11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Need a study break? Come hang out with certified therapy dogs from the Center for Human-Animal Interaction as a way to unwind. Visit with the dogs in the ballroom of the University Student Commons, 907 Floyd Ave.

For more information, contact Christine Strasser at cstrasser@vcu.edu or (804) 828-6200.

11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Hosted by the Office of Health Initiatives and the Humanities Research Center, this year's free event – 'Working Together to Improve Access to Rural Healthcare' – will feature providers discussing strategies and will include statewide perspective on rural health. The keynote speaker will be Alan Morgan, CEO of the National Rural Health Association. The event, co-sponsored by the VCU School of Dentistry, will be at the Westin Richmond, 6631 W. Broad St.

For more information, contact Logan Vetrovec at ohiconnect@vcu.edu or visit https://healthinitiatives.vcu.edu/history-and-health-program/annual-symposium/.

4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

VCU's Office of Multicultural Student Affairs will present "Your Brain Deserves a Break, Too." Each Thursday session will feature a different project ranging from painting and bracelet-making to journaling, vision boards and more. Sessions will be at the OMSA, University Student Commons, Suite 215, 907 Floyd Ave. No experience or artistic talent is required. All supplies will be provided and no registration is needed. OMSA activities are open to all students, faculty and staff.

For more information, contact Jaymes Elentrio-Pitt at elentriopijn@vcu.edu.

6 p.m.

Hosted by the Spanish language program, this event is open to absolutely everyone. There will be pizza and a movie screening, followed by the building of a Mexican altar and learning about ofrendas. Guests are invited to bring photos of loved ones to place on the altar to honor them, and are encouraged to dress up if they would like. The event will be in Hibbs Hall, Room 203, 900 Park Ave.

For more information, contact Maribel Moheno at mmoheno@vcu.edu.

Friday, Oct. 30, 2026 from noon to 2 p.m.

You made it through the week. Now take a minute for yourself. Stop by “Wellness Wind Down” to breathe, reset and ease into the weekend with simple activities designed to support your mind, body and overall well-being. Stay for a while or just drop in for a quick reset. No pressure, no forced sharing and no registration needed. Sessions will be at the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs, University Student Commons, Suite 215, 907 Floyd Ave. OMSA activities are open to all students, faculty and staff.

For more information, contact Gennese Springs at springsge@vcu.edu.

Friday, Oct. 30, 2026 at 3 p.m.

Come to The Depot, 814 W. Broad St., for a virtual conversation with award-winning production designer of “Cabinet of Curiosities,” “Nightmare Alley” and “Frankenstein,” Tamera Deverell. This event is open to all students, but seats are limited. Please RSVP to confirm your attendance by emailing Rob Milazzo at the following email address.

For more information, contact Rob Milazzo at milazzor@vcu.edu or visit https://arts.vcu.edu/event/depth-of-field-tamara-deverell/.

Friday, Oct. 30, 2026 at 4 p.m.

Celebrate the launch of the Latino Virginia Oral History Archive, a bilingual digital collection documenting the experiences of Latino communities across the Commonwealth. The event will feature Latin American folk dances, a presentation of the project, a student panel reflecting on the research process and a gallery walk showcasing photographs and voices of community members who shared their stories. Sponsored by Latino Virginia in the College of Humanities and Sciences. The event will be in the STEM Building, Room 216, 817 W. Franklin St.

For more information, contact Gabriela León-Pérez, Ph.D. at gleonperez@vcu.edu or visit https://latinovirginia.vcu.edu/events/event-items/presentation-of-the-latino-virginia-oral-history-archive.html.

Friday, Oct. 30, 2026 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Join Jewish Life at VCU, 1003 Grove Ave., for a special Shabbat dinner filled with delicious Moroccan food, great friends and an unforgettable Shabbat atmosphere.

For more information, contact Rabbi Menachem Lessoff at rabbi@vcu.edu or visit https://student.chabadoncampus.org/vcu/rsvp/events/56706.

Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026 from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 a.m.

VCU Campus Partners will present the National Campus Take Back the Night Rally. Campuses across the country. One night. One national demand, that we end campus rape culture. We will be participating in a live streamed rally that that brings campuses across the country together to demand stronger sexual violence prevention, survivor support, and institutional accountability. There will be virtually streamed speakers and a question and answer session after the event. This event is open to everyone. The event will be held at the Academic Learning Commons (MCALC), Room 1107, 1000 Floyd Ave.

For more information, contact Tameika McCoy at tmccoy5@vcu.edu or (804) 828-5539 or visit https://survivorsupport.vcu.edu/.

Monday, Nov. 2, 2026 from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Join VCU Student Health in the kitchen. VCU Student Health is offering a series of free group wellness sessions with our wellness nurse practitioner. Come join us in the West Grace North classroom and kitchen (1030F) to discuss our first topic: Nutrition for college students. This session will include an informational session, Q&A with a wellness professional and a participatory healthy cooking demonstration. Additional dates/times are available.

For more information, contact Kathleen Leiner, FNP at leinerkh@vcu.edu or visit https://forms.gle/i8GLgpNeHMubfLy76.

Monday, Nov. 2, 2026 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Join Nowhere Cinema's 20th anniversary screening of "Tekkonkinkreet" (2006) at Studio Two Three, 109 W. 15th St. at an event hosted by VCU's Urban Studies Student Association. The pre-event meeting location will be Monroe Park. Doors will open at 7 p.m. The screening will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets will be $8 and all funds will go toward USSA’s annual DC spring field trip. Ticket: https://www.nowherecinema.com/event-details/tekkonkinkreet-2006 Unsure how to get there? Join GroupMe https://groupme.com/join_group/96216882/jnQU3hf1

For more information, contact Ira Ruffin at ruffiinio@vcu.edu or (804) 418-9690.

Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Come to the Atrium in Snead Hall, 301 W. Main St., for the Financial Planning Career Expo. Explore financial planning as a profession through VCU’s newly established Financial Planning concentration. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Eva Waldron at waldroneb@vcu.edu or visit https://connect.business.vcu.edu/register/?id=7c4c1ce9-b14f-4902-a848-f1876a84946d&utm_source=telegram.

Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026 from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The Mary and Frances Youth Center invites faculty and staff from both the Monroe Park and MCV campuses for a youth-focused networking session. The goal of this gathering is to bring together university professionals across disciplines, share current initiatives and lay the foundation for an ongoing, collaborative network of youth-focused faculty and staff at VCU. The event will be in James Branch Cabell Library, Room 303, 901 Park Ave. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Misti Mueller at muellermr@vcu.edu or visit https://forms.gle/EAYB4uXhJhEX4M3s5.

Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.

Join faculty members and Fulbright alums George Stoffan, clarinet, and Kayla Hanvey, flute, with pianist Daniel Stipe in celebrating Hungary’s diverse musical culture in the W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts, 922 Park Ave. This recital will feature music that draws upon folk traditions and the avant-garde, from composers such as Leó Weiner to Peter Eötvös and Máté Hollós and their contemporaries. This event is free and open to the public. Questions: Email music@vcu.edu

For more information, contact Natalie Hale at halene@vcu.edu or visit https://arts.vcu.edu/event/from-the-pure-source-music-for-a-new-hungary/.

Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026 at noon

What does it take to build and sustain a successful community advisory board? Learn practical strategies from the Greater Richmond CAB for recruiting community members, fostering trust and sustaining meaningful partnerships that strengthen research. Register for the Zoom link at the following URL.

For more information, contact Challen Wellington at wellingtonc@vcu.edu or visit https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfd3MjX7VO3GHSq7EjhOh1IfvZy_qh7W2osP7OSJCk_9jpbJA/viewform?usp=header.

Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026 from 9 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.

Change is constant in both personal and professional environments, yet sustaining meaningful change can be challenging. This online Continuing and Professional Education course introduces the neuroscience behind how change occurs in the brain and how neuroplasticity supports the development of new patterns. Learn how to intentionally reshape your thinking, behaviors and emotional responses to achieve meaningful change. Ten percent discount for VCU alumni, VCU employees, VCU students and military. Enroll at the following URL.

For more information, contact Shelly Schuetz at ssschuetz@vcu.edu or visit https://www.continuingstudies.vcu.edu/CourseStatus.awp3?&course=27-SS-102.

Friday, Nov. 6, 2026 from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Looking for one more spooky adventure after Halloween? Join TEDxVCU and Amy Tudor, Ph.D. for a guided tour of Hollywood Cemetery, one of Richmond’s most historic (and hauntingly beautiful) spots. Meet by the Ram Horns at the Commons. Make sure to register here: https://ramsconnect.vcu.edu/tedxvcu/rsvp_boot?id=1944257 Reach us at tedx@vcu.edu for questions.

For more information, contact Emma Martinez at tedx@vcu.edu.

Monday, Nov. 9, 2026 from noon to 1 p.m.

Please join us for the Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research’s Discovery Dialogues seminar presented by Brooke Dexheimer, Ph.D., assistant professor, occupational therapy, via Zoom. Register at https://vcu.zoom.us/meeting/register/yrQzR6eFT6OFjQbct_ZjzA

For more information, contact Pamela Dillon at pmdillon@vcu.edu or visit https://cctr.vcu.edu/.

Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.

VCUarts Department of Theatre and Dance’s production of Duncan Macmillan’s "People, Places and Things" is a visceral exploration of identity, recovery and the terrifying honesty required to begin again. Performances will be Nov. 12–15 (Thursday-Sunday) at the W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts, 922 Park Ave. Tickets available at bit.ly/vcutheatretix Questions: Email theatre@vcu.edu

For more information, contact Natalie Hale at halene@vcu.edu or visit https://arts.vcu.edu/event/people-places-and-things/.

Friday, Nov. 13, 2026 at 8:30 a.m.

Come to Connect, VCU’s Community Engagement Conference. Exchange ideas, strengthen community-university and research partnerships and explore how collaboration can drive meaningful local impact. The program will be held at Midtown Green, 2401 W. Leigh St. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Shari Garmise at garmiseso@vcu.edu or visit https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScUlZObZjtqTVClsYF8lCnBfut00PF7S5PiYbXr3Ylwb67Iug/viewform?usp=header.

Friday, Nov. 13, 2026 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Community members are invited to the annual Walter Lawrence Jr. research retreat, hosted by the VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center. The event will feature guest lecturer Patricia LoRusso, D.O., former president of the American Association of Cancer Research, and Associate Cancer Center Director and Associate Director of Experimental Therapeutics at the Yale Cancer Center. LoRusso brings more than 25 years of expertise in medical oncology, drug development and early phase clinical trials. Prior to her Yale appointment, she served in numerous leadership roles at Wayne State University’s Barbara Karmanos Cancer Institute, most recently as director of the Phase I Clinical Trials Program and of the Eisenberg Center for Experimental Therapeutics. The event will be at the Richmond Marriott, 500 E. Broad St. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Dustin McGee at masseyevents@vcu.edu or visit https://web.cvent.com/event/5ae3e1a5-6d61-42de-a86d-2305f15fa221/register.

Monday, Nov. 16, 2026 from 10 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.

The course is designed to teach community members how to render aid to themselves and others during a bleeding emergency. Free. Registration code: RAMS! The course will be in Hibbs Hall, Room 216, 900 Park Ave. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Matthew Majid at MajidM@vcu.edu or (804) 837-2999 or visit https://reg.learningstream.com/reg/event_page.aspx?ek=0082-0003-3553af742b5c4ecdaf77a167f640f08c.

Thursday, Nov. 19, 2026 from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Join one of five celebrations across Virginia. Connect with others, hear from keynote speaker Heidi Hertz, director of Rural Health Transformation, and celebrate the people and partnerships strengthening rural health across the Commonwealth. Register at the following URL to join a celebration near you.

For more information, contact Challen Wellington at wellingtonc@vcu.edu or visit https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeikqLHZQZpSU0EgwZt7VOxnhD5pqWJKI1qnp5wciaOxoPZlQ/viewform?usp=header.

Thursday, Feb. 4, 2027 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Are you ready to explore the possibilities of the future leader you are destined to be? If so, the Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute invites you to apply to the 2027 HIGHER Ground Leadership Development Program. This immersive five-month leadership development experience is designed for current and emerging leaders of all career levels who are ready to stretch beyond their comfort zones, expand their leadership capacity and elevate their impact as leaders. Apply at the following URl by Friday, Nov. 13.

For more information, contact Victoria Carter-Johnston at carterjohnsva@vcu.edu or (434) 270-2026 or visit https://gehli.vcu.edu/trainings-and-institutes/higher-ground-leadership-development-program/.

Know a community partner with an idea to make a difference? Encourage them to apply for the 2027 Community-Led Solutions Initiative. Community organizations can receive up to $10,000 to lead projects that address community-identified needs in partnership with VCU faculty or staff. Apply at the following URL.

For more information, contact Mitsuko Cedras at cedrasmd@vcu.edu or visit https://community.vcu.edu/resources/grants/communitygrant/.

Do you have an idea worth sharing? TEDxVCU speaker applications are now being accepted. TEDxVCU is an independently organized TEDx event run by VCU students. Apply at the following URL by Sunday, Nov. 1. Questions: Email tedx@vcu.edu.

For more information, contact TEDxVCU at tedx@vcu.edu or visit https://forms.gle/cguanvsUjkxC2aQD9.

The da Vinci Center Pitch Night, previously named Demo Day, is a bi-annual pitch competition held each fall and spring semester at The Retail Lab's Feedback Friday events. At Pitch Night, VCU students, alumni and Richmond community members deliver elevator pitches to compete for up to $5,000 in seed funding and resources for their entrepreneurial ideas and innovative ventures. Register at the following URL. Applications are due Monday, Nov. 2 at 11:59 p.m.

For more information, contact Ashley Wenger at wengeran@vcu.edu or visit https://davincicenter.vcu.edu/news--events/pitch-night/.

VCU Dine wants your opinion about campus dining. Please share your experience through a quick, confidential survey (3 to 5 minutes) by Sunday, Nov. 15 to help us continue refining our program. Begin the survey at https://horizons.confirmit.ca/wix/p196121123061.aspx?Client=50C001323

For more information, contact Margaret Massie at dining@vcu.edu or (804) 828-1148 or visit https://vcu.mydininghub.com.

If you have served in the military or are a civilian with a history of concussion or mild traumatic brain injury (TBI), the HERO Study may be for you. Whether you are a student, faculty, or staff member at VCU, we invite military service members, veterans, and civilians to participate in this Department of Defense-funded clinical trial. We are studying a noninvasive technique that may help improve lingering symptoms following a concussion or mild TBI. Participants will receive financial compensation for their time and commitment. We prioritize participant well-being, flexible scheduling, and confidential participation. Help shape the future of brain health for military service members, veterans, and civilians.

For more information, contact HERO Study at herostudy@vcu.edu or (804) 827-9692 or visit https://hero-study.org/.

A study at VCU is recruiting participants to investigate the effects of alcohol use and reaction time within friendships. You may be randomly assigned to consume alcohol; you must be at least 21 years of age to participate. The in-person portion of this study will not take longer than two hours to complete. You may earn either SONA credit or $20 USD. Your eligibility is determined by a screening survey at the following URL.

For more information, contact Wyatt Brown at brownw8@vcu.edu or visit https://vcupsych.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8rf7Q9immr4FgtU.

This study is seeking individuals between the ages of 18 and 35 years who have GAD or symptoms of GAD. The purpose of this research study is to examine the effect of cold water immersion on GAD symptoms with specific focus on blood vessel function. This study will be conducted at 500 Academic Centre on VCU’s Monroe Park Campus. Principle Investigator: Ryan Garten, Ph.D., Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences.

For more information, contact Ryan Garten at rsgarten@vcu.edu.

This study is seeking individuals between the ages of 18 and 35 years who have PTSD or symptoms of PTSD. The purpose of this research study is to examine the effect of cold water immersion on PTSD symptoms with specific focus on blood vessel function. This study will be conducted at 500 Academic Centre on VCU’s Monroe Park Campus. Principle Investigator: Ryan Garten, Ph.D., Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences.

For more information, contact Ryan Garten at rsgarten@vcu.edu.

The Translational Research on Eating and Affect (TREAT) Lab is recruiting female participants (aged 12 to 20 years) for a brain imaging study to understand the development of learning and decision-making among people with body image concerns, overeating, purging, restrictive eating, and/or maladaptive exercise. The TREAT Lab is also recruiting individuals without a psychological disorder for this study. There will be compensation for participation.

For more information, contact TREAT Lab (Kelsey Hagan, Ph.D., PI) at treatlab@vcuhealth.org or (804) 827-4174 or visit https://redcap.vcu.edu/surveys/?s=JD4YKAEPKPPWAYXR.