The Blue & Gray Press

THE

BLUE &GRAY

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARY WASHINGTON STUDENT NEWSPAPER

February 1, 2018

VOLUME 91 | ISSUE 13

PRESS

SERVING THE COMMUNITY SINCE

1922

Keynote Speaker April Ryan channels Messages of Dr. King

Suzanne Rossi / University Relations

April Ryan pictured interacting with students and faculty attending her keynote speech

Sarah Bond Staff Writer

“It’s been a year” said White House correspondent, April Ryan in her speech on Wednesday, January 24 in Chandler Ballroom. Ryan spoke as the 2018 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Keynote Speaker. This event, hosted by the James Farmer Multicultural Center, began the numerous Black History Month events this February.

April Ryan has served as a White House correspondent representing the American Urban Radio Networks since the Clinton era, is currently a CNN political analyst and has often served as one of the only black female reporters in the White House Correspondents room.

Ryan is also the author of “The Presidency in Black and White and At Mama’s Knee” which both tackle race in America and Ryan’s experiences at the White House under four US Presidents.

Ryan is also well known for her journalism on black and urban issues which has received much attention and brought Ryan to fame. In the recent year, Ryan’s feuds with Sean Spicer, Sarah Sanders, and President Donald Trump has propelled her into the media and made her a prominent public figure.

Despite a low turnout from students, the room was filled with local community members and faculty. As the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s death approaches, she channeled his life and his messages of hope, peace and so-

cial justice during difficult times in her address to the local community.

During her speech, Ryan also discussed her personal experiences in the White House. Ryan acknowledged the struggles she has had being one of only three African-Americans to serve on the board of the White House Correspondents Association.

“You can’t miss me from the 3rd row and I can’t be ignored,” Ryan said referring to her seat in the briefing room of the White House. Ryan’s speech garnered affirmations and “amens” from the crowd.

Returning to her speech about the life of Dr. King, Ryan shared how she recalled meeting Dr. King’s mother, which was a moment that •RYAN | 2

Suzanne Rossi / University Relations The newly started constuction taking place at Jepson has various caused issues for both students and faculty.

Reply allpocalypse Alexis Erb Staff Writer

On January 16 a mass email chain was sent out to students of the University of Mary Washington. Out of these hundreds of emails some contained vulgar, inappropriate, and condescending remarks made towards members of the UMW community.

Jerry Slezak, the director of IT Support Services explained how the chain email was able to enter the system.

“There were some settings around the distributions list,” said Slezak. “Somehow and we are still investigating how it happened, the ability to reply to all was enabled. It’s not supposed to be, it hasn’t been, and some-

thing got switched in the settings somewhere. We are still looking into it.”

The IT Support Services are in the process of determining how the email chain happened and what needs to be done to prevent it from taking place again in the future. The University addressed the email chain in an email that was sent out on January, 17.

As stated in the email, “UMW policy restricts the use of UMW email distribution lists.” Due to a configuration error though, the emails became accessible and the normal restriction was nulled. The email explained what happened and how the chain was a potential violation on UMW policy.

“A list was •EMAIL CHAIN | 10 used to dissem

“It was childish, annoying, and not a good representation of the school as a whole.”

-Jewel Washington

The chain was a result of a configuration error with the email system

IN THIS

ISSUE

Photo edited by Cayley McGuire

MARCH ON Students visit DC for various peaceful protests.

LIFE | 6-7

PARTY POOPER

PUCK U!

Two-party political system kills democracy.

Two freshman creating UMW’s first club hockey team

VIEWPOINTS | 5

SPORTS | 3

NEWS THE

BLUE & GRAY PRESS

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

EDITORS-AT-LARGE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Kelly Emmrich

MANAGING EDITOR

Editors: Meaghan McIntyre & Izzy Briones | blueandgray.news@gmail.com

White House correspondent speaks at UMW •RYAN | 1

has prompted her to always ask, “what would Dr. King do?” in moments of strife. So “If you don’t have a seat at the table bring a chair,” Ryan said, prompting the crowd to take action and create inclusive spaces for all marginalized identities.

“What will you do?” Ryan said, ending her speech, challenging the crowd and to take action and honor Dr. King’s legacy.

During a questions and answers session, one question came from a man who shared with the crowd that he was 90 years old and had walked with Martin Luther King. He thanked Ryan for all of the work she has done. He then asked Ryan about when she recently asked President Donald Trump, “are you a Racist?” on

Martin Luther King Day after his comments on “s***hole countries.” She recalled that day as being very emotional and stated she was the first person to ever ask that of a sitting President.

hari and it is up to her to challenge the institution and ensure that meaningful conversations are being had.

At the reception, many stayed after to engage with Ryan by sharing experiences, taking pictures,signing autographs and books.

During the reception afterward, Junior and International Relations major at UMW, Lauren Olivia James said the speech, “was very enlightening and powerful. She spoke what many feel and see is going on in today’s society.”

Ryan remains confident in the midst of threats and intimidation in her position as a reporter in the White House. Ryan’s speech of hope, peace and social justice honored the life of Dr. Martin Luther King and the work that still needs to be done.

“If you don’t have a seat at the table bring a chair.”

-April Ryan The only student to ask a question was junior English major Milli Mehari who asked about student activism and fighting institutional white supremacy on the UMW campus. Ryan responded that she admired the confidence of Me-

Winter leadership symposium sparks debate on controversial topics

Tessa Cate

SECTION EDITORS NEWS Meaghan McIntyre Izzy Briones

VIEWPOINTS Ginny Bixby

LIFE Lauren Closs

SPORTS Ryan Brauch

ONLINE Es Hethcox

PHOTO Cayley McGuire Kyrstiane Urbaniak

Business Team Linda Fitzpatrick

The symposium involved a panel where student leaders were abl to ask questions to the administrators.

MIRANDA O’CONNOR Staff Writer

On Saturday, January 20, the University of Mary Washington Leadership Winter Symposium took place on UMW’s campus in Dodd Auditorium. The Winter Symposium, put on by the Student Leadership Committee, was a mandatory program for all student organization leaders; and built upon the meaningful conversations that were held during the August Leadership Summit. The Symposium also provided supplementary tools to help make student organizations at UMW more successful through immersive training. During the event, there was an opportunity for student leaders to ask a panel of administrators questions about student life and policies.

Events such as the Fall Leadership Summit and the Winter Leadership

Symposium ensure that leaders of student organizations are successful in leading their clubs, have a voice, and are heard by the administration. Hearing these responses to controversial topics from University President, Troy

Ali Myers / University of Mary Washington

that the University of Mary Washington Administration is dedicated to making all organizations at UMW safe and welcoming for all.

Throughout the day, student organization leaders were able to submit questions, comments, or concerns to President Troy Paino, Dean Melissa Jones, and Dr. Juliette Landphair. As the day began to conclude, these topics were brought to panel. The most emergent topics that were discussed have been presented as controversial to some.

These topics include the discussion of Greek Life in the UMW Community, multicultural equality, and Free Speech vs. Hate Speech.

The topic of Greek Life at the university was discussed, and in response, some administrators asked student leaders

“I like that UMW does not have Greek Life because it allows students to be involved in several different clubs, rather than have to be committed to their sorority/fraternity.”

-Karen Smith Paino, Inter-Club Association (ICA) President Katharine Barry, and student-leader, Karen Smith, provides the UMW community with positive support

•SYMPOSIUM | 10

CORRECTIONS for THE Week

Janelle Behm

FACULTY ADVISOR Sushma Subramanian

2

PLEASE REPORT ANY MISTAKES SEEN IN THE BLUE & GRAY PRESS TO Kelly Emmrich, blueandgray.eic@gmail.com or Sushma Subramanian, ssubrama@umw.edu

Thursday, February 1, 2018

SPORTS

Ambitious freshmen begin process to bring a club ice hockey team to UMW

CAMERON ASHLEY Staff Writer

Currently at the University of Mary Washington, there are nineteen sports clubs. These clubs cover the popular sports like baseball, lacrosse and swimming. However, one popular sport has never made its way onto the UMW campus: ice hockey. Two freshmen students, Matthew Hawkins and Matthew McNulty, have decided to change that.

They have been working since September to start this new club. A love of both hockey and the UMW campus sparked the passion and inspiration to start the club ice hockey team.

“I’ve played in high school and I was always looking at colleges to play ice hockey at or that have hockey teams. I ended up coming here because I love the campus, but I have friends at other schools with club teams,” said Hawkins.

Currently, Hawkins and McNulty have six students willing to join the team but need at least eight more to have a full team. The two students are willing to accept anyone who is wants to play.

Gender, age, and skill levels are not

ABIGAIL HUNT Staff Writer

important when joining this team. Even the creators of the club are at completely different skill levels as Hawkins started playing hockey at the age of three while McNulty is new to the sport with only ice skating experience.

When starting a club for a sport like hockey, there are a lot of factors to consider. Before becoming official, any sports club has to go through its first year without being supported by the school.

This is so it can prove that there is a need for the club. The ice hockey club is preparing to go through the Fall of 2018.

A budget must be prepared to prove to the school how much the club would cost and then, after sorting out what the players would pay for and what the school is willing to pay for, the ice hockey club can be official.

The budget would account for things like renting an ice rink and transportation to the rink. The Prince William Ice Center is the closest ice rink and it is 40 minutes away from campus.

It has been considered as a potential

practice location but nothing is official yet. As a way to alleviate costs within the first year, Hawkins and McNulty have discussed not joining a conference but instead scrimmaging with other college hockey clubs. This way the cost to rent the rink would be divided between the teams and both teams get practice time.

There are several schools near UMW that have hockey clubs like James Madison University, University of Virginia and Virginia Commonwealth University.

Uniforms will be one of the main costs that students will be responsible for.

Students who have played hockey before will most likely have their own gear.

However, students who are new to the sport may have some difficulty buying the equipment required to safely play hockey. Experienced players who have extra gear may be an easy way for new players to get equipment. Hawkins has also been talking to local coaches about getting spare equipment for club use.The students do not believe that equipment costs should deter anyone who wants to

play from not joining the club.

“We’d love it if someone has their own equipment, but we are going to be just as supportive if someone doesn’t and needs help paying for it,” said McNulty.

McNulty and Hawkins hope to have the club officially recognized by the school in Fall of 2019 but they have a long road ahead of them. Their main focus is to get more people interested in playing and joining. Both students stressed their willingness to accept people of all skill levels and encouraged those who had never skated before to join.

“You could end up loving this sport without realizing.” said McNulty.

The two plan on placing flyers around campus to spread the word and will hold their first interest meeting when they accumulate more interest. If you are interested in joining the club or have any questions, you can reach McNulty and Hawkins at umwhockey@gmail.com.

UMW students share their opinions about the Super Bowl

The Super Bowl LII commences inside U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN. For the first time since 2005 the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England patriots will duke it out for the title of the 2018 NFL Super Bowl champions. The Eagles will enter the field on Sunday at an automatic disadvantage considering they have only attended two Super Bowls in league history in which they lost both.

The Patriots on the other hand, have made an appearance in nine Super Bowl games, and have earned five super bowl tiles in 2017, 2015, 2005, 2004 and 2002. Many attribute the Patriots’ success to the chemistry between quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick. Brady, a University of Michigan alumni, has lead the Patriots to eight of nine Super Bowl appearances since he was drafted in 2000. Not only is that more than any other player in history, but he is also tied with former NFL linebacker and defensive end Charles Haley for the most Super Bowl titles of any player in the NFL with 5 Super Bowl rings earned throughout the 2000’s. The

game is not automatically a Patriot win, though.

Senior, Kelsey Welsh has been a Philadelphia Eagles fan for her entire life. She even lived down the road from Eagles defensive back coach Corey Undlin, who is a family friend of the Welsh’s. She spoke on behalf of the Eagles acknowledging that Philadelphia will be rolling with their backup quarterback Nick Foles, after Carson Wentz tore his ACL in Week 14, which will add an extra challenge as the team goes up against a strong Patriots team. Welsh will be attending the big game in Minneapolis this weekend with her family.

Boston native, junior Mike Stys, has confidence that the Patriots will be victorious this Sunday.

“Since Week 5, the Patriots defense has allowed the least amount of points to be scored on them per game out of all the teams in the NFL this season.

On top of that, we have Tom Brady, arguably the best NFL quarterback of all time,” said Stys.

Senior, John Grace, another Boston native attributes New England’s

success to their ability to adapt to any situation during the game.

“Other than having the best QB in the NFL, the preparation that the coaches do with the players each week have lead them to be successful for the past 18 years,” said Grace. “It is evident that they can fully adapt on the fly. The Patriot’s history of halftime adjustments and unpredictable comebacks only goes to shows that they are prepared for any situation.

When a team is prepared, the execution will always be better.”

Grace also spoke on the Eagles performance this season.

“The Eagles are a good team, and even though he’s their back-up Nick Foles has already won two play off games. It’s all about how you produce, and I think Foles performance has surpassed people’s expectations. We have also seen in the past that the Patriots do not play their best in the Super Bowl and all five super Bowl titles they have realistically won within a touchdown. The Patriots are and have always been a dominant team in the NFL but everyone is playing their best

in the Super Bowl, so it’s going to be a great game.”

Regardless of who comes out victorious this weekend, the game is likely to make NFL history. Tune in this Sunday to see for yourself what team will come out on top.

Philadelphia Eagles

Forbes

New England Patriots

DW.com

Weekly Scoreboard Men's Basketball

M/w swimming

Jan. 31 vs. St. Mary’s (Md.) (W) UMW: 68 St. Mary’s: 54

women's Basketball

Jan. 31 vs. St. Mary’s (Md.) (W) UMW:61 St. Mary’s: 48

Jan. 27 vs. Gettysburg W: (W)150-112. M: (L) 82-179

M/W Indoor track

Jan. 27 @ George Mason Jillian Weisbeck 2nd place in 3000

M/w swimming

Feb. 3 @ York (Pa.) TBA

M/W Indoor track

Feb. 4 @ Christopher Newport TBA

Men's basketball

Feb. 3 vs. Penn St.-Harrisburg TBA

women's basketball

Feb. 3 vs. Penn St.-Harrisburg TBA

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VIEWPOINTS

Time’s Up: A male perspective on the recent sexual assault allegations

NATHANIEL DEVINE Staff Writer

In recent months, the issues of sexual harassment and sexual misconduct in the workplace have come to the forefront of the American public’s attention after a slew of famed male Hollywood personages such as Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey, faced and then pleaded guilty to allegations of gross sexual harassment towards, mainly, female coworkers and/or colleagues. Allegations of inappropriate conduct from public male figures towards women have, and still are, dominating weekly news and media coverage.This has made many an American man scared of the witch hunt climate that now heavily looms over their professional careers.

However, there are misconceptions about sexual harassment and inappropriate conduct that make this climate more dangerous, if not hopelessly destructive, for American men.

One misconception that these stories and their coverage creates is that sexual harassment and misconduct in the workplace is solely a Hollywood problem. The genesis of this notion is pretty clear: almost all of the allegations coming out involve a powerful man in Hollywood, ergo, it’s the Hollywood system and/or the entertainment industry as a whole that needs to significantly change structurally. The confessions of producer Harvey Weinstein and PIXAR’s CEO John Lassetter show that the climate of inappropriate behavior extends to beyond just celebrity actors.

However, sexual harassment exists in every type of workplace, in any sort of industry. It is not solely limited to actors

and producers. Thus, it is not just the Hollywood system that needs to change, but each and every work environment as a whole.

The second misconception about sexual harassment is that it is solely a male problem. Many people believe that sexual harassment is somehow caused only by the testosterone levels and libido of males.

But males can also be the victims of sexual harassment. Men can come on to women, but also vice versa. This misconception gives way to the stereotype that all men are just horny, impulsive brutes who will give way to their most primal, basic instincts as if the are primitive caveman with rock clubs and linen cloths. It does not take much research into the judicial annals of U.S. history to find a case in which a woman sexually harassed or acted inappropriately towards a male coworker.

When gender bias comes into play, the scope of the sexual harassment problem is limited, and thus, we get a witch hunt working climate and the overall bigger picture becomes distorted.

The third misconception about sexual harassment, and probably the most damning, is that every allegation is true and all accused are guilty. This is what has started the atmosphere that we have seen in the media and online for the past couple of months. Whether we want to believe it or not, not every allegation of sexual harassment is, or will be, true. There are bound to be some false accusations based on nothing but someone’s disdain, or jealousy, or maybe even, their rejected passion for someone else. One famous example is a 1933 U.S. court case that took place

Can Aziz Ansari be forgiven?

Examining the intricacies of sexual misconduct KATE SELTZER Senior Writer

The #MeToo movement marks a profound cultural shift: the end to the era of silencing victims of sexual harassment and assault and a forced reckoning of how we as a society view women, power, and sex. The downfall of influential and admired men, from Congress to Hollywood, necessitates that we come to grips with the idea that the people we respect and whose work we admire are capable of awful things that can and have ruined other people’s careers and even lives. We can’t be less inclined to believe women just because they’ve accused someone who happens to be a personal hero.

It was not until the allegation leveled against Aziz Ansari became public that the rule was hard to uphold.

In a detailed interview posted to babe. net earlier this month, a woman referred to as Grace said that on a date with the Ansari last September, he repeatedly tried to initiate sex, despite her repeated verbal and nonverbal cues that she was not interested. She did not explicitly say no, and so she did not flip the magic

4

switch that turns “just a bad date” into a clear sexual assault. This makes for a very different conversation. According to the same article, she did repeatedly pull away, express clear disinterest, and say the words “I don’t want to feel forced because then I’ll hate you, and I’d rather not hate you.” That seems like a clear indication to stop, but by her account, he only did so for a moment before resuming his attempts.

The story rings familiar to a lot of women, who have had similar experiences where men seem to not notice or not care about their wishes. Grace is not the only woman to have not wanted to have sex, but then did, and felt terrible afterwards. This gray area has previously gone largely undiscussed because it is almost regarded as normal and therefore not an issue. Ansari does not seem to fit into the same category as monsters like Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey, whose actions clearly violated the rules of consent. In fact, he has been a consistent and vocal ally for women in his

Alexander Koerner/Getty Images

Harvey Weinstein is one of the powerful men in Hollywood accused of sexual assault within the past few months.

in Alabama, where 2 white girls accused twelve black men of raping them during a train ride. Both parties were taken to court, and though the men were found guilty, many agreed that the girls’ testimonies lacked the appropriate emotions and behavior that two girls who had been through such an experience as they had claimed to have been through would have exhibited. This court case inspired Harper Lee’s fictional trial her in her classic novel “To Kill A Mockingbird.” Even some of today’s allegations seem a bit politically motivated.

Though the allegations against Kevin Spacey and Louis C.K. may have seemed a bit untimely due to the fact that both had movies about to come out. This could be spurred by the fact that the Harvey Weinstein scandal had just broke, thus empow-

ering their victims to speak up. However, in some cases, such as in James Franco’s, whose accusers tweeted out their allegations on Twitter posts while he was making his Golden Globes acceptance speech, the accusations seem not only abrupt but also somewhat thin, due to the fact not many people would tweet about their experiences of being sexually harassed to all their friends and followers.

All three of these false notions about sexual harassment could seriously mar the general public’s perception of the issue, and need to be corrected in the media and the minds of American citizens. And, if gone unchecked, this misperception could have disastrous results, not just for American popular culture, but also for the country as a whole.

standup, writing, and hit TV show. But the standard cannot be to simply draw the line at rape.

The Ansari story is important to tell because we have to hold men all men - to the standard Mario Anzuoni/Reuters of refusing Golden Globe winner Aziz Ansari was accused of sexual assault by an to accept anonymous woman earlier this month. consent as the most genuine and human ways seen anything less than clear mutual enthusion television today. What about Harvey asm. Hopefully, the publicity surroundWeinstein? Are we going to boycott all ing this encounter will ask men to revisit of the films he produced? Probably not. their own “bad dates” and past actions There are a lot of them. It is a brave new that, whether they were aware at the time world, and the question of separating art or not, hurt and violated someone else. from the artist is going to be more releAll that being said, the question vant than ever. I think there’s space for remains: can we forgive Aziz Ansari? this division, but I could be wrong.

In his statement, he says he thought all For what it is worth, the episodes of actions were consensual. Maybe he reMaster of None “Ladies and Gentleman” ally did. Regardless, they certainly were and “Buona Notte” are really great and not okay. Does that mean his career is pertinent to right now. The former deals over? Is he permanently tainted as a bad with the fear and harassment women face person? It would be better if his apology all the time, as a price for just existing. seemed less forced, if he seemed to genThe latter is eerily prophetic, and disuinely understand why he was wrong. If cusses what happens when someone we we can’t forgive him, can we appreciate genuinely like is guilty of appalling sexhis work on its own? His show “Master ual harassment. They’re worth a watch. of None” is excellent. It tackles issues of race, gender, and religion in one of

Thursday, February 2018 Thursday, January 21, 1, 2015

VIEWPOINTS

Editor: Ginny Bixby | blueandgray.views@gmail.com

Bipartisan political system only serves to distract and divide GRACE WINFIELD Senior Writer

Before reading my morning briefing last Wednesday, I glanced at the front page of the New York Times, and was not surprised to see that four of the five headlines were political. With the media’s ever-growing political obsession, it seems as though nothing in American politics is getting resolved, or will be. As my mind was flooded with thoughts of FBI investigations, gridlock, and scandal-galore, I really questioned our political system.

The question isn’t only if our political system is still effective, but if it serves the public interest—the short answer is no.

The reason? America’s political duopoly and voter manipulation.

We can’t say we haven’t been warned.

Most people are familiar with George Washington’s farewell address, where he cautions the formation of political parties and expresses his detestation. There’s also John Adams, who said “there is nothing which I dread so much as a division in two great parties, each arranged under its leader, and concerting measures in opposition to each other. This, in my humble apprehension, is to be dreaded as the greatest political evil under our Constitution.”

The two-party system is killing our democracy.

Party affiliation is a mere distraction that the government has successfully composed to keep us, the people, in an ongoing battle against one another. Political leaders are skilled actors. They learn their audience, they say the right things and make empty promises along the way only to ever truly have their own personal gain in mind in their conspiracies to seize power and fame.

Washington was right—political parties have created power-hungry monsters as leaders, those he described as “…cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men [that] will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted

them to unjust dominion.”

Slowly, the system has been reconfigured to benefit only major political parties, and their private interests. The current duopoly has created a political competition that only those a part of the major parties’ political agenda and corporate America can benefit from. More specifically, the industrial allies and courteous donors that party leaders and representatives heavily rely on to support their campaigning.

The parties have established their own rules in the political system to further enhance their power while diminishing our democracy. One way we supposedly can preserve this democracy is by voting.

We are told that our vote serves as our voice—but what about those who have their voice taken from them? The people that choose not to affiliate as either Republican nor Democratic are known as independents. Approximately half of the states in the US prohibit independent party affiliates from voting in the primary elections. Does this not contradict the very definition of democracy?

An issue that certainly hinders democracy, pertaining to voting in particular, would be partisan gerrymandering. Partisan gerrymandering, according to NPR, “is the practice of drawing legislative and congressional district lines to maximize and perpetuate the power of an incumbent political party.” Essentially, this means that politicians have the unfair advantage of picking their voters, instead of voters picking their politicians, this goes for both the left and the right. The major goal is for a political party to manipulate district lines around a set of voters that will likely elect a certain party’s candidate based on the party affiliations of the people within a certain district.

You may wonder who draws these unfair boundaries. The process varies from state to state, though in most cases, a state’s district lines are redrawn by the state legislature, and the majority party control the process. While some states require bi-partisan or non-partisan commissions to oversee line-drawing, the state governor and majority party leaders control who is ap-

The Swamp.Media

According to Time, only 4% of the popular vote went to third parties in the 2016 presidential election.

pointed to these commissions, according to Redistricting the Nation, a site ran by a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software design and development firm that specializes in web-based geographic analysis and modeling applications for the government, known as Azavea.

Reform starts with congressional districts. State-houses across the United States re-draw congressional districts every 10 years. To ensure one party gets elected over another, districts are made to elect one candidate further on the left or the right. Compromise is seen less and less, two sides of the ideological spectrum distance further apart.

Sure, there are third parties. But are they viable? Even if they are, it’s not as though they have a fair chance. These single seat districts, as previously mentioned, are to blame. There were once multi-seat Congressional districts, districts that could have two or more elected representatives.

With the passage of the Uniform Congressional Districts Act, Congress eliminated multi-seat districts in 1967. The system allowed candidates from minor parties to win office and gain political traction.

The two major political parties appeal to their partisan supporters based on ideology, not policies that work. Parties divide voters based on hostility toward the other side, pushing voters to feel that they must

choose between the left and the right. In turn, the two-party system successfully creates straight ticket voters, meaning, voters that will always vote in preference of the party, not the candidate.

We need to make up our own minds about how we feel toward certain issues.

We shouldn’t feel the need to define ourselves as either liberal or conservative; we as people should not be defined by party affiliation, but rather by our individual convictions. The problem isn’t necessarily the existence of parties, but the political competition that the major parties have created only between themselves, not allowing new competition in the race that could potentially better serve the public interest.

The nation is granting money the power to slowly tear down the democracy that once built America. The great influence of money misrepresents competition, creating biased elections. The politics industry (yes, industry), and its chokehold on legislature is nullifying democracy.

It’s time for our voting mechanics and redistricting processes to receive some serious attention, to appeal the Uniform Congressional Districts Act and kill the two-party system, to eliminate partisan control; though even those are only some steps toward the major political realignment that America needs.

Staff Ed: Blue & Gray Press Staff denounces racism and displays of racist imagery One year ago, a swastika note was found on campus. This note shook the University of Mary Washington campus and the surrounding Fredericksburg community.

As a community, we are known for our inclusivity and accepting atmosphere amongst the students, faculty and staff.

Hearing about the note was appalling and frightening. Now we are at another reckoning. For the past few months there has occasionally been a Confederate flag hanging inside the window of a student’s room in Mason, a residence hall. This flag has again instilled fear in the UMW community, and it has forced us to question what the flag symbolizes and why a

student would willingly fly it.

Some argue that Confederate flags are a symbol of hatred and oppression. To others the flag symbolizes southern pride.

In an interview with The Washington Post, Matthew Guterl, a professor of African and American studies at Brown University, said that the reason that Americans fly the Confederate flag is because “they imagine that in that context the flag is a representation of Southern history, Southern heritage, and Southern culture. They tie it to questions of state’s rights, and the absence of federal oversight.”

Guterl said that the problem with this notion is that the flag is not a neutral symbol.

“What is far more problematic is that there is no way to separate the fact that it is on all of those flag poles and on those license plates, that it’s on t-shirts and coffee cups and other paraphernalia, precisely because it was resurrected in the 1940s and 1950s as part of a massive resistance campaign against the civil rights movement,” said Guterl. “It wouldn’t exist in our national popular culture without this moment, when African Americans fought for their equality, and the battle flag was recovered and redeployed as a symbol of opposition to it.”

Our “Values that Unite Us,” as listed on UMW’s website, include integrity, dignity

and respect, diversity, intellectual inquiry, responsibility and leadership. The flag is a reminder that the South was once a rebellious and racist sect of the country. The ideals that the flag supports do not align with our values as an institution.

We at the Blue & Gray do not condone racism and racist symbols. We while we do welcome freedom of speech, displaying a reminder of slavery on campus should not be allowed. We denounce the display of images and stand with the students who feel directly threatened by the Confederate flag.

By THE BLUE & GRAY PRESS EDITORIAL BOARD

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LIFE

Editor: Lauren Closs blueandgray.life@gmail.com

Students attend 45th March for Life in Washington D.C. HANNAH ROTHWELL Staff Writer

It was a warm and sunny day in the middle of January. The weather felt out of place, but was welcomed. People from all walks of life traveled far and wide to gather in downtown D.C. As soon as they stepped out of the Smithsonian Metro Station, they were greeted by smiling faces handing out bright green signs saying “Choose love. Choose life” and inviting them to join the crowd that was rapidly amassing. On January 19, 500,000 people lined the streets from the foot of the Washington Monument to the steps of the Supreme Court. Half a million people gathered peacefully to tell the nation and the world that they would not be silent while the dignity of their fellow human beings was cast aside and ignored.

The March for Life began in 1974.

Although they have been marching for 45 years, it was my first, and I didn’t know what to expect. A year ago, I would have expected to see a lot of old white men parroting the same lines about stopping abortion without giving a second thought to the women involved.

But over the last year, I interacted more with the people who attend the march annually, and they had proven a lot of my assumptions wrong. This year, I wanted to see for myself what it means to be pro-life.

The day started out with a boom. The loudspeakers were blasting music all the way from the Museum of Natural History to the Reflecting Pool. The alternative rocker Plumb opened up the event.

Immediately following, was a string of speakers ranging from NFL players to politicians. Each one was speaking about the dignity human life from their own perspective. Pam Tebow spoke about the joy she felt raising her son and watching him grow into a successful man. Sister Bethany Madonna spoke about the love and strength that she saw in the people that she served in her ministry supporting women and families. Paul Ryan took the stage in support of the march, and even President Trump had his speech to the marchers broadcasted live on the jumbotron. As inspiring as the speeches

were, what really struck me were the crowds.

“I noticed how peaceful it is; I noticed how many young people there are; I noticed how many women there are. People like to say that it’s just old white men that are making these policies, but there’s a lot of women who also support them,” said Grace Rihl, a junior geology major.

As a self-identified feminist, the dignity of women is a central reason why she marches. “One of the most detrimental things to women is that they believe they have no other choice but abortion. Why do women feel like having a baby is going to stop them from being successful?

That’s not okay. We have this natural, beautiful, wonderful ability to create life and we’re Students from Catholic Campus Ministry posed with the bishop told that if that happens we’ll of the Arlington diocese, Bishop Burbidge. become smaller in society.”

Abortion was a big topic at the march. In the river of signs flooding down Constitution Avenue, a lot of them said things like “save the storks” or “1/3 of my generation is missing,” but I was surprised to realize that wasn’t the only reason people were marching. For every sign that said “social justice starts in the womb” there was another that said “refugees are people too.”

“I went to show my support for all human life at all stages. Not just for the babies in the womb, but also where life is being attacked, like in the family, the end of life, those who are being abused, brutalized, innocent people who are being bombed,” said Matthew Malanga, an undeclared freshman. “As humans we should make every effort possible to preserve innocent human life.”

I went to the March for Life to see what it means to be pro-life. I discovered that the term encompasses far more than I originally thought. It means supporting refugees, elderly, homeless, victims of bullying, people struggling with suicidal thoughts, women in desperate situations, and yes- the unborn. The people there were marching to support the dignity of Back row from left: Stephen Lamm, Susannah Tombes, human life, in all of its forms and stages, Emily James, Emily Gaetjen and Kerry Froh and I was proud to call myself a part of Front row: Megan Marzzacco and Michelle Muñoz it.

Photo courtesy of Matthew Malanga.

Samantha Malanga poses at March for Life.

Catholic Campus Ministry.

Photo courtesy of Grace Rihl.

Photo courtesy of Danielle Zuccaro.

Thursday, February 1, 2018

LIFE

Students join protest at Women’s March on Washington

MACKENZIE HARD Staff Writer

This past weekend, thousands of women, men and children gathered around the Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C. for the second annual Women’s March on Washington. This event began to advance peaceful and positive progress within communities across the country, along with the goal of ensuring that all women and their allies are involved with civic and political roles. The theme this year was Power to the Polls, with a focus on getting more people to the polls and voting qualified women into office. Speakers included U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and Virginia Delegate Kelly Convirs-Fowler.

Throughout the day, there was a sense

of community, which was very uplifting and empowering.

I took the D.C. Metro in along with some other UMW students, getting off at Foggy-Bottom, and followed the thousands of people from the Metro to the Lincoln Monument. Once we arrived, we were greeted by a group handing out delicious, free cupcakes and were surrounded by thousands of marchers with homemade posters and banners, bearing slogans like, “Nevertheless she persisted” and “Privilege is thinking you do not have the time to fight for others’ rights.”

While we gathered around the Reflecting Pool and waited for the march to begin, we listened to the speakers who talked about the accomplishments of women in office at the state and federal levels, along with encouraging

marchers to vote in the upcoming midterm elections. We also saw fellow University of Mary Washington students and talked to those around us. When the march started, it was led by a group called Batalà Washington. This nonprofit organization is an Afro-Brazilian band that plays Samba-Reggae rhythms. There are groups like this one all over the world, but this is the only group that is all-women. As we marched to the beats of Batalà, we all felt so empowered to be there supporting various issues and causes.

One of the many issues that people this year were marching for was getting more women into public office. This has become a topic that many have started to talk about as more of the political conversations and decisions focus on women and their bodies.

Marches like these advocate for ending all violence against women, supporting LGBTQ+ rights, immigrants rights, the Black Lives Matter movement, and environmental justice to name a few. At the end of the march, we turned on to Pennsylvania Avenue and were right in front of the White House. As the drums of Batalà continued to play, we finished out the march and people started to put their posters on the fence surrounding the White House for others to see.

Once we made it back to campus, we were motivated to become more involved in political activism, while becoming more aware of what is going within our government.

Batalà Washington leading the march.

One of the many signs throughout the march in support of the DREAM Act..

Photos by Allison Tovey

Outside of the White House, people posed with a cardboard banner celebrating diversity alongside a woman dressed as the Statue of Liberty.

Thousands of marchers that gathered around the Lincoln Memorial on January 21.

Homemade signs from the frontlines of the march.

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Weekend Events

Thursday

• Human Rights Film Series: “I Am Not Your Negro” @ Lee Hall, 6 p.m.

• Great Lives Series: Lawmen and Outlaws of the Old West @ Dodd Auditorium, 7:30 p.m- 9 p.m.

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

• Threads of History: • Gospel Fest @ Dodd • CPB’s Super Bowl Elizabeth Monroe’s Auditorium Party @ HCC Digital Wedding Dress @ The Auditorium, 6 p.m. James Monroe Muse- • The Foreigner @ Mon10 p.m. um, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. roe 116, 7 p.m.

• • Resistance Through • Blade Runner 2049 @ Poetry @ The UnderMonroe, 10 p.m. ground, 7 p.m.

• Blade Runner 2049 @ Monroe 116, 7 p.m.

• Senior Countown @ Chandler Ballroom, 9 p.m.- 11:45 p.m.

• The Foreigner @ Monroe 116, 10 p.m.

@theBlueandGray

BlueandGrayPress

The Blue & Gray Press

LIFE

The One Note Stand ends the ICCAs on a high note

OLIVIA TAYLOR Staff Writer

This past Saturday, one of the UMW acapella groups, The One Note Stand, competed in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella Mid-Atlantic Quarterfinal at George Washington University. This event brought together 10 acapella groups from around the region to compete for the chance to advance and perform in the semifinal competition in Philadelphia.

One Note Stand placed third overall in the event, coming in behind The GW Vibes from George Washington University in second and No Ceiling from the College of William & Mary in first place. There were also several individual awards given for best vocal percussion, best arrangement and best soloist.

One Note Stand competed in the event for the first time last year, but placed for the first time this year.

President of the group Alli Jakubek, a senior economics major, talked about the differences between this year and last year.

“Last year we were just happy to have the opportunity to go,” said Jakubek.

“We were much more prepared this year. We knew what we were getting ourselves into, so we started working on our set as soon as we got back to school.”

The group recorded an audition tape

One Note Stand performed at the ICCAs on January 27. and sent it in for the chance to compete of transition to focus on becoming a in October and found out that they more serious and competitive group than qualified in November. in previous years, according to Jakubek.

“When we got on stage, everyone “This year, we're a lot more honest was so professional, relaxed and excited. with each other and with ourselves. We There were no nerves. We were just learned from previous mistakes and so excited to show the audience all the really harnessed the strengths of our hard work we've put in for the past few group,” said Jakubek. months,” said Jakubek.

The group really put in the effort What set One Note Stand apart from in order to make this accomplishment the rest of the competitors is that they happen. Jakubek continued, “Everyone arrange all of their own music and was present at each rehearsal leading up choreography. The group’s set consisted to the competition. We were organized, of three different songs: “Look What You focused, and motivated. We built off of Made Me Do” by Taylor Swift, “Milk our strengths and held outside workshops and Honey” by Jessarae and “Believer” to fix problem spots in our set.”

by Imagine Dragons. Soloists included The competition was stiff for the Karen Smith, Shannan Mitchell and Alli event with a lot of exceptional talent Jakubek respectively. from all of the groups. It was an The group has gone through a period experience to get feedback as a group.

Photo courtesty of Julia Smith.

“It felt so rewarding to be recognized for all of our hard work, and to have concrete evidence that we sound good,” said Karen Smith, senior environmental science major. “As a group member, you never know what the group sounds like when you’re in it, because no audio or video recording sounds like the real performance. It’s great to get a professional opinion about our sound, and to be recognized for it in front of a thousand people. Words really can’t describe it. I’m just so proud of the group.”

The group hopes to use this momentum in order to finish the rest of the semester out strong. There will be other opportunities to hear The One Note Stand, including the 10 year group anniversary concert on April 14.

Stars support Time’s Up movement at Grammys and Golden Globes Photos assembled by Kelly Emmrich

"It's incredible how the world is pivoting in a new direction," said Rita Ora of the movement. "The more voices that come together, the more powerful everything gets."

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

This past Sunday the red carpet was filled with white roses. Stars donned white roses as part of the Time’s Up movement. On the Times Up website, the mission reads “TIME’S UP is a unified call for change from women in entertainment for women everywhere.

From movie sets to farm fields to boardrooms alike, we envision nationwide leadership that reflects the world in which we live.”

R&B star Khalid wore a green turtleneck and an off-white blazer. He donned a white rose on his lapel. He was up for five awards, including best new artist, but went home empty-handed.

Kesha had a white rose embroidered onto her suit.

Pink brought her family to the ceremony - including her Lady Gaga came to the red carpet donned in black and a small She performed her hit song Praying to reflect the daughter Willow, alongside husband Carey Hart and white rose pinned to the top of her dress. She performed the title #TimesUp movement during the Grammy ceremony. mom Judith Moore. track of her latest album, Joanne, at the ceremony.

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NEWS

POLICE BEAT MEAGHAN MCINTYRE & IZZY BRIONES News Editors

Petit Larceny Between Friday, December 15 at 6 p.m. and Thursday, January 4 at 4 p.m., a bicycle was stolen from the Simpson bike rack. This case is pending.

On Saturday, January 20 between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., a bicycle was stolen from Eagle Landing. This case is pending.

Between Saturday, January 20 at 3 p.m. and Sunday, January 21 at 2 p.m., a bicycle was stolen from the Eagle Landing bike rack.

This case is pending.

Possession On Tuesday, January 16 at 9:36 p.m., there was possession of marijuana at Virginia Hall. Two administrative referrals were given.

Vandalism On Wednesday, January 17 at approximately 1:25 p.m., restroom hardware was vandalized at the University Center. This case is pending.

The emails ranged from jokes to vulgar comments.

Photo edited by Cayley McGuire

Email chain divides and unites •EMAIL CHAIN | 1

inate spam and other inappropriate messages to some UMW students.

This act is a potential violation of both UMW’s Network and Computer Use Policy and the student Code of Conduct,” said the email.

Since the email inicident, the UMW students have had quite a lot to say about the email chain.

Students had various viewpoints on the mass email.

“They were annoying, pointless, and childish,” said sophomore studio art and elementary education major Mckinzie Turner.

Jewel Washington, who is a sophomore psychology major, and Grayson D’Alessandro who is a junior sociology major also shared some of the same views as Turner.

“It was childish, annoying, and not a good representation of the school as a whole,” said Washington.

D’Alessandro thoughts were focused on the abuse that the system endured during the email chain.

“It was definitely super frustrating to see people take advantage of the email system,” said D’Alessandro.

Students had mixed opinions over if, and how, they felt students should be punished for abusing the email system.

“Not anything super serious like getting kicked out, but probably something like a seminar about how to not misuse technology,” said Turner.

“Yes, but I think there should be a level of understanding what is misuse and what is just being silly,” said D’Alessandro.

“Whatever punishment there should be should not be like a “flat line” it should be taken case by case.”

The Hall Cheshire has stated that due to legality and privacy issues of the students that they are unable to give out any details about any possible punishments for the students that abused the email system.

“Whatever punishment there should be should not be like a “flat line” it should be taken case by case.”

-Grayson D’Alessandro

On Saturday, January 20 at 3:50 p.m., the flooring of a restroom was vandalized in Russell Hall. This case is pending.

Grand Larceny Between Wednesday, January 17 at 6 p.m. and Saturday, January 20 at 10:30 a.m., US currency was stolen from Mason Hall. This case is pending.

The information was compiled with assistance from UMW Police Manager James DeLoatch and Fredericksburg Police Department Public Information Officer Sarah Kirkpatrick.

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Photo edited by Cayley McGuire There were several movie script sent, such as “The Room,” “Bee Movie,” and “Shrek.”

Sabrina Johnson named new chief diversity officer at UMW Hannah Galeone Senior Writer

On Jan. 18, UMW President Troy Paino took the stage at a spring assembly of University faculty and staff, standing before the audience with an exciting announcement. Paino recently created a new cabinet-level position, and was appointing a new chief diversity officer to UMW. Sabrina Johnson was named the vice president for equity and access for the University at the assembly. This position will allow her to focus on and reinforce “UMW’s commitment to greater diversity and inclusion,” says an article on the UMW website.

Johnson, a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, and recipient of a juris doctorate from the College of William and Mary’s Marshall-Wythe School of Law, will use her new position to maintain and strengthen the University’s diversity programs. She will provide strategies and leadership to the university wide equity, access, and inclusion programs, states an article written by Marty Morrison, UMW’s Director of Media and Public Relations.

“I’m very excited about being accountable to the commitments that we put in place,” said Johnson. “I’m seeing this role as strategic leadership to progress.”

Although her position is new, Johnson is not unfamiliar with the topics of diversity and inclusion. Johnson served as the University’s affirmative action and equal employment opportunity officer for almost two decades. Over the last 10 years, Johnson served as the chair of the advisory committee on diversity and community values, as well as being the co-chair of Paino’s task force on diversity and inclusion. She also most recently held the role of the University’s associate vice president of human resources.

Johnson accredits her passion for diversity to her family and upbringing.

Her parents, siblings, and childhood instilled her drive for inclusion and community well-being.

“I come out of a family with the tradition of being activists,” said Johnson.

“My dad was very important in integrating schools and [my family] are very civic minded people. All of my siblings have come up in helping fields.”

Together, Paino and Johnson will work together to ensure that UMW reaches the highest capacities it has for diversity, access, and inclusion. Creating a more diverse and inclusive environment at UMW is one of Paino’s top priorities as President of the University. He also hopes to promote a culture of service and community as well as provide students with the most impactful learning experiences possible, says Morrison’s article.

Paino and Johnson plan to work together to create an inclusive and diverse environment •DIVERSITY | 11

Thursday, February 1, 2018

NEWS

Student leaders unite and discuss issues on campus

•SYMPOSIUM | 2 how many people do not want Greek Life on campus. What appeared to be a majority of the audience responded by raising their hand. One of the student leaders that attended was Senior Environmental Science major and Co-President of Club Volleyball, Karen Smith.

“I like that UMW does not have Greek Life because it allows students to be involved in several different clubs, rather than have to be committed to their sorority/fraternity,” said Smith. “I chose this school based on the absence of Greek Life because it allows me to spread my interests throughout many organizations.”

President Paino stressed that he and the university are willing to discuss the matter of Greek Life, but only if it is a student-initiated conversation.

Another topic of the symposium’s conversation was brought on by Student

organization leaders who presented the idea of free speech vs. hate speech.

Barry, stated that the main topic of this conversation was defining the line where free speech ends and hate speech begins.

While to most, hate speech is frowned-upon and derogatory, it is protected under the First Amendment. As a public university, UMW is required to abide by the United States Constitution, however, UMW is able to impose time, place and manner restrictions on speech. As hate speech could induce violence, safety of the UMW Community is the administration’s priority.

The last controversial subject touched upon at the symposium was the topic of cultural equality on Mary Washington’s campus. Members from multiple multicultural clubs raised concern about having a loud enough voice to advocate for equality at UMW. “I am committed to ensuring that student voices are heard on campus and

by the President,” President Troy Paino said. ”I recently appointed a Vice President for Equity and Access, Sabrina Johnson, to help us all understand what we must do to reach our goal of a diverse and inclusive learning community. All students and all groups should feel that their voice is valued and heard.”

In addition to the panel, this symposium presented students with focus groups, impactful dialogues, and also allowed the different organization leaders to have productive conversations with their peers. The Winter Symposium was a continuation of the Fall Leadership Summit, however the symposium only lasted one day, while the summit lasted for two. The Winter Symposium also offered student leaders a more flexible schedule. According to ICA President, Katharine Barry, student leaders were given more opportunity and choice of how they wanted to productively spend their day at the symposium.

While student organization leaders

were required to be at the Winter Symposium, many activities were available to the students. During lunch, a resource fair was available for browsing. It was here where campus police were present, as well as Simpson Library staff, James Farmer Multicultural Center staff, among several others. The fair allowed students the opportunity to meet with staff from these different organizations, and present any opinions, questions, or concerns they may have. Resources to help with writing, editing, and maintaining club constitutions were also available to the student leaders.

A third part to this program will take place in April, which will provide training and guidance for newly-elected student leaders. According to Barry, who is a senior Environmental Science and Philosophy major, it is the hope that this three-part program will establish itself as an annual event for all student organization leaders, to help improve all student-run organizations at UMW.

New position aimed at stengthing UMW diversity program •DIVERSITY | 10

on campus.

“What I really appreciate about Troy Paino is his dedication to help young people in preparation for their futures,” said Johnson.

Since the announcement of her new position, Johnson has already started to think about how UMW’s diversity initiatives can improve.

“I’d like to see us better coordinate the good work that is going on,” said Johnson. “We’re all doing the best we can but if we can find the natural synergies [within the school] that will help.

We’re [also] committed to increasing

the diversity of the faculty.”

Johnson looks forward to and hopes to encourage the growth of the University’s diversity efforts. She also wants to see more use of the James Farmer Multicultural Center.

“As we go through this process, there’s going to be organic expansion,” said Johnson.

“We have to understand who we are and what works best for us.”

Johnson wants to use the knowledge of the past to help improve the University’s diversity and equity programs.

“We have to embrace past issues,” said Johnson. “We have got to end up where we can come together.”

“We have to embrace past issues. We have got to end up where we can come together.”

-Sabrina Johnson

Sabrina Johnson was appointed new position by President Paino

University Relations

Feb. 4 6pm-9pm HCC DIGITAL AUDITORIUM

Thursday, February 1, 2018

11

SPORTS

Editor: Ryan Brauch | blueandgray.sports@gmail.com

Students share their connections with the Olympics

LAURA TAYLOR Staff Writer

On Feb. 9, 92 nations will be represented by their best athletes in Pyeongchang County, South Korea to collectively compete in the 2018 Winter Olympics. For University of Mary Washington students, this means joining in the world wide spectating of their favorite winter sport events.

Some students at UMW follow various sports because of a specific connection to the sport.

For sophomore Jennifer Hill, ice hockey is the sport her brother used to play and which led to her becoming a big fan of the Washington Capitals.

“Watching the Olympics keeps me on the edge of my seat,” said Hill.

“There is a whole new level of energy and adrenaline when watching the best athletes in the world compete on one stage,” said Hill.

When it comes to the events that students at UMW follow, Hill enjoys following ice hockey closely especially during the qualifying rounds.

“My older brother played ice hockey when he was younger, so I grew up going to his hockey games and tourneys,” said Hill.

“I especially love watching ice hockey during the Winter Olympics because of amazing moments like TJ Oshie’s shootout win against Russia. I was watching that game live and it truly was a nail biter.”

For sophomore Sylvan Brier, the figure skating events are a way to bond with her mom.

“I follow figure skating the most because it’s something my mom and I love to watch

together,” said Brier. “We both love looking at the beautiful costumes and how they move when the skaters are performing.”

Senior Emily Keehan enjoys following Alpine Skiing because of family ties. “My mom used to ski when she was younger and still has a passion for it, so I enjoy watching others do what she used to do,” said Keehan.

For the first time this winter Olympics, Nigeria will be competing in the women’s bobsledding team which caught Keehan’s eye.

“This particular Winter Olympics I will also be paying close attention to Women’s Bobsledding, specifically the Nigerian team,” said Keehan. “They are the first African bobsled team in history to make it to the Winter Olympic games, and that is incredibly special.”

As for what country to follow, not all UMW students strictly follow the United States. Depending on family heritage and connections to the location the games are held, some students found favor in other countries as well.

Hill and senior Janelle Behm will both be rooting for homeland USA. “I follow the USA,” said Behm.

“Have to root for the home country.”

Hill’s heart lies with the Washington Capitals based in Washington DC therefore leading her to root for USA as well. However, some students also have connections outside of the United States like Brier and Keehan.

“I have a cousin adopted from South Korea where the Winter

Olympics is being held so it’s cool to think that my cousin’s birth parents could appear in the audience,” said Brier.

“My mom grew up in Germany and I lived in Scotland for 10 months and love it over there so I always make sure to keep track of them,” said Keehan. “Also, North Korea will be competing for the first time in these Winter Olympics, and obviously that is a really big deal, so I will be following their journey as well.”

For the first time this year, North Korea will be sending athletes to compete in the winter games leaving students at UMW watching the Winter Olympics anticipating one of the biggest sporting events of the year.

Olympic sign in PyeongChang, South Korea

DW.com

Olympic rings proudly stand in front of picturesque mountains in PyeongChang.

Fortune

Questions arise surrounding James and the Cavaliers amid midseason struggles

ZACHARY WOHLEKING Senior Writer

Near the midpoint in the NBA season we are starting to get a good idea of what teams are excelling and are preparing for a strong postseason run and the teams that are already looking to tank and get a high draft pick in the offseason. However, there are also a few teams in the middle. These teams have been mediocre thus far and have not performed up to their preseason expectations as some have minor holes or flaws here and there that hold them back from being real title contenders. It has been surprising that LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers have been one of those teams.

Although the Cavs have struggled in the early part of the season, they still may have time to turn things around, as the Cavs still hold a high position in the Eastern Conference standings. To say they are not struggling however, is a blatant lie. If you have not been keeping

Thursday, February 1 2018

up with Cleveland as of late, they are 4-6 in their last 10 games and for the season have an abysmal under .500-win percentage on the road. They are just 1.5 games ahead of the Miami Heat who have been an afterthought by most NBA teams this season sitting at 29-19 for the season.

So, what caused this tear in the sails of these ex conference champs?

A mixture of bad coaching, tension between players, injuries and pure laziness has all contributed to Cleveland’s struggles. Head coach Tyronn Lue does not have a grasp on the locker room, plain and simple. Lebron is leading this team and it can be seen in huddles, the locker room, player discussions and in game footage as he is a big vocal contributor in any decisions made by the team. This is nothing new though, but a leader that is a non-player would help this locker room come together. Next, we have the

players themselves, last week the Cavs held a players only meeting to discuss teammate Kevin Loves commitment and work ethic after he left a game due to “sickness”. Meanwhile point guard Isaiah Thomas still has not had a game where he is completely healthy since coming back from his hip injury. With 2 of their best players not at 100%, and the rest of the team having subpar years in terms of stats, it is worrying for fans.

In all honesty here though, we are all just pulling for stories and drama to talk about surrounding LeBron James.

In the last seven years, a LeBron James led team has made the Finals, every year. And every single year in recent memory, reports and stories come out about LeBron’s team and how they are struggling during the regular season, and time and time again they not only reach expectations come postseason play,

but sometimes even surpass them. It’s always around this exact time too, with close to 50 games played, reports always come out saying LeBron’s team is struggling or there is drama or there is some type of scandal or players are fighting when really, we don’t know what really goes with these guys, they might just be riding out the long season and gearing up for the playoffs where they know with LeBron they have a shot at the title. So has this team been shown some legitimate adversity? Yes of course. But it’s something they will overcome again just like in years past and when the playoffs start and the Cavs make it to the championchip for the LeBron’s eighth straight Finals, no one is going to remember the “struggles” the Cavs had at the 50-win mark during the regular season.

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