11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

VCU's Division of Community Engagement in the Office of the Provost invites faculty to join a dedicated writing group for community-engaged scholarship. Whether you are working on a manuscript, grant or other scholarly output, this group offers fellowship, accountability and shared time to focus. Come write alongside colleagues and start your fall semester with the support you need. Starts today, Thursday, Oct. 2 and will be held every Friday after. The Zoom link is https://vcu.zoom.us/j/86507914411 Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Challen Wellington at wellingtonc@vcu.edu or visit https://forms.gle/dKNsb9AYcVqS7kMa8.

12 p.m.

This interactive Zoom workshop will go over how the reading process can look, different strategies to make it easier and how to use reading comprehension tools to break apart a variety of texts. Register for the Zoom link at the following URL.

For more information, contact Trey Burnart Hall at hallbr@vcu.edu or visit https://writing.vcu.edu/calendar/.

6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Attend Medical Journal Club’s Research Panel to hear from Joel Schlosburg, Ph.D., (Pharmacology and Toxicology) and Gregory Buck, Ph.D., (Microbiology and Immunology) as they share their research, career journeys and insights — including Schlosburg’s experience in Ph.D. admissions. This is an opportunity for students interested in obtaining a Ph.D. and learning about potential opportunities for involvement in research at VCU. The session wil be in the Academic Learning Commons (MCALC), Room 3100, 1000 Floyd Ave.

For more information, contact Medical Journal Club at mjc.vcu@gmail.com.

Friday, Oct. 3, 2025 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Members of the VCU Humphrey Fellowship Program will offer 2025–26 Home Country Presentations in Hibbs Hall, 900 Park Ave., Room 303. Fellows will discuss their home countries, professional experiences and goals for their year at VCU. A session will also be held Friday, Oct. 10. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Heather Ashton at ashtonhr@vcu.edu or (804) 426-8141 or visit https://humphrey.vcu.edu/events/.

Friday, Oct. 3, 2025 from noon to 1 p.m.

VCU's Division of Community Engagement in the Office of the Provost will host weekly open consultations for faculty, staff and partners to receive guidance and explore how to make the most of Collaboratory: VCU's Database for Community Engaged Activities and Partnerships in their work. Bring your questions or simply join us to explore the database. Sessions will be held every Friday. The Zoom link is https://vcu.zoom.us/j/81793039272?jst=2

For more information, contact Shari Garmise at garmiseso@vcu.edu or visit https://community.vcu.edu/.

Friday, Oct. 3, 2025 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.

The Pace Center will host Walk-A-Dog at 700 W. Franklin St. Meet new people, get some fresh air and snag a little loving from a four-legged friend. The group leaves promptly at 2 p.m. for the walk. If it rains, play with the pups will move inside.

For more information, contact the Rev. Russ Kerr at kerrr@vcu.edu or (804) 658-4064 or visit https://www.thepacecenter.com/.

Friday, Oct. 3, 2025 from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The Pace Center will host a volunteer event in collaboration with Grace and Holy Trinity Episcopal Church on Fridays. Help prepare and serve a meal for the unhoused. Meet at Grace and Holy Trinity Church at 8 N Laurel St.

For more information, contact the Rev. Russ Kerr at kerrr@vcu.edu or (804) 658-4064 or visit https://www.thepacecenter.com/.

Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025 at 11 a.m.

Bioethics 4 Students will host a webinar series that will hone in on the field of personalized medicine with the goal of fostering awareness among students of the ethical and scientific perspectives within the field and the implications it may have on a diverse range of individuals. After hearing from professional speakers, students will be invited to engage by collaborating with other students to investigate specific perspectives in personalized medicine further. The panel will be held virtually on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 4 and 5 and Saturday, Oct. 11. Register by Friday, Oct. 3 at the following URL.

For more information, contact Riya Bajpai at bajpair2@vcu.edu or visit https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSefarcHOIXhGpsnmVD-Q4pwCD_9JCL5bLPyJ1IA376JjVbSWw/viewform.

Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025 at 1 p.m.

The VCU women's soccer team will play Dayton at the Sports Backers Stadium, 100 Avenue of Champions.

For more information, contact Tavian Elliott at elliottt2@vcu.edu.

Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025 at 9 a.m.

The Stravitz-Sanyal Institute and the Hume-Lee Transplant Center invite all VCU/VCU Health faculty, staff and their families and friends to join the Liver Life Walk. The walk will be at Bryan Park, 4308 Hermitage Road. Donations will support research on liver health. Register to walk with the “UnStoppable VCU Livers” and donate at the following URL.

For more information, contact A.J. Hostetler at aj.hostetler@vcuhealth.org or visit https://liverlifewalk.org/virginia/.

Monday, Oct. 6, 2025 at 9 a.m.

Celebrating health, community and connection all week long at the VCU Health Hub, 1330 N. 25th St., Suite A. Manifesting Monday - Vision board making and guided meditation. (Wear your boldest colors). Throwback Tuesday - Trivia, line dancing and memory wall. (Wear a throwback outfit.) Game Day Wednesday - Mini games, scavenger hunts and more. (Wear a sports jersey or team colors.) Harvest Thursday - Gratitude tree, line dancing and paint-a-pot. (Wear your country outfit.) Self-Care Friday - DIY self-care kits, makeup amd more (Wear your pjs.)

For more information, contact VCU Health Hub at vcuhealthhub@vcu.edu.

Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025 from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Antonio Espinoza, Ph.D., VCU History, will interview Andrew Chesnut, Ph.D., Bishop Walter F. Sullivan Chair in Catholic Studies of the School of World Studies, on the unique papacy of a polyglot American cardinal who holds dual citizenship and brings two decades of mission work in Peru to his stewardship of 1.4 billion Catholics. A Q&A between Espinoza and Chesnut, and also with the audience, will illuminate the major opportunities and challenges for Leo XIV (born Robert Francis Prevost) "Pope Bob," the first American pontiff. The event will be in the theater of the University Student Commons, 907 Floyd Ave.

For more information, contact Alexis Finc at alfinc@vcu.edu or visit https://bit.ly/471nkpI.

Friday, Oct. 10, 2025 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

During this event co-hosted by the Graduate School and VCU Libraries, participants will learn about keeping research organized and formatting citations with Zotero. The session will be facilitated by Science Research Librarian Erin Carrillo and will be held in Room 205, James Branch Cabell Library, 901 Park Ave. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact the Office of Professional Development, the Graduate School at gradprofdev@vcu.edu or visit https://cglink.me/2dV/r1940488.

Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025 from noon to 1 p.m.

VCU's Graduate School hosts a weekly lunch-and-learn series for graduate student professional development. In this online workshop, participants will build writing confidence by identifying and overcoming the impostor phenomenon. Learn techniques to tackle what are sometimes the most difficult writing challenges that can contribute to feelings of imposterism: getting started and managing time. This session will be facilitated by the VCU Writing Center.

For more information, contact The Office of Professional Development, the Graduate School at gradprofdev@vcu.edu or visit https://cglink.me/2dV/r1940042.

Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025 from 9 a.m. to noon

VCU's Office of the University Ombudsperson will sponsor the 12th annual Conflict Resolution Day event. "Navigating Difficult Situations in a Moving Landscape" is this year's national theme. The event will feature a keynote address from nationally known conflict resolution practitioners, strategies for managing conflict and an interactive dialogue with those in attendance. This year's event will be held in the Virginia Rooms, University Student Commons, 907 Floyd Ave. Register at the following URL by Thursday, Oct. 9.

For more information, contact Michele Murray at mmurray2@vcu.edu or visit https://ombudsperson.vcu.edu/events/national-conflict-resolution-day/.

Friday, Nov. 14, 2025 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

VCU's Division of Community Engagement in the Office of Provost invites students, faculty, staff and community members to the 2025 Connect Conference, where community voices, scholarship and innovation come together to build connections. Participants will learn skills and principles of community engagement, see partnerships in action and engage in design activities to support future collaborations that meet community needs. The session will be held in the University Student Commons, Commonwealth Ballroom, 907 Floyd Ave. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Shari Garmise at garmiseso@vcu.edu or visit https://forms.gle/z3TfbFwBu6HRDqJE6.

The 2026-2027 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is available for completion at the following URL. Completing the FAFSA is key to determining eligibility for federal, state and institutional need-based financial assistance. VCU’s priority filing date is Feb. 1, 2026. Contact the Student Financial Management Center at the following email address if you have any questions.

For more information, contact Student Financial Management Center at sfmc@vcu.edu or (804) 828-1550 or visit https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa.

RecWell offers private group exercise classes for VCU student organizations as well as university departments. Classes are led by RecWell’s team of group exercise instructors. Classes can be held in one of RecWell’s spaces or instructors can come to the client’s location, either in-person or virtually.

For more information, contact Nadine Madison at groupexprgm@vcu.edu or visit https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeHzbjVQuWiMz8jWN_9ezmON2Ooj98JkvvVofyeoPQPNqpRGg/viewform.

VCU's new shuttle service, RamsXpress, services James Branch Cabell Library at the corner of Cathedral Place and Floyd Avenue, and Jonah L. Larrick Student Center at the corner of North Ninth and Turpin streets. The shuttle runs Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and allows the VCU community to travel between campuses – within 10 to 15 minutes – by offering direct, point-to-point service. These stops are not duplicative of current GRTC service locations.

For more information, contact Olivia Truban at parking@vcu.edu.

Nov. 20 is National Rural Health Day. VCU will host two events (virtual and in-person) to celebrate and acknowledge the rural health programming led by VCU and VCU Health faculty, staff and students. If you are engaged in any research, teaching, service or programming related to rural health, the university's Division of Community Health asks you to share your contributions at the following URL.

For more information, contact Challen Wellington at wellingtonc@vcu.edu or visit https://forms.gle/oD2zkNzxHMZTQehg9.

VCU Brandcenter students are calling for survey participants for their semester-long "Side Hustle" project. This five-minute survey will ask questions about lifestyle and food preferences. Survey respondents will have the chance to enter a raffle for a chance to win a $20 gift card. Take the survey at the following URL.

For more information, contact Serena Loomba at loombasb@vcu.edu or visit https://qualtricsxmh2s8474mg.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5cNSj0cfSnuHoLs.

Federal regulation 34 CFR 600.9(c)(2) requires VCU to identify and record the physical location address of its enrolled students. Beginning today, Monday, Oct. 6, students will receive an email prompting them to confirm the state or U.S. territory in which they are currently located. Completing this task will take just a couple of minutes. A reminder email will be sent on Monday, Oct. 13, to students who have not yet responded.

For more information, contact VCU Location Team, Office of the Provost, Academic Affairs at location@vcu.edu or visit https://academics.provost.vcu.edu/assessment-accreditation-and-compliance/compliance/student-location/.

This study is inviting individuals between the ages of 20 and 24 with poor sleep quality. The purpose of this research study is to examine the effect of aerobic and resistance exercise on cardiovascular responses and vascular inflammation. This study will be conducted at 500 Academic Centre on VCU’s Monroe Park Campus. Principal Investigator: Lee Franco, Ph.D., Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences.

For more information, contact Garrett Oehlert at healthyheart@vcu.edu.

The Translational Research on Eating and Affect (TREAT) Lab is recruiting adolescents and young adults assigned female at birth (aged 12 to 25 years) for a brain imaging study to understand risky decision-making in individuals who have concerns about their body shape/weight, or overeat, purge, use laxatives, diet severely or exercise excessively. We are also investigating these processes in individuals without a psychological disorder. There will be compensation for participation.

For more information, contact Kelsey Hagan, Ph.D., PI, at treatlab@vcuhealth.org or (804) 827-4174 or visit https://redcap.vcu.edu/surveys/?s=48YEAYT8MK33E8EJ.

Black parents, caregivers and their children (ages 8-12) are invited to share their experiences with race, family mealtimes and health through small group conversations in the Richmond area. This feedback will inform future community programming that promotes family discussions about race, nutritious meals and more. Participating caregivers and youth will receive compensation for their time and insights. If you are interested, complete the study screener at the following URL.

For more information, contact Shawn C.T. Jones, Ph.D., at ayaresearch@vcu.edu or visit https://vcupsych.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2o4YLtcFE7mVnkq.