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Students talk modeling for UMW branding materials

ELI kEIth Staff Writer

The University of Mary Washington hosted a student photoshoot on April 13 and 14 to take photos for new branding materials such as billboards, websites, print and online advertisements. While students now have the opportunity to sign up for the photoshoots, previous photos used for branding materials were taken less officially, and some students photographed this way say they were unaware their photos would be on branding materials before they were used.

Students were informed about the recent photoshoot through the weekly newsletter from the Office of Student Activities and Engagement.

“I knew right away that I wanted to take on this photoshoot because I’m very photogenic and I like being able to connect with faculty/staff better,” said freshman theatre major Giannii Marshall.

Report suggests updates to dated campus security systems

Photoshoots like this one have been offered in the past, one of which featured junior communication and digital studies major Eli Osborne.

“You’re a little bit of a celebrity,” said Osborne, who claims he has been approached 30–40 times about being “the website guy” after appearing on the UMW website.

Some student participants were excited at the prospect of being featured in promotional materials.

“I was most certainly told about where my pictures might be and the ones that really stuck to me were billboards and on the sides of buses,” said Marshall. “That had topped the cake for me!”

Though Executive Director of University Communications Amy Jessee said students are told that their photos may be used for promotional materials, marketing efforts and productions, some students say they were not told

SEE BRANDING PAGE 6

Although not expected to be released by the school, the University recently conducted an assessment of campus security and produced a report called “UMW Blue Light Study,” acknowledging that the system has aged and urging the school to do a massive renovation and upgrade of the system. The assessment was intended to be used to advise the university on campus security measures.

There are a total of 217 telephone lines on UMW’s campus—200 located on the Fredericksburg campus, 12 at the Stafford campus and five at Dahlgren—that cost about $25,000 to maintain annually. The report recommends moving and/or removing blue lights from areas that are over-saturated and installing the systems in other, more vulnerable parts of campus while also accommodating for the budget. The committee behind the report identified these areas, and the report notes that “care was taken to craft a plan of blue light locations that

would maximize access, with fewer blue light locations,” which aims to save $6,888 annually.

The report acknowledges that the system is aging since the emergency phone system is “well over two decades old,” though in the introduction section of the draft, the committee was unable to determine when the blue light phone system was first installed on campus, even after extensive research. Upgrades are necessary, it says, to continue to ensure and promote security on campus.

With the blue light system currently installed on campus, there were a total of 844 entries—nine calls pertaining to an emergency or urgent situation, 31 requests for access into buildings after hours, 481 calls were false calls that were verifiable from camera view and contact with the caller—from May 1, 2015 to May 1, 2019. The rest involved testing, malfunctions or situations in which there was no emergency present.

An emergency blue light in front of the University Center.

Abbey Magnet / The Weekly Ringer

ChARLIE LI Life Editor

“I think it’s really interesting just to see how marketing works, but for me it’s also, is this the face that sells?”

-Anais Malangu

Weekly Ringer

The Editor-in-Chief Norah Walsh

Editorial Staff

Safety improvements to cost $400,000 from university’s reserve funds

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Associate Editors

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Emma Brennan

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News Editor

ky huynh

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Opinion Editor

Margaret Jackson

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Life Editor Charlie Li

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Sports Editor Nick Werderman

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Online Editor Davy Washington

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Art Editor

Nellie Bittenbender

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Faculty Advisor Sushma Subramanian

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Bell tower logo designed by Bernadette D’Auria ‘22

Still, the report came to the consensus that “the blue light phone system, while not frequently used as intended for emergencies, is a valuable part of the safety apparatus of the university.” The reason behind this conclusion was that the presence of the phones made those on campus feel safer, regardless of whether they were being used or not.

The report included perspectives from UMW’s Department of Police and Public Safety, faculty and students. UMW Police Chief Michael Hall said that the new upgrades, such as boring and trenching, as well as purchasing the poles for the blue lights and the security systems mounted on top, will take some time and may cause potential delays to the final installation date.

“Largely what I wanted out of this report was a collaborative effort from faculty, staff and students with the police leading it,” said University President Troy Paino. “The report itself is an assessment on where we are with the blue lights as we are now in a very different world than when we originally installed it. There was some concern about their functionality and their working condition and the question was asked, ‘Do we invest?’”

He added that the school will be moving forward with the repairs and modernization plans that were suggested. The cost will likely be upwards of $400,000, he said, and the project will be funded through a one-time investment from the university’s reserves.

The committee only met for one evening to examine the blue lights in a pre-plotted route and did not have a follow-up meeting afterwards.

According to a 2021 report in Campus Safety Magazine, a publication aimed toward those in charge of safety at schools, most colleges in the United States have blue light systems; even if they’re not used, many people still prefer to have them, believing they might act as a deterrent against crime.

Per the U.S. Department of Justice’s Survey of Campus Law Enforcement, which collected data from 1995, 2004-2005 and 2011-2012, 100% of private schools that instruct over 15,000 students have a blue light phone system as well as 92% of all university campuses.

In addition to updates on blue lights, Hall acknowledged that newer technology is required to maximize student safety. For instance, one modernized addition to the blue light system is a camera mounted on the top of the pole that allows UMW Police and Public Safety access to see the location in case of an emergency.

The report also says there have been technological advances in regard to student safety, such as apps available on any phone.

Hall urged students to download the Rave Guardian app, which is available on

both Android and iPhone. The app lets users contact campus police and emergency services at any point, and it also provides features for its users that involve location-based tracking. For example, if someone walking across campus feels unsafe, they are able to begin a safety timer that allows other contacts to view their location for a given amount of time. The app can also disseminate important information through announcements, as well as giving the user the option to submit tips regarding domestic violence, bullying, disturbance, drugs and other situations of note.

“I encourage students very strongly to have it installed on their phone, as it’s essentially a blue light in their hand,” Hall said. “One button and you can have friends track you on it as well as a venue for important messages. If you’re in a situation where you cannot talk, you can text the dispatch center and it is a very valuable tool.”

However, while Hall has urged students to use the application for almost a decade, few have it on their phones, and many have never heard of it.

“I think the app itself would have good implications at party situations on a late night on the weekend,” said sophomore computer science major Jack Collier. “I would encourage them to continue developing a wider audience so that people in need will be able to access that feature on the app.

Personally, I haven’t heard of the app until today and relatively speaking, it sounds like a good idea for students to have.”

Faith Hattersley, a sophomore psychology major, agreed with Hall and Collier that the app could be useful based on the description, even though she didn’t have the app herself.

“Creating better accessibility to campus security through something online that’s easily connected to my phone is a great idea,” said Hattersley. “If the school would want to implement that in their security plan, they should not only advertise it but make sure campus security detail is comfortable quickly navigating the app and all its capabilities.”

Photography Editor Abbey Magnet

FROM BLUE LIGHT PAGE 1

An emergency blue light in front of Virginia Hall. Abbey Magnet / The Weekly Ringer

“Creating better accessibility to campus security through something online that’s easily connected to my phone is a great idea.”

-Faith Hattersley

TikTok ban threatens sense of community online

ShELBy GRAy hERzOG Staff Writer

Banning TikTok will harm content creators and users by removing a valuable platform for community-building.

TikTok, a widely popular social media app that gained popularity in 2018 when it was merged with Musical.ly, has become a competitor for other apps like Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat.

However, as of recently, President Joe Biden and Congress are making efforts to ban the app completely, citing concerns with the Chinese government obtaining information on users in the U.S. In response, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said, “The bottom line is this is American data on American soil by an American company overseen by American personnel” regarding safety concerns about consumer information.

Banning TikTok does more harm than good, especially because the concerns that U.S. politicians posed to Chew are not as dire or worrying as they were posed to be. According to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning, the U.S. had not proven that TikTok threatens national security.

Additionally, according to Time Magazine, “Chew compared the steps TikTok is taking—to protect both data security and the safety of young users—to the practices of other big tech companies. He described the measures TikTok takes to verify the age of its users and enforce restrictions for children and teens as industryleading.”

In spite of the political back-and-forth concerning the app, TikTok proves to be a hub of culture and community, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic when social media platforms were a major source of engagement.

Through making my videos, I felt seen and heard by those who I felt truly understood me. My first hit was a video that unintentionally went viral in December of 2020 and has continued to be influential in my personal life today. TikTok gave me a platform to be my authentic self and connect with followers and strangers who either could relate or genuinely enjoyed consuming my content.

“The majority of the content on there is not worth banning,” said senior psychology major Julia Mrotek.

Political and social leanings aside, this ban impacts more than just the average TikTok user. Creators who have a following and monetize their content would be harmed in more ways than one, stretching from inconvenience to returning to the job search. Although my personal following generated only a small amount of passive income at its peak of 50,000 followers, I found

that the community created in my comment section and from the curation of my followers ended up being of much greater importance.

The impact of banning this platform would be devastating for those who have come to find community and connection on the app.

Kayla Seal, a senior sociology major said, “It is not life threatening to me, but it is an escape from reality for a second as well. It’s something I enjoy that makes me laugh, and I spend a lot of time on it though. I have a feeling the conspiracy theories and accessibility to medical information and exposure of some systems is the actual reason they would want to ban it.”

As a non-traditional student—transferring to Mary Wash at the age of 25, knowing zero students or faculty members and commuting an hour to campus each way—I have had a difficult time making connections within the UMW community. Finally, I feel settled and comfortable in my relationships with fellow students who have become friends just in time for my graduation.

consume and produce content with the same authenticity and intimacy on other forms of social media.

The surge in discovery and careers taking off from TikTok has prompted many an influencer to make TikToking their full time jobs. Would this level of monetization be able to be achieved on other platforms? If so, would one’s followers or magnitude of following transfer over? Taking it to a generalized extreme—if the ban were to result in the destruction of influencer culture what could that mean going forward for the influencers of the world across all apps? Could the influencer culture die off just as quickly as it took off?

Overall, TikTok is my outlet, my safe space and most importantly an online community that should be freely and rightfully accessible.

Additionally, I was in a long distance relationship for half of my time as a UMW student, so I feel grateful that my followers carried me through periods when I lacked concrete personal connections in my day-to-day life and that were extremely mentally and emotionally isolating for me. Whether it was venting, posting my outfit of the day or speaking candidly to my audience of followers and viewers, I was able to feel a part of a community on TikTok, which was not something I was able to feel in my personal life at the time.

Setting aside influencer culture for a moment and considering those who rely on TikTok for a sense of community, purpose and relief from social isolation for various reasons, banning TikTok would do more harm than good. While turning to different apps would always remain an option, each and every one of my followers and commenters has helped me feel less alone not only in my varying experiences but in the world itself. I would not reach the same number of people nor have the ability to

Staff Ed: The Weekly Ringer welcomes new editorial board

As the end of the semester approaches, so does the end of our 2022–2023 editorial staff’s time with The Weekly Ringer. This year, we moved locations, finding a new home in the mansion on the corner of College Avenue and William Street, and we left our beloved Clubhouse, which proved to be a welcome change. Over these past 24 issues, it’s been a fantastic year for our publication, and we hope you’ve enjoyed reading our articles.

Per our longstanding newspaper tradition, the last issue of every year is entirely produced by our new editorial staff with guidance from our previous editors.

As we ring in this new era of editors, we sadly bid our graduating editors adieu, and we welcome our new editors with open arms.

So, join us in congratulating our graduating editors!

Editor-in-Chief: Jess Kirby

Associate Editor: Josephine Johnson

Business Editor: Erin Matuczinski

Life Editor: Josephine Good

Sports Editor: Emily Hemphill

Copy Editor: Grace Schumacher

And as we say goodbye to our graduating editors, we welcome our 2023–2024 editorial staff:

Editor-in-Chief: Norah Walsh

Associate Editors: Callie Harkins and Emma Brennan

News Editor: Ky Huynh

Life Editor: Charlie Li

Opinion Editor: Margaret Jackson

Sports Editor: Nick Werderman

Online Editor: Davy Washington

Photography editor: Abbey Magnet

Art Editor: Nellie Bittenbender

Shelby Gray Herzog has over 30,000 followers on TikTok. Shelby Gray Herzog / The Weekly Ringer

thE WEEkLy RINGER EDItORIAL B OARD

“TikTok is my outlet, my safe space and most importantly an online community that should be freely and rightfully accessible.”

-Shelby Gray Herzog

Personal essay: A thank you to The Weekly Ringer

JESS kIRBy Staff Writer

My first night of layout as editor-in-chief of UMW’s independent student newspaper was on April 28, 2021. It also happened to be my 20th birthday, which I took as a sign that it was meant to be.

I’m nearing my 22nd birthday now, my two years as editor-in-chief officially over. 48 issues and 384 pages later, there’s still so much more to be done.

As I’ve dedicated myself to reporting on the broken student conduct system, I’ve heard students’ stories of assaults they endured on campus and how they were retraumatized by the process of reporting it to the university. I’ve also heard professors’ stories of administrators brushing them off when they tried to stand up for their students. As a survivor myself, I carry these stories alongside my own, their weight a reminder of why I became a journalist in the first place.

As UMW’s only independent news publication, it’s The Weekly Ringer’s responsibility to keep bringing these issues to light and watch that administrators follow through when they promise change.

In my time on staff, I’ve also witnessed The Weekly Ringer decrease in size. In these last two years, our staff of editors and writers has gotten smaller, and so has the size of our print edition. But I believe this is a strength that allows us to focus more on quality reporting and working closely with the UMW community.

As a completely student-run newspaper, it’s The Weekly Ringer’s responsibility to engage with students by reporting on issues that are important to them, hosting events and expanding our presence on campus—all in the name of building trust.

While running the newspaper has not been without its challenges, I finish my time as editor-in-chief still hopeful. In these last two years, I’ve seen the powerful impact of investigative reporting. Back when we were just staff writers, Josie Johnson and I wrote a semester-long investigative piece about how Patriot Front, a white supremacist group, consistently spread its message by posting stickers on college campuses across the U.S.—including UMW—without retribution. We found that Patriot Front members are well-versed in avoiding legal trouble, and the First Amendment protects their message, despite its harm.

In the spring of 2022, I wrote about how UMW’s student conduct system had failed survivors of violent crimes on campus. The day after the article was published, University President Troy Paino called for an outside review of UMW’s student conduct system, the results of which were released this February. My reporting also pushed administrators to change the university’s student conduct process rights. While complainants now have eight rights with two more when the respondent is criminally charged, complainants previously only had three rights to respondents’ 12—a glaring imbalance for a system that is meant to be impartial and fair.

For the past year, I’ve been fighting for access to student conduct records involving violent crimes on our campus. Last spring, I submitted a Freedom of Information Act request for information about a case of physical assault perpetrated by one student against another in a dorm, which was adjudicated by UMW’s Office of Student Conduct and Responsibility. When the university denied my records request, I sought help from the Student Press Law Center, who connected me with a local pro bono lawyer to help argue my case. This fight is still ongoing, as the Virginia Freedom of Information Act’s scholastic records exemption is being applied too broadly, emboldening universities like UMW to deny requests like mine. This creates a dangerous barrier to reporting that affects student journalists across the state, impairing our ability to inform students about safety concerns on campus. An op-ed I’ve written on the subject will appear in the Richmond Times-Dispatch next week.

There are also numerous stories that I’ve handled as an editor. In the spring of 2021, we surveyed students and found that over half had cheated at least once since the switch to online learning during the pandemic. We’ve also reported on the university’s delayed

safety threat alerts, how Freedom of Information Act request fees are cost-prohibitive to student journalists and how a Speaking and Writing Center pay policy may be illegal. The newspaper itself has also transformed in my two years as editor-in-chief. In the fall of 2021, after hearing several concerns about the name of the newspaper, then The Blue & Gray Press, we put it to a vote and changed our name to The Weekly Ringer. I redesigned our website and print layout, reinventing the paper right before its centennial edition on Jan. 20, 2022. I hoped to make the newspaper known as an organization that students, staff, faculty and alumni could rely on, and I’ve watched our relationship with the UMW community strengthen since then.

In these two years, I’ve heard increasingly positive feedback from professors about the paper, I’ve seen more students and faculty read and submit articles, and I’ve heard The Blue & Gray Press fade out of people’s memories, The Weekly Ringer in its place. Journalism has a unique power that, when fully unleashed, gives voice to the voiceless, sheds light on important issues and creates meaningful change. As editors come and go, The Weekly Ringer’s work at UMW must continue. This requires not only dedication from future editors and writers, but also the UMW community’s trust and support of the paper as a valuable organization on campus.

As my time on the paper comes to an end, I can’t help but wish it wasn’t over—no matter what I did, I don’t think I’d ever be a hundred percent ready to leave. And though there were times when running the paper became so overwhelming I wished it would be issue 48 already, looking back, I wish I’d taken more pictures, written down more stories from our nights at layout and spent less of it terrified to make mistakes. But wherever the school goes from here, after I’ve graduated, I trust The Weekly Ringer will be there to report on it.

As I close out my final article with The Weekly Ringer, I’m beyond thankful to everyone who’s been in my corner—I couldn’t have done all of this without you.

To my friends, my family and my partner: Thank you for always supporting me when the work got hard, encouraging me to keep going and being there for me no matter what. I love you all!

To graduating editors of The Weekly Ringer: Thank you for being a part of this amazing staff with me, and for sticking with it through the good and the bad. I can’t wait to see what comes next for all of us!

To current and future editors and writers of The Weekly Ringer: Thank you for joining the paper. I challenge you to always ask the follow-up questions, to correct any errors—mistakes don’t make you a bad journalist—to build and maintain strong relationships with your sources, to watch that administrators follow through with their promises and, finally, to recognize that you are a journalist. If you’re ever apprehensive, just put on your journalist hat—you’ll be amazed at what you can do.

To Sushma, our adviser: Thank you for all the time spent editing my work, for providing advice and direction and for setting an example of what a journalist should be. I’m a much better journalist for knowing you.

To Norah, the incoming editor-in-chief: Thank you for all the late-night talks after layout, for helping me locate my spine and for being an amazing editor and friend. There’s no one else I’d rather leave the newspaper to.

To those who shared their experiences with me: Thank you for trusting me. The articles would not have been possible without you, and I hope I did your stories justice.

Jess Kirby, the editor-in-chief of The Weekly Ringer for two years.

Jess Kirby / The Weekly Ringer

Jess in front of the mansion, home of The Weekly Ringer. Abbey Magnet / The Weekly Ringer

Students weigh in on tuition challenges

DAVy WAShINGtON Online Editor

Only a few months after arriving in the United States, Aloysious Kabonge, a freshman majoring in computer science received a phone call that would leave him speechless and change the course of his college career: His sponsor in Uganda wouldn’t be able to support him anymore. His financial troubles added an immeasurable weight onto his shoulders, and culture shock and acclimating to a new environment were the least of his troubles when learning that he may not be able to continue his education at UMW. As a result, Kabonge was faced with the need to create a GoFundMe in order to continue his studies.

When asked about how this came about, he said his sponsor, one of his father’s friends, promised to pay his college tuition. Kabonge said, “When I came in here in the fall, about a month or two into the semester, she texts me and she’s like she’s unable to continue doing so.”

This change occurred after the money was stolen from her non-governmental organization, and family support also wasn’t an option for Kabonge. “None of this is coming from family support, because I come from a very humble and poor background,” said Kabonge. “My father is unemployed, my mother is unemployed. The only way that my family gets to survive in Uganda is that my father has a small farm in the home.” However, after receiving a few scholarships and working at the phone-a-thon, he was able to raise the money to pay his tuition for the fall semester.

Coming into the spring, however, Kabonge faced a whole new set of challenges because the scholarships he received in the fall were no longer available. This left him in need of another way to make ends meet, so Kabonge became a resident assistant in hopes of being able to use his $2,000 stipend to pay his tuition, but it wasn’t enough. Additionally, although he was also an orientation leader, he wouldn’t receive payment for that position until May, leaving him with the question of what to do next.

health, causing feelings of depression and trauma, he said. What is equally concerning is that he’s not alone; this is a problem multiple students have faced with the price of college tuition fluctuating.

Kendyl Kozich, a former UMW student, faced a similar issue last fall, as she needed to create a GoFundMe in order to come back to campus. “I felt this obligation to go to everything everywhere to take advantage of what I had while I was there,” she said. “So I took advantage of every opportunity. I went to like every event, and I tried to never miss a class. This is my last shot at being here. So I might as well make the most of it.”

Thinking that tomorrow could be your last day at the university you attend, or that you won’t be able to return the following semester adds an unnecessary level of stress and makes every experience unnecessarily fleeting.

Being a student in need is a familiar situation, as this past fall I made a GoFundMe to raise money to return to campus. It was a very last-minute decision since I was quickly running out of options for getting the funds together. I worked with the Office

years, but with no additional funding this year, it’s hard to close the gap without increases in tuition and fees,” said Executive Director of University Communications Amy Jessee. “However, a tuition increase would be the first area to be reconsidered, reduced, or removed from the plan, which also includes tapping into our reserve funds and factoring in budget cuts.”

To obtain the necessary funds to stay on campus, he created a GoFundMe campaign with a deadline of April 28. His goal was to raise $11,000 to cover the spring semester, and another $12,000 to pay for the upcoming fall.

Living with financial struggles during college creates a vastly different experience than those who are fortunate enough to not worry about paying for tuition.

“It’s an experience that puts you to the edge because you don’t know what to expect tomorrow,” said Kabonge. “You don’t know if you’re going to stay in school tomorrow. You don’t know if you will be able to get that college degree and be someone that you’re proud of or that your parents are proud of. There is more of fear, fear of the unknown, compared to someone who has everything in place.”

As a result of his financial struggles, the emotional toll from these experiences has affected Kabonge’s mental

of Financial Aid to look further into some options and was able to receive money from the Governor’s Emergency Education grant and CARES Act. However, those weren’t enough, and starting a GoFundMe was the only way that I could see myself able to return to campus.

The university responded to the concerns about the tuition increase and where funds were being allocated.

“Thanks to state support in recent years, we’ve effectively held tuition rates for in-state students flat for four

Jessee explained that the change in tuition is a result of several factors. “Additional funding is required for state-mandated compensation actions for faculty and staff; to cover inflationary cost increases impacting the cost of goods, materials and services, as well as state administrative system charges for financial, human resources and information technology services; and to maintain the quality of academics, student services, and campus experience our students and their families expect,” she said.

Aloysious Kabonge, a freshman computer science major, starts a GoFundMe for tuition.

Photo courtesy of Aloysious Kabonge

“It’s an experience that puts you to the edge because you don’t know what to expect tomorrow. You don’t know if you’re going to stay in school tomorrow.”

-Aloysious Kabonge

“I felt this obligation to go to everything everywhere to take advantage of what I had while I was there. So I took advantage of every opportunity.”

-Kendyl Kozich

Kendyl Kozich when she was a student at UMW.

Photo courtesy of Kendyl Kozich

Students share varying experiences modeling for UMW

where or how their photos would be used in the past.

“The way they phrased it though was kind of weird,” said Osborne of the conversation during his shoot. “They just said it was ‘pictures we might use,’ or something like that, and they ended up very well using it.”

proached her, asking to take her picture.

“Lady reaches out to me, she’s like, ‘Hey, I really like your shirt,’” Malangu said. “‘Can we take a few pictures of you?’ I was like, ‘Okay’ because in my head it’s like, ‘Okay, those pictures won’t go anywhere.’”

Several months after agreeing to pose for the pictures, Malangu started to get spotted. The first time she saw her picture was on the front page of the university website.

“I see my face and I literally just stopped, because, what’s going on?” Malangu said of her surprise.

In the following weeks, friends told her about her picture being up in Richmond International Airport and on a billboard off of Interstate 95.

Osborne isn’t the only student who was surprised by how widely viewed his pictures were. Anais Malangu, an alumna from the class of 2022, become a recognizable face after allowing her picture to be taken in the fall of 2021. This situation was different than Osborne’s though, as Malangu described in an interview on the UMW NAACP’s WeUMW Instagram series. She said her pictures were taken while she was studying in the Hurley Convergence Center by a woman who ap-

“I think it’s really interesting just to see how marketing works, but for me it’s also, is this the face that sells?” said Malangu.

When initially referred to take part in the photoshoot, Osborne thought his abilities in photo and video editing were the reason he was suggested. That turned out not to be the case, however, as he was asked to pose as a student model instead.

“I was a little peeved that my appearance is what was used,” he said. Both Osborne and Malangu are people of color.

“If a student no longer wants the University to use an image or series of images, the photos of the student are removed from the University Communications image library,” said Jessee. “If the photo is in current use, i.e. a publication or advertisement, it is removed in the next update or printing.”

Since students had to decide to opt-in and seek out this new photoshoot opportunity, some participants have thought

about what results they hope to see in the coming weeks and months.

“Mary Washington is my home and I want to be able to show the support and engagement that I have here,” said Marshall.

For students interested in participating in future photoshoots, there are typically two per year: one in the fall and one in the spring. Tentatively, the next one is slated for October.

Community gathers for PRISM’s Moment of Silence Vigil

EMILy RULE Staff Writer

On Friday, April 14, UMW PRISM hosted the club’s annual Moment of Silence Vigil on the national Day of Silence. This event is meant to bring awareness to and combat hatred against members of the LGBTQ community.

The Day of Silence started as a tradition in 1996 by University of Virginia students. In 2001, the Day of Silence was officially organized and sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Educational Network, who offered funding, staff and volunteers. Since then, it has become a national day of awareness that aims specifically to denounce the mistreatment and discrimination directed towards LGBTQ students, such as homophobia, transphobia, other sorts of hate crimes and bullying.

“The Day of Silence event is an event that spreads awareness and solidarity about the resistance to hate crimes and bullying,” said Logan Kurtz, a junior history major who attended the vigil. “During this event, students and staff group together to take a moment of silence. It is important to spread awareness, and to show that we are a school that does not stand for hate.”

UMW PRISM organizes an annual Moment of Silence Vigil to promote the values and objectives of the Day of Silence to the UMW campus community. At the vigil, LGBTQ students are given a platform where their voices can be heard and where they can highlight how they are targeted and silenced due to their LBGTQ identity.

“I was one of the speakers to the crowd of probably over a hundred people gathered for Day of Silence, I felt nervous, but also a sense of importance,” said Dawn Pfeifle, a PRISM executive board member and sophomore

women’s and gender studies major. “I spoke on the rise of trans hate recently.”

The Day of Silence seeks to shed light on the experiences, identities and voices of individuals who identify as LGBTQ that have been silenced. According to the Network, students who take part in the Day of Silence take a vow of silence during the school day in effort to draw attention to the silencing of LGBTQ people through discrimination, homophobia and other actions that negatively target them because of their identity.

“It brings awareness to queer voices,” said Pfeifle. “Often, we have been silenced, and this is a time to honor them. We have queer people speak to the crowd, as well as an open mic night for queer voices.”

Each year, UMW PRISM orders t-shirts in the colors of the rainbow and, once handed out, people were asked to wear them specifically for the Day of Silence and the vigil that PRISM organizes.

“The ‘Breaking the Silence’ portion of the day follows the vigil and is an open mic event that allows for queer voices to be heard by inviting anyone to sing, read poetry, spoken word or anything of the sort,” said Samuel Christensen, a junior environmental science major and club president of PRISM.

The Day of Silence began as a class project on nonviolent protests. According to GSAFE, the first year the event was held, 150 students participated. Today, the Day of Silence reaches hundreds of thousands of students across the nation.

“It’s so important that people come to this event, no matter what your sexuality or gender is, to show support to the current lgbtq students on campus and to recognize the lgbtq people in generations past who have fought so

hard for us to even get to the point where we could have this event,” said Syd Tadlock, a sophomore music and education double major.

According to the American Civil Liberties Union, there have been more than 400 pieces of anti-LGBTQ legislation proposed this year across the country.

“It is now more important than ever to defend queer voices and denounce their erasure, mostly especially for trans people, as hundreds of anti-trans bills have recently been introduced in state legislations,” said Christensen. “Through the Stonewall Riots, the AIDS crisis, and the contentious age we live in today, queer people have always existed, will always exist and always find a way to be heard.”

Eli Osborne on the front page of the UMW website.

University of Mary Washington

Students, staff and faculty gather around the Monroe Fountain during PRISM’s Moment of Silence Vigil. Abbey Magnet / The Weekly Ringer

“I was a little peeved that my appearance is what was used.”

-Eli Osborne

Paino discusses potential tuition increase and university budget challenges during presentation

SAMANthA BERtSCh Staff Writer

On Feb. 7, students received an email stating that tuition and fees may increase anywhere from 0% to 5% in the upcoming year. This potential tuition raise has alarmed some students, spurring various events across campus that aim to provide students with a better understanding of the factors that contribute to the potential increase.

“UMW’s five-year annual growth rate for in-state undergraduate tuition is 1.5% from fiscal year 2018 to fiscal year 2023,” Executive Director of University Communications Amy Jessee said. She explained that this number pertains to the price of tuition and with the auxiliary fee, housing and dining included, the increase is actually 3.9%.

During a tuition forum hosted by the UMW Student Government Association on April 10, University President Troy Paino gave a brief presentation on the current operating budget of $140 million a year. In summary, UMW has two major sources of funding: 41% comes from students and 35% from the state. The money goes towards “education and general” expenses, which include paying faculty and administration as well as funding the library and “auxiliary” expenses, which includes housing, dining, the Talley Center, student clubs, athletics and other related fields.

Administration will be implementing budget cuts, aiming to lower the budget by $3 million. Thus far they have saved $1 million from retiring faculty, according to Paino.

“The biggest chunk of our budget is in personnel, and no we are not looking at layoffs, but we did do an early retirement incentive for faculty,” said Paino.

For the other $2 million, the administration is looking at job vacancies that could be closed and eliminated from the budget. “We try to avoid layoffs at all costs,” said Paino.

Some students expressed confusion about a potential tuition increase, as campus will soon be under construction, and UMW was just endowed $30 million from a late alumna.

“The university just received a large donation from an alum to the tune of 30 million USD,” said senior studio art major Olivia Breda. “To directly hike tuition after that feels disingenuous, and is something that will likely cause a detriment to the future of this school’s student body diversification.”

The $30 million donation was given specifically to provide research opportunities within science, technology, engineering and math fields.

Additionally, according to Paino, upcoming construction on Melchers, Dupont and Pollard Halls, as well as the construction of a new theatre building is fully funded by the state.

Concerning the budget, Paino explained that this year has been particularly difficult due to inflation. For example, the University leases spaces and within those agreements are built-in cost escalators.

“Last year, the General Assembly and the governor approved a two-year budget with a 5% increase for employees both from last year and for this year, so we had to cover a 5% pay raise for our employees last year and there’s another one slotted to begin July 1,” said Paino, who is in favor of the raise for employees, citing the rising cost of living in Fredericksburg.

According to Paino, administration was expecting around $2.5 million in operating dollars if the General Assembly came together. Administration hopes to make up for the deficit with budget cuts, tuition fee increase and state funding.

Currently, UMW is in a holding pattern, and the budget will be built on the assumption the university will receive no additional funding from the state.

Some students are hopeful that the tuition will not be increased.

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Editor

This will increase costs by $3.3 million as it pertains to education and general expenses.

Another $2.1 million in the budget went to housing and admissions that were affected by COVID-19 and around $1 million that was taken out of the school’s reserve, which is the University’s savings account for disaster situations. With some state funding, this puts UMW at a $6.5 million deficit starting this upcoming fiscal year.

“Unfortunately, if you have been following the news here in the commonwealth, they have not done that. There’s a big gap, big disagreement,” said Paino. “Governor Youngkin proposed tax cuts, reduction on the tax rate for the wealthiest category of taxpayers and corporate tax reduction, and that created about a billion dollar difference between the House budget and the Senate budget.”

Paino went on to explain that since the Senate is controlled by Democrats and the House is controlled by the Republicans, along with it being an election year, this has created a problem in funding higher education.

“We are kind of caught in the middle of that political reality here in Virginia right now,” he said.

Extortion for Money

On April 17 at 7:21 p.m. there was there was an incident of extortion for money at Eagle Landing. This case is pending.

“College is already expensive, often prohibitively so. By increasing tuition, you’re locking many people out of higher education,” said senior studio art major Ella Schultz.

Senior English and studio art double major Emma Bower said, “They might think that we don’t know what we’re talking about but the more money they hike tuition, the smaller the freshman classes are going to get. Then where are we going to be?”

The Board of Visitors will hold off on deciding tuition and fee costs for a few weeks while waiting for the state to respond.

“If we get money from the state the first thing we are going to reduce, in terms of solution, is tuition and fees increase,” said Paino.

Destruction of Property

On April 16, there was a case of destruction of property

This case is pending.

Students watch University President Troy Paino as he presents at the SGA Budget and Fee Setting Forum. Abbey Magnet / The Weekly Ringer

“If we get money from the state the first thing we are going to reduce, in terms of solution, is tuition and fees increase.”

-Troy Paino

Jordan Carpenter scores spot on All-State Team

NICk WERDERMAN Sports Editor

On Tuesday, April 17, UMW junior computer science major Jordan Carpenter was named to the Virginia Sports Information Directors College Division Women’s Basketball All-State Team. She is UMW’s most recent All-American nominated by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association since Brianne Comden won the award in 2017.

Carpenter has been a force to reckon with on UMW’s basketball team, helping take the team to the sectional semifinals of the NCAA tournament this year, averaging 15 points and 8.5 rebounds in the game. Her hard work also got her recognized in the national rankings this year with a high free throw percentage of 58.25%. Her seasonal average

offensive rebound per game is 4.3%, higher than other players

In the 2022–2023 season alone, Carpenter managed to drop double figure points in 22 games, reach a career high of 30 points in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference championship game and secure 11 double doubles, which are when a player accumulates a double-digit total in two of five categories—points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots—in a single game.

The Weekly Ringer spoke with Carpenter to get her perspective on the award and her background in basketball.

What did it mean to get this award? What work did you put in to earn it?

Jordan Carpenter: “This award meant a lot as I think it signifies a cap to a fantastic season. If I’m being honest I thought all of the awards and accolades were done – so, this was another surprise for sure. I can’t say anything without giving credit to my team for pushing me to be the best player that I can be. We work hard every day and it pays off and will continue to pay off. It’s an honor to be considered for such an award – really it’s an honor to be considered for all of the awards I have received this season, so I am extremely grateful and humbled. At the end of the day, basketball is a team sport, so I can’t thank my coaches and teammates enough really.”

“My team really pushed me to the place I wanted to be coming down the stretch. From

the summer time, to pre-season, to getting into games – our work never stopped. We never stopped trying to learn, grow, and become better players. Personally, in the summer, I took a lot of time to not only work on my game, but my strength, versatility, and speed. I think that really came in handy as we started getting into the longer parts of the season. As a result of all of this, I’ve been able to see the hard work pay off at the close of the season.”

Tell me all about your experiences on the UMW team.

JC: “The UMW women’s basketball team is my family here on campus. Everyone is so close and supportive of each other from day 1, so you can’t help but draw together. That played a major part in our success down the stretch in the season, because we just started playing for one another more than anything.”

What inspired you to join basketball?

JC: “I’ve always loved basketball since I was a little kid. My parents signed me up for different leagues, camps and teams just to provide the best experience for me. As a result, I started working really hard the summer before my 9th grade year to get better. It paid off by providing me with the opportunity to play on full scholarship at a variety of universities—although, UMW was special. The campus, staff, coaches, atmosphere exceeded my expectations and eventually led to my decision.”

Lady Eagles spike their last spring scrimmage

On Friday, April 14, the UMW volleyball team faced off against one another in an intrasquad scrimmage.

Head Coach Alex Hinsey, who has been with the team since 2019, stood atop the referee stand, whistle in hand. Below him, the Lady Eagles were evenly split between the two assistant coaches: Tenley Hares, who led the white team, and Bob Hott coaching the navy team.

University of Mary Washington Spring Sports Schedule

NICk

Outdoor Track and Field

May 6 Coast–to-Coast Athletic Conference Championship

May 7 Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Championship

Women’s Lacrosse (9–7)

April 15 L vs. Salisbury (4–14)

April 22 vs. Chris. Newport

Men’s Lacrosse (6–7)

April 22 @ Chris. Newport

April 26 @ St. Mary’s

April 29 @ Salisbury

Women’s Tennis (7–9)

April 12 W @ Salisbury (9–0)

April 15 L @ Johns hopkins (2–7)

April 19 @ Washington & Lee

April 29 @ Newport News, Va.

April 30 @ Newport News, Va.

During the match, the three managers helped out in different capacities. Mary Quick, an undecided sophomore, perused the edges of the court to get some action shots with her camera. Meanwhile, Emma Corujo, a sophomore elementary education major, controlled the electronic scoreboard and timer. Freshman Makayla Bowman joined Hinsey as the second referee on the

opposite side of the net.

In the end, the navy team came out on top with a 3–1 set lead. Their consistent defense and aggressive serving assisted their victory. The white team held their own, however, only trailing a few points behind navy in each of the sets they lost.

“We are in such a good place,” said Hinsey to his players following the scrimmage. “From that standpoint, I am beyond proud of the play you all showed today.”

With standout defensive play by freshman Maura Munson and junior psychology major Jordan Lyons on the white team, the navy team struggled offensively to avoid the duo in the back row. Looking toward the front row, junior psychology major Emma Hadley had a stellar blocking game, putting up a wall in front of the white team’s hitters. Both sophomore setters Lauren Foley, a biology major, and Brenna Campbell, undecided, whizzed across the court, switching up their sets in order to thoroughly confuse their opponent’s blockers.

This scrimmage marked senior business administration major Krista Rodgers’ last time playing in a UMW jersey. With her standout performance last season, Rodgers received the honors of Coast-to-Coast All Tournament Team in addition to C2C Offensive Player of the Week. Though her

Men’s Tennis (7–7)

April 12 W vs. Salisbury (7–2)

April 15 L @ Swathmore (2–7)

April 19 W @ Shenandoah (9–0)

April 22 @ John hopkins

Softball (18–5)

April 19 L @ Southern Virginia (2–4)

April 21 @ Chris. Newport

May 2 @ Mary Baldwin

Baseball (25-10)

April 13 W @ Eastern Mennonite (14–4)

April 20 @ Randolph-Macon

April 22 @ Chris. Newport

Men’s Rugby (4–7)

presence on the court will be missed, as she is the only graduating senior, the team will have many returning players in the fall.

The navy versus white scrimmage marked the end of the Lady Eagles’ spring season where the team has been hard at work, training and lifting in preparation for the upcoming fall 2023 season.

Hinsey is looking forward to the upcoming fall season. “It’s going to be a great, competitive season,” he said.

April 22 vs DE @ Serga Field

Games are available to watch via livestream on the UMW Athletics webpage.

-

Full schedule not listed above. Most recent games included. Bold indicates home game.

WERDERMAN Sports Editor

Jordan Carpenter scores a free throw. Her free throw percentage. is 69.4%. UMW Athletics

NICk WERDERMAN Sports Editor

Jenkins spikes the ball. Photo courtesy of Mary Quick

“We are in such a good place. From that standpoint, I am beyond proud of the play you all showed today.”

-Alex Hinsey