VPRA purchased the V-Line from Norfolk Southern as part of a plan to build a passenger station in the NRV.
“Just to renovate that tunnel was going to be $740 million – in addition to another $350 million to build the station and the other tracks,” Barber said, “And so it was a $1 billion set-up. The VPRA and the state, rightfully so, didn’t want to commit that kind of money.”
Barber said Norfolk Southern decided in May of this year that they were interested in making a deal with the VPRA to buy back the V-Line.
Burch explained the new trade deal offered an opportunity to exchange the V-Line track for a portion of Norfolk Southern’s Seminary Passage, a section of the M-Line tracks in Northern Virginia.
“The Seminary Passage piece of the agreement was important for the Commonwealth,” Burch said, “because it would allow Virginia Railway Express (VRE) – which is the commuter rail line serving Northern Virginia and D.C. commuters – to improve service with weekend and late-night service.”
The trade provides an opportunity for the Commonwealth to maintain the NRV budget while supporting intercity rail and enabling additional services in Northern Virginia.
Sec. Miller said, “the deal achieves all of this while saving nearly $100 million.”
As Chairman of the Passenger Rail Station Authority, Barber made it a priority to avoid spending unnecessary funds to create an artfully designed passenger station.
“They projected the cost of that station to get everything ready is about $4.5 million, but we were looking at the potential of hundreds of millions to build a station,” Barber said, “I told my group we’re not going to build a monument to an architect.”
According to Barber, 20 of 29 possible sites for the New River Valley project were in Christiansburg, VA. The coveted Cambria location – made possible by the track exchange deal – served the Cambria neighborhood in Christiansburg from 1906-1979.
“I’m just over the moon that we’re going to be able to restore that building,” Barber said, “My goal all along has been to restore that station because, when I was a kid, I rode that train every so often going out to Lynchburg.”
Located on a well-kept road near the Christiansburg Aquatic Center, the rail station will be easy to access by car and will continue to be served by public transportation.
According to Barber, the renovation project will include the addition of about 150 parking spaces and two canopy-covered areas. In the coming months, crews will begin the process of cleaning and restoring the existing building to meet safety and ADA standards.
The new Cambria station could prompt a steady migration of travelers toward Christiansburg.
According to Burch, “when gas prices are higher, people tend to take the train more. And we typically see higher ridership during the holidays, summer travel months, and college spring breaks.”
“Essentially they determined that roughly 1 million people travel from the NRV to Washington, D.C. and the Northeast Corridor every year,” Burch said.
“I think the increased traffic in the Cambria section of Christiansburg will be very beneficial,” Barber said, “they’re figuring around 40,000 riders a year.”
According to Barber, two trains will come through the station each day. One will depart from the station at 4:30 a.m. and the other will likely depart around midday.
“We could see a coffee shop or even a train related sales type thing, that would be great,” Barber said.
In 2023 the Town of Christiansburg commissioned a mural depicting the station’s history.
“We’ve already been kind of anticipating this, there is a beautiful mural depicting Cambria and the train history and all this kind of stuff,” Barber said, “it’s right next to the station, right where the train will come.”
According to Barber, there have likely been no people allowed to enter the 1906 station since late 1979.
“They’ve got to clean up and build another maintenance shop and do some maintenence type things.” Barber said, “So it’ll, I don’t really expect see any personality to the station itself for at least another year and a half, possibly.”
Adding a passenger train station near the Virginia Tech and Radford University campuses may increase student ridership, reducing the heavy traffic associated with college events in the NRV.
Mary Biggs, the legislative liaison for Montgomery County to the New River Valley Passenger Rail Station Authority and chair of the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors, said, “The investment from the state, Norfolk Southern, and our localities will benefit our citizens, our universities and their students, businesses and economic development for our region. It is a much needed asset for our area.”
As students adjust to a new version of normal, so are the Standard of Learning (SOL) scores across the New River Valley.
After looking at the data released by the Department of Education, numbers are still not where they were in prior years, even after 2020 when the cutoff score was lowered for math and reading. Naturally, there is worry from student, teachers, and parents alike about the post pandemic numbers.
After students returned to in-person classes, in 2021, there was a jump in both the math and reading categories. But while questions rise about the accuracy and necessity of standardized testing, Superintendent of Salem City Schools, Dr. Curtis Hicks is excited about this year’s results looking forward to making the necessary adjustments to ensure that every student succeeds, whatever that may look like.
“I think SOLs accurately reflect how well students know and can demonstrate their acquisition of learning standards. The only thing I would add is that SOL tests are only one of the many ways that schools impact children and communities,” said Hicks.
Statewide we have seen 70% of schools show improvement from the previous year. WSLS 10 News reports Roanoke City scored higher in all subjects except history. Montgomery Country tested above the state average as well. While Salem places 32nd in the Commonwealth, Daleville, and Bedford also saw major improvements.
But in Pulaski County, SOL numbers still fall below pre-pandemic levels, putting it at No. 95 out of 131 school districts. Last year only 18 schools in all of Virginia remained consistent or improved their pre-pandemic scores.
Many parents and teachers hear that and become fearful, but success in the education system is not linear, and unfortunately takes time. “The key is to focus on what matters most. I think sometimes we add other “requirements” to the point of getting in the way of what matters most, or in some cases, we continue to do things because that’s what we have always done even though the standards have changed,” said Hicks.
But with the help of the state, there are many ideas and plans in place to help tackle some of the obstacles that are opposing the SOL results: tutoring, absenteeism, cellphones, and many other factors that impact a students’ ability to learn.
Gov. Youngkin’s “All In Virginia” plan is an education bill trying to reteach kids how to learn in classrooms after growing accustomed to learning at home focusing on three major components: attendance, literacy, and learning.
The DOE of Virginia released a statement the end of August: “These [SOL] results show that Virginia students are beginning to recover from the post-pandemic learning loss they suffered after 2020 and 2021. But the results also show that we must continue to focus every day on helping them catch up to pre-pandemic levels and move ahead,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Lisa Coons.
The “All In” house bill increased state funding; an approach that encourages school districts focus 70% of fund on tutoring, 20% on the VA Literacy Act and 10% on chronic absenteeism. This budget bill was signed on September 14th, 2023.
As the pandemic changed the states approach to education, the overall test itself has also changed. “In general, the SOLs continue to move away from basic recall fixed response items to questions that require more application and explanation of your answers. As a result, students will have to have a greater depth of understanding regarding the standards and know how to apply their learning in new situations,” said Hicks.
The understanding we gain from the testing provides numerical understanding of our education. But from teachers to students, the fear of failure and pressure can be overwhelming. For some students passing an SOL could be the final achievement needed to graduate. However, if a student fails tutoring and retesting are required in order to meet the requirement.
Darlene Marshall, retired elementary school teacher and now substitute, shares some encouragement to teachers: “More tests do give the power to gather more data, but it is at the expense of good quality teaching. Teaching is a craft. I am a believer in teaching the whole child to do what they can become to be lifelong learners. Teachers have so much pressure and on them today and I just want to hug and thank them all,” said Marshall.
But at the end of the day, the pressure does not rely amongst the shoulders of the individual but an understanding into how overall schools and districts are learning. The data that comes back each year is crucial to those in charge.
“I would say we are measuring both students and teachers but using the results to rate schools not children. Students and families need to know how well they are progressing, but we never use scores to label or rate students,” Salem’s Superintendent continues, “it is important for schools to use the data to make the changes necessary to propel learning further,” said Hicks
Despite all the new plans, tests, and other implemented standards and rules, patience and kindness to teachers and students alike is the main priority. Making sure they have the help and guidance they need to succeed. “I would just say that you have to be able to block out the noise and the distractions and focus on what matters most,” said Hicks to encourage teachers and students.
Students everywhere have suffered at the hands of Covid-19, mental health issues, and teacher shortages. But at a state and local level there are those that care. Those striving to improve the systems in place, adapting to a new generation of both students and teachers.
As empty classrooms fill up after a lonely summer, there’s a small chorus of keyboard clicking, backpack zipping, and chatter among eager students as a hopeful year begins. But that back-to-school melody is paired with the disgruntled harmony of coughing, sneezing and whatever sound that kid behind you is making who you swear is hacking up a lung.
At Virginia Tech, we call it the Hokie Plague. It’s a sinister sickness that hits almost every student at some point in the first month of the semester and drives a motivation to make it to class every day to a moment of I can’t leave my bed, I feel horrible!But this “Hokie Plague” isn’t new to Blacksburg, and like many seniors, it isn’t hoping to leave campus anytime soon.
“Definitely heard that over many years,” joked Monica Martin, the Health Quality Manager at Schiffert Health Center at Virginia Tech. “It’s sort of a love-hate relationship. Because we get that students are like, ‘Oh, it’s the Hokie Plague,’ but we also want them to understand it’s not just one thing that’s going around getting everybody, it’s a number of viruses.”
So, there you have it – As much as we all would love to see the “Hokie Plague” listed in the Center for Disease Control as one of the deathliest illnesses (Because, at the moment, it really feels deathly,) it isn’t just one thing. It is not just Virginia Tech that battles an illness at the beginning of each year. Talk to anyone on a college campus, and they’ll tell you the witty name they use for the campus-wide sickness – Like James Madison’s “JMFlu,” Penn State’s “PSFlu” and Virginia Military Institute’s “Barracks Plague.”
If you were hoping for a diagnosis, CareSpot Urgent Care identifies the most common college illnesses as the flu, upper respiratory infections (“illnesses that leave you hacking, coughing and just feeling miserable”), mononucleosis (mono), and stomach bugs.
And let’s not forget that pesky pandemic that banned us from the classrooms for nearly a year. Although many people have gotten their vaccines, Coronavirus is still on the loose, hoping to latch onto anyone.
“I know across the country there was some spikes at the end of summer, so I’m sure there is some circulating,” said Martin. She’s not wrong – The Virginia Department of Health reports that 0.56% of all emergency visits resulted in COVID-19 diagnoses in the first week of April this year. Four months later, in the first week of August, that rate was 2.78%. The highest rate in August for diagnoses was in the third week of August, where it was 3.24%… Right around the same time students are coming back to school.
Students gathered outside Lavery Hall during the first week of school.
“You have thousands of individuals coming into a very concentrated area in a short period of time. And so as everybody convenes back on campus, they bring with them any germs, bacteria and viruses that they may be carrying with them, and that are just in our environment in general,” said Martin. “If you think of it as like a pool, it’s an empty pool. And then you throw everybody into this pool, everybody’s going to get exposed at some point. And depending on what bacteria or viruses that [are] in our community, they kind of have different rates of how they spread and how infectious they are.”
The entire campus is that pool, and it makes it extremely difficult to avoid getting sick between dining halls, football games, dorm buildings, and downtown life. Luckily, Martin said that within the first week of school, the health center wasn’t seeing too many people coming in feeling sick.
“I think last week wasn’t terribly bad,” she said. “That’s also just the first-time students getting together. So it will take time for those all to spread and then people to develop symptoms. I think we’re starting to see some of that now after the long weekend, and individuals have been gathering together and those symptoms are now trying to show after two or three days.”
Although the possibility of sicknesses getting worse as the beginning of the semester progresses, Martin said there are steps students can take to prevent catching the “Hokie Plague.”
“The first thing I would make sure students know, and it’s the hardest one I know for folks, is if you’re sick and feeling sick you should try to stay away from others and stay away from crowds,” said Martin. “Because you are going to be the infectious person who’s spreading it around to everyone else, and that’s where it will start.”
Martin recommends that if you’re feeling that tickle in your throat or a bit of a sniffle to always mask up. Schiffert Health Center has masks available to students in the lobby and Martin said staff would be more than happy to give students any available masks if they want to stay safe.
Masks available to students at the entrance of Schiffert Health Center.
“The second one is washing hands,” continued Martin. “Obviously, it’s been drilled into us since COVID. Wash your hands, wash your hands. So that really is important, whether you’re the ill person or if you’re a well person and you are just trying to prevent getting sick.”
Even if you take every precaution possible to avoid catching the Hokie Plague, sometimes it’s inevitable. But Martin wants to assure all students that Schiffert Health Center is right on campus and willing to help if they feel themselves starting to get sick.
“If it’s the middle of the night and you’re starting to feel sick, you can make an appointment in the evening time and then there’s usually appointments the next day,” said Martin. She encourages students to schedule appointments online at the Healthy Hokies Portal. “If students are really feeling awful and ill and they have concerns that’s like ‘This feels more than just a cough or cold,’ they can call us to talk to a triage nurse and try to get in earlier if they feel like it’s urgent,” she added.
So, whatever you do this semester – Don’t be the person hacking up a lung behind someone in class. But resources are available if you find yourself coming down with the Hokie Plague.
Laws can help enforce ethical and sustainable actions by fashion brands in their supply chain and distribution processes.
Garment factory conditions often conflict with workers’ safety, due to long working hours, health effects and unstable building structures.
In 2022, the Garment Worker Protection Act was enacted in California. The state law prohibits the piece rate payment system which refers to wages distributed based on the number of apparel pieces a worker creates. Piece rate compensation often fails to provide garment workers with sufficient income.
Recently, The Business of Fashion reported that California-based manufacturers of apparel brands failed to meet the garment worker compensation requirements of the state’s laws.
New York may join California with the state’s own fashion-related legislation.
Originally proposed in 2021, The Fashion Sustainability and Social Accountability Act requires sustainability and ethical workplace practices for brands operating or selling products in New York.
According to The New York State Senate, the bill features “due diligence” requirements that detail solutions to combat unethical practices within the fashion industry impacting workers’ rights and the environment.
The section’s facets include supply chain transparency, which refers to the identification of suppliers used in apparel production to understand working conditions and the origins of materials used. Although the bill does not require all levels of suppliers to be completely reported, the increased legal supervision intends to restrict unethical actions.
Environmental requirements relate to fashion companies’ developing plans to restrict their involvement in climate change through limited greenhouse gas emissions and the disclosure of the brands’ emissions.
Fashion brands that receive an income of at least 100 million dollars each year will be required to adhere to the act’s guidelines. With about 900 apparel brands housed in New York City, the bill’s reach can be widespread. According to the New York Fashion Act, brands failing to comply with the bill can “be fined up to 2% of annual revenues.”
Patagonia, Eileen Fisher and Reformation, which are apparel brands known for valuing sustainable efforts, are among the supporters of the bill.
Currently, the bill remains under review by the New York State Senate and General Assembly committees and will require the committees’, houses’ and governor’s approval prior to becoming a law.
While legislation for fashion sustainability shows growth, the laws’ effects are limited to a specific state.
With more proposed environmental and worker protection legislation emerging in states, lawmakers begin creating a consistent methodology to identify unethical brands and create pathways to federal and global regulations.
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