OAAA Main House " Your Home Away from Home!"
OAAA E-Weekly November 8, 2023
Mark Your Calendar
Wednesday, November 22 - Sunday, November 26
Thanksgiving recess
Tuesday, December 5
Courses end
Thursday, December 7 - Friday, December 15
Examinations (Go to Exam Schedule)
Sunday, December 10 & Wednesday, December 13
Reading Days
Friday, December 16
Winter Break
OAAA Alumni Engagement
Name: Fritz Bondoa
Hometown: Newark, New Jersey
Graduation Year: 2015
Major: Foreign Affairs with High Distinction
Occupation: Director of Public Policy at the Harlem Children's Zone
Wisdom/Advice: The one piece of advice that I would give to students at the University is to 'step out of your comfort zone and genuinely engage with people whose background and life experiences are different than yours.' Apart from learning new cultures and expanding your knowledge base, when you are around people different from you, it requires you to challenge your assumptions, biases, or stereotypes while providing you with tremendous insights on why people may behave or think the way they do. When this occurs, you are less prone to be prejudicial and you are building up the necessary skills to be a life-long learner.
Favorite OAAA Memory: For me, my favorite memory of OAAA were the debates and conversations that took place in the OAAA library area. There are several reasons why they were particularly memorable: 1) the debates and conversations were never planned. It was spontaneous and often took place in between class periods, 2) the topics were never the same. It ranged from social justice issues to politics to dating/marriage to sports to religion/faith to music, 3) everyone brought a unique perspective to the topic, and we created a space for folks to express themselves freely, and 4) those debates, and those conversations were often tense and got heated. But it taught us how to disagree without being disagreeable.
Schedule a Meeting with a Dean
In addition to the cultural programs we host, each Dean is available to meet with students to provide one-on-one support (i.e., academic, social, and emotional) to all our students.
Quote of the Week
"I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong." - Frederick Douglass
Student Spotlight: Léa Runesha
Léa Runesha is a fourth-year student majoring in Applied Statistics with a concentration in Biostatistics and a minor in Bioethics. On grounds, Léa serves as the Outreach Chair for the DHW Pre-Health Honor Society as well as the Vice President of the Black Ladies Abroad Collective, displaying strong leadership in her community. She's a standout on two dance teams, X-Tasee Dance Crew (a hip-hop dance crew) and Afrohoos. She's actively involved in the Office of African-American Affairs (OAAA), particularly during Black Friday events as a volunteer. Léa is also extremely dedicated to her clinical research internship at the University of Chicago Hospitals, where she's making significant strides in pre-eclampsia research and has a first-author publication on the horizon. After graduation, she hopes to take at least one gap year to continue her studies and receive her master’s before she continues to medical school.
This Week: Special Black Friday at the Multicultural Student Center
Location change for this Black Friday! Join us at 1:30-3pm for a special Black Friday at the Multicultural Student Center as we celebrate First Gen students, faculty and staff. We look forward to seeing you there!
Music, Words, and a pouring out of Love:
Monday November 13th
Dawson’s Front Lawn
12pm
Join us on Monday November 13th at Dawson’s Row for a time of remembrance, reflection, and community. OAAA will honor the lives of Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr., and De’Sean Perry at 12pm.
We will use this time to Remember, Reflect and Heal as a Community of Love and support for you and your peers. A moment of silence for each loss will be followed by a short program. Group (LPJ) and Individual (DuBois) Counseling will be available during this time on a first come first served basis with CAPS counselors.
Later that evening, in partnership with Multicultural Student Services, we’ll co-host a space for students to gather and reflect in the MSC from 5-7 PM (food will be provided).
Upcoming UVA Events, Learning & Services
Night Owl Yoga
Mondays-Thursdays – 8:00 pm-9:00 pm – Aquatic Fitness Center (AFC) MP4
Drop into Night Owl Yoga! Classes are free for students and are open to everyone with a UVA Recreation gym membership including all UVA students, faculty, staff, and community members. For More Information Contact Name: Mai Hukuoka
Ashtanga Yoga: Mysore-Style Sessions
Mondays-Fridays – 6:30 am-8:30 am – North Grounds Recreation Center (NGRC), MP3
Join CSC's Mysore-style Ashtanga Yoga classes and cultivate a meditative practice focused on your breath. One-on-one guidance and instruction is provided as needed. Come and go as you please during the classes offered. For More Information Contact Name: Mai Hukuoka
Batten Hour: Beyond Boundaries -- A Campus-Community-Nation Dialogue on Healing from Gun Violence
Monday, November 13 – 11:30 am-12:30 pm - Old Cabell Hall
On the first anniversary of the tragic events on Grounds of November 13, 2022, the Batten school is hosting a University-wide event with several special guests who will share their personal stories of healing in the aftermath of gun violence: Ms. Happy Perry, Mr. Kevin Parker, Ms. A’Dorian Murray-Thomas and Dr. Tracy Walls. We invite the UVA community and general public to join us in this effort to contribute to uniting and unifying our community, region, state, and nation. The event will be followed by a chiming of the bells at the UVA Chapel at 12:55 pm in memory of Devin Chandler, D’Sean Perry, and Lavel Davis, Jr. Sign up here
2023 UVA Graduate and Postdoctoral Fall Festival
Thursday, November 16 – 12:00 pm-2:00 pm – Ern Commons
The Fall Festival is catered to all Graduate and Postdoctoral students in celebration of different cultures and customs through food, activities, and music! Come join us for a dynamic event, where you can build a network, join a community, and have great food. The UVA Fall Festival celebrates the traditions, customs, and cultures within our UVA graduate students and postdoctoral scholar communities as we commemorate the fall season through music, food, and fellowship. For More Information Contact Name: Drew Washington
Black Economic Empowerment Society (BEES): Black Business Pop-Up Shop
Friday, November 17 – 12:00 pm-6:00 pm – Lawn in front of Peabody Hall
BEES🐝will host a Black Business Pop-Up Shop! This incredible event brings together the vibrant Black-owned businesses from the Charlottesville community and UVA to showcase their products and connect with a broader audience. If you're a Black business owner, don't miss the opportunity to participate. Register now by visiting their website beesatuva.org. Registration closes on Friday, November 10th, so act fast! Questions, comments, or concerns? Feel free to reach out to @bees_at_uva or email [email protected].
Opportunities with Deadlines.
Interested in Joining OSAC?
Outreach Student Admission Committee (OSAC) volunteers play a vital role in the way we engage and connect with prospective students. Events take place in both virtual and in-person formats. It is very important that the UVA's Office of Undergraduate Admission continues to reach out and connect with prospective students as they decide where they would like to go to college. We couldn't do it without your help! Do not hesitate to reach out to the Outreach team Alex Cook. We look forward to being in touch with each of you soon. For More Information.
Office of Undergraduate Admission - Outreach Team
Are you passionate about diversity and the student experience at UVA? Fill out this interest form to get involved with the HOOS Diverse Blog! Email Taína Santana at [email protected] with any questions! For More Information
National African American Historic Landmarks
Fort Monroe National Monument also known as the "Gibraltar of the Chesapeake" has a diverse history spanning the American story from American Indian presence, Captain John Smith's journeys, the first arrival of enslaved Africans in English North America, a safe haven for freedom seekers during the American Civil War, and a bastion of defense for the Chesapeake Bay through the 21st Century.