The Blue & Gray Press

Page 1

THE

BLUE &GRAY

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARY WASHINGTON STUDENT NEWSPAPER

September 28, 2017

VOLUME 91 | ISSUE 4

PRESS

SERVING THE COMMUNITY SINCE

Strong-armed robbery occurs near UMW campus HANNAH GALEONE Senior Writer

On the evening of Sept. 14 a UMW commuter student was a victim of a strong-armed robbery at the Thornton Street Pizza Hut. The suspect allegedly used threatening body language and brute force to make his way into a UMW commuter student’s car. The male assailant, dressed in red and dark colored clothing, stood in front of the student’s vehicle before forcibly entering the passenger side door of the car. Upon entering, he demanded that the male UMW student drive him to the Fredericksburg train station on Lafayette Boulevard. Once there, the suspect exited the student’s vehicle on Palmer Street after taking a small sum of cash from the UMW student. The suspect of the robbery was arrested by UMW Police and was taken into custody shortly after officers were called to the scene. The UMW Police Department continues to work on the case and strives to make sure all UMW community members are safe and protected at all times. “When a call comes in like this, the best thing to do is have a plan,” said UMW police Sgt. Charles Wheeler. “Your response time is really important.” The University Police Department is constantly working to keep the UMW community safe from any dangers or hazards.The UMW PD along with the Virginia State Police, aim to maintain safety on both the Fredericksburg and Stafford campuses. In the event that something like a strong-armed robbery happens on or

around campus, the UMW Police have protocols that they follow in order to ensure the safety of all those involved and to protect the UMW community from future events such as this. After an emergency of this sort, the UMW Police Department works to ensure the suspect is unable to move far from the scene by securing the perimeter of the event. “When you set up a perimeter, you go beyond the boundaries in which the event occurred so you can keep a suspect contained,” said Sgt. Wheeler. UMW officer Dillon Brooks was one of the first to arrive at the scene of the robbery. “I was coming back from an event at Belmont [when I got the call]. For us, a robbery call is an emergency response — lights and sirens go to the scene... The victim had actually pressed the blue light phone and that’s how we got the call,” said officer Brooks. According to UMW PD protocol, the primary concern of responding officers is the safety and well-being of the students involved. In this scenario, the student was shaken up but not injured. After determining that the student was uninjured, the officers worked to gather an account of what happened. “Because it’s a larger incident than what we would usually work, we would call the Fredericksburg Police Department [to assist],” said officer Brooks. “I was there for a good hour and half trying to get fingerprints off the car.” After an incident like this happens, the UMW Police heighten security and surveillance on and around campus to avoid any other events like this from happening. •ROBBERY | 2

“My roommate parks her car in the Pizza Hut parking lot frequently and she’s scared to park there now,” -Shawnya Peterson

Blue lights can be found throughout campus.

IN THIS

ISSUE

Izzy Briones / The Blue & Gray Press

TALENTED TEACHERS

1922

Sign informs students of new on campus recovery group.

Jamie McGuire

Alcohol and Narcotics anyonymous group formed at UMW ARIANA BARRETT Staff Writer

He flipped the little gray book over and over in his hands “I don’t even remember most of my last semester…I was probably sober only three days this summer.” This little book is called “Daily Reflections” and it is an essential text for Alcohol Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous groups. A group that was recently created by Hunter Rauscher, associate director of Residence Life and Housing. The book serves as a guide for living your life substance free and works as a starting off point for discussions in meetings. “Understanding the freedom of sobriety, it’s a whole new world of freedom,” said a student in r e c o v e r y. “The day I felt free…” another student said. Alcoholic and Narcotics Anonymous meetings provide a safe space for individuals suffering from substance abuse disorder that wish to seek help. The only requirement for a member is a desire to stop their substance abuse. During the meeting, a group of three students gathered around a table and gave themselves over to a higher power for one hour and rejoiced about how much better their life got after seeking help. Along with these three students was Hunter Rauscher who is also in recovery. Rauscher contacted many other organizations on campus such as the Talley center, office of student conduct and responsibility, the vice president of student affairs, the recreational sports

wellness program, etc. to make sure they were all on the same page about the group, but not just with the intent and values of the program, Rauscher was also concerned about sharing his personal information because he is also a person in recovery. “I didn’t think I ever could be free,” said Rauscher. “The disease of addiction is much more patient than I am… it’s waiting for me to mess up.” Rauscher realized that in order for students to open up and trust him, he had to be open about his own situation. “One day I was sick of hating myself…I had just lost all feeling and I was just faking it every single day and that just got to become heavy,” said Rauscher. Not only does Rauscher want to help recovering students, he also wants to bring awareness to how prevalent this problem is by making students aware that their colleagues may suffer from substance abuse disorder. “I think a lot of students, and people in general, don’t really look at an 18, 19, 20, 21-year-old as somebody that could have a problem…and in my experience, I’ve run into individuals that are 17 that are in recovery that had years’ worth of rather alcohol or substance abuse,” said Rauscher. Students in AA are conscious about the constant difficulties they face in the process of becoming free from alcohol and drugs. “There was the official day I was free from drugs and alcohol but I wasn’t free from anxiety,” said one student in AA. In the meeting students expressed

“There was the official day I was free from drugs and alcohol but I wasn’t free from anxiety.” -Anonymous

LOFTY EXPECTATIONS

Faculty displays art in DuPont Gallery.

New rule requires students to set up their own loft beds.

LIFE | 6

VIEWPOINTS | 4

•AA | 10

RISE UP

UMW dominates on Eagle Nation Day. SPORTS | 3


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