In March, students, faculty, and alumnae of Sweet Briar College received a major shock. They learned that their college would close by the end of the summer due to “insurmountable financial challenges.” Since then, faculty, staff, and students have raised nearly 16 million dollars to prevent that from happening. They have also taken their case to court. And earlier this week, they got some good news from the Virginia Supreme Court. WTJU’s Nathan Moore spoke with alumna Beth Ike about this latest development and its implications for the college.

Being practical and following your dreams seem mutually exclusive, especially for college students making decisions about which major to study. Tongtong Zhang, a recent UVa graduate, tells us how she chose her degree in spite of her parents' and society's expectations.

Visualize this: a young lobbyist quits his job to start the country's most successful company offering meditation for professionals. That's what Serge Eygenson is visualizing with his start-up Fit Minds, and it's why he'll spend the next 10 weeks in the Darden School of Business's intensive i.Lab Incubator program. He joins Soundboard's Emily Richardson-Lorente to talk about the origins of his idea, how secular meditation can improve performance, and what he hopes to learn in the i.Lab Incubator program.

The Kluge-Ruhe Museum in Charlottesville is the country's only museum focused entirely on aboriginal art from Australia, and Curator Margo Smith has been guiding it since the beginning. Now, the Australian government is honoring her for her efforts, by awarding her the "Order of Australia." Smith joins Soundboard's Emily Richardson-Lorente to talk about this unique honor, the museum's origins, and some of its great upcoming events.

Many people think that "if you're not being punitive, in the traditional way, you're being permissive" but there is an alternative to dealing with crime and offense. Restorative Justice Coordinator David Saunier joins WTJU Soundboard's Esther Namubiru to describe this method called restorative justice. He also explains why many communities and schools are choosing this process to help them address crime and conflict.

Virginia is #1 in the nation when it comes to referring disruptive school children to the police rather than the principal. At its worst, this can result in what the Legal Aid Justice Center calls a "preschool to prison pipeline." Attorney Mario Salas joins Soundboard's Emily Richardson-Lorente to discuss this disturbing trend.

Sure, DC is swimming with politicians. But back in the 80's, it was also swimming with punk musicians. In fact, according to the new documentary "Salad Days: A Decade of Punk in Washington, DC", our nation's capitol was a real nexus for DIY punk music. Filmmaker Scott Crawford joins Soundboard's Nathan Moore to explore the film's wild roots.

Gams, gams, gams and empowerment! Those are just 2 -- no, 4! -- of the many scintillating offerings at this weekend's Virginia Burlesque and Sideshow Festival in Richmond. Performer Carmel Clavin joins Soundboard's Emily Richardson-Lorente to provide a sneak preview of the festivities. For more information, visit: VirginiaBurlesque.com.

No one said that ending job and housing discrimination in Charlottesville would be easy, but nobody thought it would be this hard, either. Two years ago, the city's new Office of Human Rights seemed full of promise. But with the recent resignation of its director, and the public acknowledgment that the Office has yet to resolve even a single discrimination complaint, its future may be in doubt. UVA education professor Walt Heinecke joins Soundboard's Emily Richardson-Lorente to help interpret this development.

Quilting is no longer just an antiquated craft popular among women of a certain age. The Beaumont Juvenile Correctional Center outside of Richmond hosts the nation’s first quilting program for incarcerated youth. Soundboard’s Miranda Bennett attended an exhibit of the quilts at The Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative in Charlottesville, where she spoke to a participant, quilting instructor Roy Mitchell, and Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice Director Andy Block.