VCU’s Ink Policy: Tattoos Now Mandatory for Admission and Graduation

by | Apr 1, 2016 | ART, COMMUNITY, DOWNTOWN RVA, TATTOO CULTURE, VIRGINIA NEWS, WTF?!

Just in from VCU News, Richmond’s largest public university has a new rule for future applicants, so make sure you check your ink before you apply!

Virginia Commonwealth University announced today that, effective immediately, tattoos will be required for admission, making it the first university in the nation to implement such a requirement. University officials also announced that tattoos will be a graduation requirement for all current students.

The university cited its strategic plan, Quest for Distinction, as the impetus behind the new requirement. “Creative expression is an important part of Theme II of our strategic plan,” said Lorna Dwyer, vice president of questiness at VCU. “We pride ourselves on the creativity and artistic nature of our student body – and I mean literally our students’ bodies. The new tattoo requirement is a reflection of our students’ commitment to individuality, to openness, to never being afraid to express themselves or hide who they are.”

Check out the rest of this story here.

Brad Kutner

Brad Kutner

Brad Kutner is the former editor of GayRVA and RVAMag from 2013 - 2017. He’s now the Richmond Bureau Chief for Radio IQ, a state-wide NPR outlet based in Roanoke. You can reach him at BradKutnerNPR@gmail.com




more in art

After Strong Turnout, Richmond Arts Park Enters Holding Pattern

Under the Manchester Bridge, what had been an idea for years turned into something tangible, at least for a day. Hundreds of people moved through the space as muralists painted, DJs played, and passersby stopped mid-bike ride or walk to figure out what was going on....

The Veiled Mirror Comes With Ghost Stories Included

If you are in the market for a glass eye in the same shade as your lover’s, some elaborate hair jewelry, or even an electric couch to use as a Victorian cure-all, then you need to head over to The Veiled Mirror. This Victorian antique store opened downtown in January,...

Richmond Had a General Strike and a First Friday on the Same Night

It was 72 and breezy. Unseasonably pleasant, almost chilly. VCU students were splayed out on picnic blankets in Monroe Park enjoying soft serve and the sunshine. Citronella and the smell of hot dogs wafted through the air from some folks having a cookout. “High...

My Life As a Spider: The Two Years I Tried to Delete

Editor’s Note: Max Winter is a University of Richmond alumnus reflecting on his time at UR in the late ’90s and the campus culture he experienced. You can read more of his work on his Substack HERE. Recently, while eating carnitas in East LA, I check my phone and get...

It’s Still Our City Ep. 20 | Katie Davis, Salvation Tattoo

“Katie Davis left home (Maine) at 16 and moved to Richmond Virginia. She started working in a tattoo shop at age 17. A total dream job for a music and art loving minor delinquent. While apprenticing and working full time, she also attended/graduated VCU with a BFA in...

Proof In The Park! Richmond Arts Park Gets Trial Run This Weekend

The City of Richmond is giving organizers behind a proposed arts park under the Manchester Bridge a one-day opportunity to test the concept in real time. Scheduled for Saturday April 25 from 12-5pm, the event will serve as a live proof of concept for what supporters...

Virginia MOCA Launches New Era

Before the Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU was even around, and before the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts really began to embrace contemporary work, especially anything connected to street art or artists working in the present, Virginia Museum...