Let's talk about the weather

We've gotten calls from a few anxious parents who want to know if we will still be having information sessions and tours tomorrow and Saturday.  At first, I thought people were assuming that our buildings were damaged by the earthquake on Tuesday (all is well).  I didn't realize that people thought we'd be cancelling the sessions and tours because of Hurricane Irene.

Rest assured, the sessions and tours will happen as scheduled.  We're just about three hours from Virginia Beach, so while we expect rain, we aren't shutting down or evacuating. 

If you ever need to know if UVa is in session or closed, just click on the "What's Happening" bar on Virginia.edu.  A box will drop down that will show you all the information you need. 

You can also follow UVa on Twitter for minute-by-minute updates about what's happening on Grounds.  Even I follow UVa on Twitter so I can be aware of events and activities.

If you are thinking of visiting us this weekend, the sessions and tours will happen.  Just make sure to bring your rain jackets.

Live from Peabody Hall

If you're reading this from almost anywhere in the east, you probably felt the same earthquake that we did this afternoon.  Despite being about 30 minutes from the epicenter in Mineral, the damage at UVa seems minimal so far.  Everyone seems to be going about their day.  Students are going to class, libraries are open, and power is on.

We felt the shaking for about 40 seconds at Peabody Hall and I think we've had an aftershock already.  The only damage I've heard about has come from Larry Sabato, who lives in a pavilion on the UVa Lawn.

I also saw this picture of the destruction posted by Charlottesville based photographer Tom Daly:

Did you feel the earthquake?

Summer is over

We're really happy to have students coming back to Grounds right now.  The one drawback to the beginning of the semester is the end of our time with our summer student guides.  We had a fantastic group of students working in Peabody Hall over the last few months.  They gave up to three tours each day and never complained about being outside during a heatwave or a rain storm. 

I think CavDog will be missing the students the most!

Pardon the blurriness...there was a lot of wagging and petting going on when I snapped this shot!

They're coming!

Looking north on Emmet Street during the 2010-2011 move in

The new UVa Bookstore

If you've toured colleges during the summer, you probably know that summer is construction season on many campuses.  When the students leave, the tradespeople and craftsmen go into high gear to get projects done before move-in in August.

I had to run over to the UVa Bookstore yesterday to pick up some software and stopped in my tracks when I walked in the door. The first sign of the summer construction season coming to an end was in front of me. The bookstore extension that was started when the students left last year is almost done.  I snapped a few pictures with my phone...

The bookstore has always had plenty of UVa gear, from embroidered khaki shorts to UVa Snuggies, but there is probably twice as much product now.

 

The kids' section is probably three times as big as it was before.  Too bad most of the nephews and nieces have parents who attended our ACC rivals.

 

Girls have loved the Clinque counter and Vera Bradley section in the bookstore, but there are now many more cute dorm room decorations on display. There are plenty of things embroidered or painted with Greek org letters, for those who like to display their affiliations.

I couldn't help take a few pictures of the dog section, which used to take up the edge of one shelf.  CavDog already has a collar and lead set, a tennis ball on a UVa lanyard, and a water bowl.  Do you think he needs a stadium jacket for chilly Days on the Lawn mornings?

I didn't take a pictures of the new Cavalier Computers store inside the bookstore, but it's gigantic.  It's so large that I had to ask someone to help me find that piece of software I needed.

The only project that seemed incomplete was the new Java City counter.  It'll be great to see that open and have the lovely woman who staffs it back.

Not exactly the honor of honors

When this arrived in my mail a few weeks ago, I couldn't help but laugh.  If you're a junior or senior in high school, you've probably gotten letters that look a like this.

All I had to do was visit a website and provide personal information (that would probably be sold and result in a lot more "honors" arriving in the mail).  I'm sure there's a fee involved, but I didn't visit the website to see about that.

Now that you know I was accepted into the National Association of Professional Women, are you more likely to heed my advice?  Probably not.

Common App 2011-2012 is live!

Last night, a few hours ahead of schedule, the Common Application for the 2011-2012 academic year launched.  I posted the essays that would be on the UVa Supplement to the Common App back in June and I hope that if you want to do anything early, you'll start to think about how you'll answer those questions.

The launch of the Common App also means the start of the new year for people in the Office of Admission.  We've started travel planning already, but it's time to start solidifying those plans.  In the coming weeks, I'll let you know where I'll be going this fall.  You can also keep an eye on the "UVa Visits You" page on our website to see where else we'll be going.

As always, we'll be on the VACRAO college tour circuit in Virginia.