In Blacksburg, Monday afternoon, approximately 40 Virginia Tech students and residents protested the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors’ decision to roll back DEI programs, specifically the dissolution of the Ujima and Lavender House Living Learning Communities.

Virginia Tech plans to eliminate living-learning communities (LLCs) on campus: the Ujima House for Africana studies and the Lavender House for LGBTQ+ students, starting fall 2026.

The Lavender House is the university’s first living-learning community specifically for students or allies of the LGBTQ+ community.