WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:00.740 --> 00:00:15.880 Ten thousand voices sing thy acclaim; Ten thousand hearts beat high at thy name; 00:00:15.880 --> 00:00:36.960 All unafraid and girded with good, Mother of men a queen thou hast stood; 00:00:36.960 --> 00:00:48.550 Children of thine a true brotherhood, Virginia, Hail, All Hail! 00:00:48.550 --> 00:00:49.750 Virginia, Hail, All Hail! 00:00:49.750 --> 00:00:55.000 Virginia, Hail, All Hail! 00:01:09.530 --> 00:01:10.530 Good evening. 00:01:10.530 --> 00:01:14.690 I’m Allen Groves, Dean of Students for all schools of the University, and I get to be 00:01:14.690 --> 00:01:19.540 the first person to say to you “Welcome to Hooville,” otherwise known as UVA. 00:01:19.540 --> 00:01:24.920 Now, we traditionally hold this Opening Convocation on the Lawn, but as you are all-too-aware, 00:01:24.920 --> 00:01:30.170 COVID-19 has upended many of our traditions and plans. 00:01:30.170 --> 00:01:34.630 But this doesn’t alter in any way the fact that you are starting what I hope will be 00:01:34.630 --> 00:01:37.920 one of the most memorable journeys in your life. 00:01:37.920 --> 00:01:42.550 So whether you are joining us as a new First Year undergraduate, as a 1L in the Law School 00:01:42.550 --> 00:01:48.400 an undergraduate or graduate transfer student into the university , or just starting your graduate 00:01:48.400 --> 00:01:54.460 or professional education in one of our 12 schools, I want to say welcome to the University 00:01:54.460 --> 00:01:55.460 of Virginia. 00:01:55.460 --> 00:02:01.340 You are now part of a very special community and, in a few years, you will join one of the 00:02:01.340 --> 00:02:05.100 most fervently loyal alumni networks in the country 00:02:05.100 --> 00:02:11.739 when you walk down this Lawn and take your degree and I promise you, you will get to walk down this 00:02:11.739 --> 00:02:13.069 Lawn. 00:02:13.069 --> 00:02:20.310 While it’s true this fall that you may not get to play Rugby in Mad Bowl, or enter Old Cabell Hall for an a cappella concert packed with your friends 00:02:20.310 --> 00:02:25.574 or sway with 100 other students singing the Good Old Song, 00:02:25.574 --> 00:02:28.500 or huff & puff your way up Humpback Rock with 25 of your 00:02:28.500 --> 00:02:34.879 closest friends – this will still be a memorable time in your life, with lots of opportunity 00:02:34.879 --> 00:02:38.049 to bond with friends and enrich your mind. 00:02:38.049 --> 00:02:43.349 And we will overcome the current COVID-19 challenge and be right back doing all these 00:02:43.349 --> 00:02:44.349 things we love. 00:02:44.349 --> 00:02:49.220 I’m so very happy to have you joining us this fall. 00:02:49.220 --> 00:02:55.329 In a few minutes, you will hear brief remarks from 4 key student leaders at the University: 00:02:55.329 --> 00:02:57.959 Ellen Yates, President of UVA Student Council 00:02:57.959 --> 00:03:02.980 Tre Tennyson, President of the Graduate & Professional Student Council 00:03:02.980 --> 00:03:05.079 Ryan Keane, Chair of the Honor Committee 00:03:05.079 --> 00:03:09.780 Gabby Cox, Chair of the University Judiciary Committee 00:03:09.780 --> 00:03:15.560 But first, I’d like to turn the podium over to Jim Ryan, the 9th President of the University 00:03:15.560 --> 00:03:21.819 of Virginia, to offer his personal words of welcome to you as you begin this new journey 00:03:21.819 --> 00:03:23.349 as Wahoos. 00:03:23.349 --> 00:03:28.599 President Ryan is beginning his third year leading UVA, after a long stint as a distinguished 00:03:28.599 --> 00:03:34.859 professor in 鶹ƽ School of Law followed by five years as Dean of the Harvard University 00:03:34.859 --> 00:03:36.469 Graduate School of Education. 00:03:36.469 --> 00:03:39.709 He’s also the author of two best-selling books. 00:03:39.709 --> 00:03:45.859 President Ryan has challenged us to be a University that is both “great” and “good” – meaning 00:03:45.859 --> 00:03:52.390 we should pursue excellence in all that we do – be it research, teaching, athletics 00:03:52.390 --> 00:03:59.579 or the arts – while always striving to do so in a manner that is ethical and good and 00:03:59.579 --> 00:04:02.900 right by the community we serve. 00:04:02.900 --> 00:04:08.459 Only in this way may be achieve our public mission and our objective to graduate true 00:04:08.459 --> 00:04:12.319 Citizen Leaders. 00:04:12.319 --> 00:04:18.660 President Ryan. 00:04:18.660 --> 00:04:22.330 Thanks to Dean Groves for that introduction, and thanks to all of you for watching. 00:04:22.330 --> 00:04:24.030 As you’ve heard, my name is Jim Ryan. 00:04:24.030 --> 00:04:29.700 I am the president of the University of Virginia, and on behalf of the entire community here, 00:04:29.700 --> 00:04:34.840 I would like to welcome you—the Class of 2024—to one of the finest universities in 00:04:34.840 --> 00:04:36.340 the world. 00:04:36.340 --> 00:04:41.850 This not an ordinary convocation, as this is not going to an ordinary year. 00:04:41.850 --> 00:04:42.850 But you know that already. 00:04:42.850 --> 00:04:50.590 You’ve already to finish school online, attended virtual graduation, missed proms 00:04:50.590 --> 00:04:55.250 and other events, and you likely spent much of this summer at home. 00:04:55.250 --> 00:04:59.040 For all of that you have missed and given up, I’m sorry. 00:04:59.040 --> 00:05:04.420 I wish I could say it’s all over and we’re back to normal, but you also know that’s 00:05:04.420 --> 00:05:05.610 not the case. 00:05:05.610 --> 00:05:12.430 This year at UVA is undoubtedly going to be different than any we’ve seen in our lifetimes, 00:05:12.430 --> 00:05:15.640 regardless of whether you are on Grounds or online. 00:05:15.640 --> 00:05:22.840 There will be some challenges, for sure, but there will be some advantages as well. 00:05:22.840 --> 00:05:27.420 One immediate advantage is that my speech this year will be much shorter than it would 00:05:27.420 --> 00:05:28.420 be if we were 00:05:28.420 --> 00:05:32.830 together on the Lawn, which should reduce your suffering considerably. 00:05:32.830 --> 00:05:54.310 So let me get right to it and make one quick point and offer one small piece of advice. 00:05:54.310 --> 00:05:59.710 The point is simple and obvious but worth emphasizing: You belong here. 00:05:59.710 --> 00:06:04.860 I don’t mean by this that you need to be here physically, I mean you all belong as 00:06:04.860 --> 00:06:09.900 members of this community--you deserve to be a part of this community. 00:06:09.900 --> 00:06:15.020 I say this as someone who was a first-generation student, as more than one in ten of you are 00:06:15.020 --> 00:06:18.540 now, but it is a message for all of you. 00:06:18.540 --> 00:06:22.720 College will open doors for you and change your life in ways you probably cannot even 00:06:22.720 --> 00:06:29.780 imagine at this point, and you will look back on your time here, I am confident, as four 00:06:29.780 --> 00:06:33.180 of the best and most important years of your life. 00:06:33.180 --> 00:06:38.720 But you may not feel that way now, as it’s only natural when you join a new place to 00:06:38.720 --> 00:06:43.080 feel slightly uneasy, and that’s equally if not more true if you are joining a new 00:06:43.080 --> 00:06:44.890 community virtually. 00:06:44.890 --> 00:06:50.730 I attended a small non-descript school in New Haven, and I still remember when I arrived 00:06:50.730 --> 00:06:52.980 on campus my freshman year. 00:06:52.980 --> 00:06:57.700 It was like landing on a new planet—one where I didn’t know the language and customs 00:06:57.700 --> 00:07:00.760 or fit in very well. 00:07:00.760 --> 00:07:06.350 It took a while to feel comfortable, but it eventually felt like home, and became a place 00:07:06.350 --> 00:07:14.620 I fell in love with and love to this day. 00:07:14.620 --> 00:07:18.760 My deepest hope is that you will have a similar experience. 00:07:18.760 --> 00:07:20.860 You are entering an incredibly caring community. 00:07:20.860 --> 00:07:25.700 The faculty, staff, and your fellow students will care not only about how you do in the 00:07:25.700 --> 00:07:33.710 classroom, but how you do outside of the classroom as well. 00:07:33.710 --> 00:07:36.560 So please understand this: you belong here. 00:07:36.560 --> 00:07:42.040 It doesn’t matter where you are from, the color of your hair or the color of your skin, 00:07:42.040 --> 00:07:47.830 your gender, your sexual orientation, your religion—whoever you are and wherever you 00:07:47.830 --> 00:07:50.340 are from, you belong. 00:07:50.340 --> 00:07:57.870 People are fond of saying this is Mr. Jefferson’s university, but know that as of this day it 00:07:57.870 --> 00:08:01.240 is also, very much, your university. 00:08:01.240 --> 00:08:06.930 Ok, so I have also one small piece of advice, which I hope is memorable. 00:08:06.930 --> 00:08:09.030 It’s this: When in doubt, build a bridge. 00:08:09.030 --> 00:08:10.230 When in doubt, build a bridge. 00:08:10.230 --> 00:08:15.530 I don’t mean literally, except maybe if you are in the architecture or engineering 00:08:15.530 --> 00:08:16.530 schools. 00:08:16.530 --> 00:08:19.120 I mean make a connection and engage. 00:08:19.120 --> 00:08:24.310 To be specific, I encourage you to make an effort to reach out and get to know someone 00:08:24.310 --> 00:08:30.260 who comes from a different background, or who took a different road to get here. 00:08:30.260 --> 00:08:37.519 This is a remarkably diverse community, but even amidst this diversity, it’s easy to 00:08:37.519 --> 00:08:38.930 stick with the familiar. 00:08:38.930 --> 00:08:43.839 I promise you will have a richer experience here if you build bridges across lines of 00:08:43.839 --> 00:08:49.769 apparent difference. 00:08:49.769 --> 00:08:55.600 As you engage with your peers, I especially encourage you to engage with people or ideas 00:08:55.600 --> 00:08:58.810 you may disagree with, perhaps quite strongly. 00:08:58.810 --> 00:09:03.240 This is one of the best ways to sharpen your own thinking and, sometimes, to even change 00:09:03.240 --> 00:09:08.060 your mind, both of which are part of learning and growing. 00:09:08.060 --> 00:09:09.060 And I encourage you 00:09:09.060 --> 00:09:13.730 along the way to practice the art of generous listening—to do your best to understand 00:09:13.730 --> 00:09:25.269 a view, and the rationale behind it, before deciding whether you agree or disagree. 00:09:25.269 --> 00:09:30.269 I would also encourage you to reach out to faculty and make an effort to get to know 00:09:30.269 --> 00:09:31.269 them. 00:09:31.269 --> 00:09:35.399 They are a remarkable group of people who are passionate about their research and about 00:09:35.399 --> 00:09:36.399 teaching. 00:09:36.399 --> 00:09:41.660 UVA has a well-earned reputation as a place where faculty genuinely care about their students 00:09:41.660 --> 00:09:43.420 and about teaching. 00:09:43.420 --> 00:09:48.870 So engage while you are in class, and go to office hours if and when you can whether virtual 00:09:48.870 --> 00:09:49.870 or live. 00:09:49.870 --> 00:09:51.240 Build a bridge to the faculty. 00:09:51.240 --> 00:09:54.120 I promise it will make UVA feel more like home. 00:09:54.120 --> 00:09:59.120 And while you are at it, look for a chance to build a bridge to the broader Charlottesville 00:09:59.120 --> 00:10:00.120 community. 00:10:00.120 --> 00:10:04.900 This is a wonderful place, but like other small cities, it has its challenges and a 00:10:04.900 --> 00:10:06.749 complicated history. 00:10:06.749 --> 00:10:10.740 I encourage you to learn about and engage with this broader community. 00:10:10.740 --> 00:10:15.810 There are countless ways to do so, including through the amazing programs at Madison House. 00:10:15.810 --> 00:10:21.430 UVA is your immediate home, but UVA sits within a larger community, and if you get involved 00:10:21.430 --> 00:10:27.040 in that community, I predict you will gain as much as you give. 00:10:27.040 --> 00:10:28.269 These are just three examples. 00:10:28.269 --> 00:10:30.040 There are other ways to build a bridge that will become apparent to you over time. 00:10:30.040 --> 00:10:31.959 It may involve building bridges across disciplines as you pursue your studies, partnering with 00:10:31.959 --> 00:10:33.800 other students to complete a project for class, or building a bridge to a foreign culture 00:10:33.800 --> 00:10:34.800 if you study abroad. 00:10:34.800 --> 00:10:37.750 My goal here is not to exhaust all the possibilities. 00:10:37.750 --> 00:10:41.089 Instead, I would like to get one simple idea stuck in your head, 00:10:41.089 --> 00:10:44.839 so that it pops up when you need it: When in doubt, build a bridge. 00:10:44.839 --> 00:10:49.779 Now, I realize some of you are probably thinking, how am I supposed to build bridges from home, 00:10:49.779 --> 00:10:53.829 or if I’m wearing a mask and standing six feet apart? 00:10:53.829 --> 00:11:00.279 As with all things related to the pandemic, it will be more challenging and will require 00:11:00.279 --> 00:11:05.959 more creativity, and some bridges may have to wait until you are all here in person and 00:11:05.959 --> 00:11:07.639 we are back to normal. 00:11:07.639 --> 00:11:12.279 But you can absolutely begin now, no matter where you are. 00:11:12.279 --> 00:11:16.610 And in fact, with the pandemic making everyone feel a little bit more isolated, it’s going 00:11:16.610 --> 00:11:20.580 to be more important than ever to reach out and create new connections. 00:11:20.580 --> 00:11:26.620 I can’t tell you exactly what those bridges will look like, or how exactly you should 00:11:26.620 --> 00:11:29.930 build them, whether in person or online. 00:11:29.930 --> 00:11:31.259 That is for you to decide. 00:11:31.259 --> 00:11:36.290 I can only tell you that the effort will be worth it. 00:11:36.290 --> 00:11:41.790 You’ll discover remarkable things on the other side—friendships you might not have 00:11:41.790 --> 00:11:47.040 had, knowledge you might never have gained, and perspectives you might never have considered. 00:11:47.040 --> 00:11:52.959 Every time you build a bridge to somewhere or someone, and you make a connection, I promise 00:11:52.959 --> 00:11:57.829 you’ll be happier for the effort, and our community will be stronger for it as well. 00:11:57.829 --> 00:11:58.829 III. 00:11:58.829 --> 00:11:59.829 Conclusion 00:11:59.829 --> 00:12:00.829 a. 00:12:00.829 --> 00:12:01.829 So welcome to the UVA community and the UVA family. 00:12:01.829 --> 00:12:04.600 I can’t predict what this semester will bring. 00:12:04.600 --> 00:12:06.149 No one can. 00:12:06.149 --> 00:12:11.490 But I have faith that, while things will certainly be different, the next few months will also 00:12:11.490 --> 00:12:17.430 offer opportunities to connect with some amazing people, broaden your own horizons, and make 00:12:17.430 --> 00:12:21.500 this community stronger—no matter where you happen to be. 00:12:21.500 --> 00:12:28.079 All we ask in return is that you engage, act responsibly, and treat others—whether faculty, 00:12:28.079 --> 00:12:33.519 students, staff, or members of the community—with kindness and respect. 00:12:33.519 --> 00:12:35.999 The next time we all get together as a group. 00:12:35.999 --> 00:12:42.250 hopefully in person, will be four years from now, on the Lawn for graduation. 00:12:42.250 --> 00:12:47.129 All of you—all of us—will be different people then, shaped by the choices we make 00:12:47.129 --> 00:12:50.269 over the next few months and the next few years. 00:12:50.269 --> 00:12:52.680 I hope you choose to build bridges. 00:12:52.680 --> 00:13:00.760 Thank you and good luck. 00:13:00.760 --> 00:13:04.740 Hello Class of 2024, and our wonderful transfer students. 00:13:04.740 --> 00:13:07.350 My name is Ellen Yates, and I am the President of Student Council. 00:13:07.350 --> 00:13:11.449 I’m so excited to welcome you all to UVA and to our community 00:13:11.449 --> 00:13:15.329 -- we are so glad you’re here, even in the midst of these uncertain times. 00:13:15.329 --> 00:13:18.709 How many times in the last several months have you heard that word, 00:13:18.709 --> 00:13:19.709 “uncertain?” 00:13:19.709 --> 00:13:20.999 Perhaps too many times to count. 00:13:20.999 --> 00:13:22.680 I know that for most of you, the uncertainty 00:13:22.680 --> 00:13:27.259 of our moment is unwelcome, especially because under normal circumstances, there are usually 00:13:27.259 --> 00:13:29.199 parts of the “college experience” that we can 00:13:29.199 --> 00:13:34.199 expect with certainty -- football games, nights out with friends, packed events on the Lawn. 00:13:34.199 --> 00:13:38.759 Uncertainty, however, is actually what has made my own path through UVA the meaningful 00:13:38.759 --> 00:13:40.649 and rich experience it has been. 00:13:40.649 --> 00:13:43.540 It was my lack of certainty about what my academic path would look 00:13:43.540 --> 00:13:47.300 like that led to the discovery of my interests in religion, politics, and human rights. 00:13:47.300 --> 00:13:49.831 It was my lack of certainty about where I would find 00:13:49.831 --> 00:13:54.610 my home at UVA that led me to explore my passion for leadership and community building in different 00:13:54.610 --> 00:13:57.079 organizations, forming close friendships along the way. 00:13:57.079 --> 00:14:01.440 And ultimately, it was my lack of certainty about how our community could be 00:14:01.440 --> 00:14:03.949 made better that pushed me to seek out opportunities for change-making. 00:14:03.949 --> 00:14:09.130 To me, this is what the true college experience is: taking the unknown 00:14:09.130 --> 00:14:11.540 and unpredictable and making it your own. 00:14:11.540 --> 00:14:16.910 As an organization, Student Council is also trying to lean into this uncertainty. 00:14:16.910 --> 00:14:18.839 We have been working hard this summer to ensure that the 00:14:18.839 --> 00:14:21.300 needs and concerns of our community are heard by 00:14:21.300 --> 00:14:25.579 administration, and that the most equitable and effective policies are enacted. 00:14:25.579 --> 00:14:28.629 However, student self-governance, a phrase you will hear frequently 00:14:28.629 --> 00:14:33.350 in your time at UVA, is fundamentally about your ability as students to act as individual 00:14:33.350 --> 00:14:35.640 agents of change. 00:14:35.640 --> 00:14:39.440 Student Council’s role is to help equip students as best as we can to be these 00:14:39.440 --> 00:14:40.990 instruments of change in whatever endeavor they 00:14:40.990 --> 00:14:45.500 choose, whether it be by helping connect students to important resources, serving as a bridge 00:14:45.500 --> 00:14:50.620 between students and administration, or amplifying the work and voices of students and their 00:14:50.620 --> 00:14:51.620 organizations. 00:14:51.620 --> 00:14:54.509 How you engage with those resources, and how you use your voice in your time 00:14:54.509 --> 00:14:59.222 here, is up to you, but know that we are here to support you, to listen to you, and to stand 00:14:59.222 --> 00:15:00.639 alongside you. 00:15:00.639 --> 00:15:04.399 This year may indeed be an uncertain one, but I want to impress upon you that you will 00:15:04.399 --> 00:15:05.809 never be alone in this unpredictability. 00:15:05.809 --> 00:15:09.330 You are joining a community of people with a wide variety of 00:15:09.330 --> 00:15:13.129 passions and a fierce love of their school and the students who comprise it. 00:15:13.129 --> 00:15:15.839 There is little you cannot find at UVA, if you’re looking with 00:15:15.839 --> 00:15:16.839 an open mind. 00:15:16.839 --> 00:15:21.410 No doubt, with this community comes a significant burden of responsibility. 00:15:21.410 --> 00:15:24.570 The responsibility to look out for one another’s safety, to 00:15:24.570 --> 00:15:28.319 hold each other accountable, and to prioritize each other's wellbeing. 00:15:28.319 --> 00:15:30.959 We have important obligations to each other that we must not 00:15:30.959 --> 00:15:33.559 abandon, during this time of uncertainty more than 00:15:33.559 --> 00:15:34.559 ever. 00:15:34.559 --> 00:15:36.929 So do not be afraid of uncertainty. 00:15:36.929 --> 00:15:40.180 See it for what it is, the good and the bad, but know that, no 00:15:40.180 --> 00:15:43.470 matter where you’re living or learning, there is always one thing you can be certain 00:15:43.470 --> 00:15:47.179 of: each of you are deserving, are loved and are welcome 00:15:47.179 --> 00:15:50.739 members of this community, and we are so excited to have you here. 00:15:50.739 --> 00:15:53.879 I wish you the best of luck in the coming year, and know that we have your 00:15:53.879 --> 00:15:55.230 back no matter what happens. 00:15:55.230 --> 00:15:59.759 We’re all rooting for you, every step of the way. 00:15:59.759 --> 00:16:04.499 Thank you. 00:16:04.499 --> 00:16:11.019 Hi, my name is Tre Tennyson, and I’m the Chair of the Graduate and Professional Council, 00:16:11.019 --> 00:16:12.639 and welcome to UVA. 00:16:12.639 --> 00:16:16.519 The Graduate and Professional Council is the representative body tasked with advocating 00:16:16.519 --> 00:16:20.740 on behalf of the University’s graduate and professional students. 00:16:20.740 --> 00:16:27.189 Like so many of you, I am excited and nervous about what this next year may mean. 00:16:27.189 --> 00:16:32.829 We stand collectively at a moment that demands adherence to our highest ideals, and yet so 00:16:32.829 --> 00:16:36.290 much has already been required of us. 00:16:36.290 --> 00:16:41.029 We felt the loneliness of being separated from friends and loved ones and the fear of 00:16:41.029 --> 00:16:44.100 looking out at an unfamiliar world. 00:16:44.100 --> 00:16:49.249 We felt, and still feel, the desperate hope that life can resume and our troubles can 00:16:49.249 --> 00:16:51.350 finally be behind us. 00:16:51.350 --> 00:16:56.720 These and so many other challenges are what we will carry with us going forward. 00:16:56.720 --> 00:17:04.919 But what excites me now is how we plan to put this hard-won wisdom to use. 00:17:04.919 --> 00:17:11.079 Together, imagine the things we can create, the programs we can put into place, and the 00:17:11.079 --> 00:17:13.630 supports we can build. 00:17:13.630 --> 00:17:19.740 As we make sense of a world we’ve inherited and then been told to change, I know we can 00:17:19.740 --> 00:17:22.299 rise to the occasion. 00:17:22.299 --> 00:17:25.360 I’ve been where you are twice. 00:17:25.360 --> 00:17:31.500 I was an undergraduate at UVA, Class of 2010, and am now a second year at 鶹ƽ Darden 00:17:31.500 --> 00:17:33.990 Graduate School of Business. 00:17:33.990 --> 00:17:39.090 So on two separate occasions I looked at this University and all the possibilities held 00:17:39.090 --> 00:17:42.350 within and wondered where I would fit. 00:17:42.350 --> 00:17:43.350 Who would I meet? 00:17:43.350 --> 00:18:02.809 And at what point would this place begin to feel like home? …or home again. 00:18:02.809 --> 00:18:15.340 And the 00:18:15.340 --> 00:18:19.990 answers came…not from imagining myself as separate from the University, or where it 00:18:19.990 --> 00:18:25.570 was going, or what it could be…but by diving in, getting active and involved, finding the 00:18:25.570 --> 00:18:30.799 friends that I would grow with and love not only for two years or four years but for a 00:18:30.799 --> 00:18:37.390 lifetime, as we pushed, supported, challenged each other, and made space for each other’s 00:18:37.390 --> 00:18:39.620 peace and frailty. 00:18:39.620 --> 00:18:46.980 For being a student at UVA is, at its heart, about striving to be fully human, and cultivating 00:18:46.980 --> 00:18:52.500 those key relationships and experiences that advance your community and reveal to you, 00:18:52.500 --> 00:18:57.090 at all times, who you are. 00:18:57.090 --> 00:19:02.679 You are now entering a very special place at a very special time, and I am excited to 00:19:02.679 --> 00:19:10.950 see how you will uplift, transform, and grant us the benefit of your wisdom and good nature. 00:19:10.950 --> 00:19:13.730 So welcome to UVA. 00:19:13.730 --> 00:19:20.270 Our community is stronger, wiser, and more complete now that you are here. 00:19:20.270 --> 00:19:24.610 Thank you. 00:19:24.610 --> 00:19:30.600 Good evening everyone and welcome to the University of Virginia. 00:19:30.600 --> 00:19:32.841 I wish you were all here in Charlottesville with me, but while 00:19:32.841 --> 00:19:35.600 we may be apart physically, I am so excited to 00:19:35.600 --> 00:19:38.280 welcome you all into our community. 00:19:38.280 --> 00:19:42.159 My name is Ryan Keane and I am a rising fourth year in the Batten School of Leadership and 00:19:42.159 --> 00:19:46.769 Public Policy and I'm serving as the Chair of the Honor Committee for the upcoming year. 00:19:46.769 --> 00:19:52.090 The reality is, we are in a crisis, but with crisis comes opportunity. 00:19:52.090 --> 00:19:54.400 Of course you already know that, and while we grapple with 00:19:54.400 --> 00:19:59.480 the question of how our time at UVA will be different this semester, it begs the question 00:19:59.480 --> 00:20:02.620 of how Honor looks in this COVID world? 00:20:02.620 --> 00:20:05.510 And the easy answer is, it looks the same. 00:20:05.510 --> 00:20:10.330 You see, all of this is a test: a test of student self-governance and wether or not 00:20:10.330 --> 00:20:12.090 we can uphold the values of Honor. 00:20:12.090 --> 00:20:15.541 And I firmly believe we can pass that test, but 00:20:15.541 --> 00:20:16.880 it takes work. 00:20:16.880 --> 00:20:20.900 And with that, I’m going to say something you may not want to hear, but needs to be 00:20:20.900 --> 00:20:21.900 said. 00:20:21.900 --> 00:20:24.429 The next 4 years won’t be easy. 00:20:24.429 --> 00:20:27.039 You’ve worked so hard to get here and not to 00:20:27.039 --> 00:20:32.440 take away from any of that, but during your time here at UVA you will be pushed to 00:20:32.440 --> 00:20:35.460 your limits in ways you never have before. 00:20:35.460 --> 00:20:40.649 And when you are pushed to those limits, it will be easy, so easy, to feel like you don’t 00:20:40.649 --> 00:20:43.019 belong, to feel that this isn’t the place for 00:20:43.019 --> 00:20:44.019 you. 00:20:44.019 --> 00:20:45.260 And I know that because I’ve been there. 00:20:45.260 --> 00:20:49.799 My second year here I worked at Crossroads, a dining hall of sorts that you 00:20:49.799 --> 00:20:55.080 unfortunately, or fortunately, are not getting to eat at right now. 00:20:55.080 --> 00:20:57.690 And I would work the evening shift, from 5:30 in the afternoon 00:20:57.690 --> 00:20:59.260 until 2:30 in the morning. 00:20:59.260 --> 00:21:02.830 And it was hard: my classmates and friends would be coming back 00:21:02.830 --> 00:21:06.830 from bars and parties, and there I was, making them a burrito. 00:21:06.830 --> 00:21:09.970 And in that moment, I couldn’t help but feel that I was different 00:21:09.970 --> 00:21:15.129 from them, that I was on the other side of the glass because I don’t belong. 00:21:15.129 --> 00:21:18.170 But the truth is that I, and every single one of you, 00:21:18.170 --> 00:21:24.360 was chosen to be here for a reason, and therefore, you belong. 00:21:24.360 --> 00:21:29.070 We are all different pieces of the puzzle that makes the UVA community so great. 00:21:29.070 --> 00:21:31.710 We all come from different backgrounds and have our 00:21:31.710 --> 00:21:37.649 own strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, but Honor brings us together. 00:21:37.649 --> 00:21:41.850 This shared accord that we will hold ourselves to a higher standard even in the 00:21:41.850 --> 00:21:43.159 face of adversity. 00:21:43.159 --> 00:21:47.190 In life we have good times and bad times, ups and downs. 00:21:47.190 --> 00:21:49.289 Everything’s great when times are good. 00:21:49.289 --> 00:21:52.260 It’s easy to be Honorable when you studied and know all the 00:21:52.260 --> 00:21:53.380 answers on a test. 00:21:53.380 --> 00:21:57.250 But it’s what you do in the hard times that really matters. 00:21:57.250 --> 00:21:59.710 How we respond to the current situation both as 00:21:59.710 --> 00:22:04.780 individuals and as a community defines who we are. 00:22:04.780 --> 00:22:09.190 As we make our way through this year and you continue your time at UVA, always 00:22:09.190 --> 00:22:15.120 ask yourself this: How do you respond when things get hard? 00:22:15.120 --> 00:22:18.169 And the answer to that question is what sets us apart as UVA 00:22:18.169 --> 00:22:19.169 students. 00:22:19.169 --> 00:22:22.920 When times are tough, we don’t falter, we don’t cut corners. 00:22:22.920 --> 00:22:26.970 We keep pushing forward and stay true to who we are. 00:22:26.970 --> 00:22:31.220 That is what Honor means and that is what makes this community and the bond we 00:22:31.220 --> 00:22:33.279 share so great. 00:22:33.279 --> 00:22:38.240 Thank you and welcome home. 00:22:38.240 --> 00:22:47.240 Hi, my name is Gabby Cox, I am a fourth year in the Batten School of Public Policy and 00:22:47.240 --> 00:22:50.820 I am currently the Chair of the UJC. 00:22:50.820 --> 00:22:54.910 I know this isn’t necessarily the welcome you pictured when sending in your admittance 00:22:54.910 --> 00:22:57.500 acceptance letter, but this is our new reality. 00:22:57.500 --> 00:23:01.120 I hope all of you are safe and healthy and welcome 00:23:01.120 --> 00:23:02.860 to UVA. 00:23:02.860 --> 00:23:07.030 When I was sitting in your position my first year, a student leader said that life is about 00:23:07.030 --> 00:23:12.309 making choices, and then capitalizing on opportunities to be happy with that choice. 00:23:12.309 --> 00:23:14.370 You all have already chosen to attend the University 00:23:14.370 --> 00:23:15.750 of Virginia. 00:23:15.750 --> 00:23:19.899 Over the next four years you will have to answer the question “why did I stay here?” 00:23:19.899 --> 00:23:21.480 Every one of you will question if you made the 00:23:21.480 --> 00:23:27.340 right choice in coming here, but one thing you should never question is your place here. 00:23:27.340 --> 00:23:30.370 Student governance is where I found my reason for staying. 00:23:30.370 --> 00:23:35.559 I define student governance with three phrases: having a voice, holding each 00:23:35.559 --> 00:23:37.810 other to a higher standard, and acknowledging the 00:23:37.810 --> 00:23:40.520 past while looking to the future. 00:23:40.520 --> 00:23:43.179 Simply put, student governance is holding our members of the 00:23:43.179 --> 00:23:47.639 community to a higher standard in order to craft a better future that students wish to 00:23:47.639 --> 00:23:49.070 see. 00:23:49.070 --> 00:23:51.400 Student governance is a multibranch system, but the 00:23:51.400 --> 00:23:53.570 one that stuck out to me my first year was the 00:23:53.570 --> 00:23:57.480 University Judiciary Committee, or the UJC for short. 00:23:57.480 --> 00:24:02.299 The UJC is a student run organization that adjudicates violations of the University’s 00:24:02.299 --> 00:24:04.481 Twelve Standards of Conduct, which can be found 00:24:04.481 --> 00:24:09.300 online or on the plaques located in the first-floor lounge of each dorm. 00:24:09.300 --> 00:24:12.840 Some examples can include drinking/smoking in dorms to physical 00:24:12.840 --> 00:24:16.610 assault, DIP and DUI charges. 00:24:16.610 --> 00:24:20.159 This year the UJC is in a unique position where we are now tasked 00:24:20.159 --> 00:24:25.990 with adjudicating COVID-19 policy violations which are classified as any act that violates 00:24:25.990 --> 00:24:31.120 local, state, federal and/or university guidelines. 00:24:31.120 --> 00:24:35.200 Students who are brought before the UJC are tried for the alleged conduct by a jury of 00:24:35.200 --> 00:24:37.929 their peers and, if they plead guilty or are found 00:24:37.929 --> 00:24:40.669 guilty, are given a sanction. 00:24:40.669 --> 00:24:44.149 These sanctions are educational rather than punitive to help students 00:24:44.149 --> 00:24:49.280 understand our community’s values and their individual impact at the university. 00:24:49.280 --> 00:24:51.809 We don’t operate on precedent, meaning there is no set 00:24:51.809 --> 00:24:56.990 outcome for any type of violation and we take into consideration the full range of circumstances 00:24:56.990 --> 00:24:59.260 that can define a single incident. 00:24:59.260 --> 00:25:03.899 The UJC is a fully student-run body. 00:25:03.899 --> 00:25:08.169 In our system, cases are investigated by students, parties are represented 00:25:08.169 --> 00:25:12.179 by students, and outcomes are decided by students. 00:25:12.179 --> 00:25:16.730 My time on the Committee and at the University of Virginia has been deeply fulfilling. 00:25:16.730 --> 00:25:19.570 In my time here students have stood in unity against 00:25:19.570 --> 00:25:25.110 neo-nazis and alt right members filled with nothing but hate on August 11th and 12th of 00:25:25.110 --> 00:25:26.110 2017. 00:25:26.110 --> 00:25:29.809 In the Charlottesville community, just weeks ago, students stood in peaceful demonstration 00:25:29.809 --> 00:25:32.289 while black students endured death threats. 00:25:32.289 --> 00:25:34.350 In our world minorities have fought too long and 00:25:34.350 --> 00:25:36.759 too hard to have their voices heard. 00:25:36.759 --> 00:25:40.610 But I encourage all of you who are seeking change to get involved. 00:25:40.610 --> 00:25:44.690 Student governance opens a window for organizations like Black Student Alliance, 00:25:44.690 --> 00:25:50.360 Latinx SA, the LGTBQ+ community and countless others to demand more from its university 00:25:50.360 --> 00:25:52.029 and its leaders. 00:25:52.029 --> 00:25:56.899 One purpose of UVA is to promote a “ community bound together by foundational values 00:25:56.899 --> 00:26:00.339 of honor, integrity, trust, and respect. 00:26:00.339 --> 00:26:03.330 ” Class of 2024, use your voice to push for equitable 00:26:03.330 --> 00:26:07.139 change in an environment that you are unsatisfied with. 00:26:07.139 --> 00:26:08.980 Thank you and best of luck this year. 00:26:08.980 --> 00:26:15.120 That Good Old Song of Wahoowa, We’ll sing it o’er and o’er. 00:26:15.120 --> 00:26:22.410 It cheers our heart and warms the blood To hear them shout and roar. 00:26:22.410 --> 00:26:23.410 We come from old Virginia, Where all is bright and gay. 00:26:23.410 --> 00:26:24.410 Let’s all join hands and give a yell For dear old UVA. 00:26:24.410 --> 00:26:43.450 What though the tide of years may roll And drift us far apart, 00:26:43.450 --> 00:27:00.452 For Alma Mater still there’ll be A place in ev’ry heart. 00:27:00.452 --> 00:27:01.452 In college days we’ll sing her praise, And so, when far away, 00:27:01.452 --> 00:27:04.139 In memory we still shall be At the dear old UVA. 00:27:04.139 --> 00:27:05.139 WAHOOWA, WAHOOWA UNI-V, VIR-GIN-I-A 00:27:05.139 --> 00:27:06.139 HOO-RAH-RAY, HOO-RAH-RAY RAY! 00:27:06.139 --> 00:27:07.139 RAY! 00:27:07.139 --> 00:27:07.639 U-V-A!