5,000 Strong: Rally Today as Virginia Wesleyan Town Hall Shuts Out Students, Alumni, and Press

Momentum is building fast. The petition to stop the renaming of Virginia Wesleyan University to Batten University has now surpassed 5,000 signatures, a clear sign that Marlins past and present are united in protecting our university’s historic name.

Yet even as this movement grows, transparency is shrinking. Today, university leadership is holding a closed-door Town Hall restricted to current faculty and staff only. Students, alumni, former faculty, and even The Marlin Chronicle’s own student journalists have been barred from attending.

Rally at Noon at Virginia Wesleyan

At the exact same time as the Town Hall, supporters of Virginia Wesleyan will gather just outside campus grounds for a peaceful rally in support of keeping "Virginia Wesleyan" in the name from 12–1 PM. The event will have live media coverage, with the media in attendance.

This is a critical moment to show that the Virginia Wesleyan community is broad, vocal, and determined to preserve the name that carries our shared legacy.

Can’t Attend? Make Your Voice Heard Online.

Not everyone can make it to campus in the middle of the day, but that doesn’t mean you can’t join the movement. Supporters are encouraged to show their pride and voice their opposition to the name change on social media using hashtags

#UnitedbyVDUBYA #noBUMnation and #VirginiaWesleyanForever

Every post, share, and comment helps amplify this cause and shows that Virginia Wesleyan’s history is worth protecting.

Why This Matters

The Board of Trustees’ decision to rename Virginia Wesleyan University as Batten University is a fundamental shift in identity and will result in a loss of name recognition of the esteemed institute. For nearly six decades, “Virginia Wesleyan” has stood for academic excellence, a Methodist liberal arts mission, and a community spirit that money can’t buy.

We honor the Batten family’s extraordinary generosity, but a university’s name should reflect its mission and history, not wealth or marketing trends.

What’s Next

• Protest today from 12–1 pm ET on the public sidewalk outside campus grounds. Parking is allowed at Ebenezer Baptist Church. We encourage you to make a donation to the church to thank them for allowing us to park there.

• Watch local news at noon for live coverage of the event.

• Keep sharing online if you can’t attend in person.

The more visible this movement becomes, the harder it will be to ignore. Together, we are Marlins. Together, we are Virginia Wesleyan forever.