Virginia
First Lady ‘Dr.’ Jill Biden is a ‘tough to please’ lecturer – but many at Virginia campus don’t even know who she is
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The community college campus where Dr. Jill Biden teaches is just nine miles southwest of the White House.
But it is one of the very few places in the Washington DC area where the rapidly unraveling crisis surrounding President Biden’s re-election is not one of the hot topics – more than 15 students interviewed by The Post this week had not heard of it.
Some students who know “Dr. B,” as she is called by many at the Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) campus, did not even realize she is the First Lady – and married to the president.
Most staffers and administrators The Post spoke to declined comment, saying they had been told by NOVA brass not to talk to reporters. Only one staffer, who did not give his name, spoke out about Jill, who has taught English at the college since 2009.
“You know she swans in here with her entourage a couple of times a week and makes everyone call her ‘Doctor,’ he said, referring to the secret service agents who accompany her.
“I don’t know her personally but it’s a little bit of a joke. Most teachers here don’t insist on being called Dr.”
First Lady Jill Biden has famously been “Dr.” Jill Biden since 2007, when she was awarded her doctorate in education, or Ed.D., from the University of Delaware.
Her dissertation was on community colleges, titled “Student retention at the community college: meeting students’ needs.”
“I stay out of politics and I don’t watch the news,” a 20-year-old Afghani student who was almost fully veiled told The Post as she walked down one of the paved walkways to the campus store. “I know Dr. B. I almost took her class.”
Others who do know Jill Biden is also FLOTUS did not know there was a controversy over her 81-year-old husband’s cognitive abilities and whether or not he would be capable of governing for the next four years, after his disastrous debate against Donald Trump last week.
“What, he might have dementia?” said one of two young, American-born male students leaving campus for the day when approached by a Post reporter and asked about the controversy over the president. “I feel so bad for him. Is that really true? That’s so sad. I heard about the debate, but not this.”
Two American-born students playing ping-pong outside the student center, just across from the building housing Jill Biden’s classroom, said they were first-year students but did not know the first lady taught at the school.
Only one student, Chris Bladen, agreed his name could be used and he said he didn’t want to say anything bad about Jill Biden or her husband “because I might be the biggest Trump-hater in the world. I just wish we had better candidates.”
In fairness, as Jill Biden herself indicated to Vogue this month, a number of the students at NOVA’s Alexandria campus are recent immigrants and can’t necessarily be expected to know the nuances of American politics. Others, she said, are older women looking to re-enter the workforce.
“Whatever I give them,” she told Vogue, “it has to be short. Because they leave my class and go straight to work, many of them. They may work until eight o’clock, then they have to do my homework, and they might have kids, too, or parents to take care of.”
She also told Vogue she often assigns “articles” rather than books because books are expensive – but said she does like to assign students Trevor Noah’s 2019 memoir, “Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood.”
NOVA accepts 100 percent of its applicants and some of the 14,000 in attendance at the Alexandria campus are Afghani immigrants.
Alexandria, which is a sanctuary city, has just one public high school with many Afghan refugees, a number of whom come to NOVA.
A spokesperson for NOVA didn’t provide a comment to The Post by press time, while a representative for Jill Biden didn’t immediately return a request for comment.
Dr. Biden, who taught as recently as May but does not appear to be on the summer teaching schedule, received a grade of 4.5 out of a possible 5 score on the “Rate my professors” site.
Many reviewers praise her, a few say she is not that organized — but the majority of them agree she is a tough grader.
“Am I allowed to say something mean?” asked one US-born student who did not want to give his name but said he had taken one class with her. “Because she’s kind of mean. I had one class with her. I didn’t really like her. It was impossible to please her.”
Prior to coming to NOVA, Jill Biden spent 15 years as a professor at Delaware Technical Community College and before that she was a high school teacher.
Jill Biden got considerable flack after her husband was elected president in Nov. 2020 for insisting on the “Dr.” title. Interestingly, her first Vogue cover, in June 2021, included the title on the cover. This month’s cover story did not.
“You can tell someone is smarting from an inferiority complex when he insists on being addressed as “Dr.” on the basis of holding an academic doctorate rather than being a physician,” Kyle Smith wrote in the National Review in Dec. 2020.
“Ph.D. holders who have genuine accomplishments don’t make you call them “Doctor,” which is why you never hear about “Dr. Paul Krugman” and “Dr. George Will.” None of the professors I knew at Yale, even the ones who were eminent in their fields, insisted on the title, and I think most of them would have scoffed if someone had addressed them as “Dr.”
In a 2021 Washington Post profile of Jill Biden, the educator included glowing reviews by some of her former students.
“She never really addressed the whole thing about being Jill Biden,” said Juliette Rosso, who had Biden as an English professor in 2017. “She was genuine, and she was humble.”
Mikaela Stack told the paper about Biden: “She cares deeply. She’s incredibly engaging and challenging and kind.”
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Ding! Ding! Virginia Beach trolley season kicks off May 10
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Four new trollies will join the VB Wave Trolley fleet beginning May 10, when Virginia Beach Wave Trolley will resume its seasonal service along the oceanfront.
Trolley season lasts through September 25-27 for the Virginia Beach Neptune Festival.
A total of 14 new trollies will be part of the fleet this year, gradually replacing the older versions. The 29-foot trolley replica buses seat 29 people and feature wooden seats, with “sky-blue and sand-colored brown exterior,” according to Hampton Roads Transit (HRTS). Last year, 281,507 riders used the trolley system.
“This year marks the 42nd season of the VB Wave trolley, and these new trollies will provide a comfortable, safe, and efficient ride for visitors and locals alike,” William E. Harrell said. He is the president and CEO of HRT. “As part of our partnership with the city of Virginia Beach, the VB Wave makes it easy for everyone to visit attractions and explore the Oceanfront and beyond without the hassles of parking or the high cost of gas,” Harrell said.
The following routes will operate May 10 through Sept. 27 for the Neptune Festival:
Route 30 is the Atlantic Avenue Trolley, running along the Oceanfront between JT’s Grommet Island Park to Fortieth Street. This service operates daily from 8 a.m.- 2 a.m.
Route 31 is the aquarium and campground trolley along General Booth Boulevard. It runs daily from 9:30 a.m.-11:10 p.m. through Labor Day and again on Fridays through Sundays from Sept. 11 through Sept. 27. Route 31 also extends to Atlantic Avenue and 18th Street.
Route 35 is the Bayfront Bus, providing service between Parks Avenue and 19th Street and Shore Drive and Pleasure House Road, enabling customers to visit Chesapeake Bay beaches, First Landing State Park, and Bayfront restaurants. It operates daily from 8 a.m.-12:30 a.m. through Labor Day and then Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays only from Sept. 11 through the Sept. 27 festival
The VB Wave trolley connects to HRT bus lines, Routes 20 and 960, with access to the Newtown Road Light Rail Station and the Downtown Norfolk Transit Center.
Fares are $2 one way or $4.50 for an all-day pass. Kids 17 and under ride free with a paying adult. Riders can pay for tickets using HRT’s GoMobile app and a credit card. Riders can create and manage multiple virtual cards and reload value for easy group boarding, and need to have a unique scannable virtual card for boarding. Children are not required to scan a virtual card or pay fare when boarding with an adult.
Customers can also tap to pay using credit and debit cards. KOA Campground, Virginia Gift Shop, nine Sunsations locations, and Ocean Wave Gift Shop sell tickets. Riders can also pay with exact change cash onboard the trolley.
In addition, HRT is introducing a new route in Virginia Beach beginning May 10. The new Route 981 will connect the Amazon Fulfillment Center (ORF 4) at 1795 Dam Neck Road with the Downtown Norfolk Transit Center.
Route 33 service is being restored to Atlantic Avenue and 68th Street 365 days a year to support the oceanfront hospitality industry.
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