Saturday Q&A: Part V

Saturday Q&A

Frequently Asked Questions from Our Tours...

Every week we'll post answers to prospective students' questions. Some will be FAQs from tours, like this week, and others will be responses to comments and emails received via this blog. If you have a question about a post we've covered previously, comment to ask us for more information. Have we not covered it yet? Email us at UVaSummer14@virginia.edu and we'll reply with an answer!

How can I get involved with sports at UVa?

There are a lot of ways to get involved in sports at UVa. There are three tiers of sports: Intramural, Club, and Varsity. Intramural (IM) sports are more casual and you can get involved through the clubs and activities at UVa who will organize an IM team for the sports that are offered throughout the semester. If you are a first-year student, then the dorm building that you live in will organize a team to play in the IM leagues for different sports during the year. Additionally, if you want to play sports more competitively then you can try out for the Club and Varsity teams at UVa.Our Varsity sports teams compete in the Division 1 of the NCAA and we are a member of the ACC. If you want to just play with some of your friends then you can always rent athletic equipment from the gyms at UVa and reserve some of the athletic fields and courts around Grounds. 
--Will Bennett

Where's the student union?

U.Va. does not have one single Student Union building with student resources, but rather has many resources all over grounds for students to use when they need! There are 4 main gyms, The Aquatic and Fitness Center, Memorial Gym, Slaughter Gym, and North Grounds Gym that are all available to students with different amenities and sports/recreational facilities. There are also tons of fields and courts around grounds students can use for a variety of purposes. In Newcomb Hall, there is a game room for students to use with televisions, pool tables, and a variety of games students can use. In each dorm, there are even common rooms with televisions, couches, study spaces, and more! Plus - we even have 3 main dining halls for students to choose from: Newcomb Dining Hall, Observatory Hill Dining Hall, and Runk Dining Hall, all located in different areas around grounds! We may not have a single Student Union building, but we definitely have a vast variety of resources for students to use all over grounds that serve a similar purpose!

--Chelsea Marcelin

What kind of events happen on the Lawn?

As you may have guessed, the Lawn is indeed the large grassy field located right in the center of the University's historical Academical Village, which includes the Rotunda, the 10 Pavilions and 54 Lawn rooms. The Lawn was part of Mr.Jefferson's original design for the University and is terraced by the very first buildings to be built on Grounds. Although the Lawn is such a historical  place, it's still a very active part of daily student life. On the average day, you can see dozens of students scattered across the Lawn, studying, hanging out with friends or simply catching a tan. Two of our long-standing student traditions also take place on the Lawn: Rotunda Sing and Lighting of the Lawn. To kick off  the Fall semester, over a dozen of our acapella groups gather on the Lawn to put on a huge acapella concert called Rotunda Sing and students spread out on their beach blankets and enjoy the wonderful welcome back event. We end off the Fall Semester with the Lighting of the Lawn. There are lights streamed across the entire Academical Village, illuminating every inch, and the entire UVa community gathers on the Lawn to socialize amongst each other while sipping hot chocolate and listening to musical performances. The Lawn is always open for use for the entire UVa community, and there's nothing like laying right in the middle of it, surrounded by the beautiful architecture of the Academical Village.
--Belen Osman