11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The VCU School of Education will host its annual Signs of Hope and Gratitude event at the Mary and Frances Youth Center, 120 S. Linden St. All community members are welcome to come paint wooden signs for keeps, pet some dogs (including golden retrievers) and enjoy good vibes. Take stock of all that has gone well and all that you have accomplished this semester.

For more information, contact Shreya Patel at patelss14@vcu.edu or visit https://soe.vcu.edu/.

5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Come to the opening of the second installment of the 2026 VCUarts MFA Thesis Exhibition, featuring works by 14 artists and designers mastering in the VCUarts departments of Craft/Material Studies, Graphic Design, Kinetic Imaging, Painting + Printmaking, Photography + Film, and Sculpture + Extended Media. The opening will be at VCU's Institute for Contemporary Art at the Markel Center (ICA), 601 W. Broad St. RSVP at the following URL.

For more information, contact VCUarts at arts@vcu.edu or visit https://icavcu.org/events/first-friday-2026-vcuarts-mfa-thesis-exhibition-opening-round-2/.

9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Cup of Kindness is a two-hour, open-invitation program at the VCU Health Hub, 1330 N. 25th St., Suite A, with a mindfulness and stress management activity followed by warm beverages and social time.

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

Saturday, May 2, 2026 at 7 p.m.

VCUarts will present its 2026 MFA Thesis Film Screening series showcasing six graduate film works from the departments of Craft/Material Studies, Kinetic Imaging, Photography + Film, and Sculpture + Extended Media. All screenings are free and open to all. The second of three screenings will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 2 at the Institute for Contemporary Art at the Markel Center (ICA), 601 W. Broad St., followed by filmmaker Q&A. The event will be hosted by Taylor Jasper and Egbert Vongmalaithong.

For more information, contact VCUarts at arts@vcu.edu or visit https://arts.vcu.edu/event/2026-mfa-thesis-film-screening-2/.

Sunday, May 3, 2026 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

VCU's Institute for Contemporary Art at the Markel Center (ICA), 601 W. Broad St., offers ICA Study Hall, a place to study with special perks for students. Between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., show your valid student ID at the ICA Café for free Afterglow coffee. After 4 p.m., enjoy free study snacks and unlimited coffee. Or take a study break with ICA coloring sheets and collage station. Wi-fi and extra outlets are also provided.

For more information, contact Julia Park at parkjs8@vcu.edu or (804) 921-2282 or visit https://icavcu.org/events/ica-study-hall-spring-2026/.

Tuesday, May 5, 2026 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Are you in need of assistance with your finances? Are you trying to figure out how to stretch a dollar? Make an appointment with the VCU Health Hub's financial coaching team. They will be at the Health Hub, 1330 N. 25th St., Suite A, the first Tuesday of each month. Create an appointment at the following link.

For more information, contact VCU Health Hub at vcuhealthhub@vcu.edu or visit https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0/appointments/schedules/AcZssZ2CDnPp0yXguzgIqwOboClM03Q4ANF2wX1yYybJp48O3YZM8ijXQveFDAvL96wembPgz1KN-jAT.

Tuesday, Jun. 2, 2026 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Rams in Recovery will host four Recovery Ally training sessions this summer. Learn how to be an advocate and ally for people struggling with substance use disorders and people in recovery. Sign up at the following URL.

For more information, contact Tom Bannard at bannardtn@vcu.edu or visit https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/aa7814151fca4d08a87d21c54d5e1e1b.

Saturday, Jun. 6, 2026 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The WE Project 2.0, based in VCU’s School of Public Health, is in the data dissemination phase and is inviting VCU programs to join as vendors at our Community Health Block Party at the Old Towne Civic Center in Petersburg. This event will celebrate community wellness while connecting residents with valuable health information, services and local resources. We are seeking programs of all types that are interested in connecting with and serving the community. If your team would like to make a positive impact and engage with the Petersburg community, click on the following URL.

For more information, contact Chloe Jones, Ph.D., Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Jonesc53@vcu.edu or visit https://weprojectpetersburg.com/.

VCU Department of Music invites students to register for choir for the upcoming academic year. Three ensembles are available: Commonwealth Singers, Choral Arts Society and Vox Concordia. All choirs are open to all students, regardless of major, and meet during the day for course credit. Students may register through eServices during enrollment. Learn more at the following URL.

For more information, contact Christopher Hansen, Ph.D., at hansenc3@vcu.edu or visit https://arts.vcu.edu/music/ensembles/#vocal-ensembles.

Annual registration for all current student organizations begins Friday, May 1 and concludes Monday, June 1. Annual registration is required to be eligible for access to (1) SGA funding, (2) SOVO Fair participation and (3) campus space reservations in EMS and other resources on campus. Questions: Visit studentorgs@vcu.edu Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Justin Raibolt at jraibolt@vcu.edu or visit https://ramsconnect.vcu.edu/theunderground/student-org-registration-tips/.

Here’s the April 2026 post for Google Updates at VCU. Through March and April, we’ve got several updates for Google Chat, several across Google Drive and the Docs editors, Google Meet and Gemini / NotebookLM. 

For more information, contact Doctor Gee at drgee@vcu.edu or visit https://blogs.vcu.edu/drgee/2026/04/28/google-updates-recap-april-2026/.

The Translational Research on Eating and Affect (TREAT) Lab is recruiting adolescent girls and young adult women (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 TREAT Lab (or Kelsey Hagan, Ph.D., PI) at treatlab@vcuhealth.org or (804) 827-4174 or visit https://redcap.vcu.edu/surveys/?s=48YEAYT8MK33E8EJ.

Check out the Community Impact Spotlight video on Laura Battaglia, assistant professor of interior design at the VCU School of the Arts, in which she shares how design can serve as a tool for community engagement, storytelling and meaningful change. See the video at the following URL.

For more information, contact Alliannah Hamilton at hamiltonae@vcu.edu or visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTcI8znbGmo.

The Research in Athlete and Military Health Sciences (RAMHS) group is seeking participants ages 14-30 years to complete a research study assessing hip muscle function following ankle sprains. You may participate if you either have a first-time lateral ankle sprain or have no ankle sprain history and are healthy (control group). This study will require one in-person study visit at our research laboratory at Biotech 8, electronic questionnaire about your health and sport participation, ultrasound imaging assessments of your hip at rest (lying down) and during light activity (squatting, treadmill walking) and hip muscle strength assessments. Participants with ankle sprains will also be asked to complete remote, electronic surveys at three and six months after the in-person visit.

For more information, contact Crystal Figueroa at crystal.figueroa@vcuhealth.org or (804) 827-0871.

VCU graduate students are researching Star Face and its mission of self-expression. This anonymous survey explores how visible skin care and other forms of self/body-modification shows up in everyday life. The survey takes about five minutes total across four short sections. See the survey at the following URL.

For more information, contact Eva Waldron at waldroneb@vcu.edu or visit https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdczl29uzyopaf4JKG7nWIb7tIhbEhUeOkLPeSnTcxXALBJQA/viewform.