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Under new leadership, Speaking and Writing Center aims to improve student usage and experience

PRIYA PATEL Senior Writer

This school year, the academic support centers located on the fourth floor of the Hurley Convergence Center have undergone various changes with the aim of increasing student usage and improving the student experience. The Writing Center and Speaking Center have now combined to form the Speaking and Writing Center, and peer academic consultants are now located in the center as well. Beginning this semester, the center also has a new director, Leah Schweitzer.

Since her first day on Jan. 3, Schweitzer has been working to expand student engagement at the center and improve the center as a resource for professors.

“I have several goals for the Speaking and Writing Center,” Schweitzer said. “Most immediately, I want to increase the usage. I want all students on campus to feel that the Speaking and Writing Center is a space they can come to be supported as they work on projects and to know that no matter what stage of the composing process they are in, whomever they work with is going to give them good advice and feedback.”

Schweitzer is also working to improve the Speaking and Writing Center as a resource for professors.

“I want to ensure that we are a resource for faculty, supporting what they are doing in the classroom so that they can integrate the use of the SWC into their courses,” she said.

The new leadership has brought changes to the center’s operations. As of this semester, the center is no longer offering workshops, and students can make appointments as soon as one hour in advance.

“I think the biggest thing students should know ... is that they can make an appointment with as little as one hour before their desired appointment time,” said lead writing consultant Eli Keith, an English: creative writing major in the secondary education program. “When it was 24 hours, students who needed same-day help had to hope a walk-in was available, but now they can actually reserve a time.”

According to lead consultant Layla Barnes, a junior English: creative writing major in the secondary education program, the center no longer offers Google Docs-only appointments. For virtual appointments, students will meet with their consultant via Zoom in addition to Google Docs or Word.

Additionally, some appointment reporting procedures, like consultation reports sent to professors

after appointments, have been standardized.

“Students and faculty will see more consistent reporting following student consultation meetings,” said Director of Academic Services Wes Hillyard.

The layout of the center is also changing slightly with the merge.

“We’ve standardized a lot of the information we’re putting out and moved some furniture around as we transition to thinking of ourselves as one center,” said Barnes.

Otherwise, the center’s goals and operations remain largely the same.

“We will continue offering the same peer-to-peer support in speaking and writing to students, and that remains the cornerstone of what we do,” said Barnes. “We’re just doing that as one center rather than two. There will likely be more changes in the future as Dr. Schweitzer continues to implement her ideas for the center, but for now, all students and faculty really need to know is to stay tuned for more information.”

The decision to merge into one center was made by the Academic Affairs division.

“Several factors led us to this decision including the shared space in the HCC, changes to the leadership structure, and the need for a more consistent student experience across our support centers,” said Hillyard. “It is not uncommon to find merged centers at colleges

and universities today as many centers now embrace the idea that they are communication centers rather than separate centers that require unique skills for only writing or speaking support.”

The search for a new director began last summer, Hillyard said, with a search committee of faculty and staff members. The center has been without a director since October of 2021, when former Writing Center Director Gwen Hale passed away.

“Change can be difficult, but we’re excited to have Dr. Schweitzer on board to fill the gap that was left by Gwen’s passing and to help us continue moving forward,” said Barnes.

For consultants who were hired and trained under Hale, the dynamic of the center has changed along with the director.

“The way things were when Gwen was here ... was just that I think people were more willing to approach the director or person in charge with not only ideas but stories and feelings about appointments and experience on campus in general,” said Keith. “It’ll take time for everyone to get that close with Dr. Schweitzer and feel as though they can approach her with the same sorts of concerns and opinions.”

Barnes has noticed that the community aspect of the center has started to grow this semester.

Gavin Kearns and Katrina Smith sit for a consultation. The Speaking and Writing Center is a free resource where students can meet with peer consultants to brainstorm ideas and get feedback on their work. Anna Blake / The Weekly Ringer

Thursday, February 16, 2022

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Bell tower logo designed by Bernadette D’Auria ‘22

Speaking and Writing Center combined

“It was really cool sometimes on night shifts seeing everyone from all sides of the center ... sitting on the couch and the floor and just hanging out,” she said. “Part of that was because we didn’t have appointments, which sucks, but it was really nice to see that community aspect come back together.”

FROM CENTER PAGE 7

Changes to the center’s operations will be a gradual process.

“The campus community should not see any reduction in the level of service our Speaking and Writing Center offers,” Hillyard said. “Over the coming months, they will see a more consistent and easier process to schedule appointments with any of our support centers including the Speaking and Writing Center, Peer Tutoring, Peer Academic Consultants, and the Digital Knowledge Center.”

In an effort to make the centers more cohesive, future consultants will also be cross-trained to conduct both speaking and writing appointments and will be able to work with students on any “speaking, writing and even multimodal projects,” Schweitzer said.

“This will provide greater schedule flexibility as well as a deeper experience for our clients given that speaking and writing frequently overlap in the classroom and on assignments,” said Hillyard.

The newly-merged center is also holding a design contest for a

new logo, and the winner will receive a Panera gift card.

“Because we have merged, we need a new, combined graphic for the Speaking and Writing Center,” Schweitzer said. “We’re asking for submissions of new icons by March 6 at 5 p.m. to umwspeakingandwritingcenter@gmail.com.”

Schweitzer encourages students to visit throughout the process of working on their projects.

“We’re not just here to help put the final polish on projects, but to assist no matter where you are in the process, even if you haven’t begun yet,” she said. “The more in advance of a due date you schedule an appointment, the more helpful we can be.”

Consultants are hopeful that the changes will be helpful for students.

“While I’m sad to see the old centers go, the merged center will have a lot more benefits for both students and consultants,” said lead speaking consultant Brian Wolf, a senior computer science and communication and digital studies double major. “Students will benefit from the increased flexibility that the center will offer, while the consultants will benefit from having a wider skill set to develop and help their peers with.”

Virginia Tech partners on graduate program

ANNA GROSSNICKLE Staff Writer

UMW has partnered with the Virginia Tech College of Engineering for a program that gives students the opportunity to earn credits towards a master’s of engineering in computer science from Virginia Tech while they are still undergraduate students at UMW.

“This program allows the students to take courses at Mary Washington—special, very specific courses,” said Keith Mellinger, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “If they get certain grades in it as courses, then Virginia Tech actually counts them as part of their requirements for their Master’s program.”

Mellinger compared the program to taking Advanced Placement classes in high school.

“It’s the same kind of thing, with these partnership programs—we try to give you an opportunity to take the class at Mary Washington,” he said. “But then that class, for whatever reason, counts towards graduate school. But then we’re also counting that as an undergraduate class here as well. You’re sort of double dipping—that’s the idea.”

According to Betsy Lewis, assistant dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, the program is popular among the computer science majors at UMW.

“I have been really impressed

with the number of students who have been interested in it and the quality of the students who have been interested in it,” said Lewis. “They are some of our best computer science majors and grads.”

The program is mainly directed at computer science majors, but students from other majors are eligible to apply. These credits can be earned in specific computer science courses, including CPSC 110, 220, 240 and 340.

“I do not plan on attending a grad program for computer science, but had I known about this opportunity I would’ve considered the option at greater lengths,” said Olivia Breda, a studio art major and computer science minor. “I’m a computer science minor and not a major so I don’t have the necessary credit requirement, but hearing about the program made me regret not being a major.”

According to the U.S. News and World Report graduate school rankings, Virginia Tech is ranked 38 in the country among computer science programs.

“It’s Virginia Tech. If you want to get a Master’s of engineering in computer science in the state of Virginia, that’s one of the best,” said Lewis. “So I think it’s a way for these students—they’ve gotten their small school, liberal arts school experience, and all the great things that Mary Washington has to offer to them; they’re undergraduate,

and yet they can still have these credentials for their Master’s degree from a really well-known and recognized institution. It just seems like the best of both worlds.”

UMW and Virginia Tech are working together to make the application process easier and more accessible for the students.

“Students ideally apply to the program during their junior year, but often students don’t begin thinking about their next steps until their senior year,” said Karen Anewalt, chair of the computer science department at UMW. “This can reduce their ability to complete courses that will count toward the accelerated degree. We are currently working with Virginia Tech to address this challenge and to potentially increase the pathways through which UMW students can gain admission for graduate studies at Virginia Tech.”

Representatives from Virginia Tech have hosted various outreach events in order to get UMW students engaged and interested in the program.

According to Anewalt, they host webinars each semester to provide information about the program. They also visit campus and host drop-in hours for students for a couple of days.

“The representatives see a steady stream of interested students during these dates and often visit eight to ten classes to publicize the program,” said Anewalt. “Virginia Tech

enrollment specialists visit UMW multiple times per year to build relationships with faculty, speak to our courses, meet with students just beginning to explore graduate school options, guide students who are in the process of applying to the program, and check in with students who have already been accepted. This personal touch means a lot to our students.”

Though UMW has other partnerships with universities across the state, Mellinger said the UMW-Virginia Tech partnership is one of the most popular.

“The students love it,” said Mellinger. “It’s very popular. By contrast, we have partnership agreements with a law school. We have a partnership agreement with another engineering program. We have a partnership with a pharmacy school. And we get very little interest in those. Not a lot of students are interested in those things. But this one picked up right away.”

Despite the program being relatively new, there have already been UMW students who have gone on to begin their master’s degree at Virginia Tech because of this program.

“It is still a pretty new program,” said Lewis. “But I think that the students are already showing success at Tech, after they graduate. In fact, I’ve gotten some feedback from Virginia Tech about how well our students are doing.”

EMILY HEMPHILL Sports Editor

As the rest of the country woke up to “Happy Valentine’s Day” and “I love you” texts on Feb. 14, the family and friends of Michigan State University students were hoping to receive any text at all.

On the evening of Feb. 13, a 43-year-old man stepped onto the campus in East Lansing, Mich., and took the lives of three college students, critically injuring five more and forever changing countless others.

This was the 67th mass shooting in 2023, which means that there have now been more mass shootings in the United States than there have been days in the year so far.

As the frequency of these shootings increases, so does my numbness to the horror. So, I can’t exactly pinpoint why this particular tragedy specifically broke a piece of me. I have no connection to the university or the state of Michigan. But something in me could not let it pass by unaddressed.

Maybe I’m becoming more sensitive as my little sister is wrapping up her high school career and entering the final stages of her college search. Now, I’m decidedly moving gun safety higher up on her pros and cons list. Or maybe it’s because I grew up 15 minutes from Virginia Tech and any college shooting takes me back to April 16, 2011: the day I spent in lockdown in my first grade classroom as a gunman went on a killing spree, leaving 32 dead. Either way, I couldn’t stop the tears from falling as I sat on my couch Tuesday morning, continually refreshing the New York Times live updates of the situation.

The stories began to roll in. Students in a night class on Cuban history huddled on the floor trying to reassure one another, while others smashed a window helping their classmates escape as gunpowder and bullets filled the back of the room. One student used his shirt in an attempt to slow the bleeding from his classmate’s arm.

Over and over again, the headlines will play across our screens. Year after year, we will pause, express our condolences, anger, frustration and pain at this senseless bloodshed, and then continue on to heart-shaped boxes of chocolate and candlelit dinners. I cannot fault this behavior; I have been guilty of doing the same in the past as these atrocities become more and more commonplace. Though these shootings are obviously not isolated to February, the communal loss and despair accentuated by

interviews, comments and other testimonies from those grieving hits even harder as we take time to appreciate our loved ones.

But what about the three Michigan State students? The three University of Virginia football players? The five killed in a Tulsa, Okla. hospital? The six gunned down in a Sacramento street? The 19 children and two teachers murdered in Uvalde, Texas? What about the 20,138 lives that were taken by gun violence in 2022, according to

lence awareness post on our Instagram stories? I cannot and will not pretend to have the answers. But as we dedicate a day to love this week, I have to wonder if there is a greater meaning we should extract from this holiday. That when the next massacre occurs—and it is only a matter of time—instead of letting the numbness spread, we stop to truly acknowledge and mourn the tragedy and pain. We let it hurt and soften the calluses we have formed around our hearts, so that we can foster deeper connections rooted in genuine care and love for the basic dignity of human life. So that we have something left inside of us—and uniting us—to fight the path of hopelessness and nihilism we are rapidly heading down.

The Trace? It definitely cannot be overlooked that Tuesday marked the fifth anniversary of the Parkland, Flor. massacre that resulted in the deaths of 14 high school students and three faculty members. Their lives and deaths should not be in vain. They cannot be ignored.

I do not expect a couple hundred words from a college journalist to be the catalyst of a social movement—especially not one large enough to result in meaningful political action, finally bringing an end to the tidal wave of carnage that has flooded our schools, grocery stores, nightclubs, churches and movie theaters. But I also cannot continue to wait for that change to come from our city councils, state capitals or federal government. Those in D.C. that we elected to office with the purpose of protecting and serving have continually decided to deny us the right to life.

In the words of the Parkland shooting survivor X Gonzalez, “We are speaking up for those who don’t have anyone listening to them, for those who can’t talk about it just yet, and for those who will never speak again. We are grieving, we are furious, and we are using our words fiercely and desperately because that’s the only thing standing between us and this happening again.”

So what can we do as students at UMW? Do we sign our name onto yet another petition? March in another rally down Pennsylvania Avenue? Put another gun vio-

I do not mean for this to come across as an idealistic appeal that love is the panacea for our nation’s sins and calamities. Rather, it is an attempt to ward off the impending apathy as a graduating senior about to make my way in our society and world.

As Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a press conference Tuesday morning on Michigan State’s campus, “We cannot keep living like this.”

No, we can’t. But we are. And we will. Unless we resist the normalization of this appalling loss of life. Unless we begin to place compassion and respect for humanity over political agendas, partisan lines and the countless other divides that hold our country hostage. Unless we strive to become stars to guide one another through the darkness of this night.

“We cannot keep living like this”: Resisting the normalization of mass shootings in the US

Michigan State shooting victim Arielle Anderson of Harper Woods, Mich. was a junior studying to become a doctor. @detroitnews / Instagram

“We are speaking up for those who don’t have anyone listening to them, for those who can’t talk about it just yet, and for those who will never speak again.”

-X Gonzalez

Michigan State shooting victim Brain Fraser of of Grosse Pointe, Mich. was a sophomore studying business. @detriotnews / Instagram

Michigan State shooting victim Alexandria Verner of Clawson, Mich. was a junior studying biology. @detriotnews / Instagram

Michigan State University held a “Vigil at the Rock” on Feb. 15 to honor the victims and support the community. @michiganstateu / Instagram

Grace Braxton prepares to compete in the 2023 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Berlin, Germany

HARRIET KING Staff Writer

The campus Panera Bread is the most popular restaurant at UMW with the smell of fresh baguettes and coffee enticing hungry students throughout the day. According to marketing director Rose Benedict, it is the highest-trafficked franchised dining option, serving an average of 235 students per day.

However, it’s not just the food that draws students in; it’s also the sociable Grace Braxton, a Panera employee, who makes conversation with each student as she rings up their order on the daily. This small talk is the highlight of many students’ days.

“It always brightens my day when I see that it is Ms. Grace at the register,” said sophomore biochemistry major Emma Goehner. “She is always personable and just has a way of making students feel seen through something so simple as serving us at Panera.”

While some students may engage in lengthy conversations with her, there’s a certain skill that Braxton has been keeping a secret: her exceptional athletic abilities. Little known among the students who see her nearly every day, Braxton is a three-time Special Olympics medalist for golfing, even winning the gold in the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games in China. Her travels have taken her all over the world.

Berlin, Germany is the next stop on Braxton’s Olympic itinerary for the 2023 Special Olympics World Summer Games. She is well-known in the Olympic golfing community, and her skill doesn’t go unnoticed.

“No one at the World Games has ever come within 25 shots of her,” said Rick Jeffrey, president of the Special Olympics of Virginia in an article on the organization’s website. “She’s always paired with the guys, because none of the females can play with her.”

This year will mark Braxton’s fifth World Games.

“I have been to Minneapolis, Minnesota for the first international games in 1991, and for the World Games in China 2007, Greece in 2011, Abu Dhabi in 2019 and Berlin in 2023,” said Braxton.

From June 17–25, the Special Olympics will be held in Berlin, Germany, with Braxton competing behind her

club for another gold medal in the golf division.

“I am looking forward to meeting new people from around the world,” she said.

Though she excels in golf, it was not the first sport she excelled at. Beginning at 8 years old, Braxton competed in the Special Olympics for track and field in Virginia. She has lived in Fredericksburg her entire life, learning new sports throughout her childhood and into early adulthood. There wasn’t a sport she didn’t try; from skiing, ice-skating, basketball or swimming, Braxton has tried it all, and she even won both gold and bronze medals in the pool for the World Games in 1991. Around that time, which came just after she graduated high school, Braxton decided to learn how to golf.

“I wanted to learn a new sport,” she said. “I was motivated by watching the professional golfers on TV and learning golf from my father.”

But Braxton didn’t just learn how to golf; she mastered it. In October 2022, she became the first person with an intellectual disability to be inducted into the Virginia Golf Hall of Fame.

In an article dedicated to her induction into the Virginia Golf Hall of Fame, five-time Virginia State Golf Association winner Broodie McGurn said, “Grace Anne has the most incredible attitude and her love for the game shows with every shot. She’s a blast as a partner. It is so much fun to play with her.”

Braxton currently plays golf on the weekends, as she works at the UMW Panera full-time. “I enjoy playing golf with friends of mine at the Fredericksburg Country Club and being a part of the LGA and the golf team for the club,” said Braxton. “I work Monday through Friday at Panera Bread and I have the weekends off to have time to practice. I went to a training camp in San Antonio Texas for the world games and I followed their instructions and I got on the team to go to Berlin.”

Braxton continues to practice for her upcoming competition while cheerfully serving students at Panera every day.

On March 7, the top of the CRUC will be hosting an “Amazing Grace” lunch from 11 a.m.–2 p.m. as an

opportunity for her to thank students for their support. She has selected a menu for the dining staff to serve at Chef’s Fare and is looking forward to seeing students and staff there.

“We hope lots of students, faculty and staff come to lunch that day to say ‘hi’ to Grace Anne and celebrate her great accomplishments!” said Benedict. Students are welcome to come congratulate Braxton and get to know more about her.

Grace Braxton is a three-time Special Olympics medalist for golfing. Suzanne Rossi / UMW Voice

Braxton is photographed with her family.

@specialolympicsva / Instagram

Grace Braxton is known for her lively conversations with students who come through the campus Panera. Suzanne Rossi / UMW Voice

UMW Theatre performs “Men on Boats,” a play about the Colorado River exploration of 1989

JOSEPHINE GOOD Life Editor

UMW Theatre is back at it with another performance. This time, the show is “Men on Boats,” which was written by Jaclyn Backhaus and follows the tale of John Wesley Powell and the nine other men who explored and charted the Colorado River in 1869.

Much like the river itself, the play takes many twists and turns that lead to a change in the original plans. From four of Powell’s men quitting and deciding to join a Mormon camp to other disasters along the way, the number of explorers dwindles down throughout the show.

One of the show’s strengths was that the cast consisted of all non-male actors portraying male characters. This intentional casting decision was successful in mocking the idea of male colonialism, and anecdotes and sarcastic jokes captured the struggle that indigenous people faced during this period.

As audience members walked in before the show began, a wash of blue light flooded the stage. On the stage, creating a background for the scenes, were ropes and paddles hung vertically from above, through which actors would walk during the show. Yes, paddles—not oars. Paddles and oars are separate boating equipment, with paddles being free-standing and oars being connected to the boat. And though paddles were used as props, the script kept referring to the paddles as oars. Though this may seem like a small gripe, this distinction should have been noted in a play centered around boats.

When the show was about to start, the room went dark, thus beginning the expedition.

To set the scene: There was one large rock on either side of the stage that seemed to be recreating the Grand Canyon as the expeditioners were traversing the Colorado River. However, the rock on the left appeared to be slightly too far center stage so that when the rock was rotated as the expeditioners exited the Grand Canyon, the back of the set piece was exposed to the audience, ruining the illusion. Additionally, set up on the stage were four incomplete boats, consisting of only the front parts of each one. While the front crew member appeared to be inside the boat, the others were squatting behind on various barrels and boxes. This led to the other crew members pantomiming the back end of the boat when carrying or falling out of it, but their performances were neither convincing nor consistent.

One key feature of the show was the constant theme of teamwork. Throughout the show, the actors shouted out directions and instructions together to guide the journey. While these shouts were meant to communicate one of the many underlying themes of the show, at many times the actors were so loud that other audience members had to cover their ears.

Other than that, the sound quality of the show was wonderful, especially when Old Shady—one of the crew members who was played by senior Shannon McGowan—serenaded the other explorers around the campfire.

Another element was when all of the explorers took bites from apples onstage. The entire audience, even if they were farther back in the theater, could hear the crisp crunch.

The show had no intermission and ran for 90 minutes straight. Although this sounds like a long time, it truly flew by as the audience got more and more involved in the show. When asked about the lack of intermission, Emma Lehman, a sophomore theatre major who plays John Colton Sumner, discussed the complications of the show having no break for the actors.

“It’s a little scary because, at least for me, I know I don’t have time to go downstairs if I realize I forgot something,” Lehman said. “On the other hand, not having a break makes it easier to stay in character and remember the arc and build of the story when performing.”

Although there were aspects of the show that highlighted stylistic thought and attention, the show didn’t seem to have a solid climax. Perhaps it was the topic at hand, or maybe it was working around set limitations—building an entire boat would send anyone overboard—but in general, the play came across as a historical fiction tale with a slew of rising and falling actions rather than a riveting tale with strong commentary and recurring motifs.

When asked about any aspects of the show that could have been improved upon, Properties Designer Isabelle Withers, a senior theatre major, talked about the production’s design elements.

“I do wish that we were able to do more visually to represent the rapids/water during the boating scenes, but while considering the size of our space and the time that we had to develop our ideas and put them onstage, I think that what we were able to achieve with just the actors and their boats was very eye-catching and entertaining,” said Withers.

When asked why people should see the show, Hannah Chester, a senior theatre and communication and digital studies double major who played John Wesley Powell, said, “It’s lovely, funny, and an exposé on the triumph of the human spirit in the face of adversity.”

“Men on Boats” will continue at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 16–18 and at 2 p.m. on Feb. 12 in Klein Theatre. Tickets are $20 for students and $25 for standard admission.

Actors pantomimed the boats.

Photo courtesy of Geoff Greene

The show used minimal props and set pieces to portray the story. Photo courtesy of Geoff Greene

“Men on Boats” is a comedy about the 1869 exploration of the Colorado River. Photo courtsey of Geoff Greene

Crime Column

CALLIE HARKINS News Editor

Professors weigh pros and cons of ChatGPT

CHARLIE LI Staff Writer

With increasingly sophisticated artificial intelligence such as ChatGPT becoming available for the public, students and faculty at UMW have been discussing the technology’s impacts on education.

Larceny of Credit Card

On Feb. 11 at 4:30 p.m., there was an incident of larceny of credit card at Virginia Hall. This case is pending.

“This technology has been developed and we can’t pretend that it’s going to go away,” said Anand Rao, chair of the communication and digital studies department. “It’s our duty and obligation to make sure that we are helping prepare our students for the world that they are going to be graduating into and this world now includes generative AI tools.”

On Feb. 8, UMW’s Digital Learning Support and Center for Teaching cohosted a faculty discussion focused on the use of ChatGPT.

“While there were people at the meeting very concerned and worried, most of the people involved in the discussion were looking at the opportunities associated with ChatGPT,” said Rao.

“While it seems to be a more efficient exchange of information, you lose that human interaction with someone else,” said Whalen.

Brandon Howar, a junior computer science major, said that ChatGPT has both benefits and drawbacks.

Petit Larceny

On Feb. 13 at midnight, there was a case of petit larceny at Eagle Landing. This case is pending.

ChatGPT is a chatbot developed by OpenAI that was made available for public usage starting in November 2022. When given the prompt, “What is ChatGPT?,” the chatbot responded, “Hello! I am ChatGPT, a large language model trained by OpenAI. I am designed to generate human-like responses to natural language input and can be used for a variety of tasks, such as answering questions, generating text, and carrying on conversations. I have been trained on a vast amount of text data and have the ability to understand and generate text in many different languages.”

While some professors are still hesitant to use ChatGPT in the classroom, others have begun incorporating it into their assignments along with further investigation of its more ethical uses.

“In my 101 class, I’m asking my students to investigate the more philosophical questions being brought up by chatbots and how it impacts search engines now and in the future,” said Zach Whalen, associate professor of communication and digital studies. “The idea that we’ll start seeing these being rolled out in replacing search engines, it’s interesting and scary. We rely on search engines sometimes to answer questions.”

Artificial intelligence is being integrated into search engines like Bing.

“The idea that we’ll start seeing these AI being rolled out into and eventually replacing search engines, is very interesting and scary in the sense that we rely on search engines to answer basic questions,” said Whalen.

Whalen then gave an example of finding a cooking recipe. When searched on Google or another search engine, it usually brings up a list of web pages created by other people. Meanwhile, ChatGPT will generate its own recipe.

“Like everything, it has noticeable flaws,” he said. “For example, the data used in ChatGPT only goes back a year or a little more. It can help with someone struggling to start a paper, starting a program, or even just forming a strong foundation around a project. It excels in giving examples or taking prompts on what you must do and filling them out. Though not everything is perfect, it will return flaws and I highly doubt it will reach that sense of perfection anytime soon.”

While these tools are not yet perfect, Rao said, more advanced versions are being developed.

“You can ask a question to generative

AI and it’s not reliable yet, so we need to take a lot of it with a grain of salt,” he said. “But the potential is there that it can give us that dialectic response. It can have a dialogue with us on some level and the hope is that it’ll get to the point where we can really use it to generate new ideas, not just organize the ideas we already have.”

Rao compared generative artificial intelligence tools to technologies when they first became popular in the past.

“Writing on a typewriter in middle school was cumbersome and slow,” he said. “I also remember going from using a card catalog to using a keyboard search in the library. In some ways, generative AI is like that transformation. Academically, it’ll be transformative in a more efficient and time-saving way.”

While the full impact of ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence tools has yet to be seen, many believe they should be utilized, not ignored.

“We have new tools—we should learn how to use them effectively,” said Rao. “Any time that we can be more efficient in the way we are accessing information, new perspectives, new ideas, I think that it makes us better academics and better scholars.”

“We have new tools—we should learn how to use them effectively.”

-Anand Rao

Equestrian team was the mane event, wins Reserve High Point Team

RACHEL FRANTZ Staff Writer

On the weekend of Feb. 11-12 at the EKG Stables in Spotsylvania County, UMW’s equestrian team brought home many ribbons from their doubleheader against RandolphMacon College, Sweet Briar College, Christopher Newport University, University of Richmond, Liberty University and The College of William and Mary. Overall, the team rode home as the Reserve High Point Team of the day on Sunday, earning the second-highest number of points.

“They were great,” said Head Coach Erin Grampp, a class of 2002 alumna who has been horseback riding for 40 years and was part of the equestrian team during her time at UMW. “Everything ran smoothly—some kids had the best rides of the season, and everyone’s getting better.”

On Saturday, juniors Abby Mills, Kinsey Brotman and Mia Gibson all won their flat classes while sophomore Kate Howlin placed first in her over fences class. Emma Najdzionek was awarded High Point Rider of the Day on Saturday as she won her flat class and scored second place in her over fences class. The following day of competition, freshman Eliza LaViolette earned Reserve High Point Rider of the Day winning her flat class and sophomore Olivia Miller won High Point Rider of the Day on as she won her over fences class and scored second place in her flat class.

“I try to stay around the barn as much as I can, helping with the horses and riding as much as I can,” said Najdzionek, a chemistry major who has been riding for 10 years. “It’s definitely a learning curve ... so it’s been a process to get to High Point today but it just makes it all the sweeter.”

University of Mary Washington Winter Sports Schedule

Najdzionek explained that the two types of competitions, the flat class and over fences class, are organized by the different skill levels of the riders. Flat classes are where typically six riders are out at the same time, following horse commands by the announcer to halt, walk, trot, canter or reverse the

direction they are walking in. In the over fences category, riders compete individually, jumping over various fences set up in a circular pattern.

“We are real athletes,” said Najdzionek. “Even though we’re only on the horse for a short amount of time, we’re doing a lot of work out there. There’s a lot that goes on both mentally and physically to get the horse moving in the correct direction and in the pace you want it to.”

As is the standard practice of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association, the assignment of horses to riders is randomized.

In addition to moving the horses in the right direction, to “look pretty is the ideal,” said Najdzionek. “There’s a lot of variables, so getting on a horse that you don’t know at all can be difficult. That was really hard for me last year, my freshman year on the team, and I’ve come a long way, definitely my coach has been a huge help with that.”

After each round, “there was lots of cheering as soon as a ribbon was called,” Najdzionek said. “If someone on your team got a ribbon—doesn’t even have to be blue— there’s a lot of hooting and hollering. There’s definitely a sense of team with IHSA and that’s really nice.”

According to Najdzionek, the ribbons are equivalent to different point values. For instance, a rider who gets first place scores an additional seven points for the team. However, towards the end of the competition, only specific riders are picked for their points to contribute to the team’s total.

Before every home match, the equestrian team arrives at 6:30 a.m. to take care of the horses.

“This is a home show, so we provide all of the horses, so our whole team worked really

hard this week to get 24 horses ready to go all day today and tomorrow,” said Najdzionek. “A lot of teamwork goes into getting all those horses ready.”

As successful as the team was this past weekend, Caitlin Shirvinski said that just two years ago, it was unclear whether the program would continue at all. However, the team moved to EKG stables, owned by Grampp, who became the head coach and placed now-senior Shirvinski as captain at the start of the 2021-2022 season.

Men’s Basketball (17-6)

Feb. 5 W vs. UC Santa Cruz (6543)

Feb. 8 W @ Salisbury (64-53)

Feb. 15 @ Chris. Newport

Feb. 18 vs. Salisbury

Women’s Basketball (19-4)

Feb. 5 W vs. Regent University (78-27)

Feb. 8 W @ Hood (91-49)

Feb. 15 @ Chris. Newport

Feb. 18 vs. Salisbury

Men’s Swimming (8-3)

Jan 21. L vs. Gettysburg (126-136)

Feb. 3 W vs. Southern Virginia (198-61)

Feb. 16-19 @ METS Championships

Women’s Swimming (10-1)

Jan 21. W vs. Gettysburg (136126)

Feb. 3 W vs. Southern Virginia (175-80)

Feb. 16-19 @ METS Championships

Women’s Tennis (1-0)

Feb. 11 vs. George Mason

Feb. 18 vs. Washington College

Feb. 19 vs. Case Western Reserve @ Lexington, Va.

Men’s Tennis (1-0)

Feb. 11 W vs. Centre (8-1)

Each season starts at the beginning of the fall semester and continues through February, with continued training for those who qualify for the regional show. In addition to training three times per week, the team also has group lifts and study hall together.

“It’s been fun to meet all these new people and I’ve made really good friends on this team,” said Gibson, an education major who has been riding for 12 years.

Shirvinski, a geography major who has also been horseback riding for 12 years, agrees.

“I love my team, and they put in so much hard work,” she said. “We really enjoy people coming to our horse shows. It’s not as mainstream but it’s a really fun sport.”

Feb. 18 vs. Washington College

Feb. 19 vs. Stevens

Equestrian Team

Feb. 11-12 @ Mary Washington

Show

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

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

EMILY HEMPHILL Sports Editor

“I love my team, and they put in so much hard work. We really enjoy people coming to our horse shows. It’s not as mainstream but it’s a really fun sport.”

-Caitlin Shirvinski

UMW equestrian hurdles over a fence during a competition.

UMW Athletics

“We are real athletes. Even though we’re only on the horse for a short amount of time, we’re doing a lot of work out there. There’s a lot that goes on both mentally and physically to get the horse moving in the correct direction and in the pace you want it to.”

-Emma Najdzionek