University of Virginia

Student life

The motto around Grounds is "work hard, play hard". Students at the University take this motto seriously, and they combine their academic pursuits with a lot of exercise and partying (not necessarily at the same time). It is often joked that "everyone is a runner" at the University, and many students can be seen on a run in any season of the year. Indeed, the 2005 Kaplan/Newsweek guide "How to Get into College", which lists twenty-five universities its editors consider notable in some respect, recognizes U.Va. for being the "Hottest for Fitness", mentioning that 94% of the students take advantage of at least one of the four recreation centers. Rugby Road and the fraternities are home to much of the social scene, as are private apartments along Jefferson Park Avenue and around the outskirts of the University.

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Student life at U.Va. is marked by a number of unique traditions that set the University apart from other American colleges. The campus of the University is referred to as "the Grounds," and seniors, juniors, sophomores and freshmen are instead called Fourth-, Third-, Second- and First-Years. A number of secret societies, most notably the Seven Society, Z Society, and IMP Society, have operated at the University for decades, leaving their painted marks on university buildings. Other significant secret societies include the Purple Shadows, who commemorate Jefferson's birthday shortly after dawn on the Lawn each April 13, and the Rotunda Burning Society, who commemorate the Great Rotunda Fire. Not all the secret societies keep their identities unknown (see photo at left), but even those who don't hide themselves generally keep most of their good works and activities from the public eye.

Related Topics:
Seven Society - Z Society - IMP Society

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A positive attitude regarding the libraries exists among the students. A national publication's survey recently revealed that U.Va.'s students give their library system higher marks than students at any other school in the United States. The best-known library is Alderman Library for the humanities and social sciences, which contains seemingly endless stacks with many useful study nooks hidden among them. U.Va.'s renowned Small Special Collections Library feature one of the premier collections of American Literature in the country. Clemons Library, next to Alderman, is a popular study spot. Hundreds of students can be found gathered on its various quiet floors on any given night. Clark Hall, home of the Science & Engineering Library, also gets high marks.

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Relative to many other public and private universities, the University of Virginia has minimal red tape, paperwork, or bureaucracy. U.Va.'s ratio of staff-to-faculty is kept low, allowing for an efficient allocation of funds directly into paying faculty and educating its students. It is also a frequent observation that the faculty are very approachable and enjoy interacting with their students. Several of the faculty live on Grounds, either on the Lawn in the various Pavilions or as fellows at one of three residential colleges (Brown College at Monroe Hill, Hereford Residential College, and the International Residential College).

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Volunteerism at the University is centered around Madison House, which offers numerous opportunities to serve others. Among the numerous programs offered are Tutoring, Housing Improvement, and Hoos Against Hunger (who give leftover food made at restaurants to Charlottesville's homeless rather than allowing it to be thrown away).

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The ideas of student governance, left from the school's Jeffersonian roots, still hold strong at the University. One aspect of this is U.Va.'s Honor System, originated in 1842 and was the first to be administered by student elected officials, with student juries. In this "single sanction" system, the penalty for lying, cheating, or stealing is expulsion from the University. The Honor System here was the model for similar systems in place at West Point, Washington & Lee, and other American universities adhering to systems of honor. A well-known verse written by a student over 100 years ago (James Hay Jr. in 1903) ends "I have worn the Honors of Honor; I graduated from Virginia."

Related Topics:
1842 - West Point - Washington & Lee - 1903

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