The Commonwealth Times; March 27, 2019

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COMMONWEALTHTIMES.ORG @theCT

THE INDEPENDENT PRESS OF VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY 2ⁿ place, weekly newspaper of the year — 2018 Pinnacle Awards

VOL. 60, NO. 25 MARCH 27, 2019

Board of Visitors approves Master Plan

Plan to guide VCU’s expansion

Blueprint sets out to unify Monroe Park, MCV campuses

University officials recommend no undergrad tuition increases, faculty pay raise Photo by Gessler Santos-Lopez FADEL ALLASSAN News Editor After reviewing a proposal that would freeze tuition rates for most students, the Board of Visitors last week approved a plan that will steer the university’s development for years to come. On March 21, the board was presented with university officials’ recommendations

for no tuition increases for most undergraduate students in the upcoming academic year — the first time tuitions would freeze for a number of years. Under the proposal, students at MCV would see tuition increases. The BOV will vote on tuition and fees at its May 10 meeting. Karol Kain Gray, senior vice president and chief financial officer for VCU, said the school proposed a freeze due to “generous

support” from the state. Gray credited a $6.8 million agreement between the university, Gov. Ralph Northam and the state legislature to offset tuition. Then, in a unanimous vote the following day, the board approved the school’s first unified master plan — a comprehensive blueprint that will guide the university’s expansion. The plan has a number of objectives, including unifying the Monroe Park

and MCV campuses, improving safety and accessibility and delineating the campus. The ONE VCU Master Plan is the product of more than 176 interviews, presentations and meetings, according to a university news release. More than 1,500 people participated in the process. See MASTER PLAN on page 4

Women’s Basketball concludes historic season NOAH FLEISCHMAN Sports Editor Last season, Women’s Basketball went 7-22, finishing 11th in the Atlantic 10 standings. Over the summer, the players knew something needed to be different: the way they practice. “We came into the summer [last year], and the overall theme was to get better and to be more competitive in our practices,” coach Beth O’Boyle said. “And I think that’s something our player’s mindset over the summer was very clear on those, and we were very consistent with it.” Fast forward a year, and the Rams (2410, 13-3 A-10) practically flipped their record from a year ago and finished the regular season atop the A-10 standings, earning the regular season title for the first time in program history. Freshman guard Kseniya Malashka was named to the A-10 All-Rookie Team this season. Photo by Erin Edgerton

NEWS Dorothy Height 3

SPORTS Men’s Basketball 5

SPECTRUM French Film Festival 9

See WOMEN’S BASKETBALL on page 5

OPINIONS Islamophobia 13


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