THE
BLUE &GRAY
THE UNIVERSITY OF MARY WASHINGTON STUDENT NEWSPAPER
PRESS
April 25, 2019
VOLUME 92 | ISSUE 24 SERVING THE COMMUNITY SINCE
1922
Finance Committee club funding allocation favors Class Council grace winfield Associate Editor
Tier 1 clubs, meaning clubs that must be Since 2016, the budget of the UMW non-exclusive for both Finance Committee (FC), which members, leaders and allocates money to Tier 1 clubs on officers. campus, has dropped significantly from In 2018, the Class previous years. Council spent a total of As a result, almost all clubs have $115,810. This funding seen a decline in funding. compromised 47 percent However, a few clubs have seen an – nearly half – of the increase. These include many clubs $243,000 FC budget. related to diversity, as part of a schoolThis calls wide effort into question to increase whether they’re “As a club leader, inclusionary making their I am continually activities decisions fairly. 2018-2019 SGA members pose on the steps inside the UC confused at the roles on campus. campus entertainment, and it assists The most of various students in SAE Serves as students in developing interpersonal, significant Umbrella Organization for administrative clubs like organizational, leadership, and increase, Elected Student Leaders citizenship skills. Finance Committee and however, has Within SAE is the Inter-Club been in the SGA, and where their The Student Activities and Association (ICA). The 2018-19 ICA is budget for Engagement (SAE) works jurisdiction lies.” led by President Benjamin Masse, and Class Council. with all student organizations consists of the Executive Board and The in the planning of campusthe Constitution Review Board (CRB), -Lauren Closs Finance wide concerts and/or shows as well as the general members who Committee and traditional events. are a part of the Assembly of Student is an According to the Student Leaders. Essentially, it is the umbrella independent group of elected students Handbook, SAE collaborates with organization over all Tier 1 and Tier whose mission is to objectively decide students, faculty and staff to promote 2 clubs. Among the ICA’s duties are how to fairly distribute funds to programs and opportunities for
SGA / Twitter
organizing and funding leadership summits, and chartering clubs. The SGA President also partakes in the chartering process. All affiliate organizations of the Student Government Association are a part of the SGA Advisory board, which advises the “President on student concerns and offering recommendations on proposed legislation and SGA actions,” according to the SGA webpage. Those include Association of Residence Halls (ARH), Campus •COMMITTEE | 10
Resident Assistants voice concerns about Office of Residence Life Ginny Bixby Associate Editor
At the end of UMW alumna Monique Klinger’s only semester as a resident assistant in the spring of 2018, she had to perform a task she never expected she’d have to complete. “My area coordinator made us do some things that we never should have been doing as RAs. Residents moved out at the end of the semester and left a ridiculous amount of trash in the hallways and common areas, our area coordinator told us to get rid of all of it,
he didn’t give us gloves or trash bags so we had to come up with our own,” said Klinger. “We were touching nasty things that we were not trained to touch, like [medicine], syringes, sheets that had nasty bodily fluids making them stick together, period stains, etc. It took our staff six hours and we didn’t even finish getting rid of all the trash, we just said we were done and left.” Klinger already knew she was not returning to her job, but said this incident only further confirmed she was making the right choice. Klinger is
The Marye House acts as the center for residence life administration.
IN THIS
ISSUE
Downtown Eats
not the only RA who quit their job with called a “lack of respect” for RAs from the Office of Residence Life. Several the Office of Residence Life. RAs who spoke with the Blue and Klinger became an RA after her Gray Press are not returning to their boss at the Center for International jobs, citing poor communication and a Education suggested she apply, since lack of transparency from there was the Office of Residence going to be “They always say ‘you’re a shortage Life, as well as alleging that they are being of RAs that a person first, a student overworked. semester. second, and an RA third’ About 75 percent of “I was but that was not how they interviewed resident assistants, more commonly known as and put on the treated us at all.” RAs, who are returning RA waitlist, to campus next year are a list that -Monique Klinger returning to the Office of their posts, Residence according to Life pulls a Board of Visitors report from to replace RAs that leave their obtained via Freedom of jobs.” Information Act request. Klinger said that initially, there were As the RAs interviewed some positive aspects to being an RA, indicated that they are and she loved being able to have her expressly prohibited by the own room. Office of Residence Life However, she quickly became from speaking to the Blue frustrated with the job. and Gray Press, the editors “ResLife was very disorganized, have granted anonymity no one ever could give you a straight to current and former RAs answer for anything. ResLife interviewed who feared [administrative] staff was very retaliation from the Office inconsistent with what they expect of Residence Life if they from RAs, so coordination with other spoke out. staffs was difficult,” said Klinger. “They always say A lack of transparency and limited ‘you’re a person first, a communication was the primary student second, and an RA complaint among all RAs interviewed, third’ but that was not how who voiced a similar sentiment to they treated us at all,” said Klinger’s. Klinger, whose primary “We would barely get any notice UMW Website complaint was what she that we had to be •RA | 11
Property DAMAGE
Affordable resturants in downtown Fredericksburg.
University should pay for student property.
LIFE | 6
VIEWPOINTS | 4
MARY MASSACRE
UMW women’s ultimate frisbee goes to nationals. SPORTS | 5
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 Lauren Closs
Associate Editors Grace Winfield Ginny Bixby
Buisness Manager Lucas Burkholder
SECTION EDITORS NEWS Kate Seltzer Abigail Buchholz
VIEWPOINTS Alicen Hackney
LIFE Cosima Pellis
SPORTS Jack Hagn
ONLINE Meaghan McIntyre Samuel Cobb
PHOTO Cayley McGuire Noah Strobel
FACULTY ADVISOR Sushma Subramanian
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Editors: Kate Seltzer & Abigail Buchholz | blueandgray.news@gmail.com
Campus community reacts to fire at Notre Dame EKATERINA SAVELYEVA Staff Writer
for, I think, a really interesting big groups just gave money to build conversation,” said Smith. this again and they never give money Smith and her students will be to the people,” said Blons. confronting these issues face-to-face The fire has not only fostered this coming these important summer. conversations and “I’ve been to Notre Dame many been a source of Some students had a personal grief, times, including inside, but this chance to see it has also time when we went we decided but the cathedral underscored the not to go inside because we were importance of before the fire. Freshman monuments and on a tighter schedule and we Alberic their endurance. figured ‘Oh, we can just come Karina-Plun “As a historic back in a year or two.” had just preservation visited Notre major, we learn Dame with his not to take -Karina-Plun family over marvels like these winter break. for granted,” said “I’ve been to Notre Dame many Karina-Plun. “Watching Notre Dame times, including inside, but this time burn has definitely inspired me to when we went we decided not to go continue in the historic preservation inside because we were on a tighter field.”
On Monday, April 15, a fire broke out on the roof of France’s Notre Dame Cathedral, destroying its roof and collapsing the spire that has become an iconic part of the twelfth century cathedral’s silhouette. The collective global response of grief to the fire has reached the UMW campus, where many feel personal connections to the disaster, either by way of field of study or national origin. Dr. Andréa Livi Smith, chair of the Historic Preservation Department, feels the effects of the fire two-fold: not only is the Notre Dame a famous icon of her field, but she shares a home city with it. “I’m from Paris, so this is a really meaningful thing to me,” said Smith, “I was kind of a mess on Monday. I’ve been there many, many, many times. Smith leads summer trips to Paris focused on planning, architecture and preservation every two years. This year, she anticipates a slightly altered focus for the students on the trip. “The content is going to change in that we’re obviously going to talk a lot more about the preservation consequences of the fire,” said Smith, “There’s a lot to say about it, and there’s a lot of issues that now have to be resolved in terms of how to rehabilitate this building.” Central, for instance, is the question of the roof. “That Pixabay roof was actually constructed Over $1 billion has been raised for the restoration of the historic monument. of timbers from really large schedule and we figured ‘Oh, we can With preservation efforts of the trees from the 800s and 900s that just come back in a year or two,’” said Notre Dame on the horizon, Smith cannot be replaced at all,” said Ethan Karina-Plun. stressed these moments as an inevitable Knick, sophomore historic preservation “As a French citizen, it’s extremely part of any historical building’s life major. depressing to see the beating heart of cycle. Knick emphasized the large-scale your country engulfed in flames,” said “Buildings don’t just stand still connection he and his fellow students Karina-Plun. in time, they’re worked on over the felt to the event. “To us in the major, Within hours of the fire’s years,” said Smith. “So in a sense it’s kind of what historic preservation’s completion, we’re going to put a new stamp on it, billionaires around but we’re not fundamentally changing the world pledge this building.” in total a sum of over a billion “To us in the major, dollars in the name it’s kind of what historic of Notre Dame’s preservation. preservation’s about in This creates its general.” own complicated questions. Sophomore -Ethan Knick Sophie Blons, a French international Jessica Lynch, a freshman historic student who has preservation major who is going on Smith’s trip this summer, anticipates A study abroad trip will be impacted by the Notre-Dame fire. spent the past year it to be an emotional, illuminating Ivory Ball / The Blue & Gray Press teaching introductory level French experience. about in general,” said Knick. courses at UMW, is suspicious of this “I know I will shed tears looking Smith also brought up the roof’s philanthropy. While she acknowledges at the fallen masterpiece,” said Lynch, unique timbers as an example of a the importance of the Notre Dame as a “However, this is now a call to action preservation question that emerges monument, she feels the international for citizens and preservationists alike from the disaster. response to the fire indicates dissonant to discover how we can preserve this “We don’t have those anymore, so values. building for generations to come.” what do we replace them with? What “In Paris, you have a ton of “It’s going to make class even more do we put instead? Those are going homeless people, you have a ton of interesting,” Smith said, “just a little bit to be really, really tough questions migrants sitting on the streets, and so more emotional.” that have to be answered. It’ll make
CORRECTIONS for THE Week An article from the April 18 edition titled “UMW launches new Japanese exchange program” overstated Kevin Hockmuth’s role in the formation of UMW’s partnership with Akita International University. Although he suggested the partnership to a colleague, he played no role in the negotiations of the agreement. PLEASE REPORT ANY MISTAKES SEEN IN THE BLUE & GRAY PRESS TO Lauren Closs, blueandgray.eic@gmail.com or Sushma Subramanian, ssubrama@umw.edu
Thursday, April 25, 2019
SPORTS
Mary Massacre goes to ultimate frisbee national championship CAROLYN ROUSE Contributing Writer
Just days after graduation, the Women’s Ultimate Frisbee team, Mary Massacre, will be nationals-bound. The Frisbee Nationals is hosted at College Station, Texas at Texas A&M, and will transpire May 18-19. The team started off to a rocky start with their first tournament of the season when the team only claimed one win over the weekend. The team picked up the pace and performed well at their second tournament, and the momentum only continued. They placed second at the Country Roads tournament in West Virginia which helped prepare them for regionals. The team was dominant in the beginning of the tournament and only lost the last game against Shippensburg--though it was enough to get them into regionals. Mary Massacre entered the Atlantic D-III Regionals seeded sixth place. Over the course of two days, they defeated Catholic University twice, CNU, Goucher and UNC Asheville, only to finish the weekend undefeated. The team caused a major upset by un-seeding the top team in the region, Catholic University, who had won regionals and gone to nationals the last two years.
“We always knew we had the potential to push through and win the bid for nationals,” said junior Jenna Morgan. The team’s excitement is evident and anticipation is building as the national tournament approaches, though it’s the team’s year-long determination that has landed them the only atlantic coast bid to nationals. This will be their first trip to nationals since 2013. “This year we really made an effort to remind ourselves of our goal of nationals. We came up with a motivator word which was #moonshoot which comes from the saying ‘shoot the moon.’ In this case, the moon was nationals,” said junior Laura Hannah. Like most club sports, the team has been practicing multiple times a week. “We have been preparing physically through harder practices and workouts that will continue until nationals,” said Morgan. In addition to these practices, they have been doing different types of training all year to prepare for their trip down south, according to Hannah. The team has been hosting practices three days a week throughout both the fall and spring semesters, alongside one day strictly dedicated to conditioning workouts. “Three practices a week
may not seem like a lot, but the girls take these practices seriously and have turned up the intensity this semester in order to prepare for nationals,” said Hannah. While physical preparation is key, they have taken steps to maintain the mindset that is crucial for them to succeed. Aside from the team’s motto they preserve a positive, inclusive team environment and welcome newcomers to the sport with open arms. This continued this year and even with the influx of new girls, the team was able to build on their past accomplishments and increase momentum. “This year we were blessed with a rookie group that was so enthusiastic and quick to learn. Our chemistry on and off the [field] has been so strong, and anyone that plays a team sport knows chemistry can make or break a game,” said Morgan. Morgan continued, “I believe that Mary Massacre’s collective passion for the sport, intensity on the field and team chemistry is what got us to nationals.” The top-competitive D-III teams from around the U.S. will be at nationals. “We’re just planning on going to have fun and play our game. [We’re] anticipating for it to be super fun and an insanely great learning experience for our team,” said Hannah. Mary Massacre may play to win, but it’s all about having a good time.
University of Mary Washington Sports Schedule
Men’s Lacrosse (7-10)
Apr. 10 W vs. Southern Virginia (17-16) Apr. 13 L vs. St. Mary’s (Md.) (12-10) Apr. 20 L @ York (Pa.) (18-7) Apr. 24 L @ Frostburg St. (13-12) OT Apr. 27 CAC Tournament 1st Round Christopher Newport
Women’s Lacrosse (14-3)
Apr. 13 W @ St. Mary’s (Md.) (12-5) Apr. 16 W vs. Catholic (11-7) Apr. 20 L vs. York (Pa.) (10-7) Apr. 24 W vs. Frostburg St. (21-11) Apr. 27 CAC Tournament Quarterfinal Frostburg St.
Baseball (11-20)
Apr. 19 L @ York (Pa.) (8-4) Apr. 20 L @ York (Pa.) (8-4) Apr. 24 L vs. Southern Virgina (2-0) Apr. 26 @ St. Mary’s (Md.) Apr. 27 @ St. Mary’s (Md.)
Softball (19-16)
Apr. 11 L @ N.C. Wesleyan (3-2) Apr. 13 W @ Frostburg St. (8-5) Apr. 18 W vs. Southern Virginia (3-0) Apr. 20 W vs. Christopher Newport (5-3) Apr. 26 CAC Tournament 1st Round Southern Virgina
Men’s Tennis (18-4)
Apr. 10 W @ St. Mary’s (Md.) (9-0) Apr. 14 W vs. Swarthmore (6-3) Apr. 17 W vs. Salisbury (7-2) Apr. 26 CAC Tournament 1st Round Frostburg St.
Mary Massacre after they got their bid to nationals.
Cayley McGuire
Mary Massacre has improved greatly during the season. Cayley McGuire
Women’s Tennis (16-4)
Apr. 6 L @ Carnegie Mellon (9-0) Apr. 14 L @ Johns Hopkins (6-3) Apr. 16 W @ St. Mary’s (Md.) (7-2) Apr. 20 W vs. Salisbury (9-0) Apr. 27 CAC Tournament 1st Round St. Mary’s (Md.)
Full Schedule not listed above. Most recent games included. Bold indicates home game.
Women’s ultimate went undefeated during their regional tournament beating out the #2 seed Catholic Unversity.
Thursday, April 25, 2019
Cayley McGuire / The Blue & Gray Press
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VIEWPOINTS
Damaged student property should be reimbursed by UMW
REINA DATTA Staff Writer
On Saturday, April 6, a hot water line in the north side of Eagle Landing burst, sending water through all five levels of the building. What started out as a seemingly routine fire drill soon turned into a hectic day of unanswered questions and students with no access to their belongings. According to an email from Anna Billingsley sent out the same day, there were “approximately 120 displaced students” from all 5 floors who were directly impacted by the pipe burst on Saturday. The University and ResLife staff have had to carry a substantial amount of weight on their shoulders with the displacement of students after Alvey and Arrington renovations. As the recent disaster in Eagle only greatens the burden, maybe they’re not being as sensitive as they could to students who are looking for answers--and reimbursements--during a stressful time. “I live on the fifth floor, I think three rooms down from the room that the pipe burst in, so when the fire alarms when off, we had to walk through about three inches of water in the hallway outside of the room where it happened,” said Anna
Beth Tanner, a sophomore majoring in biology. The university sent out update emails in the coming weeks, asking all of the UMW community to be helpful and understanding, as the remaining students who couldn’t go back to their rooms, readjust. The rest of the students can offer couches, meal swipes and homework help as much as they can, but all of these things don’t bring back the damaged belongings of the affected students. The university should have a hand in aiding the students who lost their belongings due to an issue that the students could not have been responsible for. According to the Housing and Dining Services agreement for the 2018-2019 school year, “the university does not assume any legal obligation to pay for the loss of or damage to items of personal property of the student which occurs in its buildings or on its grounds, prior to, during or subsequent to the period of the UMW Agreement. Each student is encouraged to carry appropriate insurance to cover any such losses.” While I can agree that there is a certain amount of precaution a student and their parents should take before signing any contract agreement whether
Eagle Landing
eaglevillage.com
it be on- or off-campus, there is a line and it was definitely crossed after the pipe burst. “I do personally feel like UMW should offer some aid in helping replace damaged personal items. No one can see a pipe burst coming. It was a total accident and it wasn’t the university’s fault or the students living in the buildings fault,” Tanner said. “However, it wasn’t a student’s fault and when we sign the housing agreement we sign up to live safe residence halls. My dad passed away and I had some things that were his in my room, which were the first things I grabbed when I went up. But if they had been ruined I would have been broken since there was nothing I could have done to prevent the burst.” When we sign a contract with the university, and when parents send their kids to college, they are entrusting the university to make sure that their students gain the needed skills for the real world. There are so many things to worry about during the four years of college, and students leave their dorms assuming that their belongings will be just as they left them when they return. When the university says that they cannot take responsibility for any damage to students’ belongings, my mind goes to things like theft, or damage caused by student error. This event was not student error, nor could students have known that it was anything other than a normal fire alarm. “I understand that that is a lot of money that should be going towards replacing the pipes, so I get that they can’t help students,” said Maelyn Beitzel, a sophomore Eagle resident. “If they were able to, they should at least help replace what was thrown into the showers in piles, that’s how a lot of our stuff got ruined. They just picked wet stuff up off the floor and dumped it all
in the showers. Of course, I wasn’t there and I don’t know why they did that. I assume they had a good reason, or they were just trying to be fast to limit the damage.” As reported previously by the Blue & Gray Press, ResLife offered EagleOne money in order for students to dry belongings as needed, and offered meal swipes to supplement their meal plans. They even offered to reimburse students for the housing switches. However, in terms of actually replacing student’s belongings, no communication has been given. Conversely, it could be stated that the university couldn’t possibly pay for every minute thing that students lost. The evaluation process for every single item would be extremely complicated. As a student, my perspective is that I want the university to replace my belongings. Perhaps as an administrator I would be saying something different. But, how about things like textbooks that students rented from the bookstore? Students normally take responsibility for damaged goods that need to be returned to the university, but does this change due to this event? The problem extends past the fact that students may not get any compensation. The true issue at hand is the lack of transparency to the campus community. Communication was poor the morning the alarm went off and students were not given a straight answer until almost an hour after being sent outside, to the week that followed when the most that the campus received was vague emails, trying to lift the spirits of students and instilling compassion to the rest of the campus, making little progress. All of this communication dances around some of the main questions that students have, and it comes across less genuine not to get a straight answer.
EagleOne minimum deposit rate is too expensive DEANNA BIONDI Staff Writer
before the year is over so that the balance doesn’t sit in the account, useless, for months. The most commonly used service that EagleOne is used for is laundry, and students cannot always afford to deposit $10 onto their EagleOne from their personal bank account at one time. Especially when the only thing they’re using it for is laundry. When students only need to do one load of laundry, it is unreasonable to assume that everyone has access to 14 quarters – the amount it takes to do one load of laundry – at one
time, so the only money that students have access to to do their laundry is their EagleOne money. Laundry costs $1.75 per use of any machine. This comes out to $3.50 for a single load of laundry, or $7.00 for two loads, especially given the size of the washing machines. Signs in every laundry room on campus instruct us to only put one-washing-machine-worth of clothes into a dryer at one time, because anything more causes excessive strain on the dryers and causes them to overheat. Students, however, often use two
Mary Washington students should not have to deposit $10 onto their EagleOne card just to do a single load of laundry. Many students often split their loads of laundry between on-campus and home in order to save money. However, students also find themselves in the position of having to deposit money onto their EagleOne accounts in the last few weeks of the year to do laundry, when they may not have time to go home for the weekend. As a result, students end the year with money remaining on their EagleOne accounts because they had to deposit $10, which is more than they need for one load of laundry. Students can use the remaining balance elsewhere, such as vending machines and restaurants on or near campus, but oftentimes this leads to unnecessary spending that only occurs because the student has remaining EagleOne money that they feel that need to use up. The EagleOne page of the university website does state that “refunds will be given upon written request only if a student graduates, transfers or withdrawals,” so the money leftover in the accounts of graduating students is not simply lost as long as they request a refund. Even students who are not graduating or transferring, however, feel that they need to use up their EagleOne money EagleOne money can be used for laundry, vending machines, and the bookstore in Lee Hall among other places.
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washing-machines at one time, and then put both loads into one dryer, regardless of what the signs say, so that they only need to use three machines instead of four. The price of this method is the difference between $5.25 and $7. Students should be allowed to have the option of using a combination of quarters and EagleOne money for laundry. Right now, even if students have, for example, $3 of EagleOne and two quarters, they still cannot do a single load of laundry even though they can technically afford the cost. With the tendollar minimum EagleOne deposit put in place by the University, a $7 load of laundry leaves only $3 of EagleOne remaining, which is not enough for another single load of laundry. This is when unnecessary spending begins to take place, because students feel the need to use up their EagleOne balance before it goes to waste, or they figure they may as well use it because they have nothing else to use it for. As students continue to run their laundry through the dryer twice (and spend almost the entirety of their EagleOne funds), the University needs to reevaluate the minimum deposit for EagleOne accounts. Many students cannot afford to deposit $10 at one time and struggle to use the remaining sum, so the minimum deposit should be lowered umw.edu to at least $5.
Thursday April 2019 Thursday, January 21,25, 2015
VIEWPOINTS
Editor: Alicen Hackney | blueandgray.views@gmail.com
Refusing flu shot endangers public health the flu. The flu shot protects against more than the flu and it protects more than just you. Nurse Sarah Fredell of the UMW Health Center fights for this cause by explaining, “getting vaccinated yourself may also protect people around you, including those who are more vulnerable to serious flu illness, like babies and young children, older people and people with certain chronic health conditions.” The flu shot is customized every year to prevent getting the most deadly strains that scientists can predict for that year. For 2019-2020, the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that this year’s
AMANDA SMITH Senior Writer
Flu season seemed to rapidly spread across UMW’s campus this spring semester. Even after receiving their seasonal flu shot, students still can’t seem to avoid it. Students subject themselves to a needle prick in hopes of having a healthy semester, but sometimes are later met with achy and feverish results. Recently, students have voiced some shocking positions of insisting on not getting the flu shot. Their claim? It is not protecting them against the flu. “I get the flu shot every year, but I seem to catch it every time, even twice this semester. I feel like it’s not worth it anymore, what even are the benefits of it,” said junior Cameron Coates. “Students are so concerned about getting or not getting the flu shot. They should not be concerned about whether to get the flu shot, but whether their friends are getting it,” said senior Emma Yerly. Yet this is misconception. By having everyone get their flu shot, they are most likely to avoid infection because of community immunity. Few are aware that communities, like campuses, can increase their ability to fight the flu and keep it out. “Immunologists refer to a term called herd immunity or community immunity President Paino supports the Health Center. which means the majority of a population vaccines protect against two strains of Type A, “H1N1 is vaccinated against a specific illness – in this case, and H3N2” and two strains of Type B “a Victoria the flu – thereby reducing the entire community’s lineage and Yamagata lineage virus.” All viruses that risk, particularly vulnerable populations. The more are put into the flu shot every season are researched people who are vaccinated, the better because it lessens and tested in order to protect individuals from the most everyone’s chance of exposure to the disease,” reports serious influenza virus that will reach a certain region. Piedmont healthcare. Dr. John Sellick, infectious disease expert and Even though some students may go through the professor of medicine at the University at Buffalo, vicious cycle of getting flu while in the midst of their stated, “this year the circulating strains of influenza projects, papers and presentations, it is extremely urged virus appear to be well-matched with the vaccine that anyone and everyone should get their flu shot in strains, but we will not know the ultimate efficacy until order to create a healthier campus--even if they still get
the season is over.” Even more promising, the CDC reports, “in seasons when the vaccine viruses matched circulating strains, flu vaccines have been shown to reduce the risk of having to go to the doctor with flu by 40 to 60 percent.” It seems to be promising that researchers are diligently working hard to anticipate the influenza viruses to come and promising healthy futures. Even though their predictions are well-matched and researched, students are still wary. “There are so many other strains or mutations of the virus that are developing all the time, there is always a chance of getting the flu, even with the flu shot,” said junior Cheyenne Palmo. “We have had some students who had gotten the flu shot still get the flu. No vaccine is 100 percent effective, so getting the flu shot is not a guarantee that you will not get the flu. But there are still many benefits to getting the vaccine every year. Please get your flu shot,” said Fredell. It is also important that students don’t assume that they have the flu at the sight of one mild symptom. It’s easy to assume you have the flu, but there is also a good chance that when you go to get checked out that the diagnosis with not be the flu but instead a “flu-like illness.” The CDC says that “with flu-like illness, you have a fever of at least 100 Fahrenheit and a cough or sore throat, but the cause of the symptoms isn’t known.” Whether it’s the umw.edu flu or not, the flu shot can protect against not just everyone around you but the severity of the symptoms as well that can lead to hospitalizations. Fredell said, “Getting the vaccine also prevents tens and thousands of hospitalizations related to the flu. Be wise- immunize.” Flu vaccines are more than just helpful to you, but to everyone around you. Flu vaccines are safe. The flu can be a life-threatening disease. Weighing out the options, the answer is clear. Take the risks and deal with the flu shot; reduce the chance of getting yourself or anyone else around you sick.
Staff-Ed: Devastation in the wake of Sri Lanka bombing On Easter morning, nine bombs detonated in and around Colombo and Batticaloa, Sri Lanka. As of Wednesday, the death toll has risen to 359 with over 500 injured. The U.N. children’s agency said the dead included at least 45 children. The suicide bombings, which the Islamic State has now claimed responsibility for, targeted three churches and three hotels during the Sunday morning service. The Sri Lankan state minister of defense, Ruwan Wijewardene, said that intelligence units were previously aware of the attack and that a “weakness” within Sri Lanka’s security led to the failure to prevent the bombings. Several other groups have also been implicated in the attack. Wijewardene said the government has evidence that the attack was “by an Islamic fundamentalist group” in retaliation for the
A church in Negombo in the aftermath of the bombing.
Thursday, April 25, 2019
By THE BLUE AND GRAY PRESS EDITORIAL BOARD March 15 New Zealand mosque shootings that killed 50 people. This was a pointed attack on a minority group. The pointless slaughter of hundreds of people is tragic and unacceptable, but it is unfortunately no longer uncommon. Sri Lanka has not seen violence of this kind since the end of its civil war in 2009. Sri Lanka has no history of Islamic militancy, and its small Christian community has seen only scattered incidents of harassment. This is not a far away issue; this could have happened anywhere, and we can never know what group is going to be targeted
Dhakatribune.com
next. This is why it is especially important for the public to come together and recognize the simple, common ignorance and prejudice that spirals into carnage. We should take every opportunity to educate and call out hatred and aggression wherever it exists. We should go out of our way to support people who are different from us. We need to respond to these events after they happen, but also make change in our daily lives to prevent these situations from arising within our communities, at home and worldwide. Our hearts go out to the family members and communities affected by this tragedy.
Citizens mourn the losses caused by the bombings.
bbc.co.uk
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LIFE
Editor: Cosima Pellis blueandgray.life@gmail.com
Downtown Fredericksburg streets offer cheap eats AUGUSTUS GROHMANN Staff Writer
Despite UMW’s proximity to downtown Fredericksburg, some students rarely visit the area. Most students give one of two explanations: It is too much of a hassle to go into town or it is too expensive to eat there. Although college students tend to not have a lot of extra cash, they can still eat out without burning through their hard-earned money. For example, it is no secret that many students enjoy a slice of pizza from Benny Vitali’s every once in a while, due to the astonishingly large portions and comparatively low prices offered there. Benny’s, however, is not the only affordable restaurant off campus. Many other locations offer good, decently proportioned food for less than ten dollars. Soup and Taco When asked about inexpensive food, many students will point you towards Soup and Taco or its nearer counterpart, The Soup and Taco 2. These two restaurants also are known for serving massive quantities of food for relatively inexpensive prices. For example, a plate of Pupusas at Soup and Taco is less than six dollars and, speaking from personal experience, is more food than any one person could reasonably ask for. Mercantile Unfortunately, these restaurants suffer from an obvious downside. Pupusas and pizzas sound great to many of us, but for vegans or people with gluten free diets, they seem less viable. However, downtown Fredericksburg has options for these people as well. The clearest
Vivify is a burger joint on William Street.
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example of this is Mercantile. Between its wide varieties of seasonal options for dining, there is almost always an option for everyone and the menu explicitly advertises vegan-friendly options. Vivify Of course, there are also options for people who are only out for a good old fashioned American hamburger. Vivify, a delightful little burger joint midway down William Street, also sells hot dogs and chili dogs at comparatively low prices. Sprelly Another possible option for those looking to relive their childhood a little is Sprelly, a gourmet peanut butter and jelly sandwich shop housed in the same building as the Made in Virginia store. Although the concept of a “gourmet peanut butter and jelly sandwich” seems a little absurd, the results are no laughing matter and delivers with a tasty variety of customizable sandwiches and crepes. Each features its own unique take on the classic recipe and includes homemade peanut butter. Ranging from the iconic to the absurd, (who has ever heard of a spicy peanut butter and jelly sandwich), the restaurant has something for nearly everyone. Goolrick’s Pharmacy After sorting through all these options, one is naturally inclined to finish their day with a little dessert. Downtown Fredericksburg, as always, delivers with a wide variety of different places to grab some sweet treats. One of the most notable of these places is Goolrick’s Pharmacy. Famously, the store is one of the oldest soda fountains in America,
Augustus Grohmann / The Blue & Gray Press
and perhaps more notoriously, advertises itself as having “Sandwiches, shakes, malts and drugs.” Because of this oldtimey combination, this is the perfect option for anyone looking to have something to eat while they go to pick up their prescriptions. Downtown Fredericksburg has a variety of places to visit for a great meal.
Maybe next time family or friends come to visit, instead of burning through those precious few guest swipes, you may want to consider taking them into town instead. You might just want to go on your own. Downtown Fredericksburg is fun, lively, and has no end of potential options for great, cheap food.
Goolrick’s has “sandwiches, shakes, malts and drugs.”
Augustus Grohmann / The Blue & Gray Press
Soup and Taco has locations on William and Caroline St.
Augustus Grohmann / The Blue & Gray Press
Thursday, April 25, 2019
LIFE
“Cuphead” joins Nintendo Switch, revives classic animation HARRY FISHER Online Editor
Since all the characters you fight are people who made deals with the Devil in exchange for crazy powers, naturally they all have delightfully outrageous concepts and designs, like a candy princess with an army of living desserts or a pair of frogs with boxing gloves
In September 2017, the independent game development team Studio MDHR blew the minds of gamers and animation fans everywhere when they released their first game, “Cuphead.” After almost two years of being an Xbox One and PC exclusive, “Cuphead” has finally made the jump to the Nintendo Switch, giving more gamers access to it than ever before. The game combines the old-school “shoot-em-up” style of games like “Contra” and “Metal Slug” with handdrawn animation in the style of classic 1930’s cartoons like Popeye the Sailor and Betty Boop. The game’s story revolves around Cuphead and his brother Mugman, who gamble against the Devil in his casino and lose, at the cost of their souls. He offers them a deal, telling them that if they gather up the soul contracts of his other debtors, he’ll consider sparing them. Their mentor, the Elder Kettle, gives them some potions that give them super powers, and they set off to battle against all the people “Cuphead” has finally made the jump to Nintendo Switch. in the land of Inkwell Isle who owe the Devil a debt. who morph into a slot machine. The The thing that immediately sticks outrageousness of the game’s characters out about the game is its visual style. only adds to its charm, and even the The hand-drawn animation is absolutely jazzy soundtrack serves to make the astounding, and it perfectly captures game feel like a product of the 1930s. that bouncy, energetic look of 1930’s Gameplay-wise, the game is cartoons. Cuphead and Mugman have essentially a series of boss fights. In each great character designs very reminiscent world, the player will have a handful of of old-school Mickey Mouse. As for characters to defeat, and the world can’t the other characters in the game, they be passed until all the boss characters are all look unique, as if each of them came defeated. You can take on the game by from a different cartoon, but they all yourself as either Cuphead or Mugman, still fit perfectly within the world of the but a second player can also join in as game. they other character.
In each level, the players will battle a boss with a variety of projectiles that the two cups can fire from their fingers. New weapons and other useful powers can be unlocked by collecting coins and purchasing them in a shop, and super moves can be obtained by beating certain
Not only do the bosses take more damage to compensate for two players, but both players have to keep track of each other, giving them each one more thing to focus on in addition to the projectiles flying around on-screen. However, players can revive each other when they die if they act fast enough, and playing this game with another person will ultimately take some of the edge off of its soulcrushing difficulty. Since the Switch is the most versatile game system ever made in terms of controls, there are now a variety of ways you can play “Cuphead.” You can play it the standard way, with two Joy Cons placed in a controller or held separately, or you can play the game in handheld mode with the Joy Cons on the side of the screen. Also, since the Switch is portable, you can now play the game on-thego, and even have twoplayer sessions with each player using a single Joy Con. The game already has great controls that you can customize any way you like, but the fact that you can Nintendo Enthusiast now play it on-the-go with any control style you want bonus levels in the game’s overworld. only enhances the experience. These upgrades are essential, because Despite its brutal difficulty, Cuphead this game is brutally hard. The player is a game that I would recommend to is only given three health points, and anyone. Its great controls make it easy you lose one every time you take a to pick up and play, and you will quickly hit, so beating a stage requires focus, find that you will want to keep playing determination and a willingness to keep no matter how many times you die, just dying over and over again until you to see what form of insanity you’re going know a boss’s attacks by heart. Not to to have to fight next. Additionally, all mention that every boss has multiple versions of the game are being given phases with many different attacks, so an update with brand new features and the game will certainly keep you on your animations, making now the perfect time toes. to start playing this amazing throwback With two players, it’s even harder. to the golden age of animation.
Creative Writing Club kicks off annual poetry slam tradition FIONA NALEPA Staff Writer
The UMW Creative Writing Club has started a new annual tradition, the Poetry Slam. Student poets were invited to share a poem of their choosing in a poetry slam competition in the Digital Auditorium last Saturday. A poetry slam is a competition in which poets perform spoken word poetry. The poetry can have a variety of themes but must be spoken word. Judges award points to each poem based on how much they like it. During the slam, audience members were encouraged to snap or stomp their feet when they liked specific lines within a poem. The audience’s response to the poems would also factor into the judge’s critique of the poems. Senior English: creative writing major Olivia Lehman said, “I think it was a really successful event; we had a really good turnout of students as well. As a senior and the club leader I am excited to see the influence this event will have on the writing community at UMW.” President of the Creative Writing Club, Lehman acted as the “sacrificial poet”, which is the poet who has to go first. They usually serve as a way for the judges of the poetry slam to get a feel for
Thursday, April 25, 2019
judging. The poem that Lehman preformed was titled “When the Trumps Leave Us,” and it was based on a poem by Anthony McPherson titled, “When the Obamas Leave Us.” It was politically driven and it focused on Lehman’s negative feelings toward President Trump. The audience connected a lot with the poem, and people snapped during lines that resonated with them. At the end, the poem received many claps and cheers of approval. The poems at the poetry slam covered a wide variety of topics, ranging from politics to sexuality to the experiences of African American women in society. Because of these topics, many of the performances were very emotionally driven. Senior art history major Caitlin Kelly said, “I really liked how much diversity there was among the poets.
There were people of different races, sexualities and genders so it wasn’t just cis white people. That’s a really positive change.” Senior communication and digital studies major Meredith Jennings said, “It was a very good event. Everyone really showed off their creative sides.
It was fun because slam poetry is so different from regular poetry and it is not something that I get to experience very often. I really enjoyed getting to snap my fingers at each line that resonated with me. Spoken word poetry just really has this raw emotional side to it that I love to listen to.”
UMW Creative Writing Club / Facebook
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LIFE
Internships improve transition from school to the working world
THOMAS SKEER Staff Writer
As members of the class of 2019 don their cap and gowns, ready to walk into the working world, some may be more prepared than others when the time comes to start earning a salary. With millions of students graduating and applying for jobs across the country, work experience is a key factor for employers during the hiring process. Internships offer the opportunity to get work experience in a field of interest that can make the difference when the time comes to apply for a job. “I think that some level of internship or research position is crucial for science majors in order to be marketable in the field that they choose to pursue,” said sophomore biochemistry major Kaitlyn Parker, who is currently participating in biochemical research with the Institute for Coastal Plain Sciences. “A lack of experience can hinder applicants because it can be seen as a lack of passion when compared to others who are seen as openly passionate through their work.” Internships in general offer the opportunity to grow, learn and develop into a more well-rounded applicant. Some companies or graduate programs require a certain amount of work experience to even be considered for the position, which can put fresh graduates at a disadvantage. “I have been looking at many jobs now that graduation is coming up and it is shocking how some entry level positions at companies require 3-5 years of experience along with a degree,” business administration major Conor MacMurdy said.
As the school year is coming to an end, the hunt for work is just beginning. Some have opportunities waiting for them when they return home, while others are just now starting to look. “I work in the electronic warfare department at Naval Surface Warfare Center at Dahlgren and it is definitely relieving knowing that I have an opportunity set in stone,” junior mathematics major Benjamin Ahrens said. “I think that math and sciences majors definitely benefit greatly from internships and classes I have taken definitely prepared me well for my Emily Sanborn / The Blue & Gray Press The Center for Career and Professional Development is located in the UC. job.” According to U.S. News, field that they plan on [going into] after just hope that it will pay off in the end.” the average age for people to start an graduation,” senior business major Noah According to the Bureau of Labor internship is 20 years old, but with the Bannon said. “It gives the person an Statistics in the month of April the pressures and competitiveness of finding opportunity to experience what it will unemployment rate among people 25 a job, some feel like they are falling really be like once they get into the real and older with bachelor’s degree or more behind from the start. world and that is really important.” education was 2.1 percent. Although “I have not decided my major yet The experience offered may be young adults with college educations and it worries me that I do not have extremely valuable and lead to a future are more likely to be employed when an internship lined up,” said freshman job, however, oftentimes present needs compared to those with less education, Griffin Hemmendinger. “Once I do figure outweigh future ones. Many internships the fear of not being able to pay off out my major I feel like I will be behind offer unpaid positions to college student loans or make a living is ever all of the students that knew what they students, which can be a financial present. wanted to do since beginning college.” burden. “It is scary to think that I can work Each student may have a different “During the summer it is nice to have so hard for four years in college and still major, but the same theme continues to money in order to go out with friends be unemployed after graduation,” junior reappear: experience is crucial no matter and have fun but I will be working a 9-5 accounting major Khalid Hirad said. “I what field the person decides to take. internship with no pay,” says freshman have put in the work in the classroom “I think every college student should international affairs major Cameron but I still might not be able to put in the work some sort of internship in the Wollard. “It is a struggle right now and I work out in the real world.”
Ineffective club leadership can lead to club burnout
MEREDITH JENNINGS Staff Writer
Clubs at UMW are not a new phenomenon, but what is new is the method in which they are being led. The Student Leadership Summit is one way UMW helps train student leaders. It’s been around for three years, and the purpose of the summit is to encourage members of club leadership to attend various seminars and lectures about topics ranging from public speaking to club retention. However, before the summit existed, there were problems with how students on this campus handled leadership positions and it is yet to be determined if the summit has been truly assuaging these problems. “I did experience burnout. Actually, I burned out so much that I ended up
dropping PRISM [People for the Rights of Individuals of Sexual Minorities] all together after my tenure as president,” said Candy Slamin, a member class of 2018. “I must admit that I don’t think I necessarily handled the workload well. Things got done, and major problems got solved, but I remember often worrying more about the club than I did my classes and stuff. It became in a sense, a job to me.” Slamin explained how she wasn’t even anticipating becoming president of PRISM. She had been the vice president for the 2015-2016 school year, but midway through the second semester she found out that the current president was going abroad. “Well in the sense that being president of a club as active as PRISM is something you never really feel ready
PRISM is a very active club on campus in which some leaders have experienced burnout.
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for, and because I became president so suddenly in the middle of the year, I was a little lost,” said Slamin. “But, that being said, I had people to fall back on who helped me a lot.” All clubs have an executive board that helps manage the club under the direction of the president. But each and every club on campus is managed differently and it’s hard to have a universal expectation for how the the workload is regulated. Stress and exhaustion can take their toll on all club leaders. “Burnout is a serious issue. I think the most important thing is sharing responsibility between club leaders, not having the club rest its entire shoulders on one person,” said Olivia Lehman, president of the Creative Writing Club. “Otherwise, it can really take the fun out
UMW PRISM
of [a] club.” In the formative years of the Creative Writing Club, one area that was a source of stress was the fact that older members of the executive board didn’t aid the incoming members in becoming adjusted to the work. Lehman said that the previous president handled the transition of power poorly and that in turn has made her want to do better for future students. “I tried to make it a smoother transition this year, making sure our new president knows everything he needs to do to be ready for next year.” In terms of how leadership practices have changed, Erin Shaw, the current president of PRISM, explained how she’s been handling the stress. The methods that work for her are intricate schedules that aid her in managing her time down to the hour. “The workload is a lot, but I have a great e-board supporting me,” Shaw said. “We have transitioned in power to the new leadership, but I keep thinking I’m coming back in the fall. I keep saying things like ‘so next year we’ll…’ I’m so proud of our e-board, and I know they’ll do a great job.” Shaw has also been to all three annual Student Leadership Summits. She notes how it’s been useful to her in how she’s learned from other student leaders on campus. “The student leadership summit also led to the creation of the Multicultural Leadership Council, which has been a great resource for me.”
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NEWS
Club leaders express dissatisfaction with funding
•COMMITTEE | 1 Programming Board (CPB), ICA, Honor Council and several others. There is also the legislative branch of the SGA, the Senate. The final two components of elected student leaders is Class Council and the CPB Executive Board, according to the SAE webpage. Some students hold positions in multiple administrative clubs, resulting in overlap between leadership roles. Expensive Spring Formal Draws Few Students According to its constitution, “Class Council will coordinate and maintain all traditional class-wide events. This non-profit organization’s intention is to provide inexpensive social activities for the student body” (art. III, sect. 2). These traditions include Grad Ball, Lip Sync and Devil Goat Day and are met with anticipation by many students. The funding for these costly events comes from the FC. Class Council’s intent is to represent all undergrad students. One of Class Council’s most expensive events each year is the Spring Formal. While the formal is open to all students, like all events hosted by clubs funded by the Finance Committee, there are limitations. The council sells tickets over the span of three days at the rate of 100 tickets per day. Out of the 4,300 students that attend the university, only 300, or 7 percent, of students receive
“It was frustrating because their reason was that they didn’t think we could achieve the goals we had set, even though we had already been in contact with all involved parties.” -Alexander Rudenshiold tickets. Tickets are offered at the price of $35, though the cost per student in attendance is $114. To cover each student’s attendance, the cost averages to about $23,700 dollars. This amount is nowhere near the event’s total cost, a number which includes entertainment, venue pricing and transportation—each bus costing $10,000 each, as confirmed by SAE, CPB and ICA Director Sandrine Sutphin. Chartering and Funding Requests Each club must go through a chartering process to become officially recognized, and not all clubs meet the criteria. In the cabinet minutes of February 14, 2019, the Super Smash Bros club was denied official club status. The reasoning from FC said that the Super Smash Bros club were “too related to [the] video game club,” and were “just a group of friends who didn’t need a club.” Even after a club is chartered, funding requests are not guaranteed approval. Clubs have been denied funding for various reasons and have been informed that cuts must be made to clubs in order to fund Class Council
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events in which all students can participate. However, the trend in over-scrutinizing clubs appears to be those that are classified as programming by ICA—aside from programming club Class Council. One programming club that has been subjected to funding declinations is the WMWC, the campus radio club. In 2018, the club was granted $125, UMW Website which comprised The Finance Committee has their meetings in the University Center. .05 percent of for her club’s concerns to be referred The Blue & Gray Press comprised the $240,000 FC budget. This year, to him. 4.7 percent of the 2018 FC budget, they requested $4,000 to host one of “As a club leader, I am continually in comparison to Class Council’s 47 the first-ever radio club events. They confused at the roles of various percent. received $600. The FC’s reasoning was students in administrative clubs unclear. like Finance Committee and SGA, Campus Programming Board Only “It was frustrating because their and where their jurisdiction lies,” Appears Independent reason was that they didn’t think we Closs said. “I don’t know why the could achieve the goals we had set, SGA president was in our Finance Although CPB markets itself as even though we had already been in Committee meeting or why my being unaffiliated with other student contact with all involved parties,” questions were directed to him if he leadership organizations, according to said WMWC President Alexander wasn’t supposed to be part of that Sutphin, it is an entity of the SGA. In Rudenshiold. decision. 2015, the three campus programming 2018-19 Finance Committee “I found it confusing and unsettling boards – the University Programming President Alyssa Ruhlen directs student that so many separate parties had been Board, Giant Productions and Cheap inquiries pertaining to the hosting of making plans for my club for months Seats – were officially combined into events to the FC criteria, which is made without contacting me or anyone in one organization to form the CPB. Both public on Presence. The listed criteria my club. I was given different answers Giant Productions, which coordinated for event funding include recognizing from different people, without knowing campus entertainment, and Cheap the diverse needs of the student body, how they were even involved. In the Seats, which offered campus movie spreading the benefit of the funds to end, I was thankful that I was able viewings, were formerly considered the largest number of students and to have a discussion with Finance clubs and received funding from the ensuring that the organization is Committee and reach a distributionFC. Both of the groups comprised 21 capable of doing what is requested. related solution. I appreciate that percent of the FC’s $388,000 budget The WMWC initially planned on since then, we have been able to in 2015 before the move. With the having a small music festival—much communicate more directly with the emergence of the board, a separate like Class Council’s Rocktoberfest. correct people.” pot of money became available to This event would potentially broaden Richelle Holnick, listed as CPB’s fund CPB events. For 2018, the club’s WMWC’s establishment on campus. co-president, was open in her response budget was $158,225, and they spent However, the club was declined a to a Free Lance-Star article covering $163,665. substantial amount of their proposal. the funding dispute via a public The creation of CPB allows the Rudenshiold and WMWC are aware Facebook post. “Most students I know three costly organizations to budget that the club doesn’t have a history only read the school newspaper when from a separate pot of funding, of event planning, yet they were an article is according to Sutphin. disappointed to find that they weren’t “We’ve had to make a lot She also said that shared online, given the opportunity to put together the print of cuts to make sure we can clubs are able to coa bigger event to showcase their clubs editions just sit fund stuff like Devil Goat Day host events with CPB potential. “I realize that we haven’t had in un-open and to save funding and an event in a long time, [if ever], but as and Spring Formal, and we benefit from CPB’s undistributed I said to FC at our meeting, planning stacks around wouldn’t be as stressed if we separate budget, one music events and tours (domestic and campus, wasting had the money that usually example being Class international) is what I do outside of both money Council and CPB’s school, and have been doing outside goes towards printing out the Rocktoberfest. (which this of school for the better part of 7 years Blue and Gray.” school is always Class Council and now.” Rudenshiold continued, “FC just short on) and CPB have similar didn’t give us enough money to make paper.” objectives. As it actually happen… I don’t know if -Hannah Goad However, Finance Committee the reasons for us getting such a small according to receives more funding amount of our requested funding had to Closs, the Blue & Gray Press has requests, they have to balance the do with the lack of money they have at been tracking distribution rates for the budget amongst over 150 clubs, and this time of year or another reason, but entirety of the 2018-19 year, proving majority of the funded clubs are facing it still severely impacted our plans.” that the papers are being read. cuts. Student leaders of Tier 1 clubs Last year, programming club and Finance Committee member conclude Class Council has an undue UMW’s student-run newspaper, the Hannah Goad said, “we’ve had to make amount of influence in fund allocation, Blue & Gray Press, found itself on the a lot of cuts to make sure we can fund at the expense of numerous clubs. The verge of a legal battle with the Finance stuff like Devil Goat Day and Spring Class Council comprises nearly half Committee when the club’s $13,763 Formal, and we wouldn’t be as stressed of the FC budget, and remains closely request for the 2018-19 school year if we had the money that usually goes intertwined with SGA, SAE and was declined. towards printing out the Blue and student-elected leaders. Editor-in-Chief Lauren Closs didn’t Gray,” as reported in The Blue & Gray *Grace Winfield is a member of The anticipate SGA President Matt Good to Press. Blue & Gray Press editorial staff. be present during the FC meeting, or
Thursday, April 25, 2019
NEWS
Former RAs discuss discomfort with UMW practices
somewhere [or] do something and [that] our participation would be mandatory,” said Klinger. “Basically they say things are mandatory to bully staff into showing up to things. Other staff members had important things they missed because they were too afraid of getting in trouble.”
The RAs interviewed said that these Chat concept is good, it’s to make sure RAs who were all being paid the same conversations had to be recorded on every person is being checked on, and bothered her. report forms and sent back to the Office that’s very important because otherwise According to the Resident Assistant of Residence Life. These reports had to people suffering in silence might never Job Description on the Office of include the resident’s full name and the feel like they have someone to talk Residence Life and Housing webpage, exact details of what was discussed in with. But the prompts can be ridiculous during the 2019-20 school year RAs the conversation, however, the resident and awkward. Most RAs follow the will be paid an academic year stipend is not allowed to know that their RA is policy that ‘I talked to my resident and of $4,100 and a room credit of $475 per writing a report on the conversation. they’re doing alright so I’m [going to] semester. They did not write in the non-sensitive material or One former RA said that she quit feel that this just completely [make up] what my her job with only three weeks left in the was ethical resident and I semester because and that talked about,” it was becoming “ResLife was very this was an said Klinger. detrimental to disorganized, no one ever her mental and invasion of But the privacy on sensitive physical health. could give you a straight behalf of the discussions She cited an answer for anything. ResLife excessive number residents. were not Three limited to [administrative] staff was very of last minute tasks former RAs, Eagle Chats. with her inconsistent with what they interfering including Klinger said schoolwork and expect from RAs, so Klinger, that she had to personal well-being confirmed fill out forms coordination with other staffs and, while she that they to aid weekly enjoyed working was difficult.” knew one-on-one with her residents, of other discussion they were not the RAs who with her area problem. It was -Monique Klinger fabricated coordinator. On the lack of support information these forms, from the Office of on these she says she was required to discuss her Residence Life staff that made her feel reports personal life and emotions, choosing as if she was being encouraged to put Photo of 2018-2019 Marshall and Russell Halls Resident Assistants UMW Website so as to from a checklist of emotions and her job before her schoolwork. She said not provide feelings to submit. that they could have tripled her pay and One former RA cited an incident revealing details about their resident. “I’m super private so I’d always it still would not have been worth it to in 2018 that solidified her frustration “Eagle Chats are supposed to be select ‘random’ and ‘obnoxious’ her. with the Office of Residence Life. The a secret among RAs. Sometimes the feelings options,” said Klinger. “They All of the former RAs interviewed heat stopped working in her building, quarterly Eagle Chat is something wanted to know everything. My area said that while they were mostly and her residents complained to her natural like ‘hey how are classes coordinator once asked me how my unhappy in their jobs, there were about it, saying they were too cold going?’ But they can also be ‘let’s at night and did not have enough talk about diversity and how you clothes and blankets to keep warm. feel about that?’ So, imagine She immediately alerted her area trying to track down residents coordinator, and she said nothing that don’t want to talk to you and changed for two days. She said she then you have to somehow try to believes that it was parent complaints bring up something so random that ultimately resulted in the heat naturally with them. It gets weird. being fixed. The experience caused Everyone fakes them,” said her a lot of anxiety because she felt Klinger. responsible for keeping her residents Potential Eagle Chat topic safe and healthy and this was not questions listed on the Board possible with her concerns being of Visitors report included ignored. “in what ways have you been One former RA claimed that her involved with your community contract changed from when she first (on or off campus)?”, “are there accepted the job to when she actually any changes to the community began the job in fall of 2018. She said standards you think would help that while the initial contract did not our community this semester? say that RAs would have to stay on How can I help the community Photo of 2018-2019 Mason, Link, and Randolph Halls Resident Assistants. duty over Thanksgiving and other implement those?”, and “how do UMW Website school breaks, the new contract had a your personal values influence the clause that said ways that you love life was going. I was so shocked I positive aspects and they learned a lot they would. The view/interact just responded with ‘it’s going’.” from being RAs, and they all concurred “Your RAs have your back no with your Resident Assistant Another RA noted that while she that while they often were frustrated Job Description community?” was only responsible for 20 residents, with the Office of Residence Life staff, matter what for the most part. on the Office of Two former an RA colleague of hers had 50, and they enjoyed working with residents The support and friendships RAs said that Residence Life therefore had to conduct 100 twenty and other RAs and found this to be and Housing while some minute Eagle Chats per semester. She the most rewarding part of the job. that grew during my time as an webpage states questions like noted that all RAs, not including Senior One former RA said that the skills RA will stick with me forever.” these were posed that for the Resident Assistants (SRAs) are paid the she learned from being an RA were 2019-20 school as potential same, and therefore her colleague was invaluable and that she is ultimately year, RAs will be topics, they were expected to perform significantly more grateful for the opportunity, although expected to take also asked to work than she was, while still being she would not want to work the job -Monique Klinger turns covering bring up more paid the same. again. shifts over breaks. sensitive topics The same RA also complained that “Your RAs have your back no matter Three of the like politics, if an RA quit and nobody was hired to what for the most part,” said Klinger. RAs that were interviewed complained racism and sexism. take their place, the other RAs were “The support and friendships that grew that they were uncomfortable The RAs interviewed also found expected to pick up that RA’s work during my time as an RA will stick with performing Eagle Chats with residents conducting Eagle Chats to be difficult, without being provided additional me forever.” due to privacy concerns. According to with one RA calling them awkward and compensation. She emphasized that The Blue and Gray Press made the Board of Visitors report obtained saying they were not beneficial to either she was not unhappy with her stipend, multiple attempts to allow David via FOIA, Eagle Chats are mandated party. and acknowledged that she knew Fleming, the assistant dean of conversations that RAs have with “RAs have to do Eagle Chats twice what she was getting into in terms of Residence Life and Housing, to respond residents on “topics related to residents’ a semester, so there was a lot of chasing compensation when she applied for the to the claims made by the RAs who understanding of how their actions after residents to try and get them to job. However, the inequity in amount were interviewed, but did not receive a impact their community.” talk to us,” said Klinger. “[The] Eagle of work and number of residents among comment in time for publication.
•RA | 1
Thursday, April 25, 2019
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SPORTS
Editor: Jack Hagn | blueandgray.sports@gmail.com
Dirk and Dwyane: rivals who left their mark on NBA history
NICHOLAS VINSON Staff Writer
As the semester comes to a close, it seems sports are either starting the season or starting the postseason. The NBA playoffs began Saturday, Apr. 13. Before they began, however, the Association had two of its greatest players play the final games of their respective careers. Dwyane Wade played his last game with the Miami Heat and Dirk Nowitzki finished his career with the Dallas Mavericks. There is no doubting that Wade is a superstar and future Hall of Famer. Drafted by the Heat in 2003 after playing for Marquette University, Wade spent the majority of his NBA years in a Heat uniform. In 2006, Wade’s third season, he led the team to the franchise’s first NBA championship and was named the 2006 NBA Finals MVP, per ESPN. He struggled with injuries in the next season, but after helping the U.S. National Team win gold at the 2008 Olympics, Wade returned in the 2008-09 season and averaged 30.7 points per game, earning him his first NBA scoring title. “D. Wade is definitely one of the greatest to play the game,” said senior economics major Daley Pagano. “Not just play the game, but his demeanor was usually smooth, collected and cool. I think that puts him in a class that’s different than most other basketball players.” This was all before what most people know him for: his partnership with LeBron James and Chris Bosh. The “Big Three,” as they were known, appeared in the NBA Finals four consecutive times, beginning in the 2010-11 season (the season the trio was first assembled). Together, the three also won back-toback championships, in 2012 and 2013. However, the first season James, Bosh and Wade were together, they did make the finals, but were defeated by a team almost no one had guessed would make it that far, a team led by none other than Nowitzki. Nowitzki is often regarded as one of the most well-liked superstars to ever play in the NBA. As a teen in Germany, Nowitzki played basketball for his
local sports club, DJK Würzburg, and according to biographers Dino Reisner and Holger Sauer, always stood “a foot or more” above his peers and opponents. He played four seasons for DJK Würzburg before impressing a number of scouts, analysts and players during the 1998 Nike Hoop Summit. Dirk was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in 1998, then traded to the Dallas Mavericks. Nowitzki’s first few seasons with the Mavericks were characterized by a slow start, followed by huge improvement. With him at the helm, Dallas made the playoffs in 2001 (per NBA Hoops, this was the first time since 1990), but were eliminated in the second round in five games by the San Antonio Spurs. They made the playoffs every season following, but were eliminated in the early series. Dallas first made a finals appearance with Nowitzki as their franchise player in 2006. They were matched up against the Miami Heat, and a young Wade. After taking a 2-0 lead in the series, Dallas ultimately lost the next four games, giving Wade and the Heat their first championship. After that season, neither the Heat nor the Mavericks made the finals again for at least three seasons. As mentioned before, the Big Three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh took the Heat all the way to the series in the 2010-11 season. Coincidentally, Dirk Nowitzki took the Mavericks there as well, in the same season. The stage was set for a rematch. Analysts and commentators from SB Nation, SportsCenter, and other sports shows heavily favored the Heat to win. After all, Wade had proven himself once against Nowitzki and
Dirk Nowitzki finished his career with the Dallas Mavericks.
the Mavericks, and that was before Bosh and James signed with the team. However, it was clear that Nowitzki was looking for redemption. In a backand-forth series that had Miami leading twice, Notwizki and Mavericks did the improbable, beating the Big Three and Miami in Games 4, 5, and 6, giving the Dallas Mavericks their first ever NBA Championship. Nowitzki was named the Finals MVP., and played with a fever of about 101 degrees during Game 4, according to SB Nation. Fast-forward to the 2017-18 NBA season. Dwyane Wade left Miami for his hometown Chicago Bulls in 2017. After agreeing to a buyout with them, Wade signed a deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers in September 2017, in an effort to recapture some of the success he had with LeBron James. In February 2018, Cleveland decided to restructure its roster almost in its entirety, and Wade was traded back to Miami. In the summer of 2018, he declared that the 2018-19 season would be his last, and launched a campaign called “One Last Dance.” Nowitzki stayed in Dallas his entire career, and earned a lot of admiration from fans, critics, and players for his attitude on and off-the-court, love for the game, and loyalty to a single franchise. Though the Mavericks made the playoffs many times in his career after their
historic title run, they never really could recapture that lightning in a bottle. During the 2018-19 season, though he made no announcement that it was his intention, fans and audiences across both conferences gave him standing ovations and “MVP” chants at almost every game, as if this was his last season. Wade and Nowitzki met and played against each other twice this year. As if their careers were not already intertwined by the past, their Mar. 23 meeting, what would be their last game against each other as professionals, showed compared stats of the two players against each other over their careers. At the end of the game, the two swapped jerseys, a common tradition in the league as a sign of respect. “It’s interesting that they were so even throughout their careers, even though they didn’t play each other that much.” said senior communication and digital studies major Aaron Osman. “Especially since Wade had so much more media attention than Dirk did.” In their final games, Wade posted a triple-double with 30 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, and Nowitzki posted 30 points and 10 rebounds. For players of different positions, gameplay styles, and stature, Wade and Nowitzki will both leave the league as two of the greatest ever, tied together by their stats and history together.
Dwyane Wade was know to be part of the “Big Three” and appeared in four consecutive NBA finals.
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Dwyane Wade finished his career with the Miami Heat.
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