The Blue & Gray Press

THE

BLUE &GRAY

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARY WASHINGTON STUDENT NEWSPAPER

FEBRUARY 26, 2015

VOLUME 88 | ISSUE 18

PRESS

SERVING THE COMMUNITY SINCE

Suspicious emails raised security alerts on campus

SAT requirement may be dropped in face of underenrollment

HOPE RACINE News Editor

Over the course of two weeks, the University of Mary Washington community received three separate alerts regarding suspicious activity around Trinkle Hall.

While no threats were made against community members, students were notified under the Clery Act. The alerts were the result of disturbing emails sent by Brian Toomey, an individual unassociated with the university. In a series of emails sent to multiple professors within the Classics, Philosophy and Religion Department, Toomey described scenes of a “disturbing nature,” according to Police Chief Michael Hall.

“There was no express threat within the emails, though the language was certainly of a disturbing nature,” said Hall. “Obviously, everyone perceives threats and language differently, and it was clear that there was a situation to be concerned about.”

Through a campus-wide email students were notified of Toomey’s physical description and were given identifying details about his vehicle and license plate, as well as a picture of Toomey.

“I don’t think there was enough [information] in the email to worry us,” said sophomore business major Francesca Dombroski. “I think the email was vague enough for me to not understand what the threat was, and not worry.”

Through the federal Clery Act, university police departments are required to notify students of potential security threats on campus. According to Hall, when notifying the community, he takes multiple factors into consideration.

“As police chief, I have to balance the information we disperse so that we don’t create a second emergency with panic,” said Hall. “It’s a fine line to walk with not wanting to disrupt the community and spread fear, while still ensuring that the community is informed and prepared.”

Following the initial suspicious emails, •EMAILS | 11

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HOPE RACINE & NIKKI OESTEICHER News Editor & Staff Writer

SIMPSON LIBRARY FILTERS OUT UNUSED BOOKS | 11 Anna DeMarr/ The Blue & Gray Press

Despite a record high number of applicants for the freshman class of 2019, current figures place the actual number of enrolled students thus far well below the expected figure for incoming students. As a result, admissions and administration at the University of Mary Washington is seeking new ways to encourage enrollment, such as easing the SAT score requirement.

At this past weekend’s Board of Visitors meeting, Kimberly Buster–Williams, associate provost for enrollment management, and Provost Jonathan Levin presented the possibility of eliminating the SAT requirement for some incoming students.

The suggestion is not radical and is used at almost 800 universities around the country as a way to appeal to students with higher grades. The plan proposed by Levin and Buster-Williams would allow students with a certain GPA to bypass the SAT requirement. Buster-Williams said at the meeting that a possible cutoff point for •UNDERENROLLMENT | 2

UMW named top producer of Peace Corp volunteers NEPHTHALIE LAUTURE News Editor

The University of Mary Washington is once again ranked as one of the top small colleges to produce a large number of alumni that now serve as volunteers in the Peace Corps.

This is the 11th year UMW has been recognized for producing a notable number of Peace Corps volunteers.

Colleges are ranked annually by the Peace Corps based on size and student body. The list is divided into three sections: large colleges and universities, medium colleges and universities and small colleges and universities, where UMW can be found.

Upon hearing this news, students expressed their sentiments on the Peace Corps and its relation to the University.

Many students consider the Peace Corps post-graduation for the many benefits and opportunities the organization can offer.

“I know I am considering Peace Corps because they have a graduate program.

UMW definitely has a lot of volunteer programs,” said sophomore economics major Kelly Mason.

The Peace Corps grants its volunteers with language, cross cultural and technical training, unique graduate opportunities and advantages in federal employment.

This year in particular, UMW was ranked 20th on the Peace Corps Top Colleges with nine alumni volunteers. UMW

is the sixth highest producer of all time.

“It has crossed my mind, the Peace Corps, but I haven’t given it a lot of thought after that,” said sophomore math major Stephanie Loftus.

In total, approximately 230 UMW Alumni have served in 27-month commitments all over the world since the Peace Corps was founded in 1961.

In order to effectively create world impact, the Peace Corps lists three main goals for success: To help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women, to help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served and to help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.

New police system improves dispatch process, campus safety measures EMILY HOLLINGSWORTH Assistant News Editor

Ginny Clark The Blue & Gray Press A new computerized dispatch system will improve the effectiveness of the UMW police department.

IN THIS

ISSUE

The University of Mary Washington’s Police Department is in the process of installing a new computer system that will gather more data about the systems students use.

The Computer Aided Dispatch system will be installed during the first week of March and will be functional when UMW reopens after spring break.

The CAD system will be able to collect data the UMW Police Department previously did not have access to, including the exact number of students who use the bluelight system on campus.

According to Police Chief Michael Hall, the previous computer system is old-fash-

ioned and requires a much-needed update.

While the CAD system will give more exact data and better prepare UMW Police for an emergency, many UMW students said they generally already feel safe on campus.

Freshman Megan Sokolowski said that, in her experience, UMW generates less crime than at other universities.

“You hear about shootings and bomb threats on bigger campuses. On our campus, you don’t hear about stuff like that,” said Sokolowski.

Students also responded positively to the services the UMW Police Department offers.

Sophomore Eugene Darfour contacted the police when he lost his cell phone last •POLICE | 11

GIVE BACK

HIP-HOP

CLEAN SWEEP

COAR Variety Show fundraises for Habitat for Humanity

Is Hip-Hop on the verge of a new breakthrough?

Both swim teams win 15th and 25th consecutive titles

LIFE | 7

VIEWPOINTS | 5

SPORTS | 12

NEWS THE

BLUE & GRAY

Residence Life may restrict access to apartment balconies

PRESS

MISSION

The Blue & Gray Press is published every Thursday in the University Apartments Clubhouse for our university community. The goal of The Blue & Gray Press is to produce high quality and accurate news in a manner compliant with the Society of Professional Journalists ethics code. In its coverage, The Blue & Gray Press strives to highlight the community of the University of Mary Washington, as well as deliver fair and accurate coverage on the issues important to our students.

EDITORS-AT-LARGE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Alison Thoet

MANAGING EDITOR Mariah Young

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Jonathan Polson

SECTION EDITORS NEWS Hope Racine Nephthalie Lauture

VIEWPOINTS Tess Osmer

LIFE Amanda Motley

SPORTS Chris Markham

ONLINE

Lauren Brumfield

PHOTO

Ginny Clark

ASSISTANT EDITORS Emily Hollingsworth Andrew Crider Mikey Barnes

ADVERTISING TEAM BUSINESS MANAGER Cara Sexton

ADVERTISING MANAGER Jess Wu

FACULTY ADIVSOR Steve Klein

CRIME COVERAGE POLICY The Blue & Gray Press will publish the names of students who are formally charged by the University of Mary Washington Campus Police or the Fredericksburg Police Department to have committed acts of extreme violence against members of the UMW community or pose a large threat to that community, when names are released to the public. The Blue & Gray Press will publish names and write articles about criminal acts on a case-by-case basis according to the aforementioned parameters.

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University Relations Some students in the University Apartments returned from winter break to discover that locks were changed on their balcony doors without notification.

MADISON HANLEY Staff Writer

At the start of the spring semester, senior Erin Clark discovered that the lock to her balcony door at the University of Mary Washington University Apartments had been changed.

Clark, a historic preservation major, made this discovery after accidentally shutting herself out of her second-floor apartment. Once Clark went to reopen her balcony door, she and her roommates recognized that all of their keys no longer worked on the balcony doors.

“I stepped out onto my balcony to get something. The door closed behind me and locked. I had my keys with me, but they did not work,” said Clark. “During the fall semester they worked. My two roommates’ keys did not work either.”

According to Christine Porter, director of residence life and commuter students, the plan to change the locks in the UMW apartments has been in existence for approximately six years. It was implemented to deter students from sneaking into their apartments during unverified times, thus explaining why Clark’s and other residents of the University Apartments locks were changed.

“We found that students were letting themselves in through their patio doors

when the university was closed and when those buildings were closed,” said Porter.

“So we had, at that time, made the suggestion that we change all the first floor patio doors so that they were not the same key as the student’s room door.”

Naz Ritu, a senior English major and a University Apartment resident, agreed with the reasoning that Porter applied as to why the locks needed to be changed, and even thought that the plan should be applied to all floors.

“I think all floors [should be changed] because it’s pretty easy to climb through the balcony,” said Ritu.

However, Clark’s apartment is located on the second floor. No reasoning was given as to why the balcony locks in this apartment were changed. Clark said she was frustrated that the lock had been changed, but the main source of her frustration stemmed from the fact that no one warned her locksmiths were going to be in her apartment.

“I don’t like the fact that someone was in my apartment without me knowing.

Even when maintenance is in here I get an email or something,” said Clark. “The school has always given a heads up when work was being done. This time they did not.”

According to Porter, the lock change

was a university and Residence Life sanctioned activity, and all people involved in changing the locks underwent intensive background checks, thus no security threat was an issue.

Porter also said she regrets that Clark was unaware that locksmiths were in her apartment without her prior knowledge.

“What I do regret, and what is not acceptable to me, is that someone was in there and did not leave a ‘hey were here notice,’” said Porter. “I feel really strongly that if someone was in your space, you should get a little note that says, ‘hey we were changing locks today.’ So that is something that I do regret, and we will work on to make sure that does not happen again.”

Since the time that students discovered their locks have been changed, the plan to implement the new locks has been put on hold as Residence Life reviews the purpose behind the plan.

Residence Life has not given Clark or her roommates a functional key to work the balcony door. For now, Clark and her roommates have limited mobility within their apartment and do not have access to their balcony door.

There is still ongoing debate on whether the locks should only be replaced on all floors. There is no set schedule as to when decisions will be made.

BOV considers loosening SAT requirements for applicants •UNDERENROLLMENT | 1 this requirement could be a GPA between 3.65 and 3.5.

If put into action, the plan would run for three years as a test program, with the ability to be reviewed at the end of the three years.

According to Levin, GPA is more effective than SAT scores at predicting the future success of applicants. Currently, the average UMW student GPA is 3.54, with SAT scores falling between 1030 to 1190.

Other students question the ability of SAT scores to represent an applicant. Sophomore Margret Taite said she felt a discrepancy between academic performance and SAT scores.

“I did horribly on the SATs, but I had great grades in high school, but I’m just a horrible test taker,” said Taite.

If approved during April’s BOV meeting, the plan would go in effect for students applying for the 2016-17 academic year.

In addition to the proposed SAT plan, the first year experience has been fully reworked for the incoming class of 2019.

First year students will now take part in an interactive seminar focused around community building and establishing com-

mon bonds between classmates. In addition, living learning communities will be included as part of the seminar process.

According to Undergraduate Admissions, the admissions committee reviewed a record-breaking number of 5,336 freshman applications for the fall of 2014, and admission was offered to 4,094 candidates.

However, only 856 students enrolled as first-time freshmen.

Levin noted that the University has typically yielded a freshman class of 930 students.

“We’ve only ever broken the 950 mark three times in the school’s history,” said Levin.

Based on current in-state tuition and approximate room and board fees alone, under-enrollment has amounted to over $1.4 million in revenue losses for the university.

The estimate excludes revenue from outof-state tuition losses.

Levin cites a multitude of reasons for the unexpected shortfall, including the increasing number of colleges to which students apply due to rising pressures to attend college and increasing competitiveness. The trend complicates the admission officers’ difficult job of determining which

accepted students will enroll.

“Thirty years ago, students would apply to maybe three or four colleges. Nowadays, people apply to eight-to-ten schools,” said Levin. “Applicants are not as serious.”

Surveys sent out to accepted students who declined to go to UMW include a question asking which school the admitted student has chosen to attend.

“Most students replied with ‘James Madison University,’ followed by ‘George Mason University” and ‘Virginia Commonwealth University,’” said President Rick Hurley, suggesting that UMW is losing out to bigger schools with more wellknown names.

Levin also cited last year’s construction projects as a factor.

“The ITCC construction really hurt us,” said Levin.

Like many students, Levin said he believes UMW has a beautiful campus, but the ITCC and the new campus center construction sites undoubtedly disrupted the campus aesthetic, potentially turning off prospective students.

The final figure for next year’s incoming class will not be known until May, when all registration is completed.

Thursday, February 26, 2015

SPORTS Washington Nationals report to Spring Training

SEAN KINSLOW Staff Writer

As the residents of the Washington, D.C. area continue to freeze, the area’s baseball team is heading south to sunny and warm Viera, Florida. The Washington Nationals first regular season game is not until Monday, April 6, but the team is set to begin their annual Spring Training, a series of individual workouts, team practices, inter-squad simulated games and exhibition games against other teams in order to prepare for the upcoming Major League Baseball season. Pitchers and catchers reported for camp on Feb. 19, while position players were not required to report until Feb. 24.

All 30 Major League Baseball teams attend Spring Training. Each team has its own training facilities in a warm location for ideal training conditions, while many fans are still stuck in the cold. Half of the MLB teams, mostly from the Eastern part of the country, train in Florida. These 15 teams compete against each other in exhibition games throughout the month of March and make up what is referred to as the Grapefruit League. The other half of the teams, mostly from the western half of the country, train in Arizona. These teams also compete against each other in the month of March to form the Cactus League.

Spring Training is the start to the very long baseball season. The games do not count for anything and are used for preparing for the regular season, when the games begin to count toward the playoffs.

The preseason training is very beneficial to teams though. It gives teams a chance to get an extended look at the young talent within their organization. It also allows teams to give older players a second change at making it in the big leagues.

Players who ended last year injured now have a chance to reestablish themselves before the season.

One of the most talked about aspects of Spring Training is the final roster cut down.

Teams have at least 40 players at Spring Training, plus many more non-roster invitees. This season, the Nationals have 20 such players for a total roster of 60 players at Spring Training. This number needs to be trimmed to just 25 players before Opening Day. Generally, a team already knows who they are going to keep as they head into the regular season, leaving only a few spots on the final 25-man roster up for grabs. That is a very large number of players for just a few roster spots, making the competition level high.

One of the biggest storylines to follow for the Nats during this Spring Training is how the team responds after a disappointing showing in the playoffs last season.

Additionally, Ryan Zimmerman will be switching from third base to first base.

The question remains of how seamless that transition will be. Many other issues will be main topics of interest as fans watch the Nats in Spring Training. Will Jayson Werth’s injured shoulder be healthy in time for opening day? How big of impact will new players such as Max Scherzer, Yunel Escobar and Casey Jannsen have? Will the team be able to overcome the loss of fan favorites Tyler Clippard and Adam LaRoche?

Finally, with all the pressure in the world to be one of the best teams in baseball again this year, how do the Nats respond?

These questions should begin to be answered over the next few weeks as the team prepares for Opening Day against the New York Mets.

25 years, 25 championships for women’s swimming The women’s swimming team started off strong with a first-place finish by Since joining the Capital Athletic Cham- senior Maddie Carinci and third-place pionship a quarter century ago, the Univer- finish by sophomore Kris Currie in the sity of Mary Washington women’s swim- mile, finishing in 17:57.74 and 18:14.46, ming team has won every CAC swimming respectively.

“It was really exciting [to win], especialtitle. Under the leadership of CAC Coach ly because I came in second last year. I felt of the Year Abby Brethauer, the women’s like all of the hard work we put into the team finished yet another championship season really paid off last weekend,” said season after dominating the competition Carinci.

on Feb. 22 in St. Mary’s City, Maryland.

Sophomore Anna Corley won two indiThe team received a first-place finish vidual events over the weekend in the 200 in every event but two, the 100 and 200 individual medley and 200 backstroke afbreaststroke, where junior Alex Parrish ter placing second in both events last year finished second in both events. as a freshman.

A sweep of the individual awards highThe 800 freestyle relay team, consisting lighted the women’s team’s successful seaof Murphy, Corley, senior Robin Brazier son, with junior Stephanie Hallock garnerand junior Abby Cox all finished first in the ing CAC Swimmer of the Year honors and event and nearly qualified for the NCAA freshman Megan Murphy receiving RookDivision III Swimming Championship, but ie of the Year, as well as Brethauer’s Coach fell just short.

To qualify for Nationals, inof the Year award. dividual swimmers and relay teams must “It’s a big honor,” said Murphy. “I place in the top-16 nationally, but the team worked hard all year, and it felt great to see finished 17th and barely missed the cut. it pay off. I’m very lucky to have a great “Our relay was 0.3 seconds from placing coach and team.” for Nationals this year and it’s something we really want to do next season,” said Murphy.

No individual swimmers or relay teams on the women’s team earned an invitation to Nationals, but there were a few swimmers that earned an NCAA B Cut, which is similar to a waiting list, according to Brazier.

“We really wanted to make it to Nationals,” said Brazier.

CAC Sports “As a relay team, we are all The women’s swim team has won every CAC swim championship. close to each other and NaCARTER WALLER Staff Writer

tionals was a clear goal for us this year. We constantly emphasized going to Nationals throughout the season. If we wanted to get somewhere, we needed higher aspirations.

It made us closer as a team, and I am so proud of the work we accomplished.”

Junior Katie Fago earned five different first-place finishes over the weekend, as she won the 100 backstroke individually and the 200 freestyle, 400 freestyle, 200 medley and 400 medley as part of the relay.

According to Fago, three of her relay teams missed the cut for Nationals by only a few position places.

“We performed really well so it’s unfortunate that we missed out. We finished 18th 20th and 22th so it really makes us to want to go out and make it next year,” said Fago.

Earning 25 consecutive championship titles is no small feat, and according to Corley, Brethauer announced after the CAC Swimming Championships concluded that the women’s swimming team is the first sports team in conference history to win this many titles in a row.

“It’s cool that the 25th anniversary was this year. It makes it a very special thing to be a part of,” said Brazier.

According to Brethauer, it was not just the swimming results that defined another successful season. Academically, the women’s team had the highest GPA in the department.

“When I look at the season as a whole I would say that the team exceeded the expectations that I had for them both academically and athletically and that is something of which I am incredibly proud,” said Brethauer.

Alex Anderson, men’s swimming dominate at CAC He earned an invitation to the Division III National Swimming Championship every year of his career, winning the 400 individual medley as a junior and sophomore and the 200 butterfly as a junior.

This year, he will compete in the 200 IM, 400 IM and 200 butterfly as the only member to make Nationals from the swim team.

“I would look for him to compete in all CAC Sports three of his events, The Eagles, led by senior Alex Anderson, won their 15th straight CAC title. and with the level of Similar to their female counterparts, the talent in Division III right now, it will probmen’s swim team at the University of Mary ably take times close to NCAA records in Washington captured a dominating conferorder to get the wins,” said Brethauer. ence title to continue one of the longest And according to Anderson, he has high Capital Athletic Conference win streaks in hopes for doing just that on March 16 in school history.

Shenandoah, Texas.

This year marks the 15th consecutive “I’m shooting for the 200 Fly record at CAC championship for the men’s swimNationals,” said Anderson. ming team. The team had a dominating The expectations are high for Anderson, performance at the CAC swimming chamwhose illustrious collegiate career will pionship on Sunday, Feb. 22 in St. Mary’s soon come to a close.

City, Maryland, led by CAC Male Swim“I think he has set himself up to do some mer of the Year senior Alex Anderson and amazing things when we go to NCAAs,” CAC Coach of the Year Abby Brethauer. said Brethauer. “If Alex swims to his poThe CAC championship featured firsttential, there really are very few limits on place finishes from junior Sean Mayer in what he will be able to achieve. Anderthe 100 freestyle, sophomore Tyler Gimple son is one of the most talented, humble, in the mile and Anderson in the 200 and team-oriented swimmers I have had the 400 individual medley and 200 butterfly. opportunity to work with... He has pushed The 400 freestyle relay team of Anderson me to become better as a coach and raised and juniors Vance Solseth Matt Garstthe profile of our team and university on a ka and Mayer placed first with a time of national level.”

3:06.00.

Brethauer became head coach in 2011 Anderson dominated CAC competition and has continued the swimming prothroughout his collegiate career, setting gram’s winning streak, coaching both the countless school and conference records. men and women’s teams to a CAC chamCARTER WALLER Staff Writer

pionship in every season.

“When I has hired I was very aware of the history of success within the UMW athletic department and specifically the swim teams,” said Brethauer. “I am an incredibly competitive person and certainly do not want to be the first coach to break the winning streak that exists for swimming,” Brethauer won the Coach of the Year award for her work with both the men’s and women’s swimming teams, something she has never done before in her tenure as head coach. Last year, she received men’s Coach of the Year honors but shared the women’s honor with two other coaches.

According to Brethauer, she was very surprised to win the award because of competition on both the men’s and women’s sides this season.

“As I said to the team at the end of the meet, being named Coach of the Year is just further testament to the work that the team has put in and the results that they were able to achieve,” said Brethauer. “I am very fortunate to have amazing people supporting me. These awards are really just a reflection on them.”

CAC Sports UMW took home many individual CAC awards.

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VIEWPOINTS

2015 is the year for Hip-Hop

Letter to the Editor: options for graduating seniors

As the spring semester has arrived, most seniors are finishing up their last minute requirements that will allow them to graduate. One of the requirements that many seniors choose to do is Community Service Learning.

When it comes to volunteering, there are a variety of options to choose from in the Fredericksburg area, whether it be working a few hours at the Food Bank, or visiting a nursery home. Either way, volunteering is a great way to reach out to the community and to those that need our help.

One organization in particular that seems to fit easily with busy college-students’ schedules is the Big Brothers Big Sisters in-schools program. The “Bigs in Schools” pairs students up with a “little” based on a few interviews that takes into account both the big and the littles hobbies and personality traits to ensure an accurate match is met.

After the initial match, the bigs visit their little’s once a week at their school for an hour of after-school homework help and games. An hour may not seem like a lot, but for these children it means the world. Having a big, or in other words a “role model,” enables the children to have a sense of stability in their life and a support system that they can trust and look up to. Sometimes college students can find it hard to fit volunteering into an already busy schedule, but taking one hour out of your week to spend with a child that looks forward to your visit every day can make it worth it. The Big Brothers Big Sisters organization is always looking for new applicants for the Big positions, so for more information you can contact Cynthia Osband at cynthiaosband@rbbbs.org.

Sophie Perkins is a senior at the University of Mary Washington and a volunteer with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.

New projects push the boundries of Hip-Hop genre

thissongsick / Google images

thissongsick / Google images COLMAN HOPKINS Staff Writer

thissongsick / Google images

USA Today/ Google Images

In 1989, a new variation of rock emerged on the west coast that had a unique, holistic sound both reminiscent of an earlier age and refreshingly original. Over the next six years, this grunge sound transformed the music industry and all rock music thereafter.

Even today, bands like the Foo Fighters and artists like Jack White are heavily influenced by this era’s most prominent acts, such as Nirvana, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, who all pushed pop-metal music out of the stores.

In a similar fashion, I believe that HipHop is on the cusp of a musical metamorphosis and that 2015 is going to be the year for that major change.

Already, several expansive and ambitious projects by young artists have been undertaken and met with high praise from critics, buyers and even other artists.

More than 20 years ago, Nas released “Illmatic,” which is arguably the best HipHop album ever and certainly the most

thissongsick / Google images

influential. With this album, Hip-Hop was transformed in every sense of the word.

The east coast, particularly New York, has become the capital of innovative, complex rap that forces competition and promotes the entrance of new rappers into the industry in a way that the group of 2Pac, Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube in California has not.

Artists like Jay Z, the WuTang Clan and Outkast defined the genre and culture for years, and their legacies’ are tied to the new era of Hip-Hop that Nas ushered in.

From a cultural perspective, Hip-Hop began to move, albeit slowly, away from some of the less-flattering tenets that the music had become synonymous with.

For example, politically influenced, conscious rhymes from Mos Def began to replace the misogynistic verses that Snoop Dogg and NWA had been famous for.

Moreover, the genre became more diverse with the arrival of non-black artists like Eminem and Big Pun.

THESE ALBUMS PUT A FOCUS ON STORYTELLING, LYRICAL PROFICIENCY AND THE SAD REALITIES OF A THUG LIFE

•MUSIC | 5

Editorial: Promoting achievements of our school, the proper way to bing in new students The University of Mary Washington’s Board of Visitors heard a proposal from Kimberly Buster-Williams, associate provost for enrollment management, at their most recent meeting, in which she put forth a plan for the removal of SAT score submissions for students with high grade point averages.

Although Williams pushed this idea to the BOV over a year ago, it is now being considered for the 2016-2017 academic year.

Nearly 800 universities in the United States alone no longer consider SAT scores in their evaluation of applicants, indicating a new trend in the college admission process.

While this plan could alleviate some of the pressure and unfair hurdles of applying to college for high school seniors across the country, we are concerned about the reasoning behind this potential move.

Due to low enrollment numbers for the incoming freshmen class, this idea was proposed to the BOV as a way to entice more students to apply to UMW. As students of the university, we understand the issues for enrollment management. We have seen many students transfer during the course of their

college education.

Efforts to draw more applicants is not new to our university. Since the 2007-2008 academic year, the University has lost a total of 436 students, which translates to the loss of $5.4 million in tuition.

WE HAVE SEEN MANY STUDENTS TRANSFER DURING THEIR COLLEGE EDUCATION. At open floor meetings with Provost Jonathan Levin and Vice President of Student Affairs Doug Searcy last semester, students discussed the rapid decline of UMW’s goals and message.

We wonder if this proposal is the proper way to sell our university to prospective students.

Rather than attempting to recruit students by lowering academic standards, we should instead be promoting the qualities and achievements that make

this school unique.

For instance, the University should promote its impressive faculty of professors who are interested in engaging with students both inside and outside the classroom.

The University should emphasize the outstanding internships and independent studies that our undergrads have completed.

The University should show prospective students the power and ambition of our many student leaders and the diversity of our student groups.

The University must present our school as the community of acceptance and inclusion that it so uniquely is and that students are so dedicated to upholding.

Although we are sympathetic to the growing issues of enrollment, we must highlight the success of students and UMW organizations that truly represent our standard of education.

That is what should convince applicants to attend our university.

By THE BLUE & GRAY PRESS EDITORIAL BOARD

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Thursday, February 26, 2015

VIEWPOINTS Save more and see the world

ALEX CLEGG Staff Writer

Editor: Mona Osmer | blueandgray.views@gmail.com

Academy members and methods under scrutiny

Martinak15 / Flickr

As we begin to undertake in the meaningless small-talk that is, “What are you doing for spring break?” I would like to propose some different questions: Are you content with what you are doing for break?

Are you doing what you really want to be doing? If not, why? I am sure you could come up with a lengthy list of what is holding you back, and I am positive that I could come up an equally lengthy list of rebuttals.

For most of you, I would presume that the main reason is the cost of travelling.

Plane tickets, hotels, activities and other expenses can all add up. I get it. On the other hand, if you plan, prioritize and act frugally, you can save up enough money in no time. I promise, if you saved all the money you spent having a good time on the weekend, you would have enough for a trip. There are hundreds of thousands of resources out there to help you get where you want to go, one being the Center for International Education right here on the University of Mary Washington campus.

Many students might not even know where the CIE office is, but you cannot say they do not promote their services. The CIE offers programs by the semester, year and even breaks, one of which is spring break.

If you were interested in getting the most bang for your buck, this is the way to do so.

Not only do you get to see the world, but you can earn credits while doing it.

Along with the resources provided on campus, there are hundreds more you can find on the Internet. One of the most popular sites for young adults is EF College Break, an organization that specializes in making travel affordable for students. Not only are their programs relatively inexpensive, but they also have a system that allows you to pay by installments, rather than paying for it all up front. Travel costs are directly proportional to your destination, time and travel. London, Paris and other Western European cities are obviously going to be more expensive then a Central American destination. Likewise, if you travel during the months of June, July or August, it is going to be significantly pricier then, say, February or March. Interestingly enough, spring break runs through those months. Although it may seem silly to have a “spring” break when there is snow on the ground, it actually benefits us in the realm of travel.

Nearly everything you encounter will be at a discounted price due to the fact that it is off-season. Plane tickets could be 75 percent of their summer prices, and hotels can be even cheaper. Planning is crucial. If you wait until the last minute, the prices are going to be just as expensive as if you were traveling in the height of peak-season.

Having the funds to travel is less about straight up costs, but rather prioritization.

If it is important to you, you will find away.

We have the rest of our lives to work. Enjoy having the freedom to travel while you can, and utilize the opportunity our university has given us. Next year I suggest you travel during spring break.

Musical revolution takes spotlight

chickswithgunsmagazine / Google Images

•MUSIC | 4 Prayitno / Flickr

MATT MCALOON Staff Writer

Historically, Hollywood has been regarded as a pioneer for bringing awareness to social movements and issues going on within the world and specifically the U.S. We have seen this in movies like “American History X,” “Schindler’s List,” “Shall We Dance,” “Their Eyes Were Watching God” and “12 Years A Slave.”

If Hollywood is a culturally aware entity with progressive tendencies, then why is the Academy of Arts and Sciences riddled with elderly white men?

And why do we see so little recognition for people of color?

In 87 years of having the Oscars, only 31 awards have ever been given to black artists.

That is out of nearly 3,000 awards given, which comes out to a whopping one percent of Oscars being awarded to black artists.

The issue here is then that people of color, particularly blacks, are being marginalized by the Academy.

Although the argument could be made that the films winning at the Oscars just happen to have predominantly white performers and it is all a coincidence that black artists only happen to win one percent of the time.

To try and make this argument, though, would only be perpetuating the marginalization of colored people within the film industry.

One percent cannot be a coincidence; it is evidence of institutionalized racism within the Academy.

The Academy is made up of 77 percent

males and 94 percent white individuals and can only be joined via invitation.

“The Academy’s membership process is by sponsorship, not application.

Candidates must be sponsored by two Academy members from the branch to which the candidate seeks admission,” states the Oscar Membership website.

That kind of exclusivity just cannot be chalked up to coincidence, just like the fact that black artists only consist of one percent of the Oscars ever awarded cannot be chalked to coincidence.

The icing on the cake is that Oscar winners and nominees are automatically considered for membership to the Academy.

Given that Oscar winners are presumably the most likely to be inducted into the Academy and that the Academy is typically made up of 6,0006,500 individuals and that there have only ever been 31 Oscars awarded to black artists, then even if every black Oscar winner became a part of the Academy they would still only make up a half of a percent of the entire Academy.

The Academy is a blaring example of the kind of institutionalized racism that is present in America and the world today.

So the real question is when will the Academy acknowledge this marginalization of black artists and consequentially a huge part of American and world culture and do something about it?

I hope it is soon, but with the way that race issues tend to be treated in this culture you can almost guarantee the answer will be a steadfast never.

THAT KIND OF EXCLUSIVITY JUST CANNOT BE CHALKED UP TO COINCIDENCE, JUST LIKE THE FACT THAT BLACK ARTISTS ONLY CONSIST OF ONE PERCENT OF THE OSCARS EVER AWARDED CANNOT BE CHALKED UP TO COINCIDENCE.

In turn, these artists helped to disseminate the music by making it more accessible to Hispanic and white audiences.

Female rappers like Lil’ Kim also set the stage for other female acts to follow and helped to change gendered themes that held the music back.

Prior to “Illmatic,” rappers focused on more basic rhymes and production. By contrast, Nas incorporated multisyllabic rhymes into his songs, even having entire verses that were more complex than artists before him, but that did not sacrifice a great delivery and message.

On top of that, his famous ten-track masterpiece saw production from multiple producers that ended up giving the album an original sound that was emulated by most rappers in the years after.

While “Illmatic” came out in 1994, 1995 was the first year that these changes became more visible and audible, with underground artists finally getting a shot at success.

With a thriving market and a series of musical entrepreneurs, a slew of critically acclaimed albums dropped one after another from relatively new artists: GZA’s “Liquid Swords,” AZ’s “Doe or Die” and Mobb Deep’s “The Infamous” all came out in 1995 and have since become classics.

These albums all put a focus on storytelling, lyrical proficiency and the sad realities of a thug life that had been romanticized by rappers like 2Pac. It has been twenty years since 1995, and over that time, Hip-Hop has reinforced the old axiom that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Sounds from DMX, Chief Keef, Kanye West and Eminem, for example, have kept the music and the subject matter musty and largely uniform.

However, 2015 thus far seems to be moving away from this trend with younger artists like J. Cole and Drake releasing successful projects that are moving in different directions, both musically and in terms of the subject matter, from the Hip-Hop establishment.

Specifically, Drake has become famous for the feminist themes in his music while other artists like Lupe Fiasco have voiced concerns over the messages that mainstream Hip-Hop sends to children.

While these two artists are just examples, they represent the rule, not the exception. Nicki Minaj, Joey Bada$$ and Kendrick Lamar have all become renowned for their innovative lyrics and nontraditional approach to the genre.

Ultimately, time will tell if 2015 is as important a year for the genre as I suspect it could be, but with the amount of ambitious projects already out this early in the year, such as Drake’s “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late,” J. Cole’s “2014 Forest Hill Drive” and Joey Bada$$’s “B4.DA.$$,” I am confident that, by 2016, Hip-Hop will be headed in a different direction with new artists and messages at the forefront.

The Community / F;ickr

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LIFE

Editor: Amanda Motley | blueandgray.life@gmail.com

COAR Variety Show raises money for Habitat for Humanity

Community Outreach and Resources

Students showed off their talents at the COAR Variety Show. Students performed in order to raise money for Habitat for Humanity.

EMILY HANSON Staff Writer Community Outreach and Resource’s annual Variety Show wowed audiences at the University of Mary Washington with an array of campus acts on Friday, Feb. 20 while raising money for their Alternative Spring Break Program with Habitat for Humanity. COAR raised funds through many different avenues, including one-dollar tickets, a raffle and a silent auction.

According to the COAR website, this year’s Alternative Spring Break programs feature trips to Tennessee, Alabama and Florida.

COAR also boasted a wide range of support from local community organizations. This included a daylong promotional at Benny Vitali’s in downtown Fredericksburg the Thursday before the show.

Fifteen percent of all profits that day were donated to COAR’s Alternative Spring

Break.

Junior sociology major Rachael Sturgis will be attending the Alternative Spring Break trip going to Maryville, Tennessee.

“I think Variety Show is a good way to raise money because it gives students and the community a way to support us in our effort to help people in other communities,” said Sturgis.

Before the show and during intermission raffle tickets were sold for various prizes, including a Soup & Taco gift card, tickets to Six Flags, hockey pucks signed by the Washington Capitals’ Mike Green, a Pancho Villa gift card and bags of popcorn from The Popcorn bag.

The silent auction featured a generously donated bow tie from Cedric Rucker, associate vice president and dean of student life at UMW, along with a signed football from members of the Washington

Redskins and a pack of tickets to a Richmond Flying Squirrels game.

The UMW Dance Team kicked off the talent portion of the show.

The first half of the show had impressive performances from BellACapella, Alter Egos, Encore! and the UMW Breakers. These performances all elicited plenty of cheers of the crowd.

Junior history major and member of Encore! Grace May said all the performances were enthralling.

“The other acts did a phenomenal job.

All the performers seemed as though they were having a great time,” said May. During intermission, a slide show of previous Alternative Spring Breaks showed numerous UMW students working hard on building homes for families from other communities.

ASA Dance Team, Object Manipula-

tion Group and Eagle Bhangra made up the rest of the show and brought a lot of energy to their performances. Between acts in this half of the show, the host for the evening, COAR member Madeline Moravitz, drew raffle tickets and the winners went up to the front of the auditorium to collect their prizes.

Ending the show was One Note Stand, a crowd favorite at UMW. “My favorite performance was One Note Stand. I always love how creative their arrangements are,” said Junior education and history double major Dana Baumgartner.

The fourth Variety Show for COAR brought out a lot of UMW talent, and even more UMW support from a wide range of students, staff and community members.

Chamber festival showcases student talent with impressive performances The band performed various musical pieces that spanned centuries apart. Some of the music performed included “Sonata Pollard Hall was full of sweet melodies in D minor” by Antonio Vivaldi, “Three during the University of Mary Washington Preludes for Piano” by George Gershwin Chamber Festival. and Selections from “Enigma Variations” The festival took place Friday, Feb. 20 by Edward Elgar. and showcased student talents while perMaster Sergeant Koch spoke about how forming alongside professional musicians. music and performing impacts his life.

The UMW Music Department invited “Music takes up a lot of my time, enerspecial guests to perform at the Chamber gy. I love performing in front of people and Festival as artists-in-residence and allowed teaching about it,” stated Koch. students to showcase their talents.

The United Air Force Band Reed QuinDuring the Chamber “MUSIC TAKES UP A tet is part of the United Air Festival, students are able Force Band, who have events LOT OF MY TIME, to present their ensembles. for the president, vice-presENERGY. I LOVE ident, chairman of the joint However, due to inclement PERFORMING IN chiefs of staff, secretary of the weather, the UMW Guitar Ensemble and the UMW FRONT OF PEOPLE AND Air Force and chief of staff of String Quartet’s perfor- TEACHING ABOUT IT.” the Air Force. mances were canceled.

Karly Kremposky, a freshThe public was unable - Master Sergeant Koch man psychology major, comto see to the students permented on how she enjoyed form, but the audience particular songs and how talented these was able to see the United States Air Force musicians are.

Band Reed Quintet beautiful performance.

“I really loved when the two guys The quintet is made up of Master Ser- played “Black” by Mellits. It was unique geant Brooke Sheridan Emery, Technical and sounded really hard to play. I know I Sergeant Eddie Sanders III, Master Ser- could never play something like that,” said geant Jeremy P. Koch, Technical Sergeant Kremposky.

Emily Snyder and Master Sergeant John K. Every year, the festival is held in PolRomano. lard Recital Hall in room 304. All concerts, Between each song, the group made master classes, and recitals are free and jokes that created a warm and welcoming open to the public. atmosphere.

HAVEN SCOTT Staff Writer

Ginny Clark/The Blue & Gray Press

The United Air Force Band Reed Quintet performed at the UMW Chamber Music Festival.

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Thursday, February 26, 2015

LIFE

Oscars 2015 Stars shed spotlight on politics, social issues in otherwise normal show ALISON THOET Editor-in-Cheif

This year’s Oscars brought glitz, Brits and a bit of the expected with some surprising winners and, most importantly, a strong trend in using the spotlight for the good of others.

As in every award season, rumors and predictions fluttered about the media, with final forecasts projected after the Golden Globes and SAG Awards named their winners.

In a deviation from the predicted winners this year, the best director and best picture awards both went to “Birdman,” directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, rather than “Boyhood.”

Viewers were also perhaps surprised

by Lady Gaga both looking and sounding rather normal with her performance of a compilation of songs from “The Sound of Music” to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the film, afterward joined onstage by Julie Andrews herself.

Quite unsurprisingly, J.K. Simmons (“Whiplash”) and Patricia Arquette (“Boyhood”) picked up the awards for best supporting actor and actress. These two were

front-runners in almost every Oscar pre- ical than ever this year. Iñárritu dedicated diction, even the preview by The Blue & his speech time and award to his “fellow Mexicans” and discussed immigration, Gray Press last month.

Arquette’s speech was perfected after stating, “I pray that they are treated with the practice gained from winning many the same dignity and respect as the ones other awards for her performance this year, who came before and built this incredible but with the added tidbit calling for wage immigrant nation.”

“Citizenfour” took home best docequality for women. umentary feature, a “It’s our time to have wage equality once and “IT’S OUR TIME TO HAVEfilm centered around former N.S.A. confor all and equal rights for women in the United WAGE EQUALITY ONCE tractor and infamous States of America,” said AND FOR ALL AND EQUAL whistle-blower Edward The filmArquette.

RIGHTS FOR WOMEN IN Snowden. maker Laura Poitras “Selma” may have been shirked for most THE UNITED STATES OF thanked Snowden in her speech for his courof the categories, but AMERICA.” age and that of “other John Legend and Comwhistle-blowers.” mon brought a wonder-Patricia Arquette Eddie Redmayne ful performance to the won best actor for his stage for their collaboration “Glory.” The two forced the world performance as Steven Hawking in “The to listen to the inequalities in the world, Theory of Everything” and used his accepparticularly race in the U.S., during their tance speech to bestow his win on Hawkacceptance speech for best original song. ing, his family and point to those suffering They also pointed out current problems from ALS. “This Oscar belongs to all those people with the Voting Rights Act, which is foaround the world battling ALS,” said Redcused on in “Selma.”

In fact, the Oscars became more polit- mayne.

Similarly, Julianne Moore used her moment as best actress in “Still Alice” to recognize the necessity of furthering research on Alzheimer’s.

Moore also spoke on the subject on the Red Carpet, falling into a new trend this year of opening up the conversation focus on dress designers to issues that deserve help, in line with the #askhermore campaign for women.

There was quite a move for winners to shed the spotlight on social, health and international problems, such as Graham Moore, winner of best writer for “The Imitation Game.” He stated the unfairness of Alan Turing’s fate, as well as his personal history, and urged the world to “Stay weird and different, and when you’re up here, pass it along.”

In introducing the nominees for best picture, two-time Academy Award winner Sean Penn said, “It’s the power of their storytelling and the power of their ideas.”

This statement holds entirely true, particularly for this year’s films and stars, who worked together in creating stories of the everyday, the beautiful and highlighting the people that need help.

Color, texture make their way onto the red carpet at this year’s Oscars also the absence thereof, as well as a wonderful sense of art and texture to the Oscars this year. Lupita Nyong’o was nothing but perfection in her 6,000 pearled, white cutout wonder by Francisco Costa.

Julianne Moore (“Still Alice”), also in white, followed in the style of her silver-black sequined and feathered Givenchy Haute Couture gown at the Golden Globes with a textured Chanel gown complete with black beaded rosettes.

Now for the greens. Scarlett Johansson played it fierce in a tightly cut-in gown that would fit no one else as it did her.

The deep green Versace gown was paired with a beaded statement collar of the same shade that made the eye wonder.

Emma Stone (“Birdman”) paired the two styles of texture and green with a yellow-green beaded ensemble by Eli Saab that followed in Stone’s ever-interesting Red Carpet fashion.

Keira Knightley presented a different sort of gown, a floral nude gown by Valentino covered in French writing and paired with a simple headpiece.

Knightley kept her style with the light, floral dress, but added a baby bump to the ensemble this year.

ALISON THOET Editor-in-Chief

The Oscar show may start at 8:30 p.m., but the fashion shows start hours earlier, and even months before the main event.

This year, some of the most renowned fashion icons have returned, and others surprised us on the Red Carpet.

The men may not have as much room to stand out or as many choices as the ladies, but this year some of the men dabbled with new colors.

David Oyelowo (“Selma”) tore away from the typical black tux to sport a beautiful red three-piece suit set against a crisp white shirt designed by Dolce and Gabbana. Benedict Cumberbatch (“The Imitation Game”) went all white with his suit, while Chris Pine was an impeccable example of the right way to wear a Giorgio Armani black tux.

Eddie Redmayne (“The Theory of Everything”) mixed color with black lapels set over a navy blue coat in Alexander McQueen.

Perhaps the most unusual was Jared Leto’s Givenchy baby blue/periwinkle suit, paired with his signature long hair and own blue eyes.

The women brought not only color, but

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LIFE

‘Adjacent’ fights the cold with humor The Blue & Gray Press: The Pinterest Project 27 Boards

1,690 Pins

12 Likes

Have you ever splurged to purchase brand-new, really expensive powder or blush? Have you ever felt your heartbeat speed up as you bend down to the floor to pick it up and reveal that it’s been smashed to million pieces after dropping it? Well, on this week’s Pinterest Files, I am going to stop you from wasting your money on a new one, or spending your mornings trying to stop yourself from spilling the loose pieces all over the place.

Believe it or not, there is a way to resuscitate your beloved make up, and it only takes a few items that you can find lying around your dorm room or home.

The Undeniably Adjacent

The Undeniably Adjacent troupe performed in Combs 139 with the theme of blizzards.

University of Mary Washington’s one and only improv troupe, the Undeniably Adjacent, continues to wow newcomers and dedicated fans alike with their funny sketches and edgy monologues. Despite the brutally cold weather, excited students still made their way to Combs 139 this past weekend for the troupe’s second show of the semester.

The Undeniably Adjacent is an audition-based club on campus that hosts shows twice a month. Each show lasts about an hour-and-a-half and consists of a series of monologues, short scenes and long form scenes. Every individual show has a title that comes from the troupe’s favorite joke from practice. This past week’s show title was “How to Win” or “The Blizzard That Silently Saved Us.” The show started off with a monologue performed by Christian Perkins, a member of the Undeniably Adjacent. Perkins drew inspiration from the audience suggested word “Pumpernickel.” After the monologue, there were short scenes and various improv games that incorporated physical

comedy as well as dialogue.

The response to jokes can differ from week to week based on who is in the audience.

“The audience can definitely affect the show. It’s like any performance,” said Clarence Thomas, a first-year Undeniably Adjacent performer. “You just have to do your best personally and not let it change the outcome of the performance. We pick up on energies, though. Like, if the audience laughs we feed off of that energy.”

Ariana DuBar, an Undeniably Adjacent fan and a regular attendant at the shows, spoke about how the first monologue was one of the most memorable sketches of the night. Even with a few standout moments, DuBar felt a shift in the crowd in this particular show.

“There were a lot less people. When I’ve been there before, it’s been packed.

There’ve been people filling the isles,” said DuBar. Despite the fact that this particular show had less audience members than normal, the Undeniably Adjacent did not fail to put on a great show filled with crazy sketches, loads of laughter and great enthusiasm in everything that they do.

Humans of UMW

By NANCY MILROY

279 Following

Introduction:

Make-up Recovery

KELLY EMMERICH Staff Writer

64 Followers

Edit

MIRANDA YOUNG Staff Writer

Materials: Rubbing alcohol Plastic wrapping A brush (eyeshadow or eyeliner) A dull edge or makeup brush end Baby Wipes Q-tips

Directions: 1. WRAP IT UP: Completely cover the compact with the plastic wrap and make sure it adheres tightly to contain everything. (I found this step to be optional).

2. MASH IT UP: With the dull end of your brush, crush up the entire pan of shadow, not just the broken pieces. You are essentially turning the pressed powder back into loose powder.

3. ADD ALCOHOL: Remove the wrap and add at least 10 droppers full of alcohol. You can add just a bit at a time to see how much you need as you.

4. SMOOTH IT OVER: Now you will feel the powder has become sponge-like and very pliable, giving you the perfect opportunity to even it out smoothly with your makeshift spatula.

5. PERFECT THE EDGES: Use your eyeliner brush to smooth it out even further. Give it a few hours to completely dry, and the makeup is repaired.

To make it extra pretty, clean up the perimeter with a Q-tip.

Results:

Left: “More men should come dancing.” Right: “I thought I was a pretty good man! The Victorian Ball is put on by the Historic Preservation Club.

We are doing line-style dances based on Regency dances.”

Left: Molly Rothenhaus Faulkner, Right: Claire Goode.

For this DIY, I was pleasantly surprised with the end result. It didn’t come out perfect, but it is now much more usable than crushed pellets that end up spilling out while applying make up in the morning. I used an e.l.f product, so I was not risking much, but I was scared that I would end up with a distorted palette of blush and bronzer. The reason that I put the plastic wrapping as optional above is due to the fact that my blush and bronzer wasn’t terribly messy. So, I didn’t find the need to wrap it; I just used the end of the brush and did not have any trouble but I‘m sure the plastic wrapping would not hurt the process.

After making sure that the bronzer and blush was completely separated, I dropped the alcohol into the cap of

the bottle and carefully distributed it throughout the product.

The most challenging portion of this process was smoothing out the powder.

It may be due to the fact that I used a two-in-one product, but I had to keep rinsing off the brush in order to prevent the pink and brown from mixing. After attempting to smooth it all over, I used a Q-tip and a baby wipe to clear the edges and the middle division area.

After letting the bronzer and blush dry for an hour or two, the product didn’t look as good as new, but it definitely looked usable.

This project was much more practical than driving to the store and spending money on a new product.

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NEWS

After the Board of Visitors presentation: Q & A with DivestUMW members The Blue & Gray Press caught up with two DivestUMW members, Hasan and freshman Maureen Sullivan, to talk about the BOV presentation and their experiences with DivestUMW. How do you feel that the event went?

RH: I was impressed with the BOV and their interest in our presentation. There was a lot of dialogue between us and them, and we didn’t feel like there was a wall up. It was definitely a learning process for students and board members as we found out about our foundation and investments.

Julia Davis/ The Blue & Gray Press DivestUMW members were granted 15 minutes to present to the Board of Visitors in February.

HOPE RACINE News Editor

On Friday, Feb. 19, members of campus group DivestUMW were granted 15 minutes to present in front of the University of Mary Washington Board of Visitors.

The presentation focused on informing BOV members about the intent of DivestUMW, offering suggestions for divestment from fossil fuels and stating their demands.

Lead by DivestUMW members Zakaria Kronemer and Rabib Hasan, the presentation sought to engage BOV members in a conversation. According to members, the overall feeling of the meeting was positive, with some BOV members, such as Ed Houck, showing support for the cause.

“We should take this topic under serious consideration and thought,” said Houck during the meeting. “The fact that we have a topic that is universally before the public,

and we have a student body that is willing to devote themselves to this, I hope that we will give this due consideration.”

The meeting was not exclusively attended by DivestUMW members, and other students were encouraged to attend in a show of solidarity for the cause.

“We are representing a university fully of students, and it’s important to not be exclusive,” said junior sociology major Hasan. “We encourage students to attend all our events.”

Senior political science major and president of the UMW Young Democrats Benjamin Hermerding was one non-DivestUMW member who attended the presentation.

“I went because I think it’s important to be involved and support student leadership on campus,” said Hermerding. “Building conversations with the administration is the easiest way to support student voices and encourage future conversations.”

What did DivestUMW present to the BOV? RH: We went in with specific asks and demands to keep the BOV accountable and have a goal for us and them to reach together.

What were your requests?

- By the next Executive Meeting on March 18, 2015, a subcommittee must be created to begin forming an in depth proposal for divestment.

- That proposal will be presented at the BOV meeting, April 17, 2015, in which an official vote is to be made on UMW divestment form the Fossil Fuel industry.

- Halt any increase of our investments in the fossil fuel industry by the end of this academic year.

- Withdraw investments from “filthy 15” by April 2016.

Do you feel like the BOV was receptive?

MS: One member said that they should meet with us again, and some seemed pretty receptive. It also felt like a learning experience too. There was one exchange

where the members were asking each other about the extent of investments, and not all the members knew. It was definitely eye opening.

What do you hope is the largest effect of the presentation?

RH: Forming the subcommittee is the crucial next stop for forming dialogue with the administration and students. If the school wants to truly say they listen to their students, then they need to work on that dialogue, and the committee is a good way to accomplish that.

What did you suggest for achieving divestment?

RH: Obviously the goal is full divestment, but we realize that a large number of school funds are tied up in fossil fuel and cold turkey divesting is not economically feasible. We suggest a five-year process of divesting ending in 2021 because we’re worried for the financial security of the school, and we want to help protect that.

What are the next steps for DivestUMW? RH: We’re going to continue to put pressure on the BOV for the next meeting for sure. Student voice has been effective so far at holding the administration and BOV accountable, and we want to continue that.

What was the general feeling of the DivestUMW members coming out of the meeting?

RH: It was incredible to see that students are just as knowledgeable and skilled at these subjects. Students definitely have power on this campus, and we need to use it.

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Thursday, February 26, 2015

NEWS

P O L I C E

POLICE BEAT

Out with the old: Simpson Library purges books for new space

BY EMILY HOLLINGSWORTH Assistant News Edtor

DRUG POSSESSION

Two students found in possession of marijuana were reported at the Randolph-Mason Link at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 19. The students received administrative referrals.

VANDALISM

An incident of vandalism was reported at Goolrick Hall between 12 p.m. on Friday Feb. 13 and 6 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 16. The case is pending. pending.

An incident of vandalism was reported at Eagle Landing at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 18. The case is pending.

Anna DeMarr/ The Blue & Gray Press Before a book is removed from Simpson Library, they go through at least three librarians and a faculty member from the corresponding department.

HOPE RACINE News Editor

As part of a four-year process, the University of Mary Washington’s Simpson Library is weeding through older books in the hopes of making more usable space for An incident of vandalism was reported students. at Eagle Landing between 7:30 a.m.

The project started when Head Librariand 9 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 20. The an Rosemary Arneson joined the Simpson case is pending. staff.

“We were completely full and didn’t have any room for new books,” said Arneson. “The goal is to think critically about what we have, what we need and how we can improve the catalogue and space in the The information was compiled with assistance from UMW Police Manager James DeLoatch best way possible for students.” and Fredericksburg Police Department Public The process of selecting which books to Information Officer Natatia Bledsoe. remove from the shelves is a time-consuming one, according to Arneson. Going subject by subject, the librarians ran reports on which books have not been in circulation since 1998. These books are flagged with a white slip of paper for future review. These slips can be seen in some of the books on shelves now.

•POLICE | 10 “This is a good indication that the books semester. According to Darfour, the police were helpful and drove him around to aren’t being used widely, and how we start the process of deciding whether or not to try and find it.

“I think Campus Police does very well, keep them,” said Arneson.

However, being unused is not the sole at least in my opinion,” said Darfour.

Senior computer science major Douglas requirement for getting rid of books. AcRadoye noted that the UMW police are in- cording the Arneson, she and the other livested in the students’ well being and often brarians consider a variety of factors when making their decisions, such as the imporengage them in conversation.

“They care a lot about the students,” tance and relevance of the topic, whether said Radove. “They don’t look to get the the information is outdated, if the book is students in trouble. They talk and try to part of a multi-volume series or if it is cited in a standard biography. help them.”

New police dispatch system

Security warning on campus resolved •EMAILS| 1 Campus Police officers patrolled Trinkle Hall and the surrounding areas.

“I had some friends tell me about the email,” said sophomore William Ball. “I was [worried] at first, but I came to class the day after and the security presence increased so I felt safer.”

In addition to notifying students, the UMW Police Department worked in conjunction with the Fredericksburg City Police Department to contact Toomey and his family.

“We were in contact with Toomey’s family and worked to establish contact with Toomey himself,” said Hall. After several failed attempts to meet, police were able to make contact with Toomey on the morning

of Wednesday, Feb. 25. That morning, the police took Toomey into custody.

“He was detained without incident, and he is being held in order to receive the proper assistance and services he needs,” said Hall.

Following Toomey’s detainment, an email went out to students informing them that the warning had passed.

“The UMW community and guests are urged to continue good crime prevention practices to include the following; be alert and aware of your surroundings while traveling on or off campus,” the email read. “Travel in well-lit areas whenever possible, on or off campus [and] do not walk alone.”

“THERE WAS NO EXPRESS THREAT WITHIN THE EMAILS, THOUGH THE LANGUAGE WAS CERTAINLY OF A DISTURBING NATURE.” -Chief Michael Hall

“We have the librarian most familiar with the subject matter go through and pull books that they consider too important to remove,” said Arneson. “In addition, we won’t break up multi-volume sets.”

If the book has a particularly interesting cover or was published before 1850, then a notice is sent to the rare books collection librarian.

“We have some truly amazing old books, and in some cases the information is so out of date that the intricate covers are actually more interesting than the subject matter,” Arneson said.

By the end of the process, at least three librarians have looked at the books under consideration, as well as professors from the corresponding department.

“We ask professors to review the books because they know best what their curriculum is and where the department is going,” said Arneson.

One example Arneson cited was the large Russian literature collection that Simpson currently holds.

“We have a very in-depth and beautiful collection but currently have no Russian literature classes offered,” said Arneson.

“When we get to that collection, there is a likelihood that we may remove some of the collection. We would of course keep a wide selection, but if the interest and curriculum isn’t there, we can’t afford to keep them.”

According to Arneson, some students reflexively become worried at the thought of getting rid of books.

“It’s librarian 101. If the shelves are too full, students won’t want to check anything

out because they can’t find anything,” said Arneson. “The goal isn’t to get rid of books, it’s to free up space for more.”

The end goal of the project is to hopefully repurpose the space in Simpson library to accommodate more study areas and quiet zones for students looking to focus.

“Even though the Convergence Center is new, if I have to do a serious project I’ll go to the library,” said sophomore political science major Sara Thornton. “It’s better for focusing. At least for me, I think [the library] is better for complete focus.”

Of the 420,000 titles currently held in Simpson, approximately 10 to 1,500 books have been removed already. Since they are state property, they are sent to surplus sales in accordance with state property disposal procedures.

“I think it’s a waste of resource for us [to keep the old books],” said sophomore English major Mary-Margaret McMaken.

“Its like hoarding, keeping stuff that can benefit others.”

Though Arneson said she does not foresee books going anywhere, she does anticipate the nature of the library to change.

“A lot of information and researched is published online and in articles now, and we try to make this information as accessible as possible, since this is the direction things are headed,” said Arneson. “It’s just important to remember that libraries are living organisms, not static. We’re a resource, and we’re more concerned with helping you get the information you need, and less concerned about how you get it.”

STUDENT SENATE BEAT WEDNESDAY, FEB. 25, 2015

Nominations for next year’s SGA positions were approved, with numerous individual’s running: Hannah Tibbett: SGA president, currently unopposed.

Christian Hughes: campaigning for president, but failed to receive nomination. Hughes sent proxies, however he did not sign his proxy sheet, and therefore no one was able to accept the nomination for him. Hughes has 24 hours to gather signatures of 10 percent of the student body by petition.

Ethan Lane: ICA president, unopposed.

Elections are currently open, and the campaign season will run over spring break. Voting ends on March 11. *** A movement was passed to amend a current policy that notifies the parents of students under 21 who are caught with alcohol. The amendment changes the policy to only notify the parents of students under 18.

Alex Obolensky: SGA vice president, unopposed REPORTING BY EMILY HOLLINGSWORTH

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SPORTS

Editor: Chris Markham | blueandgray.sports@gmail.com

BATTER UP Baseball & Softball season preview:

UMW Softball set to begin 2015 campaign, build on mix of youth and experience ETHAN TOBIN Staff Writer

Coming off a strong season (6-6 CAC, 13-14 Overall) and finishing fourth in the Capital Athletic Conference last year, the University of Mary Washington’s women’s softball team is set to return for another action packed season.

The team faced a tough ending to their 2014 season, exiting the CAC tournament after falling closely to York College and Frostburg State 3-5 and 2-3, respectively, and now the team is in store for another challenging season.

Notable Eagle returners to the well experienced squad include senior infielder Brittany Scites, who posted a 0.390 batting average, senior outfielder Hannah Williams, who posted a .233 batting average, and senior infielder Alex Tenney, who posted a 0.295 batting average a season ago. Between the three, who individually found spots atop the team leaders charts in hits, runs batted in and stolen bases a season ago, will additionally offer significant experience on the defensive end of the ball for an Eagle squad introducing six firstyear players to the team.

Along with the strong returning core of offensive talent, ability and defensive experience, senior star pitcher Hannah Otterman will remain the go-to ace for coach Dee Conway. Otterman, who appeared in 17 games for the Eagles a season ago, starting in 13 games, posted a 9-4 record in 101.1 innings and finished with a 2.14 ERA. Additionally, Otterman posted 64 strikeouts and maintained a 0.250 batting average for her team offensively.

By the time of their first CAC game against Salisbury University on Saturday, March 21, the Eagles will have already participated in over a dozen games, including a tournament over the University’s

spring break for which the team will travel to South Carolina. The Eagles are set to play eight games while at the tournament.

In addition to a strong Eagles squad, they will be joined by tough competition in the CAC, including rival schools Salisbury University and Christopher Newport University, who finished first last year and second in the conference posting 11-1 CAC, 44-5 Overall and 11-1 CAC, 38-8 Overall records, respectively.

Conway looks to coach her Eagles back to the CAC playoffs in hopes of winning the softball championship for the first time since 1996. Conway, who has experienced multiple 20-plus win seasons as head coach and multiple CAC title series appearances, most recently in 2009, knows what it takes to be successful in the league. With an experienced squad at her reign, the 2015 Softball team heads into the new 2015 season with full steam and confidence.

In their first home game of the season, the Eagles will take on Randolph-Macon College on March 14 at the Battlegrounds.

In addition to marking the start of their CAC conference title run, the day will mark “Win 4 Wesley Day,” an event that will be close to many around the UMW campus and within the athletics world at the university.

Last fall, senior Tyler Carey of the University of Mary Washington’s men’s tennis team became involved in the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, a nonprofit organization that pairs children and families impacted by cancer with collegiate athletic programs.

Since Carey’s “match” with Wesley Berry, a young man with cancer, back in August, the UMW athletic department and all varsity sports have teamed up with Carey and Berry in an effort to raise awareness and support of his condition.

UMW Athletics After an average 2014 season, the UMW softball team is looking to move up the Conference ranks.

Thursday, February 26, 2015

UMW Athletics

After a double-header sweep to open season, UMW baseball keeps eyes on prize MIKEY BARNES Assistant Sports Editor

The saying “last year is a thing of the past” can be felt by all those affiliated with the University of Mary Washington baseball program. After a phenomenal 11-2 start to their 2014 campaign, the wheels fell off for the team and then-second year Head Coach Wayne Riser. Riser and his team went on to lose 17 of their last 21 games, finishing the season at a disappointing 15-19.

Due to the poor performance of the team and a lack in chemistry, a number of the members left the program. This year’s core of players includes six transfer students and five freshmen. Of the 27 members of the team, 11 are new to the program and the school in its entirety.

With the six current transfers, four previously competed at the Division I level, bringing a load of experience to a very

“I BELIEVE WE HAVE PUT IN THE NECESSARY WORK AND PREPARATION TO SURPRISE A LOT OF PEOPLE THIS SEASON.” -James Sink youthful team. Alongside the five freshmen that joined the program this season, there are ten sophomores, making the majority of the team underclassmen.

Due to the team’s great deal of youth, it is asked of the more experienced members of the program to be leaders.

Senior Jono Haught is an example on the field for the younger ballplayers to look up to. Haught is the starting catcher for the Eagles and has been throughout his career at UMW. In his sophomore year, Haught was named All-CAC Performer of the Year for his work at the catcher position.

This year, Haught is already off to a great start, and has been named CAC hitter of the week for his performance in the team’s doubleheader wins against

Plattsburgh State University of New York.

Junior James Sink is considered as a catalyst for his work on and off the field.

The outfielder is known for his mark on the base paths, as the speedy outfielder recorded a team high 19 steals while only being caught once. Sink demonstrated his quickness in the team’s opening games with a steal in each.

Sink’s leadership and experience has shown him the significance of teamwork.

With the team’s poor performance last year, Sink said he feels very strong about the core of teammates he has been handed this season accompanying the great returning group.

“As a veteran, I have been here since our new coach has come. I have seen the progress and evolution of our team in all three years,” said Sink. “I could not be more excited about the new transfers to our team and what role they are going to play. All of them have fit in so well and are playing intricate roles in our lineup right away. Coming from high level schools such as Virginia Tech, Old Dominion University, NSU, they bring a different perspective and high level attitude to our team.”

Sink said he has strong hopes for this year’s team and believes these additions are exactly what the program has been missing.

“I believe we have put in the necessary work and preparation to surprise a lot of people this season. We have high hopes as a team, and are ready to put it into place now that the season is finally here,” said Sink about his feelings towards the potential success of this team.

Sink, Haught and their fellow UMW baseball teammates have been in a constant struggle early in the season with the weather. The abundance of snow caused numerous games to be rescheduled for later dates, as the team wait on a playing surface with proper field conditions. The Eagle’s baseball program is looking forward to this season and the approaching warmer weather.

As of now, UMW baseball is off to a 2-0 start and is looking to continue their success. With all hands on deck, the Eagles will be attempting to win their first conference title since 2010.

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