Megan Pauly

Richmond

I'm a @myVPM radio journalist hot on the trail of runaway stories hidden everywhere. Former @ProPublica LRN fellow. Email me: [email protected], DM for Signal.

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Articles

Long waitlist for subsidized child care in Virginia to continue into FY26

2 weeks ago | whro.org | Megan Pauly

This story was reported and written by VPM News. Virginia’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year does not include funding requested by a coalition of lawmakers, business owners and advocates to fully fund slots for thousands of children currently waitlisted for subsidized child care programs in the commonwealth.
‘An injustice to our students’: VCU staff, alumni push back on anti-DEI acts

2 weeks ago | vpm.org | Megan Pauly

Virginia Commonwealth University’s leadership and its Board of Visitors continue to receive pushback about the school’s recent anti–DEI actions from faculty and alumni. VCU’s most recent actions follow the board’s March 21 vote to eliminate the Division of Inclusive Excellence; its former staff told VPM News the bulk of the division’s work centered on workshops and discussions about how to be more inclusive and how to handle conflict.
VCU hires outside firm to oversee federal anti-DEI compliance

3 weeks ago | vpm.org | Megan Pauly

Virginia Commonwealth University has hired an outside firm to review its compliance with a federal mandate to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. That’s in addition to the university’s own review, which has resulted in the shuttering and changing of multiple programs and some job reassignments or layoffs.
Former VCU diversity staffers: 'It's hard to even process'

1 month ago | vpm.org | Megan Pauly

Trevon Straughter recounted the moment he found out his job was being eliminated. It was Friday, March 21. He was working from home and had just picked up some Southern Kitchen for lunch. Then he got the feeling that he should check his email quickly before returning to work. Straughter had been working as a program and event specialist in VCU’s Division of Inclusive Excellence, which focused on initiatives of diversity and inclusion.
Federal government restores Virginia student visa records

1 month ago | richmondfreepress.com | Megan Pauly

President Donald Trump’s administration is reinstating international student visa records that it previously revoked. The announcement was made Friday, amid a slew of court cases filed by impacted students in recent weeks. Attorneys for the students argued that the cancellations were unlawful since many students weren’t given a clear reason for the terminations.
Richmond Free Press

1 month ago | richmondfreepress.com | Megan Pauly

Virginia Commonwealth University student Sereen Haddad speaks at a protest on the VCU campus on April 14. Haddad, one of the protest organizers, called for VCU to refuse cooperation with federal immigration enforcement actions. President Donald Trump’s administration is reinstating international student visa records that it previously revoked. The announcement was made Friday, amid a slew of court cases filed by impacted students in recent weeks.
Trump administration restores Virginia student visa records

1 month ago | whro.org | Megan Pauly

This story was reported and written by VPM News. President Donald Trump’s administration is reinstating international student visa records that it previously revoked. The announcement was made Friday, amid a slew of court cases filed by impacted students in recent weeks. Attorneys for the students argued that the cancellations were unlawful since many students weren’t given a clear reason for the terminations.
New Burying Ground honors enslaved labor at University of Richmond

1 month ago | whro.org | Megan Pauly

This story was reported and written by VPM News. The University of Richmond held a dedication ceremony this week for a new memorial honoring enslaved people who labored on the university’s land. The memorial is located on what is believed to have been a burial ground for enslaved people. “There is much that we do not know,” said the Rev. Craig Kocher during Wednesday’s ceremony. “We do not know exactly how the people who lie here came to be here. We do not know the specifics of their life stories.
New Burying Ground honors enslaved labor at University of Richmond

1 month ago | vpm.org | Megan Pauly

The University of Richmond held a dedication ceremony this week for a new memorial honoring enslaved people who labored on the university’s land. The memorial is located on what is believed to have been a burial ground for enslaved people. “There is much that we do not know,” said the Rev. Craig Kocher during Wednesday’s ceremony. “We do not know exactly how the people who lie here came to be here. We do not know the specifics of their life stories. We do not even know their exact names.
VCU protest spotlights cancellation of student visas at Virginia colleges

1 month ago | vpm.org | Megan Pauly |Dean Mirshahi

Over 100 people chanted “hands off our students now” during an April 14 protest on Virginia Commonwealth University’s campus, in response to the termination of about three dozen student and alumni visas on Virginia campuses in recent days by President Donald Trump’s administration. The protest was organized by VCU’s Students for Justice in Palestine group, which has been organizing regular protests over the war in Gaza.