The Blue & Gray Press

THE

BLUE &GRAY

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARY WASHINGTON STUDENT NEWSPAPER

SEPTEMBER 8, 2016

VOLUME 90 | ISSUE 1

PRESS

SERVING THE COMMUNITY SINCE

1922

UMW students towed from unmarked parking spots during move-in CAITLIN WILLIAMS Staff Writer

In the midst of upperclassmen movein, vehicles were crammed into each free space in order to move in their belongings.

28 students from the University of Mary Washington had their cars towed from unmarked parking spots behind the Eagle Landing Parking Deck, within the 24-hour period Thursday evening on Aug. 25 and Friday, Aug. 26.

Along the back of the parking lot behind the parking deck are multiple spots where students are clearly told via signs whether or not they are allowed to park there without being towed or ticketed.

Most of the spots are for registered Eagle Landing guests, Residence Life staff members, UMW service vehicles or Eagle Village customers. No matter which category you fit under, there are signs visibly stating where and where not to park.

“All UMW spots are labeled,” said Parking Management coordinator Jean Elliot. But that is not the case for the 10 spots located right behind the Eagle Landing parking deck.

Nor is it the case for the other 10 parking spots located on the other side of the Hyatt dumpsters.

Two of the eight total cars towed Thursday night were those of Nikki Ferrell and Catie Morton. The following day, 20 more cars were towed from

the same spots.

Ferrell and Morton, just like most students during move-in, had not gotten their new updated parking passes for this academic year, so they parked in the unmarked spots on the far side of the Hyatt dumpsters.

With plans to go to the UMW Equestrian Team Stables, both Ferrell and Morton went to their vehicles together the following morning around 9 a.m. only to find their parking spots empty.

Both Ferrell and Morton stated that

•TOWING | 11

Alex Sakwwwes / The Blue & Gray Press

Eagle Landing residents stuck with unreliable laundry machines ALEC HARMON Staff Writer

Eagle Landing houses roughly 600 students from the University of Mary Washington and complaints have surfaced concerning the functionality of the washing machines.

In addition, students noticed that their EagleOne cards are not being read by the laundry appliances.

Like any residence hall, Eagle Landing allows students to transition from the comforts of their homes to complete independence.

However, not having essential appliances hinders that independence.

Doing laundry is clearly is a necessity at college when you only have so many pairs of underwear.

The problem, to be clear, is not the availability of washers, as there are two washing rooms on each floor of the complex, but the fact that some washers are not communicating with the card readers.

Further, at $1.75 per load, laundry at UMW is not the cheapest chore.

Students sometimes have to pay again in change when the card reader stops working.

The machines are said to work prop-

erly when paid for in quarters, though it is not entirely true for every machine.

In addition, there is no adequate signage to let residents know which machines are malfunctioning.

Cards can be and have been refunded but the problem has still not been attended to.

Hannah Kolkmeyer, a sophomore Eagle Landing resident explained some of her frustration after using the washers.

“There were no signs on which washing machines worked and I ended up spending over five dollars before I found one that accepted my card,” Kolkmeyer said.

Another resident, Zach Wohleking said, “It’s really inconvenient and annoying for a lot of students because we don’t keep a lot of change on us, I haven’t had change in my wallet for years now.”

Even though there are machines that allow students to exchange bills into coins, cash has become a thing of the past as most students carry cards.

“The first time I used the machine, I put my card in and nothing happened, it

“There were no signs on which washing machines worked and i ended up spending over five dollars before i found one that accepted my card.”

- Hannah Kolkmeyer

Alex Sakes/ The Blue & Gray Press

IN THIS

ISSUE

•WASH & DRY | 2

SLAYER GALLERY

BIG PHARMA

TEEING OFF

Alumni create online gallery to showcase new artists

Mylan CEO raises EpiPen prices

Men’s Golf holds first practice ever

VIEWPOINTS | 4

SPORTS | 12

LIFE | 6

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 Chris Markham

MANAGING EDITOR Tess Osmer

MANAGING EDITOR Alex Spence

SECTION EDITORS NEWS Izzy Briones Ester Salguero

Editors: Izzy Briones & Ester Salguero | blueandgray.news@gmail.com

UMW professor nominated for Grammy Educator award OLYMPIA JARRELL Staff Writer

The Recording Academy and the GRAMMY Foundation has nominated Mary Washington’s own Professor Mark Snyder for the prestigious Grammy Educator award.

This award, according to the Grammy Foundation, is a way to honor achievements in the recording arts as well as to support the music community.

For some, music is a growing process. However, Snyder has belonged to the music world from the very beginning. When asked how he first got into music Snyder said, “I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t interested in music so I don’t know if there was an event or a thing that made me interested.”

Snyder was chosen for this award out of 290 quarterfinalists from more than 3,300 nominations, according to an article written by Erika Spivey, UMW’s assistant director of Media and Public Relations. When asked about how he felt concerning his nomination, Snyder said, “I was really happy when I found out I was nominated but really honored when I learned I was a quarterfinalist for the award.”

Snyder went on to mention how he had taken a look at some of the other finalists and what they had done in their

EagleEye

“That’s what i’ve always loved about music. it’s all about forgiveness and redemption.”

- Mark Snyder

musical careers and discovered just how amazing and inspiring they were. He went on talking about how he had been a Grammy member since 2008 and said, “It works to represent the best in recorded music and to act as an advocate for recorded music and musicians.”

When asked what kind of music Snyder specialized in, he responded with, “Good music. At least, I hope. I am billed as a multimedia composer because I create video and software that takes the sounds and lights to an otherworldly place.”

Snyder also mentioned that he plays guitar and he sings songs that he writes in Nature Boy Explorer, his band. He said, “In addition to this, I produce and engineer records for bands like Shades of Opal, Aaron Taylor, Westwork, Amalgamation, The Belts, Malhombre and Los Welblers.”

Snyder is from Richmond and went to school at North Stafford High School.

“I am a product of Mary Washington,” he said, “so I don’t like to specialize in only one style of music, I love to explore and experience everything and that’s probably why I do so many different things.”

When asked what it meant to teach at the University of Mary Washington,

•AWARD | 10

Students constanly contact EagleOne offices for refunds

VIEWPOINTS Tessa Cate

LIFE Kelly Emmrich

SPORTS Mikey Barnes

ONLINE Ethan Tobin

PHOTO Alex Sakes

Faculty Advisor

Alex Sakes/ The Blue & Gray Press

Sushma Subramanian

CRIME COVERAGE POLICY The Blue & Gray Press will publish the names of students who are formally charged by the University of Mary Washington Campus Police or the Fredericksburg Police Department to have committed acts of extreme violence against members of the UMW community or pose a large threat to that community, when names are released to the public. The Blue & Gray Press will publish names and write articles about criminal acts on a case-by-case basis according to the aforementioned parameters.

2

•WASH & DRY | 1 just took my more resident of ryn Peterson.

Peterson was money refunded

money,” said sophoEagle Landing Kathonly able to get her when her mom con-

tacted the university and now she makes sure to only use quarters.

While the university treats laundry malfunction as a minor issue, students have to constantly get their money refunded. Unless students have debit cards where they can withdraw money

from an ATM, finding cash is not the easiest task to accomplish.

Though Eagle Landing staff claims that a solution is well on its way, so far there has been no progress and students are left scrapping their pockets for quarters.

“It’s really inconvenient and annoying for a lot of students because we don’t keep a lot of change on us, i haven’t had change in my wallet for years now.”

- Zach Wohleking Thursday, September 8, 2016

SPORTS

Men’s rugby to compete in Division I REUBEN GEORGE Staff Writer

Mother’s Rugby/Facebook

It is safe to say every student athlete’s dream is to play at the highest level of college sports. The University of Mary Washington men’s rugby program has fulfilled that dream. Once a club sport, both men and womens have recently become recognized by the school, men as a NCAA Division I team and women Division II. Under the direction of coaches Min Sae Chase and Tim Brown, the men’s team finished third of 11 teams in conference play this past year, including a very strong performance in the national tournament, the Cherry Blossom. In becoming an official Division I program, the team joined the newly created Chesapeake Collegiate Rugby Conference.

In joining athletics, the rugby program receives a number of benefits that they had not in the past and the various other athletes at Mary Washington currently receive. They have access to the varsity weight room, they are able to work with the varsity fitness coaches and the athletic department will further encourage the attendance of the rugby games and matches.

Last year, the University of Mary Washington imposed sanctions on Mother’s Rugby, the mens team for violating the UMW code of conduct. Lance Armstrong, a famous cyclist said “if you ever get a second chance for something, you have to go all the way,” which is exactly what the mens rugby program is looking to do this

Mother’s Rugby/Facebook

year. With the help of returning players and recruits both internationally and locally, Mothers rugby is excited about the opportunity given to them by UMW to build and better their program. The men’s program has welcomed 13 new players including three top transfers, five never domestic freshman and five freshman from overseas. “It will be a challenging year,” said junior Ryan Iskowitz. The level of competition will be higher and according to Iskowitz the team has built a “rigorous program, hired a new fitness coach and employed two alumni who are ex-players,” to help direct this program to the path of success. Coach Tim Brown says, “The guys are really excited and

up for the challenge,” which he says is improved at noted by the, “excellent team chemistry.”

Mother’s Rugby will be in action this weekend against the Nova men’s rugby team, which includes some former Mary Washington rugby players. They will host their official Division I home opener against nationally-ranked Towson St., Saturday, Sep. 17 at 1:30 p.m. at their new battleground field. Iskowitz, Brown and the rest of the Mary Washington men’s rugby team are very excited for this opportunity and we are all prepared to cheer on our first ever division I program.

Saturday nights once again belong to college football JESSE JONES Staff Writer

After a weekend of big games, the college football season is officially back and in full force. Due to the University of Mary Washington’s lack of a football program, many students have not gotten to experience the luxury of attending a college football game. However, some students travel to ‘nearby’ Division I schools for the weekend in order to take in the one-of-a kind experience.

The process begins with waking up in the wee hours of Saturday morning, tailgating with thousands of your peers, and then sprinting to general admission seating in an attempt to get as close as possible.

Senior Connor Hudson had the opportunity to witness ‘The Big House,’ the stadium played in by the University of Michigan Wolverines, the largest stadium in the United States and second largest in the world.

“Upon entering the stadium, I was shocked. It was so massive once I got inside and deceptively small from the outside. However, it somehow still managed to keep in the copious amounts of swear

“’THE PLAYERS SEEMED TO HAVE GIVEN EXTRA EFFORT AND LEFT ALL THEY HAD ON THE FIELD BECAUSE OF THE INTENSITY OF THE MATCHUP” -Connor Hudson words shouted by the fans,” Hudson said.

The level of commotion taking place in the student section of the stands is just one aspect of what makes college football diverse. Aside from that, there is a much greater passion that the student-athletes take in having the opportunity to showcase their talents than that of NFL players.

As a die-hard Alabama fan, Will Ritter said, “It is evident that they are playing for the name on the front of their jersey rather than what is says on the back.”

Although there is some individual reward to gain, that being the Heisman Trophy, given annually to the best college football player in the country since there is no compensation for their efforts, they play for the ultimate goal of reaching the BCS National Championship game. Bragging rights are another honor that players take extremely serious.

Hudson trekked to Ann Arbor, Michigan last fall to witness one of the biggest rivalries in all of sports in that of the University of Michigan versus Ohio State University. He stated that, “The players seemed to have given extra effort and left all they had on the field because of the intensity of the matchup.”

Campus traditions are another captivating feature that makes going to a college football game worth it. Junior Molly Miller attends at least three UVA games every year and “enjoys pregame activities, taking selfies with the Cavalier, and to taking in the ‘Good Ole Song’ if by chance UVA scores.”

Schools like Ohio State have more outlandish rituals like taping over all of the

letter ‘M’s’ on campus and refer to rival University of Michigan as ‘that school up North.’ Ritter enjoys partaking in the ‘Rammer Jammer,’ a long-lasted Alabama tradition.

“The Rammer Jammer is taunting the other team and it is so fun hearing almost 102 thousand people that all support your team heckle the opponent,” Ritter said.

After seven of the 25 top ranked teams and seven teams from the Southeastern Conference, arguably the overall best conference in college football, four of whom were ranked in the top 25 fell during week one play.

The 2016 college football season is off to a hectic start and cracked up to be an exciting one. As UMW students who lack the ability to go to football games on campus sit by their televisions for college game day, their peers at major Division I schools gear up and mark their calendars for upcoming Saturdays.

Weekly Scoreboard

field hockey:

Sep. 9 vs.Va. Wesleyan (W) UMW: 3 v. Va. Wesleyan: 1

Sep. 9 vs. Catholic

Sep. 9 @ NC. Wesleyan (T) UMW: 1 @ NC. Wesleyan: 1

MEN'S sOCCER:

(W) UMW: 2 CU: 1

field hockey:

VOLLEYBALL

Sep. 9 vs. Eastern Menonite (W) UMW: 7 EMU: 0

Women's soccer

VOLLEYBALL

Sep. 10 vs. Franklin & Marshall 1:00 P.M.

Sep. 14 @.Catholic 7:00 P.M.

Sep. 10 vs. Gulliford

Sep. 10 vs. Coast Guard 12:30 P.M.

MEN'S sOCCER:

@ Averett University

Women's soccer

3

VIEWPOINTS PETER TEAGLE Staff Writer

EpiPen prices soar, executive salaries soar higher

One of my cousins has a peanut allergy and carries an EpiPen at all times. I am incredibly thankful that she comes from a family that can afford to pay Mylan’s obscene prices. Mylan N.V. is an American global generic and specialty pharmaceuticals company registered in the Netherlands. They focus on providing EpiPens to people with severe allergies. There are roughly 15 million people with food allergies in the United States including one out of every 13 children, which is approximately two per classroom.

Apparently Mylan CEO Heather Bresch viewed people’s lives as the cost of doing business when she oversaw a series of price hikes that have driven the cost of the life saving EpiPen from $100 to $600 per two pack.

Mylan’s EpiPen price increase would be far less problematic if they did not have a near- monopoly on this technology. Competitor AuviQ is no longer on the market and similar generic devices are difficult to

Flickr / Jules Kendall

produce for smaller companies, meaning that off-brand solutions still hover around $400.

These costs can be challenging or impossible to absorb for low income families, who often have low quality, high deductible health insurance plans that do not cover the cost of the devices.

The entire situation serves as a dual indictment of “Big Pharma” and the for profit health insurance system in this country.

Both Mylan and the insurance companies are actively punishing people for being born with a condition. Mylan executives arbitrarily raised the price of this product and are relying on customers desire to stay alive to market a device that was invented nearly 40 years ago by a NASA scientist.

Our system has allowed a private company to monopolize a product invented by a publicly funded federal organization.

This exposes a serious problem of

Freshman feeling over-oriented

MEAGHAN MCINTYRE Staff Writer

In what felt like the blink of an eye, move in day arrived for the class of 2020.

It was a day full of mixed emotions. As a freshman myself, I was both excited over the journey to come and nervous about leaving home. But there was one feeling in particular that was shared by every member of the class of 2020 providing a sense of unity amongst us; we were all beyond ecstatic to be on UMW’s beautiful campus.

Prior to move in day, I had the normal first-day jitters; but I was confident that I would have plenty of time to get a feel for the campus before classes started. I wanted this time to make sure I had my school material ready and knew where everything on campus was.

I was able to complete some of my goals but the rest got pushed back when I found my schedule booked with orientation activities.

Orientation was something that I will

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Editorial: Journalism caught in crossfire of social media outrage

Joemmel Tendilla / The Blue & Gray Press

Flickr / Enea G

never forget because it was a positive experience. Though I thoroughly enjoyed myself throughout the course of the program, its length left me with unease. The information provided during the lectures was by no means boring or unimportant, for I learned quite a bit but there was also a decent amount of information that felt like a repetition of the topics covered in the summer assignments.

Both the lectures and assignments were full of helpful and eye-opening material, it was just that for me to have felt fully prepared for the start of college, I needed to do more than just hear that information.

One activity I needed to do was set up my wireless printer.

As a non-tech savvy person who lives at the bottom of the hill in Marshall, this was something I had wanted to get done before classes began. Because of the full orientation schedule, I did not have a chance to call IT Help until the first day of classes.

After a lengthy conversation with an Apogee employee, I learned that there

were more steps I needed to take in order to get my printer up and working. While it did not take me long to accomplish the steps he outlined, had I had the opportunity to call Apogee before classes started, I could have saved myself a decent amount of stress and spent more time actually enjoying my first day as a college student.

I applaud everyone involved with both orientations, you all put on an incredible series of events that I am certain the class of 2020 will never forget. The Orientation Leaders have been beyond helpful to me during this transition; so helpful that I am hoping to one day become an OL so I can help incoming students the same way the current OL’s helped me.

All I am saying is that I believe many freshmen would benefit from having more free time between move in day and the first day of class. Keep all of the Orientation activities, just shorten them. That way students have time built in to learn the vital information the lectures provide, as well as time to make sure they personally feel adjusted to campus before they officially begin their college adventure.

“I applaud everyone involved with both orientations, you all put on an incredible series of events that I am certain the class of 2020 will never forget.”

- Meaghan McIntyre

for-profit health care: everyone will need health care or medication at some point in their lives and there is no reason for these companies to provide the service cheaply since they have a captive market. Executives at companies like Mylan routinely show that their desire to pursue billions in profit outweighs their concern for the lives of their customers.

Companies should not have the power to hold the fear of death over someone’s head to sell an artificially expensive product since they have clearly illustrated that they cannot be trusted with that power.

While many of you may feel very strongly about private enterprise and an unregulated free market, try to think about this issue in terms of its human cost.

Would you feel differently about government involvement in healthcare if it was your cousin instead of mine? If someone like my cousin is susceptible to severe allergic reactions and cannot afford an EpiPen because of an executive’s greed, they will need more than your small government ideology to help them breathe.

We at The Blue & Gray Press welcome our readers to a new year of us serving the University of Mary Washington. With classes well under way, it’s high time to say goodbye to summer, and what a summer it was.

With political circuses and historic Olympic performances as well as tragic losses of life, there was no shortage of opinion spread out on social media over the summer months.

These opinions, coming from all over the political spectrum, have largely transformed the profession of journalism, a practice that we at The Blue & Gray Press take pride in and work hard to perfect.

However, with the accessibility of social media, anyone with a smartphone can now be considered a part of the “media,” threatening our modern idea of “journalism.”

During the Olympics, the Chicago Tribune came under fire for a tweet, pinning Olympic gold medalist Corey Cogdell as the “wife of Bear’s lineman.” The paper was immediately blasted by media for being sexist by omitting the wife’s name in the tweet.

However, from a journalism perspective, the tweet had no issues as it appeals to their Chicago-area audience. As a bronze-medalist in rifle shooting, it is unlikely the average reader would have known about Cogdell’s success, but her partnership with a Chicago celebrity makes it newsworthy to their readership.

Recently, Brock Turner was released from prison, and headlines read “Former Stanford swimmer released from prison after guilty of rape.”

Critics decried media for giving him his athletic credit, despite his athletic and academic background providing more context and a more compelling story.

While mentioning both his rape conviction and his former athletic prowess, the average reader can become more engaged in the story.

The issues with these criticisms is that changing these headlines or tweets would be a form of filtering and agenda pushing, something that has no place in journalism. Unbiased, impartial journalism is critical to society and the ability for readers to see from different perspectives is crucial to this.

Also over the summer, John Oliver had a lengthy commentary on the current state of journalism and the slow death of print media and how it should scare us. His issue with online journalism is that the goal is different than print, which is to get as many ‘clicks’ as possible, which oftentimes involves writing about cats, not political corruption. Print serves as the rock to keep the powerful in check, and that’s what we need to remember going forward as the word “journalism” continues to change.”

All of this is difficult to grapple with, as more and more online content is pushed to one side of the political spectrum or the other. Neutral, unbiased, pure and grounded journalism is hard to come by today, but we at The Blue & Gray Press strive to achieve that goal and maintain integrity of excellence. We look forward to serving the UMW and Fredericksburg communities for the next year.

By THE BLUE & GRAY PRESS EDITORIAL BOARD

Thursday, January September 2016 Thursday, 21,8, 2015

VIEWPOINTS

Editor: Tessa Cate | blueandgray.views@gmail.com

Party school rankings are out: did Mary Wash make the cut? mation from each of the schools when creating their rankings. The Princeton Review’s list is created by polling students from 381 colleges across the country and comparing the average drug and alcohol usage, Greek life popularity and the amount of time students at these schools spend studying.

Bing Images

BROOKE PREAS Staff Writer

Many factors take part in the process of choosing a college. While finding the perfect school, people may consider the size of the student body, the programs offered by the school and class sizes.

Some students, however, also take into account if the school is considered a “party school” before they make their choice. Whether this is to make sure they get the full “college experience” or not, it is becoming harder and harder to tell if a school actually deserves this title.

Over time, the over-use of this label has

caused its meaning to become subjective. Everyone seems to have their own definition of what makes a school a party school, causing the title to be used freely.

Evidence of this subjectivity comes from three different, highly regarded lists ranking the top party schools in the United States. The Princeton Review, for instance, suggests that the No. 1 party school in the country is West Virginia University, while News Week states that the No. 1 party school is actually Tulane University. In addition, Playboy named the University of Virginia as the No. 1 party school in the country.

Each of these lists takes different infor-

“What no one seems to be taking into consideration is that what may seem like a party to someone may just seem like a casual hangout to others.”

- Brooke Preas News Week creates their list by surveying students and asking them to rate their school’s “Raging Party Scene,” “Party Girls,” “Party Guys,” “Social Drinking” and “Nightlife” on a 10-point scale. Playboy rated their schools by three categories: “Sex,” “Sports,” and “Nightlife.”

Each of these lists came up with different data. In fact, the only school represented in all three of the lists is the University of Georgia. This lack of a solid understanding of what actually makes a school a “party school” raises the question: can any school be a party school?

According to sophomore Emma Eichengerger, the answer is “No. There must be a certain balance between who has the means to purchase alcohol and who can consume it in a large party environment.”

Junior Leysa Melnychenko was asked the same question and responded, “Go visit Mary Baldwin, then we’ll talk. You need to have certain social and economic standards for your students or people who just want to get wasted.”

Everyone seems to have a clear image of what a party school is in his or her mind, but no one seems to agree. Is it the amount of alcohol consumed at a school that makes it more of a party school, or does it depend on how much sex the students are having?

What no one seems to be taking into consideration is that what may seem like a party to someone may just seem like a casual hangout to others. Maybe for some, a night of playing King’s with a few friends is a party while for others, there needs to be a keg involved for it to hit the “party” status.

Until everyone can agree on a single definition as to what makes a school a “party school,” the status will continue to be given based on students’ own personal beliefs.

Tour de Sunken: the injustice feeding my fear TESSA CATE Viewpoints Editor

My head whips around, giving me a good view of the street over my shoulder as I unchain my bike from the rack. It is late and I’m exposed, standing all by myself under the last significant light source I will see until I get home. I mount my bike and ride down to Sunken Road where the lighting is minimal and the street eerie.

I begin to pedal as quickly as my body will allow, turning down Franklin Street where I pedal even faster in a desperate attempt to get my bike to its rack and my body inside my house. By the time I reach my street, my heart is pounding and my mind already mapping out the steps necessary to get me through the door safely. I do not race to my front step for the fun of it; I race because I’m scared.

My fear originates in the fact that as a female college student, I am especially vulnerable. I put myself in uncomfortable situations every single day whether it is biking home from a meeting by myself at night or going out to a party with friends.

Much of the fear I experience while placed in such situations revolves around a topic very prevalent in the lives of college-age women: sexual assault.

If you have scrolled through your Facebook newsfeed over the past week, you will have heard that Brock Turner has been released from jail, cutting his embarrassingly light sentence of six

Bing Images

Flickr / Stefanie Hadley

months into three. In what Turner’s father has referred to as “20 minutes of action,” Turner racked up multiple offenses and created a victim out of a girl whose only mistake was being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

According to CNN, the former Stanford University student was “convicted in March of the intent to commit rape of an intoxicated/unconscious person, penetration of an intoxicated person and penetration of an unconscious person.”

The three-month-long sentence is a slap on the wrist compared to what Turner’s crime actually warrants as punishment. By shaving time off of an already brief run in jail, this country’s judicial system has made it clear that a university’s reputation as well as its student’s social and economic status is of higher importance than

justice.

They have successfully conveyed that they hold more respect for a rapist and recently-registered sex offender than the life and feelings of a victim who can no longer live a day without being reminded of the violation and vulnerability she experienced.

The woman Turner assaulted in January 2015 did not ask to be violated. He picked her out because she was a vulnerable target, and the fact that his sentence in no way reflects the severity of his crime is disgraceful. This leniency conveys the message that sexual assault is acceptable, greatly contributing to the fear I feel while biking home alone at night.

The way this case has been handled makes it clear that this country’s judicial system is not fully dedicated to the people

it was put in place to serve. The fact that a privileged, white male can commit such a heinous crime while the clear victim receives no justice instills even more fear in me than I thought possible.

This lack of justice leaves me unsettled and wondering how a culture, generally condemning of rape, could have failed so miserably. This lack of justice makes it clear that I cannot count on having something so basic as the law on my side if anything were to happen to me between walking out of my meeting and into my house.

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LIFE

Editor: Kelly Emmrich blueandgray.life@gmail.com

UMW graduates create online gallery for upcoming artists EMILY GROTTLE Staff Writer

“We wanted to break into the art world by opening our own gallery,” Recent University of Mary WashCoffman said. “It really started out of ington graduates Maria Joranko and passion and frustration for art.”

Lindsay Coffman recently co-foundBecause Joranko and Coffman live ed Slayer Gallery, an online art gala good distance from each other, Jolery. ranko in Ohio and Coffman in VirEach graduated from UMW with ginia, it made sense to create a public a BA in studio art, Coffman in 2014, online gallery. Unlike a traditional and Joranko just one year later in gallery, Slayer is accessible to any2015. After graduation they had just one. one question on their minds: “What “We wanted to create a community now?” for artists,” Coffman said. “An online As aspiring artists usually do, Jogallery will hopefully create a closer relationship between audiences and artists,” Joranko added.

In addition to showcasing the work of new artists, Joranko and Coffman wanted to create easier access to art. In contrast to a physical space or museum, the online gallery allows for easy accessibility and every piece is archived on the site, making it easier for artists to track down Slayer Gallery their work and share it with Artist, Taylor White in front of his work. others.

August 1 marked the ranko and Coffman struggled to find grand opening of the online gallery galleries that would showcase their and a new artist is featured every work. week. In addition, throughout the The two friends recalled a night month of September, Slayer will be they spent conversing on the topic, showcasing art from its new show, both wishing there were more places Garden Party. for up-and-coming artists to showcase A statement on space, composition their work. Out of that passion and and form, Garden Party is a reaction frustration, Slayer Gallery was born. to the environment, setting and land-

scapes. ed in taking the gallery to a physical Both Joranko and Coffman disspace. But for now, Coffman believes it is important to urge artists to, “Do cussed the object of the Garden Party, something every day, even if you saying, it involves space and spatial technique.

Taylor White, a current senior at UMW and studio art major has two pieces featured in the gallery’s show, Garden Party.

The title of each piece is “Atmosphere for Kingdom” and “New Lambs.”

White said he played with the idea of layered space.

Further, he wants the viewer to leave with more questions after seeing his piece.

Slayer Gallery In the future Joranko Taylor White’s “New Lambs” and Coffman are interestdon’t feel like you have an inspiration.” Similarly, White suggested to, “Allow failures to be present in your work, and acknowledge the difficulty of art.

But don’t conceal your struggle as an artist.”

The team plans to add photography to the site in the near future. You can visit Slayer at slayergallery.com or through Instagram and Twitter using @slayergallery.

Slayer Gallery

Maria Joranko and Lindsay Coffman display Slayer flyer.

UMW Gallery features French painters and sculptors in new exhibition KELLIN GIBSON Contributing Writer

If you are an artist, a horse fanatic, or simply looking for a productive stroll before your next class, the Ridderhof Martin Gallery is hosting a new public exhibition that may interest you. This month, The French Horse Romanticism to Surrealism collection will be on display from Sept. 2 to Oct. 9.

The French Horse exhibit explores the majestic nature of horses, with major artworks in watercolor paintings, small-scale sculptures, and

Finnley Goff/The Blue & Gray Press

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sketch illustrations by artists, includa course taught during the fall semesing Jacques Despierre, Eugène Delater by Dr. Mitchell Merling and Paul croix, Edgar Degas, Antoine- Louis Mellon, along with other notable facBarye and others, representing the ulty members of the Virginia Museum movement in French art from Romanof Fine Arts. The exhibition was proticism to Surrealism. duced as a collaboration between the Featuring University of more than Richmond Mu40 pieces of seums and the French art, the Virginia Museexhibition is um of Fine Arts. a reflection of “It was a pure the collections pleasure bringin the Virgining the art and ia Museum of Fine Arts.

French artist Antoine-Louis Barye’s “TurkFinnley Goff/The Blue & Gray Press ish Horse” is one of the many Troy Paino and Rosemary Jesionowski small-scale sculptures that graces the gallery, adthe students together,” miring the muscular horse. Another is said Mitchell Merling Raoul Duffy’s watercolor painting of of the VMFA. horse jockeys.

Before her pass“My favorite is the ‘Thoroughbred ing in 2015, ProfesHorse Walking’ sculpture by Degas. sor JeanAnne Dabb His impressionism is unlike any other contributed to this exartist. I just love his work,” said junior hibit. With her ties to student coordinator of the UMW GalRomanesque architecleries Emily Bombere. ture and sculpture, her According to the UMW Galleries’ knowledge was an aswebsite, the exhibition is the result of set. Dabb was also the

Chair of the Department of Art and Art History.

The UMW Gallery recently held a reception for The French Horse exhibit on Sept. 9, 2016. The University Galleries has always been a popular attraction for both the community and tourists.

“Over 170 people attended the event,” Bombere said.

Anyone interested is encouraged to visit the Ridderhof Martin Gallery, located near Seacobeck Hall.

Finnley Goff/The Blue & Gray Press

Thursday, September 8, 2016

LIFE

Sugar Shack celebrates first birthday with President Paino

KELLY EMMRICH Life Editor

Nestled in between the University of Mary Washington campus and downtown Fredericksburg, Sugar Shack Donuts is an integral part of the Fredericksburg community.

Significantly, this past week Sugar Shack celebrated its first birthday after one year since opening its doors in Frederisburg. Instead of enticing students with a general promotion, Sugar Shack invited the new UMW president, Troy Paino, to pose for pictures with students.

Every person who took a photo with Paino could then cash it in for a free donut.

This, however, is just one of the many freebie promotions that Sugar Shack has offered since its inception.

“We have promotions 363 days out of the year,” said social media and market-

ing manager for Sugar Shack Kerith Rae. “We try to make it as fun as possible.”

Most promotions cater to UMW students, for instance there was one for Pokemon Go players and another for which you had to beatbox in order to get a free donut.

“Everybody has been warm and receptive to us,” said owner Heather Grimes.

“We just want to feed people some happiness.”

In the past year Sugar Shack has supported Girl Scouts, UMW’s a cappella group One Note Stand as well as students and community members in need.

This especially came back to help them when Sugar Shack was a victim of a robbery in late August.

Grimes described the losses from the robbery as “significant.”

Residents of Fredericksburg reached out to Alex Sakes/Blue & Gray Press the storefront via Facebook and in person. On the same day, another coffee shop favorite, Hyperion, was also hit in the robbery.

“I was so heartwarming with everyone

reaching out and asking if we were okay,” Grimes said. “The outpouring of love blew our socks off.”

Every Sugar Shack location has a focus on quality and providing the community as many jobs as possible, further connecting the shop to the community.

Interestingly, many of their donut makers are local artists.

They do not use machines and instead, hand roll and hand cut each donut in small batches throughout the day.

Founder and CEO Ian Kelly opened the first Sugar Shack in Richmond in 2013.

Each location is locally owned and operated giving authenticity to Sugar Shack’s hometown feel.

Sugar Shack is always looking to expand new flavors and experiment with its menu. In fact, it is starting to offer a vegan donut every other weekend. In addition, Sugar Shack is hoping to bring its donut food truck to the UMW campus. Currently, however, the food truck is based in Richmond and zoning laws make it

difficult to offer the food truck in Fredericksburg.

Later in September, another donut sup-

Alex Sakes/Blue & Gray Press

plier is set to come to Fredericksburg.

Duck Donuts, which originated in Duck, North Carolina, will open its Fredericksburg location in Eagle Village, where Hop and Wine once was.

When asked about their new competitor coming into Eagle village the owner was undisturbed.

“Competition makes us all better,” Grimes said. “There’s room for two donut shops.”

Needless to say, despite the recent robbery, Sugar Shack is thriving, both as a business and as a key part of the Fredericksburg community.

UMW Unsolved: the tale of the Virginia Hall ghost

MADISON REID Staff Writer

For some students, the mysterious slamming of doors and eerie creaking of floorboards are just two, on the long list, of quirks experienced in on-campus living. For others, it is the manifestation of the Virginia Hall ghost.

Most students move in already aware of the legend surrounding the building, with no clear consensus as to what actually happened.

The most popular story told is of a resident who hung herself on the stairs leading down to the basement, or in a closet, and now peacefully haunts the building. Only to be disturbed by the more courageous students trying their hand at summoning her.

However, others believe that it is a

Alex Sakes/Blue & Gray Press

man who roams the halls, disrupting the current residents. The exact details are still up for debate.

“Ghosts make for a good story but, personally, I don’t buy it,” said sophomore environmental science major Isabel Faust, who is a former resident of Virginia Hall and nonbeliever.

Faust was one of the few students who were unaware of the myth surrounding the residence hall when she first came to the University of Mary Washington.

Her understanding is based on what she sees, and throughout her year living in Virginia she experienced nothing to make her think there was any credibility to the ghost story.

In contrast, sophomore history major Kaylee Tye heard these stories and believed every word. Tye is a mem-

ber of the Catholic Campus Ministry here on campus, where she was told that the Priest, Father Vaccaro, would bless your room if asked, an offer that she was quick to accept.

According to Tye fellow members of the CCM, “lived on the third floor of Virginia and had their rooms blessed twice because of the spirits.”

Some students, however, were simply curious, such as sophomore Hannah Backe. “[I] was really intrigued by the idea of a ghost being in a dorm,” Backe said. Backe was told that the ghost was a woman who had hung herself in a closet somewhere in Virginia, but nobody knows the exact location.

While living in Virginia, Backe had no personal experiences with anything supernatural. However, her roommate

claimed to have been locked out of her room when nobody else was there, assuming it to be evidence of the ghost.

Backe did not feel any less comfortable living there than she had before, stating that, “nobody really looked for the ghost until somebody said they came into contact with it. Rumors spread of a girl on the third floor using a Ouija board to make contact.”

Sure, it is fun to believe in a vengeful ghost haunting the halls or a peaceful ghost watching over you as you study but regardless, it has just become UMW tradition.

The Virginia Hall ghost brings together the community as a pivotal part of campus history, real or otherwise.

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LIFE

“The Congressman” defines what it means to be patriotic

The Congressman

Stars Treat Williams, left, as congressman Charlie Winship, and Ryan Merriman as his chief of staff.

REBECCA MELSON Staff Writer

With this year’s intense presidential election and the general social atmosphere in our American society today, it is clear that the definition of patriotism is changing. This is especially apparent in the actions of American athletes Gabby Douglas and Colin Kaepernick.

In a recent Twitter blast, Douglas, an Olympic gymnast, was harassed for not holding her hand above her heart during the national anthem in the Rio Olympic opening ceremony.

Similarly, Kaepernick, a NFL quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers refused to stand for the playing of the national anthem in protest with the Black Lives Matter Campaign.

Both social outcries beg the question: what does it mean to be patriotic?

Well, Robert M. Mrazec provides some insight on these issues in his film The Congressman, to be released Sept.

6, 2016 on DVD. The film centers upon the life of Congressman Charles Win-

ship, played by Treat Williams, who is thrown into a media storm after not standing during the pledge of allegiance. The freshly divorced Vietnam Veteran turned Congressman then faces an angry public who misinterpreted his intentions, leaving him to reflect on the role that he has played during his ten years in Congress.

Accompanied by Junior Congressman and Chief of Staff, Jared, played

by Ryan Merriman, Charlie takes refuge in exploring a small fishing community in Maine to better understand the effects that international fishing has when impeding on smaller communities.

Predictably, the two come to remember the importance of small American towns, while discovering deeper parts of themselves.

In this way, Mrazec is able to use The Congressman as a platform to suggest the importance of the environment, while simultaneously asking the audience what patriotism really means to them.

Mrazec served in Congress as a New York representative for ten years, during which time he made laws that protected the environment. His insider perspective brings to the film a clear message that not all congress members can be bought out by lobbyists and special interest groups.

The Congressman This is pivotal to

the current state of congressional affairs in the United States today and the notion that some minority groups are in fact not protected by their congressional figures.

As movie critic Frank Scheck states, The Congressman “means well and acknowledges the positive elements of politics.”

Though it ends with a neat and clean overview of Charlie’s struggle to express his political freedom, it is a film geared toward American nationalism.

The belief that standing for the pledge of allegiance and holding your hand over your heart during the national anthem is a deeply rooted tradition that binds Americans together.

However, Mrazec reminds his audience that as Americans we have the freedom to choose whether or not we sit or stand during the pledge.

Therefore, could it be that new roots are giving way and reminding us that in America it has always been of utmost importance to fight for what you believe in?

RISE program fosters lasting connections and friendships

HABIBA NOOR Staff Writer

Initiated six years ago, the Resources Inspiring Student Excellence, or RISE, is a program focused on acclimating freshman students to college life. I found out about the RISE program when I first visited the James Farmer Multicultural Center and I saw that there were applications and promptly filled one out.

In the application you are allowed to rate aspects of your college life such as life goals, major, religion and with that you are paired with a student who has similarities. For me, the most important part was having a mentor with the same major.

When I met Lilian Perez, my assigned mentor, for the first time, I did

University Relations

not realize I was going to be sharing a journey with her throughout my time at the University of Mary Washington.

Today, as a senior undergraduate myself, I feel like I am in her shoes.

She was a biology major who helped shape my path and in return, I wanted to do the same for other peers.

To me, RISE is like a family. With them, I have visited downtown Fredericksburg, gone on trips to Washington D.C., attended museums where I attempted to broadcast a weather channel and bowling and watched a baseball game.

When I was a student in the mentor program I went to Sweet Frog with Perez, along with other students involved in the program. There we

would chat about life and eat our froyo together. Through these activities mentors foster lasting friendships.

“When I think of the word ‘mentor,’ I think of someone that I look up to and it’s a person who inspires you and challenges you too in a great extent,” said senior RISE mentor Mariam Khan. “It’s someone who gives you more perspective on a certain thing and is a guide for you.”

To all my mentors throughout my life, and especially my RISE mentor, I would like to say, “Thank you.” Further, my advice to freshman is to make strong

bonds with your peers because it will help make your time at UMW worthwhile. Whether that’s your roommate, your professor, or other members of the community, make sure they help you every step of the way.

University Relations

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NEWS

Student complaints about dining options and hours addressed KAYLEE TYE Staff Writer

Professor’s passion recognized

•AWARD | 2

Snyder said, “A gift. I was sitting on top of the world teaching Recording in Muscle Shoals at UNA. When the chance came to come back and teach here, I knew it would be transformative.”

Snyder shared how many of his students were creating amazing works of

“i am a product of mary washington so i don’t like to specialize in only one style of music, i love to explore and experience everything and that’s probably why i do so many different things.”

- Mark Snyder art that were also connecting them with people. He describes teaching music in a Liberal Arts setting as beautiful because his students are constantly inspired by what they are doing in other classes.

For instance, ”Austin O’ Rourke won and Stephen Hennessy was a finalist for the ASCAP Morton Gould Award,” snyder said.

O’Rouke’s work was made in Snyder’s Electronic Music course and Hennessy in his independent study. The awards went to Ivy League composers and top conservatory composers.

“If you’re happy spending days, weeks, months not getting it right to finally, one day, get it, this is your space,” Snyder said. “That’s what I’ve always loved about music. It’s all about forgiveness and redemption.”

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Pixaby.com

Dining Services Change Things Up General Operating Hours for The Top of the UC: Monday-Thursday: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Fridays: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Saturday & Sunday: Continental Breakfast from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Brunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Dinner from 5 p .m. to 7 p.m.

General Operating Hours for The Sustenance Station: Week of: 09/05/2016 - 09/11/2016 Vegan Grill Dinner: Monday - Friday: 5:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Salad Bar: Monday - Thursday: 11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Friday: 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Salad Bar (Brunch): Saturday - Sunday: 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Vegan Grill (Lunch): Monday - Friday: 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Salad Bar (Dinner): Saturday - Sunday: 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Simple Servings Hours: Week of: 09/05/2016 - 09/11/2016 Monday - Thursday: 11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Friday: 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Brunch: Saturday - Sunday: 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Dinner: Saturday - Sunday: 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Naturally Woodstock Hours: Monday - Wednesday, Sunday: 7:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.

Thursday - Saturday: 7:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.

Similar to last year and its opening year, the University Center and the University Dining Services have received an overwhelming amount of complaints due to lack of options and dining hall hours.

Dining options on campus include the UC dining hall, Qdoba, Jamba Juice & Lil’s Joe’s, Blackstone, Vocelli’s, Simply To-Go, Naturally Woodstock and Eatz on the Street.

The UC had many problems the first year it opened. The fire alarms were easily set off and many students complained of the dining hall closing too early and its lack of options. However, it has begun to make improvements this year.

When asked about problems with

“we were hearing from studentathletes and student organizations and other students that seven was just too early.”

- Juliette Landphair dining on campus, sophomore environmental science major Maddie Reid said “I found it inconvenient to my schedule to find time to eat.”

For, the dining hall closed at 7p.m. last year whereas this year the UC is open until 8p.m. Monday through Thursday.

For student-athletes that had to juggle practices atop classes, this was an even bigger issue.

For example, Allison Griffith, a sophomore majoring in American Studies, who played softball for UMW said, “the hardest part about being an athlete and fitting in meals is the lack of choices that were given at non meal hours.”

Vice President for Student Affairs, Juliette Landphair said, “we were hearing from student-athletes and student organizations and other students that seven was just too early.”

She stated that administration understood that all students have

•DINING| 11

Thursday, September 8, 2016

NEWS POLICE BEAT IZZY BRIONES News Editor

Larceny Grand Larceny occurred at the Brent Hall bike rack on Wednesday August 24, around 5:30 p.m., the case is pending.

Grand larceny occurred at Monroe Hall on Wednesday August 31, between 7:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., the case is pending.

Petit larceny occurred on College Avenue at William Street and Hanover Street on Saturday August 27, between 9:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., the case is pending.

Vandalism Vandalism occurred on the 1200 block of Sunken Road on Saturday August 27, around 4:30 p.m., the case is pending under the Fredericksburg Police Department.

Students left to deal with fines •TOWING | 1 they needed to go to UMW Parking Management to renew their parking passes anyways, so while they were there, they asked about the towing of both of their vehicles.

“They scoffed and said ‘oh yeah, we should probably put some signs up,’” Ferrell said.

Ferrell and Morton were given the name of the towing company, Shanks Towing, and directions to where to find their vehicles. It was only about a 5-10 minute drive from campus but it was very difficult to find.

“It looked like a trailer with just a small window to step up to and speak through the glass with a slit underneath to put your money or cards under to pay them. It was really sketchy,” Morton said.

Upon their arrival at Shanks Towing Company, the reason behind towing their vehicles was explained: they had parked in Customer Parking for Eagle Village. “You should’ve known you couldn’t park there based on where the

spots were,” Ferrell was told by Shanks employee.

“We towed you because you are a UMW student and that’s customer parking and we’re allowed to do that,” Ferrell said.

After Ferrell and Morton argued that there were no signs indicating that they could not park there, they were told that they could either leave their vehicles there “until they got an attitude adjustment” or just pay the fee.

Thalhimer, the commercial real estate firm that owns Eagle Village, is responsible for putting the signs up as well as calling the towing company to move UMW cars.

“All signage at Eagle Village meets national standards for posting areas that may be subject to towing enforcement,” said Thalhimer representative Jeff Rountree. “As we fully meet the standards, more signage is not needed.”

“To prevent being towed, the best plan for an automobile owner is to not park in a tow away zone,” Rountree said.

“they scoffed and said ‘oh yeah, we should probably put some signs up’.”

- Nikki Ferrell

UMW PUBLIC SAFETY ANNOUNCEMENT IZZY BRIONES News Editor

Robbery At 6:45 p.m., Wednesday September 7 a robbery occurred, near the intersection of Sunken Road and Williams Street.

The suspect is decribed as a black male, approximately 6 feet tall and clean shaven. The suspect was wearing running shorts and a white t-shirt.

The suspect approached a UMW student and engaged in brief conversation, then grabbed an iPhone from the victim’s pocket.

No weapons were seen or believed to be involved.

IN AN EMERGENCY CALL: 540-654-4444

Drug Possession Possession of drug paraphernalia occurred at Eagle Landing on Friday August 26, around 3 p.m., four administrative referrals were given.

Possession of marijuana occurred at the Old Apartments on Wednesday August 31, around 2:00 a.m., one administrative referral was given.

Possession of marijuana occurred at the Old Apartments on Wednesday August 31, around 3:00 a.m., one administrative referral was given.

Trespassing Trespassing occurred at Willard Hall on Monday August 29, around 10:00 p.m., the case is pending.

Dahlia Somers

Underage Intoxication Underage intoxication occurred at Westmoreland Hall on Saturday August 27, around 1:30 a.m., one person was given an administrative referral.

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

Thursday, September 8, 2016

UMW makes best effort to provide flexible hours •DINING | 10 very different schedules and that is why the UC hours have been extended to 8 p.m.

However, keeping the UC open longer meant cutting hours from other dining locations. Budgeting for the operational costs of staying open later, the UMW administration closed Naturally Woodstock during lunch hours. This was also done to provide late night options, especially when there are evening

events. Naturally Woodstock is now open from 7p.m. to 1a.m. Thursday through Saturday and 7p.m. to 11p.m.

Sunday through Wednesday.

Complaints from students with dietary issues also surfaced this year.

Isabel Faust, a sophomore who is both vegan and gluten free, said, “I have options but they don’t overwhelm me.” She stated that she mostly eats at the salad bar. However, she can eat at the simple servings station, but it quickly runs out of food and provides smaller servings.

Similarly, Lizzy Wainer, a sophomore sociology major, who is both vegetarian and lactose free complained about Simple Servings. She added that it is a very limited station in its variety of vegetables. However, she could get the vegetables at another station.

Landphair said that there are tours students can go on which show students with food restrictions the resources that are available to them. The UC also has educational posters about the dining hall stations.

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SPORTS

Editor: Mikey Barnes | blueandgray.sports@gmail.com

Women’s volleyball off to hot start Q & A with libero Jenna Yost

ZACH WOHLEKING Staff Writer

The University of Mary Washington volleyball team recently competed in the Haverford Invitational tournament in Haverford, PA and went undefeated winning all four games they played in. This accomplishment is just one of many they will most likely have during this year’s season.

This is a clear indicator that the volleyball women are very serious about this year, and will most likely let their opponents know that through their play of the court. To get a closer look and more information on the mindset of this year’s team I talked to junior captain Jenna Yost on the current state of the team.

Q: Going into this year, what has been the biggest adjustment for you and your team, if any?

A: “Coming into the season I have to admit that I was a little apprehensive about the number of incoming freshman we had. We had created a very specific atmosphere over the last two years and were somewhat worried that eight freshman could really shift that atmosphere into something less than productive. But this was and is definitely not the case. The freshmen are extremely hard working and just as dedicated to winning and improving the team as our returners are.”

Q: During the tournament, how was the atmosphere surrounding the team?

A: “At times I could definitely feel that our younger players were nervous because it was our first tournament. But we are very good at instilling confidence in each

other. The nervousness transformed into excitement and confidence as the tournament went on and we were able to demonstrate our athletic superiority to three top 30 teams.”

Q: What are the team’s biggest strengths and weaknesses going into the season?

A: “We have a pretty deep line-up which is something that we have never really had before. Last year our team ended the season with only 11 girls, if someone got hurt (which they did) they had to play through the pain and our play suffered because we did not have any subs. Now all of our players are ready to step in at any moment when another girl is having a bad game or someone gets hurt and we are able to adjust and continue the game playing as strong as ever.”

Q: What do you guys do to prepare the freshman and transfers for the season?

A: “We had an extraneous, mentally and physically exhausting 10 days of preseason before our first match against one of our rivals, Randolph Macon College.

During this time we have extensive informational sessions educating the freshman on the team dynamic and the standards that we expect each player to meet. We also have personality testing to better the team atmosphere and get to know each other better. We also eat lunch and dinner together every day to increase the comfortability factor of the team. In addition to that we had two physical practice sessions a day to improve our fundamentals and conditioning. Lastly we have many physical tests that everyone must pass or

Men’s Golf tees off season for first time ever MIKEY BARNES Sports Editor

This Fall, the University of Mary Washington welcomed a new sport to its current plethora of successful teams.

Former head men’s basketball coach and current facilities director, Rod Wood will serve as the head coach for the men’s golf program. Wood has spent the last couple of years, since the announcement of his position, recruiting members for the program. Mary Washington has welcomed 11 new student-athletes to the athletic department as members of the golf team. Of those athletes, 10 are incoming freshmen and include one sophomore transfer.

The athletes span from across the East coast, reaching as far as New York and Florida. Freshman Austin Matz, coming to UMW from Wexford, Pennsylvania, will serve as the team’s captain, as Wood will look to the newcomer, to guide the very young team in the Capital Athletic Conference. Practice officially began for the program, Tuesday Sep. 6 at Augustine Golf Club in Stafford County. The team

Thursday, September 8, 2016

will kick-off the season Monday, Sep. 12 in Harrisonburg at Lakeview Golf Course in the Tom Kinder Memorial Invitational. When asked about his goals for the season, Matz said, “we are looking to get our foot in the door and set ourselves up for a strong spring, so we will be able to compete at the CAC championship.” With being a new program, Matz described being the first class as an “experience that everyone is looking forward to.”

Wood, Matz and the rest of the golf program will look to take the CAC by storm this year, in hopes of a victory in the Spring to advance them to DIII National Championship, which will be hosted in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida. at Mission Inn Resort & Club.

The UMW golf team hopes to the join the winning legacy of UMW athletics.

they are unable to play on the team.”

Q:What is the main mindset going into each game, how do you look to breakdown your opponents?

A: “We spend time in the team room going over film and scouting each team.

We hone in on our opponents best players and design a defense that will best stop each team. After watching film we go through practice as if we were playing that team and practice that specific defensive set up we will play with and work on the offensive tactic that will take advantage of the opponents’ defense as-well.”

Q: How is the chemistry within the team? How do you all best work together?

A: “The volleyball team has extremely good chemistry. this is probably one of the biggest contributors to our success.

It is very important show vulnerability to ensure closeness and increase trust between team members. This is simple sports/group psychology and something that our coach and captions have worked hard to instill on the team. We spend a lot of time together outside of volleyball and can count on each other off the court, which leads to the ability to trust each other on the court. You need to be able to know that your teammate will do their job and trust that they will pick you up when you need it most.”

Q: What would you say is the team’s biggest flaw right now, and how do you plan to overcome this?

A: “I think that if we have any weaknesses it would be our youth. We have a relatively young team with only four

upperclassmen out of our 17 girls. Sometimes we struggle with implementing strategy changes in the middle of a game because we just do not have the experience necessary to think on the fly. But it is very early in the season and our freshman and sophomores are very capable and I have complete confidence that they will be exceptional students of the game with a little time and effort.”

Q: Going into your third year, you must be very familiar with the grind of the season, what advice would you give to the younger players who are still adjusting?

A: “I would say stick it out. There are times when it gets really tough, when it seems like you cannot do anything right, or like you are never going to start, or that coach does not like you. Just give everything you have, 110 percent effort and your effort will be recognized. You may not be where you want to be as fast as you may want to get there. But it does get easier, and if you have a passion for the game it never stops being fun.”

Q: Anything else you would like to add?

A: “Thank you so much for all your support of our team. We only have about five home games this year so please make sure you come out. Our program is truly the best it has ever been in UMW history and if you would like to experience history being made come out and cheer your butt off., don’t worry; you will be entertained.”

NFL back in action AMIR KOREHI Staff Writer

The National Football League is a name known throughout every American household. With the 2016-2017 regular season fast approaching, fans are ready to throw on the jersey of their favorite player and watch as many games they possibly can every Sunday until February when the two best teams in the league go head-to-head in the Super Bowl.

The road to the Super Bowl is paved in the offseason, with the combine, draft, cuts, trades and contracts are reconstructed. There are mini-camps and training for both veteran players and rookies where they get acclimated to what is in store for them during the season. This is also when coaches decide which players will fit in their team structure and which players will have no benefit to the team.

With all that said, it can be argued that this past postseason was one of the most energetic, with the Broncos Super Bowl win, and Peyton Manning’s retirement following; the allegations against Tom Brady surrounding the “Deflate Gate” scandal still stood, and he was sentenced to a four week suspension for the upcoming season.

Multiple appeals followed the ruling, and all were subsequently overturned, resulting in the ruling against Brady to stand. Colin Kaepernick, quarterback for the 49ers, recently followed the Brady

controversy, by refusing to stand for the National Anthem during preseason games.

While there are many views on the issue, sales for Kapernick jerseys have seen a tremendous increase, and he has started several new trends across social media platforms. If all that was not enough for fans to keep up with, many fans, including UMW students, create fantasy leagues and hold drafts to select what they believe will be the ultimate team of players hoping to outscore their opponent for the week.

These drafts require a full-bodied knowledge of players and teams in order to create the most educated selection that will set your individual roster over the top and guarantee you a spot in your leagues playoffs.

Fantasy football players must know what players are on what team, their position on the team, if they have any injuries or if they have recently recovered from injuries, and whether or not they will be a useful asset to their team this upcoming season.

With all of these factors surrounding the NFL before a single game is even played, fans are almost given a full-time job keeping up with the daily changes and updates to the league. The only prediction, which can be guaranteed to come true, is this upcoming NFL season will be full of excitement and even heartbreak for every watcher.

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