THE
BLUE &GRAY
THE UNIVERSITY OF MARY WASHINGTON STUDENT NEWSPAPER
DECEMBER 3, 2015
VOLUME 89 | ISSUE 11
PRESS
SERVING THE COMMUNITY SINCE
1922
Businesses in Downtown Fredericksburg could affect UMW students DREW PETTERSON Staff Writer
Whether students have lived in Fredericksburg for 10 months or 10 years, downtown, or down Route 17, their lives have undoubtedly been impacted by the unrelenting expansion of the commercial and residential areas of the city. In a recent study conducted by the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service, estimates show that Fredericksburg’s population has increased by 16.2 percent since the 2010 census- the highest growth rate of any locality in the state, a title it has earned in three of the past four years. To put this number into perspective, population growth in the United States as a whole during the same time period was only 0.7 percent. Fredericksburg is outpacing the national trend, growing 23 times faster than the average city, and showing no signs of slowing down any time soon. But what does this mean for UMW students? According to UMW’s department of Institutional Analysis and Effectiveness in the same time period of the last four years, total enrollment at UMW has declined by 12.8 percent, from 5,203 students in 2010 to 4,535 in the current semester. While this trend in enrollment may seem counterintuitive to the highly-pos
•BUSINESS |11
Alex Sakes & Ashley Chung/ The Blue & Gray Press
Laundry prices increase with no explanation to students
Student has bike stolen, surprised when her property is returned
IZZY BRIONES Staff Writer
After returning from fall break, Jamie McGuire, a freshman and secretary of the Student Senate, noticed that multiple bikes seemed to be missing from the Randolph Hall bike storage room. Following her discovery in the storage room, McGuire realized that her own bike was missing, and in response she carried out her own investigations to try and figure out what had happened while she had been away. Her investigations eventually led her to contacting the UMW Police Department to report what she had discovered and to receive further help. The department carried out an investigation pertaining to all of the bikes in question. Upon watching video surveillance, it was found that according to McGuire, her bike had been taken by a student-athlete. The athlete, a freshman on the women’s soccer team, was discovered taking McGuire’s bike without her consent or knowledge at strange hours, such as 11 p.m., and the bike was not brought back until 3 a.m. The bike, new this year, received visible damage which has not yet been repaired or compensated for, according to
IN THIS
ISSUE
McGuire. Though numerous bikes were taken out of the storage room, with police questioning it was found that only McGuire’s was taken without her consent or knowledge and that the others were taken with permission. In the on-going case, only two student-athletes have been accused of possibly taking bikes without permission: women’s soccer player Kelcie Macomber and men’s soccer player Conor MacMurdy. However, Macomber is accused of taking McGuire’s bike, but the owner of the bike taken by MacMurdy appears to not to be aware of the theft. In her case, McGuire believes her bike to have been stolen. However, throughout the beginnings of the UMW Police Department’s investigations, McGuire’s bike was referred to as “borrowed” according to UMW Police, due to the fact that it was brought back to the storage room and never taken permanently. UMW Police does not appear to have a penalty for borrowing. The student-athletes accused are waiting to be brought before the Honor Council. If the case is taken on by the honor council, the accused will be determined guilty or not guilty of theft by stealing
•BIKES |2
GLORIA KAMOLE Staff Writer
Alex Sakes/ The Blue & Gray Press
After coming back to school for the fall semester 2015, students were surprised to find out that the cost of washing and drying their cloths now amounts to a total of $3.50. Laundry at the University of Mary Washington used to cost $1.50 per load. As of May 2015, however, the price to operate the washer and dryer was increased to $1.75. Students have expressed their displeasure about this laundry cost increase; particularly those who regularly wash have multiple loads of laundry at a time. Senior anthropology major Reed King has worked for Residence Life since his freshman year of college and stays on campus during most breaks. “Some students have opportunities to wait until they are able to go home and do their laundry, but I rarely get the occasion to do so and the increase in laundry cost is an inconvenience for
•LAUNDRY | 2
UGLY SWEATERS
TURNED DOWN
AWARDED EAGLES
Holiday tradition get its chance in the spotlight
Protest raises issue about freedom of press
Women’s Field Hockey players named all-region
VIEWPOINTS | 4
SPORTS | 3
LIFE | 7