Students at VCU and other institutions of higher education in Virginia often end up buying textbooks they never use, according to a survey by Virginia21, an advocacy group for college students and other young adults.

Nearly 75 percent of Virginia Commonwealth University students are unsure of their student loan debt payments upon graduation, according to a survey by Virginia21, an advocacy group for college students.

In a demonstration that made everybody wince, VCU students on Tuesday saw VCU Police Department recruits get sprayed in the face with pepper spray as part of a training exercise.

“Shaka Watch” was in full effect after the VCU men’s basketball team lost against Michigan in the NCAA Tournament last weekend. Would Coach Shaka Smart leave VCU? Rumors buzzed all over the web on the possibilites of Smart’s next move.

CNS reporter Alix Hines will provide live coverage of TEDxRVA, a tribute to all forms of creativity in Richmond.

Capital News Service reporter and sports fan Michael Schuster will be live-blogging the VCU-Butler game, which starts at noon on Saturday at VCU’s Siegel Center. The game is sold out, but you can follow the play-by-play — and submit comments — here.

State legislators and lobbyists exchanged their suits and ties for T-shirts and shorts and headed from the halls of power to the basketball court to raise money for cancer research.

State legislators and lobbyists battled it out on the basketball court Tuesday night to benefit Virginia Commonwealth University’s Massey Cancer Center.

The Capital News Service programs at VCU and the University of Maryland will collaborate by sharing stories and having student journalists work together on issues of regional importance.

State legislators and lobbyists will battle it out on the basketball court Tuesday night to benefit Virginia Commonwealth University’s Massey Cancer Center.

Because of false information, Marvin Anderson spent 15 years in prison for a rape and other crimes that he did not commit. He recounted his ordeal Tuesday at a Black History Month lecture at VCU.

Nearly 100 college students gathered at the state Capitol on Wednesday to advocate for affordable, quality education.

VCU students urged state legislators Wednesday to invest in higher education during Rams Day on the Hill, an annual lobbying event at Capitol Square.

Virginia’s General Assembly is also focused on preventing campus shootings like the one at Virginia Tech, but gun control is only one segment of the issue.

Vice President Joe Biden held a round-table discussion about gun violence Friday at Virginia Commonwealth University, saying “we cannot remain silent” on the issue.

While Virginia Commonwealth University isn’t the center of the gun debate triggered by December’s school shootings in Connecticut, Vice President Joe Biden got VCU’s help Friday in continuing the national dialogue on the matter.

While higher education advocates have focused on getting more state funding in recent years, this year, higher education advocates have added retirement benefits to their list of legislative priorities.

It’s rare for students to vote in large numbers in state and local elections. Some student leaders say the reason isn’t just apathy: They say VCU students are discouraged from voting because they are divided among various election districts – and can’t flex their political muscles by voting as a bloc.

If VCU students want a direct voice on the Richmond City Council, they might look east for inspiration – to Williamsburg. In 2010, students from the College of William and Mary elected one of their own to the Williamsburg City Council.

Under a new law, state officials will publish online the employment rates and average salaries for graduates from each institution of higher education in Virginia. Prospective students and their parents will be able to see the statistics for each program and type of degree at each school.

Virginia treats marijuana possession more harshly than many other states, handing down years-long prison sentences to people arrested with small amounts of the substance. Neighboring states have decriminalized marijuana or approved it for medicinal uses, but Virginia legislators this year hardly gave serious consideration to such ideas.

President Barack Obama kicked off his re-election bid Saturday with a rally at Virginia Commonwealth University, calling the campaign a “make-or-break moment” for the middle class.

Thousands of Virginians were “fired up” to see Barack and Michelle Obama at the Democratic presidential campaign’s “Ready to Go Rally” on Saturday. Many people who packed Virginia Commonwealth University’s Siegel Center on Saturday were college students and local supporters. Others came from across the state.

Gov. Bob McDonnell on Monday ceremonially signed six pieces of legislation that will further cancer-related research, treatment and education.

At this year’s legislative session, 29 college students from across the state took part in Virginia Capital Semester, an internship program run by Virginia Commonwealth University’s L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs. The students interned with members of the General Assembly, watching and even shaping how laws are made.

Students at a Richmond elementary school learned about the value of hard work Monday from a trio of Virginia leaders. Gov. Bob McDonnell, Virginia Commonwealth University basketball coach Shaka Smart and former Navy SEAL John McGuire told fifth-graders at Overby-Sheppard Elementary School that there is no easy path to success.

Think tuition is high at VCU? The cost of putting a child in the university’s day care center can be even higher. The VCU Child Development Center charges $820 a month for children 3 and under, and $700 a month for older children. In contrast, tuition and mandatory fees for in-state undergraduate students total $9,517 this year – which works out to about $793 a month.

A national anti-abortion group assembled a graphic display to promote its cause Wednesday in VCU’s Commons Plaza.

Hundreds of citizens gathered at Virginia Commonwealth University last week for a demonstration in honor of Trayvon Martin, the Florida teenager whose killing has prompted a national debate over guns and self-defense laws.

Two weeks ago, a vehicle VCU sophomore Carolina Perez was in was struck at the intersection of Second and Canal streets. Perez, who sat at the point of impact in the accident, died later that morning. Varinder “Vick” Chahal, the driver of the other car, had no injuries; neither did his four passengers. Chahal is facing charges of felony manslaughter, driving under the influence and refusal to submit to a blood or breath test.

U.S. Sen. Mark Warner discussed national and state issues at a town hall meeting with students and faculty at Virginia Commonwealth University last week – without even leaving his Washington office. After an introduction by Dr. Niraj Verma, director of VCU’s L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, Warner appeared on a projector screen in the Student Commons Theater.

When U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood held a “town hall meeting” at Virginia Commonwealth University to discuss President Obama’s State of the Union address, the turnout implied more of a ghost town than a bustling institution of more 32,000 students.

Led by faculty from VCU, participants in Virginia Higher Education Advocacy Day had six hours to push for more money for higher education, lower tuition for in-state students and greater compensation and benefits for teachers at the state’s public colleges and universities.

Speaking at Virginia Commonwealth University, first lady Michelle Obama on Wednesday announced a major initiative to increase research on the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries for returning veterans.

The crowd included doctors in white coats and soldiers in fatigues. They were among a few hundred anxious admirers who flocked to see first lady Michelle Obama during her visit to Virginia Commonwealth University on Wednesday.