Category Archives: schools

VCU Drone Warfare Event On Wednesday

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From the FaceBook event page:

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The Arab Student Association at VCU is hosting an event to raise awareness regarding the illegal use of drone strikes still taking place in countries such as Yemen, Pakistan,Somalia etc. We have guest speakers coming to inform you of the reality of these drone strikes that continue to happen until today. It will be in the form of a discussion panel. You all get to engage and ask our guest speakers all the questions you have. Admission is free. The event will be in the Richmond Salons located upstairs in the student commons.

Monroe Park VCU Sign Removed (Again)

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This is all that’s left, after all the earlier controversy (see here, here, here, here, and here.

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There is speculation that this is in anticipation of more controversy in regard to Monroe Park.

City Council’s Land Use Committee will hear the presentation for the proposed Monroe Park lease on Tuesday, in Council chambers in City Hall at 3PM.

Since the proposed Monroe Park lease is for more than 5 years, according to City code, it must be advertised for bids 2 weeks before going to City Council for vote. It is scheduled for Council on February 24 yet no ads have been out. A FOIA request by a neighbor revealed the ads would run on Feb 27, 3 days after it was scheduled for a vote. It’s unclear how this will be resolved.

The 5th district meeting that was cancelled on Feb. 12 due to inclement weather has been rescheduled for Feb 20th. The proposed Monroe Park lease plan will be presented then- 6:30 at the Byrd Park roundhouse.

“City Council may rule on fate of park foliage”

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On March 8, 1991, an article appeared in the Times-Dispatch.

VCU plan to remove 37 trees from Monroe Park 3-8-91

The article was about how VCU was trying to get control of the maintenance of Monroe Park and had a plan to cut down 37 of the mature trees. VCU said that the trees were “improperly placed, damaged, dangerous and add nothing to the function or aesthetics of the park,” and stated that removal of the trees would, “make the park safer.”

Fortunately this maintenance agreement was not approved in 1991 because of neighborhood objections, but if the newly proposed lease is approved, VCU would be in charge of the maintenance of the trees and would be given carte blanche to remove as many trees as it wanted without any recourse. Most of the trees that were slated to be removed in 1991 are still in the park, and there is no reason to think that VCU would not again want them removed, “to make the park safer.”

As a result of VCU’s attempt to remove 20% of the mature trees in Monroe Park in 1991, the Monroe Park Advisory Council was established with neighborhood representation from Oregon Hill, the Fan, and Carver. The proposed Monroe Park Conservancy has NO neighborhood representation, but includes four VCU administrators, and four city administrators.