Latest news with #SarahVogelsong
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
After contributions to Virginia, international students face uncertainty due to Trump's visa changes
The University of Virginia has been a critical benefactor of international students during the 2023-24 school year, according to NAFSA. (Sarah Vogelsong / Virginia Mercury) Virginia's colleges and universities could lose millions of dollars and thousands of jobs after the federal government froze international student visa interviews on Tuesday, mounted efforts to require all foreign students to undergo social media vetting and announced plans to 'aggressively revoke' Chinese students' visas. The actions, spearheaded by Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the behest of President Donald Trump's administration, are likely to disrupt international students considering attending any of the schools in the commonwealth. Over 21,000 international students were enrolled at Virginia colleges and universities in the 2023-2024 academic year, according to the National Association of Foreign Advisors' Association of International Educators. International students contributed $807.2 million to Virginia's higher learning institutions in the same period, NAFSA reported in its latest data. Tim Gibson, president of the Virginia Conference of the American Association of University Professors, said the student visa interview pause and other changes could negatively impact international students, who have proven to make positive contributions to U.S. universities and the commonwealth, and deter international students from pursuing an education in America, including Virginia. 'They just want to learn and they come here because they want to learn from us,' Gibson said, 'and they want to learn at American universities because American universities have a stellar reputation around the world for academic freedom, for having resources to support excellent undergraduate and graduate instruction, and for having the kind of freedom of an openness to explore the questions you want to explore and to make the contributions you want to make.' George Mason University, located in Fairfax County in Northern Virginia, was the highest recipient of funding from international students, receiving $207.5 million, ahead of Virginia Tech, the University of Virginia, VCU, and Northern Virginia Community College, which rounded out the top five institutions in the commonwealth with the most financial benefit from foreign students during the 2023-24 school year. Student visas are essential for international students to legally enter, reside, and study in the United States, including at institutions in Virginia, which, if foreign students stop attending, could face financial challenges since students from outside the U.S. pay higher tuition fees compared to in-state students. Since Tuesday, the administration has directed U.S. embassies and consulates, who are responsible for issuing visas, to suspend new visa interviews for international students seeking to study in the U.S. until further guidance is provided. The move comes after the administration accused some institutions, including Harvard University, of allowing antisemitism on campus. The administration is attempting to revoke Harvard's Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification, which enables the university to enroll international students. A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration's attempt to do so, after Harvard filed a lawsuit to retain the right to admit international students. On Wednesday, Rubio announced the State Department along with the Department of Homeland Security will be revoking visas for Chinese students, including those with 'connections' to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in 'critical fields.' The agencies will be revising visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People's Republic of China and Hong Kong, Rubio's statement read. Gibson said the announcement is concerning for many students, especially graduate students, because they often bring their families who attend daycares and schools in the commonwealth. 'Now they're threatened with deportation for no reason other than paranoia, racism, and xenophobia,' Gibson said. 'Even just making a threat has irreparably harmed the international reputation of our universities and colleges.' In a statement on Tuesday, NAFSA said the latest action by the Trump administration is another 'misguided' and 'deeply troubling attack' against international students, who are facing arrests, visa revocations and threats to their ability to enroll in certain U.S. institutions. The association said it's also a waste of taxpayer funding to screen students who are already subject to extensive background checks, compared to business visitors and tourists. 'If the administration believes enhanced scrutiny is necessary, it should be applied uniformly — not selectively to students who have long contributed to American classrooms, communities, and cutting-edge research,' a NAFSA representative said. 'Moreover, there is no urgent justification to halt visa appointments while internal policy updates are considered. This only adds unnecessary delays, fuels uncertainty, and damages our reputation as a welcoming destination for global talent.' This week's actions aren't the first issues concerning international students the Trump administration has weighed in on. In January, the administration directed U.S. diplomats and consulates to refer certain student and exchange visitor visa applicants to its fraud prevention unit for mandatory social media checks, through two executive orders focused on protecting the country from foreign threats and combating antisemitism. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Axios
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Axios
The "unauthorized bun" at Secret Sandwich Society has a history of controversy
The alleged use of an " unauthorized bun" seems to be part of the issue behind a dramatic weekend Instagram post from Secret Sandwich Society. Why it matters: The bun in question might just be the most controversial hamburger holder in recent history. Catch up quick: Last Friday, the Instagram account for the West Virginia-based Secret Sandwich Society restaurant announced that the Richmond location, the only other in the nation, was operating without a legal license to use the SSS brand. The Richmonders' Sarah Vogelsong got the scoop behind the post through troves of court documents. Court filings allege that the Richmond location's owners haven't paid the SSS brand owners required royalties to use the name since April 21, plus a litany of other charges, Vogelsong reports. The intrigue: Perhaps the most interesting detail in the court records centers on the Richmond location's alleged use of the wrong hamburger bun. RVA's SSS allegedly puts its burgers on Martin's brand buns, as opposed to " split top buns from USFoods," which the licensing agreement requires them to use, per The Richmonder. SSS brand owners declined to comment for this story. Phones to the Richmond store weren't answered. Zoom in: The only Martin's brand buns we're aware of are Martin's Potato Rolls, the bun of choice for Shake Shack and the "undisputed heavyweight champ" of all hamburger buns, according to food blogs. It's also the only hamburger bun we're aware has recently been the subject of a nationwide boycott. Calls to boycott Martin's in 2022 came in response to political donations by Jim Martin, the company's board chair and former president, to a " far-right" Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate, plus his denial of the 2020 election results, CNN reported. A spokesperson for Martin's buns told CNN at the time that the company "does not support any particular candidate or party." The boycott was relatively short-lived, lasting roughly a summer, and was opposed by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, the candidate Jim Martin didn't support. Shapiro appeared to maintain then and now that Martin's makes a " damn good roll." Whether Richmonders will get to experience this bun for themselves at our Secret Sandwich Society location may just be a matter for the courts to decide.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Higher ed bill passes legislature, giving faculty and staff a seat — but not a vote
The Rotunda at the University of Virginia. (Sarah Vogelsong/Virginia Mercury) Virginia's public college employees scored a legislative victory Tuesday as the General Assembly passed a bill requiring each university's governing board to include two nonvoting faculty and staff representatives. But whether the measure becomes law is far from certain — Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed a similar proposal last year, citing cost concerns and a lack of oversight. Youngkin argued at the time that adding representatives could drive up tuition for families and noted that these members wouldn't be subject to General Assembly confirmation or his removal authority in misconduct cases. A narrower 2023 proposal focused solely on the University of Virginia's board was previously stalled in a House Rules subcommittee. Supporters say faculty and staff voices are crucial to informed decision-making. Cecelia Parks, president of the United Campus Workers of Virginia, said board meetings often fail to address key issues because appointed members by the governor lack firsthand experience in university operations. 'The people in the room just don't have that expertise because they are not living with a lot of these issues day in and day out,' Parks told The Mercury, emphasizing that advisory members would help strengthen institutions. House Bill 1621, sponsored by Del. Amy Laufer, D-Albemarle, would again require all public colleges and universities to elect nonvoting faculty and staff representatives to their boards. George Mason and Longwood Universities are currently the only public institutions that allow a faculty member to sit on their governing boards. For months, advocates have pushed lawmakers to expand that model statewide, arguing that giving faculty and staff a voice in decision-making would improve policies on retention, recruitment, and overall workplace confidence. Supporters say such representation fosters trust among employees and ensures their concerns are heard at the highest levels. Laufer emphasized staff's role in keeping universities running, from facility maintenance to student affairs. 'I just believe that people [who] are working with our students can add a valuable perspective on these boards,' Laufer said. Last month, she rejected a House substitute that would have allowed governing boards to appoint faculty and staff representatives rather than letting employees elect them. While advocates want a seat at the table, Laufer said it's just as important that they choose their own representatives. The bill narrowly passed the House in a 51-49 vote before moving to the Senate, where it passed along party lines. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
We interrupt this legislative session for some good news
The Biden administration's goal to have half of all U.S. vehicles be electric by 2030, will require increased production of minerals such as lithium, nickel and cobalt used in batteries. (Photo by Sarah Vogelsong/Virginia Mercury) After two decades following Virginia's General Assembly, I understand why people say the legislative process is like sausage-making, both being things it's better not to watch. And while you can count on the sausage factories to feed every little morsel into the grinder, the legislature often leaves the healthiest ingredients rotting on the capitol's marble floors. But not always! Sometimes Richmond's sausage factory comes out with products truly worth savoring. So, after my recent assessments of the sorry state of solar and data center legislation, I want to take a moment to celebrate a few of the good bills that are making their way through the House and Senate, often with bipartisan support. Since I'm an environment and energy advocate, these bills all relate to those topics at least loosely. With any luck, all of these should soon be on their way to the governor's desk. Let's start with legislation reforming the way Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power do their resource planning. No, don't stop reading! This is really more interesting than it sounds! Let me give you an example. One of the reasons customers of APCo are complaining about sky-high power bills is that the public utility commission over in West Virginia approved expensive upgrades to APCO's coal plants while insisting that the utility run those plants at least 69% of the time, even though both actions increase costs that customers have to pay. Because those coal plants serve Virginia customers as well, that means higher bills here too. But you won't find out from APCo's filings how much of its electricity even comes from coal. The integrated resource plans (IRPs) the utility filed with the SCC never revealed that information. Two years ago, APCo even got the Virginia General Assembly to excuse it from having to file the plans altogether. Dominion Energy's IRPs have caused their share of frustration, too, to the point where an SCC hearing examiner recommended rejection of the company's 2023 plan, and the commission ordered a supplement to the 2024 plan even before it was filed. The Commission on Electric Utility Regulation, a legislative body that is also more interesting than it sounds, set out this year to raise the bar for what has to go into an IRP. The result is HB2413 from Del. Candi Munyon-King, D-Dumfries, and SB1021 from Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax. The legislation doesn't just restore the IRP requirement for APCo and demand greater transparency from both utilities, it also makes it possible for other stakeholders to review and question the assumptions that go into the utilities' planning. The result is that regulators and legislators will finally have the information they need to ensure the utilities are acting in the public interest and not just their own. With data centers already pushing up energy costs, the need for this reform is urgent. As of this writing, both bills have passed their respective chambers, the House version with strong bipartisan support. Another pair of bills that are faring well deal with energy storage. As battery prices drop and innovations multiply, storage has become one of the brightest of the new energy technologies. Batteries are now the method of choice for filling in gaps in solar and wind production and allowing utilities to meet peaks in demand more precisely, cleanly and at less expense than burning fossil fuel in short spurts. And whether it's batteries or other kinds of storage (gravity-based, hydrogen, or thermal), the technology is also critical to the buildout of new nuclear plants, should that occur. Small modular reactors will have to run close to 100% of the time to make their capital cost tolerable, so utilities need the ability to store surplus electricity at night, when demand is low. SB1394 from Sen. Lamont Bagby, D-Richmond, and HB2537 from Del. Rip Sullivan, D-Fairfax, increase the amount of short-duration energy storage Dominion and APCo must develop and add new amounts for long-duration storage, defined as 10 hours or more. The requirement is technology-neutral, and the timelines are generous. There are also provisions for working groups to develop financial incentives, model ordinances, fire prevention strategies and demonstration projects. SB1394 passed the Senate unanimously. HB2537 passed the House 54-44. Speaking of promising new technologies popular on both the right and the left, a bill to add electric generation using geothermal energy to the list of resources qualifying for Virginia's renewable portfolio standard passed the Senate unanimously. So-called 'enhanced geothermal systems' use technology derived from oil and gas fracking methods, perhaps accounting for it earning a place of favor among the otherwise old-school technologies favored by the Trump Administration. This clean energy is taking off in western states, providing power to data centers owned by Google and Meta. SB1316 from Jeremy McPike, D-Woodbridge, passed the Senate unanimously and was reported out of a House Labor and Commerce subcommittee with only one dissenting vote. Electric vehicles are not yet a bipartisan priority, but awareness is growing that tourists in EVs need to be able to charge their cars and won't travel to areas where they can't. This likely explains why a bill from Del. Rip Sullivan, D-Fairfax, setting up an EV rural infrastructure program to support private investment in charging stations, passed the House with the support of several rural Republicans. This is at least the third year that Sullivan has introduced legislation like this, only to get shot down each year in the money committees. Third time's a charm? Finally, I've written a lot about the pernicious influence of campaign donations on the legislative process, especially when the donations come from public utilities seeking favors from the legislators they give money to. My own periodic bouts of outrage haven't moved the needle; in fact, the sums of money at stake have only grown. Every year bills to reform campaign finance get introduced, and every year they get killed, often due to backroom machinations that keep any individual legislator from having to take blame. This year, as in past years, all efforts to limit campaign contributions failed. Regrettably, this includes HB2607 from Lee Ware, R-Powhatan, which would have barred contributions to candidates from Dominion and APCo, but did not even get a hearing in a (Democratic-majority) subcommittee of Labor and Commerce. Remarkably, however, the General Assembly is finally poised to prohibit legislators from using campaign funds for personal spending. The practice is so obviously outrageous that it pains me to say it has actually been legal in Virginia for as long as I can remember. Year after year, legislation to end it has hit a dead end. This year, however, HB2165 from Joshua Cole, D-Fredericksburg, passed the House unanimously. The Senate companion, SB1002 from Jennifer Boysko, D-Fairfax, passed 36-4. This leaves only four members of the General Assembly – Republican Sens. Bill DeSteph of Virginia Beach, Christopher Head of Roanoke, Tammy Mulchi of Mecklenburg and Mark Peake of Lynchburg – willing to stand up for the ignoble tradition of using campaign war chests as personal piggy banks. A couple of other campaign finance bills are also worth noting here. HB2140 from Paul Krizek, D-Alexandria, requires creation of an easily-searchable campaign finance information portal. I don't think anyone should kid themselves that transparency will cure the evil of money in politics, since corporations tend to give money to members of both parties. Still, I'll celebrate anything that heads in the right direction. In addition to Krizek's bill, that includes SJ255 from Aaron Rouse, D-Virginia Beach, which tasks the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) with a study of Virginia's campaign finance laws. The scope of the study seems disappointingly narrow, so it may not result in recommendations for the kind of reform we need to limit the influence of utilities, corporations and other special interests. And of course, studies are a notorious way to kick a can down the road. But next year Virginia will have a new governor, and new members in the House of Delegates. So who knows? Maybe real campaign finance reform will happen in 2026, giving us news we can really celebrate. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Virginia House, Senate move to fast-track CTE teachers
The historic facade of Virginia's new General Assembly Building in Richmond. (Photo by Sarah Vogelsong/Virginia Mercury) With a growing demand for skilled workers, Virginia lawmakers are tackling a critical issue: the shortage of career and technical education (CTE) teachers. A bipartisan effort to provide an alternative pathway for CTE instructors has cleared both chambers of the General Assembly and now awaits review by the governor. Businesses across the state have struggled to fill workforce gaps, a challenge that has been a major focus of Gov. Glenn Youngkin's administration. While CTE programs are seen as a vital pipeline for future workers, they face the same staffing shortages as public schools. 'The shortage is expected to worsen over the next five years, and the demand for these programs is increasing,' said Sen. Adam Ebbin, D-Alexandria, who sponsored Senate Bill 879, during a Senate subcommittee hearing last month. Virginia recorded more than 708,800 students enrolled in at least one CTE course during the 2022-23 school year, Ebbin noted. Yet, filling teaching positions remains a major hurdle — especially for career switchers facing what he called 'unrealistic coursework' requirements before they can teach in their specialized fields. Ebbin's legislation and House Bill 2018 aim to address this challenge by allowing CTE teacher candidates to receive a provisional license for up to three years. To qualify, candidates must have completed high school or hold an equivalent certificate, along with a special certificate or license in their subject area. The programs impacted include construction, manufacturing, public safety, and transportation. But unlike traditional teacher licensure, candidates would not have to fulfill all Virginia Board of Education requirements for a full teaching license. Del. Bonita Anthony, D-Norfolk, who carried the legislation in the House and transitioned from engineering to teaching, emphasized the legislation's broader impact. 'By addressing teacher shortages and supporting CTE programs, this bill strengthens Virginia's workforce and classrooms,' she said. Her bill was modified to align with the Senate version, which was more 'narrowly focused,' according to House Education Committee Chair Sam Rasoul, D-Roanoke. A key addition to the House version of the bill was the equivalency assessment framework, designed to ensure licensure keeps pace with evolving industry standards. The legislation has drawn backing from some Northern Virginia school divisions, the Virginia Manufacturers Association, SkillsUSA Virginia Foundation, and the Virginia Association for Career and Technical Education. While education advocates generally support giving candidates time to earn industry credentials, some worry about cutting essential coursework. Virginia Education Association Policy Analyst Chad Stewart told a Senate subcommittee last month that skipping key teaching courses — such as classroom management — could hurt new instructors. 'We think these teachers are going to be more likely to stay in the classroom if they have these skills,' Stewart said. 'They're also three-hour courses that you can take over the course of three years while you're on your provisional license. We don't see this as overbearing. We see these as essential courses that should be taken by all teachers to be effective and serve all students well.' Despite the debate, the legislation is moving forward. On Thursday, the Senate Education and Health Committee advanced HB 2018 to the full Senate for consideration. Meanwhile, Ebbin's version of the bill sailed through the Senate with a unanimous 40-0 vote on Monday and now heads to the House for consideration. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
