Sep 29, 2020 Sanjay Suchak; Dan Addison Photos: Daily Academic Life at UVA in the COVID-19 Era Eileen Chou, an associate professor of public policy, teaches her “Introduction to Civic Leadership” course from the Newcomb Hall Theatre to students both online and in person. It has been just over two weeks since University of Virginia students began taking some in-person courses amid in the coronavirus pandemic, adhering to a long list of public health precautions during a semester like no other. Months of preparation led up to that start, as University employees outfitted classrooms with clear plastic shields, installed signs promoting physical distancing and developed enhanced cleaning protocols and other precautions. As courses began, University photographers Sanjay Suchak and Dan Addison went into classrooms to capture what learning looks like in this very unusual time. Check out their photos. Students must wear masks in all public spaces, both indoors and outdoors. On the Lawn, students often gather in small, physically distant groups while wearing masks. As of Wednesday, such gatherings are restricted to five people or fewer. The University has erected tents around Grounds with tables to give students more space to study and meet in the open air. In School of Law professor Paul Mahoney's class, each seat is marked for physical distancing and Mahoney teaches behind a clear plastic shield, with a portion of the students attending in person and the remainder viewing the lecture synchronously online. Similarly in smaller classrooms, spaces are marked and distanced, as in nursing professor Ashley Hurst’s class. Professors have had to get creative with their office hours. Professor of practice Gerald Warburg of the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy meets with students under a tent atop the Batten School’s green roof. Many lab classes are offered in person in some way, as they are difficult to teach online. Chemistry professor Laura Serbulea arranged her labs to ensure proper distancing. Students stay at their stations until called forward to use equipment. Each student wears a disposable mask to ensure they do not bring experiment chemicals or contaminants out of the lab. In drama professor Steven Warner’s scene shop, student tool training has begun in groups of three students at a time. Drama professor and artistic director Marianne Kubik’s theater movement class was relocated from a smaller classroom to the large stage in Culbreth Theatre, which still holds the set from a production cancelled in the spring. Kubik teaches theater movement with new accommodations for physical distancing; students move alone instead of moving in tandem and close together. In Batten professor Eileen Chou’s “Introduction to Civic Leadership” course in Newcomb Hall Theatre, spaces are roped off to ensure students sit at least six feet apart. John Donne wrote, “No man is an island,” but in classrooms these days every student is one, though surrounded by fellow students. Chemistry 402, the largest lecture hall on Grounds, is a strange sight with far fewer than its usual capacity of nearly 500 students. At the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, the reading room is available by appointment only and most educational sessions are conducted via videoconference. Here, Krystal Appiah and George Riser show some treasures to a class online. Rachel Jeffers studies in Clemons Library, which, along with the Charles L. Brown Science and Engineering Library, is open to students, with study spaces marked off by signs and clear plastic dividers. Despite all of the differences, life on Grounds goes on, and some familiar sights remain – such as students picnicking on the Lawn or walking to class, albeit in masks. READ IN UVA TODAY Eileen Chou Eileen Chou, associate dean for academic affairs and Batten Family Bicentennial Teacher-Scholar Leadership Professor of Public Policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, researches the organizational, social, and psychological forces that shape individual and group behavior in organizational settings. Read full bio Gerald Warburg Gerry Warburg is a professor of practice in public policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Prior to Batten, he worked with Congress for several decades, serving as a legislative assistant to members of leadership in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Read full bio Related Content Eileen Chou Once bitten, twice shy: The negative spillover effect of seeing betrayal of trust. Research Our research demonstrates that people who had perceived a recent betrayal were significantly less likely to trust a new entity that shared nominal group membership with the previous trust transgressor. By systematically investigating whether, why, and to what extent betrayal spillover can subsequently contaminate trust development, we present a robust account of the downstream economic and behavioral consequences of observing others who have been betrayed by a similar entity, particularly in the context of charitable organizations. Unpacking the Black box: How inter- and intra-team forces motivate team rationality Research How can we ensure that teams can fulfill their full cognitive potential? This paper explores how team members can be motivated so that, collectively, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Eileen Chou New Associate Dean for Academic Affairs News The Batten School is delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Eileen Chou as associate dean for academic affairs, effective July 1, 2023. Why Americans Feel More Pain News Millions of Americans are suffering from chronic pain linked to troubled childhoods, loneliness, and a host of other pressures on working families. Economic insecurity is also associated with more pain, according to a study by Batten Professor Eileen Chou cited in a New York Times series exploring the interrelated crisis impacting working-class America. Gerald Warburg Dispatches from the Eastern Front: A Political Education from the Nixon Years to the Age of Obama Research A naïve undergraduate is transported from a small California town to the intensely competitive world of Capitol Hill policymaking. Gerald Felix Warburg’s memoir is not just a story about four decades in Washington, although a life spent as a House of Representatives and Senate staffer, and as a lobbyist and professor, provides remarkable insight into the struggles, the strategies, and the people of the U.S. capital. Nonprofileration Policy Crossroads Research On October 1, 2008, Congress enacted a proposal that originated with President George W. Bush in 2005 to approve an unprecedented nuclear trade pact with India by removing a central pillar of US nonproliferation policy. Despite the numerous political challenges confronting the Bush administration, the initiative won strong bipartisan support, including votes from Democratic Senators Joseph Biden, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama. Gerry Warburg Receives Prestigious All-University Teaching Award News Professor of Practice of Public Policy Gerald F. Warburg has received a prestigious 2024 All-University Teaching Award bestowed by the University of Virginia Provost to recognize the most dedicated, passionate, creative and equity-minded instructors on Grounds. Nancy Pelosi Was the Key Democratic Messenger of Her Generation. Passing the Torch Will Empower Younger Leadership News Batten School professor Gerald Warburg, in a piece written for The Conversation, states that Nancy Pelosi's stepping aside will leave the door open for others. Stay Up To Date with the Latest Batten News and Events Subscribe
Eileen Chou Eileen Chou, associate dean for academic affairs and Batten Family Bicentennial Teacher-Scholar Leadership Professor of Public Policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, researches the organizational, social, and psychological forces that shape individual and group behavior in organizational settings. Read full bio
Gerald Warburg Gerry Warburg is a professor of practice in public policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Prior to Batten, he worked with Congress for several decades, serving as a legislative assistant to members of leadership in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Read full bio
Once bitten, twice shy: The negative spillover effect of seeing betrayal of trust. Research Our research demonstrates that people who had perceived a recent betrayal were significantly less likely to trust a new entity that shared nominal group membership with the previous trust transgressor. By systematically investigating whether, why, and to what extent betrayal spillover can subsequently contaminate trust development, we present a robust account of the downstream economic and behavioral consequences of observing others who have been betrayed by a similar entity, particularly in the context of charitable organizations.
Unpacking the Black box: How inter- and intra-team forces motivate team rationality Research How can we ensure that teams can fulfill their full cognitive potential? This paper explores how team members can be motivated so that, collectively, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Eileen Chou New Associate Dean for Academic Affairs News The Batten School is delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Eileen Chou as associate dean for academic affairs, effective July 1, 2023.
Why Americans Feel More Pain News Millions of Americans are suffering from chronic pain linked to troubled childhoods, loneliness, and a host of other pressures on working families. Economic insecurity is also associated with more pain, according to a study by Batten Professor Eileen Chou cited in a New York Times series exploring the interrelated crisis impacting working-class America.
Dispatches from the Eastern Front: A Political Education from the Nixon Years to the Age of Obama Research A naïve undergraduate is transported from a small California town to the intensely competitive world of Capitol Hill policymaking. Gerald Felix Warburg’s memoir is not just a story about four decades in Washington, although a life spent as a House of Representatives and Senate staffer, and as a lobbyist and professor, provides remarkable insight into the struggles, the strategies, and the people of the U.S. capital.
Nonprofileration Policy Crossroads Research On October 1, 2008, Congress enacted a proposal that originated with President George W. Bush in 2005 to approve an unprecedented nuclear trade pact with India by removing a central pillar of US nonproliferation policy. Despite the numerous political challenges confronting the Bush administration, the initiative won strong bipartisan support, including votes from Democratic Senators Joseph Biden, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama.
Gerry Warburg Receives Prestigious All-University Teaching Award News Professor of Practice of Public Policy Gerald F. Warburg has received a prestigious 2024 All-University Teaching Award bestowed by the University of Virginia Provost to recognize the most dedicated, passionate, creative and equity-minded instructors on Grounds.
Nancy Pelosi Was the Key Democratic Messenger of Her Generation. Passing the Torch Will Empower Younger Leadership News Batten School professor Gerald Warburg, in a piece written for The Conversation, states that Nancy Pelosi's stepping aside will leave the door open for others.