The Weekly Ringer

Lock-out fee implemented

YaMILa MERIda Staff Writer

On Oct. 11, UMW implemented a new policy where students who need a Resident Assistant to unlock their rooms on campus will be charged a $10 lock-out fee on their student account. Students have one free lock-out service per semester but will be charged $10 for each additional one.

The Office of Residence Life and Housing sent an email on Sept. 29 informing students about the new policy. The department states in its email that the policy was created “to help alleviate the number of calls received and the impact they have on limited staff resources.”

However, if the lockout is caused by something out of the student’s control, like a broken lock, they will not be charged.

Senior Resident Assistant and sociology and pre-law double major, Aakrista Rupakheti, said that this type of fee is not uncommon.

UMW ranks No. 11 nationally among public liberal arts colleges in new report

“I think $10 is a reasonable fee. I know other schools that charge $30 or $60,” she said. “The reason why students are charged is that as an RA you can get called at any time in the early morning to handle lock-outs, and it’s kind of unfair.”

The 2022-23 Student Handbook states that “Students are expected to carry their room keys and Eagle One IDs at all times” but should contact Residence Life and Housing or the RA on duty phone if they are locked out.

In the past, students have not been charged a fee for being locked out and would either let their RA or the RA on duty know they have been locked out.

TERESa GUzMaN Staff Writer

This August, the U.S. News & World Report ranked the University of Mary Washington No. 11 in “Best Colleges” among public liberal arts colleges and No. 149 nationally among liberal art colleges, including private schools, for 2023.

“Coming in 11th among public liberal arts colleges and 149th among national liberal arts colleges is a very strong first year in this category,” said Executive Director of University Communications Amy Jessee.

The report operates on 10 distinct overall rankings where colleges and universities are organized by academic mission. Of the 10 rankings, there are 17 academic qualities that determine the official ranking.

“Many hallmarks of a Mary

Opinion | 3

Washington education factor into this ranking, including graduation and retention rates, social mobility, class sizes, faculty degrees, student selectivity, financial resources, and alumni giving, and may contribute to advancement in this ranking in future years,” said Jessee.

Sophomore conservation biology major Eliana Ramirez was pleased with UMW’s ranking among public liberal arts colleges.

“Out of a lot of the colleges in the country, I feel like that’s a good place out of the public schools,” she said. “I thought we’d place a little higher because we offer so much.”

Sophomore Jessica Oberlies, an environmental science major, believes the campus community is a major factor in this new ranking.

“It’s really great to hear,” she said.

Life

“Over the past year and a half I’ve seen that UMW has improved a lot in different aspects of student life, academics, and other factors. I am really excited to see this ranking and it is very representative of how good of a community we have at this school.”

The ranking changed in early 2022 when Carnegie Classifications, the framework for classifying colleges and universities across the nation, received a request from UMW to be recategorized among baccalaureate liberal arts and sciences institutions rather than regional universities in the South. This edition of the U.S. News & World Report was the first time UMW was categorized as a national liberal arts school.

As well as being ranked No. 149 and No. 11, UMW’s nursing program

grading has changed this semester.

True crime media is becoming problematic.

day in the life of a service dog in training.

basketball

hoopin’ for

good season.

“The reason why students are charged is that as an RA you can get called at any time in the early morning to handle lock-outs, and it’s kind of unfair.”

-Aakrista Rupakheti

There were 17 academic qualities that determined the ranking of UMW in the report.

Sarah Sklar / The Weekly Ringer

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The Editor-in-Chief Jess Kirby

New midterm grading policy goes into effect, giving all students progress reports

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Bell tower logo designed by Bernadette d’auria ‘22

Beginning this semester, professors are required to submit midterm grades for each student, regardless of their performance in the class. Rather than a typical letter grade, these grades appear in Banner as an S (satisfactory), U (unsatisfactory) or N (never attended).

“This [system] was implemented to give students and advisors a better picture of the student’s progress to-date in their current courses,” said Wes Hillyard, director of Academic Services. “It will allow students to make informed decisions regarding individual course withdrawal and potentially, planning for future courses in the subsequent semester.”

Previously, professors were only required to notify students if they were performing unsatisfactorily in a class.

On Oct. 14, students received an email from Registrar Rita Dunston, informing them that their midterm grades were available to view. Students can view their grades by logging into Banner, selecting Student and Financial Aid, then going to My Student Profile and View Grades.

“The purpose of the midsemester grade is to serve as a reality check of your academic performance midway through this semester,” the email said. “The grades are not reported on your permanent record and are not indicative of the grade you

will earn for the entire course.”

Dunston also informed students that they should reach out to any professors who did not upload grades in order to check on their progress in the class.

Hillyard believes this new system will be helpful for students and advisors in creating academic goals and plans going forward.

“This is very important for students who need to successfully complete courses to progress in majors, improve their GPA, and plan for degree completion,” he said. “The more information we can get into the hands of students and advisors, the better equipped we are to help our students maintain academic progression towards degree completion.”

Many students and professors have found this new policy to be beneficial.

“Since the grade does not actually impact our transcripts or overall grade, I think it’s a great way to see which classes we might need to work a little extra in,” said junior environmental science major Faith Jones. “As an athlete, we’ve already gotten mid semester grades and I’ve always found them as a helpful check in, especially when I have professors who don’t update Canvas with grades frequently, so I’m glad it’s being implemented for all students.”

On the other hand, some professors have noted that while helpful, this system subtly

takes away accountability.

“Midterm grading is a convenient and nice thing to do for students,” said economics professor Shawn Humphrey. “However, every time we professors do something for you that you should already be doing or learn how to do for yourself, in this case keeping track of your grades, we erode your agency. Our culture and society keeps telling you to grow up but then we take away opportunities for you to do just that. It is a bit insidious, all in the name of convenience.”

Some students also feel that the new policy may be discouraging and unhelpful, especially for those who are just transitioning into college.

“If the goal is to rehabilitate and give perspective to those struggling, I think that there are a lot of better ways to do that aside from categorizing people into either being ‘satisfactory’ or ‘unsatisfactory,’” said freshman Joey Gasink.

Students last semester would only get notified if they had received an unsatisfactory grade.

Alexis Brown / Unsplash

Students and professors have mixed reactions about the new grading policies. Sergey Zolkin / Unsplash

“If the goal is to rehabilitate and give perspective to those struggling, I think that there are a lot of better ways to do that aside from categorizing people into either being ‘satisfactory’ or ‘unsatisfactory.’”

-Joey Gasink

“Since the grade does not actually impact our transcripts or overall grade, I think it’s a great way to see which classes we might need to work a little extra in.”

-Faith Jones

NaTHaLIE LUCIaNO Staff Writer

On Sept. 21, Netflix aired their limited series called “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” which joined the array of television shows and movies under the true crime subgenre already on the streaming service. After the show aired, some viewers—including the sister of one of Dahmer’s victims—immediately criticized the show, and rightfully so.

The true crime genre has received condemnation for the insensitive nature of the recollection and production of these traumatic events that get turned into entertainment for the masses. Using attractive, celebrity actors to portray serial killers makes them overly palatable, leading to infatuation on social media and further harm to the victims’ loved ones.

For “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” Netflix chose to cast Evan Peters, who is known for his work in the popular television series “American Horror Story.” Prior to this show, Peters had already garnered the internet’s infatuation as a heartthrob. His casting further explains how problematic these shows are, for they depict attractive and sought-after male celebrities as demented characters—a mistake that Netflix also made previously by casting teenage heartthrob Zac Efron to play serial killer Ted Bundy in another documentary: “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile.”

Because Netflix and other streaming networks cast attractive individuals for these roles and play to their “good looks” to portray a killer, we will remember names like Bundy and Dahmer, but how many of us will remember the names of their victims?

The foundational flaw of “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile” was the source material they based their project on Ted Bundy on. Instead of creating a respectable scope that based Bundy’s deeds through victims’ accounts, the writers for the show were inspired by “The Phantom Prince: My Life With Ted Bundy,” a memoir that was written by Elizabeth Kloepfer, a long-time girlfriend of Bundy. As a result, the docuseries was enveloped by an implicit bias, for Kloepfer’s memoir mainly covers the unraveling of their intimate relationship. This completely moves the focus away from his crimes and onto a story about a turbulent, romantic relationship whose ultimate end was Bundy’s “surprising” arrest.

This tragedy-turned-entertainment is also fomented online, especially on various social media platforms like TikTok. There are over one billion views under the hashtag “murdertok,” and many of the videos function as a social media whodunnit that hooks the user with cliffhangers and ominous sounds to set the tone for the story. This fantasizes traumatic events with the detachable nature of fiction, thus detaching the viewer from what they are watching. As a result, these videos romanticize the killer and their actions.

Opinion

There are also videos that emphasize the attractiveness of serial killers and suggest that, due to their appearance, they were seemingly more trustworthy to their victims and therefore made their acts easier to commit. Some creators even went as far as to share their favorite murderers and highlight their facial and bodily attributes as their redeeming features, seemingly forgiving them because they were so attractive.

One such case was the Menendez brothers, who were sentenced to life in prison after killing their parents on Aug. 20, 1989. There are many TikToks that compile various “cute” and “sassy” moments the brothers had during their trial proceedings and others that relate Erik Menendez to being “the most attractive murderer in the world.”

HuffPost writer Zeba Blay suggests that these portrayals create a narrative that they are able to get away with their “unimaginably cruel acts for so long because [they were] exceedingly charming, clever and disarmingly handsome.” This is further emphasized when streaming networks cast individuals that exhibit such qualities, encouraging the popular infatuation the public has cultivated with these murderers.

Shows like these can also be extremely harmful to victims’ families. Iman Gatti, a grief recovery specialist who witnessed the traumatic event of her mother being killed by her own father, said, “Imagine the absolute worst torment that could ever happen to you being turned into entertainment for your friends and colleagues to watch with their favorite party snacks and then chat about, around the watercooler at work the next day.”

Rita Isabell, the sister of Errol Lindsey, one of Dahmer’s victims, described how the show has impacted her in a conversation with Insider.

“I was never contacted about the show,” Isabell said.

“I feel like Netflix should’ve asked if we mind or how we felt about making it. They didn’t ask me anything. They just did it.”

When Isabell saw a portion of the show, naturally she was bothered to find an actress dressed just like her, her hair done the same way, giving the exact same impact statement she made verbatim when Dahmer went to trial. Isabell said, “That’s why it felt like reliving it all over again. It brought back all the emotions I was feeling back then.” Isabell’s comments further illustrate the blatant disregard the network demonstrated toward Isabell, her family and the families of other victims.

In addition to the lack of regard for those close to the

victims, a major cost of making a murderer into a pop culture figurehead is the separation from their acts and the glorification of their name. Because Netflix and other streaming networks cast attractive individuals for these roles and play to their “good looks” to portray a killer, we will remember names like Bundy and Dahmer, but how many of us will remember the names of their victims?

The problematic nature of true crime: Celebrity actors make serial killers too palatable for the public

Zac Efron as Ted Bundy in Netflix’s “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile.”

@zacefron / Instagram

HuffPost writer Zeba Blay suggests that these portrayals create a narrative that they are able to get away with their “unimaginably cruel acts for so long because [they were] exceedingly charming, clever and disarmingly handsome.”

Life

Photo essay: A day in the life of a service dog in training

LaUREN aLBERT Staff Writer

Enzo is my 7-month-old husky German shepherd mix, who is in training to be my service dog but is still very much a puppy. Aside from me going to work and attending classes in person, we spend all day together, so here is a glimpse of what a typical Friday looks like for us.

Our morning began at 6 a.m. when I took him out for his first walk of the day. We walked for about an hour, in a desperate attempt to tire him out so that I could get some homework done this morning.

After our walk, I fed Enzo breakfast and then prepared a puzzle toy for him. Puzzle toys are designed to enrich dogs’ thinking because they require the dog to solve a puzzle in order to get treats. Enzo and I especially favor these types of toys, as they help with his processing skills for training, and the mental enrichment usually tires him out! He enjoyed his puzzle toy while I tidied up my apartment and got organized for the day.

After we came home from Dunkin’, Enzo sniffed my coffee as I watched a documentary for one of my sociology classes. I told him he doesn’t need to sniff it, but clearly he disagreed.

Usually, I take Enzo to the dog park at least once a day so that he can run off-leash to burn up some energy and have “dog time.” “Dog time” refers to a time when he knows he is not working and is free to play with other dogs. Unfortunately for us, the dog park was closed this morning due to rain, so we decided to go to PetSmart for some more training and socializing.

Towards the end of our walk, we practiced an automatic sit. The name is fairly self-explanatory; it requires Enzo to automatically sit whenever I stop walking. This is one of the most common commands that service dog owners and handlers teach during puppyhood, and it’s an extremely important skill to have because it is how he should behave in public— consider stopping in the supermarket while looking for an item or stopping at a crosswalk before going down a busy street. A service dog should know to stop when their owner stops, since their purpose is to be with them during whatever task, not just when they need active assistance. He did very well, and I stepped out to capture a picture of him.

After Enzo finished his puzzle and I got ready for the day, we headed to Dunkin’ Donuts for coffee. Enzo has a seatbelt that he wears in the car, which clips to his vest rather than a collar to prevent neck injuries in the event of a collision. It’s also helpful in keeping him aware that he does not need to try and climb up and see me while I am driving.

Lauren Albert / The Weekly Ringer

Lauren Albert / The Weekly Ringer

Lauren Albert / The Weekly Ringer

Lauren Albert / The Weekly Ringer

Lauren Albert / The Weekly Ringer

Safety first! Here’s Enzo on the way to PetSmart demonstrating how his doggy seatbelt is clipped to his vest.

Lauren Albert / The Weekly Ringer

Practicing a 50-foot seated stay while customers walk around us.

Oftentimes, people will see me training in public and offer to get out of the way because they don’t want to distract Enzo. However, I readily welcome these distractions, as they are an important part of his public access training. He needs to be able to have people walk by him without reacting.

Enzo’s favorite section of the pet store is the fish aisle, so as a reward for his hard work we stopped by to say hello. He really enjoys watching them swim, although the PetSmart employees may not enjoy the nose prints he leaves on the glass.

After we came back home, we went on another walk.

Enzo and I usually walk seven to twelve miles together every day, which we usually break up into two- or threehour walks. He is a very active mix of two working breeds, so he enjoys the exercise and the structure.

People often ask me how I have a husky mix living in my apartment without destroying it, and my answer is very simple: I train and exercise him a LOT!

After our walk, I rewarded Enzo with a braided bone I bought from the pet store. The bone is a prize for his hard work and also something to keep him busy while I finish up some homework.

I have a job working as a waitress, so Enzo is kept in his crate while I work. His dog walker is out of town for the weekend, so to prevent him from being in the crate for the duration of my nine-hour shift, I decided to take him to my mom’s house. My mom loves playing “grandma” and spoiling him, and he loves playing with her dogs, so it is a positive situation all around. Additionally, Enzo did not get his “dog time” at the park today since it was closed, so I felt some relief that he could spend some time with my mom’s dogs.

Having a service dog in training can be tricky to balance work time and playtime. While I intentionally got Enzo to be my service dog prospect, I am also very aware that he is still a puppy and he needs time to be treated as such. Our day today was a pretty even balance of work and play; he spent the first half of the day with me working on training and got to spend the later half of the day just relaxing and being a dog.

This is Enzo practicing a down stay in close range while I do some shopping for his sister—my cat— Sephora. Typically, this is done with him directly by my side so that he’s not in the way of other shoppers, but I had to step back in order to capture the photo. Ideally, he would be lying parallel to my feet.

All smiles on our walk! I removed his vest and swapped his leash so he would know that I don’t expect him to be working during this walk.

I live in a neighborhood with lots of children, so I usually do not have his vest on during walks. His vest—like most service dogs’ gear—says “DO NOT PET,” and I don’t want to discourage the children in my neighborhood from asking to say hello when he’s not working. Enzo loves kids, and he needs to be aware of them for his public access training. As long as they ask to pet him, I will always say yes, and he will always happily accept the attention.

A bonus photo of Enzo enjoying his “dog time.”

Lauren Albert / The Weekly Ringer

Lauren Albert / The Weekly Ringer

Lauren Albert / The Weekly Ringer

Lauren Albert / The Weekly Ringer

Lauren Albert / The Weekly Ringer

Lauren Albert / The Weekly Ringer

Album Review: Louis Cole’s “Quality Over Opinion”

ELI KEITH Senior Writer

On Friday, Oct. 14, American multi-instrumentalist Louis Cole released “Quality Over Opinion,” his sixth studio album.

As the name suggests, Cole’s focus for this album is unapologetically and intensely orchestrated. In the biography on his Spotify artist page, Cole claims “people describe his sound as searing,” and this, for better or for worse, is true.

“I would like to use every shred of spirit I have in this life and every other, too hard on myself,” Cole says in the opening and titular song for the album. “Song” is a term used loosely here, as all the lyrics are hurriedly spoken as unnerving strings fade in and out. While this song functions as the introduction to the real meat of Cole’s project, and perhaps adequately sets the tone for what is to come, it is not a pleasant track. The question, then, is whether Cole cares about that or not—the album title sure claims he doesn’t.

You have to respect Cole’s approach to his music. As he told Kitty Richardson for her 2019 article for The Line of Best Fit, he “never [tries] to make [his] music more accessible to anyone,” which is a fact made ever-more daunting as the scope of Cole’s talents become apparent. He comes from a musical family and has been playing drums, keyboard, guitar and bass, as well as singing, for the majority of his life. It is from this background that listeners can begin to theorize what kind of quality Cole is pursuing.

“Dead Inside Shuffle” and “Not Needed Anymore” are the second and third songs on the album, respectively, and they are certainly much more enjoyable than the introductory tune. Furthermore, Cole is a titillating dancer, as can be seen in the music video for “I’m Tight,” and he clearly has that in mind when creating his music. When “I’m Tight” was released as a single prior to the album drop, he successfully infused danceable beats and catchy rhythms, making us listeners want to dance along with him.

Cole’s shortcomings on this album are well documented in the song “Shallow Laughter.” It would be acceptable if songs such as this one were simply diversions from the jazz-pop style of the previous songs, but “Shallow Laughter” never fully develops. Cole’s high pitched wavering and shimmering like distant sirens may be tempting or superficially beautiful, but it merely stirs up unease, never fully realizing neither a satisfying melody nor a beat.

for; it loses ground in its sharp turns that result more in discombobulation than artistic juxtaposition.

Cole’s failure to fit these songs into a single home in which they belong is at its most egregious with “Failing in a Cool Way” and “Disappear.” Both songs are delectably indulgent, yet in such different ways that one questions what Cole’s vision for the album as a unit of art is. Historically, albums are considered successful when their songs collectively achieve a theme or message that can speak for the entire album, but Cole’s is a sporadic presentation that pits some of the most agreeable music against tracks with the most stylistically unusual and polarizing assemblies.

The immensely danceable and seven-minute feast “I’m Tight” comes at the nearhalfway point of the album, followed pleasantly by “True Love,” which defines the titular phenomenon as “messed up especially when you feel it all the way.” The song itself has a dreamy feeling that elicits the feeling of sparkling yet dwindling love. Like a pool being sucked away by the sun, it creates an image both beautiful and sad.

Of course, we know this album well enough by now to expect a funky electronic beat right off the heels of that heartbreaker. “Planet X” is as alien as the name suggests, and while I say with confidence that this album fails in any effort towards cohesion, “Planet X” stands as one of many impressive individual acts; perhaps when it comes to “Quality Over Opinion,” the bar for success lies more in each song’s individual contribution to the diverse whole.

Two shorter songs, “Let Me Snack” and “Forgetting,” come and go inconsequentially, neither notably bad nor notably good. Multiple listens of this album have led me to conclude that this may be a good one to shuffle due to its wide range of types of songs, and these two can be fruitful for such endeavors.

Cole asks his addressee to “Park Your Car On My Face” in one of his characteristically sexual songs; this one is particularly packed with innuendo. Next comes the tame and forgettable “Don’t Care,” followed by more R&B-infused “Laughing in Her Sleep,” which incorporates smoothly layered and separately recorded harmonies by Cole himself. “Outer Moat Behavior” once again ramps up the pace in a short burst of a song that shifts away from the more methodical and sung tunes, but it functions almost as an interlude, and—at under two minutes in length—it can also be seen as a bridge for the entire album, transitioning into the final act.

“Bitches” is the fifth song on the album, grinding out of speakers and insisting on the unapologetic nature of Cole’s latest music through nonstop drums and electronic mixing accompanied by a wild saxophone. Cole’s moments of redemption—if indeed he needs redeeming—are well timed in examples such as “Message,” the sixth song on the album, which is a gentle and slower revelation of brooding emotion that listeners do not get until this moment. “I let it happen, let it be, with pain secretly, just another little mystery,” Cole sings softly. This album is as emotionally variable as one could hope

“When” and “Let it Happen” take up eleven of the final thirteen minutes of the album, and these two songs truly are an ascent out of the beat-and-grind jarring nature of some of the album’s earlier material. Those songs aren’t necessarily worse… but they are if you ask me. Truthfully, I say that only because Cole’s talents are most enjoyable in his orchestral and galactically decorated songs that feature his delicate voice in complement with his terrific instrumentation. The instrumental “Little Piano Thing,” which finishes the album, reveals the depth into which Cole could explore this softer side of his music, but I wonder if he will ever aim to. As an artist whose goal is to never alter his music for the sake of his audience’s listening pleasure, Cole’s fans will have to settle for preparing themselves for whatever avenue—or alley—he takes them down next.

Louis Cole is a musician with an eclectic sense of music.

@louiscolemusic / Instagram

“Quality Over Opinion” is Louis Cole’s sixth album.

@louiscolemusic / Instagram

SCOTTI MULLEN & CaLLIE HaRKINS News Editors

Crime Column DUI

On Oct. 8 at 2:32 a.m., there was a case of dUI on College ave. This case is pending.

Petit Larceny of bike parts

On October 11 at 3p.m., there was a case of Petit Larceny of bike parts at arrington Hall. This case is pending.

Theft of Auto Parts CAT/CONV

On Oct. 12 at 8 a.m., there was a report of theft of auto parts CaT/CONV at the Marshall Lot. This case is pending.

Poss. Of Marijuana

On Oct. 15 at 12:11 a.m., there was a report of possession of marijuana at William Street Lot. This case is pending.

On Oct. 16 at 2 p.m., there was a report of possession of marijuana at William Street Lot. This case is pending.

Petit Larceny of Bicycle Seat

On Oct. 16 at 11 p.m., there was a case of Petit Larceny of bicycle seat at the Eagle Landing Foot Bridge. This case is pending.

Larceny of Bicycle

On Oct. 13 at 11 a.m., there was a report of larceny of bicyle at Randolph Hall. This case is pending.

UMW ranked in new category for 2023 News & World report

FROM RANK PaGE

ranked No. 247 nationally and No. 165 in Top Performers on Social Mobility by U.S. News & World Report. Mary Washington has also gained other accolades for the 2023 school year.

“Washington Monthly, which measures schools based on contributions to the greater good in the categories of social mobility, research and public service, also recognized UMW among the top liberal arts colleges recently,” said Jessee. “Earlier in August, The Princeton Review included UMW in the ‘Best 388 Colleges for 2023.’” Washington Monthly and The Princeton Review include surveys from students, highlighting the advancements students and faculty see from the university.

“We’re a community, so we have a lot of events to come see us,” she said. “We have a small school, it’s not huge and we’re not in the middle of nowhere.”

Additionally, this summer,

Fiske Guide to Colleges named UMW among the “best and most interesting” public and private fouryear colleges and universities.

“The U.S. News ranking is just one of many guidebooks that future students and their families might consider,” said Jessee.

towards things that matter most,” said Ramirez. “I feel like we spend a lot of money on random stuff instead of stuff like buildings, so they are a little nicer, I mean a lot of places have mold.”

Some students offered suggestions for how UMW can improve as a campus.

“One way would be to create a larger diversity of students at our school, in gender, race, location, as in where people are from,” Oberlies said. “We could improve also by having more students stay all four years by providing more financial aid to students and having more scholarships available.”

Despite these rankings, Jessee emphasized that direct interactions with UMW are the best ways for students to get an idea of what the university is like.

Some students believe progress still needs to be made in order for UMW to reach its full potential.

“Our school needs to put money

“The best way to experience Mary Washington is to visit online or in-person, where you can hear directly from students, meet faculty and take a campus tour,” said Jessee.

Residence Life charges new $10 fee for dorm room lock-outs

FROM LOCKOUT PaGE

their keys, but they know that someone will let them in, and they’re not being mindful of other people’s time,” said Rupakheti.

To avoid the lock-out charge, students are asking their roommates to let them in, rather than contacting Residence Life staff.

“I know people have been asking their roommates to get in more often because they don’t want to be charged,” said Nahjah Wilson, a sophomore political science major. “I make sure if I don’t have my key, I’d ask one of my roommates to unlock the door or grab my key. I may leave the door unlocked too.”

Student lock-outs are common and happen for different reasons.

“Unfortunately one night before an exam, I was pulling an all-nighter to study for it. I had thought I had taken a nap for 20 minutes but when I woke up I realized I slept for an hour and my exam was about to start in 15 minutes,” said McKenna LaFontaine, a senior psychology major. “I quickly got dressed and ran out of the room. I got to class, took my exam, and realized I had forgotten my keys on the bed.”

Rupakheti said RAs are not receiving the money from the lock-out charges.

“I think the money is going to the committee or the university fund, but us RA’s aren’t receiving those $10,” she said.

Wilson believes the RAs should receive some of the

money.

“I just don’t like how RAs aren’t getting anything from this,” said Wilson.

LaFontaine believes that the price of the charge should be decreased.

“The charge itself I think should decrease because it’s not like they have to call a locksmith to break the lock,” she said. “There are multiple master key rings.”

Rupakheti also thinks the fee should be decreased.

“I think they should decrease the pay to $5 because many residents are already paying so much for tuition and some come from low-income families,” she said. “They can’t afford to pay $10 each time. It just adds up.”

Overall, Rupakheti hopes that the new policy will help students be more responsible with their keys.

“I feel like it will make students more mindful and remind themselves, ‘Oh, let me make sure to grab my keys before I go out.’ I think it will have a positive change,” she said.

“The best way to experience Mary Washington is to visit online or inperson, where you can hear directly from students, meet faculty and take a campus tour.”

-Amy Jessee

“The charge itself I think should decrease because it’s not like they have to call a locksmith to break the lock.”

-McKenna LaFontaine

IM basketball is hoopin’ for a good season

GRaCE SCHUMaCHER Copy Editor

The intramural co-ed basketball season is currently underway, and students of all athletic backgrounds are set to battle for the coveted championship IM t-shirt.

“IM sports gives people an avenue away from school at UMW,” said senior business administration major and IM coordinator Jonathan Sedmak. “It provides students an opportunity to have fun playing sports once or twice a week.”

Sedmak said he is always excited for IM sport seasons and does his best to regulate them. He is especially enthusiastic about this year’s basketball season.

“Just show up and play,” said Sedmak, “It is supposed to be fun and not super intense.”

The list of teams include names like “Could’ve Gone D1,” “Nothing But Net,” “Big Baller Club” and “Mojo Jojo.” “Monstars” are in the lead with a 3-0-0 record, though “The Specklers” are not far behind with a record of 3-1-0.

IM basketball is one of the more popular intramural sports, in previous years attracting as many students as the popular IM flag football and soccer leagues. This year there are 57 students playing.

Despite its popularity amongst students, the number of participants has been fluctuating over the past couple of years. Since the touchdown of COVID-19 on UMW’s campus, Campus Recreation has experienced low levels of participation in intramural sports.

“Since COVID, we have had a lot of trouble getting teams to sign up,” said senior biology major and Campus Recreation employee Jessica Mimms. “I think the issue stems from many of the underclassmen that came to UMW during Covid. We had to temporarily pause IM during the no-contact rule, so they do not know about IM sports.”

This semester, the IM flag football season was canceled because of this issue. Despite these setbacks, Campus Recreation has gained a lot of new teams.

“This basketball season is looking very promising,” said Mimms. “The games have been very competitive thus far and Jonathan has been making sure all the refs are confident in the rules.”

Structured as a four-week regular season, each team plays at least one game per week. Teams are scheduled for one weekend game and one game during the week, in order to have games spaced out to better fit students’ schedules.

“All games are played on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, each team playing 1-3 games a week,” said Sedmak. “IM gives me the ability to have fun in an organized sports setting. It gave me a break from school once a week. That’s what I want to give to the students of UMW that are a part of IM and Campus Rec.”

Sophomore marketing major Maggie Hatton is currently playing

on the “Monstars” basketball team, which practices once a week, running through defensive drills, offensive plays and scrimmages. Though she came into the season not knowing most of the members of her team, Hatton is enjoying it and has her eye on the prize: the championship T-shirt.

“That’s the only reason why I do it, I would say, is because I’m in it for the gear,” said Hatton jokingly. “I saw the shirt at the beginning of the season and I was like, “I want that.’”

University of Mary Washington Fall Sports Schedule

EMILY HEMPHILL Sports Editor

Men’s Soccer (8-3-2)

Oct. 15 W vs. Salisbury (5-3) Oct. 19 W vs. St. Mary’s (Md.) (3-0)

Oct. 22 vs. Chris. Newport Oct. 26 @ Salisbury

Women’s Soccer (8-2-4)

Oct. 12 W @ St. Mary’s (Md.) (2-0) Oct. 15 T @ Salisbury (2-2) Oct. 19 @ Chris. Newport Oct. 11 vs. Chris. Newport

Men’s Rugby (1-2)

Oct. 1 L @ Mount St. Mary’s (0-11) Oct. 22 vs. Queens

Women’s Rugby (1-2)

Oct. 15 L @ Nova Community College (24-56) Oct. 22 vs. Alumni

Field Hockey (4-9)

IM basketball, and all IM sports, are open to all students regardless of their experience or athletic ability. To register for a sport, students must first purchase the $25 or $15 Intramural Pass at campusrec.umw.edu or in person at the Fitness Center.

The IM pass grants students access to play unlimited intramural games for the duration of the semester. Students can sign up individually and be placed on a team, or with a group of people whom they choose to be their teammates.

“I have been working for Intramural sports at campus rec for four years and have grown to form relationships with the regular students that sign up every season,” said Mimms. “The environment is very friendly and everyone, no matter the skill level, can play and have a good time.”

Typically, indoor sports are played in the Goolrick Hall Main Gym and outdoor sports are played on the Campus Recreation turf field or beach volleyball court.

Campus Recreation uses IMLeagues software which streamlines the application and allows for better communication with team participants. Students are able to create their own personal profiles online, complete with statistics for each season and summaries of their entire UMW intramural experience.

Playoffs will begin starting Oct. 24 with the final held in the Anderson Center roughly a week after.

Emily Hemphill contributed to reporting for this article.

Oct. 11 L @ Kean (2-5) Oct. 15 L @ Salisbury (0-6) Oct. 19 @ Juniata Oct. 22 vs. Lynchburg

Women’s Volleyball (19-4)

Oct. 15 W vs. Ithaca (3-1) W vs. Salisbury (3-1) Oct. 18 W vs. Gallaudet (3-0) Oct. 19 @ averett Oct. 21 vs. Randolph

Men’s Swimming (0-1) Oct. 15 L vs. Washington and Lee (94-168)

Oct. 21 vs. Lynchburg

Women’s Swimming (0-1) Oct. 15 L vs. Washington and Lee (82-179)

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.

The “Monstars” team logo.

Photo Courtesy of Maggie Hatton

IM basketball teams faced off on Oct. 18.

Erin Landfair / The Weekly Ringer

“The environment is very friendly and everyone, no matter the skill level, can play and have a good time.”

-Jessica Mimms