Connections

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

October 23: Deadline to Register to Vote in Virginia 
Students have a choice of where to vote – either where they attend school or at their “permanent” address. Register where you want to vote and vote where you are registered. The voter registration deadline in Virginia is Oct. 23.  If you are an out-of-state student, you can find information for your state at vote.gov.

ENGAGE 

East Asia Center Fall Open House 
Oct. 15, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., New Cabell 162
Explore East Asian studies academic programs, learn about available grants and awards, and connect with faculty and fellow students. All students are welcome, whether they are interested in pursuing East Asian studies or simply want to learn more.

Spooktacular Movie Series: ‘The Black Phone’ (2021) 
Oct. 15, 7 – 10 p.m., 1515 University Avenue
Join the University Programs Council for the second installment of its Spooktacular Movie Series, featuring a screening of “The Black Phone” (2021) and Halloween-themed snacks and drinks. Attend all four screenings, held each Thursday in October, for a chance to win a spooky Boo Basket!

National Transfer Student Week 
Multiple events throughout the week
Celebrate National Transfer Student Week with events designed to help transfer students build connections and engage with the UVA community. Most events are open to transfer  students of all years, regardless of when they transferred. Explore the schedule to find opportunities to connect with fellow students and get involved on Grounds.

Puppies and Pumpkins 
Oct. 16, 12 – 4 p.m., South Lawn
Enjoy the crisp fall weather with the University Programs Council! Stop by for fresh beignets from Roux St. Cafe, pumpkin painting, free merchandise and puppy cuddles with the Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA. Bring your friends and a picnic blanket for an afternoon of fall festivities!

‘Working Girls’ Documentary 
Oct. 21, 6 p.m., Minor 125
The Department of Women, Gender and Sexuality presents "Working Girls," a documentary exploring the often-overlooked labor performed by women across India, from domestic and care work to surrogacy and sex work. Directed by Paromita Vohra, the film features workers, mothers, farmers and organizers whose contributions sustain communities but often go unrecognized. Through humor, music and an examination of law and gender, the documentary challenges traditional ideas about the value and visibility of women's work.

Spikeball Tournament for Charity 
Sign up by Oct. 21
Join Simple Charity’s Spikeball Tournament for an opportunity to have fun with friends while supporting the community. Members of the winning team will each receive a Simple Charity T-shirt and a trophy.

Family Weekend Housing Fair 
Oct. 23, 11:30 a.m. – 4 p.m., Newcomb Ballroom
Students and families are invited to attend the On-Grounds Housing Fair in Newcomb Hall Ballroom to explore housing options, learn about the application process, ask questions and enjoy refreshments and giveaways. An Off-Grounds Housing Fair will take place simultaneously in the ballroom, featuring information about off-Grounds housing availability and giveaways from local property management companies.

LEARN

Grad School Bootcamp (with lunch)
Oct. 17, 10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., Ern Commons
This program will include topics such as choosing a graduate school program that’s right for you, understanding the grad school application process, finding financial resources for grad school, writing a personal statement and more. Hosted by the Office of African-American Affairs. Contact Chimene Boone for more information.

Oak Ridge National Lab Summer Opportunities 
Oct. 21, 4 – 5 p.m., Clark 133
Join the Office of Citizen Scholar Development for an information session with representatives from Oak Ridge National Laboratory to learn about summer 2027 research opportunities. The laboratory advances scientific research and technological innovation to address energy and national security challenges while supporting the U.S. economy.

JOBS

Conferences@UVA Hiring Conference Supervisors for Spring and Summer 2027 
Positions begin Feb. 8
Conferences@UVA is hiring undergraduate conference supervisors to help plan the 2027 summer conference season and recruit, lead and supervise student teams. The position involves office work during spring 2027 and time spent in residential areas during the summer. Students will gain valuable leadership, supervisory and customer service experience, with the option of free summer housing. Visit the website for more details.

CAREER

Resume/LinkedIn Bootcamp with Chick-fil-A 
Oct. 16, noon – 2 p.m., Bryant Hall Alumni Lounge 
 Join the UVA Career Center for hands-on support with resumes and LinkedIn profiles. Career counselors and peer advisers will provide personalized feedback to help students strengthen their application materials and highlight their experiences. Sponsored by the Third-Year Class, the event offers an opportunity to prepare for future career opportunities while enjoying Chick-fil-A.

Sanderford Speaker Series - Walker & Dunlop 
Oct. 19, 6:30 – 8 p.m., Rouss & Robertson 123
The White Ruffin Byron Center for Real Estate’s series introduces students to firms and their roles across various markets. Skye Stansbury, director of capital markets and real estate finance, and Jayden Cruzado, multifamily finance analyst, at Walker & Dunlop will share their experiences in real estate finance and multifamily capital markets, along with their perspectives on the industry. Arrive early for networking and pizza at 6 p.m.

Job and Internship Search Strategies Workshop 
Oct. 20, 5 – 6 p.m., Virtual  
Join the UVA Career Center for a virtual workshop on navigating the job and internship search process. Career Center staff will share strategies for finding opportunities, preparing applications and networking effectively to help students take the next steps toward their career goals.

Fall Job and Internship Fair – All Industries 
Oct. 22, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m., Newcomb Hall 
 UVA's largest all-industries recruiting event connects students with employers from corporate, government, nonprofit, education and other sectors. Open to students of all majors and class years, the fair offers opportunities to explore internships and full-time positions, learn about organizations across industries and build professional connections.

Portfolio Showcase: Creative Community 
Oct. 22, 5 – 6:30 p.m., Campbell Hall (First Floor)  
Join the UVA Career Center's Creative Community and V Magazine for an interactive portfolio showcase. Students can display their physical or digital portfolios, exchange ideas and receive constructive feedback from peers and mentors. The event offers a collaborative space to practice presenting creative work, explore portfolio designs and prepare for internships, jobs and other opportunities.

Biotech and Life Sciences Career and Networking Night 
Oct. 28, 6 – 8 p.m., Newcomb Hall 
Connect with employers recruiting for internships and full-time positions in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, health care, medical devices, research and related industries. Open to students interested in biomedical engineering, biology, chemistry, neuroscience, public health, data science and other STEM fields, the event offers opportunities to network with representatives from startups and established organizations and explore careers in the life sciences.

BE WELL

Quiet Rage 
Oct. 14, 6:30 p.m., Women’s Center
Join a collective reading and creative gathering in response to the current climate surroundng sexual violence. Participants will read June Jordan’s “Poem About My Rights” and Audre Lorde’s “A Litany for Survival,” followed by a quiet creative session to make small teal canvases featuring messages of affirmation and reclamation. 

Hoos Cooking: Pick of the Pantry, Breakfast for Dinner 
Oct. 22, 5 – 6:30 p.m., UVA Teaching Kitchen
Pick of the Pantry offers budget-friendly fall recipes for busy students, including baked pumpkin pancakes, cinnamon-stewed apples and easy egg frittatas. Participants will also learn baking, blending and broiling techniques for quick cooking and cleanup. The menu contains wheat, eggs and milk, with optional breakfast meats. Registration is required, along with a suggested food pantry donation of $10 for students or $15 for faculty and staff. Financial assistance is available through the Food Security Fund.

ARTS

The Eleventh Annual Flute Forum featuring Alexa Still 
Oct. 17, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Old Cabell Hall
The UVA Flute Forum is a daylong festival featuring master classes, interactive workshops and recitals with flutist Alexa Still and guest artists Andrea Gutierrez, Sarah Haines, Sarah Handley, Amrutha Koteeswaran and Gina Sobel. Attendees are encouraged to bring their flutes to participate in a community flute choir performance during the gala recital. This is an Arts Enhancement Event. 

Flute Recital by Alexa Still 
Oct. 17, 3:30 p.m., Old Cabell Hall
The UVA Department of Music presents a free afternoon recital featuring internationally acclaimed flutist Alexa Still. Known for her distinctive artistry, expressive musicianship and celebrated recordings, Still has earned a reputation as one of today's leading flutists. This free performance is an Arts Enhancement Event. 

Faculty Artist Series: I-Jen Fang and Ming-Hui Kuo, Percussion Duo With Friends  
Oct. 17, 7:30 p.m., Old Cabell Hall 
Join the UVA Department of Music for an evening of contemporary percussion featuring I-Jen Fang and Ming-Hui Kuo, joined by guest artists Isabelle Hubbard and George Kolodsick. The concert will feature 21st-century works for keyboard percussion, highlighting complex rhythms, evocative soundscapes and dynamic musical interplay. Sponsored by the UVA Arts Council, the performance is free for UVA students who reserve tickets in advance.

Spectrum Theatre’s Production of Mean Girls 
Oct. 22 & Oct. 24, 7 p.m. | Oct. 24 & 25, 2 p.m., Student Activities Building
Spectrum Theatre at UVA presents “Mean Girls,” the musical adaptation of UVA alumna Tina Fey’s hit comedy film. Enjoy a performance produced entirely by students. “Mean Girls” is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International, which also supplies all authorized performance materials.

Arts on The Hill presents The Whethermen 
Oct. 28, 5 – 6:30 p.m., Carr’s Hill
Join President Scott Beardsley and Claire Dufournet Beardsley for an evening of improv comedy featuring the Whethermen, UVA’s oldest performing improv group. Hosted in partnership with UVA Arts, the event is open to faculty, staff and students through a lottery. Entries must be submitted by Oct. 25, and winners will be notified by Oct. 26 at 5 p.m.

TALKS 

Debate: Has Feminism Liberated Women? 
Oct. 14, 6:30 p.m., Center for Christian Study
Join feminist writer Leah Libresco Sargeant and Heritage Foundation policy analyst Emma Waters for a discussion on modern feminism, family life, work and relationships. The conversation will explore whether the feminist movement has fulfilled its promises to women and what feminism looks like today.

Investment & Impact: The Business of Women's Sports 
Oct. 16, 10 – 11:30 a.m., Shumway Atrium
Join industry leaders and investors for a discussion on the growing business opportunities in women's sports. The conversation will explore record-breaking media rights deals, innovative sponsorship models, venture-backed leagues and athlete-led brands, highlighting the evolving investment landscape and future of the industry.

‘The Pulled Punch and the Sheathed Blade: Her Story (2024) as a Feminist Stand-up Film’ 
Oct. 16, 3:15 - 4:30 p.m., Monroe 118
This East Asia Center talk examines how the 2024 Chinese blockbuster "Her Story" draws on stand-up comedy's humor and political commentary to challenge authority in a censored environment. The discussion will explore the rise of female stand-up comedians in China, including controversies surrounding Yang Li and the term "women's punches," which critics use to dismiss feminist perspectives.

Bologna's Civic Digital Twin: Democratic Practices for Urban Simulation and Action 
Oct. 20, 12 – 1 p.m., Bond House
Join the DTD Lab for a lunchtime discussion on the opportunities and challenges of integrating democratic intelligence into emerging digital technologies. Stefania Paolazzi, innovation manager for the city of Bologna, Italy, and Marco Pistore, director of modeling and simulation of socio-technical systems at Fondazione Bruno Kessler, will discuss their work implementing the Civic Digital Twin in Bologna.

‘Why are K-12 test scores plummeting?’ 
Oct. 20, 6:30 p.m., Ridley 177
Forty percent of pandemic-era learning losses reflect trends that began before the pandemic, following roughly 30 years of steady gains in student achievement. Join UVA professor emeritus of education James Wyckoff and researcher Nat Malkus for a discussion on the causes of declining student achievement and potential solutions. The event is co-sponsored by UVA EdPolicyWorks, the Blue Ridge Center and the Virginia Review of Politics.

COVID Across Borders 
Oct. 21, 6 – 8 p.m., Brooks Hall Commons
Join three community health activists from Cape Town, South Africa, for a discussion on mutual aid efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. The event will explore how grassroots organizations addressed community needs, collaborated with government and health institutions, and navigated barriers to emergency response. A short documentary on Cape Town's Movement for Change and Social Justice and perspectives from Charlottesville will also be featured.

‘What's going on in Iran?’ 
Oct. 21, 7 p.m., Monroe 124
Rebeccah Heinrichs, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, will discuss the latest developments in the Iran conflict and what steps the United States can and should take to promote stability in the region.

Brazil Votes: What the First Round Tells Us About the Runoff 
Oct. 21, 7 - 8:15 p.m., Zoom
The second conversation in the series will examine what the first round of elections revealed about Brazil’s political landscape. Letícia Cesarino of UFSC and James N. Green of Brown University will analyze congressional results, discuss factors shaping the runoff election and explore what the outcome could mean for Brazil’s democracy and its relationship with the United States.

STUDIES

Focus Groups for Limited Income Students 
Mondays, 7 – 8:30 p.m.
Wednesdays, 7:30 – 9 p.m.
The Bridging Grounds Initiative, a policy research collaboration at UVA’s Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, works to improve the student experience at UVA. This fall, the initiative is conducting focus groups to better understand the experiences of low-income students at the university.

REMINDERS

‘Staging the Buddha Land’ 
Oct. 15, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m., Campbell 160
This UVA East Asia Center talk explores how late Chosŏn Buddhist temples depicted celestial musicians, focusing on the shift from female celestial figures to youthful male performers. Drawing on 86 temple halls, Maya Stiller examines how painter-monks transformed familiar performance traditions into imagined musical offerings within Buddhist sacred spaces.

Remodeling Congress Conference: Inside and Out 
Oct. 15 – 16, Virtual  
The Miller Center’s “Remodeling Congress” conference will bring together scholars, practitioners and journalists to explore pragmatic, nonpartisan approaches to congressional reform. Discussions will examine how Congress can improve its capacity, modernize its operations and address structural incentives that contribute to legislative stalemate, with particular attention to the relationship between Congress and the presidency. Registration is required.

‘How to Bring the CDC Back from the Brink’ 
Oct. 20, 11 a.m. – noon, Miller Center and Virtual
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is at an important juncture as its leadership seeks to reverse the unprecedented decline the agency has experienced. This panel will examine strategies to strengthen the CDC, what a reconstituted agency could look like, why leadership matters and how trust and confidence can be rebuilt.

2027-2028 Housing Application Open to On-Grounds Residents 
Application Deadline for Residential Colleges and Language Houses: Oct. 18
Priority Application Deadline for Upperclass Apartments: Oct. 23
If you’re a current on-Grounds resident and plan to apply for upperclass housing next year, applications for all on-Grounds areas are now available. Upperclass apartment applicants who apply by the priority deadline will receive room selection timeslots in early November and select housing in January. For information and resources about on-Grounds housing options, dates and the application process, visit the HRL website.

Israel-Palestine after the 2026 elections

Nov. 4, 6 – 7:30 p.m., Nau Hall
UVA Jewish Studies and the Miller Center will host conflict resolution scholar Ned Lazarus and former Middle East peace negotiator Ghaith al-Omari for a conversation with UVA Berkowitz Professor of Jewish History Glenn Dynner. The discussion will examine the 2026 U.S. midterm and Israeli elections and their potential impact on the future of peace between Israelis and Palestinians. There will be a reception to follow. It is free and open to the public, but registration is required for in-person attendance. A livestream will also be available through the UVA Jewish Studies YouTube channel.