Students explore Richmond on UniverCity Day

Correction appended.

The sixth-annual UniverCity Day was attended by 126 students on Jan. 23.

UniverCity Day provided students, many of whom were first-year students, with three unique bus tours through downtown Richmond. Each tour focused on a different theme - environmental sustainability, arts and education - and its role in the city of Richmond.

Even though each tour was different, the routes were similar and introduced students to the downtown neighborhoods, said John Moeser, senior fellow at the CCE.

"It's a great way to introduce the city to students," Moeser said.

CCE representatives said they were excited about this year's UniverCity Day because students would have the opportunity to focus on their specific interests, said Adrienne Piazza, the events and students outreach coordinator at the CCE.

Students who attended the program were provided a free meal and learned from both campus and community leaders about one of the three themes during the two-hour bus tour.

Students on the arts bus learned about an array of visual-arts landmarks that are well known in Richmond, such as the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts; CenterStage, a performing arts complex; and First Fridays Art Walk, an arts and cultural program.

The education bus toured through a history of Richmond's governor schools including the Highland Park School, the Maggie Walker Governor's School and Virginia Commonwealth University.

Freshman Chelsea Metivier, a student coordinator at the CCE, rode on the education bus and answered students' questions while she learned more about the city's educational opportunities.

"I am looking forward to seeing what Richmond has to offer off campus," Metivier said.

The environmental sustainability bus took students along the James River and through local neighborhoods. The tour focused on neighborhood housing and the challenges facing the river - specifically how sewage has contaminated the river.

"The river has become a dump site and is not appreciated for the beautiful place that it really is," Moeser said.

It was not until last year that the CCE changed the program to focus on specific themes.

The program was only available to freshmen because there was a limited amount of space on each bus. CCE representatives said they thought freshmen should orient themselves with downtown Richmond so they would be familiar with it throughout their time at the university, Piazza said.

This version of the story corrects that 126 first-year students attended UniverCity Day. Many, but not all, of the students were first-years.

Contact reporter Dryden Witman at dryden.witman@richmond.edu.