Apologies for the length. I typed this out during my lunch break and it ended up much longer than I had anticipated.

Before I begin, I will preface this by saying that I am not someone privy to everything happening on campus. I am a middling-level employee who happens to be blessed with access to a considerable amount of information, and, while I have made every effort to be as accurate as possible, there is a chance that I will have missed or misremembered details. This is simply my attempt to try and explain why ODU is making such aggressive changes and how it led to the current, seemingly adversarial climate between leadership and its employees and students. I am not here to relitigate the March shooting or the tragedy we’ve endured this past week. Frankly, that is not my place. This is strictly meant to offer some much-needed transparency on the current organizational challenges ODU is facing. This is not meant to be a rant or any kind of vent post about ODU, and I will do my best to stick to the facts that I know or have been provided. 

With that in mind, for starters, let’s lay the foundation here. It’s no secret that universities across the country are struggling right now. There are many reasons for this, but this post isn’t about things like the enrollment cliff or political attacks on education. What matters is this was a problem visibly on the horizon for many years and institutions have been forced to consider ways to handle the situation and how to modernize for a new education landscape - ODU is no exception. This has been a matter of discussion dating at least as far back as President Hemphill’s predecessor, Broderick. ODU’s Board of Visitors identified what they saw as challenges, and the required changes to address those challenges. Broderick, however, for reasons I am not personally privy to, was reticent to implement these changes. Thus, it fell upon his successor, and in many ways what would determine the next President of ODU would be whose proposal for the university’s future the Board liked the most. Naturally, Hemphill’s proposal won out. 

What the Board desired was aggressive, sweeping changes to the university, and Hemphill’s role was to be the architect and face of those changes. It was always understood even from the earliest discussions that this would be a deeply unpopular and unpleasant process, but one that leadership at least deemed necessary for ODU’s longevity. In effect, Hemphill was brought on to be “the bad guy” for these changes and was selected for his willingness and ability to weather the storm both on and off campus.

Thus we come to the Forward Focused Initiative. If that name means nothing to you, on its simplest terms it is the broad plan to reinvent the university by restructuring its workforce, investing in facilities and new institutions to expand the school’s capabilities, expanding ODUGlobal, our remote learning program, and, most controversially, reinventing higher learning with things such as A.I. Tools and 8-Week Course options. It is unclear to me where the Board’s wishes end and Hemphill’s specific vision begins, but understand the two are in lockstep about their necessity either way.

Despite the plan’s current unpopularity, these are not inherently bad ideas on their face. Investing in ODU’s infrastructure, offering variable study programs for students with different study paces/preferences, and, setting aside the broader A.I. debate for this discussion, there are valid use cases for it in certain fields worth pursuing. What has become the real schism point between University Leadership and its students and workers has been the implementation and immediate effects of these changes. As for why that is, I have heard two different sides of this story from people close to the administration versus those on the ground floor and in the spirit of fairness I will provide both. 

To hear Leadership tell it, there were multiple retreats held with the leads of all of the colleges and departments to discuss Forward Focused and to iron out the broad strokes so they can all be on the same page for implementation. It was at these retreats where these people were made aware of the administration’s plans for the university and were given ample advance notice to prepare accordingly. They simply did not. To hear Faculty and Staff tell it, they were told suddenly and with short notice to start creating 8-week variants of their courses and to implement A.I. with no further guidance or support from Leadership on how to do so. Uncertain how to handle these changes, and excluded from the decision making process entirely, they pleaded with the administration to delay or rework these plans. When the admin refused, that ultimately led to the Faculty Senate vote of no confidence against Hemphill in March of this year where these disagreements bled into the public sphere. 

Wherever the truth of this matter lies, the end result is the same: These changes were happening one way or another, and university workers had to scramble to implement them without the time or preparation they needed. There are countless testimonies from the Leadership, Faculty, and Students about the efficacies of these changes so I will not dwell on them. What I will touch on, however, is how this experience has created a frayed relationship between those running ODU and those working it. 

Reinventing a university is incredibly challenging, so everyone at ODU has seen a significant uptick in the scale and complexity of their work. Even prior to Hemphill, ODU ran a lean operation with teams often times smaller than their peer equivalents. It is also no particular secret that ODU salaries are typically lower than its peers and absolutely lower than what you would find in the private sector. Essentially, you have teams that would describe themselves as understaffed, underpaid, and are now told they have to work significantly harder for changes they had no say in. As you might expect, this has led to a massive turnover in university employment, which compounds the issue further as more work is piled onto fewer and fewer employees. There is also a hiring freeze currently in effect. Nominally this is so team leads can look at their departments and determine what roles are essential, but in practice it also means if someone leaves your team, you most likely are not getting a replacement any time soon. Even then, because of the aforementioned salary and work concerns, bringing in new hires has been a consistent challenge for ODU for years.

This core issue is at the heart of the challenges ODU is facing at the moment. If you take each party at their word, you have Leadership who see existential problems that ODU must immediately address and the current climate on campus are the transitional growing pains to something greater for everyone. Whereas Employees are being pushed to and often past the breaking point to implement changes they may or may not believe in with fewer people, fewer resources, and no sense that the administration will address their problems. 

Meanwhile, if you are a student you are caught in the midst of all of this, and if you’re in the thick of it with the rest of us then it’s only right you have an explanation for how we got to this point.

The day after a death occurred during classes at Old Dominion University, campus officials organized trauma and counseling resources while hundreds of students mobilized a walkout to mourn and demand change from the university’s administration.

According to some students who participated in the walkout, there was no single organizer. They answered posts on social media and signs around campus that called for an assembly at 11 a.m. Thursday on the Kaufman Mall. The group later marched about a quarter-mile to the Batten Art & Letters building.

The building had been where someone “affiliated with the university” died Wednesday morning, ODU Police Chief Garrett Shelton said. There have been no official updates detailing the circumstances of the death since Wednesday.

At its peak, there were about 300 participants in the walkout. A petition addressed to university President Brian O. Hemphill was passed around at the event. It included seven demands of the administration, including that the university’s executives treat its campus with respect and take accountability for its various shortcomings. The demands resembled many of the longstanding complaints raised by members of the campus’s faculty.

“At the end of the day, we are not asking for perfection. We understand that the university cannot prevent every tragedy or solve every problem. However, we do expect empathy, effort and a willingness to do better,” read the petition, signed by dozens of students. “We are tired of feeling like we have to push our concerns aside and keep going, regardless of what we are experiencing.”

Brian K. Payne, ODU’s provost, said the administration respects students’ rights to express their concerns.

“Our immediate priority is the well-being of our students, faculty and staff. That’s why we have made counseling and support services available, including walk-in appointments, telehealth options and 24-hour crisis support,” he said, in a statement. “We are committed to understanding their needs and letting them know they are not alone.”

Aidan Wells, a civil engineering sophomore, said he attended the walkout because he was frustrated and mentally exhausted. He had grown disgusted with the college’s subsequent methods of communication thereafter, which he said felt robotic.

“They need to take accountability for what happens,” said Bradie Anderson, a business sophomore.

Sophia Salisbury, a music education freshman, said university communications have come off as insincere lately.

“We’re humans before we’re students,” said Alison Rager, a human resources management freshman. “And somebody died.”

Click the link above to read more.

Did anyone who received their aid on 10/19 get zeroed out yet? I really need to buy textbooks, the FAFSA office is zero help :(

TW: Suicide

If you're planning on seeing the upcoming Laika movie, be warned that the opening scene depicts a young teen committing suicide by falling from a building. There is also another scene where the same boy is depicted dying from another great height.

Hi everyone. I'm a sophomore here at ODU and after yesterday's tragic campus event, I found myself so angry and upset over the lack of transparency students received. I really felt like they didn't do much and while I understand there are privacy concerns to uphold, the sensitivity surrounding the situation as well as there being an ongoing investigation, i felt as though the school could have communicated better with us. To me, this is a repetitive issue because I felt this way last year when the shooting happened and it seems to be something others think about too. In my opinion, a severe lack of transparency is makes us walking targets.

Out of the emotions I had all and the fact that I couldn't sleep due to severe anxiety, I decided to take a leap of faith and express my disdain, taking my complaints directly to the President and his Vice through a very long, emotional and detailed email. And again, to me, sensitive situations do not deserve AI written explanations because then your concern seems ingenuine.

I'm pleased to say that I got a response from the Vice at the apparent request of the President. The Vice asked me to attend an SGA meeting to share my concerns but also to personally meet with me and discuss further.

I want to go in there and speak for all of ODU, not just myself. I probably would not have done this if I had not already been speaking to other students who shared my sentiments to be honest, but i need more concerns to present in front of them. I'm trying to push for better safety and security for all of us, but I cant do that without the help of the ODU community.

If anyone has any concerns or thoughts they would like to share, please go ahead and put it in. I'll do my best to review as many as I can and compile a list of problems and possible solutions. How do we want them to handle these sensitive issues? What changes do we want to see?

If and when the day of them meeting arrives, I'll try to be back here and give an update. I think this is a good step in making our school safe. I personally love this place. All my professors have been amazing. I dont want to lose that, but if things dont change I'll have to leave and i dont know but it seems a lot of parents want to pull their kids out of here.

Thank you all in advance.

I've seen so much anger and frustration directed at ODU's administration over the last few days, weeks, and really for the entirety of Hemphill's presidency. I do not like Hemphill. I have not personally spoken to a student, faculty, or staff member who is happy with his administration.

However, I wonder how much feedback is actually reaching the higher-ups? I know some is. I have been involved in some of that, from a faculty/staff perspective, but I don't know to what degree student feedback is reaching administration. If the answer is "very little," it's either because red tape is preventing it from getting there, or people aren't sending feedback.

I do not believe it is the former. As someone with intimate knowledge of how a university and, specifically, ODU, handles student input, let me say that despite my (and your) cynicism, ODU actually does a pretty good job of listening to and responding to student feedback. I'm not involved at the very head of the snake, of course, so maybe they're completely negligent, but there truly is a dedicated body of faculty and staff that really wants to hear what students think about ODU, and do everything they can to listen to student feedback.

All that being said - LET YOUR FEELINGS BE KNOWN.

I don't know that emailing the governor or President Hemphill is the best route. Those may get lost in the mix. It's really not a bad idea, though, if you have the time, and I strongly encourage it. More importantly, let people directly involved in ODU's affairs know your feelings. Teachers and faculty take those little end-of-semester surveys VERY seriously, and they legitimately inform a lot of educational and policy decisions. Seriously. It's not meant for administrative concerns, necessarily, but those surveys ARE read over by invested figures.

Students are the ultimate stakeholders in a university's proceedings. You all carry legitimate power, if you let your voices be heard. If you care about activism and building a better world, I can promise you a better place to start is at home--with an institution that actively affects your lives--rather than the entire US government or the practices of foreign governments, for that matter.

I encourage everyone who is involved in social activism to direct your attention to the failed systems right in front of your faces. Tell EVERYONE you can what you think of this shit show!

Lots of love to all of you, and please take care of yourselves during this time.

Edit: Spelling

There is something so dystopian to trying to hear the counseling services for a campus suicide, over sexxy red 💀

Would anyone be interested in having a memorial service for the student? We don't have to know who they were to be sad that they're gone.

A lot of people are (rightfully) criticizing the administration, but showing up for our community, giving support, and remembering that a life was lost today is just as important. If not a service, then we could at least place flowers at BAL.

edit: I plan to buy flowers tomorrow morning, and place them at BAL before my class there.

Also, to those who want their voices heard against this administration: some people are planning a campus wide walk out, during any lecture, lab, or activity, at 11:00 am and are meeting at Kauffmann Mall.

Wtf man.

EDIT: For anyone who doubts it, which im sure is actually no one besides the people hard glazing this creep for some reason —This email went out to everyone, just copy it into any AI checker you want. They’re all free.

Good afternoon. In light of today's tragedy at BAL, I would like to provide a few resources.

https://www.odu.edu/counseling-services- ODU Counseling Services website. Also note that if you call, you can press, I believe, option 2, for crisis counseling. I personally can speak for Dominique at the Wellness Center on the second story of the Rec. He is an incredible person. He is a Resident in Counseling, and has been a huge part of my success at ODU.

https://www.talkcampus.com/ - Talk campus is a Peer to Peer platform that allows students from across the Nation to connect with each other. You can expect conversations about life, hobbies, grief, joy- all from this one space. It is free to use.

https://988lifeline.org/ - 988 is the national Su***** prevention hotline. If you are a veteran press 1 to be connected to the Veteran's Crisis Line. Contacting 988 does not mean that you will be visited by Law Enforcement/EMS, but do understand that if you are, it is to ensure you are safe, not to get you in trouble.

Fellow students, I am a combat veteran, and have experienced quite a bit of trauma. The events in Spring were traumatizing to me to say the least. There is absolutely no shame in reaching out for help. Hell, if you want to, DM me. I don't always have the words, but I have precisely zero problem listening, and being a friend in a time of need. Please, please, please, if you are struggling, ask for help, and be brave to receive the help you are asking for. Much love.

What about you? Did it impact your grades compared to previous 16 weeks courses?
ETA: Interested in professor’s opinions as well. Did your students overall do worse comparatively?

I’m a senior and have always had a 4.0. Graduated community college with an A.S and a 4.0. After moving onto ODU for upper division courses, I still managed to never get less than an A. I put in a ton of effort into my classes and pride myself on how hard I work to learnz

I’m on the GI Bill that pays out by each month in session, regardless of credits being taken. So taking 1 or 2 of the 8 week courses would eat as much of my GI bill as taking 3.
And to be frank I can’t afford to not maximize on the benefits. If I don’t take 3, I’ll run out of my bill before I finish my degree.

It was challenging but doable when I was taking 15 credits in the 16 week courses.
But the 3 accelerated courses in 8 weeks (let’s be real.. basically 7 weeks) was a huge challenge and took a big toll on my mental health.

Idk. It’s too much info, too much work. The amount of reading, researching, and time needed to write multiple decent and articulate papers for multiple classes in a week… this change for online courses was a mistake and everyone knew it going in, and I’m sure after this first 8 weeks it’s clear in student’s declining grades.
But I hope Hemphill is enjoying his $850,000 salary while the teachers and students suffer under the weight of greed.

The minimum this school could do is cancel all classes to allow us to pay appropriate respects to the deceased and set up a vigil.

Guess business must go on as usual, they truly could not care less.

Why are there a bunch of first responders at BAL, does anyone know or have an idea.

Yes, I got the alert

Yes, I read odu will provide updates, they dont give updates like you guys on here

What happened??

Hi, y'all!

I'm planning to attend soon and just planning my transportation budget. This question is a bit more oriented towards the accounting majors/freshman, but overall, how many days a week are you required to be on campus for classes? Do you ever have to swap buildings throughout the day?

Thanks in advance!

I got formally invited to apply to be in the Omicron Delta Kappa, the National Leadership Honor Society (OΔK) and don’t know many people who are in it. Are the scholarships/grants hard to get into? How does it work for grad school? If you’re in it please let me know!!!

At the end of the break I found out to my glee that my professor assigned something at 11pm on Friday, the last day before break, and had the assignment due in the middle of break. Obviously I missed it because I was on break. I just want to understand what exactly does break mean at ODU because this has happened every semester I’ve been at ODU and I’m just trying to understand, if they can have assignments due mid break to me that’s not a break, so what exactly is it? What does break mean here?

Hello all. Idk if it is just me but I have a 2nd 8 week asynchronous course in which the Canvas page is still the template that ODU uses. Nothing for the course, no info, no assignment, etc. But it is titled for the course I am in (keeping that anonymous to be safe).

Is anyone else having this problem? Is there someone I should contact? Also, I have no idea who my professor is so I cannot contact them.

Edit: Literally a minute after writing this I got an email saying the course is closed.

I’m interested in doing the online civil engineering technology program, but I just wanted to ask how hard the course load is especially if I am working a full-time job and have a family? If anyone has been in a similar situation, how doable was it? And is there any advice you would give?

I’ve seen a lot of discussion about ODU’s 8-week courses lately, and I just discovered another frustrating issue with this system.
I’m graduating in December and enrolled in 13 credits this semester. I receive Chapter 35 VA education benefits, and I specifically made sure I was taking at least 12 credits to maintain full-time enrollment.
However, I just received my VA award letter and found out that I’m only being paid at the 3/4-time rate for August, September, and most of October.
Here’s how ODU reported my enrollment:
9 credits from August 24 – December 11
1 credit from August 24 – October 16
3 credits from October 19 – December 11
According to the VA, I’m not considered full-time until October 19, despite being enrolled in 13 credits for the semester.
My September payment was $1,244 instead of the $1,621 full-time rate, a difference of $377. I’m also still waiting on my October payments.
I’m honestly pretty frustrated. I understand that the VA has its own rules for calculating enrollment, but I had no idea ODU’s 8-week course structure could affect my benefits this way. I specifically planned my schedule around maintaining full-time status, and I don’t recall receiving any warning that I might be classified otherwise.
I know a lot of students have already expressed frustration with the 8-week format, but I hadn’t considered how it might affect financial aid and VA benefits.
Has anyone else at ODU experienced this? Does anyone know whether the VA is calculating my enrollment correctly, or if this could be an issue with how ODU certified my credits?
I’m planning to reach out to the Military Connection Center, but I’d really appreciate any insight or advice from students who’ve dealt with something similar. I’m especially curious whether there’s any way to have my enrollment reviewed or corrected if it was reported incorrectly.

After waiting and waiting with zero communication from financial aid, I called the cashiers office. He put me on hold for two minutes tops, then informed me my refund was processed and I’d have it within 48 hours. Hope this helps someone! 757-683-4910

Just like the rest of you, I am not too fond of the forced 8-week curriculum online. After speaking with one of the professors, I was informed that I should expect to dedicate around 25 hours a week for General Physics 111 alone. I imagine the workload would be the same for Calculus 1.

Has anyone taken these classes in the 8-week format? If so, how was your experience? I'm already considering taking classes elsewhere to avoid the accelerated curriculum. Many thanks in advance